Let me push that stool in for you: the off-topic thread

L1011

Anyone any opinions / experience of craft beer bars in Barcelona?

ciaran76

Just read this on the Porterhouse Central FB page...

📢 Exciting Announcement 📢

Porterhouse Central is getting a fresh new look! 🤩

What does this mean? On Monday the 4th of July Porterhouse will be closed until the middle of August. 

We are extremely excited to bring you a brand new venue with the same great beers, plus so many amazing other Irish craft offerings. 

Stay tuned to our social channels while we update you on our renovation project. 

Have a great weekend 🍺

- #TeamPorterhouse

hynesie08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119274381#Comment_119274381

If they follow the same colour scheme as lost lane I'm going to be angry.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118034062#Comment_118034062

Having now been over 3 times - there are bugger all, they're mostly tiny and those that aren't have very poor selections.

We are comparatively spoiled in Dublin even if we do have a bit of a hegemony of a single brewery owning lots of the craft options.

Black Sheep

Wow, I would have assumed they had some great spots. Goes to show about assumptions…

L1011

I'm sure some of the tiny ones could be good. In December, when theres absolutely nobody there!

BonnieSituation

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119280275#Comment_119280275

You're not wrong. Was there last month.

Kælderkold was the only one I got to.

Kælderkold Craft Beer Bar

+34 932 77 96 71

https://maps.app.goo.gl/N8G8HifQCW1A95hA8

Too busy and music was too loud. A thoroughly uncomfortable joint.

youcancallmeal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118034062#Comment_118034062

Best bet might be to look at brewers that have a taproom or brewpub setup. Heard from friends Garage and Maresme have great places in the city center

Twee.

Garage have two bars now, both great spots. Biercab another good spot.

ciaran76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119274381#Comment_119274381

So the Facebook page changed it's name to Tapped Dublin!

Pen Rua

I went to Porterhouse Temple Bar last night, as we’re up in Dublin for the American football game.

Our sample size of 1 waiter did not reflect well on Porterhouse.

Asked for a half pint, given a full pint. Asked for a nitro IPA I knew was on tap as a seasonal brew and was told it wasn’t there. Went to the bar myself to get it. Asked to pay for next round of drinks separately, the round was added to the main one. One of my table asked for him to describe the kriek, he tried to fob her off saying it was indescribable. 🤷‍♂️

Hotblack Desiato

Everywhere is having trouble getting staff at the moment but if they don't know they should say so, they shouldn't just make s**t up.

Black Sheep

That was a pretty busy night.

American football game on in the Aviva, with the 'tailgate' party starting at midday in Templebar ... Then you had the Liam Gallagher concert in Kilmainham and everyone coming in from that ... And you have the usual Saturday night crowd as well.

I'm sure it wasn't great service, but I must admit reading that I had some sympathy for them, it's not an easy job. Any chance they could be new, or on their second night or whatever?

Years since I did it, but we had a very high staff turnover and a lot of people were either let go during the first few days for not being able to manage, or they realised themselves and quit or just never came back to work.

Pen Rua

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119570411#Comment_119570411

I would suspect any night in the Temple Bar location is a busy night. This was also Friday night, not the tailgate day. Anecdotally, the closer you got to the Porterhouse, the less Amercian football fans ther were. But surely management would prep their floor staff to say "We have this, this and this on special. You should push it / recommend it etc" rather than letting wait staff go around and straight up say they didn't have a beer I knew they had in stock.

BeerNut

Years ago I raised with one of the owners the issue of how badly the staff in The Porterhouse were trained. He told me he knew it was bad but said it's impossible to train staff who don't stay long. It's completely untrue because plenty of other places manage it, but I guess it's not part of the company culture. That said, I have found them to be much better in the last five or six years than they were before that. The story above sounds like it's from the Porterhouse of 2010.

irish_goat

Beer 52 think we won't see what they're trying to sneak in at the back there.

ciaran76

Was in Dublin city today so decided to drop into Tapped. For a place not open very long it looks very faded in the day. Most bars do I suppose.

Pretty good beer choice. I'm not a fan of the style of the place though.

Staff were all great and nice.

Wouldn't be rushing back for beers there.

I'm probably not the customer they looker for. I'd rather a bit of comfort. Seating not made for late 40s person.

Hodors Appletart

yeah thought the same, the one and only time I was in there was a Wednesday evening, and there was a dj on playing EDM from very early. Now I don't mind the style of music at all but I don't need it when I'm having a few pints in the early evening, at the level it was at.

Same experience, staff were brilliant.

I'm mid-40s though

Hotblack Desiato

Shame as it was my favourite place to go for some good pints and a bite to eat.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119995425#Comment_119995425

There's nothing like a dj or band in a pub to send me for the door.

And I love live music and loud gigs - just not when I'm in the Pub!

odyssey06

Wasn't sure where to chuck it... the NOFFLA Off Licence awards announced.

NOffLA National Off-Licence of the Year 2023 – McHugh’s Off-Licence, Malahide Road

https://www.shelflife.ie/winners-of-noffla-off-licence-of-the-year-awards-2023-announced/?utm_source=ShelfLife.ie+Week+in+Grocery&utm_campaign=f700b32916-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_02_01_10_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-f700b32916-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

Hodors Appletart

My favourite offie for going into and perusing.

fair play to them

Hotblack Desiato

Why are all the decent offies on the northside 😝

BeerNut

I guess at some point they realised they couldn't keep giving the award to Redmond's or Devaney's every single year.

odyssey06

I found the staff in Martins & McHughs Malahide Road to be very helpful when I popped in, I was asking about the NOFFLA wine awards, which ones they had in stock or were planning to get in. Probably helped I was in there at a quiet time.

Hodors Appletart

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120195871#Comment_120195871

because most of the decent bars are on the southside?

Black Sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120195900#Comment_120195900

I was going to make a smart remark along the same lines, I was going to say it feels like it's the same 5-6 off licences in rotation? Are they just the best though?

Hodors Appletart

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120197262#Comment_120197262

There aren't many "good" off licences.

The ones I frequent are

• The two McHugh's
• Carry Out Tyrrelstown
• Molloy's Finglas Village
• Martin's Fairview

Sweeney's/O'Brien's in Glasnevin/Phibsboro maybe should be mentioned

Black Sheep

For me it's Martins, the McHughs, Clontarf Wines (Wine and fortified wine only though) and really in REGULAR rotation that's it!

I think there are a lot more options compared to the 90s but the shortlist of truly on-the-ball places is not that big I guess.

I know they're a chain but in fairness O'Briens is not to be sniffed at. The big one in the Beacon South Quarter used to be exceptional - lots of fine whisky on show there too (Always thought this was a bit weird... Tens of thousands of Euro in these glass pillars, under hot lights).

the beer revolu

Is there no love for DrinkStore, anymore? (wasn't a fan, myself, as some might remember)