E2.50 pints should be outlawed, says FG TD

jackal · 07-01-2015 6:52pm

Its the same old story, the vinters and distributors don't want anyone coming in and pointing out that the prices we are asked to pay here for certain things are beyond ridiculous. Another example of the "treasure island" phenomenon where prices are jacked up ludicrously during a short trip across the sea.

Tarzana2 · 07-01-2015 7:04pm

I'd only get really drunk maybe 3 or 4 times a year maximum. I don't drink regularly at all now and if I do it'll be under five drinks usually. I just generally don't enjoy drinking. But sometimes, I like a bit of oblivion, get away from relentless consciousness and talk some shíte for a few hours.

Let me say this: on the rare occasion I'm in the mood to get utterly ratarsed, the price of drink isn't even a consideration. If I want to get drunk, I will get drunk whatever the cost.

The low price of off-licence alcohol has nothing to do with it. I'm not more likely to get drunk if I can get the booze chape.

Wish policy-makers in this country would stop treating us like childers.

Muahahaha · 07-01-2015 11:14pm

Idbatterim wrote: »

I went to post a link of the below (Wetherspoons January Sale) onto Mitchell O'Connors facebook page, unfortunately the type of page she has set up, wont allow me! Edit, see my post below!

What an innovative idea, pubs are dead in January so they put on a January sale on the price of drink.
You wouldn't see an Irish publican use their noggin like that. They would prefer have an empty shop than reduce the price to get punters in.

Highflyer13 · 08-01-2015 1:03am

I would say the average publican in Ireland isn't astute or innovative when it comes to running a business. Some bars will always have serious footfall for things such as reputation or location whilst other struggle on. Its always the ones that limp by you hear moaning about the smoking ban or drink drive limits being reduced and affecting their business. In reality they need to separate themselves from the crowd but they never do and in many cases just go out of business.

What Wetherspoons do there for January is being innovative.

Flex · 08-01-2015 10:00am

Muahahaha wrote: »

What an innovative idea, pubs are dead in January so they put on a January sale on the price of drink.
You wouldn't see an Irish publican use their noggin like that. They would prefer have an empty shop than reduce the price to get punters in.

Its a very good idea. Was discussin with friends on our watsapp group and we'd usually stay in if we're having drinks and a catch up, etc. then maybe head to town around 11:30pm or so, but we're all gonna make the trip out for this, a large part of it being because this place is making such an effort we actually want to give them our business. Just for comparison, if there are 7 of us we could get a round of

2 Jamesons and mixers for €7, vs €15 elsewhere
2 pints of stout for €3.90, vs €10 elsewhere
3 pints of lager for €5.85, vs €17 elsewhere

Difference being €16.75 vs €42 in some other bar in town. Its amazing when you do out the sums.

Result being, instead of us staying in drinking, we're going out for the evening for drinks. We'll all (rather than only some of us) probably end up going to a bar in town on the way home for a couple too, so Wetherspoons is actually helping other pubs by encouraging us to head out

Also didn't require the government to drive up prices in supermarkets anymore. Even if minimum pricing 'only' affects supermarkets and off-licenses it shouldn't be accepted. The government has driven up off trade prices enough as is with taxes and someone has said members of FG themselves acknowledge consumption levels are dropping and high prices don't result in lower addiction levels, they should be reversing their excise increases to reduce off trade prices if anything.

Geuze · 08-01-2015 10:13am

Those Jan sale prices are very keen.

1.95 for a choice of three pints.

3.50 for a Jameson and mixer.

75c for coffee.

How do I get the sale poster to appear in this post?

I tried to paste the URL of the image (see below) into the Insert Link tool, but that didn't work.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/1505340_848449005194381_1568597254304787039_n.png?oh=5abc46aad0b755cb6c292af7667df7b4&oe=55370D72&__gda__=1429747689_da2e97cc0cdcf500dad1f354cbbac987

osarusan · 08-01-2015 10:19am

Geuze wrote: »

How do I get the sale poster to appear in this post?

I tried to paste the URL of the image (see below) into the Insert Link tool, but that didn't work.

No images allowed in After Hours.

Geuze · 08-01-2015 10:33am

osarusan wrote: »

No images allowed in After Hours.

Thanks, I'll try over in the other JD WS thread in the beer/drink forum.

EDIT - done already.

rubadub · 08-01-2015 11:38am

Davei141 wrote: »

Excelsior is less than a euro a can, so is Tesco lager.

anncoates wrote: »

I wonder why.

