Dodgy Pub practices!!

faceman

On route to attending a concert couple of weeks back, a few of us had a few drinks in a well known pub (which shall remain nameless).

Anywho, as the day progressed the pub got busier, so the barmen proceed to get to the pre-pour pint stage. I.e. the pour out 3/4 the volume of a pint and have it waiting because its not going to be sitting there long before someone orders a drink.

Anyway at the bar waiting for my turn, myself and my mate were standing to the side of the bar waiting to be served and we saw a barmen pouring Becks and topping them up with whatever was being ordered. (i.e. not Becks!)

Now my first thought was that maybe it wasnt becks in the keg however the barman looked over and caught us staring and proceeded to fumble a bit. He came over took our orders and my mate said "we'll have 2 Heineken without Becks pleased". He smiled and ran off to get 2 fresh pints.

Anyway, this was pretty shocking to say the least but i suspect there are equally as shocking tales about the going ons in the nation's public houses. Anyone else know of some dubious activities.

Note, dont name the establishments!

shenanigans1982

Won't name the pub but some b*stards try and short change you.

Gummy Panda

I worked in a pub that ran out of Carlsberg so we put Harp on the tap. The regular Carlsberg drinkers were lapping it up.

Pity Harp gives you a terrible hangover

RoosterIllusion

Gummy Panda wrote: »

I worked in a pub that ran out of Carlsberg so we put Harp on the tap. The regular Carlsberg drinkers were lapping it up.

Pity Harp gives you a terrible hangover

Pity it's a protestant drink too

FlutterinBantam

Nothing wrong with Harp, fresh lively clean tasting.

Carsinian Thau

shenanigans1982 wrote: »

Won't name the pub but some b*stards try and short change you.

That happens far too frequently and in far too many pubs.
At least some of them will rectify the "mistake" (!) if you bring it to their attention.
Otherwise, it's time to spread vicous rumours and advise everyone you know to avoid the place like hell.

The_Minister

I remember getting given a pint that was sitting under the bar - someone had ordered it then left, and it was flat as a puddle.:mad:

I got another pint.

connundrum

Can't say I ever did that tbh.

Although I did try a trick with vodka/gin before where I'd coat the lip of a glass in gin, and then actually serve vodka to see if anyone knew the difference - no one did.

I'd always be honest with punters as I would appreciate it whilst being on the other side of the counter.

Mossy Monk

The_Minister wrote: »

I remember getting given a pint that was sitting under the bar - someone had ordered it then left, and it was flat as a puddle.:mad:

Some **** tried that one with me before and refused to pour a new pint. Thankfully the manager walked in the door during our discussion. End result free round of drinks. FTW

Nightwish

I was at a function in a hotel in Kilkenny a few weeks back, where the barman ran out of wine mid pour and topped up with a different wine - different in both brand and year. The person next to me ordered a vodka and lime, and he poured a dash of vodka and cut a slice of an actual lime and threw it in the glass!

At a wedding in another hotel last year, the bride and groom brought their own bottles of wine, but once the dinner was over, the barmen cleared away the bottles and started selling glasses of wine from the bottles that were already paid for.

Rowley Birkin QC

If we got caught for a pint of Guinness on the way out at closing time I would pour it by just pushing the tap back rather than forward. Usually the method was to pull forward for the first pour then push back for the second part of the pour. If you push back for the whole pour the pint would settle much quicker, have no idea why. Never had any complaints either.

I wouldn't mind but I had war in a Dublin pub lately with a barman over the way he poured my Guinness.:o

Also bottles were always recapped if they were the wrong ones.

Dave147

RoosterIllusion wrote: »

Pity it's a protestant drink too

I've reported your post.

TO TONY SEDA!!

CreepingDeath

I used to work part-time in a well known pub in South Dublin in the early 90's.

At the end of every night the drip trays were poured into a plastic bucket.
All the slops, Guinness, Smithwicks, Carlsburg, Bulmers etc... all ended up in the one bucket. That bucket was brought outside and poured into an empty keg via a funnel. That keg was tapped and we all knew which "Guinness" tap it was connected too.

If someone ordered a Guinness, it was filled up 3/4 full as normal, allowed to settle, then the remaining 1/4 was topped up with the slops from another tap.

Some people would taste the sweetness if there was too much cider, and we'd get the odd pint handed back in which case we'd give them a proper pint. It happened in the lounge but not the bar area.

Now I can't say whether that practice still goes on today, but it went on every single night of the 5 years I worked there.

And I definitely won't name and shame, so don't even attempt to guess and expect a yes/no answer.

Rowley Birkin QC

You poured drink into a keg with a funnel?

I call shennanigans.

Dave147

We used empty our drip trays into a bucket put it back into a keg and send it back to the brewery lol.. This was years ago though..

