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What the hell has happened to Smithwicks?

jimba

Smithwicks has been my pint of choice for the last few years. I am therefore horrified to see the branding change very recently.

First of all, you will notice that the taps in pubs for Both Normal and Pale varieties are almost the same, with white writing distinguishing the two. No longer the traditional wine coloured tap.

Second, after you declare "a pint of Smithwicks, please" you are asked by the bar lady/man would you like Smithwicks red ale or pale ale. "Eh...normal Smithwicks please".

And to add insult to this great calamity, you are presented with your pint in a new shape of glass. Like some craft beer giant wine glass-yoke. Most unmanly.

What is happening to this fantastic pint? It has gone all Hipster on us.

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L1011

irish_goat wrote: »

No they're not. Plenty of cocktail bartenders will pour free hand so there's no way of knowing precisely what amount of alcohol you're getting.

Something being done doesn't mean its legal.

irish_goat wrote: »

A pub is allowed to sell any measure of beer, hence why a lot of craft beer bars offer 0.3cl glasses of beer.

In glasses designed and marked for that amount.

A Smithwicks glass doesn't have a mark for "510ml, ish, sort of" towards the top.

Alcoholic drinks have to be sold by actual measures - that is the law.

Tom1991

L1011 wrote: »

Cocktails are composed of known measures (or are meant to be). Its not mixing drinks that's the issue, its the selling of unknown quantities.

Its the entire corpus of legal metrology regulations.

Basically they are selling a short measure of Smithwicks, regardless of the pint being topped up with another product.

Does this stop bars doing it? No. Does it make sense? Not really.

Do you work in the industry or are you trying to put perspective on why some places don't do it.
A cocktail in most places has a list of ingredients but no proportions specified ie ml measures.

irish_goat

L1011 wrote: »

Cocktails are composed of known measures (or are meant to be).

No they're not. Plenty of cocktail bartenders will pour free hand so there's no way of knowing precisely what amount of alcohol you're getting.

A pub is allowed to sell any measure of beer, hence why a lot of craft beer bars offer 0.3cl glasses of beer.

L1011

Tom1991 wrote: »

It's beer not petrol or diesel.if you can't mix drinks legally we may aswell close every cocktail bar in Ireland.

A pint is qualified as 568ml and is to served in stamped glasses.Whatever way a customer wants there pint or smithwicks head or Guinness with black current or lime.cordial in a lager is there business after.

Cocktails are composed of known measures (or are meant to be). Its not mixing drinks that's the issue, its the selling of unknown quantities.

BeerNut wrote: »

I'm not arguing about the legality what anyone's doing, I'm just looking for the text of the NSAI rule you've referred to. Do you have a link or a reference?

Its the entire corpus of legal metrology regulations.

Basically they are selling a short measure of Smithwicks, regardless of the pint being topped up with another product.

Does this stop bars doing it? No. Does it make sense? Not really.

Lovely Bloke

Tom1991 wrote: »

Probably think that Guinness tasted different in the new glass aswell probably?

what?

kupus

Vchrist, no more pint of special, half and half, black and tan. The old world is gone and lost forever.

BeerNut

L1011 wrote: »

They aren't delivering a fixed or even quantifiable measure of either product.

I'm not arguing about the legality what anyone's doing, I'm just looking for the text of the NSAI rule you've referred to. Do you have a link or a reference?

Tom1991

L1011 wrote: »

NSAI Legal Metrology rules would forbid it.

It's beer not petrol or diesel.if you can't mix drinks legally we may aswell close every cocktail bar in Ireland.

A pint is qualified as 568ml and is to served in stamped glasses.Whatever way a customer wants there pint or smithwicks head or Guinness with black current or lime.cordial in a lager is there business after.

GLaDOS

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

I meant "can't" in the sense they haven't a clue how to, not in some legal restrictive sense.

My dad loves a Smithwicks with a Guinness head, it's quite amusing to watch barman struggle with it :pac:

Tom1991

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

barmen cannot make this any more.

