Beamish making inroads into the pubs?

moxin

I was in a north Dublin pub at the weekend whose clients are a mixed bag of pensioners, middle aged and young people of both sexes, about 100 in total.

What struck me when glancing across the tables of the entire pub and at the bar(yes i spied ) was that about three quarters of the stout that was being drunk was Beamish instead of Guinness. Guinness have 4 taps(2 in bar and 2 in larger lounge area) while Beamish has maybe one in each area.

I wondered why so many drunk Beamish and I may have answered my own query as there is a sign up saying its 3.80. Guinness is 4.30 i think. It just struck me that Guinness is maybe starting to lose market share as drinkers of all ages(including the old regulars at the bar and young stout drinkers) chose Beamish instead of Guinness. Has anyone noticed similar tastes in other pubs?

minidazzler

Beamish is nicer, so it should be more popular.

BeerNut

I'd hazard that for every drinker who chooses Beamish because it's cheaper there is at least one who rejects it for exactly the same reason.

Glebee

BeerNut wrote: »

I'd hazard that for every drinker who chooses Beamish because it's cheaper there is at least one who rejects it for exactly the same reason.

Spot on, In my local you can get cheap pints of Tuborg. Ive actually never tasted it but because its cheap my first thoughts are that its not a nice beer.
By the way is Tuborg considered an ok beer, sorry to swing off topic a bit

babaracus

Tuborg is fine. It is made by the same people who make Carlsberg and I don't notice much difference between it and any other generic Lager.

Seaneh

babaracus wrote: »

It is made by the same people who make Carlsberg

Aye, by Diageo in James Gate

moxin

BeerNut wrote: »

I'd hazard that for every drinker who chooses Beamish because it's cheaper there is at least one who rejects it for exactly the same reason.

Perhaps, personally I think the drinks quality is better than Guinness. If people try a cheap drink and don't like it they would move back to their regular drink at a higher price, wouldn't they? Well they didn't in this pub.

Herb Powell

Beamish is my favourite of the macro stouts, I'm quite happy drinking it.

Then again I'm from Cork.

rubadub

BeerNut wrote: »

I'd hazard that for every drinker who chooses Beamish because it's cheaper there is at least one who rejects it for exactly the same reason.

+1, in many threads I said I reckon they would sell more if they upped the price.

I bet there are thousands of people out there who call themselves "guinness drinkers" with pride, who have never even tasted beamish once, or maybe just 1 pint or 2 of any other stouts. I remember a guy I know looking at me like I was mad drinking it, a guinness drinker, saying "why are you drinking that".

The cheapness does give it a stigma, and the astonishing marketing success has made guinness appear to be the stout. The only other comparable products like this would probably be coke and heinz ketchup.

Instead of thinking "wait this beamish is 50cent less, must be something wrong with it", the logic should be "wait, they are trying to charge 50cent more for guinness, a drink with the same ingredients, when it should be cheaper as its more mass produced"

It can also have a snowball effect in some bars, like you go in, see everybody is on beamish and think "maybe its the best stout in this place, at least the kegs are going to be turned around fast". Like if you go to some pubs in cork you might see everybody on murphys.

BeerNut

moxin wrote: »

If people try a cheap drink and don't like it they would move back to their regular drink at a higher price, wouldn't they?

Sure. You're just underestimating the size of that "if". As rubadub says, lots of people wouldn't even try it, because it's cheap. I suspect also that there are plenty more who would try it believing in advance that they won't like it, and it turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy. In a blind taste they might decide differently.

moxin wrote: »

personally I think the drinks quality is better than Guinness.

If you haven't tested this with a blind tasting, you only think you think that :P

drumswan

I think that I think I prefer Murphys of the three

BeerNut

drumswan wrote: »

I think that I think I prefer Murphys of the three

Having tested it blind, I know I do. I can't tell the difference between Guinness and Beamish, tasted blind.

Geuze

Good points made here.

Why do I drink it? Several reasons.

I try to support the underdog - though I realise Beamish was owned by S&N and is now owned by Heineken.

It tastes fine to me.

I like to save 40c-80c.

I like other people in the pub to see it being served.

