All pumped up!

Congratulations to home brewer Steven Hope and proprietor Harry Cullen for restoring cask-conditioned Leith Heavy to the Oxford Bar in Edinburgh (The Scotsman, 14 October).

But the 1982 photograph featured shows former owner Willie Ross dispensing his pints of cask-conditioned beers in the time-honoured Scottish manner from traditional air-pressure Gaskell & Chambers Dalex tall founts. Indeed, the use of air-pressure dispense in Scottish pubs has been traced as far back as around 1814.

The main drawback of inappropriate (to Scotland) English-style handpumps is that the naturally produced carbon dioxide quickly evaporates on dispense leaving the customer with a very flat pint. The only way to artificially create a head on such a pint is by using a sparkler or spray-plate (like a shower head).

It is to be hoped that having restored Leith Heavy, Mr Cullen will adopt Leith’s motto, Persevere, and track down a quadrant of traditional Scottish tall founts such as Aitken’s.

DUNCAN MCARA Viewfield Avenue, Bishopbriggs