Real ale drinkers are being shortchanged when they order ‘pints’: Yorkshire Post Letters

I agree with Dave Ellis, (The Yorkshire Post, June 15), and the points he raised in his letter complaining about real ale drinkers being served short pints.

The Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association guidance leaflet on the dispense of draught beer by hand pull says “a head of froth is excessive and unreasonable if the measure of draught beer does not contain a minimum of 95 per cent liquid after the collapse of the head.”

The recommendation is that the measure of draught beer should contain a minimum of 95 per cent liquid applies whether or not a top-up has been requested.

They recommend as strongly as possible that all licensees follow this principle. Unfortunately many don’t.

Drinkers have been failed by politicians.

The Labour Party promised to outlaw short measure pints before the General Election of 1997.

A Consumer White Paper was debated in Parliament on Thursday 22 July 1999 which contained the following line “make sure that a pint of beer is a pint of beer.”

By 2002 the proposal had been watered down to at least 95 per cent of a pint.

The Conservative Party have also shirked the chance to provide an adequate law on full measure pints served by hand-pump.

Some drinkers have been fooled by the northern mythology that beer can’t be good without a huge foaming head.

Others are too timid to ask for their pint to be topped-up.

Lined measure beer glasses would solve the problem of pints not being 20 fluid ounces once and for all.