Reply to: Scots "Drink About Eleven Pints a Week Each"

[EternalOptimist]

Here is another riddle.

Eleven pints a week(about 2 per night) is an average. At least half of the jocks of drinking age do not drink for one reason or another, either to old, alcohol averse etc
= 4 pints a night

Very few people drink every day, on average its just the weekend, with maybe one other session
= 8 pints a night

There are times of the year when they are not drinking in Scotland ,holiday abroad, ill, pregnant etc
= 10 pints a night

when they do go abroad, they really whack it
= 12 pints a night

people dink slightly less as they get older
=13 pints a night


Therefore, all jocks drink 13 pints a night

[RichardCranium]

eleven pints per week

is the equivalent of

130 bottles of wine per year

is the equivalent of

46 bottles of Vodka per year

It probably depends on what that periodical believes their readers consume and, therefore, do not understand.

If they think their readers are beer drinkers, they will state it as bottles of wine so it seems a lot. If they think their readers are wine drinkers, they will state it as vodka so their readers will be appalled. If they think their readers are gin or Scotch drinkers, they will be disgusted.

The original figure was given as 12.2 litres of pure alcohol. They could just as well say it is the equivalent of 27 spoonfuls of cough medicine per day.

As NF said at the top, "Yet more utterly meaningless statistics".

[sweetandsour]

This presents me with a riddle.

I have seen this story in different places with different headlines:

Here, for example, we learn that the Scots drink eleven pints per week each which would suggest that they are working-class salts of the earth.

I have also seen the same story but with the headline that the Scots drink 130 bottles of wine per year which would suggest that they are middle-class bon-vivants.

I have also seen the same story with the headline that the Scots drink 46 bottles of Vodka per year which would suggest that they are a bunch of alkies.

The Scottish people that I have met in many doorways and under bridges in the fine city of London would suggest that the latter is the truth but does anybody know the reality of the situation?

[NickFitz]

The normal cask size nowadays is 9 gallons (firkin) and I bet they could possibly juggle several of these - I'm not entirely sure on kegs though (kegs are different to casks). A traditional cask barrel is 36 gallons and although I remember these from about 15 years ago (although working with 36 gallon kegs not casks), apparantly they don't use these any more. I can assure you 36 gallons of beer are a bugger to move about a few feet - I really don't know how they got them from the wagon to the cellar. With the much older casks going up to and over 54 gallons (a hogshead). Not sure about the bigger ones but I know bigger ones have been used in other things such as cider making.

(Mainly reiterating your post, but with a few extra bits...)

Most cask ales nowadays are in either firkins (9 gallons) or kilderkins (18 gallons). Depending on the volume of trade, pubs may also use barrels (36 gallons) - one place I worked at (about fifteen years ago) took Bass and Pedigree in barrels. Getting one of those up on the thrawl isn't easy if you're on your own

Kegs are usually 11 gallons nowadays, although I have come across places that sell large volumes of crap lager taking 22 gallon kegs - I think that's pretty uncommon though, as most places want 11s for easier handling.

The last time I saw a 22 was in a club I worked at where the brewery had delivered them because it was short of 11s. They wouldn't fit through the cellar flap, and when I turned up to work they were stood in reception. I was then asked to help one of the doormen get them downstairs. This involved taking them up five stairs, down a little corridor, down three stairs, round a 180° turn counter-clockwise, down five more stairs, then a 90° turn to the left, then down two more stairs, then open a door so as to take a 90° turn to the right into a little hallway - and finally we were in front of one of the interior doors to the cellar, and I was able to get in there, shift loads of 11s so as to clear a path, and roll the damn thing into position.

Then we went back for the other one

[OwlHoot]

Talking about Scottish boozers :

Bishop attacks morals of monks who brew Scotland’s (15% proof) tipple of choice

A bishop has condemned Buckfast, the fortified wine made by monks and regarded by some as the scourge of Scotland. The Right Rev Bob Gillies, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney in the Scottish Episcopal Church, accused the Devon-based Benedictine monks of betraying Christian values.

:::

He added: “The monks at Buckfast are in a Benedictine monastery, which is founded upon the rule of St Benedict. Benedict urged his monks to live a simple life following a rule that leads them into closer discipleship with the Lord.
Related Links

* Buckfast accuses police of ‘victimisation’

* Buckfast blamed for youth crime

* Buckfast firms take councils to court

“St Benedict, I would have thought, would have been very, very unhappy with what his monks are doing nowadays.”

The investigation reveals that the drink, known colloquially as Buckie, has been mentioned in 5,000 crime reports by Strathclyde Police in the past three years. Almost one in ten of those crimes was violent, according to figures obtained by the BBC under freedom of information legislation. During that period the Buckfast bottle was used as a weapon 114 times and police said the figures suggested there is an association between Buckfast and violence. Superintendent Bob Hamilton, of Strathclyde Police, told the BBC: “I think it’s clear from the figures that there is an association there.”

The investigation examined how the drink could affect the behaviour of consumers, potentially making them anxious and aggressive. Each bottle of Buckfast contains more than 11 units of alcohol, is 15 per cent proof — and costs about £5.49.

Steven Alexander, a neuroscientist at the University of Nottingham, said there was 281mg of caffeine in a bottle of Buckfast — as much caffeine as in eight cans of cola.

:::

Asked about the effects on someone of consuming more caffeine than there is in 16 cans of cola, Dr Alexander said: “It’s going to have him bouncing around all over the place because the anxiety levels, the adrenalin will be running around.

“He will certainly be feeling very anxious, very aggressive.”

There is increasing concern about the effect of caffeine when mixed with alcohol, with the US Food and Drug Administration considering banning pre-mixed caffeinated alcohol drinks altogether.