Because a large percentage of the cost of most beers is marketing/advertising, so they can afford to sell them far cheaper, just like other branded but fairly unadvertised beers which are only €1 a can. The grains and hops etc are quite cheap, there is little difference in the cost of producing the tesco lager and the likes of heineken. Even if a brewry goes for more expensive grains which are twice the price its little difference in overall cost of the can % wise. Look at the amount of advertising for guinness and heineken, in the beer forum people were discussing the % cost in relation to marketing several times, it is a commodity with an unusually high price due to advertising.

People need to change their attitude from "this is half the price so it must be shite" to "why the fuck is this twice the price?"

20 years ago I do not remember seen heineken being 1 price one day and less than half that the next. Its odd that people even still consider it to be "premium" at all, its often a €1 a can beer so should be viewed in amongst those, just another run of the mill cheaply produced beer which chancers often charge a lot for.

People really need to do some serious blind tastings. I loved the outcome of this blind tasting, by "Ian Wisniewski, one of Britain's leading spirits experts, and Tom Innes, the former editor of bar and lifestyle magazine, Theme."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/5770943/10-vodkas-put-to-the-test.html

Finally, we finish our marathon and tot up the marks. The scores are close, but we are unanimous in our top three. We open a large brown envelope which reveals the names behind the bottles. Third is Absolut, second is Russian Standard and first is, wait for it, Glen's. Glen's? A supermarket cheapy, distilled in Scotland from sugar beet.
"I don't believe it!" exclaims Wisniewski.
"Nor me," says Innes. "I've always struggled to see value at the top end of the vodka range, which this result vindicates. But I'm astonished."
We retaste it neat and agree that it's still our favourite, with nice spicy notes and a faint hint of citrus and ginger.
But I'm still not won over by vodka. If anything, I'm even more confused. Why spend £30 on Grey Goose or Belvedere, when I can spend a lot less than a tenner on Glen's? After all, I'm only going to slosh it in my Bloody Mary.

1st: Glen's (£8.69)
2nd: Russian Standard (£13.29)
3rd: Absolut (£14.99)
4th: Wyborowa (£15.99)
5th: Finlandia (£14.19)
Joint 6th: Smirnoff Red (£12.19);
Stolichnaya (£14.99);
Belvedere (£30)
9th: Grey Goose (£30.79)
10th: Smirnoff Black (£15.99)

Caliden · 08-01-2015 12:27pm

rubadub wrote: »

20 years ago I do not remember seen heineken being 1 price one day and less than half that the next. Its odd that people even still consider it to be "premium" at all, its often a €1 a can beer so should be viewed in amongst those, just another run of the mill cheaply produced beer which chancers often charge a lot for.

In most U.S. cities, Heineken is considered one of the low grade beers and is rarely served.

Funnily enough, Stella Artois is marketed as a premium beer over there.

The U.S. do it right though and most (good) bars will have casks or rotating taps with a big selection of beers. I've been to a few that would hand you a menu with 10 pages of beer in it. Too much to choose from!

Menas · 08-01-2015 12:35pm

rubadub wrote: »

20 years ago I do not remember seen heineken being 1 price one day and less than half that the next. Its odd that people even still consider it to be "premium" at all, its often a €1 a can beer so should be viewed in amongst those, just another run of the mill cheaply produced beer which chancers often charge a lot for.

Agreed. 25 years ago, if I remember correctly, Budweiser was the most expensive draft in our local.

Beamish was the cheapest.
Guinness/Smithwicks were next cheapest.
Harp was next.
Heineken, Carlsburg were next.
Then Bud was the most expensive.

Lux23 · 08-01-2015 2:16pm

Any time I have gone out to say Diceys for cheap drink, I haven't really drank anymore than usual, I did however have enough money in my pocket to take a taxi and get home safely.

Flex · 22-01-2015 8:47pm

dan1895 wrote: »

Let us know the reply.

Just posting this as you had asked, albeit a couple of weeks ago now

I never received a mail from Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, however I copied the Fine Gael representative for my constituency, Leo Varadkar, on it and he did reply, the jist of which was basically that

...while acknowledging that consumption levels have dropped and are expected to continue doing so, drinking does harm to our economy and society and these harms must be balanced against any benefits to the economy and we must consider the ethics of exporting alcohol

Actions include a floor price for alcohol (minimum unit pricing) which will affect the off-trade much more so than pubs and restaurants, structural separation in shops, banning certain promotions, calorie labelling and health warnings and some restrictions on advertising.

Along with that a it was in their 2011 manifesto that they would support "the local pub" against low pricing that impacts their viability.

anncoates · 22-01-2015 8:57pm

rubadub wrote: »

Because a large percentage of the cost of most beers is marketing/advertising, so they can afford to sell them far cheaper, just like other branded but fairly unadvertised beers which are only €1 a can. The grains and hops etc are quite cheap, there is little difference in the cost of producing the tesco lager and the likes of heineken. Even if a brewry goes for more expensive grains which are twice the price its little difference in overall cost of the can % wise. Look at the amount of advertising for guinness and heineken, in the beer forum people were discussing the % cost in relation to marketing several times, it is a commodity with an unusually high price due to advertising.

