When is a pint not a pint?

90% of “pints” of beer are giving short measure, according to Trading Standards Officers

Trading Standards Officers conducting a survey of licensed premises in Birmingham found that almost nine in ten pints weren’t pints at all. In the worst case, 11.8% of the beer was missing, effectively overcharging drinkers 40 pence per pint.

Ordering 88 pints in 30 different pubs, restaurants and bars – it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it – the Trading Standards Officers found only nine pints that were actually pints. The other 79 were not the full monty, with an average shortfall of 3.94%. The 1985 Weights and Measures Act makes it an offence if a “pint” of beer is any less than a full pint, but the council only says it is “considering” formal action.

“Customers should not hesitate to ask for a top-up if their pint looks a little low on festive cheer” – Birmingham Councillor Neil Eustace

The cost of the beer apparently made no difference to the likelihood of being gipped, with some of the most expensive places having the greatest shortfall.

There seems no good reason to believe that the Birmingham experience is not being reproduced everywhere else, particularly as no prosecutions seem likely to result.

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