Pubs

[MtB]

The Swan at Whilton is a delightful alternative pub though. Open Sunday evening and monday, and with some truly excellent beers on draft behind the bar. 

[dmr]

Currently in Chester and absolutely spoilt for choice here, pubs everywhere. Current favourite is a little micropub 5 minute walk from canal, called the Goat n Munch. Not sure what the munch thing is, think it refers to the crisps as they don't do food. Several good local real ales at about £3.20 but reduced by £1 on Tuesdays, only problem is that the place gets too full of customers, miss the K&A but don't miss the beer prices.

................Dave

[blackrose]

17 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Much of  this problem I am afraid is down to Joe Public. Visiting a village pub only on sunny summer weekends and never in the week is why pubs are now failing. Boaters are a prime example as many think there is a season and lay the boat up for months in  the winter and pub overheads are higher winter than summer and do not evaporate simply because the uk population hibernate. Pubs will continue to close at an alarming rate for a long time into the future just like village petrol stations,shops, butchers have done due to not  being used then everyone will moan there is only Wetherspoons and Toby carvery left!!

That's the market economy for you I suppose, sales of lots of products are weather-dependent - ice creams and prepacked foods like sandwiches for example. I'm not sure what the answer is? Although having said that if it were a truly free market then there wouldn't be all this tax on alcohol and perhaps people would go out more instead of drinking at home and more pubs could survive.

Personally I seldom drink at home on the boat because it's too easy for that to become habit-forming and I don't go out all that much, but at least my alcohol intake is relatively low and within the unit guidelines. If the tax on alcohol sold in pubs was reduced dramatically, who knows, it might result in more liver disease, etc? 

Edited April 21, 2018 by blackrose

[Mike Hurley]

21 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

I don't think today's coffee shops are anything like the coffeehouses of the 17th and 18th century!

Quite right, last one i went to had nowhere to tie my horse.

[Tanglewood]

 

On 4/20/2018 at 17:16, Mac of Cygnet said:

https://whatpub.com/ lists virtually all the pubs in the UK, and oddly enough can be filtered to only search for closed pubs in an area, if the OP really wants to do the research.  Different pubs have different seasons - our local pub, venue of the annual Disco Sheep Shearing, will probably get a bit busier now that lambing is just about over.

Thanks I will look at that.  It is nice to know where the next pub is - always a treat to arrive at the top of the Buckby flight knowing my partner has a a swift half waiting for me!  But I guess from all the replies that it seems to be accepted that Pubs will eventually be a thing of the past.  

[Victor Vectis]

We're travelling North and across the Pennines towards Yorkshire.

FWIW the both micropubs I've visited, the Borehole at Stone and one in Sandbach were wedged. I would have visited the one in Rugeley but it wasn't open on the day I stopped there.

I feel micropubs, converted shop units (etc) with limited opening hours, selling a good choice of beer could be a way forward fro the licensed trade.

Changing the subjecy slightly, yesterday CAMRA voted narrowly to reject bringing non cask conditioned beers (ie those keg beers that have come to be labelled 'craft beers') into it's remit.

A mistake IMHO. It was an opportunity for CAMRA to move on from it's socks and sandals, beardy blokes with beer bellies image.

[Nightwatch]

There's a successful one in Chorley covered market. They had one unit but when we were there a year or so ago they had taken over another unit. Always busy.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g503933-d8127651-r352212702-The_Bob_Inn-Chorley_Lancashire_England.html

Edited April 22, 2018 by Nightwatch

[Lily Rose]

7 hours ago, Victor Vectis said:

 

Changing the subjecy slightly, yesterday CAMRA voted narrowly to reject bringing non cask conditioned beers (ie those keg beers that have come to be labelled 'craft beers') into it's remit.

A mistake IMHO. It was an opportunity for CAMRA to move on from it's socks and sandals, beardy blokes with beer bellies image.

I read about this on BBC News a few days ago (before the vote) so was interested to hear the outcome.

I must admit, as a former member in my more serious drinking days, and still feeling the lovely after-effects of some excellent Abbot Ale in The Greyhound (Hawkesbury Junction) this afternoon, to feeling a bit uncomfortable at the thought of the Campaign for Real Ale widening it's scope to cover the fizzy stuff so I am slightly relieved. I well remember the days of Grotneys and Double Diamond and beer deserts and would be sad to see anything happen that might allow the industry slip back to what it was like in those days.

On the other hand, maybe a re-focused CAMRA could help slow down the tide of pub closures. But I doubt it.

DISCLAIMER - I admit to having a beard. And wearing socks. But I don't wear sandals and I don't have a beer belly.

 

 

 

 

[Nightwatch]

So wear socks and I wear sandals, but not at the same time.  Some say I have a beer belly, I say it's relaxed muscle. I certainly have a beard.

I like ale!!

[Chewbacka]

Whilst it may be ok to include craft beer, I don’t think it sensible to include fizz pop lager in cans

[Tanglewood]

Good news for anyone passing through Slapton.  The decision regarding the change of use application has not yet been made but the Carpenters Arms is open for drinks and will fully re-open on June 1st

 

https://www.leightonbuzzardonline.co.uk/news/business/chef-who-trained-under-raymond-blanc-overwhelmed-by-response-as-he-reopens-doomed-pub-in-slapton-1-8505498