E2.50 pints should be outlawed, says FG TD

drumswan

CramCycle wrote: »

I can tell there is a difference, even in a blind taste test, not sure if I would get the Guinness/Beamish right from the taps if super cold but I could say they were different if all I had was a mouthful. Some of the lagers mentioned though, doubt I could tell the difference, neither can the average punter from my memories of being a barman.

Well I can tell there is a difference too but that's not much help in picking out which is which. I could maybe pick out the guinness as the most mildly flavored but I haven't had a Beamish or O Haras stout in yonks.

dan1895

There's a couple of O'Hara's stouts in my kitchen which are getting "taste tested" tonight thanks to the last page of this thread.

nibble

drumswan wrote: »

Ive tasted and rated over 1000 commercial beers, no way could I pick out O'Haras stout from Guinness or Beamish. Are we supposed to just know the characteristics of each?

I don't know, maybe I have incredibly sensitive tastebuds. The Beamish vs. Guinness I'll concede that they are indeed quite close together but the O' Haras is definitely noticeably different to me, and their Leann Folláin is very different (relatively speaking).

There are of course a lot of beers that tase very similar that I'm sure I couldn't distinguish between. Anyway doesn't matter, I suppose.

drumswan

nibble wrote: »

I don't know, maybe I have incredibly sensitive tastebuds. The Beamish vs. Guinness I'll concede that they are indeed quite close together but the O' Haras is definitely noticeably different to me, and their Leann Folláin is very different (relatively speaking).

There are of course a lot of beers that tase very similar that I'm sure I couldn't distinguish between. Anyway doesn't matter, I suppose.

Or maybe you drink a lot of Irish nitro stout. It's a fairly niche area in the world of beer

MonkstownHoop

This thread has gone well off topic

keeponhurling

So to link it all back to the OP, is there any realistic possibility of the government bringing in a minimum price, and getting it passed ?
I know it was a Fine Gael TD but not sure if the whole party or Labour wound support it.

You'd imagine there'd be a fair but of resistance.

Logically, the days of the typical Irish village having one bank, one shop , one post office and 9 pubs is long gone

Dr Turk Turkelton

I think Leo Varadkar made some mention of it today. I can't link as I just heard it in passing on the radio.

edit: there is a beer and wine forum to discuss the merits of different lagers and stouts.

Eutow

Would the government get away with introducing a law that states you must sell alcohol at a minimum price? The E.U. and competition law might have something to say about that. The only way around it is to possible increase taxes and duties, but of course that means people will spend less. Less people spending puts jobs at risks and pubs will close.

In the article this TD makes claims to "below cost selling". Where is the proof of this. TD's and various people within the LVA make this claim but offer no proof.

Before Wetherspoons arrived in Ireland with their competitive pricing structure, these same people - (TD's and vinter groups) complained about the cheaper prices in off-licences. Their claim that it drives people to binge drink at home, and that if people drank in the pub, they claimed "it would lead to more responsible drinking due to the publician being able to monitor people's drinking".

Now that Wetherspoons have cheaper drink prices than other pubs, adding much needed competition, these same people are now switching some of their focus from the off-licence. The responsible publican monitoring people's drinking is now not so responsible. Nothing to do with Wetherspoons not being a vinters associate of course.....


Look at her comment below, particulalry the bold bit -

"It's not only threatening the livelihoods of local publicans but putting lives at stake," she said.


Ah, I see you are worried about some much need competition in this sector. Trying to limit competition but make it out that you are worried about a persons health.

Atlantic Dawn

keeponhurling wrote: »

Logically, the days of the typical Irish village having one bank, one shop , one post office and 9 pubs is long gone

Exactly, and it is to a point to do with price but it has more to do with the level of comfort people now have in their homes, most people have a large TV, comfy seats, sports package, beers in their fridge and perhaps they like a smoke indoors, the pub can't compete with this. Going to a dingy pub where your unsure of getting a seat, no guaranteed view of the TV, no entertainment and having to pay €5 plus for a pint is no longer appealing.

