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25-07-2023, 07:12
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2023/07/what-was-on-sale-in-1970s-pub.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbisjSHA6FgVs77d9p1brhcXvxHcKBgP5WWy8tWW0W_u edzBPeLYgXk3PkSBEmvJ76P9gpYzsPv1c03w1YOAAVeOYxTpC4 vCtbCYeGdTAAz3sZRGaOl4QROIy2NqbtWj6fKT9w_kZ-QsGKx3Tc2isITZpy1277xety8eivenCc-rxjvMduJO3QMWIbzYg/s320/John_Smith_Magnet_Old_Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbisjSHA6FgVs77d9p1brhcXvxHcKBgP5WWy8tWW0W_u edzBPeLYgXk3PkSBEmvJ76P9gpYzsPv1c03w1YOAAVeOYxTpC4 vCtbCYeGdTAAz3sZRGaOl4QROIy2NqbtWj6fKT9w_kZ-QsGKx3Tc2isITZpy1277xety8eivenCc-rxjvMduJO3QMWIbzYg/s683/John_Smith_Magnet_Old_Ale.jpg)
We've had a look at some of the draught and bottled beers available in the 1970s. But it didn't include every type of beer. For example, there were no Stouts. The aim here is to take a look at what was on sale in a pub. And through what better means than a contemporary price list.
Whilst looking for something completely different, I tripped over a series of images for pub price lists from the 1970s. The first thing that struck me was how short some of them were. A couple of draught beers and half a dozen bottled ones. A far narrower offering than in pubs today.
The price list we're looking at today is from John Smith. It doesn't say that on it, but it's pretty obvious from the beers. One word of caution. This looks like a generic list, rather than from a specific pub. Not every pub would have sold the full selection of draught beers in the list. Many would have had just a Bitter, Mild, Lager and a Keg Bitter.
This is before John Smith discontinued cask beer and I assume that's what the "draught beers" are. Or possibly bright or tank beer. Light and XXX look like Pale and Dark Mild, respectively. The other two beers being Bitter and Best Bitter.
The presence of draught Guinness also has be thinking this is a generic list. While every single pub sold bottled Guinness, the draught version was much rarer. I can't remember seeing it on the bar vert often. None of the Leeds pubs I regularly drank in stocked it. Not even the Irish pubs.
Domino has got me scratching my head. Given the price, the first thing that comes to mind is Keg Mild. Golden I know was a Keg Bitter. A reasonably strong one at 1039ยบ.
Moving on to the bottled beers, I was surprised to see the Pale Ale for the Belgian market listed. I didn't realise it was ever sold in the UK. It was a reasonably strong beer of 5.5% ABV.
You may be asking yourself "Why are there both draught and bottled versions of Magnet and Harp?" Probably because this is a generic list. I'm guessing that pubs sold either one or the other of them. This is a point when draught Lager was by no means universal.
Double Brown is an interesting one. It's of the rare type of stronger Brown Ales. While Con Nut looks like the more common watery version of the style. Magnet Old Ale was, as you might expect, a strong dark beer. That's why it's in nips. Milk Maid Stout? Well, that's what my Mum drank. As the name implies, it was a Milk Stout.
Note how short the list of other drinks is. A few basic spirits along with port, sherry and vermouth. But look at the price differential between spirits and draught beer. The prices are for one sixth of a gill (quarter pint). Or about 2.4 cl. A double whisky was more triple the price of a pint of Mild, and contained a similar amount of alcohol.
