Sam Smiths or Wetherspoons?

[aleandhearty]

What Sam Smith offer is one cask beer - no guests - plus their own keg offerings. On the other hand the pubs are usually well run, no chavs, no messy tables, adequete staff and the beer is cheap, OBB is usually under £1.50 a pint in Yorkshire. They don't usually do much food and if they take credit cards they will charge you 1.5% for the privilege. They normally are a bit shy of putting their name outside the pub. In London they seem to have bought up some historic pubs, Princess Louise, Old Cheshire Cheese and Cittie of York amongst them. Personally it would be a 'Spoons rather than a Sams on the basis of choice only.

Very little to add to 'ob's' summary, apart from one key point. In every Sam Smith's pub I've been in the OBB has been absolutely freezing. That in itself is enough for me to say Hoppyspoons every time.

[Oggwyn Trench]

I would prefer a spoons as long as its got a decent choice of ale , unlike the one we have got now (Thomas Bottfield).
I dont mind Sam Smiths pubs , its just the lack of choice .

[oldboots]

That's because 'e was a noorvener! (Leeds to be precise).

Tadcaster surely? There was some sort of family feud and he fell out with his uncle John and bought the old brewery when John Smiths built their new brewery in 1884, hence Old Brewery Bitter. I also discovered they owned The Rochdale & Manor Brewery, which would explain the glut of pubs in ROBcamra's area. The third brewery in Tadcaster is the old Bass Tower Brewery, now Molson Coors and future home of Tetleys Smooth.

[ROBCamra]

Tadcaster surely? There was some sort of family feud and he fell out with his uncle John and bought the old brewery when John Smiths built their new brewery in 1884, hence Old Brewery Bitter. I also discovered they owned The Rochdale & Manor Brewery, which would explain the glut of pubs in ROBcamra's area. The third brewery in Tadcaster is the old Bass Tower Brewery, now Molson Coors and future home of Tetleys Smooth.

They did indeed buy Rochdale & Manor Brewery. The brewery buildings were still in use, although not for brewing, with all the signage still painted on them until about 5 years ago.

[Rex_Rattus]

For me it would depend on the pub. If it was a modern pub with little or no character then it would be JDW every time, because the beer quality is much superior to Sam Smith's offerings, and at a similar price. If the pub was one whose interior was worth preserving, or is worthy of restoration, then it would be sam Smith's because their record in this respect, in London at least, is second to none - Princess Louise, Champion, Angel (St Giles), Cittie of yorke, etc, etc. In many ways both have been a great plus to the pub trade.

[Oggwyn Trench]

Black Country Brewery have taken over a few local pubs latley and seem to be making a decent go of things , the Bulls Head in Wrockwardine Wood has a fantastic tiled bar and stainded glass windows but a sucsession of landlords have kept it closed (the bar) on advice from the brewery because of repair costs if anything got damaged , now BCB have got hold of it , the bar is now the pubs focal point at last .

[an_ecumenical_matter]

The Sam Smiths pub in Bristol "The King William alehouse" doesn't do real ale,I'd have one pint of stout and move on. The Newport one "The Old Murenger" is always dead by my experience,mogadon put in the barrels I think. And at least you can complain in Mc Spoons. Your complaint sometimes might get ignored or get you barred but at least you can make it!!!! Unlike Smiths where its made seem as you're offending,"it's always been like that here,now no complaining".....

[Soup Dragon]

Sam Smiths without any doubt - yes, it is cold keg stuff, but the MILD and the Stout are always worthy. I never know what i will get at a Spoons.

[oldboots]

Sam Smiths without any doubt - yes, it is cold keg stuff,

OBB is a fine real ale bitter when it's on tune otherwise pi55 and always 3 degrees too cold, there's always the "tw4t in the hat" Alpine Lager for those who do, Sovereign Bitter is a keg bitter of the old school and actually drinkable (in small doses) but I don't know about the MILD . Their bottled beers are expensive but worth trying.

[rpadam]

OBB is a fine real ale bitter when it's on tune otherwise pi55 and always 3 degrees too cold, there's always the "tw4t in the hat" Alpine Lager for those who do, Sovereign Bitter is a keg bitter of the old school and actually drinkable (in small doses) but I don't know about the MILD . Their bottled beers are expensive but worth trying.

I usually opt for the stout if they don't have the 'real' OBB.

Regarding the bottled beers, "expensive" is an understatement - they seem to operate a completely different pricing policy for these (at the upper end of gastro-pub prices at some of the London outlets which are still selling draught products at under £2.00 per pint). Very odd.