USD Inflation Swap

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Exactly, and it is to a point to do with price but it has more to do with the level of comfort people now have in their homes, most people have a large TV, comfy seats, sports package, beers in their fridge and perhaps they like a smoke indoors, the pub can't compete with this. Going to a dingy pub where your unsure of getting a seat, no guaranteed view of the TV, no entertainment and having to pay €5 plus for a pint is no longer appealing.

So basically the home is the same it's been for the last 40 years, though I'll need to get confirmation of how comfortable people'say chairs were in the past.

ahnowbrowncow

Dr Turk Turkelton wrote: »

I think Leo Varadkar made some mention of it today. I can't link as I just heard it in passing on the radio.

edit: there is a beer and wine forum to discuss the merits of different lagers and stouts.

I heard that too, he was saying something along the lines of he won't get everything that he wants done but that minimum pricing will be one of them

Aircraft Freak

Fcuking sick of the vinters associasion with politics, they blocked wetherspoons during Bertie's reign, they're at it again, ban low cheap beer, pay €5 a pint, ban wetherspoons, fcuk aldi and lidl, ban everything.

I don't go out much, nearly never, but this rubbish is starting to annoy me, the vintners want no competition in this country, and the politicians are helping them to do it.

Tis grand though, lets all go home at 11:30, so you vintners can go to bed right?


Shower of Prícks.

Dempsey

How many elected politicians have pubs or involved in the pub trade. This stinks as badly as irish water

anncoates

drumswan wrote: »

This is a fun read

http://www.beoir.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=162:lager-in-the-park&catid=33:beoir-meets&Itemid=68

I was actually thinking earlier that that Czech beer Tesco do for 1.35 (Vratislav?) is easily as good as the more expensive ones in the same style. Same as the Aldi Peroni rip off I mentioned earlier in the thread.

RobYourBuilder

Just an update on this. Some good news for the publicans;

THE DEPARTMENT OF Health has announced proposals for changes to the law aimed at tackling alcohol abuse in Ireland which include restrictions on low prices and on advertising as well as the introduction of warning labels and calorie details.

For the first time, there will be legal regulation of sports sponsorship, as well as the introduction of a broadcast watershed for television and radio advertising.

Cabinet signed off today on the proposed measures, which will form the basis of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015. Included is something groups concerned about alcohol abuse have been shouting about for years – minimum unit pricing.

The new legislation will include provisions to prevent the sale of very cheap alcohol, making it illegal to sell or advertise alcohol at a price below the limit. This is mainly aimed at those who drink in a “harmful or hazardous” manner and will most likely affect supermarkets with bargain deals and bars and clubs offering extremely low prices to students at promotional nights.

http://www.thejournal.ie/alcohol-2-1918208-Feb2015/

Menas

RobYourBuilder wrote: »

Just an update on this. Some good news for the publicans;



http://www.thejournal.ie/alcohol-2-1918208-Feb2015/

Damn it.
I did hear on the radio though that the minimum pricing will not come in to effect until Northern Ireland have their minimum pricing in place.

All in all this is one less reason to vote FG/Labour in the next election.

Flex

Trigger Happy wrote: »

Damn it.
I did hear on the radio though that the minimum pricing will not come in to effect until Northern Ireland have their minimum pricing in place.

All in all this is one less reason to vote FG/Labour in the next election.

Im the same. Incredibly disappointed with this. I had emailed the representative in FG for my constituency about this and they maintained this was being done as part of their policy to protect pubs from pricing that threatens them (although more recently the reasons have been shifted to being entirely along the lines of 'Irish people are naturally alcoholics, we have to protect them from themselves'). All the more frustrating as I believe the health concern angle is dishonest and these steps are unnecessary. Just being done to win over the VFI and Helen Lovejoy types in my opinion. FG seem to be going out of their way to alienate voters the past 3-6 months

Menas

I will be having some protest pints in Weatherspoons this friday night. See you all there.

Muahahaha

I notice that Fine Gael, the party of big business is protecting the publicans by enforcing minimum pricing on the supermarkets.

They are telling us they are doing this for public health, despite all the evidence that Ireland is drinking less now than it ever has.

