Ever since we launched FUSS 2.0 last newsletter I have been very pleased with the amount of comments, tweets, and emails I have received. In case you missed it, click here to read last month’s post. While the reception has been overwhelmingly positive from the consumer community, I must say there are two things that are disappointing me. And I would like to try and touch on them a bit in this post.
First, I want to touch on something that has been bothering me ever since CAMRA BC took on the challenge of addressing serving sizes in British Columbia. CAMRA BC is not the “pint police.” Full Stop. Ever since we told people we were taking on the size of the beers being served in local pubs, I have been inundated with consumers who tell me “This pub does not serve full pints! CAMRA should do something about that.” Of course, if I ask those people “does the pub advertise a pint on their menu?” the answer is almost undoubtedly “No.” As much as I would like to see everyone receiving the full beers for every order they make, not serving a full pint, in itself, is not illegal. However, a legal pint in Canada is 20 imperial ounces, or 568 mL, so if a restaurant is claiming to serve pints, that’s what you should be getting. However, if the pub menu says “Fat Tug – $6” and you order that beer and don’t get a full 568 mL there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. You can, however ask the establishment what their pour sizes are. They are legally required to tell you, so don’t be afraid to ask before ordering – that is your right as a consumer.
Keeping it simple, ask yourself this question:
Is there a unit of measurement next to the beer on the menu or on the board?
If yes, then that is what they should be serving you.
If no, maybe you should be asking them why not. Now, I must be very clear I don’t expect our members to be making an unreasonable fuss about posting serving sizes. But, I do expect them to inquire as to what the serving sizes of the establishment actually are, and follow up with why it’s not posted on their menus. Here are a few easy questions you can use:
“How many mL/oz are your beer pours?”
“I am just curious, why that unit of measurement isn’t listed on your menus.”
That’s it. It is simple, courteous and still getting the conversation started for the staff at the establishment in question.
Now, if the measurements are listed on the menus, there’s a good chance that this establishment is trying to show to the community that they care about consumers and want to pour proper beers. Our first incarnation of this campaign demonstrated that industry members don’t like consumers showing up at their bars unannounced and measuring beers. I agree. It is bad form, and doesn’t show respect for our fellow community members to do so. However, as a member of our organization I would love for you to extend an invite to a General Manager to reach out to us and let us know that they want their establishment put the FUSS test. We will set up a time to visit their pub, measure some beers and see if the measurements meet what’s being advertised on their menu. That way everything is done above board, and everyone is happy.
This leads to the second bit of frustration I have with this campaign, and that is industry’s general unwillingness to be measured out. So far, since my letter went out last month a grand total of two Vancouver beer establishments have invited us in to measure. Two. I know a lot of those managers, owners, bartenders, read these articles. So, once again I challenge them to reach out to me and let me know they want to be put to the test.
Luckily, since our call went out, we were able to visit one of the establishments that asked us to measure them out. 12 Kings asked us to stop by and measure their beers. Before I get into how the measurements went, I just want to point out that this pub is consistently the first one to jump on board for virtually anything that our organization wants to do. These people are not only pub owners, but are true consumers as well, and I know that they’re always first in line to jump in for virtually anything going on in the beer community. It’s refreshing, exciting, and that’s why they get a lot of my (personal) business.
But, on to the measurement; to no one’s surprise 12 Kings passed with flying colours. They advertise one beer size of 420mL (about 14.2 fl oz.) The beer was poured into our calibrated measuring device and came out just above the 14oz pour line; which is perfect considering the head hadn’t even settled yet. Once it settled it was way over the expected pour total. Beer as advertised – click here to see the pour in action.
Remember, 12 Kings does offer a benefit to CAMRA members, so pop on in and have a 420 mL beer at a slightly lowered price and celebrate the first win for FUSS 2.0.
David Perry
President, CAMRA BC – Vancouver Branch
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