Man your pumps, Wetherspoons are coming

irish_goat

Heroditas wrote: »

Gotta love how a pint of Doombar is cheaper in NI than a bottle of it in my local Eurospar in Lucan!

It's cheaper for me to get a pint of ale in spoons in Derry than to go next door into Tesco and get a bottle(which is only 500ml too).

rainbow kirby

Heroditas wrote: »

Gotta love how a pint of Doombar is cheaper in NI than a bottle of it in my local Eurospar in Lucan!

Doom Bar isn't particularly cheap in bottles here either. (£2.15 in my nearest Sainsburys Local)

Seaneh

The Sixpoint beers are £1.99 each for the summer... Oh lawdy.

The Hill Billy

More news on JDW takeovers in today's Sindo.

Seaneh

The Hill Billy wrote: »

More news on JDW takeovers in today's Sindo.

To be honest it sounds like nonsense from the sindo, none of those pubs would be the type of pub 'spoons run. They don't do nightclubs or disco bars, which is what all of them are.

I'd imagine they are actively looking at just about everything on the market given their plans for the next few years but I'd be taking this story with a massive pinch of salt.

The Hill Billy

Quite possibly a load of BS. On the other hand - who is to say that they would keep the club parts, etc going? Maybe they are more interested in the city center locations & the size of the premises rather than running them as they are now?

Seaneh

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Quite possibly a load of BS. On the other hand - who is to say that they would keep the club parts, etc going? Maybe they are more interested in the city center locations & the size of the premises rather than running them as they are now?

That's true enough I guess. Buy 'em, gut 'em, relaunch 'em, like the did with Tonic is a possibility.

They'd fit plenty of seating and a kitchen in all of them no hassle anyway.

Heroditas

Cafe en Seine has loads of seating and a kitchen already. While I hate the place with a vengeance, the interior is stunning.
I'd hate to think somewhere like that would be gutted.

BeerNut

Of the four, Howl At The Moon seems to me to be the one most likely to become a Wetherspoon, though The George certainly has the floorspace. I see The Globe recently changed hands -- there's another one that might work as a Wetherspoon, assuming Ri-Ra is part of the deal.

Geuze

In post 450, I listed some prices from JDW in Enniskillen, April 2014.

For your information, here is a selection of prices from Wetherspoon Belfast, based on a visit during May 2014.

As the first JDW in RoI will open in Dublin and Cork, then Belfast city prices may be a better indicator of Dublin prices, than prices in Enniskillen.

All prices in stg.
Note that VAT on drink in Ireland is 23%, vs 20% in UK, but VAT on food in Ireland is lower at 9% vs 20% in UK.

Draught beer
Greene King IPA 4.1% 2.05
Abbot ale 5% 2.15
guest ales 2.40
Guinness 4.1% 2.99

Carlsberg 3.8% 2.35
Stella 4.8% 3.35
Heineken 5.0% 2.89

plus more lagers on menu, all between 2.35-3.35


Spirits

Gin = 2.40 with free tonic, 4 choices - this seems very good value

Vodka = 3.50-3.75, 4 choices

Bushmills = 2.20
Bushmills 10yr = 2.20
Bells = 2.80
Jameson = 3.55

Double spirit, 70ml according to menu, for 1.50 extra

So for 3.90 you get a double gin and tonic, that's under 5 euro - unreal value

A double Jameson is 5.05 stg.

I paid 3.70stg for a double Bushmills 10yr-old single malt

Northern Ireland "craft beer" selection = 3.05 - at least 10 bottles available

Other beer, bottled
Newcastle Brown ale = 2.70
Staropramen = 2.89
Erdinger = 2.89
Tyskie Gronie = 2.89
Leffe = 2.99

BrewDog Punk IPA 330ml = 2.89
Brooklyn lager 355ml = 2.89

Tazz T

I've been in loads of Wetherspoons and I can't think of a pub more suited to the Wetherspoons brand in central dub than Cafe En Seine. This will introduce real competition into the overpriced hole that is currently Dawson Street.

