Sam Smith gets tough on 5% head

Yorkshire brewer and operator Samuel Smith has put pressure on its managers to serve every pint of draught beer with a 5% head.

The company has written to all managers informing them that it expects stocktake results on draught beer products to reflect a "positive stock surplus return of approximately 5%" because its present system assumes all pints served are 100% liquid. Sam Smith's claims that in reality most are served with a 5% head.

The company told managers: "In the proper perspective, therefore, a stock result where free flow draught products are operative, which reflects a balanced return or a small stock surplus or indeed a small stock loss can in fact mask a serious stock loss."

The brewer said it would make allowances for legitimate wastage such as cleaning lines while all houses have to display signs offering to top up pints to be 100% liquid. One manager told the MA: "We have been told if we don't get 5% we could have action taken against us."

Industry consultant Phil Dixon said it was a "clumsy" policy. "The Code of Practice on dispensing drinks allows up to a maximum of a 5% head, " he said. "The policy means managers will be serving as near an illegal pint as possible for fear of not making the surplus and facing disciplinary action."

Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations chief executive Tony Payne said: "It is dangerous because it may en-courage staff to underserve and that is illegal. In the past we have proved that because of wastage and bottoms in barrels you should only expect to get 280 pints out of it not 288. It is all well and good saying what you would like to see but a completely different matter in practice. Nobody should expect a 5% surplus."

Samuel Smith, based in Tadcaster, is a private partnership owned and run by brothers Humphrey and Oliver Smith.

Sam Smith's declined to comment.