The Real Ale thread
Discussion
in no time at all
Sporting Bear said:
My wife owns me a favour so she's just driving over to Glenn's (partner in Potbelly) to feach some Potbelly Captain Pouch as he rang to say it's so good he's thinking of drinking the four pints he brought back from the brewery for us 
It was very good, popularise taste to it atho' it's 3.8 % in seems slightly stronger (as do all Potbelly beers, they're not at all size zero) - a good session beer, fits in well with the slightly fuller and stronger 4.0% Aisling
Goodnight from Nigel, at home, for PH beer drinkers
Have a look at link for some ideas of others to try 
www.siba.co.uk/ac2007/index.php?SIBA_National_Beer_Competition_2007:Winners
www.siba.co.uk/ac2007/index.php?SIBA_National_Beer_Competition_2007:Winners
My local pub's been taken over by Greene King - who have refused to sell anything other than its own beers, especially Harveys, the local, award-winning brew. ANd the locals are up in arms...
A publicly-quoted company, Greene King is the UK's biggest brewer by far with 2600+ pubs, and has been buying up breweries only to close them down, eg Hardy & Hanson, Marstons and Belhaven, and centralising brewing at its HQ in Bury St. Edmunds.
So if you're thinking about good beer, ask whtether GK's actions are aimed at increasing beer diversity - or turning the country's brewing industry and its pubs into a Tesco-style, one-size-fits-all cultural desert.
For more about the campaign being mounted by my local pub, the Lewes Arms, look here: www.lewesarms.org.uk/
A publicly-quoted company, Greene King is the UK's biggest brewer by far with 2600+ pubs, and has been buying up breweries only to close them down, eg Hardy & Hanson, Marstons and Belhaven, and centralising brewing at its HQ in Bury St. Edmunds.
So if you're thinking about good beer, ask whtether GK's actions are aimed at increasing beer diversity - or turning the country's brewing industry and its pubs into a Tesco-style, one-size-fits-all cultural desert.
For more about the campaign being mounted by my local pub, the Lewes Arms, look here: www.lewesarms.org.uk/
manek said:
My local pub's been taken over by Greene King - who have refused to sell anything other than its own beers, especially Harveys, the local, award-winning brew. ANd the locals are up in arms...
A publicly-quoted company, Greene King is the UK's biggest brewer by far with 2600+ pubs, and has been buying up breweries only to close them down, eg Hardy & Hanson, Marstons and Belhaven, and centralising brewing at its HQ in Bury St. Edmunds.
So if you're thinking about good beer, ask whtether GK's actions are aimed at increasing beer diversity - or turning the country's brewing industry and its pubs into a Tesco-style, one-size-fits-all cultural desert.
For more about the campaign being mounted by my local pub, the Lewes Arms, look here: www.lewesarms.org.uk/
A publicly-quoted company, Greene King is the UK's biggest brewer by far with 2600+ pubs, and has been buying up breweries only to close them down, eg Hardy & Hanson, Marstons and Belhaven, and centralising brewing at its HQ in Bury St. Edmunds.
So if you're thinking about good beer, ask whtether GK's actions are aimed at increasing beer diversity - or turning the country's brewing industry and its pubs into a Tesco-style, one-size-fits-all cultural desert.
For more about the campaign being mounted by my local pub, the Lewes Arms, look here: www.lewesarms.org.uk/
Oooh, a fellow Lewesian. I'm from the other side of the river, so tend to drink in the JHT.
I must say though, I'm not totally in agreement with the Arms' campaign. IMHO, the best way forward, right from the start, was for the regulars to vote with their feet and drink elsewhere, as has happened now. I know it is a big wrench to leave your local, but, I think, it would have had a much bigger impact on GK if the takings drop was immediate, not over a period of time.
Fair enough, Harveys is a much better drink than GK (have you tried Dark Star, BTW?), but, and it's a big but, Harveys do exactly the same and don't serve GK in their houses. That has to be respected, the brewery want to serve their beer in their own pubs.
As it happens, I can see the Arms being sold quite quickly as the atmosphere has plummeted in there (or has it just changed?) and thus takings are down by quite a margin, so I don't think GK will want to continue to subsidise the premises for too long. I don't, however, think Harveys will buy it. They had the chance when Beard's offered it to them, and didn't take it/weren't interested.
It would be very very sad if it did close, more for the amazing sense of community that has always surrounded the Arms' locals, but then again, how many pubs has Lewes lost? I think at one time the figure of total pubs in Lewes was near 100? Will one more make a difference (ducks quickly! but I actually think it will).
Which leads onto how does the Arms survive? GK won't take the hit for long, Harveys are probably a long shot, so customer buy out?
All IMHO, of course.