Lovely Bloke

Heroditas wrote: »

Cafe en Seine has loads of seating and a kitchen already. While I hate the place with a vengeance, the interior is stunning.

It's not original though, they built it, so it's mostly cheap wood with varnish, plastic props and brass. Same as what used to be Zanzibar on the quays.

ButtersSuki

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

It's not original though, they built it, so it's mostly cheap wood with varnish, plastic props and brass. Same as what used to be Zanzibar on the quays.

Ah Zanzibar. Remember when Zanzibar was cool?

Lovely Bloke

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Ah Zanzibar. Remember when Zanzibar was cool?

I do, I remember standing at a bar that was 6 deep with people and the barmen only serving young wans with their tits hanging out. It was then that I'd leave Zanz and Ja Rule and head around to Pravda for Polish Lager and The Smiths.

ButtersSuki

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

I do, I remember standing at a bar that was 6 deep with people and the barmen only serving young wans with their tits hanging out. It was then that I'd leave Zanz and Ja Rule and head around to Pravda for Polish Lager and The Smiths.

The way you said that almost makes it sound like a bad thing.......:rolleyes:

Pravda too, nealy forgot about that. That corner of town was pretty hip for about 18months-2years. Then it all went a bit skangery.....

Losty Dublin

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

It was then that I'd leave Zanz and Ja Rule and head around to Pravda for Polish Lager and The Smiths.

Ah, Pravda. The Polish/Russian theme bar that served just 3 vodkas; Smirnoff, Hussar and Smirnoff Blue :P

rubadub

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Ah, Pravda. The Polish/Russian theme bar that served just 3 vodkas

Really? theres a pic here and I can at least spot a bottle of stoli



I expect loads of tourist guinness fans come to Ireland hoping to try out loads of stouts and just see the pitiful 1 on offer in most pubs.

Lucena

@ rubadub

No beer either?

Heroditas

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Pravda too, nealy forgot about that. That corner of town was pretty hip for about 18months-2years.

Yep, back in 97-98!

Skerries

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Ah Zanzibar. Remember when Zanzibar was cool?

what's there now? also wasn't there a thin bar going downstairs just down from it called Joe Bananas or something?

Ipso

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

so it's mostly cheap wood with varnish, plastic props and brass.

A perfect icon of the septic tiger.

Heroditas

Skerries wrote: »

what's there now? also wasn't there a thin bar going downstairs just down from it called Joe Bananas or something?

Zanzibar? Didn't it become a Bondi Beach venue for a while?
It closed at least 2 years ago.

Ravelleman

rubadub wrote: »

I expect loads of tourist guinness fans come to Ireland hoping to try out loads of stouts and just see the pitiful 1 on offer in most pubs.

I don't think so at all - I think most tourists are quite content with the one on offer.

BeerNut

Ravelleman wrote: »

I don't think so at all

I've certainly met them, and got e-mails from prospective visitors wanting to know where to get the best Irish stouts. In fairness it's a lot easier to answer them now than it was a few years ago, but still...

Losty Dublin

Heroditas wrote: »

Zanzibar? Didn't it become a Bondi Beach venue for a while?
It closed at least 2 years ago.

It was for a while, yeah. It and a site behind it was sold off for some manner of a hotel development that never seemed to get going.

BaZmO*

Heroditas wrote: »

Zanzibar? Didn't it become a Bondi Beach venue for a while?
It closed at least 2 years ago.

Is it not still open as The Grand Social?

Losty Dublin wrote: »

It was for a while, yeah. It and a site behind it was sold off for some manner of a hotel development that never seemed to get going.

I remember pricing the work for that, huge development. There was a bus station/depot among other things, incorporated into the lower floors if memory serves me correctly.

Lovely Bloke

Pravda is the Grand Social, not Zanzibar.

Pravda/GS in on Liffey Street beside those women knitting, Zanzibar is around the corner on the actual quays

BaZmO*

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Pravda is the Grand Social, not Zanzibar.

