The real reason why your beer glass has a bulge revealed

Who doesn’t enjoy a pint every now and again? (Picture: Getty Images)

Whether it’s a quick pint with work colleagues after work on a Friday or spending a summer afternoon in a pub beer garden, the UK’s love of a good pint can’t be denied.

But while we will probably pick up hundreds if not thousands of pint glasses throughout our lives to take a sip of beer or cider, there’s a curious design feature on many glasses which you may not have paid attention to before.

The distinctive ‘bump’ found about three-quarters up a pint glass – known as a nonic glass – will have been picked up and grabbed by drinkers without a second glance.

Plus more modern pint glass designs seem to be dodging the bulge more often than not, opting for engraved or printed designs on the glass instead.

But there’s actually a lot of history behind this traditional design, with a number of reasons contributing to the nonic glass being developed.

The nonic pint glass was invented by Hugo Pick back in 1913 to ‘provide an improved drinking glass,’ Taste of Home reports.

We’ll drink to that (Picture: Getty Images)

During the 1920s, when glassware was a significant expense for pub and restaurant owners, this unassuming bump was revolutionary as it serves three key functions.

One, it provides a better grip on what can often be a cool glass covered in condensation, making it less likely that punters will drop their glass, wasting both the glass itself and the booze inside.

Two, the bulge makes the glasses quicker and easier to stack and unstack, unlike standard pint glasses which can stick together.

And three, if the glass gets knocked onto its side the bump will hit the bar first, preventing nicks to the rim of the glass.

Nonic pint glasses come in two sizes, either the 16oz American pint or the 20oz Imperial pint – meaning drinkers get much more booze for their money when drinking pints in the UK.

The glass shape itself is extremely versatile and works well when serving all sorts of beers, from lagers to pilsners and ales.

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