tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post1766071243738840220..comments2023-09-20T12:50:40.208+01:00Comments on Pete Brown: Open plea to the beer and pub industry: please stop behaving like a bunch of teenage dickheadsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-60379300273078831902009-11-20T10:18:16.145+00:002009-11-20T10:18:16.145+00:00What a great article. The biggest problem as I see...What a great article. The biggest problem as I see it is that the government will talk about regulation and freedom at the same time and still be more concerned with their tax revenues not falling at all. They don't care who sells it really as they win all ways up whether it is on trade or off trade.<br /><br />The great thing for the government is that heavy drinking pays heavy taxes, and like life for smokers, they have the added advantage of not always living as long as the holier than thoughs. They more than pay their way!<br /><br />Keep up the good fight. It is important. We are a beer nation and we need to preserve this tradition for many generations to come so we don't slip into the anodyne cafe culture of mainland Europe.<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />JohnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-45684143232980967592009-11-18T19:29:26.962+00:002009-11-18T19:29:26.962+00:00Crap Blog Detective... does that mean you detect c...Crap Blog Detective... does that mean you detect crap blogs, or you're crap at detecting blogs?<br /><br />If your comments were serious - which of course they aren't - you'd be wrong by a factor of about 8 million UK craft beer drinkers.<br /><br />Have you checked out Cooking Lager yet? You two would get along famously. <br /><br />In fact, are you sure you're not Cooking Lager?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-28462881634351607152009-11-18T18:59:40.711+00:002009-11-18T18:59:40.711+00:00Only a homeless alcoholic would agree with your po...Only a homeless alcoholic would agree with your point of view. Every other beer drinker buys their beer at the supermarket and drinks it at home.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-5062877203126245422009-11-15T17:00:58.864+00:002009-11-15T17:00:58.864+00:00Good on you Pete, couldn't agree more. Said as...Good on you Pete, couldn't agree more. Said as much myself in my own blog. The Great Liquid is under constant threat as never before, and the Judean People's Front, the People's Front of Judea, and all the rest of them are just pulling it down. Just look at the average ten comments to a Publican article online and eight of of ten are bitter ravings of broken men (and women). We need to band behind not just a name, a person, a company or some agenda-obsessed quango, but behind BEER. If we could persuade people to have a beer once more a week than they would normally, just imagine the difference it could make.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07521839418245787540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-65217519962664278842009-11-14T20:01:18.810+00:002009-11-14T20:01:18.810+00:00Nicely said Pete, and that's without even touc...Nicely said Pete, and that's without even touching on the split between the on- and off-trade that Curmudgeon alludes to.Zak Averyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10650929798289995172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-72801923933356861122009-11-14T12:46:03.999+00:002009-11-14T12:46:03.999+00:00I don't know the ins and outs of the publican ...I don't know the ins and outs of the publican trade but it looks like a clear case of there being no clear cut answer. What people want is a panacea for the entire industry. Camra wants the peoples pint, the publicans want lower taxes, others want reform of the tie system. Unfortunately with everyone having different ideas on how to save the sinking ship we may never get round to actually plugging the hole.DunnAlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12928924541015186533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-13041231760356596262009-11-14T11:14:48.041+00:002009-11-14T11:14:48.041+00:00"...the beauty of this industry is its divers..."...the beauty of this industry is its diversity...".<br /><br />Hear hear. We have a real range of favourite pubs, from pubcos to large regionals, places specialising in Woodhams Old Nobby to places where there is no real ale at all. In all these places there are certain common denominators - great, sociable atmosphere, friendly staff, and something we enjoy drinking.<br /><br />That doesn't make for much of a manifesto, unfortunately. All you can do is continue to promote enthusiastically places that are getting it right, partly by writing about them but mostly by bringing people to them. I've had the joy of introducing a number of people in the last week to a couple of my favourite pubs, and in all cases people have not only had a good time but have said they would come back. <br /><br />I don't think I share your neo-prohibitionist conspiracy theories; most MPs like a swally as much as the next man or woman, as do most journalists. But it's still a fine rant!Boakhttp://www.boakandbailey.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-89934085365657585172009-11-13T23:10:50.665+00:002009-11-13T23:10:50.665+00:00You've certainly got a point. Your Life of Bri...You've certainly got a point. Your Life of Brian comparison works for me. I understand and agree with your anger.<br /><br />However, as an insider too I agree a lot with Eddie. We've all got our own individual battles to fight. For me the weight of the national bland tasting brands on peoples preconceived ideas about product ranges in bars is a frustrating inhibitor to how I want to run my business. The increasing success of the microbrewery industry is knocking the big boys so of course they will fight back. We all want to try and maintain the size of our own slice of cake when the overall beer gateaux is shrinking. Individually we are not going to make the slightest bit of difference to the holistic view. In business you can't afford to be altruistic, that much I've learnt.<br /><br />There is a collective group. It's called the All Party Parliamentary Beer Group.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11319272987951077205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-71499036339886630112009-11-13T19:13:09.737+00:002009-11-13T19:13:09.737+00:00Hi Pete,
