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Pubs then

Started by Shoulders?-Stomach!, August 17, 2021, 10:18:59 PM

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Shoulders?-Stomach!

Alright then: the ale house, the public cunteroony, the municipal shit-on, the boozeball, the quench merchants, the harkenlark, the drop-twenty. You know, them.

It would please me greatly to know what you look for. What's the key indicator of 'here is where I will spend my pounds/time'? If you don't really care "I don't really care" is fine.

There are all manner of them:

1. The Victorian/Edwardian City Tavern. Often open plan or opened up with a central or long side bar, either in grand old buildings like cinemas and banks repurposed (see Wetherspoons) or a bespoke grand old building itself if you're lucky (eg. Philharmonic Dining Rooms, The Bartons Arms). City centre so passing trade, can verge on a bit soulless like an airport waiting lounge, particularly if chain-owned and there's a grind of food service constantly. Often venues where the most craftmanship is on show in terms of opulent decor and surroundings but can sometimes be found in very unlikely places (eg. Garden Gate, Hunslet)



2. The Old School Boozer. A throwback with simple seating, normally focused on drinks and social events. More Love-Hate establishments but often good for socialising, meeting different people without falling out and mixing together. The best ones are clever enough to try and diversify their offerings while not losing one iota of charm, the worst stew in their own farty racist beard juice and don't even try to make the toilets smell nice.



3. The Country Pub. Blackened beams, roaring fire, bootscraper at the front door, dogs welcome. Like stepping into someone's house. Or, these days is it expensive gastrofood, stacks of 4x4s lining the roadside, gin-divorcees and ruddy Tory businessmen braying into their badly kept Landlord? Maybe that's still good? The pub is still open, sort of.



4. The Micro-pub. Relatively recent. Gordon Brown's gift to publicans was a lift on taxation for small brewers. In turn, freehold publicans seeking to escape the beer tie were taking advantage of the liberalisation of commercial property for use as drinking establishments. Before long, the landscape has been changed with these odd uncanny valley venues trying to cram all sorts of things into tiny spaces.



5. The Community Pub. Naturally some overlap with the above but we are talking about places that have something going on virtually 7 days a week. Pub quizzes, raffles, round-the-world food nights, pool + darts teams, folk jamming sessions and pretty much anything likely to drag anyone's sorry arse down the boozer for a bit.


Tough to really depict all of that in 1 image but here's The Barrels, Hereford which is a great example

6. The Epicurist's Lair. Craft beer, real ale, Belgian beer, whatever it is. Some specialism that draws people in from near and far. Where to go if you are on balance more interested in what's coming out of the taps and what it tastes like than what's happening around you.



7. Sport. No worries mate because sport on here. No nothing much else happening here but sport happening here mate. Room with sport happening here. What do you mean no sport happening here mate? Of course sport happening here mate - greyhounds and horses are sport - sport happening here mate. Can be city centre, backstreet or *shudder* estate pubs. What are we having? Pint of lager because no worries about that crap mate sport on here mate. Didn't you see the sign outside mate? BT SPORTS & SKY SPORTS sports on here mate.

*Picture frankly unnecessary*

8. Rock/Metal pubs. Yes they can happen, often they decide a pub should be dedicated to rock and metal music rather than just making a bar or club for that. A bit like growing a beard, probably going to put a portion off you forever, but also going to hook in lots of mental facial hair fans too. Let's include 'Music Venues' in this too, as there are some totally set up for that which don't dip into those genres.



*

I have been slowly compiling some of my favourites as I have trundled across the length and breadth of this great England like a county seamer. Here they are (A-Z by Location):

- Victoria Inn, Beeston
- Yarbrough Hunt, Brigg
- Bag of Nails, Bristol
- Orchard Inn, Bristol
- The Robin Hood Inn, Cragg Vale
- The Cambridge Blue, Cambridge (of recent CaB Meet fame)
- The Elm Tree, Cambridge
- The Albion, Chester
- The Victoria Inn, Durham
- Fox & Goose, Hebden Bridge
- The Barrels, Hereford
- The Sportsman, Huddersfield
- Ye Olde Black Boy, Hull
- WM Hawkes, Hull
- Ye Olde White Harte, Hull
- Whitelocks, Leeds
- Cardigan Arms, Leeds
- The Strugglers, Lincoln
- Peter Kavanagh's, Liverpool
- Ship & Mitre, Liverpool
- The Nag's Head, London (Belgravia)
- The Mayflower, London (Rotherhithe)
- Princess Louise, London (Holborn) - I know it's a Sam Smith's place but please don't kill me
- Peveril of the Peak, Manchester
- The Crown, Middlesmoor
- Smuggler's Den, Morecambe
- Free Trade Inn, Newcastle
- Trip to Jerusalem, Nottingham (touristy but despite that)
- Fagan's, Sheffield
- The Blake Hotel, Sheffield
- The Wellington, Sheffield
- Shakespeare's, Sheffield
- The Gardener's Rest, Sheffield
- The Old Ale House, Truro
- The Blue Bell, York
- The Swan, York
- House of Trembling Madness, York (either, really, but the Stonegate one can probably pass as a pub whereas Lendal's is more of a bar)