Public bar price list
Draught Beers
Pint
Half Pint
Light
10p
5p
XXX
10p
5p
Bitter
11.5p
6p
Magnet
12.5p
6.5p
Keg Beers
Pint
Half Pint
Domino
11.5p
6p
Golden
14p
7p
Guinness
16p
8p
Harp
16.5p
8.5p
Bottled Beers
Large
Small
Nip
Belgium Export
-
10p
-
Magnet Pale Ale
15p
8.5p
-
Milk Maid Stout
14p
7.5p
-
Double Brown
14p
8p
-
Magnet Old Ale
-
-
8.5p
Lght Ale
13p
7p
-
Cob Nut
13p
7p
-
Guinness
17.5p
9.5p
-
Harp Lager
-
11p
-
Carlsberg
-
11p
-
Spirits and Wines
Per Measure
Whisky
16p
Gin
16p
Rum
16p
Vodka
16p
Brandy
19p
Port
12p
Sherry
12p
Cream Sherry
13.5p
Vermouths
12.5p
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2023/07/what-was-on-sale-in-1970s-pub.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbisjSHA6FgVs77d9p1brhcXvxHcKBgP5WWy8tWW0W_u edzBPeLYgXk3PkSBEmvJ76P9gpYzsPv1c03w1YOAAVeOYxTpC4 vCtbCYeGdTAAz3sZRGaOl4QROIy2NqbtWj6fKT9w_kZ-QsGKx3Tc2isITZpy1277xety8eivenCc-rxjvMduJO3QMWIbzYg/s320/John_Smith_Magnet_Old_Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbisjSHA6FgVs77d9p1brhcXvxHcKBgP5WWy8tWW0W_u edzBPeLYgXk3PkSBEmvJ76P9gpYzsPv1c03w1YOAAVeOYxTpC4 vCtbCYeGdTAAz3sZRGaOl4QROIy2NqbtWj6fKT9w_kZ-QsGKx3Tc2isITZpy1277xety8eivenCc-rxjvMduJO3QMWIbzYg/s683/John_Smith_Magnet_Old_Ale.jpg)
We've had a look at some of the draught and bottled beers available in the 1970s. But it didn't include every type of beer. For example, there were no Stouts. The aim here is to take a look at what was on sale in a pub. And through what better means than a contemporary price list.
Whilst looking for something completely different, I tripped over a series of images for pub price lists from the 1970s. The first thing that struck me was how short some of them were. A couple of draught beers and half a dozen bottled ones. A far narrower offering than in pubs today.
The price list we're looking at today is from John Smith. It doesn't say that on it, but it's pretty obvious from the beers. One word of caution. This looks like a generic list, rather than from a specific pub. Not every pub would have sold the full selection of draught beers in the list. Many would have had just a Bitter, Mild, Lager and a Keg Bitter.
This is before John Smith discontinued cask beer and I assume that's what the "draught beers" are. Or possibly bright or tank beer. Light and XXX look like Pale and Dark Mild, respectively. The other two beers being Bitter and Best Bitter.
The presence of draught Guinness also has be thinking this is a generic list. While every single pub sold bottled Guinness, the draught version was much rarer. I can't remember seeing it on the bar vert often. None of the Leeds pubs I regularly drank in stocked it. Not even the Irish pubs.
Domino has got me scratching my head. Given the price, the first thing that comes to mind is Keg Mild. Golden I know was a Keg Bitter. A reasonably strong one at 1039ยบ.
Moving on to the bottled beers, I was surprised to see the Pale Ale for the Belgian market listed. I didn't realise it was ever sold in the UK. It was a reasonably strong beer of 5.5% ABV.
You may be asking yourself "Why are there both draught and bottled versions of Magnet and Harp?" Probably because this is a generic list. I'm guessing that pubs sold either one or the other of them. This is a point when draught Lager was by no means universal.
Double Brown is an interesting one. It's of the rare type of stronger Brown Ales. While Con Nut looks like the more common watery version of the style. Magnet Old Ale was, as you might expect, a strong dark beer. That's why it's in nips. Milk Maid Stout? Well, that's what my Mum drank. As the name implies, it was a Milk Stout.
Note how short the list of other drinks is. A few basic spirits along with port, sherry and vermouth. But look at the price differential between spirits and draught beer. The prices are for one sixth of a gill (quarter pint). Or about 2.4 cl. A double whisky was more triple the price of a pint of Mild, and contained a similar amount of alcohol.
Public bar price list
Draught Beers
Pint
Half Pint
Light
10p
5p
XXX
10p
5p
Bitter
11.5p
6p
Magnet
12.5p
6.5p
Keg Beers
Pint
Half Pint
Domino
11.5p
6p
Golden
14p
7p
Guinness
16p
8p
Harp
16.5p
8.5p
Bottled Beers
Large
Small
Nip
Belgium Export
-
10p
-
Magnet Pale Ale
15p
8.5p
-
Milk Maid Stout
14p
7.5p
-
Double Brown
14p
8p
-
Magnet Old Ale
-
-
8.5p
Lght Ale
13p
7p
-
Cob Nut
13p
7p
-
Guinness
17.5p
9.5p
-
Harp Lager
-
11p
-
Carlsberg
-
11p
-
Spirits and Wines
Per Measure
Whisky
16p
Gin
16p
Rum
16p
Vodka
16p
Brandy
19p
Port
12p
Sherry
12p
Cream Sherry
13.5p
Vermouths
12.5p
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2023/07/what-was-on-sale-in-1970s-pub.html)