Associate
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How did I go from reading about the price of neck oil to a load of blokes watching porn having a tommy tank together 
The absolute state of pubs these days
- Thread starter Lysander
- Start date
I’m alluding to the lack of cleanliness in pubs- filthy draft beer vs bottled beer that does not travel through the pub pipes.
Man of Honour
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Never heard of Derek & Clive?
It was Peter Cooke & Dudley Moore's alter egos and they talked the most rudest stuff and made it up on the spot.
Some of it was truly awful and they got away with it because the people they were talking about were dead.
Loads of stuff on You Tube I can't link to but back in 1980 that material was off the scale.
Steel fixers used to arrange the films and a projector in a site cabin after hours.
Soldato
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When did abv determine whether a beer is decent or not?
If all you're after is to get hammered, then stick to spirits or rubbish like Tenant's Super.
Soldato
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Something I miss about pubs was the good ol' fruit machines when the jackpot was £15 or £25. £25 wasn't a huge amount in all respects, but it meant that the machines were fun to play when it was just 25p per play. Then the jackpot got raised a few times in quick succession and before you knew it, it was now £100. This made them more expensive to play due to them needing to pay out higher prizes. Then in the last 1-2 years, they all suddenly disappeared! I'm sure people will blame Brexit, COVID, the war in Ukraine, or a combination of all 3.
Yeah I noticed drinks being nerfed. It first happened to the alcopops e.g. WKD, which used to be 5.0% and now they're all pretty much 4.0%. It's also happening to beer e.g. Stella used to be 5.2% but now it's 4.6%. On the plus side, there is IPA which tends to be stronger and tastier.
I'm not sure where the OP lives (he wrote Flatland by his username), but I would say that £7 is London prices. I went to a West End theatre in late 2021 and it was £6.50 a pint in there.
I remember when a swift lunchtime pint was a thing back in the early 2000s. I don't think most people could get away with it these days if office-based.
Surely that's got to be London prices as well, like with the £7/pint I quoted further up in my post? In Stafford Wetherspoon, it used to be around £3.60 for a double G&T. It's now £5.10 for a double, so gone up a fair bit but certainly not £12!
This post is going the other way from the other 2 I quoted. The Stafford Wetherspoon charges around £3.00 to £3.60 a pint, so 4 pints is over a tenner.
Pretty sad state of affairs imo. When I was 18-23, I was doing what normal 18-23s did - going out socialising. 6th form, university, industrial placement, permanent work, going out 2 or 3 times a week, up until to my late 20s. Now I'm in my mid-40s, I still try and go clubbing (house/trance), but there aren't nearly as many clubs around these days and this was an issue before covid struck. Outside of clubland, I still go to the pub twice a week.
£10 is pretty much the Living wage now. I'm at the top of pay band 3 in the NHS and even that's only a bit higher @ £11.
Yeah I noticed drinks being nerfed. It first happened to the alcopops e.g. WKD, which used to be 5.0% and now they're all pretty much 4.0%. It's also happening to beer e.g. Stella used to be 5.2% but now it's 4.6%. On the plus side, there is IPA which tends to be stronger and tastier.
I'm not sure where the OP lives (he wrote Flatland by his username), but I would say that £7 is London prices. I went to a West End theatre in late 2021 and it was £6.50 a pint in there.
I remember when a swift lunchtime pint was a thing back in the early 2000s. I don't think most people could get away with it these days if office-based.
Surely that's got to be London prices as well, like with the £7/pint I quoted further up in my post? In Stafford Wetherspoon, it used to be around £3.60 for a double G&T. It's now £5.10 for a double, so gone up a fair bit but certainly not £12!
This post is going the other way from the other 2 I quoted. The Stafford Wetherspoon charges around £3.00 to £3.60 a pint, so 4 pints is over a tenner.
Pretty sad state of affairs imo. When I was 18-23, I was doing what normal 18-23s did - going out socialising. 6th form, university, industrial placement, permanent work, going out 2 or 3 times a week, up until to my late 20s. Now I'm in my mid-40s, I still try and go clubbing (house/trance), but there aren't nearly as many clubs around these days and this was an issue before covid struck. Outside of clubland, I still go to the pub twice a week.
£10 is pretty much the Living wage now. I'm at the top of pay band 3 in the NHS and even that's only a bit higher @ £11.
IIRC there was a scam with beer can labelling --
In the manufacturing process they were allowed a tolerance of +/- 20% -- so a 5% beer could be as low as 4%.
The scam was that they pay tax on the ABV as measured --- so they would actually "make to 4%", label it as 5% but only pay tax on 4%.
Not sure whether that means Stella now being 4.6% is just being labelled correctly (or as per the tax paid) or they've lowered it even more so it is actually 4.6-20%.
In the manufacturing process they were allowed a tolerance of +/- 20% -- so a 5% beer could be as low as 4%.
The scam was that they pay tax on the ABV as measured --- so they would actually "make to 4%", label it as 5% but only pay tax on 4%.