I like to challenge other people's preconceptions

(NB: all points may not align - humans are contradictory)

coylemj

Beamish on offer at prices lower than Guinness has been going on for years, I'm surprised it's worthy of a thread TBH. In certain country towns they relaunch Beamish every 5 years or so with posters in the pubs that stock it advertising how much cheaper it is than Guinness, never lasts more than a few months. In certain parts of Dublin, Beamish has always been a cheap alternative to the local brew.

BeerNut wrote: »

I'd hazard that for every drinker who chooses Beamish because it's cheaper there is at least one who rejects it for exactly the same reason.

+1 Price snobbery is alive and well in the beer market. For the first few years that Heineken was in Ireland, they had a policy of staying at the same price as the mainstream brands, in particular Harp which back then had the lion's share of the lager market. The theory was that to fall behind a few pence per pint would risk being considered a 'cheap' (=inferior) lager like Tennants so every time Guinness Group Sales jacked up the price of Harp, Heineken followed suit. When asked by journalists for an explanation, the brewery blamed it on increased costs, poor barley harvest blah blah blah. In the trade magazines they told the publicans that it was in response to an increase in the price of a pint of Harp.

MrGee

Im a craft beer drinker with stouts being my drink of choice. I always look for oharas first for my stout fix but if unavailable i am more then happy to drink Beamish. I think its not a million miles from oharas stout in taste. Its certainly better tasting then guinness. Its almost always cheaper too. Very tastey stout!!

beardedmaster

I quite like Beamish, but prefer Guinness. Don't give a cobblers about the price.

munster87

In a pub I frequent, you get a free pint with a meal. The only stout you can get free though is Beamish so I drink it occasionally there. I enjoy it as much as Guinness. I'm not really that keen on Murphy's though, never liked it.

Colonel Sanders

BeerNut wrote: »

Having tested it blind, I know I do. I can't tell the difference between Guinness and Beamish, tasted blind.

I must actually do a blind tasting of Guinness/Beamish/Murphy's myself

crockholm

Given the choice between a good pint of Beamish or Guinness,I would choose Beamish,nothing about the cost,just based on taste alone. I rate Murphys at the bottom of the group,I tried to get into it but I couldn't-even drank it in pubs in Blackpool,alas......

Dissappointingly,I noticed that the Murphys sold abroad in cans comes from Edinburgh.

I wish Beamish more success in the Irish market, even in Cork it had kind of an image problem,it was said to me often that Beamish doesn't travel well outside of Barrack Street alone !

BeerNut

crockholm wrote: »

Dissappointingly,I noticed that the Murphys sold abroad in cans comes from Edinburgh.

Heineken makes it in the Netherlands, and InBev certainly used to at Magor in Wales, I don't know if they still do. Funny, I've just been to Heineken's brewery in Edinburgh and they didn't mention Murphy's.

crockholm

BeerNut wrote: »

Heineken makes it in the Netherlands, and InBev certainly used to at Magor in Wales, I don't know if they still do. Funny, I've just been to Heineken's brewery in Edinburgh and they didn't mention Murphy's.

It says it on the back of the can.

Perhaps discretion is the order of the day,as has been seen in the various Creans threads;)

rubadub

crockholm wrote: »

It says it on the back of the can.

It specifically says brewed & canned in Edinburgh?

You will see bottles or cans of heineken saying they are canned/bottled in a particular country, but it is brewed in holland and I guess sent in tanker lorries there, and perhaps diluted locally too.

kooga

re heineken,

draft heineken brewed in cork. the cans and bottled heineken are imported. For me a 330ml can of heineken is the best.

But give me beamish any day.

Can somebody clarify but do bulmers in clonmel do a lot of canning for heineken.

did anybody see the documentary on tg4 last thursday for beamish? very good.

and finally where is the best pint of beamish in Cork city? for me the constellation bar in blackpool located across from the brewery.

JohnK

kooga wrote: »

and finally where is the best pint of beamish in Cork city? for me the constellation bar in blackpool located across from the brewery.

We haven't been up there drinking in over a year now but my father says the bar in Frankfield Golf Club have, or at least had, one of the best pints of Beamish in Cork.

edit - theres a few more good places listed here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056411817

BeerNut

rubadub wrote: »

It specifically says brewed & canned in Edinburgh?

