Head to head

CAMRA's latest calls for pub-goers to join in the full pint debate have brought the argument back into the spotlight. Kerry Rogan reports

The debate over whether licensees should be forced to serve a 100 per cent liquid pint is showing no sign, if you'll excuse the pun, of coming to a head.

For some years now various licensees, pub operators, consumer groups and MPs have been battling over the centimetre or so of liquid at the top of a pint.

At the moment most pints are served in brim glasses - which means if they are filled to the brim the amount of liquid they contain is one pint. But add a head to that pint and the amount of liquid obviously drops by a few per cent.

Full pint supporters, such as the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), believe there should be a law to make sure licensees serve a 100 per cent liquid pint with a head on top if the customer wants one.

They say selling a pint and serving something different would be unacceptable in any other context. If the milkman did it, for example, they say people would be quick to complain. Why should it be different for pubs?

That means pubs would have to introduce larger "pint to line" glasses which have enough room for a full pint and a head.

But those against such a law, who include the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), believe legislation would be unworkable.

Enforcing a law would be difficult, say its opponents, and could prove costly. Licensees would have to replace existing glassware with lined glasses, which, it is said, can confuse customers.

Accidental over-filling of bigger pint glasses could also mean licensees lose out financially.

Over-filling can be avoided with metered dispense, but that is not always suitable for serving real ale.

All in all, say full pint opponents, legislation could mean a rise in the cost of a pint.

Recent research by CAMRA however, investigated the cost of a pint in pubs which are committed to serving 100 per cent liquid.

It claimed pubs serving a full pint charged an average of £1.72 per pint, while those that did not guarantee 100 per cent liquid charged £1.86 on average.

As the law stands at the moment, pints are not enforceable by trading standards officers. The BBPA recommends licensees serve a minimum 95 per cent liquid, with top-ups on demand from the customer.

It says making a 95 per cent pint law would protect consumers and licensees alike.

The issue has been debated back and forth for a long time but was recently pushed back into the public eye when CAMRA launched a campaign, the first to be aimed at pub-goers, in support of 100 per cent liquid pint legislation.

Whether the latest burst of publicity will end in a result either way remains to be seen, but one thing is certain, the full pint debate shows no sign of going away.

For:​

• CAMRA​ spokesman Mike Benner said: "The truth is that pubs set their prices based on a number of different factors, which is why the same brand is priced differently in different pubs. Our research stamps out the myth that full pints mean higher prices. Drinkers are charged per pint and they should get exactly that, 100 per cent liquid."
• Peter Thomas, spokesman for Premier Taverns​, said: "We have six successful freetrade outlets all giving a full pint and we have been serving a genuine full pint through metered dispense throughout our 18 years in the industry. We believe the customer should get real value, other products such as milk or petrol would not be tolerated if dispensed in short measure. There is no doubt about the reason for anyone supporting the brim measure and that is profit."

Against:​

• Pub chain JD Wetherspoon​ has tried twice to introduce lined glasses. Chairman Tim Martin, who is estimated to have lost £400,000 during the attempts, said: "Having tried it twice before I know there is very little customer demand for this. Most customers don't like oversized glasses."
• Francis Patton, commercial director of Punch Pub Company​, said: "We encourage all our licensees to offer customers a top up if they are unhappy with the head on their beer. New regulations enforcing the introduction of over-sized glasses would add to the cost burden of our individual licensees."
• Stephen Tasker, licensee​ of the Kingfisher in Rotherham, is gathering support to form an anti-full pint campaign. He said everyone has different tastes and legislation on this issue would not be a success. "I want to put CAMRA in its place because I think it's going far too far," he said. "Nobody's bothered about full pints. I've been in this real ale pub for eight years and I've not had one complaint. If people want a top up they ask for one, but everyone's different."
• Mark Hastings, spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association​, said: "The customer isn't bothered. There is no consumer demand for this law. All this is going to do is heap more red tape and further costs on already beleaguered publicans."

The full pint debate - the story so far​

December 11 2000​Trade secretary Stephen Byers confirms "a 100 per cent average pint" will be brought in by Easter 2001.

January 22 2001​The Government's Better Regulation Task Force expresses concern about the proposal and refers it for discussions.

January 29 2001​Stuart Neame, vice chairman of Kent brewer Shepherd Neame, warns that introducing a law will mean the end of traditional handpumps.

CAMRA suggests metered dispense equipment could be made to look like handpumps.

March 19 2001​The Government's Small Business Service makes a submission to the Department of Trade and Industry arguing regulation is unnecessary.

April 19 2001​It is revealed any full pint legislation would have to receive European approval, which could delay its implementation.

June 5 2001​CAMRA accuses the Government of breaking its 1997 election pledge to introduce full pint legislation.

November 29 2001​Labour MP Joan Walley tables a Commons motion reading: "We consider that when ordering a pint measure, beer and cider drinkers should receive a full liquid pint, without having to ask for a top-up."

New research unveiled by CAMRA reveals 77 per cent of voters support a full pint law.

January 17 2002​CAMRA launches a pro-legislation campaign aimed at pub-goers. It includes posters, pledge cards and a website petition. (see picture)​

January 25 2002​CAMRA unveils new research which reveals nine out of 10 pints contain less than 100 per cent liquid and one in four contains less than the industry recommended 95 per cent.

February 1 2002 ​Robin Cook, Leader of the House of Commons, tells MPs "any short measure is a clear public scandal and I assure my honourable friend we will seek to bear down as hard as we can", in response to a question from Cardiff West MP Kevin Brennan.