Ive just been in a Pub at Muswell Hill and I was charged £4.10.for a pint of Luke warm Ale at just 4.2% that was undrinkable pi55.
Now I say bring on the Wetherspoons if it makes Pubs like this sit up and listen or die it serves them right the only reason these Pubs are getting away with this extortion is because theres absolutely no competition around here..
Don't You just hate Pubs that say
( We don't stock any Real Ales as theres Just no call for it.)
This is interesting
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011...n-price-rises# - click on the graphic
Things on average have just over tripled in price over 30 years - but beer is 5 times the price. And Grauniads.
Sitting in the pub with a pint and a paper is one of those simple pleasures that is rapidly pricing itself out of the market for many. No wonder circulations are falling and pubs closing.
Interesting also is the price of the Guardian. The 2011 price based on inflation only is 56p, yet the actual 2011 price is £1. The percentage increase over and above inflation of the newspaper is more than that of the pint of lager.
Sitting in a pub with a pint and a paper? Guess I'll have to give up the expensive paper and look out of the window instead.
Of course, any enjoyment from reading The Guardian can be had, entirely for free, via the internet - something which the beer industry has thus far spectacularly failed to achieve.
And you can really taste the hops!
Circulations are falling IMO due to "churnalism" - press release regurgitation, with no real journalism going on. The best journalism these days is available on free blogs. The best way to find out what is really happening is through the voluntary meeting of experts on single issue bulletin boards.
As for pubs closing, the vast majority are those that haven't moved with the times.
So for me if circulation of papers is falling and pubs are closing that is good news, as we have less meaningless information to trawl through, and we know the pubs that are left are of a higher standard.
In the 1980ies Thatcher declared that Breweries should no longer be allowed to own large numbers of pubs, because she said they had a monopoly. The monopoly of course just changed hands from the breweries into the hands of large pub companies.
In my area Tetleys owned most of the pubs and they used to set the price of a pint in the "tap room" it was the same price in all their pubs in the area, the lounge/best room was usually 2 or 3 pence more. You could go in any Tetley house knowing the price of a pint of mild or bitter before you walked in.
Following Thatchers interference, the price self regulation set by Tetleys disappeared along with their ownership, opening the doors to a "free for all" The tap rooms became a very rare sight, many were removed when pubs were refurbished and were not included in new builds. Pubs now charge whatever they can get away with which is an amount that mugs sorry customers are prepared to pay. I am sure this situation must have been repeated throughout the country when other breweries lost out on pub ownership.
We now have a situation in Leeds where the price of a pint from pub to pub can vary by as much as £1.50plus. I used to enjoy roaming round different pubs but not anymore.
I tend to stick to the ones where I know the prices are affordable and don't risk going in the others, I simply cant afford it ! I think drinkers should be a lot more choosy about which pubs they use. Currently I never pay above £2.15 per pint.