Please note this is not strictly excluding all others, as I simply haven't visited most of them. There are probably some that flit in and out depending on the time of day and what's going on, but most of these I can solidly recommend, at least to people who like the sort of thing that each one is.


crankshaft

#1
.

Ferris

There are some lovely battle cruisers in Edinburgh shoulders, you should have a trip over the border. Largely through "community/local" cosy variety, but certainly worth a trip.

bgmnts

My only requirement for a pub is that it's virtually empty when I'm there so I can look on my phone or do a crossword or something. So I suppose old school boozer would be my jam.

I like pubs with some tenuous historical significance. I went to the pub where Dylan Thomas allegedly drank himself to death before he died, and my local up the hill was a pub where John Frost and his Chartists stopped off for a quick pint on the way to the Newport Rising.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on August 17, 2021, 10:48:22 PM
There are some lovely battle cruisers in Edinburgh shoulders, you should have a trip over the border. Largely through "community/local" cosy variety, but certainly worth a trip.

Aye, planning to. Be a darl and name a few at least.

Ferris

The Canny Man, Cloisters, Sheep's Heid Inn (ideal after a hike over Arthur's Seat), Dagda Bar, Doctors (towards the national museum), the Black Cat, Guildford Arms, the Regent at the top of Easter Road, the Amber Rose (complete shit, but first drink with my wife), the Cannon's Gait (complete shit but last drink with a lunatic ex girlfriend), and the fucker opposite the Earl of Marchmont that I forget the name of but is a lovely boozer and may have since closed.

Lots of excellent restaurants there too - huge fan of Spoon cafe and the Dogs on Hanover street.

I lived in morningside so my tendency is southward facing but I bet there's tons of good stuff in Leith if someone else can advise. If you can wangle your way into the student union bar on bristo square you should, lovely twisty staircases and things.

gib

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on August 17, 2021, 11:02:18 PMthe fucker opposite the Earl of Marchmont

would certainly make for an interesting sign

Tony Tony Tony

The finest pub I ever knew was the pub of my youth.

It was called the King William and was known as the King Billy or to my dear departed dad simply the Billy. It's where me and him bought each other a first "official" legal pint even though I had been going in there for eighteen months at least.

It had three rooms the best room with the piano where you could take a lady. The tap room where the regulars including my old man would while away the night with dominoes, darts or a game of cards. Then there was a front room with the free jukebox and a not free arcade game where us youngsters used to congregate which was disparaging referred to as the disco by the tap room regulars.

The landlord knew who he needed to keep happy as the regulars would sink seven or so pints a night even On a weekday darts match night when some local rival pub team would come to take on the might of the Billy. Sandwiches were laid on for the team, with pork pies on special occasions and the leftovers would make their way into the disco.

Lock-ins were a regular occurrence and the disco would have to keep quiet whilst the local Bobby made his rounds after phoning the landlord to let him know what time he would be passing. Then the night when local nutcase Hallie ate half a dozen pickled eggs on the bounce, from a huge jar behind the bar that was probably pre-war, thus earning him the inevitable nickname eggy.

Then there was the time I bumped into Mick 'monkey boots' after not seeing him for weeks. All I could remember was his old man had his car stolen a while ago so I opened the conversation with "what's your old man driving these days?" He replied "nothing he died last week" so I slunk away in my shame.

Failing being able to find a place like The Billy you could always try your local spoons?

Ferris

If we're doing favourite boozers, I'll nominate the White Lion in Caldmore (which used to have a full beer engine in the lounge bar). Maybe it was complete shit and my memory is warped by fondness, but it had absolutely zero pretence about it.

Johnny Yesno

Quote from: Tony Tony Tony on August 17, 2021, 11:43:07 PM
Then the night when local nutcase Hallie ate half a dozen pickled eggs on the bounce, from a huge jar behind the bar that was probably pre-war, thus earning him the inevitable nickname eggy.

Surely, that's a feat that would earn you the nickname Hallie.

dr beat

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on August 17, 2021, 11:02:18 PM
the fucker opposite the Earl of Marchmont that I forget the name of but is a lovely boozer and may have since closed.


