In his weekly The Bar Man column, Jeff Hoyle discusses his wish for an ingredients list to be added to beer…
There is an election on the horizon and like many other organisations, CAMRA has a list of measures that we would like to see introduced by the next government.
Included in these are improved information for consumers. Go into a supermarket and you will see lists of ingredients on the products as well as the country of origin.
Why not on beer? Is it too much to ask for the price, ingredients, method of dispense, place of origin and owner or the brand to be clearly displayed? Does it matter?
With the introduction of ‘fresh ale’ a keg beer served through a handpump and the promotion of Madri beer with the slogan “El Alma de Madrid” even though it is brewed in Tadcaster one may form the opinion that there is some element of deception around in the industry.
I even went into a brewery tap room recently and the beer menu did not display the abv’s of the beer and the prices were for 2/3 of a pint, a fact that was in smaller print at the bottom of the menu.
There was a time when many of our pubs were owned by big breweries, Watney’s being dominant in West Norfolk.
In an attempt to open up access to other brewers, a guest beer policy was introduced where publicans had the right to sell a beer from their brewery of choice.
This prompted the brewers to move their pubs to pub owning companies such as Punch or Admiral who were exempt from these rules.
Once again, legislation is needed to open up the market to the small brewers who have sprung up for the benefit of publicans, consumers and brewers.
Tax rates need to be examined. One of the reasons why beer is so much cheaper in supermarkets is the rate of tax.
Many people would accept that having a beer in a pub has social benefits both for individuals and communities and the tax and VAT regimes should reflect this.
A reform of the planning laws to protect pubs is also necessary in England.
It is too easy to convert them to other uses, and locally we have lost such pubs as the Woolpack on Tennyson Avenue in Lynn, the Blue Lion in North Pickenham and the White Hart at Foulden without, in my view, adequate examination and permission from planning authorities.
Not only does the law need stiffening, but the relevant authorities need to act more decisively when regulations are ignored. The case of the Crooked House and the decision that it was illegally demolished and therefore has to be rebuilt should set a precedent for all councils.
Of course, this will need adequately trained and qualified people in the planning and legal departments, which would be aided by increased government funding for local councils.
Business rates are another area where pubs and indeed other bricks and mortar outlets suffer compared with on line operations.
While your local pub struggles with the cost of their rates, the giant on-line operation can route their profits through a low tax country.
They can pay minimum wages to many of their staff and have the state make up their income in benefits and do not have to contend with many of their customers having to pay expensive parking charges when purchasing items.
A full review of the business rating system is long overdue. I make no recommendation on which candidates you should support, but suggest that this is an opportunity to have your say.
Despite the lazy ‘they are all the same’ attitude, this is clearly not true. Let the best person win.