BrewDog Changes the Law
04.01.2011
BrewDog dwarf protest brings an end to 300-year-old pub legislation.
We are celebrating a landmark change to licensing laws in the UK, following our innovative lobbying of the government late last year. Science minister David Willets confirmed today that the coalition government will shake the dust from 300-year-old measures laws, tearing up rules that were the subject of BrewDog’s world’s smallest protest in November 2009. A new two-thirds of a pint, or ‘schooner’ measure will soon be available – which we believes is perfectly suited to more flavoursome craft beers.
The craft beer revolution has claimed another scalp in the form of archaic licensing rules. This is nothing short of a landmark victory for BrewDog and an acceptance at government level that we speak for the people and understand the changing landscape of the UK beer market. The two-thirds of a pint measure means British beer drinkers can enjoy bold and creative beers responsibly – we knew that and we made sure the government caught up.
If we weren’t so busy brewing, we would probably be able to solve most of the world’s problems.
We brought the licensing issue to the public’s attention by commissioning a dwarf to hold a weeklong protest at Westminster, arguing that two thirds of a pint measures should be introduced in British bars, whilst inherently demonstrating that smaller things can have a big impact. Despite being recommended by The National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) in 2008, plans to introduce the new measure had been on hold since the general election and BrewDog’s protest brought it back into the limelight.
With this protest we wanted to prove that size does not dictate significance; our tiny protest blew the dust off our outdated licensing laws and introduced the first change to draft beer measures for three centuries. Two thirds of a pint is the perfect size for artisanal beers and will now help to combat irresponsible drinking as well as introduce new audiences to the craft beer revolution.
Comments
- How about calling a 2/3rd pint a PUNK?! martin08.01.2011
- 2/3 measure = good idea. Just needs a short punchy unconfusable name. 1/3 pint is known as a nip. Nip can mean pinch, japanese, or nipple. Get thinking ! MAK06.01.2011
- Here is the EU directive that started it all.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:247:0017:0020:en:PDF
I wish people and pubs could decide their own measures, but government is here to tell us all how to live, for a small fee of course.Matt Davies05.01.2011 - Sorry guys but Barm is right. The EU tells this country what to do these days and this was all planned a long time ago by our masters and now finally being put into practice by their servants (who pretend to be the actual government). See this
http://www.nmo.bis.gov.uk/Docs/Legislation/SFQ/Government_Response_on_Specified_Quantities_for_Pre-packages_Jan_09.pdf
"A press notice highlighting the consultation and particularly a proposal to permit 2/3 pint measures for beer, secured national press, and radio and television coverage for the consultation."
This document is from 2009 but our overlords were working on it way before that.Matt Davies05.01.2011 - Barm: away and punch yourself. MagicDave05.01.2011
- 2/3 of a pint is great, love the idea.
But in Australia a bloody *schooner* is 425ml, which is more like 3/4 of a pint. Where the fuck does this "schooner" come from? That's what the bloody Publican write-up was calling it too.
Call it a weiner.Yvan05.01.2011 - Glad to see the lobbying and guerilla PR campaign paid off. Sparks04.01.2011
- Great! Now we need a decent name for it. Schooner is just too, well, crap. Francis Gilbert04.01.2011
- Is there a letter that says they changed their mind because of your dwarf? Barm04.01.2011
- Barm- We discussed this at length with HMRC and there was no plans at all to introduce this in October 2010.
If you insist on being a cynical son of a bitch, email me I will gladly forward you the letter from HMRC in October last year.
We changed the law! BrewDog rocks.James, BrewDog04.01.2011 - "BrewDog Welcomes Change In Law That's Been Planned For Years And Was Nothing To Do With Them" <-- Fixed that for you. Barm04.01.2011
- Loved the schooner when in Oz last month. Here's hoping it's adopted by the nation's finest alehouses! Dubbel04.01.2011
- sounds like there is still going to be a 'measures' law, though. How archaic that seems to this antipodean colonial!
Here's a novel concept: no state sanctioned 'measures', just bar owners who advise how much their glasses hold and how much each ale costs, so the drinker can choose. Fancy that!Scott04.01.2011 - good stuff.
Did you get it changed so that TNP can legally be served in shots too? That would be great.Hardknott Dave04.01.2011 - Simply Awesome Pete04.01.2011
- James for Prime Minister! Nate04.01.2011
- sweet................. paul noonan04.01.2011