Is Two-Thirds of a Pint Only Two-Thirds as Refreshing?

Good news for British drinkers who think that a pint is too much beer to tackle at a sitting: Reuters reports that Britain’s National Weight and Measures Laboratory is considering allowing the sale of two-thirds of a pint. Says Reuters: “Currently, pubs can only serve pints, half pints and a third of a pint, a measure rarely seen in pubs but popular at beer festivals where drinkers try lots of different ales.”

Two points, from an American perspective: First, a pint is, in fact, an awful lot of beer. A typical bottle is 12 ounces; a pint is 16. Secondly, in an era of massively video-documented binge drinking, any law that lets bars serve less alcohol to people who want less alcohol is probably not a bad thing.