Man your pumps, Wetherspoons are coming

Cienciano

BeerNut wrote: »

I'd be willing to bet it's the lack of piped music that people find unsettling. With most pubs you know on a subconscious level that you're now in a pub because there's music playing, or sport on a TV. When that's missing, something is... wrong.

But yet if you started a thread in AH about what people want in a pub everyone would say 1. No music, 2. cheap prices and 3. good selection of beer! People always find something to moan about. Once people are in a pub it has atmosphere imho.

One thing I'd definitely change is the TV. I've no problem with TV's in pubs when they're showing something that people are actually watching like horse racing, boxing etc, but one just showing sky news or some bull****e is really annoying. It just catches your eye all the time.

Actually, I just remembered, I have an IR blaster on my phone, next time I'm in I'm powering it off

Technocentral

Cienciano wrote:

One thing I'd definitely change is the TV. I've no problem with TV's in pubs when they're showing something that people are actually watching like horse racing, boxing etc, but one just showing sky news or some bull****e is really annoying. It just catches your eye all the time.

I cant stand any tv in pubs sports or no sports.

L1011

Technocentral wrote: »

Another I haven't heard of I only drink craft beers, ipas and cask type beers so was no reason to be around Abbey Street until Spoons showed up.

That'd have given more reasons to have heard of Urban Brewing realistically.

There's plenty of interesting pubs in the area, basically. Graingers on Amiens Street is another

Fan of Netflix

BeerNut wrote: »

I'd be willing to bet it's the lack of piped music that people find unsettling. With most pubs you know on a subconscious level that you're now in a pub because there's music playing, or sport on a TV. When that's missing, something is... wrong.

No stools at the bar is a frequent complaint. Nearly all Irish pubs have them. A major reason there is no atmosphere, people just come in groups and stick to their own table. Because of this they are also not worth going to on your own.

Its another reason so many pubs in England are ****e compared to here.

L1011

Stools at the bar are a massive pain when a bar is busy, though.

hetuzozaho

Fan of Netflix wrote: »

No stools at the bar is a frequent complaint.

I hate the lack of seats at the bar actually. Whats the consensus there?

It's my favourite place to sit in a pub, and drives me mad over in London etc.

Technocentral

Never sit at the bar, prefer standing or at a table

Blut2

Its incredibly annoying in Irish pubs when there are a load of people sitting on/standing around stools at the bar in a busy pub, clearly not ordering, but blocking up the entire bar. And who give you dirty looks for trying to order over/through them. Its just not a smart use of space.

hetuzozaho

Blut2 wrote: »

Its incredibly annoying in Irish pubs when there are a load of people sitting on/standing around stools at the bar in a busy pub,

I always thought it was England was backward with this. Is Ireland in the minority with seats at bar...? Feel like seats is more common from my travels. Although maybe it's the small crafty places I tend to go.

Maybe it's because I pop for a beer solo a lot. Its nice to sit in at bar and chat etc.

L1011

The only other country they're nearly universal in would be the US I guess. Have seen/used them in a fair few countries around Europe but plenty of bars don't have them.

Dellboy54

Sitting at the bar when a pub is quiet is fine I reckon.....when busy its a different story for both the customers trying to order and for the customers sitting at the bar ducking as pints being passed overhead....

DelmarODonnell

I'd normally pick a pub based on 1) Beer and/or 2) Atmosphere/design of a pub

1) Beer
I like drinking cask and when over in England it is great to nip into the good beer bars and cask can have a really wide variety of styles. I find the Spoons here mostly have very average bitters and golden ales. Was in Dun L two weeks ago and Jaipur was the best of the bunch. Would love to see them get in a couple of porters or brown ales, I'd be far more likely to nip in more often. The kegged craft beer leaves a lot to be desired aswell.

2) Atmosphere/design of a pub
If heading out with a few mates who wouldn't be as into craft beers, I love getting into the Palace/Bowes/O'Neills Pearse Street/The Swan. They are proper pubs with a decent selection of beer and a good vibe in them. I was in Wetherspoons Blackrock on a Thursday night probably 18 months ago and I would guess that there were 25 14 or 15 years old in there. For all talk of the bouncers on the door, they couldn't give a flute who they are letting in as long as they don't make a holy show of themselves while they are there.

Personally would mainly only nip into a Spoons if a bit stuck or friends/myself are feeling particularly cheap that day.

They're grand to nip into once in a while but they are so alien to the concept of a traditional Irish Pub that I feel like they should be placed in a different category to 'Pub' altogether.

Cienciano

Dellboy54 wrote: »

Sitting at the bar when a pub is quiet is fine I reckon.....when busy its a different story for both the customers trying to order and for the customers sitting at the bar ducking as pints being passed overhead....

