Man your pumps, Wetherspoons are coming

drumswan

Ranchu wrote: »

We'll have to wait and see but I do think the gbb bars will suffer unless they get their pricing in order.

Their prices are already in order, I can tell because they do a roaring trade. The notion that their clientele who are happy to pay the current prices are going to jump ship and drink Adnans and Six point all night to save themselves a few quid is laughable

oblivious

hynesie08 wrote: »

I really don't see any of the good craft pubs being effected by spoons. The people who go for cheap drinks wouldn't go to the likes of atg, black sheep, headline etc anyway and most people who know their beer wouldn't stick to one pub anyway. It's the likes of O'Neills pmacs taphouse etc that try to be everything that'll lose out to someone like spoons.

They are pricing Cask ale lower that some lagers, not a model generally seen in Ireland. It should be interesting to see who will supply the Irish cask. Who is large enough to supply spoons at a price they want and will it have a knock on effect of places selling the same Irish cask ale at a premium compared to them.

Seaneh

Like like with the bottles of Eight Degrees beers and cans of Sixpoint beers, I don't think that Irish breweries will have to give them any discount of their cask ales. They will just sell it at a lower margain than other bars and make up for it on lagers/spirits/wines/food.

They sell local cask ales in the UK for circa £2.20 per pint, which is a lot lower than the bars around them, I doubt the likes of Purple Moose or Conwy brewery are giving JDW any discount compared to other bars they sell to.

hynesie08

oblivious wrote: »

They are pricing Cask ale lower that some lagers, not a model generally seen in Ireland. It should be interesting to see who will supply the Irish cask. Who is large enough to supply spoons at a price they want and will it have a knock on effect of places selling the same Irish cask ale at a premium compared to them.

Fair point. not a huge cask fan myself, as in it'd never be all I drink on a night out, but it'll be interesting to see what the Irish market makes of it.

BaZmO*

drumswan wrote: »

Their prices are already in order, I can tell because they do a roaring trade. The notion that their clientele who are happy to pay the current prices are going to jump ship and drink Adnans and Six point all night to save themselves a few quid is laughable

Does the Dark Horse do a roaring trade?

hynesie08

BaZmO* wrote: »

Does the Dark Horse do a roaring trade?

Apparently it does quite well, keeping the Guinness tap helped apparently. It's seen less as a craft beer bar and more as a proper boozer that has craft beer. So best of both worlds, although I'm sure some here know more than me.

Ranchu

drumswan wrote: »

Their prices are already in order, I can tell because they do a roaring trade. The notion that their clientele who are happy to pay the current prices are going to jump ship and drink Adnans and Six point all night to save themselves a few quid is laughable

Their prices have gone up by a comical amount lately. They are not in order with pubs less than a five minute walk away for exactly the same pint!

They might do a decent trade at the moment but that might change. That's what people are saying here.

Only time will tell. You can obviously see into the future though.

Seaneh

Fastest growing brewery in the country and about to double their output for the second time in a year and talks of entering the UK market. I'm sure they're perfectly happy just now.

hynesie08

Ranchu wrote: »

Their prices have gone up by a comical amount lately. They are not in order with pubs less than a five minute walk away for exactly the same pint!

They might do a decent trade at the moment but that might change. That's what people are saying here.

Only time will tell. You can obviously see into the future though.

Their prices or the prices they charge for other breweries beer? If it's the second can you fully blame them? If you're not happy with them fine but judging by the crowd in there on a Friday and Saturday a lot of people are.

Ranchu

Seaneh wrote: »

Fastest growing brewery in the country and about to double their output for the second time in a year and talks of entering the UK market. I'm sure they're perfectly happy just now.

Good for them. They certainly know how to charge anyway.

Ranchu

hynesie08 wrote: »

Their prices or the prices they charge for other breweries beer? If it's the second can you fully blame them? If you're not happy with them fine but judging by the crowd in there on a Friday and Saturday a lot of people are.

They charge more for other breweries beers than other pubs do so of course I can blame them. I also think it's a strategy they've gone with to attempt to get people to by their own brews which they obviously can have a higher margin on.