Kelvin
PS. Dwyle Flunking: too close to Morris Dancing for my liking!
Actually, Harveys did bid to buy the Lewes Arms but, AIUI, they were outbid by a long way by GK who paid what was then way over the odds for it.
But since takings in the pub are 90% down because pretty much the whole town's boycotting the place, GK can't continue like this forever. I agree that it makes more sense for GK to sell up and take the profit they've made on the property price. Trouble is, I'm not entirely sure how much GK's decision to remove the most popular beer from the Lewes Arms by a factor of 4 to 1 was down to business sense, and how much to downright cussedness.
As for Harvey's not making GK available in its pubs, GK has thousands of outlets, and Harveys has 40, so it's not quite a level playing field. And no-one's saying that GK shouldn't stock its own beers - only that it should give its customers what they clearly want. Doesn't seem that radical to me.
Customer buy-out is much talked-of...
But since takings in the pub are 90% down because pretty much the whole town's boycotting the place, GK can't continue like this forever. I agree that it makes more sense for GK to sell up and take the profit they've made on the property price. Trouble is, I'm not entirely sure how much GK's decision to remove the most popular beer from the Lewes Arms by a factor of 4 to 1 was down to business sense, and how much to downright cussedness.
As for Harvey's not making GK available in its pubs, GK has thousands of outlets, and Harveys has 40, so it's not quite a level playing field. And no-one's saying that GK shouldn't stock its own beers - only that it should give its customers what they clearly want. Doesn't seem that radical to me.
Customer buy-out is much talked-of...
Edited by manek on Monday 12th March 17:51
Edited by manek on Monday 12th March 17:52
manek said:
Cutomer buy-out is much talked-of...
Unfortunately, I think it's the only way the Exiles are going to get what they want back, but of course, a customer buy-out has it's own myriad of complications.
Don't get me wrong though, I too look forward to the day that the Exiles can return to the Arms to drink Harveys. I get fed up of drinking soft drinks in there every other week!
It's certainly an emotive subject amongst part of the town.
There is one trouble though. With the inevitable influx of people into the town over the next few years (Phoenix Development, Wenbans, Chandlers) there may be a market for the Arms in it's current incarnation amongst the 'new Lewesians' wanting to feel part of the old community and not realising the recent history (ooh look, quaint olde worlde pub). Either that or they'll all sod off to the Gastro Dorset and keep Pugwash happy! It all depends on how long GK want to hold out (and they are getting a lot of publicity out of it, on the any publicity is good publicity basis), but Maybe GK will see sense, maybe they'll dig their heels in, unfortunately, the only people who know that are GK themselves.
And back on topic,
Harveys good, GK bad!!
manek said:
Actually, Harveys did bid to buy the Lewes Arms but, AIUI, they were outbid by a long way by GK who paid what was then way over the odds for it.
But since takings in the pub are 90% down because pretty much the whole town's boycotting the place, GK can't continue like this forever. I agree that it makes more sense for GK to sell up and take the profit they've made on the property price. Trouble is, I'm not entirely sure how much GK's decision to remove the most popular beer from the Lewes Arms by a factor of 4 to 1 was down to business sense, and how much to downright cussedness.
As for Harvey's not making GK available in its pubs, GK has thousands of outlets, and Harveys has 40, so it's not quite a level playing field. And no-one's saying that GK shouldn't stock its own beers - only taht it should give its cutomers what they clearly want. Doesn't seem that radical to me.
Cutomer buy-out is much talked-of...
But since takings in the pub are 90% down because pretty much the whole town's boycotting the place, GK can't continue like this forever. I agree that it makes more sense for GK to sell up and take the profit they've made on the property price. Trouble is, I'm not entirely sure how much GK's decision to remove the most popular beer from the Lewes Arms by a factor of 4 to 1 was down to business sense, and how much to downright cussedness.
As for Harvey's not making GK available in its pubs, GK has thousands of outlets, and Harveys has 40, so it's not quite a level playing field. And no-one's saying that GK shouldn't stock its own beers - only taht it should give its cutomers what they clearly want. Doesn't seem that radical to me.
Cutomer buy-out is much talked-of...
Edited by manek on Monday 12th March 16:49
My local is a GK pub and I've chatted to the landlord about getting some guest beers in. His problem is that it is almost impossible for him to source beer from anywhere but GK - technically he is allowed to do it, but it works out too expensive and not profitable.
manek said:
Actually, Harveys did bid to buy the Lewes Arms but, AIUI, they were outbid by a long way by GK who paid what was then way over the odds for it.
More fool GK then. Anyone who had actually gone inside the 'Lewes' would have noticed that practically every beer pump had a Harveys label on it, AFAIR (not easy after a lewes pub crawl).
My default elsewhere is HSB, except that it is now Fullers.
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