Calibos

Pull the other one!!

Lots of pubs would pour slops back into kegs (Funnel welded to DIY nozzle that fit the kegs) but that was to pull a fast one on the brewery's and get credit for 'Bad Kegs'. Brewery's got wise to that one and started hiring chemists to analyse the contents with gas spectrometers ie a Harp,Heineken, Carlsberg mix was not the same as pure carlsberg. Pubs couldn't use individual slop trays for each drink to keep the slops separate as the reps would know there was only one reason a place would want small individual slop trays that had to be emptied every 5 minutes as opposed to 2 or 3 big slop trays that would last the night before needing to be emptied.

So in effect, chemical analysis of returns put an end to this practice.

The owners of the pub I worked in were the biggest chancers but even they wouldn't have tried to serve the mixed slops!!

You sir are a fibber!!

Goodluck2me

bigkev49 wrote: »

You poured drink into a keg with a funnel?

I call shennanigans.

once the gas is out of it its possible.

CreepingDeath

bigkev49 wrote: »

You poured drink into a keg with a funnel?

I call shennanigans.

Yep... done it myself.
The kegs aren't pressurised. You can push a funnel on the valve and release any air from an empty keg.
It's only when you connect them to the gas cynlinders that they're pressurised.

Rowley Birkin QC

I sit corrected.

Eoin

I heard that Fosters would often be used as a cheaper replacement, but I'm not sure what lager it replaced.

Another one I heard, but I'm not sure about this one: if someone asks for something like a vodka & coke, the barman would put the coke and ice in first, and then a smaller portion of short last. Because the short is at the top of the glass, it tastes stronger for the first few sips so the smaller portion goes unnoticed.

I don't drink shorts myself, but I wonder would many people notice if a cheaper version of vodka / gin / whatever was used rather than a branded name?

ROCKMAN

Here's one I have seen in London ,but never in Ireland.
It would be done to Regulars as a joke or if they where pissed and the staff thought they had enough and did not want them getting any drunker, it was not done to cheat anyone.

Get the end of a pint of Guinness with a the head and a small bit of colour (the black stuff) left in the end of the class. Fill the pint back up with tap water , let it settle (may need a small touch of lager from the tap , for head effect) IT WILL LOOK LIKE PINT OF LAGER
If there is a lot of colour in the end of glass ,it will look like ale.

Rhinocharge

Worked as a doorman for several years for a very well known south side club in Dublin City. In the bar everything was on the level, in the night club they used to water down the vodka, pouring cheap vodka into a premimum brand bottle & then adding water. Most of the punters never knew. It was those really big 3 litre bottles.

IRISH RAIL

I remember when i worked in the rb store in james gate the crap that you would see coming back we knew wher it came from and i always voided the pubs,, soon after I ran out of pubs:eek:

javaboy

IRISH RAIL wrote: »

I remember when i worked in the rb store in james gate the crap that you would see coming back we knew wher it came from and i always voided the pubs,, soon after I ran out of pubs:eek:

I'd be more worried about avoiding the pubs that aren't trying to scam the supplier by sending back slops. I mean if they're not giving their slops to the supplier, where is it going? :eek:

ssmith6287

Ive been a barman now for 6 years while im in college, just finished up yesterday for good Thank GOD. But it has got very dodgy recently. Buying cases of ahem Smirnoff for €150, buying kegs from the north, buying bottles in newry. We ran out of Coors on tap one day so we put heineken on, usually I wudn mind but a regular customer who we know has diabetes drinks coors, felt sick giving her heineken because of the sugar, cudve killed the woman. There are alot of pubs doing stuff like this, 4 pubs in drogheda have recently been hit with hefty fines from the tax man and the other crowd that deals with fraud, cnt think of their name

norrie rugger

Gummy Panda wrote: »

I worked in a pub that ran out of Carlsberg so we put Harp on the tap. The regular Carlsberg drinkers were lapping it up.

Pity Harp gives you a terrible hangover

Went on the lash with Harp two weeks ago and got nothing of a hangover from it. Not a great one for hangovers mind but stout will make me a bit groggy next morning

ssmith6287

Calibos wrote: »

Pull the other one!!

Lots of pubs would pour slops back into kegs (Funnel welded to DIY nozzle that fit the kegs) but that was to pull a fast one on the brewery's and get credit for 'Bad Kegs'. Brewery's got wise to that one and started hiring chemists to analyse the contents with gas spectrometers ie a Harp,Heineken, Carlsberg mix was not the same as pure carlsberg. Pubs couldn't use individual slop trays for each drink to keep the slops separate as the reps would know there was only one reason a place would want small individual slop trays that had to be emptied every 5 minutes as opposed to 2 or 3 big slop trays that would last the night before needing to be emptied.

