Yard (drinking vessel)
A yard , also called Yard-Of-Ale , Long Glass, Ells Glass or Cambridge Yard Glass, is a tall drinking glass that is usually used to drink beer .
Naming and structure
The glass owes its name to its dimensions. It is typically one yard high and holds two imperial pints . However, there are also smaller yard-of-ale glasses with a height of only 18 inches (45.72 cm) and larger ones with a height of over a yard and a capacity of up to 4 pints (2.27 l). The glass consists of a funnel-shaped tube, which takes up approx. 85% of the glass height; this ends in a ball. Due to this construction, the glass cannot be put down without tools. It is usually placed in a special holder or hung on the wall.
history
The yard glass was first mentioned in 1617 by Thomas Young in England's Bane . Another reference to this is found in John Evelyn 's diary on February 10, 1685. Here it is described that in celebration of the proclamation of King James II in Bromely ( Kent , England ), the high sheriff, his officers and high gentlemen drank from a "one yard of flint glass".
Even if, according to Evelyn, it appears that the yard was only used on special occasions, there is ample evidence that it was mainly used in rest areas, taverns and pubs for everyday use in drinking competitions. This usage continues to this day. In the Guinness Book of Records from 1975 there is an entry that proves that Peter Dowdeswell from Earls Barton, England, managed a yard-of-ale with a capacity of 2 imp.pt (about 1.14 liters) of beer Drink up within 5 seconds.
Dissemination and use
Yard glasses are mainly found in Great Britain , where they have been in use for around 400 years and some are still. These glasses can also be found in New Zealand and Ireland . Due to the design, the yard is often used for drinking games . It is difficult to put the glass down without something splashing out when the contents run back. It can also happen that the contents of the glass spill over the inexperienced drinker as soon as an air bubble forms in the ball.
Antique yard glasses are hardly available anymore due to the fragility of their material. One of the largest collections of yard glasses maintains the family Sackville of Knole House , Sevenoaks in the county of Kent , England .