tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post1630792242404529194..comments2024-03-28T17:11:52.333+00:00Comments on The Pub Curmudgeon: A long road backCurmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-66468368813811826062021-10-08T15:57:47.325+01:002021-10-08T15:57:47.325+01:00Looks okay to me and the missus has seen the Aspal...Looks okay to me and the missus has seen the Aspalls cider so she's happy.<br />https://cruiselifestyle.co.uk/2021/04/08/pando-drinks-menus-prices-packages/<br />Tbh,having paid only £945pp for 15 nights in an outside cabin to the Caribbean with return flights included I'd be quite happy to down euroswill for a fortnight.<br />Just got to watch out for the pesky hurricanes.Professor Pie-Tinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-75368845515562133762021-10-07T15:31:05.248+01:002021-10-07T15:31:05.248+01:00Yes the beer and the pubs much to my liking. The s...Yes the beer and the pubs much to my liking. The stale beer smells good but the odd people with the smells and the beards and the sandals that shout numbers at each other less so I thinks.Nikola Catchpolenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-86896954677782277892021-10-06T20:24:48.395+01:002021-10-06T20:24:48.395+01:00Does anyone know what time of winter the Old Cat c...Does anyone know what time of winter the Old Cat cask beer hits the pubs? I really love that strong beer, it's so tasty as a morsel.Nikola Catchpolenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-69288189919419154572021-10-06T17:52:34.567+01:002021-10-06T17:52:34.567+01:00I suspect staff shortages may be the issue here. M...I suspect staff shortages may be the issue here. My local reopened like it used to but is now closed Mon/Tues because they cannot get enough staff. Pretty much every pub and restaurant around here (Cheshire) has signs outside advertising for staff wanted. Beermunsterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09564489130909572144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-72431693295885890402021-10-05T22:44:25.086+01:002021-10-05T22:44:25.086+01:00Cunard offer a better selection of beers on their ...Cunard offer a better selection of beers on their ships Prof, including a range brewed specially for them by a Salisbury-based micro.Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-8212559573701976142021-10-05T22:41:37.360+01:002021-10-05T22:41:37.360+01:00Not sure about "building back better," N...Not sure about "building back better," Nikola. Our illustrious leader is a lover of empty, meaningless and ultimately vacuous slogans, but it's good to know that you appreciate our pubs and our beers, warts and all. Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-35931043304933695462021-10-05T19:22:16.158+01:002021-10-05T19:22:16.158+01:00The problem I find with cask is that it is often p...The problem I find with cask is that it is often pot luck.You may get a fresh, well kept ale or one that is a bit 'iffy".Always been that way.I can understand customers who play safe and stick to the more consistent keg, even though it isn't my thing.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17045460591239643202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-49852459060291701342021-10-05T16:24:03.969+01:002021-10-05T16:24:03.969+01:00Maybe staff shortages have something to do with th...Maybe staff shortages have something to do with that.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-33121104568186572021-10-05T16:15:49.641+01:002021-10-05T16:15:49.641+01:00In Leicester and London, the two places I know wel...In Leicester and London, the two places I know well, I have found all the pubs I used to go to have reopened and none has dropped cask. The beer has been good. One place has kept some real restrictions (possibly due to being small and cramped). People seem quite conscious about not blocking the bar and only going up when there's space etc. <br /><br />More worrying in Leicester has been some pubs further restricting opening hours (closing at 9pm on a Friday or not opening at all on Sundays). Talking to bar staff last week, they felt people were even more sensitive to when pay-day fell, which is not a good sign. Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02193961453522415377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-16074711378276383962021-10-05T16:06:55.725+01:002021-10-05T16:06:55.725+01:00October 22nd is the big day for Irish pubs with al...October 22nd is the big day for Irish pubs with all restrictions 'due' to be lifted including the need for pubs to check on vaccine passports.<br />The guvnor of Whelans in Limerick has sent out advance notice to the anti-vaccination crowd on where he stands.<br />https://twitter.com/whelansbar1/status/1445301642732113924<br /><br />After all these months waiting for the big day I now find that on that very day Mrs Professor Pie-Tin and I will be embarking on board the good ship Britannia ay Southampton for a transatlantic cruise to the Caribbean - I have checked with P&O and they inform me Brodies bar has an extensive selection of regional British beers in bottles at pub prices after I was horrified to see John Smith Smooth on the promotional video.