Did anyone else find the steel cups a bit of a let down?

[johnmcga]

I had somehow convinced myself in the run up to the festival that the steel cups would be available in every bar across the site.

"At last," I thought, "they've done something to address the disposable cup issue."

(I'm a big advocate of the cup deposit scheme at Reading which has an enormous impact on litter.)

Now, from re-reading the original announcement I realise the cups were only ever going to be available from 'ten major bars'.

But even so, I found the whole thing a total damp squib:

1. On Wednesday night I visited the bar in the Park (not Stonebridge bar, but the one next door). Asked about the cups, only to be told they hadn't had a delivery.
2. I spent Thursday wandering around the site, but whenever I went to a bar and asked about the cups they knew nothing.
3. On Friday I bought three beers from Stonebridge bar in the Park. No steel cups available.
4. Finally on Saturday at about 1pm I bought an ale from the bar near the Crows Nest and was offered a cup. I then got it refilled about an hour later in the Bimble Inn.
5. Didn't return to the Park for the rest of the festival, and never saw the cups available on any other bar

So, what gives? Were they really available from ten major bars? And if so, which were they? Is this just a small-scale trial for next year? Did things not go as smoothly as planned?

[rivalschools.price]

The best thing about the steel cups were that you get a freshly poured beer each time.

i hate it when you pay the best part of a fiver for a pint and they give you one that was poured earlier, goes warm too quckly

[RickW]

I got mine from  a merchandise/info stall just off Williams green, they were available at other info points too not just the bars, I really love mine and have been using it since it's especially nice with a cold cider. According to the original announcement 200,000 were made that's nearly one per person so they must have been more readily available?

Edited July 2, 2016 by RickW

[dondo]

I asked at the information point at Williams Green and they said only available at the Park.  I was up at Park on Saturday morning for Car seat Headrest but afterwards bar hadn't had a delivery :-(  and I wasn't up at Park any other time so didn't get one.

[RickW]

Brought mine on Sunday must have had another delivery?

[Fred Zepplin]

They were only available from bars in the Park. I think the idea was since the park is like a small festival by itself as an experiment just try it there. I bought about 6 drinks there and got a steel cup everything, ended up bringing 2 home with the sheepskin covers which are really good as the cups are freezing when you get them fresh. I did see them using normal cups on the Sunday though so they must have ran out by then

[Larraht]

They are selling them on the website for a fiver if you still want one?

 

[elgatonegrofabricwardrobe]

Got 2 pints in the Park after Richard Hawley. Hands down the flattest pints I've ever seen. We drank them anyway then went back for 2 more which I politely requested had some life in em but she brought 2 even flatter ones! Seen more fizz in a tub of ice cream. She then said it was the steel cups that were killing the pints. Anybody else get that?

[Lucy92]

We looked everywhere for one but couldn't find any. Got another water aid steel bottle instead 

[RickW]

20 minutes ago, elgatonegrofabricwardrobe said:

Got 2 pints in the Park after Richard Hawley. Hands down the flattest pints I've ever seen. We drank them anyway then went back for 2 more which I politely requested had some life in em but she brought 2 even flatter ones! Seen more fizz in a tub of ice cream. She then said it was the steel cups that were killing the pints. Anybody else get that?

Nope keeps it nice and fresh, I'd suggest it was flat already?

[richy24]

Yeah I'm not sure that was the cups fault.

I thought they were awesome!

[Wooderson]

@The Nal bought me one. Legend.

[Curlygirl]

My cup was superb. Got it at the bimble inn on Wednesday night and used it for everything after... Including tea! Such a great idea, reduced waste and I'm sure contributed to the lack of rubbish on the main stage fields. 

[stuartbert two hats]

Anyone know if they are dishwasher proof?

[GlastoEls]

2 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Anyone know if they are dishwasher proof?

Me and Mrs GlastoEls had a conversation about that VERY topic just last night.

Conclusion: they're too precious. No dishwasher!

[philipsteak]

So does this mean we've exhausted complaining about the traffic/car parks/organisation/stewards/leaving/wood chip(lack of)/congestion/walkways/bands not playing the song you want/food prices/food portions/anything else I've missed off, and are now reduced to moaning about the fucking cups

[GlastoEls]

2 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

So does this mean we've exhausted complaining about the traffic/car parks/organisation/stewards/leaving/wood chip(lack of)/congestion/walkways/bands not playing the song you want/food prices/food portions/anything else I've missed off, and are now reduced to moaning about the fucking cups

It's time to moan about the people who are moaning about the fucking cups! 

[Avalon_Fields]

Did they make much difference? It may sound draconian but if they are serious shouldn't they just say no paper cups, only dispense into the steel ones? I kept mine....would have been ever better with an etched Glastonbury logo on the side.

[stuartbert two hats]

10 minutes ago, Avalon_Fields said:

Did they make much difference? It may sound draconian but if they are serious shouldn't they just say no paper cups, only dispense into the steel ones? I kept mine....would have been ever better with an etched Glastonbury logo on the side.

Baby steps. I'm sure they'll be expanded in future years if they were deemed a success.

[GlastoEls]

12 minutes ago, Avalon_Fields said:

Did they make much difference? It may sound draconian but if they are serious shouldn't they just say no paper cups, only dispense into the steel ones? I kept mine....would have been ever better with an etched Glastonbury logo on the side.

Early prototypes did, didn't they?

One from the Pilton Party...

 

[mandolin]

I'd assumed it was a pilot run this year and would be more widespread last year.  I absolutely loved mine with it's little sheepskin cover and lanyard (until someone stole it - full of a pint - on the Sunday night).  I hate drinking out of the paper cups so they really suited me.  Others in our small group didn't like the metallic taste - I didn't notice it at all.

[grayfitz]

The only problem I had with them is that you couldn't return them to the bars and get your deposit back. End of Saturday night, I tried to return mine at the Park Bar and was told I had to go to a shed further up the hill, which was closed (this was around 11.30pm, so that's fair enough) but then I had to carry it with me the rest of the night. Would be a lot a easier if you could have returned them where you'd got them in the first place.

[Charm]

41 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Anyone know if they are dishwasher proof?

The website says the steel bottles are indestructible so I'm sure a dishwasher won't hurt the cups as they are made of the same thing. 
Charm x

Edited July 2, 2016 by Charm

[stuartbert two hats]

4 minutes ago, grayfitz said:

The only problem I had with them is that you couldn't return them to the bars and get your deposit back. End of Saturday night, I tried to return mine at the Park Bar and was told I had to go to a shed further up the hill, which was closed (this was around 11.30pm, so that's fair enough) but then I had to carry it with me the rest of the night. Would be a lot a easier if you could have returned them where you'd got them in the first place.

That's pretty rubbish.

The thing I liked the most is that you could carry your drink around for as long as you liked without worrying about your paper cup collapsing.

[Keithy]

You found the availability of a steel cup a bit of a letdown? 

You get sad far too easily.