Wetherspoons: guest ales

Hi Bruce Where ya bin fer the last twenty years? Wetherspoons have always sold guest hand pumped real ales Spitfire is one of the regulear offeringsso does not come under the guest beer banner. De Konink when it is on is super I can only thinkit is better in Antwerp! ( Never been soI dont know.) Aletaster

Just out of interest, which pub in King St.? I find there's a lot of good local ale available in cambridge, with Milton and City of Cambridge breweries located close to the city, although less in the town centre pubs. There are a number of pubs specialising in beers from smaller brewers,too. The more local majors (GK, and particularly Adnams) also produce some very good pints. What real beers do you tend to get in Yaarkshire?

'Spoons are regularly discussed here. They're very varied, as their managers range from highly skilled professionals who love their beer to obnoxious idiots only interested in flogging alcopops. I was speaking to an ex JDW manager on Saturday - apparently it's company policy to squeeze 69 or more pints out of a firkin, so now you know why 'Spoons bar staff invariably serve your beer with a big foaming head (of course, they'll top up if you ask them, but how many people bother?)

There are 2 different keg versions of De Konick. The stuff sold in Antwerp is unpasteurised and indeed is very tasty. Elseweher in Belgium the beer is pasteurised and much less distinctive, as you'd expect. Most UK Belgian bars get the pasteurised version.

JDW have also had beers shipped over in bulk and decanted into casks in the past, so maybe they'll do this with De Konick.

As someone who lives in a GK ghetto (Oxford) I can assure you that you get fed up with endless GK IPA very quickly. That said, it's pleasant enough stuff if served in good condition.

Best regards, Paul

-- Paul Sherwin Consulting

On Tue, 03 Aug 2004 13:30:22 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@paulsherwin.co.uk (Paul Sherwin) quoth:

Hmm - AFAIR every time I've been to JDW, my pint has been topped up without asking - it certainly was yesterday (Llandudno branch.) Maybe we're back to the variation by Spoon you refer to above?

People have posted stories here of being *barred* from some JDW pubs because they insisted on a topup! Certainly not typcal, but yes, it reinforces the variable nature of the 'Spoons drinking experience.

Best regards, Paul

-- Paul Sherwin Consulting

The description fits the Cambridge Arms, recently done up yet again by GK.

We were in that one at Easter - thought it was a great 'spoons - nearly as good as ours, (Whitehaven) which is absolutely first class!

We have this on at the moment (Whitehaven) and yes - it is wonderful!

I've had it in two Spoons - Aberystwyth (£1.75) and Dewsbury (£1.39) (!)

I thought it wasn't quite up to Antwerp standards, but I was still seriously impressed that Spoons had made the effort, and I did enjoy it, all the same..

Is that for a pint, or do they serve it in a "bollecke" glass as in Antwerp?

Bruce

Pint I'm afraid. I thought about asking for a bolleke to wind up the barmaid, but I figured it would probably go over her head, and I didn't want her thinking I was being rude and refusing to serve me!

Hi

Many years ago, I was thrown out of W.H Smith for innocently asking the good looking female assistant if she had any French curves.

Regards KGB

I once dropped a bollecke. It made a frightful mess on the floor.

Cheers

sunwacD