You will see bottles or cans of heineken saying they are canned/bottled in a particular country, but it is brewed in holland and I guess sent in tanker lorries there, and perhaps diluted locally too.

This is the "Murphy's Pub Draught" nitro cans you get in the US. The formula is something like "Brewed and canned in the UK by Heineken Breweries (Edinburgh) Ltd." Heineken's Edinburgh brewery, Caledonian, does make beer for the US market: the Newkie Brown special editions are made there, and on display in the tasting bar. It could easily be brewed elsewhere in the UK with that form of words, and it's definitely not canned in Edinburgh.

[-0-]

Beamish, Murphys and Guinness are all lovely.

I'll drink Beamish if there are others drinking it. Sometimes you can go into a bar and the tap hasn't been used in months.

Tube

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

I must actually do a blind tasting of Guinness/Beamish/Murphy's myself

It's easy enough.

Beamish: moderately roasty, most flavoursome of the three
Murphys: not roasty, but slightly sweet
Guinness: neither roasty or sweet

Insect Overlord

There are a few pubs in Limerick with a reputation for a great Guinness, but there are more that do a great Beamish. I enjoy both (I'd switch between the two on a long night) but I'm starting to prefer Beamish.

kooga

Insect Overlord wrote: »

There are a few pubs in Limerick with a reputation for a great Guinness, but there are more that do a great Beamish. I enjoy both (I'd switch between the two on a long night) but I'm starting to prefer Beamish.

great beamish in charlies st george and myles breens

Bigcheeze

In before the Where's the best pint of Beamish in Ireland debate

eyebrows63

the mall bar in limerick is selling more beamish then guinness

crockholm

rubadub wrote: »

It specifically says brewed & canned in Edinburgh?

You will see bottles or cans of heineken saying they are canned/bottled in a particular country, but it is brewed in holland and I guess sent in tanker lorries there, and perhaps diluted locally too.

Just checked it out earlier."Brewed and canned in Edinburgh,under the supervision of Murphys brewery Cork"

moxin

Bigcheeze wrote: »

In before the Where's the best pint of Beamish in Ireland debate

As its being proudly stated its a Cork bastion, from my opening post is Beamish widely available now in Dublin pubs?

BeerNut

I think there may be less of it about than there was ten or so years ago, but there's plenty of it around, yes.

Ipso

BeerNut wrote: »

Having tested it blind, I know I do. I can't tell the difference between Guinness and Beamish, tasted blind.

I would like to see a blind taste test on Guiness drinkers where they have to identify it out of Murphy's and Beamish. Maybe serve Beamish in all three glasses to make things intetesting.

Tube

Your die hard brand loyal drinker will nearly always know when their pint "isn't right"

Seaneh

Tube wrote: »

Your die hard brand loyal drinker will nearly always know when their pint "isn't right"

No they won't.

moxin

Ipso wrote: »

I would like to see a blind taste test on Guiness drinkers where they have to identify it out of Murphy's and Beamish. Maybe serve Beamish in all three glasses to make things intetesting.

To my taste buds, Guinness is crisper, Beamish is slightly more richer and Murphys has a slight "choc" taste to it. Easy

BeerNut

moxin wrote: »

Easy

Your taste buds, or your taste buds with the help of your eyes?

moxin

BeerNut wrote: »

Your taste buds, or your taste buds with the help of your eyes?

I haven't drunk blindfolded yet

BeerNut

moxin wrote: »

I haven't drunk blindfolded yet

Riiiight. Come back to us with "Easy" when you've scored 100% on that :P

moxin

BeerNut wrote: »

Riiiight. Come back to us with "Easy" when you've scored 100% on that :P

I seriously doubt I could do such a test in a pub that sells all 3 drinks(if such a pub exists) nevermind drawing attention to myself drinking blindfolded

Would a test of the 3 different cans at home do?

BeerNut

moxin wrote: »

I seriously doubt I could do such a test in a pub that sells all 3 drinks(if such a pub exists)

I did it in O'Neill's of Suffolk Street in Dublin, adding in O'Hara's Stout as well. I'm sure there are other pubs selling all three.

moxin wrote: »

nevermind drawing attention to myself drinking blindfolded

You just need someone else to serve you without telling you which beer is which. You need that anyway, blindfold or not.

moxin wrote: »

Would a test of the 3 different cans at home do?

