tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post8516031017548403568..comments2024-03-17T18:35:35.701+00:00Comments on I might have a glass of beer: The most incompetent pub in London?Rob Sterowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07870233673933087794noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-67428867741211097272019-04-17T07:42:52.531+01:002019-04-17T07:42:52.531+01:00After reading your article I was amazed. I know th...After reading your article I was amazed. I know that you explain it very well. And I hope that other readers will also experience how I feel after reading your article. <a href="https://www.makkahclean.com/" rel="nofollow">شركة تنظيف بمكة</a>Jack Johnnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09933608625883364901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-37350625169371265892018-09-10T11:34:37.204+01:002018-09-10T11:34:37.204+01:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Thehornsshoreditchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18438113231903678553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-29795505006247295642018-07-13T14:25:12.273+01:002018-07-13T14:25:12.273+01:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Thehornsshoreditchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18438113231903678553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-27852958782537823892010-09-02T11:47:04.100+01:002010-09-02T11:47:04.100+01:00Chunk. No. Sorry.Chunk. No. Sorry.Tandlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804499573827044693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-37944857833625108112010-09-01T13:16:50.152+01:002010-09-01T13:16:50.152+01:00Barm: Or they don't feel it's right to com...Barm: Or they don't feel it's right to complain, or they can't be bothered to complain, or some of the casks were in bad nick but not all of them, or they weren't drinking cask beer.<br /><br />Or perhaps a combination of the above.<br /><br />Are you saying you tasted all the beer on offer, it was all in the condition that the pint above is in and that drinkers were showing a preference for beer like that over well conditioned beer? I would be stunned if that was the caseMarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09280318504737098116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-55790979813632529572010-09-01T11:55:57.721+01:002010-09-01T11:55:57.721+01:00The hole in Mark's argument is that the pub wa...The hole in Mark's argument is that the pub was relatively full and other people, rather than rioting as you might expect, seemed happy enough drinking beer that was as flat as water. Or perhaps they'd also complained already and found it like banging their heads off a wall.Rob Sterowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870233673933087794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-41718681649326479012010-09-01T09:08:41.851+01:002010-09-01T09:08:41.851+01:00Curmudgeon: So a few people, from one CAMRA group,...Curmudgeon: So a few people, from one CAMRA group, thirty years ago once said something and it's still relevant today?<br /><br /><i>"... but places like the Bree Louise suggest it still has a few adherents."</i><br /><br />Is it not far more likely that they can't keep beer and use the "that's how it should be" line as an excuse when confronted about it?<br /><br /><br />Tandleman: <i>"sadly this kind of lifeless beer is not unusual in the capital."</i><br /><br />I don't think its any more common in London than anywhere else. There are good pubs and bad pubs all over the country. We just have more of both in London. No?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.beerbirrabier.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Chunk.</a>Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09280318504737098116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-33660861109338370372010-08-27T21:24:01.090+01:002010-08-27T21:24:01.090+01:00Ah, "popular drinkers' pub", another...Ah, "popular drinkers' pub", another expression to watch out for.Rob Sterowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870233673933087794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-84650235435259117132010-08-27T00:27:03.347+01:002010-08-27T00:27:03.347+01:00On the subject of CAMRA's euphemistic pub desc...On the subject of CAMRA's euphemistic pub descriptions, its Heritage Pubs Guide describes The Portland Arms in the East End of Glasgow as:<br /><br />"[T]he most intact of Glasgow's unspoilt pubs, has an island bar interior in a 'streamlined' Art Deco style. It is a popular drinkers' pub which gets packed when Celtic are playing. A single-storey brick building with polished stone frontage is still owned by the same family since it was rebuilt in 1938 by Thomas Sandilands & Macleod. This remarkable survivor has a splendid oval bar counter with a 'zebra-like' veneer panelling and match strikers all around the metal rim. The original island gantry has a lighting canopy above it. All the walls are veneer panelled; there are Art Deco fireplaces on the left- and right-hand sides, and original fixed seating with wooden dividers and match strikers on them.