The Argyle? Still very much there although the Earl sadly hasn't reopened since March 2020.

Good list Ferris, I'd add Stockbridge Tap, Bow Bar, Greenmantle, Auld Hoose, Cumberland Arms, Captain's Bar, Brass Monkey and Royal Dick bar at Summerhall.

Ferris

Quote from: dr beat on August 18, 2021, 12:18:39 AM
The Argyle? Still very much there although the Earl sadly hasn't reopened since March 2020.

That's the one! The Earl always looked too posh for the likes of us so we never went in. Could be misapprehension.

Stockbridge Tap is a must! How quickly we (I) forget. That is still my favourite bit of any city anywhere - that part of Edinburgh is the only bit of the UK I'd consider moving back to because it is so lovely.

Brass Monkey is a weird one - surely they aren't still doing the giant mattress + films in the back room?

Edit: my inability to type words properly. Also to add Tiles Bar into contention. I used to work in that square (without saying what investment bank I worked for but err yeah it was that one just there) and it's a unique little boozer. A pint there, then a pint or two at the guildford arms, then over south bridge... ah it's like I'm back there already.

Ferris

Actually I bet you could walk the Water of Leith (really one of the best urban walks out there) and cross it with a half decent pub crawl.

Ooh Joseph Pierce on Leith Walk is worth a shout too.

Alright I'll stop now.

chveik

these cunts open yet

idunnosomename

the blue bell is a corker. the princess louise can get tae fuck. sam smiths almost worse than wetherspoons. bad employers, shit beer, and their "no devices" is ableist and just plain fucking weird. also they were completely shitty about allowing their land to be used for a temporary bridge in Tadcaster when the main town bridge collapse in the 2015(?) floods.

My uncle owned, lived above and ran a pub in Durham and I loved the smell of it, but I spent most of my time there on the roof with his dark grey lhasa apso, Suzie.
Even through the noise and fear, I can remember that cosy vibe coming through. Everything seemed to have a yellow hue in there like that delicatessen film.
Always really liked a drink so I would definitely have loved pubs if I wasn't a fucknut. Too many people I didn't know or feel safe around in there. It'd take me until closing time to drink enough to begin to unwind which went against the whole point and seemed like a total waste of time and money.
If you didn't go to a pub, you could buy 4 times as much booze, take drugs and sit in a room with only the people you wanted to talk to, seemed like a no brainer to me.

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

#16
Quote from: Tony Tony Tony on August 17, 2021, 11:43:07 PM
The finest pub I ever knew was the pub of my youth.

It was called the King William and was known as the King Billy or to my dear departed dad simply the Billy. It's where me and him bought each other a first "official" legal pint even though I had been going in there for eighteen months at least.



You and your dad were both 18 years old at the time? ( As in you bought him a pint, and he bought you one on the same occasion.)

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

If you ever find yourself in Moscow and in need of an unpretentious Kraft Ale Pub, you could do worse than Beer Time ( nearest Metro Station: Mendeleevskaya). Quite the range of beers, and blummin' cheap for Moscow, too. You walk down some steps at streep level, some kind of sports equipment shop selling crossbows and the like is to the left of you, and to the right of you is the ' time. Dimly lit, a range of long wooden benches and stools, Soviet Era paraphernalia all over the walls, vast range of beer names written on the chalkboard behind the bar. I rather unadventurously used to stick with Cougar, a nice light ale, but there's shitloads to choose from. No foxy Moscow lady barmaid serving you ( you have to go to other bars, like the Irish ex- pat owned Paddy's for that), it's all blokes with beards and Yuri Gagarin  T-Shirts serving you, but easily one of the best pubs in Moscow.

RetroRobot

Love The Rutland Arms in Sheffield and Wharf Chambers in Leeds.  Proper lefty hangout spots with good food and drink, as well as great events.

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Remember, when in Moscow and visiting Beer Time, to go down the steps  at Streep level. False proboscis and convincing accent other than your own essential.

Tony Tony Tony

Quote from: Lisa Jesusandmarychain on August 18, 2021, 08:11:00 AM
You and your dad were both 18 years old at the time? ( As in you bought him a pint, and he bought you one on the same occasion.)

Yep I was just eighteen months older than my dad.

It's a complicated story involving hoverboards, self lacing sneakers and a flux capacitor.

On the subject of pubs that still exist, whenever I get to Nottingham always love a visit to Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem. If you are in at a quiet time and climb to the top 'room' hey you are drinking in a real cave and can pretend you are in the Flintstones or summat.

If in that London I would try Ye Olde Mitre in Holborn. A pub that though in London is officially in Cambrigeshire. Something to do with the Bishop of Ely wanting to be in London but needing to be in Ely so he designated part of town as part of Cambridgeshire.

