tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post6365266610879231368..comments2023-09-20T12:50:40.208+01:00Comments on Pete Brown: 'The Brewery Tap' - the next generation?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-87659351293463205902010-11-30T11:37:31.616+00:002010-11-30T11:37:31.616+00:00have to agree with what someone else said. the gre...have to agree with what someone else said. the greystones is my local and although its great that they have thornbridge beers on, its a bit crap and looks half arsed that the lager offerings are, well, rubbish. becks vier? nah thanks. I know it might not be the case but it felt to me like a lack of thought or care had gone into this area of the drinks menu. Also, why is it so expensive for a pint of thornbridge beer when its only brewed up the road?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-31280219497094697302010-11-24T17:20:43.676+00:002010-11-24T17:20:43.676+00:00Everards at the forefront of innovation in the mar...Everards at the forefront of innovation in the market. It was at an Everard's pub that I first came across guest beers, a good year or so before the Beer Orders became law. Their partnership with Titanic has revived the Sun, Stafford, once a great pub and now a great pub again after many horrible years as an O'Neill's, a restaurant, and a Tequila barAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-83731469643329330602010-11-24T15:15:07.280+00:002010-11-24T15:15:07.280+00:00I'm not a massive beer expert but I trekked ov...I'm not a massive beer expert but I trekked over to Greystones from Crookesmoor last Saturday after a very expensive taxi ride, to see what all the fuss was about. I can tell you it was worth every penny.<br /><br />It was a joy to discover that somebody had splashed out and put some love and attention into creating a proper pub, just the way I like it.<br /><br />Fabulous ales<br />Lovely, sensitive restoration job on the wooden panelling and stained glass<br />Fab choice of new decor, lights, leather seating, tiled floors, decent loos, tasteful exterior paintwork<br />Fab backroom venue promoting live music<br />Every table crammed with drinkers chatting away as if this was their front room<br />Yorkshire crisps<br />Oh and no slot machines, no Sky Sports, no crap music, no gimmicks<br /><br />Clearly looking at some of the miserable comments in this post, you can't please everyone. Suffice to say it deeply pleased me and gave me hope in this age of austerity, when the Great British pub industry seems to be on its knees.<br /><br />I have no idea about the business model. Suffice to say, if this is what it achieves and it turns out to be sustainable, I say bring it on Thornbridge, preferably somewhere nearer to my neck of the woods, I raise my pint to you.Lucy Harperhttp://theculturevulture.co.uk/blog/?author=54noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-14879815578897834852010-11-24T13:12:59.527+00:002010-11-24T13:12:59.527+00:00Ohh my goodness - the Highcliffe!! I used to go th...Ohh my goodness - the Highcliffe!! I used to go there in my teens so many, many years ago. It's just about walkable from my mum who still lives closeby. Ohh dear, memories...<br /><br />Okay, so nothing to do with the thread but what the heck :-)Rob Nicholsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14871887147718814739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-77024318624712888722010-11-23T15:00:51.027+00:002010-11-23T15:00:51.027+00:00Hi Guys
It took me nigh on 3 years to sort this d...Hi Guys<br /><br />It took me nigh on 3 years to sort this deal to get our beers on at The Greystones and I am very pleased with how things have gone in the first 2 weeks or so of trade. <br /><br />When i first approached Enterprise it was a case of whatever the question the answer is no, obviously as time and circumstances change so did their attitude which allowed the relaxing of the tie and the ability to list our beers alongside the said keg products(no Carling or Smooth Flow)<br /><br />I also have special dispensation to put our keg product on too (which we will be doing next week) - I am also in the process of converting the lease into an agreement that will protect us from rent increases in the future.<br /><br />Whilst in negotiations no one told me that this was a good idea, the pub had suffered for years and the community didn't want it nor the people running the place, however, as I live locally I knew its potential - infact when i met Enterprise Directors there their immediate response was 'Why this pub?' - I suggested that if it was a cleared site you would build a pub .... and yes paint in lovely heritage colours!<br /><br />With regards why didn't we put our money where our mouth is like brewdog - well we do operate 2 full free of tie leases and a The Coach and Horses we offer an extensive keg listing alongside our own beers and a great bottle selection<br /><br />My own thoughts were that the Enterprise model was broken and it needed a revamp, over time I was encouraged by them that they were not completely averse to change - however I wholly agree that the model still needs to move - ours is hopefully just the start of this movement.