Man your pumps, Wetherspoons are coming

Technocentral

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

What were you expecting? I paid €3.70 for a pint of Adnams Ghostship on cask there last Sunday, and thought it was really good value. The pub wasn't up to the same standard as my first visit (30 minute wait on food, running out of some meal choices, burnt part of my meal (but was suitably compensated)), but I find it hard to argue that it's not really good value for money when compared to typical Irish pub prices.

I feel the novelty will wear off after a while (particularly if there isn't rotation of their cask beers) as I wouldn't imagine they plan to change the menus too often, but for a family of four, just looking for a quite bite to eat and a pint, it's substantially cheaper than anywhere else.

3.70 is amazing for a cask beer in ireland, cheapest I had so far was Hop Head on cask in Porterhouse (delicious) for 5.30, wil give it a go this Saturday if its still on.

Krusty_Clown

Technocentral wrote: »

3.70 is amazing for a cask beer in ireland, cheapest I had so far was Hop Head on cask in Porterhouse (delicious) for 5.30, wil give it a go this Saturday if its still on.

Sorry, that should have read €3.75.

Geuze

Technocentral wrote: »

3.70 is amazing for a cask beer in ireland, cheapest I had so far was Hop Head on cask in Porterhouse (delicious) for 5.30, wil give it a go this Saturday if its still on.

Cask ale from Kerry is 4.50 in the Swagman on Wine street in Sligo.

Fyne Ales Superior IPA 7.1% cask ale was 5.00 last week in the Salthouse, Galway city.

In the UK, is it correct to say that cask is generally cheaper than keg ale?

Cask guest ale in JD WS in NI are always cheaper it seems.

SteeveeDee

Technocentral wrote: »

3.70 is amazing for a cask beer in ireland, cheapest I had so far was Hop Head on cask in Porterhouse (delicious) for 5.30, wil give it a go this Saturday if its still on.

It is a good price indeed, however you're off the mark by a bit in terms of €5.30 being the cheapest. In the same establishment (The Porterhouse) you can by a very good bitter called TSB and this is only in cask. It is a regular and has been for many years. Last year I remember paying €4.10 for a pint,not sure what it is now since the excise hit but I'm sure not far off if it has changed at all.

The second pint always seems better to me and I'm happy just to bring a tenner;)

Also meant to say, Helvick Gold on cask in Anseo, which was a regular, started at €4.90 up to €5.00 before they got rid of it this year. The still have Helvick Gold but it's now in Keg, same price I think and I still like it.

SteeveeDee

Geuze wrote: »

Cask ale from Kerry is 4.50 in the Swagman on Wine street in Sligo.

Fyne Ales Superior IPA 7.1% cask ale was 5.00 last week in the Salthouse, Galway city.

In the UK, is it correct to say that cask is generally cheaper than keg ale?

Cask guest ale in JD WS in NI are always cheaper it seems.

Yes. Generally it is cheaper in most pubs however you will find lagers like Fosters or Castlemaine XXXX sometimes cheaper or the same price. Generally Guinness and european lagers are more expensive.

BMJD

It's going to feel weird getting change back from a fiver

irish_goat

Pints of ale are £1.49 in Derry now because it's cider festival time. Feels weird getting change back from a fiver when you buy 3 pints! :pac:

rubadub

TireeTerror wrote: »

I was thinking along the lines of €2.50 for a pint of regular lagers, that kind of thing.

I was saying before that I reckon they deliberately priced it so they would not be seen to be attracting all day boozers looking for the cheapest drink possible. They must be well aware of their reputation.

The usually cheap drinks are not that cheap, the usually more expensive ones are pretty cheap. e.g. most pubs would have a greater difference than €1 between beamish and a bottle of zywiec. Beamish and a bottle of coors light/sol/miller/birra moretti are the same price.

TireeTerror

I was walking in the Mourne Mountains yesterday with a friend who's aunt owns a pub in the North. He is going to get me some prices for 50L kegs that they pay up there. I bought a flash chiller setup 2 weeks ago, so Ive been looking to get myself a keg of Hoegaarden for my man cave, so this thread has been really useful.

Geuze

Article in Irish Times today about Tim Martin's visit to the JD WS pub in Blackrock:

http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/retail-and-services/wetherspoon-won-t-stock-diageo-unless-brewer-cuts-prices-1.1877342


Interesting quote:

“I don’t want to put pressure on Diageo, but we simply baulked at paying a higher price for Guinness in Ireland than we do in the UK,” he said.
He declined to comment on the price difference between the two markets, but it is understood the Irish price is up to 20 per cent higher.



I think this again highlights the pricing power and dominance of Diageo in the Irish market.

People blame Govt taxes for too high beer prices here, but I've always said, the main cause is the inflated prices charged by the few suppliers into the RoI market.

Geuze

Tim Martin gave some news on next three outlets:

Cork to open "by Christmas" 2014.

Dun Laoghaire - no date given.

Swords - that town was confirmed as a location - "recently signed contracts"

So 1 open and 3 more confirmed.

"No other firm deals in place at the moment"

Chelon

I see on their website they invite you to suggest locations for them. Anyone know if there's any kind of reward offered?

