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BrewDog: yet another hip company using 'rebel' language to sell its stuff

Yeah they're definitely not 'cheap' any more. It's a shame really because they have some lovely buildings.
What gets me most is the meanness of places like that. Wetherspoons give all their staff free meals. I looked up the tax situation of that, and as long as you give everyone a meal and it's on the premises, it's tax-free. So it costs them fuck all to do, basically. Yet Sam Smith's refuse to even do that.

When I worked for Borders years ago, they were just like that as well. Never knowingly giving away freebies. Tight fuckers.

I agree, though, some of the SS pubs are really nice inside. I used to drink in them regularly. But I was surprised not just by the price but also by the shit quality of the beer last time I was in one.
 
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Drank in here a few days ago. Nice little pub, decent ale The Lemon Tree in Covent Garden
If you're around there, a wander up to the Queen's Larder just past Holborn is worth the ten minute walk. Gets busy after work hours, but it's a great pub during quieter periods. Good beer and not stupidly pricey London-wise. Very nice, very little pub.

TBH I am as likely to go to one of the Spoons in Holborn around there. :D
 
Yeah they're definitely not 'cheap' any more. It's a shame really because they have some lovely buildings.

Sam Smith’s business model is as much about acquiring high quality properties as it is selling booze. The main problem is that many of them aren’t outwardly branded, so you don’t realise it’s an SS boozer until you go in and see the beers.
 
If you're around there, a wander up to the Queen's Larder just past Holborn is worth the ten minute walk. Gets busy after work hours, but it's a great pub during quieter periods. Good beer and not stupidly pricey London-wise. Very nice, very little pub.

TBH I am as likely to go to one of the Spoons in Holborn around there. :D
Heading up Holborn way is the 7 stars, with Roxy.
 
Yep. I used to regularly go to the one in Bristol. It actually used to be quite reasonable pricewise but now is a total piss take. I think last time I went there I got a pint of 5% lager and a bag of nuts, came to 8 quid.
Looked up Sam Smith's pubs out of interest as there are loads in central London. They're even worse employers than Wetherspoons. (At least at Wetherspoons they give you free food.)

https://uk.indeed.com/cmp/Samuel-Smiths-Brewery/reviews?ftopic=paybenefits

I used to drink in SS pubs quite often. Last time I was there, it wasn't even cheap really. More than 5 quid for the basic weak bitter.
 
Yeah they're definitely not 'cheap' any more. It's a shame really because they have some lovely buildings.

Yeah. The one I used to drink and I pretty much read the whole of Game of Thrones series in one of the booths there over several Sundays. it’s a pretty old building with the vibe of an old hotel kind of thing.
 
It was weird, worse than I expected tbh. Just lacking something - warmth I suppose; something quite sterile and soul-less about it.
Yeah, the prices didn't surprise me, nor the gimmicks. It's just so big. And despite the gimmicks, devoid of character.
Give me an old fashioned boozer any day - thick walls, wooden beams, brass nick-nacks etc. Atmosphere.
 
It was weird, worse than I expected tbh. Just lacking something - warmth I suppose; something quite sterile and soul-less about it.
Yeah, the prices didn't surprise me, nor the gimmicks. It's just so big. And despite the gimmicks, devoid of character.
Give me an old fashioned boozer any day - thick walls, wooden beams, brass nick-nacks etc. Atmosphere.

Totally different target market.

That's akin to going to an Iron Maiden concert and grumbling about the lack of French horns and piccolos.
 
It was weird, worse than I expected tbh. Just lacking something - warmth I suppose; something quite sterile and soul-less about it.
Yeah, the prices didn't surprise me, nor the gimmicks. It's just so big. And despite the gimmicks, devoid of character.
Give me an old fashioned boozer any day - thick walls, wooden beams, brass nick-nacks etc. Atmosphere.
......people smoking......
 
It was weird, worse than I expected tbh. Just lacking something - warmth I suppose; something quite sterile and soul-less about it.
Yeah, the prices didn't surprise me, nor the gimmicks. It's just so big. And despite the gimmicks, devoid of character.
Give me an old fashioned boozer any day - thick walls, wooden beams, brass nick-nacks etc. Atmosphere.
The Hole In The Wall next time :thumbs:
 
Totally different target market.

That's akin to going to an Iron Maiden concert and grumbling about the lack of French horns and piccolos.
Yeah, I'm not particularly in the target demographic of course, it's just an observation.

Still, a bit of brass and woodwind would fit nice with a few Maiden tracks. Can I Play With Madness featuring cor anglais. 🤔
 
SS want £7 for a pint of Pure Brewed in central London. And then everything is priced against that by ABV, so it's not too bad to have an Alpine at 3.4%.
How did this happen? Back in the day SS were loads cheaper than standard pubs. That was their thing - all our own beers, cheaper than the competition, nice wood panels on the walls...
 
Crikey O’Blimey! Never has a pint been so much a serious proportion of the minimum hourly wage. I currently earn £13 ph up north and haven’t been for a pint in a pub of whatever stripe for a long time. Viva Elderberry wine! 😎
Not sure that's true. Minimum wage is about 1.5 pints London prices. 20 years ago, that would have been about 6 quid. Minimum wage was about that.
 
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