Originally the yard of ale was 36 inches inches long, but it's now possible to get many different sizes of 'yard' including 1/2 yards, and 1/3 yards for the faint of heart, and double yards for those with no common sense. The largest 'yard' ever made was 55 feet long, made by Blowzone Hot Glass Studios, and the glass blower had to stand on a gantry to get the height.
Completing the yard of
ale, without being
violently ill and/or spilling half of the contents down your
shirt is not the easiest thing in the
world to do. The main obstacles to a successful Yard are two-fold
Quantity
A Yard of Ale glass contains just under 3 pints of whatever you're drinking. Experienced punters make sure they chose a 'flat' beer that isn't too strong, or too sweet to down, primarily as a fizzy beer will bloat you, and a sweet beer will get really sickly halfway through the exercise.Three pints in a yard long glass, with the majority of the weight distributed towards the far end isn't the most easy to manage object either
The 'Tidal Wave' Effect
Due to the shape of the glass, when you near the end of the yard the bubbles of air collect in the bulb, and when the level of liquid in the glass reaches a critical point, dependant upon the angle you're holding the glass, air can freely flow into the bulb, causing the the contents of the bulb to come shooting down the glass at the unsuspecting drinker, generally causing a mess and being a shocking waste of beer. The way to combat this is to drink at a constant speed, preferably by opening your throat and pouring it down (not many people can do this), and by spinning the glass along its long axis, as the contents get lower.
Addendum
Other points to note (for the more hardened drinker/ rugby player)
- Take your shirt off to avoid soaking it
- Try standing on a bar stool whilst downing your yard
- If that's too easy, stand on a bar stool with your trousers round your ankles, whilst downing your yard, this was the preferred stance at the Rugby Club I used to play for.
If at any point you feel like this task is getting too easy, try switching your beer for a yard of
Green Death
For an example of what the glass looks like, check out www.moonshiners.org.uk/butchale1.htm