tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post5237219518235229205..comments2024-03-23T04:23:48.076+00:00Comments on Tandleman's Beer Blog: Sam's One Pound GambleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-77238110054485327452022-01-01T19:54:52.203+00:002022-01-01T19:54:52.203+00:00If you can't fill your pubs at the old price ...If you can't fill your pubs at the old price how do you expect to fill them after putting 1.00 to £1.20 on a pint? Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10324988245945458292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-89387140273855638892021-10-02T21:46:19.893+01:002021-10-02T21:46:19.893+01:00Visited the Kings Arms in York yesterday, ordered ...Visited the Kings Arms in York yesterday, ordered 1 pint of bitter and an orange & lemonade, had a £10 to hand over and the barman said "that'll be £10:50, I couldn't believe it!Steve Gibsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168634106342865411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-58918994351019332282020-10-08T17:44:12.654+01:002020-10-08T17:44:12.654+01:00Visited a Sheffield pub last week and was astonish...Visited a Sheffield pub last week and was astonished at the price compared to previous visits. They only had keg bitter available where it has always been hand pulled before. Landlord stated his sales are down massively due to covid but I am beginning to wonder if the large price increase has just as much to do with it ?<br />Shame, an institution that appears to be struggling. Andynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-38056925528837279432020-09-19T15:37:20.200+01:002020-09-19T15:37:20.200+01:00Was a regular at SS in Bolton
But not been since t...Was a regular at SS in Bolton<br />But not been since the increase, and won't be venturing back,, pity really decent pub and landlord, <br />Loony owner..Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07200835656243192801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-46210473679167766622020-09-18T08:18:45.280+01:002020-09-18T08:18:45.280+01:00Paid £6.20 for a Pint at the Town Wharf in Islewor...Paid £6.20 for a Pint at the Town Wharf in Isleworth (South West London).<br /><br />Pint prices are high in London but I've never paid this much outside of fancy places in central London.<br /><br />I thought I had misheard them when they said the price as Sam Smiths have been relatively cheap in London and the price wasn't that high the week before.<br /><br />Looking down at three pound coins and some silver change from a £10 note is disheartening and doesn't encourage repeat business. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-18908407796882596082020-09-13T14:49:20.625+01:002020-09-13T14:49:20.625+01:00£6.20 for a pint of Pure Brewed Lager in the Eagle...£6.20 for a pint of Pure Brewed Lager in the Eagle, Maida Vale last Friday, except for a few West End localities, SS pubs are in crisis in LondonNick Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05396421959233844423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-59485671167576020222020-09-13T14:44:45.981+01:002020-09-13T14:44:45.981+01:00The same pint in the Eagle in Maida Vale , London,...The same pint in the Eagle in Maida Vale , London, cost £6.20 last FridayNick Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05396421959233844423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-40924383220728786672020-08-06T22:03:42.788+01:002020-08-06T22:03:42.788+01:00There are 2 main selling points of these pubs for ...There are 2 main selling points of these pubs for me, a non-connoisseur.<br /><br />Cheap pints.<br />No electronic devices (though genuine e-readers and payment cards shouldn't be included in the ban, I think).<br /><br />I'm surprised by the general lack of appreciation here for that last differentiator; it's genuinely refreshing and pretty unique in this world to be somewhere where people are encouraged to be social and in the moment.<br /><br />I can't see how removing one of those selling points by ramping up prices to market norms is a good idea; especially if the lack of appreciation here for the luddite--love is indicative of the general opinion of its customers.<br /><br /><br />DigitalDetoxnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-1322253092094871242020-08-06T14:44:47.403+01:002020-08-06T14:44:47.403+01:00I'd happily pay a premium to drink in an envir...I'd happily pay a premium to drink in an environment with comfortable seats, no piped music, no TV sport and (usually) no screaming children. But I recognise I might be in something of a minority there...Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-79544221688342110782020-08-06T12:02:12.902+01:002020-08-06T12:02:12.902+01:00I agree Andy, why pay top dollar for a beer in a p...I agree Andy, why pay top dollar for a beer in a pub with no music, TV's, no phones etc when you can go anywhere for pretty much the same price and have all the entertainment, in my local Sam Smith's they even threw the carol singers out !!