Beer Prices


My mate is a spark and was doing some work in a little country pub once.
It gets to 5ish and a stream of blokes would come in, buy a pint, read the paper, some not even talk and then leave.
As it kept going, my mate asked the barman what the deal was with this constant flow of people not interacting having a pint and leaving.
Barman said that they pub was going to close a couple of years back and the publican wrote to every house in the village and said that unless people used it, there wasn't any point staying open and he'd sell up. So the village council agreed that people would spend a few pounds a week per household to keep it open so that when they wanted to use it, it was open. Seemed to work well, it was quite a posh village and they liked the idea of the place being there as a facility, so most of the blokes would all call in and have a pint a day on the way home from work.
As the place was now always open, it now got a bit of passing trader and started doing food, so it didn't need the daily visits, but many just kept it up as they got used to a pint after work before going home.

Also, having a pub in a village, especially a posh one, probably increases the property value of houses in that village.
 
Was my local (along with the Cricketers RIP) as a young chap before I started branching out further afield. Was decent enough if you knew the people in there. The middle house was always a bit strange and generally let the knackers run amok.
I've always found the Middle canny enough. Same crowd get in, and ya have a bit crack with them. It's a throwback of a pub these days but I quite like that.

Fella who had it died during Covid, so a younger lads been running it the last couple of years - it's livened the place up a bit.
 
Thankfully still places where you can get a pint at reasonable prices, if you're not fussy, Spoons, Sam Smiths etc. There is a lovely pub on the Headland at Hartlepool,The Globe that serves Cask Strongarm at £2.20 a pint. Maybe people if they want to drink in pubs , will be forced to use these pubs in future, just as we are seeing people bin Tescos and Asda for Aldi and Lidl etc.

The only problem with this is we are creating a two or even three tier drinking culture, based on income and lifestyle, both of which are generally inextricably linked. The whole idea of the pub in my eyes, was a coming together of different peoples under the same roof, regardless of income, where ideas and views could be exchanged and discussed.

This futuristic never the twain shall meet culture is no good for a future cohesive society.
 


The whole idea of the pub in my eyes, was a coming together of different peoples under the same roof, regardless of income, where ideas and views could be exchanged and discussed.

This futuristic never the twain shall meet culture is no good for a future cohesive society.
Did that really happen though? It might at sporting events but rich and poor people would still tend to congregate in different watering holes.

Affluent people would tend to be at golf clubs, cricket/rugby clubs, wine bars etc.

It’s a massive generalisation admittedly.
 
Certain places are getting ridiculous. Looking online for a place in Manchester and its 6.90 for a Ashai.

Just prefer going directly to breweries and tap rooms where they’re available now. Paying similar for their house beers than you will be for your Morettis, Madris etc just down the road.
 
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Did that really happen though? It might at sporting events but rich and poor people would still tend to congregate in different watering holes.

Affluent people would tend to be at golf clubs, cricket/rugby clubs, wine bars etc.

It’s a massive generalisation admittedly.

Always an element of generalisation in things like this. but yes I think it did back in the day. Pubs were multi-roomed, with the workers in the bar and the managers and their lieutenants in the lounge etc. Obviously, in communities, some pubs would get reputations, rough houses where managers probably wouldn't go, and likewise posher places where the workers wouldn't go. This would probably be the same in clubs, with workers going to the WMC and maybe managers going to Conservative clubs etc.

The Golf club is an interesting one. I remember in the 70s a Golf club near where I live, generally, miners weren't allowed membership, no matter how much money they had. Of course, all and sundry can join that same Golf club nowadays. I suppose the fact working-class men started to want to join Golf clubs and the fact Golf clubs started to relax their membership criteria. says a lot about how attitudes have changed over the last 30 years or so.
 
Always an element of generalisation in things like this. but yes I think it did back in the day. Pubs were multi-roomed, with the workers in the bar and the managers and their lieutenants in the lounge etc. Obviously, in communities, some pubs would get reputations, rough houses where managers probably wouldn't go, and likewise posher places where the workers wouldn't go. This would probably be the same in clubs, with workers going to the WMC and maybe managers going to Conservative clubs etc.

The Golf club is an interesting one. I remember in the 70s a Golf club near where I live, generally, miners weren't allowed membership, no matter how much money they had. Of course, all and sundry can join that same Golf club nowadays. I suppose the fact working-class men started to want to join Golf clubs and the fact Golf clubs started to relax their membership criteria. says a lot about how attitudes have changed over the last 30 years or so.
I spent a week at a factory in 1988 for work experience, in the canteen the shop floor workers sat separately to the office/admin staff.

Even more ridiculous was that at my first full time job in 1991 the factory had a separate toilet cubicle for the office workers! The more revolting (pun intended) hairy welders would often leave us a present in there.
 
If wether spoons can do it, breweries deffo can . It seems, along with numerous other prices, companies are chancing their arm and taking the oiss
They buy many ales cheap that are just about to go out of date because they know they can shift them quickly before they go off. Many landlords cannot take that risk.

As to how they treat small brewers, many of their pubs are appalling. My late dad's friend could not brew more beer because one had his barrels for over 6 months. Your average pub isn't cutting down on its costs in the same way as Spoons do either.
Surely that just proves my point? 88 pints at £2.50 a go only just recovers the keg cost.
Agreed. Though a good many pubs will be getting a good many more than 88 'pints' from 88 pints.
 
They buy many ales cheap that are just about to go out of date because they know they can shift them quickly before they go off. Many landlords cannot take that risk.

As to how they treat small brewers, many of their pubs are appalling. My late dad's friend could not brew more beer because one had his barrels for over 6 months. Your average pub isn't cutting down on its costs in the same way as Spoons do either.

Agreed. Though a good many pubs will be getting a good many more than 88 'pints' from 88 pints.

Lots of Spoons closing, now that owner thinks he can no longer benefit from being in the EU, even though personally he was against EU membership :confused:
 
Always an element of generalisation in things like this. but yes I think it did back in the day. Pubs were multi-roomed, with the workers in the bar and the managers and their lieutenants in the lounge etc. Obviously, in communities, some pubs would get reputations, rough houses where managers probably wouldn't go, and likewise posher places where the workers wouldn't go. This would probably be the same in clubs, with workers going to the WMC and maybe managers going to Conservative clubs etc.

Mind you, WMCs weren't bastions of equality either. In ours, the front bar was men only - women were only allowed in the bingo hall and lounge bar and they weren't allowed to use the pool table.
 
I spent a week at a factory in 1988 for work experience, in the canteen the shop floor workers sat separately to the office/admin staff.

Even more ridiculous was that at my first full time job in 1991 the factory had a separate toilet cubicle for the office workers! The more revolting (pun intended) hairy welders would often leave us a present in there.
Every factory I've worked at has been like that like.
 

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