At the same time they were presented with a ton of conclusive evidence which links sport to teenagers first ever exposure to alcohol. But they choose not to ban sponsorship of sporting events, despite a ton of international studies showing it is harmful to teenagers and normalises alcohol to them at a young age. But FG, the party of big business protected the likes of Guinness and Heineken over the public health of the nations young.

This lot really do talk out of both sides of their mouth about public health. But its really all about protecting big business whilst fleecing the man in the street to do so.

Cookie_Monster

The new legislation will include provisions to prevent the sale of very cheap alcohol, making it illegal to sell or advertise alcohol at a price below the limit. This is mainly aimed at those who drink in a “harmful or hazardous” manner and will most likely affect supermarkets with bargain deals and bars and clubs offering extremely low prices to students at promotional nights.

Price means nothing to those people, they'll still scrounge up the money from somewhere or start drinking the lower quality cheaper stuff or even turn tot he black market. The only people this really affects are the vast majority who drink responsibly.

mzungu

Lobby power wins the day again here. Shameful carry on.

Price means nothing to those people, they'll still scrounge up the money from somewhere or start drinking the lower quality cheaper stuff or even turn tot he black market. The only people this really affects are the vast majority who drink responsibly.

Exactly. This wont make a jot of difference. The same as when the FF government shut Off Licenses at 10pm a couple of years ago, all in the name of stopping underager drinking. Just to be seen to do something. The mind boggles.

Satriale

You can complain on Boards all you want, those publican TDs and their lobby buddies in the Vintners are only going to laugh at you from the comfort of the Dail bar. If you want to knock the smirk off their faces:

Stop going to pubs!
Go to more parties!
Have a few at home with a fag in your hand!
Brew your own!

Capt'n Midnight

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Price means nothing to those people, they'll still scrounge up the money from somewhere or start drinking the lower quality cheaper stuff or even turn to the black market.

Ever seen those programs on TV about the brisk trade in counterfeit alcohol in the UK where they turn a couple of tons of industrial alcohol into fake vodka , complete with a small bottling and labelling plant on the back of a truck ?

traprunner

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Ever seen those programs on TV about the brisk trade in counterfeit alcohol in the UK where they turn a couple of tons of industrial alcohol into fake vodka , complete with a small bottling and labelling plant on the back of a truck ?

It's already happening here in Ireland. Jonesboro used to be the place to buy it. I don't know if it's still sold there. There were also a few pubs caught selling it if I remember correctly.

Grayson

Satriale wrote: »

Brew your own!

I would except

1) I drink Whiskey and it's illegal to make that
2) I'm pretty certain I would make a balls of it and create the only beer that tastes worse than Budweiser.

traprunner

Grayson wrote: »

I would except

2) I'm pretty certain I would make a balls of it and create the only beer that tastes worse than Budweiser.

Heineken? Market it right and you could make a fortune!

Dravokivich

The new legislation will include provisions to prevent the sale of very cheap alcohol, making it illegal to sell or advertise alcohol at a price below the limit. This is mainly aimed at those who drink in a “harmful or hazardous” manner and will most likely affect supermarkets with bargain deals and bars and clubs offering extremely low prices to students at promotional nights.

A gun is mainly aimed at the person that gets shot, this affects everyone.

Custardpi

So what are these limits likely to be? What should I expect to pay for a can of cheap beer after this comes into law? There's currently some quite decent beers available for €1.50 or less, even excluding multipack discounts. Will we be looking at minimum €2 a can after this? Will wine become even more ridiculously priced than it is now? At the moment it seems to be difficult to get anything remotely drinkable for under €10, most of which is taxes of various kinds.

BuilderPlumber

This is all to support the publicans/vintners. As regards sports/festivals sponsorship: I don't think anyone is crazy enough to go that route as it would cripple the GAA, Rugby, Soccer and Music events in this country. And the pubs too!! So, it will only be aimed at lowcost stuff in supermarkets to protect pubs and offlicences to a lesser extent.

BuilderPlumber

This is mainly aimed at those who drink in a “harmful or hazardous” manner

... outside of pubs that is !!!!