Is The Crafty Fox Gone?

squonk

Haven't been in in a while but decided to drop in this evening. The place was all closed up though. I hadn't seen anything from their Facebook for a while either. Pity if they're gone. It's one less place for Craft Beer in the city

Berty

It is still open. I think it just opens later though. Could be 7pm Midweek though.

squonk

Was down there after 7. Must be 8 maybe. Good news anyway!

bazz26

You would imagine they would be open a bit earlier with the World Cup on.

squonk

Yeah that's what surprised me. You'd think its pay dirt for bars. Tbh that's why I posted. Didn't think anywhere would be closed at World Cup time unless for good reason!

source

Went down there with a mate last week, closed at 20:45, of a Tuesday.

To be honest in my opinion it'd be no great loss if it did close. For a craft beer pub they always have very poor selection of craft beer in stock any time I've been in there.

gtothek

source wrote: »

Went down there with a mate last week, closed at 20:45, of a Tuesday.

To be honest in my opinion it'd be no great loss if it did close. For a craft beer pub they always have very poor selection of craft beer in stock any time I've been in there.

Yeah I'd agree there. Went in a couple of weeks ago & the only draft they had was the franciscan wheat beer.

squonk

20:45 is mad! I'd say it was at least 7:30 when I arrived there. No sign or nothing up saying they'd open at 8 PM or some such time. I had given up going in due to their not having much draught craft but I figured it was time to give them another chance.

TBH now I'm struggling to figure out how they can keep a custom if they're closed with no signage for opening at a reasonable time passing trade might want to go in!

Sgt Hartman

I won't be going in there on my own again. Some weird insulting creep started talking to me at the bar the last time I was there. Maybe it's just me, I always seem to attract weirdos Back on topic yeah it's gone a bit downhill alright. It could do with a bit more effort put into it again by the owners.

Itsdacraic

gtothek wrote: »

Yeah I'd agree there. Went in a couple of weeks ago & the only draft they had was the franciscan wheat beer.

Terrible choice of venue for a craft beer pub. They were never going to attract that crowd in that spot. Too many people have negative connotations of that place from it's previous guises.

Seamus B

Craft beers haven't really taken off in this part of the country yet. Limericks night life has gone very quite in the last number of years too so it's hard for any new business to make money, especially pubs.

squonk

The thing is that there are new people arriving in Limerick all the time, like myself, who have no impressions of the venue. If the beer was on draught all the time I'd have been in more often but I got peed off being told that they only had 2-3 of the offerings at any one time.

They were running a beer club which sounded promising but it was on a Monday night. I might be getting old but Monday is a bit soon to be going on the beer. There's a whole long week to get through at work.

Like the other poster I thought they attract an odd crowd. One guy I was talking to seemed personally offended when he recommended Metalman and I said it was ok but not my thing. I'm coming here from being a regular in Salt House in Galway where arguments over beer were regular and good humoured. The first time I was in some student types went behind the bar and started choosing the music, turning the volume up way louder than 8PM in the evening and an otherwise empty pub warranted.

If more effort was put in they might do well but the latest move to appear closed when they should be open is doing them no favours at all. Close if you want but if it's at an unusual time, at least post a visible sign saying when you'll be open.

bazkennedy

Haven't been in a while. Started off grand but seemed to go downhill quickly.

Last time I was in, they only had one or two draughts on offer (neither to my liking) and they were charging six euro for a small bottle of beer. Add to that, the gigs they organise for the bar never suit the venue (too small for a rock band).

The Blind Pig continues to be the bette option for craft beer

vkid

Seamus B wrote: »

Craft beers haven't really taken off in this part of the country yet. Limericks night life has gone very quite in the last number of years too so it's hard for any new business to make money, especially pubs.