That's the thing, it's grand a lot of the time when the pub isn't too busy. I was in O'Neills on suffox street at the bar a while ago. But had loads of space along the bar for other people to order, not a problem.
But go into somewhere like Keoghs on South Annes street, a group of 5 or 6 people sitting in a semi circle at the bar and a a few each side of the other partitions can make it a pain in the arse to get to the bar! I still think it has to be done, I'd rather people sitting at the bar than not.

landofthetree

Technocentral wrote: »

I cant stand any tv in pubs sports or no sports.

There is definitely a market for pubs with no TVs.

I'm surprised more pubs don't go down that route given the high cost of showing Sky.

Sam Smith's pub chain in the UK don't allow them.

BeerNut

landofthetree wrote: »

I'm surprised more pubs don't go down that route given the high cost of showing Sky.

Sky is one of the regular things a macro brewery will pay for so that pubs give them favourable treatment.

L1011

"opening soon" signs up on Waterford now apparently. Just leaves Douglas from the original set of proposed sites - and it didn't get planning I think.

Muahahaha

Was in the Abbey Street branch the other day for the first time. Must say I was very impressed, theyve done a fantastic restoration job on it. Really liked the black marble counter tops at the bar. Couldnt believe how big it is but even then it has lots of nooks and crannies so it doesnt feel that big when you're in it. A welcome addition to city centre options imo.

Technocentral

Muahahaha wrote: »

Was in the Abbey Street branch the other day for the first time. Must say I was very impressed, theyve done a fantastic restoration job on it. Really liked the black marble counter tops at the bar. Couldnt believe how big it is but even then it has lots of nooks and crannies so it doesnt feel that big when you're in it. A welcome addition to city centre options imo.

Only place in the City Centre that you can get great beers for very little (Cask ales 3.25)

landofthetree

Technocentral wrote: »

Only place in the City Centre that you can get great beers for very little (Cask ales 3.25)

They have 3.25 beside the pumps but they only charged me 2.95 last week.

Technocentral

landofthetree wrote: »

They have 3.25 beside the pumps but they only charged me 2.95 last week.

They have Ghost Ship cask ale for 2.95 are you sure it wasnt that?

landofthetree

Technocentral wrote: »

They have Ghost Ship cask ale for 2.95 are you sure it wasnt that?

I had a pint of Goose and Titanic and was charged 2.95 each time.

BeerNut

Last week I ordered a half of two different beers in succession. Both were marked €3.25 a pint but I was charged €1.65 and €1.50 respectively. I wouldn't be surprised if they dropped the overall cask price to €2.99 at some point soon.

Muahahaha

€1.65 is a bargain for half a pint, what are city publicans charging these days for a glass of Guinness? AFAIK a glass in the UK is typically half the price of a pint whereas here our lot like to dip you that bit extra.

BeerNut

Muahahaha wrote: »

AFAIK a glass in the UK is typically half the price of a pint

Which is why it's that way in Wetherspoon. You even get a UK IP address on the wifi, in case you want to watch BBC iPlayer

Charging more than 50% for a half does make economic sense and is hard to argue against on that basis. Getting one for half the price of a pint is a pleasant cultural convention of our neighbours, bless 'em.

Hotblack Desiato

Given all the claptrap from official Ireland about drinking, it's mad that you can be financially penalised for drinking less or drinking NA beer / soft drinks.

BeerNut

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Given all the claptrap from official Ireland about drinking, it's mad that you can be financially penalised for drinking less or drinking NA beer / soft drinks.

Official Ireland is subservient to the pubs. The pubs' interests come first. I've never known it any other way.

Technocentral

BeerNut wrote: »

Official Ireland is subservient to the pubs. The pubs' interests come first. I've never known it any other way.

Galway Bay bars charge half only for half pints too.

BeerNut

Technocentral wrote: »

Galway Bay bars charge half only for half pints too.

Specialist beer places generally do. Though specialist beer places, including Galway Bay's, will often be awkward about serving something by the half pint when the default measure isn't a pint. It's annoyingly up-selly.

Technocentral

BeerNut wrote: »

Specialist beer places generally do. Though specialist beer places, including Galway Bay's, will often be awkward about serving something by the half pint when the default measure isn't a pint. It's annoyingly up-selly.

Yeah I should have said of stuff that is sold in pints.

L1011

I'd need to find the article again but there was uproar when basically all Dublin pubs absolutely-not-as-a-cartel increased the extra for getting a half from one old penny back in the 60s. Were some ridiculous reasons given at the time but it was basically to make more money off people who regularly drank halfs