<br /><br />This whole agreement was brokered by us and at no time have we been exploited, if anything we have seized the initiative and struck whilst this giant has been a little unsteady - i don't think for one minute that we have cleared the way for everyone else but i do believe that we have helped - i am already aware of some other quality brewers in discussions to do likewise <br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />Simon Webster<br />Thornbridgejaipurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05100265426305086360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-77658888357342262202010-11-23T14:49:53.221+00:002010-11-23T14:49:53.221+00:00Everards have pretty boring ales. But they are pre...Everards have pretty boring ales. But they are pretty good at running pubs and having great relationships with their tenants.Thom Farrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08769973975420792914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-20712963173331439132010-11-23T13:54:25.493+00:002010-11-23T13:54:25.493+00:00I think this is great news. It's all very well...I think this is great news. It's all very well having a go at the big companies but I think this shows movement in the right direction which is surely a good thing. Large corporations change slowly like the proverbial turning super-tanker. Hats off to Enterprise for taking a risk and recognising a potential growth area (after all they put a (large?) sum of money up to invest in an area they are unfamiliar with). If this works from a business sense then I'm sure they will look to expand the concept. It may be unfashionable but business is business and you need to make money whether an Enterprise a Thornbridge an Everards or anybody else.whodunikabolokovnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-70239829549931726302010-11-23T13:44:05.717+00:002010-11-23T13:44:05.717+00:00I don't know what the figures are, but I do kn...I don't know what the figures are, but I do know that in a similar position I'd sure look extremely hard at getting my own finance for a full freehouse before agreeing to any kind of tie.<br /><br />Neil.<br /><br />PS - <a href="http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?sectioncode=6&storycode=68332" rel="nofollow">Here</a> is another example which I think predates this story, and has more figures in it.Neilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15156748070834022711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-29981695115903966322010-11-23T13:43:55.765+00:002010-11-23T13:43:55.765+00:00I was in on Saturday and the lager range was decen...I was in on Saturday and the lager range was decent (Staro etc) and the missus was on the malts - Jura etc.<br /><br />Only downside was having to watch Emma Harrison flouncing around like she owns the place.Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-39963675658795338442010-11-23T13:36:27.662+00:002010-11-23T13:36:27.662+00:00Sorry Pete, I really don’t see this as a good thin...Sorry Pete, I really don’t see this as a good thing as it will stifle change not encourage it.<br /><br />Whilst this may be good as a one off, for a specific pub, or as a one off for a cask brewer it can’t be good for the trade as it legitimises to the whole pub tie model. When the PubCo stands up in front of parliament and says “us sir, no sir, we support the small brewer sir.” They will be able to point to this and say look we are helping them!!<br /><br />If PubCo’s really want to help the local brewer they should make and allowance that say 30% of the beer (Hand pump or Lager tap) can be free of tie and ‘sourced localy’ say within 40 miles of the establishment. <br /><br />The PubCo could be ‘protected’ by saying that these can’t be off their current list (Stella Fosters etc) thus stoping the publican going to the cash and carry and buying it for £90 instead of the £210+ the PubCo charges the publican, we wouldn’t want them to pay a fair price afterall. <br /><br />By default the publican would want to sell more of the free of tie beer, and therefore would seak quality, and look to improve standards in brewing and the pub trade, this would improve things for all. <br /><br />The law also needs to change to stop the PubCo’s putting covenents onto “former pubs” stopping them trading as pubs once they have strangled the life of them. The Pubco does this so that it can’t be run as a going concern again ends up being a Tai restruant fails and is sold as a land for development, becuause in the planning they can prove it is no longer viable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-14218254408733971272010-11-23T13:21:07.798+00:002010-11-23T13:21:07.798+00:00The Greystone's my local (although I never vis...The Greystone's my local (although I never visited it before the Thornbridge makeover) & I can assure Anonymous & all his friends that the whole of the bar offer is good quality. There's Leffe & (I think) Warsteiner & the wines are good quality (I have this on good authority from friends, not having shifted from the cask beers myself) Presumably Thornbridge are not tied to just buying the low quality products, big pubcos like Enterprise have a wide range of prpoducts in their range.WildNorthlandshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02727447848842044040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-77337726027830310272010-11-23T11:46:38.622+00:002010-11-23T11:46:38.622+00:00Curmudgeon said...
