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Beer News
When is a pint not a pint?
Peter Beasley asks the question...
One of CAMRA's most striking campaign posters shows a pint bottle of milk
alongside a pint glass of beer. The liquid in each vessel is clearly well
below a pint and the heading asks "You wouldn't accept this" (the milk),
"So why accept this?" (the beer). Perhaps being 'short-measured' is a low
priority issue for many drinkers, but consider this: It has been estimated
we spend £160 million a year on beer which is not even poured, as some
pub companies base their budgets on squeezing 76 pints out of a 72 pint
firkin, a practice which can only be achieved by diddling the customer.
Very shortly, the Government is expected to announce legislation defining
exactly what "a pint" means. Brewers, pub managers, landlords and customers
have long argued the case and trading standard officers have found it
almost impossible to police because of the multiplicity of local customs,
anomalous court judgments and codes of practice. A pint should be 20 fl.
oz. of liquid. Currently, the pub industry works to the Brewers and Licensed
Retailers Association voluntary guidelines which allow a 5% shortfall with
top-ups offered on request.
It is thought the Government may adopt the BLRA guidelines, which will mean
a pub will be unequivocally breaking the law if it serves less than a 95%
liquid pint. Conversely, it means they can legally serve a 5% short measure
without recrimination - hardly a victory for the consumer. CAMRA believes a
pint should be 100% liquid although accepts there needs to be a small
tolerance of 3% at most. The use of oversized glasses is one way of ensuring
customers receive a full pint, although it must be emphasized that
permissible drinking vessels or matters of dispense are not at issue here,
it is purely weights and measures legislation. Some brave pub companies
(notably Wetherspoons and Tynemill Inns) along with CAMRA North London's
'Pub of the Year', the Wenlock Arms, implemented oversized glasses for a
short while, only to make a swift U-turn when they realized the effect on
profits because of glasses being over filled. Ill-informed customers who
demanded top-ups when they already had a full pint were partly blamed
(perhaps a solution would have been to keep a stock of brim measured
glasses in reserve and pour the beer from one glass to the other in front
of the customer. Hey Presto! A magic top-up!). Given that brim measured
glasses should be manufactured to contain slightly more than a pint anyway
and with the expected Government decision, it is unlikely that oversized
glasses will become the norm, except at CAMRA Beer Festivals, where it is
already the practice.
Bye Bye Bass
As reported in the last Full Pint, Bass has formally ended its 223-year
brewing history. The European Commission passed back its investigation,
into the purchase of the group's breweries by Interbrew, to UK trade
secretary, Stephen Byers. This legally completes the transaction, as the
deal was unconditional on clearance from the British authorities. Any
regulatory risk, such as being forced by Byers to sell some beer brands,
will now rest with Interbrew.
Top Cat
Moorhouse’s Black Cat has been judged the Champion Beer of Britain by
a panel of judges at August's Great British Beer Festival. Described in
the Good Beer Guide as "a smooth, well balanced dark mild with a fruity
aroma", this Burnley brewed mild was chosen as the overall winner from
over 30 finalists. This is only the third time a mild has won the top
award and shows there is still a real demand for this refreshing beer
style. The Silver award went to Hogs Back TEA from Surrey and the Bronze
to Yorkshire Terrier Bitter from the York Brewery.
Consumers Back Pub Hours Reform
Nearly 80% of adults believe pubs should be able to open when the landlord
pleases, according to a new survey commissioned by CAMRA and released at
the Great British Beer Festival. The survey indicates strong public support
for the Government's recently announced proposals to reform Britain's
archaic licensing laws. Due to the strong public support, CAMRA has
launched a major new campaign called "24/7: Time for Choice" to help
get the benefits of reform across to consumers who still have reservations
about longer pub opening hours.
Lager hits £2 a pint
A major survey of beer prices in British pubs shows that the average price
of a pint of lager is more than £2 a pint for the first time. Commissioned
by CAMRA, the survey of 5,000 prices in 1,000 pubs reveals that real beer
prices are much lower than lager. None of this will come as a surprise to
Londoners as, needless to say, the most expensive region to drink in is
London with drinkers paying on average £2.18 for lager and £1.95 for real
beer. London also showed the biggest percentage increase in real ale prices
at 3.59%. However, we did have some of the cheapest priced beer around, at
99p a pint, no doubt due to the influence of Wetherspoon's. In the North
West, real ale averages £1.55 a pint.
On The Right Track
A Northamptonshire railway station saved from closure by train and real
ale enthusiasts has won a top CAMRA award. The Rushden Historical
Transport Society has been named Britain's Best Club. The club, featured
in the Millennium edition of the Good Beer Guide, is described as 'now a
working railway station with a gas-lit private bar and museum housing
transport memorabilia, always has six independent's guest ales on tap.'
Explaining the club's success, steward Simon Bishop said, "Our enthusiasm
for real ale has been a big hit with the locals. Besides London Pride and
Hop Back Summer Lightning, the two permanent beers on the bar, we also
have an ever changing range of guests beers."
Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 6.
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