Technocentral

Chelon wrote: »

I see on their website they invite you to suggest locations for them. Anyone know if there's any kind of reward offered?

The unquantifable reward of helping your fellow drinkers to access cheaper ale.

Chelon

Technocentral wrote: »

The unquantifable reward of helping your fellow drinkers to access cheaper ale.

Lol - I think we could all nominate one of our local pubs to be "JD'ed"

Maybe they could offer a years' fre ale?!?

TireeTerror

Chelon wrote: »

I see on their website they invite you to suggest locations for them. Anyone know if there's any kind of reward offered?

Where is that part on their site? I want to suggest somewhere.

Chelon

TireeTerror wrote: »

Where is that part on their site? I want to suggest somewhere.

http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/about-us/our-pubs/a-wetherspoon-near-you

poitinstill

heard on the radio / paper that the cork pub wont be open till feb due to some delay or other..Neil Prendiverile ( local version of Joe Duffy) gave them a fair slating on his show during the week ..more or less said all jdw food is crap as he once ate in the one in Gatwick ( before exposing himself on a plane to Cork perhaps!!) and that they will only gather wino's and scumbags. I look forward to having the choice to go/not go. been on loads in London and they are a mixed bag but mostly you get excellent value for what you get.

dub_skav

Popped in last Thursday and I believe it is a welcome addition to the Dublin pub landscape.

Place was busy with a good turnover of families having dinner and couples / small groups

I started off on the Cask Ghost Ship, had a Bengali Tiger (a little sharper in taste than I would have liked), Dogfish Head DNA and a Shipyard (much nicer than from a bottle).

All the beers were good, but if I went back I'd probably go for the DNA or Shipyard, which at 4.75 are not so much cheaper than elsewhere that they would drag me back just on price.

Also shared some chicken wings which were tasty and good value.

Bar service was quite slow, but it's obvious they are bedding in a system and I long ago stopped expecting good bar service in Dublin anyway.

I think if I was to go back it would most likely be for a family meal, maybe early on a weekend evening.
Drinks choice is good and while not crazily cheap (unless you're drinking the 3.50 jobs), hopefully they will start to draw a halt to the upward only prices and arbitrarily high cost of anything considered "craft" in many other pubs.

So, while I wouldn't often head out to Blackrock, if I was heading that way, I would probably at least pop in for one or two.

upforit101

If this goes through the Black sheep will be seriously hurt - if they continue with the price gouging that is.

"The group is now seeking a site in the city centre and is understood to be interested in acquiring the Church bar".

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/jd-wetherspoon-sets-sights-on-historic-dublin-building-1.1885376

adamski8

Im not sure it will be will impacted, the beerhouse is closer and cheaper but doesnt draw anyone away from the sheep. Wont be as cool going to spoons for a late night craft beer.

hynesie08

adamski8 wrote: »

Im not sure it will be will impacted, the beerhouse is closer and cheaper but doesnt draw anyone away from the sheep. Wont be as cool going to spoons for a late night craft beer.

I agree, I think the black sheep has built its own clientele who just drink in the black sheep. I imagine for me at least spoons would be like the beerhouse, a pub I'd go to either side of the black sheep.

listermint

upforit101 wrote: »

If this goes through the Black sheep will be seriously hurt - if they continue with the price gouging that is.

Unsure what you meant by this part ?

Ravelleman

listermint wrote: »

Unsure what you meant by this part ?

It's one of the recurring themes of the thread. Take a look at the previous posts.

moxin

Apparently The Church is on WD's radar now http://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/jd-wetherspoon-sets-sights-on-historic-dublin-building-1.1885376
Certainly not cheap for a pint in there now, would WD reverse that policy?

suicide_circus

moxin wrote: »

Apparently The Church is on WD's radar now http://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/jd-wetherspoon-sets-sights-on-historic-dublin-building-1.1885376
Certainly not cheap for a pint in there now, would WD reverse that policy?

Kind of pointless if they don't

sofireland

Personally i'd be amazed if Louis Fitzgerald group sold out to Wetherspoons.
They've a pretty solid group of pubs themselves in the City Centre.
It seems like the papers throwing mud at the wall and seeing what sticks.

sarkozy

I've heard the abandoned schoolhouse on Clanbrassil St. may become a Wetherspoons. Anyone know more about this?

BaZmO*

sarkozy wrote: »

I've heard the abandoned schoolhouse on Clanbrassil St. may become a Wetherspoons. Anyone know more about this?

Used to be Scholars?

n97 mini

sofireland wrote: »

Personally i'd be amazed if Louis Fitzgerald group sold out to Wetherspoons

What makes you think LF would sell up? (He has no connection with the latest rumour, The Church)

n97 mini

sarkozy wrote: »

I've heard the abandoned schoolhouse on Clanbrassil St. may become a Wetherspoons. Anyone know more about this?

That was sold about 8 months ago, and for a song after the previous people ripped the guts out of it and left it as more or less a shell. It's being done up atm, tho the neighbourhood has developed a large muslim community so craft beer is not an easy sell!