Pubs Under Threat?
Michael Henderson writes in The Telegraph
The English pub, one of our greatest gifts to civilisation, is in mortal danger. They are closing in the towns no less than rural areas, or being turned into featureless cash-cows that the Bedford pals would not have recognised. Even when they survive, their character is threatened by the rise of the gastro-pub and the march of the voracious chain, neither of which place much emphasis on the quirky or the particular, which lies at the heart of what makes a pub a pub.
I don’t agree with this on a number of levels. Firstly, around the south side of Swindon, I can think (without much effort) of half a dozen non-gastro pubs with a lots of character. In Swindon itself, I can think of half a dozen - and I don’t go into the town much. Maybe I’m just lucky.
A pub cannot be a proper pub unless it offers at least one hand-pulled ale, and if that ale happens to be Timothy Taylor’s Landlord of Keighley, Joseph Holt’s of Manchester, Bateman’s of Wainfleet or Harvey’s of Lewes, so much the better.
I’d agree with that*. Which would also suggest that pubs are going through something of a renaissance, not in "mortal danger".
When the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) started, real ale was scarce. It was being steadily replaced with keg beer. Today, there are far more breweries than there were 25 years ago. The breweries of Archers, Stonehenge, Hop Back, Box Steam, Hidden, Moles and Ramsbury have all been added to the list for Wiltshire. Berkshire has added West Berks and Butts. These are supplying many free houses and small pubs.
As for chains, they exist, but then 25 years ago, we had tied houses, which were no better.
* Landlord is a personal favourite along with Archer’s Golden, Wadworth Farmers Glory, Hop Back Summer Lightning and Berrow Topsy-Turvy.
RSS
Can’t remember when I started it, I think a year or two ago I’ve "implemented" my own "policy":
When I’m travelling or am away for a day and go into a pub I always ask for the beer which has travelled least, i.e. the most local ale they have. Some very nice finds already with that method!
A Good Beer Guide is always worth having in the car.
I use it not so much for beer, but for food. I often find that a country pub that cares about its ale also cares about its food.