tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post929193477339295839..comments2024-03-16T04:06:28.481+00:00Comments on The Pub Curmudgeon: The premium pintCurmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-84985551363305145172017-09-30T10:08:37.756+01:002017-09-30T10:08:37.756+01:00In any regular boozer most of the punters are on t...In any regular boozer most of the punters are on the lager. They wouldn't think "Oh, now the bitter's more expensive that must be better therefore I'll have a bitter"<br /><br />The report is punting out a message on behalf of the the interests of those that paid for its production. It's punted out the same one for years.<br /><br />Some beer geeks think that if cask beer in beer geek bars could maintain the prices of the craft keg more experimental breweries would put out cask versions. They are probably right about that but that niche specialist market isn't the regular pub market. Cooking Lagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02830924433230427226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-55776481835754480232017-09-29T23:47:16.947+01:002017-09-29T23:47:16.947+01:00absolutely, and its what they tell you on the Cask...absolutely, and its what they tell you on the Cask Marque course, its the one beer you must respect any landlord for putting on because it deserves the care and attention, and you must always sample if its on. tbf I find the bottles are far more hit and miss than the beer has been lately in any pub, but thats another discussion entirely.<br /><br />I dont get the whole Cask ale must have a premium price part, you goto a coffee shop you pay the same price (roughly) for a cup of coffee as you do in Starbucks or your artisan independent, its called the market price thats decided by how much the consumer is willing to spend, both of them will probably taste reasonably similar, you might just feel more smug drinking at one than the other.<br /><br />why should beer be treated differently, apart from raw costs,tax differences, why should beer attract a premium price beyond what feels in some places to already be a premium price,£4 a pint isnt cheap, drink more than 2pints and youve spent one of those shiny new ten pound notes on a night out already when we are trying to encourage people to drink beer, putting the price up seems a really daft idea. I always think of the classic pub scene from Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy, 6 pints of bitter, and he gives the landlord £5 and says keep the change.Stonohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02656315721111561414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-27826146408171305572017-09-29T20:19:50.660+01:002017-09-29T20:19:50.660+01:00Two separate things here - 'premiumisation'...Two separate things here - 'premiumisation' of cask ale in general, and pubs introducing a broader price range across cask beers. The first can't really be a flier - they're already 'premiumised' craft keg *relative to cask*, so turning it on its head would be quite a trick - but the second is more realistic. It goes against the traditional expectation of being able to rock up to the bar and buy a pint for the price of a pint, admittedly, but it can be done. At Pie and Ale, last time I visited, they had a house beer going for £2.80 and 'guests' ranging from £3.40 to £5.60, or double the price of the 'house'.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07009879034507926661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-85401821556765913292017-09-29T18:51:42.907+01:002017-09-29T18:51:42.907+01:00Indeed, what Tandleman and I have referred to as t...Indeed, what Tandleman and I have referred to as the "quality lottery". But up to a point that's part of its charm.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-34277397415605270692017-09-29T18:17:58.572+01:002017-09-29T18:17:58.572+01:00With cask you are buying volatility. It might be f...With cask you are buying volatility. It might be fantastic, it might be indifferent. It might be totally fucking undrinkable.<br /><br />The drinker is taking a substantial gamble and this is reflected in the price point. It's much like buying a property at auction without a proper survey or taking a chance on discounted fellatio with a new whore.Ben Viveurhttp://www.benviveur.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-68416333388953503192017-09-29T17:33:39.630+01:002017-09-29T17:33:39.630+01:00Been at it for years ain't they? They are not ...Been at it for years ain't they? They are not wrong though. If cask ale was a premium product it would command a higher price than commodity lager. Trouble is it ain't therefore it doesn't.Cooking Lagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02830924433230427226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-19657756005909639542017-09-29T14:51:32.599+01:002017-09-29T14:51:32.599+01:00This is indeed the problem - Landlord is a superb ...This is indeed the problem - Landlord is a superb beer but it's produced in what is now becoming the old fashioned way with a rigorous secondary fermentation and significant sediment and too many pub owners/managers seem to think a beer is ready the second it drops bright which unfortunately many do just a couple of hours after delivery, assuming there's any sediment in the first place. They just don't see the value in letting beers mature for a few days, or even a week.electricpicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09144970068645280352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-80722199831078658562017-09-29T14:40:01.610+01:002017-09-29T14:40:01.610+01:00I reckon the quality of a pint of Landlord is a go...I reckon the quality of a pint of Landlord is a good yardstick for judging a pub's cellarmanship.Nigel Mortonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-27636195702279151562017-09-29T13:27:28.408+01:002017-09-29T13:27:28.408+01:00And Taylor's (we're really just talking La...And Taylor's (we're really just talking Landlord here) seems to be more vulnerable than many other beers to poor cellarmanship, so you end up paying over the odds for a dull pint :-(<br /><br />When it's good, it's lovely, of course.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-2600561844473253832017-09-29T13:23:07.140+01:002017-09-29T13:23:07.140+01:00The only mainstream brewery that seems to manage i...The only mainstream brewery that seems to manage it is Timmy Taylors.<br /><br />Craftier ones can get charged at a heftier whack, but they only tend to be on in crafty places so not really relevant to the general debate. (And in the crafty places they are considerably cheaper than the keg alternatives, so that hardly reinforces cask as a premium product.)Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05959041481062727069noreply@blogger.com