<br /><br />In front of the entrance door is the small unchanged 'Family Dept.' (jug and bottle) with its small hatch to the bar. On the left at the front is a small office now used as a cleaners' store. In each of the four corners of the pub are tiny sitting rooms, the front ones having part glazed partition walls and the one on the right is labelled 'Ladies Room'. These all have veneer panelled walls, fixed seating around just one table and bell pushes. The only changes since 1938 are the replacement of the original geometric-patterned floor covering and modernisation of the toilets."<br /><br />I'd describe it as <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_l3hE1L9RPR4/RttXh9jTn2I/AAAAAAAABRY/jlNeDm_H7Vc/s1600-h/Realaletwats1.JPG" rel="nofollow"> The Murderer's Arms</a> though even its selection of Tennent's Lager and McEwan's 80-/ beats even the most recherche cask ale served completely flat.FrFintonStacknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-21826600735344131052010-08-24T12:23:36.779+01:002010-08-24T12:23:36.779+01:00Not a pub i'm going to rush back to any time s...Not a pub i'm going to rush back to any time soon.rabidbarflyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02287790634237896071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-66193934119088569942010-08-22T15:29:39.956+01:002010-08-22T15:29:39.956+01:00This reminds me of a similar experience with the F...This reminds me of a similar experience with the Flowerpot in Derby a few years ago. This is (or was) a pub with some similarities to the Bree Louise - a bit bohemian and down at heel, but obviously something of a mecca for local beer enthusiasts.<br /><br />It seemed that not only was there a policy of not using sparklers (which is fair enough) but all the beer was coming out of the pumps markedly lacking in condition (which isn't). I think I complained about one pint and was told that was the way they liked it there.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-28263871742269850072010-08-22T10:53:03.823+01:002010-08-22T10:53:03.823+01:00We quite liked the BL, but are apparently in the m...We quite liked the BL, but are apparently in the minority. Perhaps we had that rare experience: we caught something which is usually rubbish on a good day? That pint looks appalling. The Pembury sometimes serves beer very flat, too. I don't want it to be fizzy but a soft tingle on the tongue is surely to be expected?Baileyhttp://boakandbailey.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-28064561181473980532010-08-19T08:56:01.938+01:002010-08-19T08:56:01.938+01:00@Paul Bailey - when I was a member of a CAMRA bran...@Paul Bailey - when I was a member of a CAMRA branch in the South-East in the 80s, there was certainly a school of thought amongst some older members that cask beer should ideally be served at room temperature, on gravity and without any discernible head. You used to get letters in "What's Brewing" complaining that cask beer in t'North and Midlands was full of gas and indistinguishable from keg.<br /><br />I suspect that attitude (and the people who held it) has largely died out now, but places like the Bree Louise suggest it still has a few adherents.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-32792440376481189862010-08-18T17:44:42.318+01:002010-08-18T17:44:42.318+01:00You'll like this! 17/8 ca 22.00 hrs. Having en...You'll like this! 17/8 ca 22.00 hrs. Having enjoyed a convivial evening at several Borough Market boozers I felt the need for a pit stop in the Euston area before continuing my journey and I thought I'd revert to my usual m.o of drinking one of the beers on handpump at the Bree Louise. Brewdog 5 a.m Saint was duly ordered upon which the barman walked to the other side of the bar to pour a pint from the stillage despite a pumpclip being on one of the handles.<br />Beer itself tasted OK but for me was again too lifeless, and as far as I could tell at this stage of the evening not matching the quality of the same beer which I last drank @ the Cask, Pimlico on the Brewdog Abstrakt 02 evening a month or so ago. Was in too good a mood to complain I'm afraid!! Cheers, moleha4.moleha4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-25930213208720011302010-08-18T15:55:25.449+01:002010-08-18T15:55:25.449+01:00Completely agree. When this place popped up on th...Completely agree. When this place popped up on the beer radar a few years back I thought it was just what we needed, especially as the nearby Head of Steam had gone into decline.<br /><br />But the reality was different - yes, they have a decent range and a discount for CAMRA members (which I never claimed although one barman asked if I wanted it - what me, a CAMRA member, however did you guess?) but the beer is just about always in a poor condition.<br /><br />Every few months I'll give it another try then wonder why I did..."Eddie Rowles"https://www.blogger.com/profile/16504751692086571702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-13955772990953544742010-08-17T20:48:03.747+01:002010-08-17T20:48:03.747+01:00Thanks for the warning about the Bree Louise, folk...Thanks for the warning about the Bree Louise, folks. Having read all the comments above, I'll definitely give the place a wide berth, next time I'm in town.