So in effect, chemical analysis of returns put an end to this practice.

The owners of the pub I worked in were the biggest chancers but even they wouldn't have tried to serve the mixed slops!!

You sir are a fibber!!

wehave a small slop tray per tap. If yer emptying it every 5 mins then ya need new barmen. As for pouring it in with a funnel, jesus id like to see that. Considering the beer is more in gas form while in the keg i cant see this working. maybe in the old day of the barrell but kegs ARE preasurised

biko

We definitely need a pub forum *cough*

not yet

ROCKMAN wrote: »

Here's one I have seen in London ,but never in Ireland.
It would be done to Regulars as a joke or if they where pissed and the staff thought they had enough and did not want them getting any drunker, it was not done to cheat anyone.

Get the end of a pint of Guinness with a the head and a small bit of colour (the black stuff) left in the end of the class. Fill the pint back up with tap water , let it settle (may need a small touch of lager from the tap , for head effect) IT WILL LOOK LIKE PINT OF LAGER
If there is a lot of colour in the end of glass ,it will look like ale.

This one is class it really looks like a pint of lager, done it one night on a lad who was pissed and had all the lads at the bar in on the joke.......it was passed around and everyone said....ah no that pints grand, the guy thought he was losing it.

I've seen and done some nasty stuff at the bar, one dickhead who constantly annoyed me got a drop of piss in his carlsberg and licked his lips walking away, ah, revenge.....best served cold in a glass.

Teferi

My girlfriends family uses to own a pub. Their Smirnoff and other brand name vodkas were just the bottles with Tescos finest thrown in.

All pubs are pulling a fast one somewhere.

norrie rugger

Dave147 wrote: »

We used empty our drip trays into a bucket put it back into a keg and send it back to the brewery lol.. This was years ago though..

The Brewery would call shennigans now
They test every return keg

Noopti

ssmith6287 wrote: »

We ran out of Coors on tap one day so we put heineken on, usually I wudn mind but a regular customer who we know has diabetes drinks coors, felt sick giving her heineken because of the sugar, cudve killed the woman.

You realise that you could have been done for manslaughter seeing as you knowingly gave a diabetic something which could harm/kill her?
I assume you were young and hadn't the common sense to just not give it to her?
Why not just say you haven't got any Coors left and offer a bottle if you had them?

DenMan

In "little" Malta, when I lived there. There is a huge area set aside for 24 hour vodka bars, clubs etc. All tastes catered for. It's called Paceville. In one of the vodka bars we went in and got comfortable. It was quite late (4am). Noticed a strong bleaching smell coupled with white spirits emanating from all around us. Went over (covertly) and noticed a few girls topping up the vodka/bacardi bottles with what smelled very like white spirits. It cought them by surprise and I asked them what were doing to the bottles at 4am. "topping up" one replied. Suffice to say we all ran out of the bar screaming (well the girls did and I kinda went along with it), never to go in there again. Don't trust late bars at really really late hours. Be very careful. :eek::eek::eek:

Statso

Teferi wrote: »

All pubs are pulling a fast one somewhere.

Mine doesn't try any fast ones. Theres still good pubs around. I imagine its more of a problem in Dublin.

Overheal

Statso wrote: »

Mine doesn't try any fast ones. Theres still good pubs around. I imagine its more of a problem in Dublin.

See! He's pulling a fast on us right now!

dub_skav

ssmith6287 wrote: »

As for pouring it in with a funnel, jesus id like to see that. Considering the beer is more in gas form while in the keg i cant see this working. maybe in the old day of the barrell but kegs ARE preasurised

As was said earlier in the thread kegs are only pressurised when they are full of beer or they are attached to the gas. Once they're empty removing the excess gas is a simple process and filling with a funnel is possible. Once it is attached to the gas again it re-pressurises

ncmc

I don't drink shorts myself, but I wonder would many people notice if a cheaper version of vodka / gin / whatever was used rather than a branded name?

I saw this on 'Mythbusters' so it must be true

If you get a cheap generic vodka and pass it through an ordinary filter seven times (like the Brita filters you use for water) it finishes up tasting like premium vodka. They tested it with this guy who was a vodka 'sommelier' and he was able to blind test and say how many times each glass had been through the filter. At the end he wasn't able to tell the difference between the 7 times filtered stuff and the premium brand. True!

My sister only drinks Smirnoff and can tell when it's not the real deal, must try the filtering trick on her.

Josie_dub

Did the replacing smirnoff with huzzar one alot. If the gas was too high and the pint overflowed into the tray throw it back in and serve it up. Funniest was this looper that came in and asked me to reccommend something, I said we had this lovely new larger called cobra he should definitely try (got a few bottles in a promotion wanted to get rid) he proceded to drink every bottle we had, stumbled all over the place made a bit of a show of himself in fromt of everyone dancing in the lounge, told me he loved me bla bla bla.

