Friday 28 January 2011

That's the Spirit


Following on from my rather depressing report about the pub trade I read this in the Morning Advertiser. Here is a man that is running a pub, going to add a brewery, is positive and confident and brim full of good ideas. No thought of failure is entertained. He is a "Yes we can" sort of a guy. When you have confidence, ability and a will to do well, there is still opportunity out there.

This seems to me to be very good news indeed which is why I'm drawing it to your attention. I wish him every success.Up with that sort of thing.

11 comments:

Brew Wales said...

Typo at the MA 'capacity of 100
barrels a day' thats a big micro?

Tandleman said...

Well spotted Sir. I would be big if that was so.

Séan Billings said...

"customers get a stamp for every pint of ale they buy and a free one after eight"

Isn't this against the new minimum pricing laws?

Tandleman said...

Sean: Dunno. You saying it is? In any event if it is, I guess he'll just come up with something else.

Hang on. What minimum pricing laws? If you give it away, does that count? Have we actually got any yet?

Cooking Lager said...

The price of free is below duty + VAT. You could argue that it isn't free, but a discount on a bulk buy of 9 pints for the price of 8, but that's a stretch when each pint is individually bought and consumed.

No more free beer for anyone, cheer's Mr Benner.

Séan Billings said...

Sorry, not actually in place yet. Getting flashes from the near future again.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12212240

A minimum price of Duty + VAT would make a free pint illegal, would it not? A very sad day for beer culture.

Tandleman said...

Mike Benner? Ah the Prime Minister?

Neville Grundy said...

This reminds me of the Hop Vine in Burscough which was a rough house a couple of years ago, then closed. It's been reopened, refurbished, serves real ale and food and has just opened its own microbrewery. That's a similarly encouraging success story.

"Cheers, Mr Benner." I think those who dislike CAMRA should really make up their minds. CAMRA is either an ineffectual beer drinkers club that couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery, or it's a very powerful body that has the government wrapped around its little finger and implementing adverse policies at CAMRA's behest. It can't be both.

Anyone who thinks the latter is true knows nothing about politics.

Cooking Lager said...

Who says I dislike CAMRA? I think many of it's aims are laudable, and the people involved who I have met admirable. It inspires CAMCL. But you know, Mr Benner likes his responsible drinking mantra and fully supports minimum pricing and if there is an unexpected and unwanted consequence to measures he pushes for then he can take his share of responsibility. Call me Dave may be the PM, but Mr Benner has the ear of government, apparantly.

Neville Grundy said...

Well, if you're right about Mike Benner's influence on the government, I expect to see an end to the beer tax escalator & a cut in duty in the next budget, and a reform of the PubCo tie some time this year.

Time will tell!

Paul Garrard said...

The pub trade might be shrinking but it just goes to show that pubs can succeed if they offer som
ething that customers will leave home for