<br /><br />Curmudgeon, I don't know who these Southern "beer enthusiasts" you refer to are. Beer that is lacking in condition isn't worth drinking in my book.Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-62630040133737911852010-08-17T18:38:33.041+01:002010-08-17T18:38:33.041+01:00Barm. If you have beer that has enough condition t...Barm. If you have beer that has enough condition to blow a shive it will be undrinkable until it has calmed down. High level of condition/co2 will 'churn' the beer and yeast/finings when first tapped.<br /><br />I think cask beer tastes better and retains condition when served via gravity. People drink with their eyes. Up north punters still expect beer to look like keg stuff, so pubs use sparklers to the detriment of the beer.<br /><br />Having said that the alarm-bells would be ringing if a was given a beer with no head whatsoever.horsenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-88315992000312412582010-08-17T17:42:08.538+01:002010-08-17T17:42:08.538+01:00StringersBeer: indeed, that's exactly what I w...StringersBeer: indeed, that's exactly what I would have thought. <br /><br />What <i>is</i> the maximum pressure a cask can take before it blows its shive? Certainly much more that you'd be able to pull through a handpump.Rob Sterowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870233673933087794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-7598656371169019492010-08-17T17:08:53.200+01:002010-08-17T17:08:53.200+01:00"beer served by gravity always flat"?
Wh..."<i>beer served by gravity always flat</i>"?<br />What a strange thing to say. I've got 2 pins on right here that have got loads of condition - we always QC our beers on gravity. <br /><br />Gravity can deliver beer with <b>more condition</b> than would be convenient with a pump - less issue w/ fobbing and wastage. Surely?<br /><br />Still, if flat beer is what their customers expect, then they'll carry on selling it.StringersBeerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-55615610073868414712010-08-17T14:01:40.962+01:002010-08-17T14:01:40.962+01:00Bree Louise is dire, to be avoided at all costs!Bree Louise is dire, to be avoided at all costs!daly's travelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01092911886180839043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-1682555122825408712010-08-17T13:24:53.881+01:002010-08-17T13:24:53.881+01:00I'm not sure even a sparkler would manage to c...I'm not sure even a sparkler would manage to create a head on that. Although as I've pointed out before, the sparkler certainly is popular among third-rate pubs round my way as a means of disguising flat beer.<br /><br />I must be lucky, I usually get an acceptable pint in London. Mind you, I'm not there as often as Tandles, nor spoilt by living in Lancashire.Rob Sterowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870233673933087794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-26889942981099592012010-08-17T12:55:33.658+01:002010-08-17T12:55:33.658+01:00Not if the beer is flat it wouldn't. As Barm s...Not if the beer is flat it wouldn't. As Barm says you need condition, something that seems not to compute in London.Tandlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804499573827044693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-16085036350741128792010-08-17T12:45:18.476+01:002010-08-17T12:45:18.476+01:00@tandleman
Sparklers would sort 'em out eh?@tandleman<br /><br />Sparklers would sort 'em out eh?Jeff Pickthallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06343140031285101096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-70803607998471649272010-08-17T12:29:07.917+01:002010-08-17T12:29:07.917+01:00Yes, Bree Louise was last year's CAMRA North L...Yes, Bree Louise was last year's CAMRA North London Branch pub of the year. Had a pint of Brodie's Citra from stillage there last night 16/8 which was flat and though still tasting OK was nowhere near as good as when I drank a couple of pints of this beer at the Old Fountain a few months ago. If that barrel had not run dry 4 hours after being put on I would have had more! To return to the Bree when making my occasional visits I usually stick to the beers on the 5 handpumps whose quality I generally find acceptable. I agree with Tandleman that average / mean standard of presentation of cask beer in London should be much better than it is. Most incompetent pub in London ? If only it was... Cheers,moleha4moleha4noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6114284681482585458.post-14586187921611614402010-08-17T10:49:10.074+01:002010-08-17T10:49:10.074+01:00Ed: we'll have to agree to disagree there. I t...Ed: we'll have to agree to disagree there. I think it's the best way. Even a handpump is a compromise. The beer has to have enough condition in the first place, of course.<br /><br />Curmudgeon: the entire concept of cask beer only makes sense if it supposed to have condition. What's the point of a secondary fermentation otherwise?Rob Sterowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870233673933087794noreply@blogger.com