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09519490810193758474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-19580113325668694202020-08-04T14:54:23.724+01:002020-08-04T14:54:23.724+01:00Before the lockdown i was a regular drinker in my ...Before the lockdown i was a regular drinker in my local sam smiths pub and drank the organic lager which was £3.00 a pint, which was a reasonable pint for the money it didnt have the taste of branded products. now this has now been increased to £4.20 im giving the pub a miss.<br /> i now drintk in a pub i can use my phone,listen to music and even sing if i want to.<br />so im buggered if im going to pay hotel beer prices for what is basically HOME BREWandy robinsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-83604050289082573602020-07-22T14:12:15.097+01:002020-07-22T14:12:15.097+01:00Last Friday I was in the Boar's Head in Stockp...Last Friday I was in the Boar's Head in Stockport. It was as busy as I would have expected it to be given how quiet the town centre was in general, with several groups of customers who didn't strike me as "value drinkers". And Robinson's Unicorn in the Swan With Two Necks was £3.45. So I don't see it killing that particular pub.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-34369759595039992062020-07-22T10:21:21.048+01:002020-07-22T10:21:21.048+01:00Surely this is a nail in the coffin for Humphrey a...Surely this is a nail in the coffin for Humphrey and Samuel Smith's pubs, if any other chain increased prices by 50% there would be uproar. I like SS pubs and their beers but do not like all of their outdated policies (we got told off for using the hive app on our mobile to turn our heating on before heading home!) but their already pretty empty pubs are now going to be even emptied and one by one will close down. This is a sad loss as I enjoy their beers and pubs.<br />SAMUEL SMITH PUBS R.I.P. SAD!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02792322080771819777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-2981788130741871302020-07-17T13:40:18.194+01:002020-07-17T13:40:18.194+01:00There are no Sam Smith's pubs around here, and...There are no Sam Smith's pubs around here, and I don't particularly rate the beer, despite the low prices. I expect it has operated in a similar way to the old Threlfalls which used to have a brewery and a chain of pubs here in Merseyside. It undercut other breweries by buying cheap ingredients to keep prices down: a brewing equivalent of "never mind the quality, feel the width". Beer lovers did not think highly of it.<br /><br />Humphrey, like JDW's Martin, doesn't seem to mind alienating potential and actual customers, but while my view is that a big price hike like this would be unwise, I expect Humphrey really doesn't care less, as I think this anecdote will illustrate:<br /><br />When'New' Labour introduced the (frankly ridiculous) new-style music licences for pubs, Sam Smiths refused to pay for them and banned live and recorded music across its estate. In Whitby, North Yorkshire, this decision ensured that a large pub, the Plough, that had been heaving with music and song sessions in 3 separate rooms with another in the large back yard (weather permitting) during the annual Folk Week, became almost deserted while other pubs in the town were packed with drinking musicians and singers. The last time I went in during the festival, there were about half a dozen drinkers rattling around when previously there had been literally hundreds all day and all evening. It wouldn't have surprised me if the beer sales in that one pub during Folk Week could have bought music licences on the entire pub estate. Even though those licences were scrapped years ago, the ban on live music that they prompted remains.<br /><br />We can laugh at the ridiculous and outdated eccentricity of Humphrey and the fact that he may be risking his own business, but I do think he has a responsibility not to jeopardise the livelihoods of his thousands of employees by his frequent, knee-jerk responses to the many things about the modern world that he seems incapable of coping with.RedNevhttps://rednev-rearm.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-78904311235393397322020-07-14T13:42:15.833+01:002020-07-14T13:42:15.833+01:00Amber Taverns? Craft Union?Amber Taverns? Craft Union?Malcolm Nichollshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04114433389090892217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-54465179189813367632020-07-11T16:24:37.840+01:002020-07-11T16:24:37.840+01:00Mulldog has it right. Sam Smith's were hardly ...Mulldog has it right. Sam Smith's were hardly making it work at £2 a pint and their empty pubs now litter my local area. Adding £1 and more is hardly going to fix things. Humphrey needs to clear off and sell outto Marstons.