When I first began making Yard of Ale Glasses, I knew nothing of the accompanying ceremony involved in Yardie consumption. I certainly didn’t know about “Skulling.”
Now, across the pond (both ponds, as Yard culture is big in both the UK and Australia), Skulling is something that is practiced as both a celebration and a rite of passage. What it means, is, essentially, chugging the Yard of Ale. I look at it as “Taking it to the head,” or “Skull,” hence the name “Skulling.” (This may not be the exact origin, but I think it sounds pretty good. Google may be able to confirm or deny these allegations).
Basically, when someone turns 21, a rite of passage event would be to skull a full Yard of Ale. Better than doing 21 shots or some of the nonsense we Americans engage in, but it is, alas, still binge drinking. But hey! It’s a pretty glass, and only a couple of beers in there, so no harm no foul.
I may or may not have skulled a yard, which may or may not have involved spilling good beer all over my shirt. Apparently, there is a good technique where you slowly rotate the glass to minimize bumps and soakings along the way. I will provide this technique in a future post!
Finally, there is a Guinness record for skulling a yard, which is apparently 5 seconds, according to Wikipedia. That seems a decent goal to which one may aspire.
In the meantime, here is a link to Gordon Ramsay, famed nice person, taking a yard to the head