No one told him it was non-alcoholic.:D

LostinBlanch

ROCKMAN wrote: »

Here's one I have seen in London ,but never in Ireland.
It would be done to Regulars as a joke or if they where pissed and the staff thought they had enough and did not want them getting any drunker, it was not done to cheat anyone.

Get the end of a pint of Guinness with a the head and a small bit of colour (the black stuff) left in the end of the class. Fill the pint back up with tap water , let it settle (may need a small touch of lager from the tap , for head effect) IT WILL LOOK LIKE PINT OF LAGER
If there is a lot of colour in the end of glass ,it will look like ale.

I heard about that in Galway years ago. The Kings Head had problems with the amount of pints getting sent back.The brewery and reps tried everything but still loads and loads of pints were still getting sent back. They realised this was only happening on student nights :rolleyes: so the brewery sent down a youngfella to drink and watch what was going on. He saw lads filling the ends of Guinness with water and then exchanging it for another pint.

I think most places are wide to that one now though.

ashyle

bigkev49 wrote: »

Also bottles were always recapped if they were the wrong ones.

how do they re-cap??

Hauk

ashyle wrote: »

how do they re-cap??

All you have to do is put the cap back on and give it a good whack. Then put it back in the fridge.

Hauk

ashyle

ugh that's so dodgy, lets hope the barperson that wants to spike ya isn't a good recapper :eek:

ShooterSF

Done most of these. Re-cappin and topping up brand name with others are fairly common.

Best ever was a drink called "Spritz" (essentially sparkling rose wine like w.c.c. only muck) we got 10 cases free for promotion. Couldnt ship them even at special €3 bottle prices. Eventually had a brainstorm glasses of pink champagne at €4 a glass, got 2 glasses out of a bottle and shipped them at €8 a bottle. I was a cnut of a barman

mikemac

I’ve haven’t seen most of these dodgy practices.
I know for certain that topping up spirits and messing with kegs didn’t go on where I worked so not all places are bad.

Recapping bottles did go on though.
Some women asks for a 7up and then demands a diet 7up instead.
"I'm watching my figure" she sneers while you mutter "a bit late now, you're 15 stone" as you walk away,shaking your head in disgust.

All you do is recap it and hope you sell it in the next few minutes as it’ll go flat.
I could easily done that over 10 times a shift.

But no other dodgy practice, seriously.

dotsman

Have worked in 2 bars in my student days and never saw anything dodgy (and I would have been around enough to know!).

On the recapping thing. That's done in pretty much every pub. Most of the time (and again, down to how legit the pub is), it's fine.

It's necessary due to the amount of drunken people who change their minds half way through their order. You'd love to tell them to **** off and pay for it, but it's not worth the hassle.

In both places I worked, the recapped bottle would be put to the front of the fridge and typically sold within 10 minutes anyway. once it's recapped right, it wouldn't really lose it's fizz for a few hours.

Any that were in the fridge for a while or at the end of the night were graciously consumed by the staff!

IRISH RAIL

The Brewery would call shennigans now
They test every return keg

They dont test every one its just which ones they bother to drain into a bottle cap and send down to the lab roughly one in 5, and even if shennanigans was called by diageo the bar owner would say " are you calling me a liar ill get beamish in here instead" to which diageo would say" of course not our lab must be wrong have a free keg on us" funny because its true :eek:

Jay P

IRISH RAIL wrote: »

They dont test every one its just which ones they bother to drain into a bottle cap and send down to the lab roughly one in 5, and even if shennanigans was called by diageo the bar owner would say " are you calling me a liar ill get beamish in here instead" to which diageo would say" of course not our lab must be wrong have a free keg on us" funny because its true :eek:

Somehow I doubt that. One little pub won't make a difference to Diageo. Diageo is a massive drinks company. I would imagine the bar would suffer from not having Guinness, Smithwicks, Harp, Smirnoff and Goldshlager.

kraggy

RoosterIllusion wrote: »

Pity it's a protestant drink too

How so?

It's made by Guinness.

Peteee

kraggy wrote: »

How so?

It's made by Guinness.

Guinness was a protestant...

ShooterSF

Jay P wrote: »

Somehow I doubt that. One little pub won't make a difference to Diageo. Diageo is a massive drinks company. I would imagine the bar would suffer from not having Guinness, Smithwicks, Harp, Smirnoff and Goldshlager.

Add to that Carlsberg and Budweiser.

byrner88

ShooterSF wrote: »

Add to that Carlsberg and Budweiser.

and baileys and archers