Could smaller alcohol serving sizes become more common?

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and several UK health institutions led a trial in UK pubs to see if a traditional pint could be swapped out for one two-thirds of the size, with the aim of reducing alcohol consumption. And it appears to have succeeded - reducing alcohol intake by 9.6% over the course of the study. 

Alcohol consumption is the fifth largest contributor to premature death and disease worldwide. In 2016, it was estimated to have caused approximately 3 million deaths worldwide. As public health policies look increasingly to reduce alcohol consumption, how successful could downsizing alcohol serves be?

What is a pint? No standard answer

In the UK, a ‘pint’ is an imperial pint, or 568ml (nearly 20 fl oz). That’s considerably bigger that a ‘pint’ in other countries, such as the US, where a pint is usually 473ml (16 fl oz).

On the European continent, a pint is generally 500ml. In Australia, the standard serve is a schooner at 425ml. (Shots of spirits are equally unequal: a shot in the US can be expected to come in at 1.5 oz (44ml); but in the UK, spirits are sold as set 25ml or 35ml sizes).

In their study, researchers from the University of Cambridge explored what would happen in the UK if the imperial pint was removed and consumers left with choices of smaller serving sizes: with the next largest being a glass two thirds of the size of a pint (coming in at 379ml).

Thirteen licensed premises in England participated in the study and took away the pint, with just over half of these in London. The study ran for four weeks.

Removing the imperial pint from bars reduced the total volume of beer sold by 9.6%.​

“The results suggest that when the largest serving size of draught beer was not available, people shifted to the next available size, the two-third pint, which resulted in them drinking less,” explain the researchers in the study.

That can be easily explained by the fact that people are used to consuming a certain number of portions, without too much attention on the actual size of each portion.

“Two-thirds of a pint is arguably not too small a measure to be considered a large deviation from 1 pint and thus provoke resistance, but small enough to reduce consumption,” continue the researchers.

“Had the largest size available been the half-pint instead, that may have been considered too small, in part because there appears to be a negative attitude in England, albeit declining, towards ordering and drinking half-pints.”

The same effect has also previously been seen in wine. Another study from the team earlier this year found that taking away the largest 250ml serving size for wine in UK bars reduced volumes by almost 8%.​

A pint-sized problem?

Given that the pint has been the customary serving size for draught beer in England for centuries – and a central part of British culture – the researchers anticipated ‘significant pushback’ when it was removed in the trial premises.

But pubs reported receiving ‘surprisingly few comments or complaints’ from customers when the largest serving size was reduced to two-thirds of a pint.

“Four of the 13 participating premises reported receiving some complaints, which abated as customers got used to the new serving sizes. Whether this was because customers knew that the change was time-limited or because they realised that two-thirds of a pint was sufficient remains to be explored.”

That, say the researchers, gives hope that changing habits is not as hard as one might expect.

“Indeed, regulating serving sizes in licensed premises could help shift social norms for what constitutes an appropriate serving size, both for consumption out of the home such as in pubs and bars, as well as for consumption at home where most drinking occurs.”

But getting pubs and bars to sign up for a smaller pint size could be where the problem lies. The researchers found only 1% of the pubs, bars and restaurants approached agreed to take part in the trial, even though they were offered compensation for taking part.

And, when the idea of smaller beer sizes was put to Wetherspoon’s boss Tim Martin, he dismissed it as ‘slightly daft’​ (the pub chain has more than 800 branches across the UK).

Shrinkflation alert?

Perhaps the first question in the mind of consumers is whether a two-third size would save them money: particularly in the context of London where the price of a pint could rise to as much as £11.22 by 2035.​

The second question, however, is bound to be about shrinkflation: whether the smaller sizes are poorer value for money.

The purpose of the University of Cambridge was to see if new sizes reduced alcohol consumption. In fact, their model saw two-third pints priced directly in proportion to pint and half pint sizes to ensure they represented the same value for money.

But the researchers raise the point that consumers know, intrinsically, that larger servings are generally better value for money.

If you’re not drinking beer…

Researchers did find, as a side effect, that there was a small increase in the volume of wine sales.

This could be that some beer drinkers switch to wine when pint sizes are unavailable – particularly in pubs which serve food and where people have either wine or beer with a meal.

“However, even if the increase in wine sales in the absence of the largest serving size for beer is not a chance finding, it is important to note that this effect on wine was small in absolute terms and far smaller than the effect of reduced sales of beer,” note researchers.

Could new sizes play a part of alcohol policies moving forward?

With the WHO declaring war on alcohol, there's a clear move towards stricter alcohol policies.​

In the soft drinks industry, smaller packaging sizes have long been a mechanism to reduce calorie and sugar consumption from soft drink.

That hasn’t yet played out in the alcohol category to any large extent. In the UK, one-third and two-thirds of a pint serving sizes can be sold: but licensed premises are not legally obliged to offer these. (Many pubs, however, offer the 330ml bottle size for bottled beers and ciders).

What’s for sure is the pint is – by far – the most popular serving size in the UK.

“Based on the current findings, removing this serving size from the range offered in licensed premises and replacing it with two-thirds of a pint could contribute to policies for reducing alcohol consumption at the population level, thereby meriting consideration as part of alcohol control policies,” say the researchers.

“Given that alcohol contributes between 5% and 10% of energy intake among those who consume it, the intervention also merits consideration as part of policies tackling obesity in adults.”

To the rescue: Alcohol-free pints and zebra-striping

With the pint so entrenched in British culture - and the lack of enthusiasm from bar owners already demonstrated in the study - it is questionable whether the University of Cambridge's experiment would ever be launched on a mass scale. 

But the UK also has one of the most vibrant low and no alcohol scenes in the world: with no shortage of innovation to create alcohol alternatives for consumers. Alcohol-free beer is already thriving. 

The beer category has seen sustained, year-on-year growth of low and no alcohol options of 23%​. By January 2024, 87% of pubs served at least one no or low alcohol beer, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.

Putting alcohol-free beer on draught has proved a challenge​: but even there, 8% of pubs now serve a draught option, compared to just 2% at the end 2019.

And for pubs that aren't confident in putting alcohol-free on draught, innovators in the sector have found alternative ways. Last year, Days Brewing launched a pint bottle size for its alcohol-free brew to replicate the pint occasion ('honestly - now that it's in the market - we can't understand why it hasn't been done before', the brewers told us​).

For other consumers, moderating alcohol consumption is about switching between alcohol and alcohol-free drinks within the same consumption occasion - so called 'zebra striping'​ - opening up opportunities for alcohol-free brands but keeping the classic pint in the mix.