You mean the mystical splash of guinness in a pint of smithwicks that literally any goon can do.
Probably think that Guinness tasted different in the new glass aswell probably?

smallgarden

Ive still got it in places with a guinness style head but assumed it came like that as only started drinking it recently. Its like water in some bars. I find rebel red can be a little sweet

Sam Kade

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Why did you drink it then? If you didn't like it surely you tried it once and then moved on? 'used to drink it one time' would imply a sustained period.

I started drinking harp and it would cut the stomach out of me the following day, smithwicks was easier on the stomach but didn't taste great. This was back in 1983 when there wasn't much choice, I'd say I drank it for two years, it was the lesser of two evils. I didn't look back since I got used to drinking Guinness.

Lovely Bloke

I meant "can't" in the sense they haven't a clue how to, not in some legal restrictive sense.

L1011

Sky King wrote: »

What about a shandy? Or a 'snakebite' (beer and cider)?

All similarly affected - although for a snakebite you can fudge it by serving two halves and an empty full glass (and a table load of bar mats!)

Doesn't stop many places actually doing it though.

Sky King

L1011 wrote: »

They aren't delivering a fixed or even quantifiable measure of either product.

What about a shandy? Or a 'snakebite' (beer and cider)?

L1011

BeerNut wrote: »

Link?

They aren't delivering a fixed or even quantifiable measure of either product.

ciaran76

PaulieBoy wrote: »

A Smithwicks with a Guinness head. Job done. The good old days!

Slightly off topic but I was drinking Hophouse 13 with a Guinness head in the Guinness brewery recently.

BeerNut

L1011 wrote: »

NSAI Legal Metrology rules would forbid it.

Link?

L1011

Deleted User wrote: »

Really? Since when?

NSAI Legal Metrology rules would forbid it.

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Harp is another beer that could do with a rebranding.

Diageo seem to have decided that HH13 is their sole lager now - can't see Harp surviving outside its heartlands

SmartinMartin

Their pale ale is superb

hardCopy

It makes a lot of sense for them. I'm a pretty regular Smithwicks drinker now but came to it by way of craft red ales like Rebel Red and Sunburnt Red. Rebel Red is pretty easy to get on tap now but a couple of years ago Smithwicks was the closest thing I could get in a lot of pubs. Why wouldn't their marketing team tap into an explosion in popularity of red ales?

Pawwed Rig

Sam Kade wrote: »

Smithwicks I used to drink it one time, pure dyke water.

Why did you drink it then? If you didn't like it surely you tried it once and then moved on? 'used to drink it one time' would imply a sustained period.

Sam Kade

Smithwicks I used to drink it one time, pure dyke water.

jack presley

There was a stage a few years back when it was very hard to find bottles of Smithwicks in off licences.

At least with this rebranding that isn't the case anymore.

TheChizler

L1011 wrote: »

TheChizler wrote: »

Is that what happened? Saw this the other night and got excited cause I thought they'd released a new drink.

They have, a pale ale which is available in a fair few pubs (particularly those that have decided to go with Diageo and Heineken's fraft offerings full-on).

Been drinking that a few years. It's the new tap and Red Ale sign that threw me.

Sky King

jimba wrote: »

Second, after you declare "a pint of Smithwicks, please" you are asked by the bar lady/man would you like Smithwicks red ale or pale ale. "Eh...normal Smithwicks please".

What about Smithwick's Blonde?

PaulieBoy

Deleted User wrote: »

Really? Since when?

Probably too complicated for today's breed of bartender. That or legal reasons&#55357;&#56832;

[Deleted User]

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

barmen cannot make this any more.

Really? Since when?

Lovely Bloke

PaulieBoy wrote: »

A Smithwicks with a Guinness head. Job done. The good old days!

barmen cannot make this any more.

PaulieBoy

A Smithwicks with a Guinness head. Job done. The good old days!