Those were the days when bishops had real power, no flux capacitor required.

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

....but....but...If you were just 18 months *older* (?) than your dad, that means he was 17 while you were 18...

When I was older, I used to love messing about in time machines.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Shame about the chain ownership and tourists but even then I didn't find it spoils Ye Olde Trip too much, and it's lovely on weekdays. As you say, with the caves, there's nothing else like it.

I like Ye Olde Mitre too, though it is rarely open when I'm in London (nearly always weekends). Quite cosy and generally superior without having a load of tacky 'A GHOST WAS SEEN HERE' shite either.

Definitely two of the superior Ye Oldes.


Tony Tony Tony

#23
Quote from: Lisa Jesusandmarychain on August 18, 2021, 09:17:27 AM
....but....but...If you were just 18 months *older* (?) than your dad, that means he was 17 while you were 18...


I'm from the future. That's how I now about your horrible death at the hands of a jealous lover.

And to keep it on topic, this will be whilst you are in your favourite Moscow drinking den.

buttgammon

Grogan's in Dublin is probably my favourite pub anywhere. Even in the city, I don't know anywhere that has quite the same blend of old-school no-nonsense pleasure and artiness (with loads of art on the walls). A pint and a cheese toast from there is perhaps my favourite combination of anything. Anything of value in the city is being knocked down or sold off and Wetherspoons are starting to get their foot in, so I'm just willing places like this to survive.

The Dead Rabbit in Manhattan is another great pub. They have a fancy cocktail bar upstairs that I've never been in - though I did have some of the drinks at a pop-up in Dublin - but the pub area downstairs is one of those great boozers which is just wall-to-wall with tat and punters, and in the winter at least, a nice warming smell of peat fires. Despite being downtown, it seemed miraculously free of banker twats when I was there too.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

QuoteSheep's Heid Inn

For the supposed oldest pub in Scotland they've gone out of their way to decorate it in such a way that it could be any pub in the entire country. No doubt nice after a cold dank climb though.

phes

A bar you can sit/stand at and meet people. One that has been built to accommodate and promote that. That's pretty much number one for me.

In contradiction to this my favourite pub in the country does not really have an appealing bar at which to sit. But it does everything else. The Brudenell. Has retained its soul while developing two gig venues, a giant garden, keeping their huge pool and snooker room, shows football without being a shithole, ok to great beer at good prices, heavy community involvement, wide variation of cast of customers. Has locals, has a more transient group keeping it fresh, has consistency and great heart and motovation in management.

seepage

1980-82: probably loads of lovely pubs in Norwich but I can only properly remember the Compleat Angler on the river opposite the station (I remember there were optics behind the piano so the player could pour their own drinks), and the Firs at the end of Fifers Lane (not lovely), now a Tesco Express, which used to have the Firs Stadium opposite that hosted the Norwich Stars speedway team. There was an ex-hotel near the castle that had lots of windy rooms, some devoted to arcade machines - was that The Bell Hotel, now a 'spoons? Also one of those 'smallest pub in the world' places, on Pottergate I think, but I can't find it now.

1983-99: wasted most of my time in another ex-hotel, this one with three bars: the Teachers Bar [cliques of teachers from the local tech college, nowhere near the college but near where it was trendy for them to live], the Pool Bar [pool table] and the Piano Bar [piano and local crims]. When I first went it had just had  a makeover including neon blue & pink signs of cocktails and flamingos that were in vogue at the time, but that didn't last long. Drinks: Fosters, Kroonenberg, Courage Best or Directors [always off]. Red wine usually Pinotage [the stuff that smells of rubber].

Since then most places seem to have been converted to dining only so just a drink means outside in the summer.   

Shoulders?-Stomach!

I've checked out some of Ferris' and dr beats suggestions for Edinburgh. Thanks for those. Obviously sifting through ones that didn't stand out (to me anyway) and using recommendations and research from others I have down to visit:

Bow Bar, Captains Bar, The Guildford, the Dog House, Dagda, Tolbooth Tavern, Halfway House, Kays Bar, the Doric, White Hart (mebbe, mebbe not), The Oxford.

Cheers

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Quote from: Tony Tony Tony on August 18, 2021, 09:26:14 AM


And to keep it on topic, this will be whilst you are in your favourite Moscow drinking den.

Yay! This means I get to return to Moscow, wherein reside at least * three* Her Who Plays Milly/ Molotov Girl In That Film lookalikes! I might even get to have a beer with Mr. Logic (from CaB, not " Viz")!  :)

Shame about the getting killed thing, though :(