Holy carp - That I didn't know!

[SueEllen]

A pint of beer is more than 2 units these days and so is a pub measure of a glass of wine.

Most beers average between 2.5 to 3 units per pint whether it's lager or ale.

I only worked this out when I sat around with mates as a lot of us have to drink shandy or a soft drink if we are driving....................

[conned tractor]

I can well believe that. When I was about 18 to 23 years old that would have not been an unusual week for me or my peers. (Strangely, most of them deny it now they are married and have kids.)

That would be a heavy week for me and I like a beer or five, but after about five or six I've had it recently. Maybe i'm a light-weight.

They spoke to the draymen of a brewery. These chaps were mostly driving lorries but had been on the carts with the horses, delivery barrels to local pubs. These blokes were doing heavy manual labour and the ride between pubs would only be a few minutes. The day would be:
- Arrive at brewery. Have a pint or two.
- Have a few pints while loading the dray.
- Have a pint before setting off.
- Arrive at pub. Be given a pint on arrival.
- Have a couple while unloading barrels.
- Have a pint before departure.
- Set off to next pub.
They would visit quite a lot of pubs in a day. These blokes were drinking at least 20 pints a day and in a hot summer could drink over 40 pints during the day. Every day. (All for free, too!)

Now remember this was 20 years ago when drink driving was a social expectation, not an anti-social crime (and if you are under 45 you won't understand or believe that, but that was how it used to be until about 1990). These blokes, because they were now driving lorries and using smaller, lighter, aluminium barrels, had cut right down and were only getting through 10 or so pints during the working day.

I was talking to a mate who runs a social club about this the other week and he was telling me that the draymen (well the driver at least) gets breathalised in and out of the yard nowadays. We also talked about the size of the bastards - that is the draymen - usually at least one man mountain among them.

The normal cask size nowadays is 9 gallons (firkin) and I bet they could possibly juggle several of these - I'm not entirely sure on kegs though (kegs are different to casks). A traditional cask barrel is 36 gallons and although I remember these from about 15 years ago (although working with 36 gallon kegs not casks), apparantly they don't use these any more. I can assure you 36 gallons of beer are a bugger to move about a few feet - I really don't know how they got them from the wagon to the cellar. With the much older casks going up to and over 54 gallons (a hogshead). Not sure about the bigger ones but I know bigger ones have been used in other things such as cider making.

As for the drink-driving - sorry it would be un-pc of me to comment with anything but the answer for which I would have the pc-upperhand so i'll refrain. I'm not old enough anyway.

[Doggy Styles]

I say fair play to the Scots on this one.

[mudskipper]

A major brewery up here did an anonymous survey a few years ago querying the drinking habits of their employees. Seems the average weekly intake of beer was eighty (80), pints per individual.

I worked for a wine company a few years. They were great in that they really did encourage you to love the product - they paid for anyone who wanted to to do the WSET (Wines and Spirits Education Trust) course and qualifications, whether or not it was directly relevant to your job (I am the proud holder of the higher certificate!) There were 'staff sales' regularly - 12 bottles of label damaged or returned wine for twelve quid, not to mention a generous staff discount, Friday tastings (wine at your desk), and regular staff parties. I think most of us thought nothing of a bottle or two a night on a quiet night...

[RichardCranium]

A major brewery up here did an anonymous survey a few years ago querying the drinking habits of their employees. Seems the average weekly intake of beer was eighty (80), pints per individual.

I can well believe that. When I was about 18 to 23 years old that would have not been an unusual week for me or my peers. (Strangely, most of them deny it now they are married and have kids.)

There was a series on BBC TV about 20 years ago about how to drink in moderation. It followed all sorts of people in their work and talked about how they managed it.

For example, the marketing lady who had learned how to lift the glass to her mouth as if about to drink, then make a comment, and put it down again. With such techniques she could get a table full of blokes ratfaced in a couple of hours and she would have only got through 1 or 2 glasses. She would go through this lunchtime and evening five times a week.


They spoke to the draymen of a brewery. These chaps were mostly driving lorries but had been on the carts with the horses, delivery barrels to local pubs. These blokes were doing heavy manual labour and the ride between pubs would only be a few minutes. The day would be:
- Arrive at brewery. Have a pint or two.
- Have a few pints while loading the dray.
- Have a pint before setting off.
- Arrive at pub. Be given a pint on arrival.
- Have a couple while unloading barrels.
- Have a pint before departure.
- Set off to next pub.
They would visit quite a lot of pubs in a day. These blokes were drinking at least 20 pints a day and in a hot summer could drink over 40 pints during the day. Every day. (All for free, too!)

Now remember this was 20 years ago when drink driving was a social expectation, not an anti-social crime (and if you are under 45 you won't understand or believe that, but that was how it used to be until about 1990). These blokes, because they were now driving lorries and using smaller, lighter, aluminium barrels, had cut right down and were only getting through 10 or so pints during the working day.

[Cliphead]

A major brewery up here did an anonymous survey a few years ago querying the drinking habits of their employees. Seems the average weekly intake of beer was eighty (80), pints per individual.

[BrilloPad]

Half a weak shandy with straw and cherry for me please. Thanks.

[NickFitz]

I do much more of the second than the first so you're balanced out

See? A market is already arising naturally through the pursuit of enlightened self-interest by individuals! Adam Smith would be proud

[Zippy]

Lightweights!

[shaunbhoy]

11 pints each a week? So let's see, 2 units per pint makes that a weekly intake of about 22 units. They clearly did not research this in the part of Scotland that I grew up in. 11 pints is Friday night!!
Do they perhaps have some form of Hockey Stick graph to back this up?