In a couple of years time when Wetherspoons have had a chance to make an impact I think they won't be doing the trade they are now unless they address their pricing.

I'm obviously not on my own in thinking this as they keep popping up in this thread about Wetherspoons.

symbolic

I'd go to Against the Grain once a week at least, because I prefer craft beers to the macro ones - but mainly because there is going to be something on tap that I haven' t had before/in a while. They'll always have the latest Irish beer on tap or something from abroad that I've heard a lot about. It's the rotation of the taps that keeps me coming back. I can sit down and have two new beers on tap/cask and then be on my way.

It is interesting that the 8 Degrees bottles are so cheap in spoons. I wouldnt be bothered buying them in Against the Grain. But I have bought Hobgoblin when they had it on cask, and spose they charged 5.10 for it when spoons are saying 3.75...and then if these Guest Ales from 4.25 are good and regularly rotated along with the Bengali from 3.50 then hmmmm... but to be honest, even if spoons have a premises on camden st, I find it hard to see it working out that I wouldnt be going to Against the Grain ever again.

And then I enjoy going to Pmacs or Cassidys because they play music I enjoy and serve beers I like.
Farringtons is a nice central place with the football, great selection, great rotation and a gent of a barman.

The Porterhouse for old times sake...

So I think I'll keep contributing to them all

I think i forgot what my point was during that post.

Krusty_Clown

drumswan wrote: »

It's not a 'slightly limited selection', ATG carries hundreds of beers and dozens of whiskeys.

Sounds like Wetherspoons will have a significantly larger selection of cask-based ales/ciders. The dark Horse typically has somewhere between 1 and 0 cask ales available. Spoons will have between 3 and 5 and at a far more affordable price. As I said before, I have always graced the Galway Bay pubs (particularly ATG and the Dark Horse) and would typically have brought my family for the Dark Horse for a meal and a couple of beers once a month. Can't see that happening any more. Will still drop in for their wide selection of beers though.

drumswan wrote:

Their prices are already in order, I can tell because they do a roaring trade.

Haven't been in the Dark Horse recently, have you? Lets not forget that the Three Tun Tavern is not in the city centre. It's in Blackrock.

oblivious

hynesie08 wrote: »

Fair point. not a huge cask fan myself, as in it'd never be all I drink on a night out, but it'll be interesting to see what the Irish market makes of it.

There where a number of UK bloggers on twitter this morning saying that the menu look more craft in the keg line than uk up.

cormacjones

Where's PMac's?

Actually, I know it now.

Seaneh

oblivious wrote: »

There where a number of UK bloggers on twitter this morning saying that the menu look more craft in the keg line than uk up.

Broadside, ghostship and hobgoblin are the resident cask ales and they will have a few guest ales like sixpoint wheat street etc too.

Ravelleman

Seaneh wrote: »

Broadside, ghostship and hobgoblin are the resident cask ales and they will have a few guest ales like sixpoint wheat street etc too.

I quite enjoy Hobgoblin on cask.

Chelon

the beer revolu wrote: »

In a blind test, believe it or not, people struggle to spot Guinness too.

__________________

Totally agree - a lot of waffle being spouted on here re the Guinness/Murphys/Beamish debate.

If it's in good nick, then all 3 are lovely

Chelon

Seaneh wrote: »

In your opinion.

I happen to think both are very good beers.

Tried Galway Hooker a good few times; it always seems to be served chilled to oblivion with a head that disappears in seconds.

Probable the pubs' fault, as I know many are very keen on it. Have never seen it on cask but would definitely try it out.

Heroditas

Seaneh wrote: »

Their wine selections is appalling in fairness.

True but it's certainly not a problem unique to them alone. Wine selection in the vast majority of Irish pubs is, quite literally, $hite.
My wife has given up asking for wine in most pubs, she has a G&T instead or we just go somewhere like Ely.

dub_skav

BeerNut wrote: »

Any time I'm in there it's jammed. I don't think they're suffering from a dearth of swathes.

Out of curiosity, where do you go when you leave AtG looking for a pub with better wine?