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04264777762488314939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-45548713340481935042020-07-11T14:21:53.654+01:002020-07-11T14:21:53.654+01:00Interesting comment. Thanks. Do you think others f...Interesting comment. Thanks. Do you think others feel like you on this?Tandlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804499573827044693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-17923968413099986502020-07-10T14:30:58.727+01:002020-07-10T14:30:58.727+01:00A group of around 10 of us who were fairly regular...A group of around 10 of us who were fairly regular Sam Smith's visitors in several Rochdale pubs have decided we won't be going back. My own favourite tipple "Extra Stout" has gone up £1.10. We don't mind paying such prices as a one off in Manchester etc, but for regular weekday drinking in a back street pub it's far too much of a hike. Mulldoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05042192053050490900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-33760853649720578822020-07-10T11:31:07.818+01:002020-07-10T11:31:07.818+01:00Not sure why this feels such a hammer blow, but it...Not sure why this feels such a hammer blow, but it is definitely a setback to the unique drinking culture of the North.<br /><br />As you say "If many of the other customers are deterred, much of that atmosphere will be lost, and indeed the future of the pubs themselves may be threatened."<br /><br />Much as I love their pubs (and the Stout), I probably only put £15 in their coffers last year, and the hike would still leave them good value.<br />But their pubs in Eccles and Weaste and Sheffield weren't heaving last year and I can see this impacting viability.<br /><br />Not sure about Stockport or Manchester, but Craft Union seem to offer the best value outside Spoons(£2 a 6X in Dereham), and are closer to the spirit of Sam's.<br /><br />(Wrote this on Mudgie's blog. Mudgie makes the point that the Craft union pubs are a lot noisier than Sam Smiths so not likely to see a transfer of custom from the Old Boy who likes a quiet pint).retiredmartinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-46021666102459476272020-07-10T09:29:55.109+01:002020-07-10T09:29:55.109+01:00JMarkDodds - maybe Sam's should be more like o...JMarkDodds - maybe Sam's should be more like other major pub companies. Oh...Ted Tuppennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-49640343362235850622020-07-10T08:42:16.556+01:002020-07-10T08:42:16.556+01:00Possibly the biggest percentage price rise any bre...Possibly the biggest percentage price rise any brewer has ever made? <br />electricpicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09144970068645280352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-71080464689973740002020-07-10T08:22:57.855+01:002020-07-10T08:22:57.855+01:00Its always been a strange business model for pubs,...Its always been a strange business model for pubs, a sort of pile it high and sell it cheap approach but with strings attached both for the manager and the drinker. I am going to be keeping an eye on our Sams local, the Stalag Luft Turf Tavern. which is always packed with drinkers in the front facing beer garden even on the dullest of days to gauge any discernible effect. I wont be going in, once was enough. Andy Cooperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14721040886597629202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-15875078648960560852020-07-09T19:54:53.235+01:002020-07-09T19:54:53.235+01:00"Given the odd way Humphrey operates, like an..."Given the odd way Humphrey operates, like an East German holiday camp"<br /><br />Too progressive for Mr Humphrey, he operates as a 19th Century factory owner. Once you understand he is a 19th Century person all his actions become very clear including his reluctance to allow the council to destroy the old bridge in Tadcaster and his sinking lots (& lots) of money into sympathetic pub restoration. The Flat Hathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05493425624789409685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-71731721957760170412020-07-09T19:31:30.041+01:002020-07-09T19:31:30.041+01:00Oh true, but be careful what you wish for.Oh true, but be careful what you wish for.Tandlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804499573827044693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629758183547510158.post-55489910808769072072020-07-09T19:30:49.198+01:002020-07-09T19:30:49.198+01:00Who knows? But I doubt it really.Who knows? But I doubt it really.Tandlemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06804499573827044693noreply@blogger.com