FACTSHEET TEN

    THE HEAD ON YOUR PINT

It is often assumed that a pint of beer is in fact a pint of liquid and that the head on the beer would be an addition to that.  Section 43 of the Weights and Measures Act was intended to define a pint as above.

However, in October of 1993, the Department of Trade and Industry announced that this definition would not be included in the Weights and Measures Act.  This has subsequently been confirmed in the Deregulation Bill which went through parliament in February of 1994.

In effect, a pint is now so much ‘liquid’ plus so much ‘head’.  How much is not legally defined.

The Brewers’ Society, however, has issued a set of guidance notes to members concerning the head on beer.  These notes state that a head is excessive and unreasonable if, after the head has collapsed, the glass is 95 percent full.  Further, the guidance notes state that if the liquid level in the glass does not meet the customer’s requirements, it must always be recognised that he or she can ask for a top-up to meet their requirements.  Such a request should always be received with good grace and should never be refused.

This of course is a problem if the glass is a pint-to-brim measure, rather than a pint-to-a-line measure.

Good practice is clearly that lined glasses will be used, which allow for the head to be contained within the glass and a full pint of liquid to be dispensed.  Good practice is clearly indicated where the server will fill your glass to the line, or to the brim if that is how you prefer it and the glass is a pint-to-brim measure.

This issue is of concern to apas because of the following:-

1              Servers need to be trained in good practice as outlined above.

2              Consumers need to know how much they are drinking.

3              Consumers have rights which need to be protected,

4              Short measures are a frequent cause of disputes, leading to disorder on licensed premises.