British pubs for sociologists

hmm, keg only draught beer (IIRC Stella, Kronenbourg & JohnSmithSmooth*) in a town which until recently boasted one of the best old breweries in the country (Brakspear - "one of the best" because it was a beautiful old place & made great beer) & Henley still has one of my favourite pubs - The Bird In Hand, where (shock!) you still have to go to the bar yourself to get simple food & stunningly good cask beers.

(* actually I'm thinking of Henley's BarMed, but I suspect the range in S&L isn't much better) cheers MikeMcG

In article , Peter Johnston writes

And very civilised it is too. I also remember the waiter service in the staff common room at Queens.

Getting a drink at the bar in the student union was a different matter entirely, though, unless it was out of term.

Following up to MikeMcG

"Slug and lettuce" I have been in did proper draught beer.

Slug and Lettuce ranks just behind Wetherspoons pubs as the most souless pubs in the UK. Most airport lounges have better atmosphere (and beer) than those places. They are better avoided at all costs. You can always find a good local near a Slug and Lettuce, there is never a need to go into one.

I don't agree. I've generally found Wetherspoon's OK, or better, on beer quality, and I like the "no recorded music, no big screen football" policy amenable (tho' I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the latter plague has found its way into the one in Charing X Road). They are also refreshingly cheap in London, where most boozers charge over two quid a pint.

Alan Harrison

I'd also mention they usually have large, well-ventilated non-smoking areas. I couldn't care a bit about the ambience of a pub if I have to inhale other people's smoke- which is why I usually don't go to pubs with "ambience."

David

I have never found a pub in London where beer costs around £2 a pint! Usually it's up around the £3 mark!

You're going to be really upset then: JDW have announced a move toward music in more pubs, driven by its success in Lloyds No1 outlets.

I've taken advantage of many JDW smoke free areas, only one (The Imperial in Exeter) was actually smoke free. Smoke free areas are a cruel joke in almost all cases ;(

Hi,

yea but you still have to settle up at the end based > Following up to congokid

Cittie of York pub on Holborn, near Chancery Lane tube station, is a Samuel Smiths pub and sells very good beer for under £2 a pint. Plus, it has very interesting historical decor, atmosphere and is a great place to meet people. This is the type of pub most tourists want to see rather than a sterile hotel lobby like Wetherspoons pubs.

Different strokes for different folks, but the atmosphere of a pub is as important as the pints they serve.

The Wetherspoons in Islington is usually full of old men muttering to themselves before shuffling off with their plastic bags. The patrons of the wetherspoons in Camden is a veritable whos-who of mental illness and the wetherspoons in Farringdon is where people go before commiting suicide from boredom. If you've found a wetherspoons to your liking then congratulations. But would you really recommend one of them to a tourist who's interested in experiencing 'a London pub'?

Well, I won't go to them, then.

The ones I've been in were well-ventilated, and in some cases, completely cut off from smoking areas.

David

I'd recommend a few of them to London tourists who wanted to see architectually/historically interesting buildings.

Knights Templar and Crosse Keys are both fantastic historical conversions, while the Printworks in Farringdon is also pretty impressive for very different reasons.

Any of the converted cinemas/theatres are impressive too.

BTN

On us smokers undoubtedly. No smoking at the bar. I must loan my cigar when I approach the bar for drinks with the obscure ruling. Dave

Oh, my heart bleeds for you.

David

In article , MrFalafel writes

It's practically my local, though for some unknown [1] reason most people I work with tend to drink at Holborn Colony on Brooke Street.

Now, if it was the Uxbridge one, that could be me!

Depends how well I know the area, and what I know about it. Generally they're a safe bet in a strange place. I would certainly recommend, say, the one in Broad Street, Birmingham, over the nearby "yoof" venues.

Alan Harrison

It is one of the many sacrifices one must make in pursuit of the perfect evening. Mind you , not many perfect evenings have included JDW. Either traditional pubs or Piano and Pitcher bars with the mandatory doubles are my drinking holes of choice.

JDW does exactly what it says on the tin. Dave

let me clear away the obscurity - the 'no smoking at the bar rule' is for the benefit of those working behind the bar - they are at work & should not have to spend an 8-12hr shift breathing in dense tobacco smoke (pub co.s seem to be enforcing it - whether out of obedience to law, to protect their staff, or to avoid future lawsuits, I'm not sure)

incidentally IIRC ireland's smoking ban was brought in mainly on the same grounds - to protecting workers, not customers. MikeMcG