Pravda/GS in on Liffey Street beside those women knitting, Zanzibar is around the corner on the actual quays

Sorry yeah I knew that, for some unknown reason (tiredness) I was thinking we were still talking about Pravda even though the bit I quoted clearly stated "Zanzibar"!!

ted1

Geuze wrote: »

In post 450, I listed some prices from JDW in Enniskillen, April 2014.

For your information, here is a selection of prices from Wetherspoon Belfast, based on a visit during May 2014.

As the first JDW in RoI will open in Dublin and Cork, then Belfast city prices may be a better indicator of Dublin prices, than prices in Enniskillen.

All prices in stg.
Note that VAT on drink in Ireland is 23%, vs 20% in UK, but VAT on food in Ireland is lower at 9% vs 20% in UK.

Draught beer
Greene King IPA 4.1% 2.05
Abbot ale 5% 2.15
guest ales 2.40
Guinness 4.1% 2.99

Carlsberg 3.8% 2.35
Stella 4.8% 3.35
Heineken 5.0% 2.89

plus more lagers on menu, all between 2.35-3.35


Spirits

Gin = 2.40 with free tonic, 4 choices - this seems very good value

Vodka = 3.50-3.75, 4 choices

Bushmills = 2.20
Bushmills 10yr = 2.20
Bells = 2.80
Jameson = 3.55

Double spirit, 70ml according to menu, for 1.50 extra

So for 3.90 you get a double gin and tonic, that's under 5 euro - unreal value

A double Jameson is 5.05 stg.

I paid 3.70stg for a double Bushmills 10yr-old single malt

Northern Ireland "craft beer" selection = 3.05 - at least 10 bottles available

Other beer, bottled
Newcastle Brown ale = 2.70
Staropramen = 2.89
Erdinger = 2.89
Tyskie Gronie = 2.89
Leffe = 2.99

BrewDog Punk IPA 330ml = 2.89
Brooklyn lager 355ml = 2.89

Are they pints of 440/500/??
Are the spirits British measures, while VAT is different so is duty, minimum wage, rates, rent, utilities etc. So you can't do a direct conversion

BeerNut

ted1 wrote: »

Are they pints of 440/500/?

They have to be pints. It's illegal to sell draught beer in the UK in 440 or 500ml serves. Spirit measures in Northern Ireland are the same as here.

Geuze

ted1 wrote: »

Are they pints of 440/500/??
Are the spirits British measures, while VAT is different so is duty, minimum wage, rates, rent, utilities etc. So you can't do a direct conversion

Spirits are 35/70ml in NI.

Yes, of course, VAT on drink is 23% in RoI, versus 20% in NI.

VAT on food here is lower at 9%, versus 20% in NI.

Yes, of course, wages and overheads are higher here.

If I ever get around to it, I plan to convert the NI prices taking into account these adjustments.

Lovely Bloke

Confirmation in the Summer 2014 JDW mag of the permanent beers they'll have in The Three Tuns Tavern: Rebel Red, Tom Crean's, Ghostship, Broadside, Hobgoblin, Shipyard Pale Ale, Spindrift, and Revisionist Lager, plus "a changing range of cask beers from local microbrewers".

BeerNut

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Shipyard Pale Ale

The bottled Shipyard stuff from the US that we get here is awful, but Marston's brews a cask version of their pale ale in Burton and it's absolutely stunning. Or at least, those three pints of it I had four years ago were.

rainbow kirby

Had Shipyard in a pub near Angel a couple of weeks back on cask, very very good.

gucci

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Confirmation in the Summer 2014 JDW mag of the permanent beers they'll have in The Three Tuns Tavern: Rebel Red, Tom Crean's, Ghostship, Broadside, Hobgoblin, Shipyard Pale Ale, Spindrift, and Revisionist Lager, plus "a changing range of cask beers from local microbrewers".