Not sure whether that means Stella now being 4.6% is just being labelled correctly (or as per the tax paid) or they've lowered it even more so it is actually 4.6-20%.
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Man of Honour
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Spoons have deals on, I was in one in Weymouth and they had a real ale for £1.50 so I can believe 4 pints for £7.
When did abv determine whether a beer is decent or not?
If all you're after is to get hammered, then stick to spirits or rubbish like Tenant's Super.
I don't know how to even respond to this. This post is so loaded with subtext and, sorry, ignorance that I find it flabberghasting that someone would even write this.
For a start, what do you mean by "decent"? Presumably you mean that it tastes... nice? That is entirely subjective. Sure, some low ABV beers taste nice, but by ratio, more higher ABV ones tend to taste "decent" - source on this below.
One thing we can guarantee is that higher ABV beers have depth. A lot of it. They also generally have more flavour. You know, Tenant's Super, which you seem to be basing your entire argument off, is actually not that bad. Is it worth buying? Not really no, because there are better high ABV beers out there.
Off the top of my head, beers like Chimay White, Westmalle Tripel, Rochefort 10, Gulden Drakke and Kasteel Brun are all high ABV, as in 8%+ and are all extremely high quality, not the mention the IMMENSE amount of craft better with high ABVs made in the UK at the moment. As in, a lot. Get yourself down to the Bermondsey beer mile if you ever can, and you will see that the best ones, with immense complexity and flavour, are high ABV.
Don't also forget that what is generally considered one of the best beers in the world is 10.2%:
If that weren't enough for you - look at the top 20 rated beers in the world on Beer Advocate - not one of them is under 7%, and they go as high as 17%:
Top 250 Rated Beers
The legendary Top 250 Rated Beers on BeerAdvocate, and arguably the best beers in the world.
So, in short, high ABV does not only determine whether a beer is 'decent' or not, it's absolutely a requirement.
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Going back to the start of this thread, I just want to say:
Go out to good pubs, bars and craft beer places near you - those that you like. Right now, they are really struggling. We all are. Just go out, and drink less.
If you neglect these places - they won't exist, so you won't have a choice of places to go out, meet friends, or have a quiet pint by yourself.
Go out to good pubs, bars and craft beer places near you - those that you like. Right now, they are really struggling. We all are. Just go out, and drink less.
If you neglect these places - they won't exist, so you won't have a choice of places to go out, meet friends, or have a quiet pint by yourself.
Soldato
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Nonsense. All it shows is a) you like Belgian beer and b) the BeerAdvocate/untappd bros place a disproportionate amount of focus on ABV when rating a beer. I‘ve had pale ales that have been near perfect both in flavour and style and they get 3.7 ratings on untappd. There’s a huge rating bias towards stronger and, let’s face it, more expensive beer.
I'd imagine it's more the proportion of money young people now have to spend on having a roof over their heads, compared to back in the day. It's all well and good if the ratio of beer to salary is similar, but the ratio of earnings to housing has certainly drastically changed for the worse.
I think most people would disagree. There's plenty of very good beer at "normal" ABVs
I've actually gone off buying craft beer because the high ABVs just made them all taste overly-alcoholy. Not pleasant.Sam could be said for whiskey. Although high ABV is sometimes warranted (cask strength) actually a lot of professionals would recommend watering-down those whiskies >48% because you just get a lot of burn which dulls the other flavours.
Caporegime
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I am sure people would love too but my energy bills have gone from £1500 a year to nearly £4000. To maintain a good quality of life you make cutbacks so a night out at the pub becomes a home cooked dinner and some beers with friends.
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Permabanned
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The decline of the Roman Empire came amidst such decadence 
But seriously, I honestly believe western "civilisation" is re-enacting history right now.
But seriously, I honestly believe western "civilisation" is re-enacting history right now.
Those kind of prices are loss-leaders though with the aim to draw people in, they are below the market value for a pint of real ale.
Market costs for a proper ale are ~ £2/pint just for the beverage, let alone running costs, staff etc.
Wouldn't need to use any energy at home if you were in the pub all day...
Caporegime
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That is a valid point actually
but even with us we are still only using about £10 a day tops. That wouldn't go very far in a pub.
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The OP needs to find a better pub and drink better beer. If you want £2 a pint dishwater then any old boozer will do. Quality ale from local breweries is worth seeking out and paying a premium for. Same deal with wine, coffee and food.
Yes, pubs are expensive. There are still good ones though.
Yes, pubs are expensive. There are still good ones though.
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Man of Honour
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I mentioned this a while ago in another thread.
Me and my wife weekly have a takeaway with family, a meal out in the week and go the the pub to watch a band at weekends but we now can only do two of those things.
Sadly it's been the going to see my friends in bands that has stopped because when we get there the public have also decided they can't afford either so were sitting in pubs with around 10 punters.
You haven't understood the OP. It's about the increasing, encroaching nature of the problem. I'm not saying that good pubs don't exist, but that they're getting pushed further to the sidelines.
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