Yup. Let us know how it goes

rubadub

coylemj wrote: »

In certain country towns they relaunch Beamish every 5 years or so with posters in the pubs that stock it advertising how much cheaper it is than Guinness, never lasts more than a few months.

This can backfire on them, as they are labelling it as the cheapo drink so it can put off people who fear being branded a cheapskate (or whatever their problem is). Many people seem to have this weird aversion to buying cheap drink in pubs, there is a tradition that you do not ask the price of a pint before ordering, hence all the whinging in the rip off forums about the prices. If drinking at home these same people might openly brag about getting cheap drink in the offies though. I could never understand the odd divides between pubs & home/parties.

Ipso wrote: »

I would like to see a blind taste test on Guiness drinkers where they have to identify it out of Murphy's and Beamish. Maybe serve Beamish in all three glasses to make things intetesting.

If I was in marketing in beamish I would be doing this in pubs. They were advertising all the awards beamish got before. I think there was some slogan like "if you can't taste the difference why pay it" or something. I am also convinced the guinness "quality team" is mainly there to make sure other stouts are not connected to the guinness taps.

For the guinness drinkers who claim to hate beamish I wonder how many pints they suffered before calling it a day and never ordering it again. It is very common for guinness drinkers & occasional guinness drinkers to go to a new pub and ask a friend "how's the guinness?" i.e. they seem to take it for granted that you get good & bad pints. But I doubt they give the same allowance for beamish, i.e. they do not keep trying thinking "perhaps the last one was just a bad one".

BeerNut

rubadub wrote: »

If I was in marketing in beamish I would be doing this in pubs. They were advertising all the awards beamish got before. I think there was some slogan like "if you can't taste the difference why pay it"

The Pepsi Challenge is a great marketing gimmick but not a viable path to displacing the leading brand. Some rivalries come down to the fundamentals.

Link.

minidazzler

rubadub wrote: »

If I was in marketing in beamish I would be doing this in pubs. They were advertising all the awards beamish got before. I think there was some slogan like "if you can't taste the difference why pay it" or something. I am also convinced the guinness "quality team" is mainly there to make sure other stouts are not connected to the guinness taps.

There are different tapping heads for Guinness and Murphys/Beamish. No one would go to the trouble of changing out the line connected to the tap everytime there was a draughtsman coming..... the Quality team exist so people don't pour slops back into kegs sending it back calling it a "bad keg" as far as I know. Heineken et al have the same guys, they come around at regular intervals to just clean line and repair anything that's fooked.


I'm a Beamish drinker when drinking regular stout. But O' Hara's is better, hard as it is for me to say something from Carlow is better than from Cork :pac:

emco

minidazzler wrote: »

I'm a Beamish drinker when drinking regular stout. But O' Hara's is better, hard as it is for me to say something from Carlow is better than from Cork :pac:

"For somebody from Carlow to be lecturing Cork on stout is akin to Jedward telling Pavarotti how to sing"

http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2013/1125/sport/resisting-urge-for-intergalactic-gag-250607.html

I may have slightly altered that quote.

rubadub

minidazzler wrote: »

There are different tapping heads for Guinness and Murphys/Beamish. No one would go to the trouble of changing out the line connected to the tap everytime there was a draughtsman coming..... the Quality team exist so people don't pour slops back into kegs sending it back calling it a "bad keg" as far as I know. Heineken et al have the same guys, they come around at regular intervals to just clean line and repair anything that's fooked.

The scam could be simpler than trying to use the same offical lines or anything. Just buying cheap kegs from wherever, maybe a grey area middle man, and just sticking guinness or heineken signs on the tap that the customer sees it coming out of.

emco wrote: »

"For somebody from Carlow to be lecturing Cork on stout is akin to Jedward telling Pavarotti how to sing"

hmm more like a small artisan baker telling auld Mr Brennan how to make a decent loaf, even though he's one of the best sellers and at it years, his product it largely regarded as mass produced crap lashed out at minimal cost, quick as possible and bland as hell.