Man your pumps, Wetherspoons are coming

Lucena wrote: »

Over 20 years ago, a 50cl can of beer was around a pound, whereas a pint was two pounds. So a 1:2 ratio. That ratio is probably nearer to 1:3.5 today, from what I’ve seen when I go home. I could definitely see why the young’uns would do more "prinking".

I remember 20 years ago the cheapest cans were £1 (€1.27). There is a guinness price index comparing prices of pints to average wage and there has been a steady increase in the price of pints and its pretty much in proportion to wages.

Its the cheap cans that have gotten cheaper, instead of appreciating that people moan about the pubs fleecing them. The pubs allow themselves to be fleeced by the wholesalers/brewers though.

A bottle of cheap rum is €11.69 in tesco, 20 years ago I think the cheapest bottle of spirits was £10 (€12.70).

When you see such difference its little wonder people will stay at home first, and not just young people strapped for cash, it must annoy folks with a good few million, to know they are paying over the odds for the exact same thing (i.e. it is not a restaurant adding value by a skilled chef, its opening a bottle). People also have better entertainment systems at home these days, years ago you would be searching pubs for one with a big screen for football, while nearly everybody has a big screen nowadays.

Your mate might even supply water free! this is a post from consumer issues today

koremelt wrote: »

Some friends were in a pub in Dublin (well known pub on Baggot Street) at the weekend,
about 8 of them all drinking alcohol, one went to the bar around 12 and asked for a pint of water having had enough and was refused... Have to say when I heard this I was outraged, barman's reasoning was that if everyone came in and ordered water they would go under.
She bought a sparkling water but they left soon after.
Thought this kind of c*&p went out the window with the Celtic Tiger

It's a 1:5 ratio (or worse) in Dublin. 1eur a can vs 5.50e+ a pint most places in town.

For the average young guy going out and having 8 pints thats 40eur a night in savings, or 80eur a week. Thats huge, especially considering their incomes wouldn't be high to begin with.

Wetherspoons at 2.50eur a pint (or less) is cheap enough where people will pay the premium, thats why its a game changer for the younger generation. 1:2.5 ratio people will pay as a 'pub premium', as they might have 20 years ago. Its at 1:5 they won't.

rubadub wrote: »

Its the cheap cans that have gotten cheaper, instead of appreciating that people moan about the pubs fleecing them.

Just because the cheap cans have gotten cheaper does not mean that the pubs aren't fleecing us.

rubadub wrote: »

I remember 20 years ago the cheapest cans were £1 (€1.27). There is a guinness price index comparing prices of pints to average wage and there has been a steady increase in the price of pints and its pretty much in proportion to wages.

Its the cheap cans that have gotten cheaper, instead of appreciating that people moan about the pubs fleecing them. The pubs allow themselves to be fleeced by the wholesalers/brewers though.

A bottle of cheap rum is €11.69 in tesco, 20 years ago I think the cheapest bottle of spirits was £10 (€12.70).

When you see such difference its little wonder people will stay at home first, and not just young people strapped for cash, it must annoy folks with a good few million, to know they are paying over the odds for the exact same thing (i.e. it is not a restaurant adding value by a skilled chef, its opening a bottle). People also have better entertainment systems at home these days, years ago you would be searching pubs for one with a big screen for football, while nearly everybody has a big screen nowadays.

Your mate might even supply water free! this is a post from consumer issues today

Excellently articulated and an argument that I've been making for years.
Pubs aren't any dearer, off-licences are just relatively cheaper.

TheChizler wrote: »

I think the lack of loud music in Spoons could be a positive. After price, a good part of the reason my friends would choose to drink at home before going out is that you can't have a chat in many bars because of the volume levels.

A massive selling point for me. I'm fed up with pubs blaring Sky Sports all day long or having music at full blast.

@irish goat

I had a sheltered upbringing in Offaly, where the whiskey selection, at least the ones visible to me, were the same ones you'd find in a normal supermarket.

I'm sure plenty of pubs have decent selections, but the majority wouldn't.

On the rare occasions when I was out with friends who started hitting the whiskey, it was because they were already fairly drunk and looking to get drunker, not because they wanted to sample a rare whisky from the Isle of Islay.

Lucena wrote: »

I had a sheltered upbringing in Offaly, where the whiskey selection, at least the ones visible to me, were the same ones you'd find in a normal supermarket.

I've generally found rural auld lads pubs are the ones that are almost guaranteed to have a few bottles of good, old single malt Scotch and Irish hanging around. Whereas my local (which has slowly grown to be a superpub in the time I've drunk there) has a single bottle of Johnny Walker Black usually as its "premium" whiskey.

Back home they'd usually have ten or more bottles on the top shelf; and with country prices it was the first place I got to try Bushmills 21, Midleton and a few non-supermarket Scotchs also.

Its showing as unavailable on Tesco UK and not at all on the Irish search - however, that'd be down to it really not being popular rather than some exclusivity going on.

That its manufacturer is too embarrassed to actually show it on the brands on their website (its buried in a full listing - https://beamglobal.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/505757e5851916549a000002/theme/pdfs/pdfs/Brands_List_043014.pdf) speaks volumes

Also for sale in Molloys, Tallaght...

https://molloys.ie/catalogsearch/result/?q=aftershock

BMJD wrote: »

Aftershock was a bit of a precursor to Jagermeister, it was briefly cool amongst wannabe rockstars and the like.

Albeit Jager is far, far older and more respectable, having been around since 1935.

Its basically a drink for "hard man" little boys, albeit little boys that are old enough to drink (having been there myself...). Its an incredibly poor quality liquer with an unbelievably high price tag and nothing further.

Creating an idea that its not available outside nightclubs just adds to its mystique amongst said little boys - when its non availability is down to people not being willing to part with 40 quid for a very generic bottle of 30% spirits.

Simon2015 wrote: »

Years ago when I drank it was 40%. I don't think it would be worth drinking at 30%.

It may have been, but it was nothing other than gut rot marketed at kids from day one.

If you want a cinnamon liqueur, better ones exist. If you want something to get drunk fast, that isn't for this forum; but there are plenty of much cheaper 40% products.