People need to change their attitude from "this is half the price so it must be shite" to "why the fuck is this twice the price?"

20 years ago I do not remember seen heineken being 1 price one day and less than half that the next. Its odd that people even still consider it to be "premium" at all, its often a €1 a can beer so should be viewed in amongst those, just another run of the mill cheaply produced beer which chancers often charge a lot for.

People really need to do some serious blind tastings. I loved the outcome of this blind tasting, by "Ian Wisniewski, one of Britain's leading spirits experts, and Tom Innes, the former editor of bar and lifestyle magazine, Theme."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/5770943/10-vodkas-put-to-the-test.html

Actually I usually agree with you along these lines but I'm pretty confident I'd distinguish between the likes of excelsior and a decent beer in a blind test.

I'd totally agree though that charging 100% more than value brand type lager for rats piss like Molson, Bud and Heineken is a rip off.

Capt'n Midnight · 22-01-2015 9:23pm

anncoates wrote: »

Actually I usually agree with you along these lines but I'm pretty confident I'd distinguish between the likes of excelsior and a decent beer in a blind test.

I'd totally agree though that charging 100% more than value brand type lager for rats piss like Molson, Bud and Heineken is a rip off.

Some Lidl's still have XXL packs of Perlenbacher €7.29 for 8 x 500ml bottles.
And every so often they do Tyskie 4x500ml for a fiver.

Half decent beer for Dutch Gold prices.

rubadub · 22-01-2015 11:00pm

anncoates wrote: »

Actually I usually agree with you along these lines but I'm pretty confident I'd distinguish between the likes of excelsior and a decent beer in a blind test.

I reckon I could tell apart excelsior from what I consider a decent beer in a blind test too, e.g. budvar, I drink both. You seem to be inferring you do not agree with me though, did I mention a beer you consider "decent" in that post?

I never mentioned what I consider a decent beer in that post. I just listed similarly bog standard run of the mill fizzy shite, which I have NO problem saying I drink -I mentioned guinness and heineken, both of which I buy when €1 a can, which is all they are worth, its run of the mill piss like the rest. I specifically mentioned beers whose traditionally high cost is due mainly down to marketing & profiteering (diageo have many foolish & ignorant publicans by the balls), rather than expense in the brewing process.

Now if you drink heineken 99.9% of the time I guess you might well tell it apart, be it from excelsior or carlsberg. But many brands try and be more generic, e.g. bavaria. Suggesting doing blind tasting is not just a challenge to be able to tell apart the muck you drink 99% of the time, its to try something new for a fucking change. Beer brings out the inner oddball in so many people, I know of no people who would consider themselves a dedicated twix eater, who would never dare try another bar of chocolate. I thankfully no of no oddball would go to an all you can eat chinese buffet and eat nothing, absolutely NOTHING, but say sweet & sour chicken for the entire time there, stuffing themselves stupid on just that. But I know numerous oddball cunts how dare not stray from their brand of beer.

A group of beer fans in the beer forum met in some pub with lots of stout available and did proper blind tastes and it was pretty much inconclusive, they could not tell apart all the mainstream stouts (including o haras) even though several went into it certain they could.

anncoates · 22-01-2015 11:17pm

rubadub wrote: »

I reckon I could tell apart excelsior from what I consider a decent beer in a blind test too, e.g. budvar,.

That's great, me too.

I originally said excelsior was cheap because it's piss. As is Heineken which should be priced the same generally.

As for blind testing beers of equal quality, who knows but again I didn't actually say anything about that.

I get the feeling you've been saving up the rest of your frankly aggressive sounding missive to unload on somebody else from the beer forum so maybe head over there with it?

anncoates · 22-01-2015 11:20pm

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Some Lidl's still have XXL packs of Perlenbacher €7.29 for 8 x 500ml bottles.
And every so often they do Tyskie 4x500ml for a fiver.

Half decent beer for Dutch Gold prices.

Aldi used to do a 660ml one which was very decent for the price (about 1.69). Tasted like Peroni. It just disappeared though.

Eutow · 22-01-2015 11:27pm

rubadub wrote: »

A group of beer fans in the beer forum met in some pub with lots of stout available and did proper blind tastes and it was pretty much inconclusive, they could not tell apart all the mainstream stouts (including o haras) even though several went into it certain they could.