I don't understand the current buzz about craft beers at all to be honest. Each to their own and all that but a lot of them taste like muck and are not cheap. Not a fan of flavoured beers at all and some of the ales are just horrible. Have yet to taste one I would drink more than once,. There isn't a hope i'd drink them all night but that's just me. If I do end up in a craft beer place, which would be rare.. i go on the shorts.

squonk

Each to their own but I find the staples in most pubs like Heineken, Smithwicks, Guinness to be bland enough tasting but, worst of all, they have so much additives and crap added that you feel far worse the following morning than you do if you had a few pints of craft instead. There is some great craft beer out there. There is also some crap of course. Much of it is finding a style or particular beer you like and going from there. For me, its the whole angle of discovering new beer or tasting new brews from established brewers that makes craft pubs fun. Some is overpriced for sure though it's also worth remembering that some beers are almost double the strength of your average pint elsewhere. Generally a good craft pub will be able to point you in the direction of a good alternative to your regular beer or choice if you head in. Some too will give you tasters before you buy. There really isn't that level of craft pub in Limerick right now. I sympathise with anyone who pays €5 for a pint of something they find undrinkable.

vkid

Ya maybe. Not sure i could be bothered enough to find one I like. Maybe its the alcohol %, but the one or two nights i did spend drinking craft beer, I was destroyed the following day. As said each to their own, but I can understand why a lot of people are not bothered by the craft beer thing.
Too much like work

zulutango

squonk wrote: »

The thing is that there are new people arriving in Limerick all the time, like myself, who have no impressions of the venue. If the beer was on draught all the time I'd have been in more often but I got peed off being told that they only had 2-3 of the offerings at any one time.

They were running a beer club which sounded promising but it was on a Monday night. I might be getting old but Monday is a bit soon to be going on the beer. There's a whole long week to get through at work.

Like the other poster I thought they attract an odd crowd. One guy I was talking to seemed personally offended when he recommended Metalman and I said it was ok but not my thing. I'm coming here from being a regular in Salt House in Galway where arguments over beer were regular and good humoured. The first time I was in some student types went behind the bar and started choosing the music, turning the volume up way louder than 8PM in the evening and an otherwise empty pub warranted.

If more effort was put in they might do well but the latest move to appear closed when they should be open is doing them no favours at all. Close if you want but if it's at an unusual time, at least post a visible sign saying when you'll be open.

The Salt House is a good spot, but Limerick doesn't have (much of) a middle class, hipster demographic living in the city centre yet. It's going that direction for sure, and the advent of the alternative pub scene and new late night cafés around Thomas and Catherine Street is a sign of that. But it'll be a year or two before somewhere like the Salt House opens in the city centre.

The thing about the Crafty Fox is that that part of town has zero character. It's a kip. Nancy Blakes was a good pub once upon a time, but it's a hellhole since the son took over a few years back. The best Limerick pubs are far from the Denmark Street mess.

davo2001

zulutango wrote: »

Nancy Blakes was a good pub once upon a time, but it's a hellhole since the son took over a few years back.

Sure, that's why it's packed at the weekend and busy also during the week, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be a fan of the place but it must be doing something right.

zulutango

davo2001 wrote: »

Sure, that's why it's packed at the weekend and busy also during the week, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be a fan of the place but it must be doing something right.

I've a few theories on that!!

The smoking ban did a lot for it, as it came to be seen as a place where smokers could go without really having to go outside.

But the main thing is that it's got a dominant position. People go there because people go there, and there's a perception that it's the only place to go for late 20's to 40-somethings. To a great extent that is the case, especially after midnight. Nearly everybody I know can't stand the place, but they go anyway because everybody else goes, even though everybody else can't stand the place either!

seachto7

Is Flannerys trying to take the Nancys spill over? Snug. Smoking area outside, but you're not really outside....

wotswattage

zulutango wrote: »

I've a few theories on that!!

The smoking ban did a lot for it, as it came to be seen as a place where smokers could go without really having to go outside.

But the main thing is that it's got a dominant position. People go there because people go there, and there's a perception that it's the only place to go for late 20's to 40-somethings. To a great extent that is the case, especially after midnight. Nearly everybody I know can't stand the place, but they go anyway because everybody else goes, even though everybody else can't stand the place either!

Poor reflection of the rival pubs that they cant put anything up on the table that'll draw people from somewhere they are sick of...

squonk

I was at Rich Hall in Dolans last night and he was asking a couple up the front how they met. The girl said the Crafty Fox and he asked something like "Is that a good pub?" A bunch of people replied back "It's Closed!!", then there were another few retorting with "No, it's still open!" so they really seem to be doing a great job at spreading confusion around the general public with that daft opening policy they're operating now.