Craft beer consumer group wants restaurants to ‘fess up’ to serving sizes
Posted May 13, 2016 8:15 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The next time you see a “sleeve” of beer served on a sunny patio, see if you can figure how much is in the glass.
If you didn’t bring a measuring cup, don’t worry — the Campaign for Real Ale Society has you covered.
CAMRA BC has revived a push for pubs and restaurants to “fess up’ about serving sizes, promoting its FUSS campaign on social media.
“We just want to make sure consumers are getting what they pay for,” says Dave Perry, president of CAMRA’s Vancouver branch, who points out customers have no way of knowing how much beer there is is in a “sleeve” because there is no standard associated with the term.
“An establishment could feasibly get away with selling a four-ounce tasting glass as a ‘sleeve’ and there is nothing you could do about it,” he says.
In an open letter, CAMRA is calling on the bar and restaurant industry to put beer serving sizes on menus so customers know exactly how much beer they are buying, and then actually pour that amount.
The craft brew consumer group is also challenging establishments to allow it put their pours to the test by measuring out some beers.
Perry calls it a simple request, but admits there wasn’t much “buy-in” the last time they tried this.
“It’s a lot of initial investment for long-term gain and some may not see the actual value of it, but that’s what we are hoping to change. We are starting to see a trend in Vancouver where beer is a bigger part of our culture and our local industry. People are starting to care more about the quality they are getting and making sure the investment they are making in their beer — because buying local craft isn’t the cheapest — is worth it,” Perry tells NEWS 1130.
He says most of the conversations he’s had with pubs and restaurants about honest serving sizes have been positive so far.
“A few seem excited about it and I’m hoping the other ones will see the amount of attention they’re getting. We are going to praise them and send our members out to them. We hope to host some events at some of the pubs that are really adhering to the requirements.”
The BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association has not returned calls asking for its take on the campaign.