Don't know how they couldn't tell apart O'Hara's from Guinness, Beamish and Murphy's. Guinness draught has a kind of metallic taste to it, while I get a chocolate coffee kind of taste from O'Hara's so I could tell the difference. A Guiness Original doesn't have that metallic taste I would get from the Draught version, the draught version from tap and can.

I would agree though that if you blind tested a person who wouldn't countenance drinking a Beamish over a Guinness, they wouldn't be able to taste the difference. Beamish is cheaper than Guinness, yet people still choose the more expensive option even though there is little difference.

The only other food item that brings out this weird loyalty to a brand would be those fighting over Barry's and Lyons tea.

Edit: Tayto and King crisps as well

anncoates · 22-01-2015 11:37pm

Eutow wrote: »

Don't know how they couldn't tell apart O'Hara's from Guinness, Beamish and Murphy's. Guinness draught has a kind of metallic taste to it, while I get a chocolate coffee kind of taste from O'Hara's so I could tell the difference. A Guiness Original doesn't have that metallic taste I would get from the Draught version, the draught version from tap and can.

I would agree though that if you blind tested a person who wouldn't countenance drinking a Beamish over a Guinness, they wouldn't be able to taste the difference. Beamish is cheaper than Guinness, yet people still choose the more expensive option even though there is little difference.

The only other food item that brings out this weird loyalty to a brand would be those fighting over Barry's and Lyons tea.

Edit: Tayto and King crisps as well

I myself doubt I could tell the difference between draught Guinness and Beamish. That said, they're served very cold which kills the taste a bit.

Eutow · 22-01-2015 11:44pm

anncoates wrote: »

I myself doubt I could tell the difference between draught Guinness and Beamish. That said, they're served very cold which kills the taste a bit.

I would struggle myself, so that's why I would just go for the Beamish as it's cheaper.

O'Hara's I would know.

If pubs served Guinness Original on tap, I could tell the difference between that and the draught version.

Geuze · 23-01-2015 1:01am

Some pints are 1.95 in JD WS during their Jan sale.

nibble · 23-01-2015 1:57am

if you can't tell the difference between O' Haras stout, Guinness and Beamish you're either not a beer drinker or are already absolutely pissed when you start the blind testing.

syklops · 23-01-2015 9:58am

anncoates wrote: »

I myself doubt I could tell the difference between draught Guinness and Beamish.

Really?

anncoates · 23-01-2015 10:18am

syklops wrote: »

Really?

Yeah I don't drink either regularly these days so a blind test would be interesting.

I'd be very much into trying different beers as well, not through snobbery, just like tasting them.

I took issue with a previous poster because it seemed blind testing was being used as a type of stick to beat presumed brand snobbery with but while I think I could easily enough distinguish, say value brand lager with higher quality stuff, or something I drink very regularly with another brand, I'd say it would be interesting to try blind tasting with stuff in roughly the same bracket : value brand lager vs value brand lager, Guinness vs Beamish, German style beers etc

Not saying I know either way, just interesting.

I've only had O'Hara's stout on draught once so can't really remember how I compared. Plus as said, the nitro stouts mentioned are served very cold for stout which definitely kills taste a bit.

Geuze · 23-01-2015 4:46pm

nibble wrote: »

if you can't tell the difference between O' Haras stout, Guinness and Beamish you're either not a beer drinker or are already absolutely pissed when you start the blind testing.

I have been drinking Guinness and Beamish fairly regularly (i.e. both at least monthly), and I couldn't claim to be able to tell them apart.

drumswan · 23-01-2015 4:52pm

nibble wrote: »

if you can't tell the difference between O' Haras stout, Guinness and Beamish you're either not a beer drinker or are already absolutely pissed when you start the blind testing.

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?

drumswan · 23-01-2015 4:55pm

anncoates wrote: »

Yeah I don't drink either regularly these days so a blind test would be interesting.

I'd be very much into trying different beers as well, not through snobbery, just like tasting them.

I took issue with a previous poster because it seemed blind testing was being used as a type of stick to beat presumed brand snobbery with but while I think I could easily enough distinguish, say value brand lager with higher quality stuff, or something I drink very regularly with another brand, I'd say it would be interesting to try blind tasting with stuff in roughly the same bracket : value brand lager vs value brand lager, Guinness vs Beamish, German style beers etc

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

Grayson · 23-01-2015 5:12pm

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 think I might be able to tell the difference between Guinness, Murphys and Beamish.

For the last 12 months I've been drinking a lot of stout. However before that I'd have a pint of stout once every year or so and I doubt I could could have done it.

CramCycle · 23-01-2015 6:16pm

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 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.

E2.50 pints should be outlawed, says FG TD

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