As draught lagers go, this is actually quite decent. It might be a little bland for some, but the few I had were a great thirst quencher on a lovely summer day recently.

drumswan

Strangely, Im equally bored and excited by that list

irish_goat

drumswan wrote: »

Strangely, Im equally bored and excited by that list

It's nothing terribly exciting but the casks they're getting these days, especially the US beers they're having brewed in the UK are generally fantastic.

Bigcheeze

While something like hobgoblin doesn't sound exciting, it's actually a great pint on cask. The bottle doesn't do it any justice IMO. It's also quite a bit lower in alcohol on cask.

drumswan

Also, The Three Tun Tavern is a suitably rubbish name

Bigcheeze

drumswan wrote: »

Also, The Three Tun Tavern is a suitably rubbish name

Probably picked so they can laugh at Paddy trying to pronounce it. :pac:

De Tree Tun Tavern

Ravelleman

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Confirmation in the Summer 2014 JDW mag of the permanent beers they'll have in The Three Tuns Tavern: Rebel Red, Tom Crean's, Ghostship, Broadside, Hobgoblin, Shipyard Pale Ale, Spindrift, and Revisionist Lager, plus "a changing range of cask beers from local microbrewers".

A very solid lineup in my eyes. The beers they had on draught in Belfast were fairly mundane as well but the cask stuff was quite interesting. I wonder what the prices will be like in the end.

Lovely Bloke

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Probably picked so they can laugh at Paddy trying to pronounce it. :pac:

De Tree Tun Tavern

De Tree Tun Taverdin

tbh

ted1

drumswan wrote: »

Also, The Three Tun Tavern is a suitably rubbish name

its the name of the original pub that stood there around the 18th century

do a search on this page https://archive.org/stream/historyofcountyd01ball/historyofcountyd01ball_djvu.txt
and you'll find it.

Big Nasty

It'll be interesting to see if they can defeat the cheap beer = bad clientele thing.

They might just manage it with their beer selection, i.e. no bud / bulmers and of course no football.

Ravelleman

Big Nasty wrote: »

It'll be interesting to see if they can defeat the cheap beer = bad clientele thing.

Have you even been in a Spoons?!

Seaneh

Ravelleman wrote: »

Have you even been in a Spoons?!

Spoons local to me (Black Bull in Bangor) is clean, well laid out, the staff are excellent, the range of beers is good, the clientèle is far from "bad" AND they show football. They are showing every world cup match AND they are having a meet the brewer session with Purple Moose Brewery (local brewers in North Wales) before the opening ceremony tonight so I'll be there for that anyway. Probably watch the match somewhere else though.

trihead

ted1 wrote: »

its the name of the original pub that stood there around the 18th century

do a search on this page https://archive.org/stream/historyofcountyd01ball/historyofcountyd01ball_djvu.txt
and you'll find it.

I read somewhere that they ran a competition where locals from the area put forward names for the new pub.

Chelon

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Confirmation in the Summer 2014 JDW mag of the permanent beers they'll have in The Three Tuns Tavern: Rebel Red, Tom Crean's, Ghostship, Broadside, Hobgoblin, Shipyard Pale Ale, Spindrift, and Revisionist Lager, plus "a changing range of cask beers from local microbrewers".

Local = Irish *cask* beers??

If they can manage this and present them in good nick then I'll be well impressed.

Have only ever tasted a handful of nice Irish cask, mostly it's fairly awful - probably as much the fault of the pub as the brewer

Seaneh

Chelon wrote: »

Local = Irish *cask* beers??

If they can manage this and present them in good nick then I'll be well impressed.

Have only ever tasted a handful of nice Irish cask, mostly it's fairly awful - probably as much the fault of the pub as the brewer

The majority of the Irish casked beers I've had in Mulligans, Kavanaghs, GBB pubs, porterhouse, sweetmans, etc have been very good and some of them have been phenomenal.

oblivious

Chelon wrote: »

Local = Irish *cask* beers??

If they can manage this and present them in good nick then I'll be well impressed.

spoons do generally have a good name with cask beer.