Research on Guinness in the UK has found that an estimated 162,719 pints of the drink each year are caught in moustaches, costing drinkers an annual £423,070 in wasted alcohol.
Experts claim the shape, length and density of the moustache all contribute to the volume of wastage.
The "walrus" moustache is probably the most lethal of styles, as it can equate to an annual wastage of £27.48 a year.
Scientists working on Guinness Draught in a Bottle - designed to be drunk straight from the bottle rather than from a pint glass - noticed the phenomenon and called in Dr Robin Dover, one of the UK's leading moustache experts, to explore the full extent of the loss.
Guinness estimates that there are 92,370 drinkers with facial hair in the UK, who consume on average 180 pints a year.
Unfortunately, we have no figures for Ireland. This is strange. After all, it was here that the black stuff was invented and, it must be admitted, it has stood the test of time quite well. A spokeswoman in St James's Gate apologised profusely and said they were not aware of the recent research. She said she had no way of quantifying the loss to Irish people.
However, the moustachioed Irish people I know find absolutely no problem in drinking their pint unimpeded and boast of never losing a drop. In fact, if the truth be told, they would lick it off the floor.
The main Irish complaint - surprise, surprise - has always had a religious angle. A bishop's collar will not be accepted, the head must be closer to a curate's collar.
It all boils down to the actual amount of black stuff contained in the pint in relation to the frothy top.
The bishop's collar is likely to be sent back pretty fast: the serving of such a pint is likely to start a riot.
Last month we read that Australian scientists and a US information technology firm had solved the mystery of the gas bubbles in Guinness stout, which appear to defy the laws of gravity by travelling downwards in the glass.
The solution lay in the shape of the glass and surface effects on its walls, which create a circulating current when the pint is poured. While bubbles rise rapidly through the middle of the glass, they move slowly down its sides.
The net effect is of upward movement - as dictated by the laws of physics - although the bubbles visible to drinkers through the glass walls are descending.
A few questions remain: how does one get a job as a Guinness researcher? What are the qualifications? Could a journalist do it?