As an insider (one you gave a thorough r...Hi Pete,<br /><br />As an insider (one you gave a thorough rollicking to last year for the very reason you're angry at them moment) I have to tell you there are very many, very old grudges within this very old, knackered and bent industry. And I think that's the problem - the industry has been so bent for so long that straightening it out inevitably means some people losing big money. Who would sacrifice their livliehood for the greater good? Not many, apparently.Eddiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03402958176140459186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-8724477194163482222009-11-13T16:16:57.012+00:002009-11-13T16:16:57.012+00:00The infighting amongst some publicans in online fo...The infighting amongst some publicans in online forums is just as frustrating!<br /><br />Great blog.Mark J Danielshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11168238025228346641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-11087994387649186272009-11-13T15:56:40.992+00:002009-11-13T15:56:40.992+00:00Pete, we set up our website because we wanted to m...Pete, we set up our website because we wanted to make a difference, because we loved beer but couldn't find enough positive beer writing out there. And we were inpsired by people like you.<br /><br />The bloggers we knew before we set up and the myriad we've found since we've set up, have inspired us to take this from a potential hobby one rainy night in May, to a full blown time-heavy take-over-lives passion.<br /><br />And for the most part, I can say that without even meeting some of those bloggers, writers, tweeters, landlords and beer lovers face to face, I've made friends. No, I've made friendships. And that's because beer is sociable, and so is writing about it.<br /><br />We're here from the long haul and I damn well want to make sure that beer doesn't become something demonised and doesn't become something that becomes less available to me because of divisions in the industry.<br /><br />And with our resident home-brewer Sam, who's starting brewing his own beer, I hope we're adding to the diversity of not just beer writing, but on a (very) local and (very) tiny scale, contributing to the diversity of beer making as well.<br /><br />Pete, you'd better bloody come back after the weekend, we need you in the industry.Mark, Real-Ale-Reviews.comhttp://real-ale-reviews.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-21592518516645073792009-11-13T15:44:07.655+00:002009-11-13T15:44:07.655+00:00The 2nd noble truth is rather mis-represented by M...The 2nd noble truth is rather mis-represented by Mr Lager. It's a common mistake. The trick (as I see it - but who am I) is not to "<b><i>not care</i></b>", but to try to quiet our cravings - our <b><i>wants</i></b>, so that we can find the time and energy to allow ourselves (and others) to satisfy our essential <b><i>needs</i></b>. Which will include real ale and a vibrant pub culture. Naturally.StringersBeerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12573068197944669997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-2006989701523400492009-11-13T13:08:37.311+00:002009-11-13T13:08:37.311+00:00I do love a parade.
What I do not understand abou...I do love a parade.<br /><br />What I do not understand about the beer market is the idea that pops up in various forms that "we are all in this together." Isn't that a bit too much to bite off for your purposes? Wouldn't it be better to make a topic specific alliance that attacks the false health and safety allegations without getting together for the full body kumbaya?Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01670495301758701170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-1585790549129036482009-11-13T13:00:52.857+00:002009-11-13T13:00:52.857+00:00Life is suffering, Pete. The 1st noble truth. Life...Life is suffering, Pete. The 1st noble truth. Life is suffering due to our desire for life to be otherwise. That's the 2nd. Your problem is that you care, and the solution is not to care. Don't waste your thoughts or energy giving a blind bit of toss.<br /><br />So long as the supermarket is full of cheap grog, what's it all matter?Cooking Lagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02830924433230427226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-38599098589161036632009-11-13T12:51:16.837+00:002009-11-13T12:51:16.837+00:00utterly agree!utterly agree!John Ogilviehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06038779234360293530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-69200184188431785972009-11-13T12:47:42.723+00:002009-11-13T12:47:42.723+00:00Can't agree that we need Greene King.Can't agree that we need Greene King.Rob Sterowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07870233673933087794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-75557030335945519002009-11-13T12:43:36.123+00:002009-11-13T12:43:36.123+00:00...not to mention The Publican reporting earlier t......not to mention The Publican reporting earlier this week that CAMRA is considering a legal challenge to the OFT's (ultimately correct, though I'd add caveats to that which would be too long to go into here) decision not to refer the beer tie to the Competition Commission.<br /><br />I completely agree with the need for a united front. Such a broad-based campaign might achieve the level of national consciousness as Post Office closures. It beggars belief that the Daily Mail (admittedly hardly my paper of choice) bangs on about 'binge Britain' when its readership are just as likely to be concerned about pub closures.<br /><br />One can imagine the front page picture of smiling couples chatting with a cloth-capped old boy at a bar all holding dimpled mugs. Twee? Yes, but a broad-based campaign would hand each media outlet a message it could sell to its readers on a plate.John Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15471796457374078158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-67751455927563618712009-11-13T12:39:54.600+00:002009-11-13T12:39:54.600+00:00I think everyone in the on-trade should band toget...I think everyone in the on-trade should band together and start a campaign against the off-trade, who as we know are the root of all evil...Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-16646543476148966282009-11-13T12:15:00.283+00:002009-11-13T12:15:00.283+00:00Maybe we should have a march?
http://i.imgur.com/...Maybe we should have a march?<br /><br />http://i.imgur.com/RxUHW.jpgIamreddavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02768287658329807075noreply@blogger.com