A pity they haven't fin...Curmudgeon said...<br /> A pity they haven't finished painting the Greystones and it's still in primer.<br /> Oh, sorry, pastel is trendy for pubs nowadays :-(<br /><br />:-)) You heathen! Not pastel...I think the words you want are "traditional/authentic with a stupid name and a pretentious description". Personally I prefer Little Greeene over Farrow and Ball. Less bollocks in the catalogue and they are hard/from up north.mentaldentalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15226160741245530097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-86190030417022405092010-11-23T10:58:28.530+00:002010-11-23T10:58:28.530+00:00No, not visited, purely based on lengthy experienc...No, not visited, purely based on lengthy experience of Punch and Enterprise, who make their money by squeezing the brewers margins through pure volume (and no doubt forcing them to compromise production as a result) and then selling that beer on to their tennents at an extortionate rate. I felt it was a reasonable assumption, given that this is a Enterprise tennancy, that the tied kegged beer would have to come from one of the big boys, in which case its unlikely to be of high quality.<br /><br />I had a similar discussion once with a microbrewer who was making amazing beer but complimenting it in his bar with Magners, Ernest Gallo and some other dross. I asked why he didn't get local produce in, given his local area (it turns out it hadn't occured to him that customer can subconsciously judge your product based on the product it sits next to on a bar or in a fridge)..<br /><br />I also have a bar locally that is Punch tied to keg but have just managed to get free of their cask and bottle tie, so now you have a great cask bar with 6 local breweries on rotation, fridges full of cool UK, US, Belgian and German beers and a keg line up of John Smiths, Stella, Kronembourg, Carling and Dry Blackthorn...<br /><br />If I'm wrong I apologise, but experience tells me that Enterprise have seen a great way to exploit a great British brewer rather than an opportunity to change their business model and help revitalise a flagging trade but extending an arm to the craft beer industry.<br /><br />And 'Anonymous' because I was in a rush and it was easierAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-21901365036187789252010-11-23T10:29:34.258+00:002010-11-23T10:29:34.258+00:00Totally understand - and share - caution, Tandy - ...Totally understand - and share - caution, Tandy - not suggesting everyone just campaigns for Simon Townsend to be given a knighthood. But that's very different from our anonymous contributor's blanket demolition.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-54965545860801485682010-11-23T10:17:39.517+00:002010-11-23T10:17:39.517+00:00A pity they haven't finished painting the Grey...A pity they haven't finished painting the Greystones and it's still in primer. <br /><br />Oh, sorry, pastel is trendy for pubs nowadays :-(Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-57419555802777566912010-11-23T10:11:35.339+00:002010-11-23T10:11:35.339+00:00I think Pete, in fairness, given Enterprise's ...I think Pete, in fairness, given Enterprise's record, a degree of caution is possibly justified?<br /><br />But yes. If done properly on a partnership basis with goodwill, it has to be a good thing.Tandlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804499573827044693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-15318052676344553672010-11-23T10:01:06.363+00:002010-11-23T10:01:06.363+00:00Anon 2 (why all the anons?) please tell me you'...Anon 2 (why all the anons?) please tell me you're basing your rant on having actually visited the Greystones and found it to be less than ideal. <br /><br />Tandy's points are general points about how Enterprise operate and he still manages to find a cautious welcome for this. But you dismiss it out if hand. Do you know what the lager selection at Greystones is? Or the spirit range? If you do, please specify, and your rant is entirely justified. <br /><br />If you haven't been yet, this comments falls into the category of "people who make me want to stop writing about beer." God knows I can rant, but the pub industry needs all the good news it can get. It depresses me beyond words that whenever I post some positive news, there are people queuing up to find the negative angle in it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-45094948769482860412010-11-23T09:48:16.114+00:002010-11-23T09:48:16.114+00:00Another point is that Enterprise have a record of ...Another point is that Enterprise have a record of jacking rents up, thus making pubs unviable. I suppose as long as the contract is very carefully written and scrutinised though, that can be avoided or minimised.<br /><br />I'd rather deal with Everards than Enterprise. He that sups with the devil, needs a very long spoon.<br /><br />So at best two cheers then.Tandlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804499573827044693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-8654426974037934252010-11-23T09:23:03.899+00:002010-11-23T09:23:03.899+00:00All well and good, but all that means is you end u...All well and good, but all that means is you end up with a nice bar which sends mixed messages. We care about the quality of our cask ale but we don't give a toss about the other stuff we sell.<br /><br />Where are the quality lagers? What about the quality spirits? PubCo's like Enterprise don;t give a stuff about integrity, pravenance of product or anything else with any moral or ethical value, they care about the bottom line. <br /><br />I find it hard to understand why a brewery like Thornbridge would associate themselves with something that is effectively half-arsed. What about when TB start kegging, which they will surely do? I'd find it heart breaking to see my hand crafted quality beers on cask next to a line up of Carling, Stella and whatever other shite Enterprise or Punch or some other backward thinking rip off merchant thinks will make them the most money out of their tennent.<br /><br />For all their shouting BrewDog have at least had the balls to put their own money where their mouth is and opened up a bar they 100% believe in.<br /><br />Its no bad thing that old pubs are being ressurected, I jst think its a shame that Thornbridge, one of the best breweries in the UK is prepared to compromise their product.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-39849755028671585362010-11-23T08:56:05.024+00:002010-11-23T08:56:05.024+00:00Can it be true? Enterprise showing an enterprising...Can it be true? Enterprise showing an enterprising idea? Even if it copied from Everads!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com