The full pint debate
The full pint debate: the on-going argument that could force Britain's pubs to adopt the use of over-sized lined glasses for serving pints.
For years, the good old pub customer has been happily drinking his beer out of a traditional pint glass, unaware of the trouble brewing over the practice.
While licensees continued to pour their lager and bitter in the manner accepted by generations of drinkers, a group of people began to create a fuss, claiming customers were being short-changed.
Short-changed - how? Well, some people got it into their heads that customers were being "ripped-off" because they weren't being served a full liquid pint - the head, they claimed, should not form part of the pint.
The issue, which gained the backing of consumer lobby group the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), hit the media and, with increased pressure on protecting consumer rights, the matter made it to the political agenda.
It was back in 1995 that CAMRA tried to win the support of trading standards officers, urging them to take action on publicans who did not serve 100 per cent liquid.
But the trade hit back, claiming that customers expected to be served a pint with a head which did form part of the pint. It argued that sticking to Brewers & Licensed Retailers Association guidelines suggesting a minimum of 95 per cent liquid, with top-ups given on demand, was satisfying beer-drinking customers.
The trade's feelings have not changed over the years, but added consumer pressure eventually brought the matter to Parliament. The trade is currently awaiting the outcome of a consultation exercise to learn the fate of the traditional British pint.
The Government's Better Regulation Task Force has already expressed concern over the proposal to serve a full liquid pint and rather than rubber stamping the law, last year it referred it to the Department of Trade and Industry which is due to report back any day now.
Task force leader Lord Haskins described the proposals as "disproportionate" to the number of complaints from consumers. In 1991 the Government received only 23 complaints related to short measures out of 256 million pints drunk.
Although task force recommendations are not legally binding, insiders say Lord Haskins' comments and doubts over enforcement could lead ministers to scrap the idea. It is also hoped that with the forthcoming General Election, the Government may choose not to press ahead with its proposals.
The trade believes a new pint law would be another unnecessary piece of legislation and the estimated cost to the industry would be £500million for new glassware and beer lost through overfilling.
Customers in many parts of the country like their beer served with a head and pubs will have to introduce oversized lined glasses to accommodate them.
However, the decision will be based largely on the extent of the consultation exercise and how much consumer support there will be for a new law.
What will this mean for you
If the law is brought in, trading standards officers will be able to prosecute publicans who fail to serve an average of 100 per cent full liquid pint over a minimum sample of 20 pints. The proposal would make it very difficult for trading standards to prosecute - most publicans would find it slightly suspicious if one person ordered 20 pints - but prosecutions could obviously arise.
The only sure way of staying within the law and preventing a visit from trading standards is by changing all current brim glasses to over-sized lined glasses to allow for a full liquid pint and a decent head. This would mean considerable investment in the early days but there will inevitably be a phasing-in period.
What you should be doing now
In the absence of any new laws, publicans are urged to adopt good practice and stick within current trade guidelines. Unless a customer specifically asks for a large head, pints should be served with a minimum of 95 per cent liquid. Should the customer ask for a top-up this should be given with good grace.
If you are considering introducing over-sized lined glasses, good training of staff will reduce losses caused by accidental over-filling.
It is also important that customers are made aware of your new glasses, and educated to the fact that the line constitutes a pint - not the glass's brim.
For lined glasses:
Kevin O'Connor from the Swan Inn, Newton Abbot, Devon, does not agree that lined glasses cause a problem
He said: "We here at the Swan Inn have used glasses that are white enamelled lined, with the legend "pint to line", for over three years.
"The staff have been trained to pour beer properly, avoiding both overfilling and waste in drip-trays. The full pint gets presented to customers with a nice head on it, which they like - we get no moans, which we like."
He adds: "Short measure is theft, so why should customers pay any extra to get what is theirs anyway?"
Against lined glasses:
Tim Martin, chairman of pub chain JD Wetherspoon, has condemned the introduction of lined glasses as confusing and difficult to implement and enforce.
Tim estimates his company lost £400,000 during two failed attempts to introduce over-sized glasses.
After putting over-sized glasses into his chain of pubs at a cost of £200,000, Tim found that staff tended to overfill glasses by mistake, meaning profits down the drain. The initiative also proved unpopular with customers who thought they were being given short-measures because the liquid did not reach the brim of the glass - more often than not it was easier to top up the liquid rather than stand and argue.
It wasn't long before Tim made the decision to go back to the old brim glasses, at a further cost of £200,000.
"Having tried it twice before, I know that there is very little customer demand for this," he said.
"The Government has been talking about reducing regulation and red tape, but keeps introducing needless regulations."
