As well as a lot of great pubs and a couple of breweries, Salisbury in Wiltshire also boasts one of the finest medieval church Doom paintings in the country. The huge mural at St Thomas’s Church depicts a sort of Biblical apocalypse — a world overrun by devils, dragging people down into Hell.
Of course, there’s something of interest to beer geeks here, too: the ale wife (pub landlady) who faces eternal damnation for her habit of serving short measures.
Why don’t CAMRA make more of this threat in their ‘Take it to the Top’ campaign?
3 replies on “Serve short measures, face eternal damnation”
A short measure compared to what?
(I’m presuming that you’re talking about serving less beer than a consumer expects in a glass when ordered.)
In the states, we have a similar “problem” that is being addressed by things like Honest Pint Act in Oregon State. A pint is 16oz, and to save money, many bars are using 14oz glasses instead of full pint glasses, or simply filling 16oz glasses with slightly more head than usual.
I can’t see this as anything except a rational market, and in a rational market, people will pay what something is worth. No where on most premises do places advertise the size of their glassware. It’s rare to hear someone order a pint rather than simply “a beer.” The glassware all have names, too — schooner is really whatever the establishment wants to give you, for instance — and people rarely order in actual volume. It’s not false advertising if you don’t advertise.
And who’s to say 14oz isn’t a fine serving size? Bottles are mostly 12oz over here. I’m sure bottles are mostly smaller than the normal pub serving as well.
What’s the problem here?
Ethan — hello.
We’re not really bothered by short measures ourselves (that is, paying for a pint but getting a bit less) but it’s a big CAMRA ‘consumer rights’ campaign.
We definitely don’t think people who serve short measures should go to Hell…
Haha. Best. Post. Ever.
I love how she’s kind of cuddling that demon who is no doubt in the overly-affectionate stage of inebriation.
If this had an LOL caption I think CAMRA would have it’s new campaign image sorted.