<br />We're looking forward to getting pissed for a fortnight gazing out to sea from a sedentary position.<br />On the cask front I spent 25 years drinking nowt but boring brown bitters and loved them all but after 20 years in Ireland drinking cold keg stout when I try it now on our occasional return to the UK I find them hard going.<br />I wonder if all that time in lockdown drinking cans and bottles from the fridge has affected the taste buds of long term cask drinkers.<br />It's a quandry I face on our permanent return to Blighty soon.Professor Pie-Tinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-8693443627452249222021-10-05T15:52:38.282+01:002021-10-05T15:52:38.282+01:00yes I forgot the stale beer. It is the very essenc...yes I forgot the stale beer. It is the very essence of the public housingNikola Catchpolenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-21049002270879369982021-10-05T15:46:23.431+01:002021-10-05T15:46:23.431+01:00The aroma of stale beer, damp, tobacco, cheap perf...The aroma of stale beer, damp, tobacco, cheap perfume, flatulence and body odour is what defines pubs :-)Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-61164191513540318932021-10-05T15:30:38.938+01:002021-10-05T15:30:38.938+01:00Everything Martin, the beer, the toilets, the damp...Everything Martin, the beer, the toilets, the damp, oh the damp, and outside the cigs in the outdoor wooden hut things you have. But the boy the beer is good for my likingNikola Catchpolenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-83923293717794856142021-10-05T15:08:26.053+01:002021-10-05T15:08:26.053+01:00I can see what you mean about pubs being happier p...I can see what you mean about pubs being happier places. Maybe people don't appreciate things until they're taken away from them. And also maybe a touch of "Blitz spirit".Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-46999120157877317492021-10-05T14:59:58.524+01:002021-10-05T14:59:58.524+01:00I'm hoping you mean the "strange smells&q...I'm hoping you mean the "strange smells" of the beer, Nikola !retiredmartinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15429804437739227082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-71743156214002150092021-10-05T14:47:18.945+01:002021-10-05T14:47:18.945+01:00A very insightful read as usual. Although I go in...A very insightful read as usual. Although I go in a few more pubs than you, you may well spend longer in each, and c. fifty pubs is still a very significant sample.<br /><br />I share all of your views. Several publicans have noted the volatility of trade (busy Monday, dead on Friday). Look at some forums (e.g. Discourse and you'll see that some pub goers have been reticent about returning to pubs, or have chosen the quieter times.<br /><br />Beer quality has been pretty good, only a couple of returned pints since April which is less than 1 in 100, and some good quality as ranges reduce a bit, notably in London and the Yorkshire Dales. Perhaps that means the microbreweries have been squeezed out a bit by better known brands, but not always.<br /><br />My own sense is that pubs often seem even happier places than previously. The folk who feel comfortable have rushed back, the more cautious (e.g. the older diner) have stayed away.<br /><br />Stockport on a Friday afternoon in October will be a good test.retiredmartinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15429804437739227082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-57157675489140386792021-10-05T14:32:42.297+01:002021-10-05T14:32:42.297+01:00I do like the English cask beer they do. It is my ...I do like the English cask beer they do. It is my favorite since in the UK. I do very hope that it survives the building back things better. I think it is already better. I like the Hydes, the Robertsons and the brew dog ones. I also like the traditional pubs and the strange smellsNikola Catchpolenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-20651202631224926952021-10-05T14:24:32.156+01:002021-10-05T14:24:32.156+01:00Cheers. One thing that does seem to be common, as ...Cheers. One thing that does seem to be common, as I said, is the increased unpredictability pf trade. I've ever heard of some pubs being busy at unexpected times because people want to avoid crowded sessions.<br /><br />But there really doesn't seem to be an epidemic of stale cask. Indeed I've had surprisingly good cask on occasions when I wasn't really expecting much.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-83980303575830747252021-10-05T14:13:18.112+01:002021-10-05T14:13:18.112+01:00Not much to disagree with there Mudgie. I would ha...Not much to disagree with there Mudgie. I would have gate crashed your Stockport do, but in London. I'll make do with reporting back from there.Tandlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804499573827044693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-61289873788448921772021-10-05T13:45:13.526+01:002021-10-05T13:45:13.526+01:00After taking a break from cask and enjoying packag...After taking a break from cask and enjoying packaged beer for a year, who'd go back to cask? You'd have to be crazy. Variable, unreliable. Keg beers are most like packaged beers and I'll be sticking with those.The sword of truthnoreply@blogger.com