I think it's an odd way to look at it to say that because it's jammed when you are there that they are not missing out on more potential customers.
Is it jammed every evening, early on weekends?
Any time I've been there it is not jammed, that is because as a father of a young child my drinking times are different to some other folk.
So, I would be in there with my wife a lot more if they had decent wine, I do not believe I am the only one. This would also mean I would be a regulatr and more likely to go there with my mates too.
I also do not see a lot of couples over 30 in there, these would be the craft beer drinker / wine couples that they miss out on.

For better wine and decent beer I go to the Porter House, Tap House or McSorleys, but often the compromise is "tonight is a wine night" and we'd go to Olesyas, Ely or the Shelbourne

Heroditas wrote: »

Glasses of prosecco in a pub? Only a tiny minority of places would serve a drink like that by the glass.

McSorleys and the Tap House for two.
Just because it's a minority drink now does not mean it's not a missed opportunity. I worked in a pub in Melbourne, not the finest establishment by any means, but they served Jacob's Creek sparkling by the glass and it flew out the door. It was the best seller for young women.
Pubs could do quarter bottles of Prosecco or Cava, whatever they can get cheapest, it was the tokenism of serving a Prosecco but doing it very badly and overpriced that I was complaining about.

Anyway, whew back to JDW, anything that forces other pubs to think about other customers types is a good thing in my book.

rainbow kirby

Ravelleman wrote: »

I quite enjoy Hobgoblin on cask.

Much nicer on cask than in bottles.

Loire

Chelon wrote: »

Tried Galway Hooker a good few times; it always seems to be served chilled to oblivion with a head that disappears in seconds.

Traits of most Irish hookers though in fairness, not just those from Galway :pac:

Cerveja69

Wtf? The one up the road from me in London is 2.20 all the time for Staropramen, and 2 quid 500ml longnecks. Guinness is 2 quid on a Monday. Check this out -

dailyedge.ie/wetherspoons-ireland-explainer-1548339-Jul2014/

The prices are really dear, my local in Dublin is cheaper for stout anyway. I was expecting big things from Spoons but this is a big let down.

MonkstownHoop

Cerveja69 wrote: »

Wtf? The one up the road from me in London is 2.20 all the time for Staropramen, and 2 quid 500ml longnecks. Guinness is 2 quid on a Monday. Check this out -

dailyedge.ie/wetherspoons-ireland-explainer-1548339-Jul2014/

The prices are really dear, my local in Dublin is cheaper for stout anyway. I was expecting big things from Spoons but this is a big let down.

I wonder if diageo sponsored that 'article'

Ravelleman

Further to the conversation on cheap Beamish, the Metro on Parnell St has it for €3.25 a pint. It would involve going there though.

Mr Simpson

Ravelleman wrote: »

Further to the conversation on cheap Beamish, the Metro on Parnell St has ot for €3.25 a pint. It would involve going there though.

It could be free in the Metro and I still wouldnt go there for a pint tbh

rubadub

Is Ireland ready for a 12-handpump Wetherspoon’s?

adamski8

rubadub wrote: »

Is Ireland ready for a 12-handpump Wetherspoon’s?

" An American is staying in a hotel in Dublin, and he comes down in the morning and says to the young fella on the front desk: “Say, can I smell gas?”, to which the young Irishman replies: “That’ll be the gas – it smells like that.” Irish people find that hilarious. Other nations don’t get it.) "

I dont get that, can someone explain?

12 pumps does seem crazy alright if they are actually all gonna be in use.

Ravelleman

adamski8 wrote: »

I dont get that, can someone explain?

12 pumps does seem crazy alright if they are actually all gonna be in use.

Can't say I get the joke either.

The blogger has a point about hand pumps in Ireland - London Pride, while tasty, seems to be the stock cask beer for most places, though with one or two notable exceptions.

WJ Kavanagh tried to push out the boat with a varied rotation of beers on cask but that steadily became more and more limited, then dried up entirely as we all know. I went in to the new incarnation again last week and found two beers on cask - Galway Hooker Stout and... London Pride.