Renaissance Fair Drinking Things

I have been attending the Renaissance Festival since it began at its humble beginnings at Jonathan, West of Minneapolis. I have noticed for the last few years the shrinking of the Renaissance official goblet and mug. I then determined to do a small experiment with the mugs and goblets in my home and to see if my thoughts were correct. Below are my findings.

Mug 2009 with warrior and sword, looks more Medieval than Renaissance but they have always played fast and loose with history. It is more about fun and pretending than history. Mug 2009 - was 16 oz. filled to the brim. In comparison, I have a mug from 1984 which was a 20 oz. Imperial pint. It had the silhouette of a unicorn on the side in dark brown on a sandy brown base coat. The difference was not too bad for the number of years that have passed but it has declined.

Goblets are a different story. I have a 1985 Feast of Fantasy, 15th anniversary goblet white/lt. grey with fleur de lis designs stamped into the sides and blue accents. It held 160z.

The next goblet dated from 1998 bluish, purplish glaze with a natural lt. brown clay medallion with a wizard and a crumpled hat. The medallion proclaimed "Renaissance Festival 1998" and was 12 oz. to the top of the brim.

2000, Y2K, the goblet had a beautiful multi-cloured glaze of black, blue, red, gray glazes melting on the sides of the goblet. Inset was a natural lt. brown clay medallion saying "Rennaissance" and a portrait of "Elizabeth Regina". The goblet held 8 oz. if poured to the brim.

2005 goblet sported beautiful glazes over a green base. The natural lt. brown clay medallion proclaimed "Renaissance Fair" and had a dragon etched into the medallion. This size of the goblet bowl was a 7 oz pour to the brim.

Not terribly scientific but carefully done all the same. This gets me onto another pet peeve and that is bars claiming to be pouring pints when they are actually pouring 14 oz. or smaller and then pouring so as to produce a collar of foam that would be larger than that of an archbishop's cleric collar. They are already making loads of money on every keg and they are greedy, cheating honest people out of their rightful pint of beer.