TOPIC:

There was an article in yesterday's Times on the decline of Irish pubs.

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Her argument is that the pub trade has gone south not because of the smoking ban but due to rip-off prices. She certainly has a point - when standard lagers and even occasionally great craft beers can be picked up extremely cheaply in offies why go to a pub that offers you comparatively little choice and over-charges you to boot.
It also got me thinking about the handful of pubs in the country that serve decent craft beer on tap - places like the B&C and the Porterhouse in Dublin and their counterparts in Cork and Galway. The recession has arguably made people more discerning about the type of establishment they frequent and the type of beer and food they consume. Have these niche pubs seen their trade increase as a result? If so then the future for craft beer in Ireland might be brighter than we often think.

Unfortunately i don't think that the general lager swilling public will really ever venture inside these establishments. Quality has never been an issue for those consumers. what we have seen though is the increase of people bored with what is available in every other bar. Unfortunately i think that our favourite establishments will see a decline in trade although it will be less of a decline than their bog standard counterparts

I think the smoking ban played a role albeit a minor one. Having lived abroad and being more multicultural now the Irish woke up to the possibility of drinking at home. I think if you talk to older Irish people that they often consider drinking at home to be the sign of a problem drinker, but they were of a generation where the men only drank to get slaughtered and don't understand moderation at all.
I think younger Irish woke up to that. At the end of the day it's the price of beer, no point in going out and spending 100 on a night out with all things considered when you can stay in and have a pizza delivered, smoking whatever you're having yourself for half the price.

I really hate the way various establishments jack up the price at certain times of the day. It has kept me away from most but I do recall the porterhouse being one of those. Drives me bananas. the chipper doesn't cost more after 11pm why the hell should my pint? I'm sure the poor staff are not on huge bills for working late after all it comes with working in a pub.

I do also agree with the decibel level though. As a musician I hate loud music. Sounds mad maybe, but i want to chat and be all philosophic over a quality pint without being ripped off. the lad in the porterhouse again comes to mind but that is mild in comparison to other places. So thats why I stay home and try to create my own little bit of quality and maybe fall asleep on the couch without anyone giving me a boot up the hole.
rant over. <!-- s:oops: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_redface.gif" alt="" title="Embarassed" /><!-- s:oops: -->

the price of bottles of imported beer in pubs is simply too much for yer average punter to risk not liking

&amp;quot;rossa&amp;quot;:1mguqs4b wrote: I really hate the way various establishments jack up the price at certain times of the day. It has kept me away from most but I do recall the porterhouse being one of those. Drives me bananas. the chipper doesn't cost more after 11pm why the hell should my pint? I'm sure the poor staff are not on huge bills for working late after all it comes with working in a pub. [/quote:1mguqs4b]
Totally agree. I was in The Church (not my choice) on Jervis st just before xmas, guinness was I think 4.50 or 5 euro all evening, until 11pm (on a saturday, so it wasn't like they had to pay for a bar extension at this stage), when it went up 50c - 10%. Told them to shove it and left 1 pint earlier than I intended. I'm sure they really noticed in their profits though. Not. <!-- s:( --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_sad.gif" alt="" title="Sad" /><!-- s:( --> Although if everyone did the same.....