Carlsberg's extra handpull charge

Carlsberg UK (CUK) has introduced a charge for installing and maintaining handpulls for customers who order small amounts of CUK-supplied ale, and who don't buy it direct from the brewer.

CUK will charge these customers £2 per week, backdated to the end of September 2008, for maintenance of the handpulls. This includes brands in Carlsberg's Tapster's Choice range of regionally-brewed ales. Customers must purchase a nine-gallon cask per line per week in order to receive this service for free.

A spokeswoman for CUK said: "CUK remains totally happy to install and maintain all cask-ale handpulls, providing the customer continues to purchase the cask-ale products used with that equipment from CUK."

Customers who do not buy from Carlsberg can also choose either to buy the handpull, advise CUK of their brewer to switch maintenance responsibility, or request that handpulls are removed.

Although the charge was introduced in September, news of this fee came as a surprise to the industry.

One brewery source said: "It's unusual for a brewer to charge a licensee directly. It's normally costed into the overall deal at the outset."

Trade consultant Phil Dixon said: "I didn't know Carlsberg did sales prevention, but if they did..."

This latest charge came to light when Nigel Maud, licensee at the New Inn in St Owen's Cross, Hereford, received an invoice relating to the new charge. He contacted the MA and said: "I'm not het up about the price, it's the principle. Carlsberg had two price increases last year and are charging more on deliveries. This is about clawing back money because of the downturn in sales. It is looking at every single option to increase revenues, when it should be out increasing sales."

At the time of going to press, CUK was looking into Maud's complaint.