Stonch’s blast from the past

Since Stonch banned me from his website, I’ve obviously not had any referrals. Until yesterday, when someone made a connection from this post in October 2007, the week I started my blog.
Ah, that takes me back. The good old sparkler debate. Beer blogging was such a Frontier-like experience then. Stonch was the pioneer and so many [...]

Licensees to march on Pub Co HQs

Frustrated licensees are planning a protest march to highlight the plight of tenants outside the headquarters of Britain’s two biggest pubcos — Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns.
Both pubcos are fueling the crisis in British pubs but surely they have to change their ways now. In good economic times they decided to forget about selling beer [...]

National anarchist pub crawl day

The great Ian Bone has declared Saturday, January 31, 2009, to be National Anarchist pub crawl day. Before we can even think of revolution, we have to save our pubs.
Where first? I suggest Guest House, then Mason’s, Wellington, Old Ship, then – suitably tanked up – we storm the Vincent Hotel’s exclusive bar and demand to know why [...]

Drinkers Alliance demands our voice is heard

The reason I started this blog was to give a voice (albeit a rather mouse-like one) to those who were fed up with being lectured to by do-gooders and neo-Puritans who want to see our right to enjoy booze restricted.
I mused that there may be a political movement in all of this, although my appeal for violent revolution [...]

Revenge of the Blood Tub

Taking umbrage at my view of the Cains situation, Alan Hastings of Ormskirk has contacted me with his opinion.
Mr Hastings has been fighting a campaign to reinstate Moorhouse’s Pendle Witches Brew to the Ship at Lathom, known locally as the Blood Tub. The Ship became a Cains pub following the Liverpool Brewery’s takeover of Honeycombe’s [...]

Cains – the Capital of Culture dividend

There’s talk from union bosses, MPs and others this morning about trying to keep Cains afloat, but it all seems pretty grim. 
Sudarghara Dusanj told the Post this morning: “There is a very real possibility of the business folding.”
They quote Chris Routledge, an occasional commentator on this blog. Apart from the prospect of his favourite beer disappearing, Chris has [...]

Government may ban happy hours

Start building the barricades. According to The Sunday Times, the Department of Health (otherwise known as DOH!) and the Home Office will shortly “consult the public” on new measures to curb the “irresponsible” sale of alcohol.
What does this mean, police closing down pubs because the booze is 10p cheaper for an hour? It’s time we [...]

Ugandan discussions

It seems the only enlightened country to live these days is Uganda, where the Government have announced an immediate reduction in the price of beer.
Local worthy Keith Muhakanizi said: “We want to encourage drinking of beer made from local raw materials.”
If only Idi Amin had followed the same course of action, he’d probably still be [...]

Government targets Liverpool drinkers

The Government is to spend millions of pounds sending a team of anti-alcohol “experts” into Liverpool after the Department of Health branded the great city the booze capital of Britain.
The Liverpool Daily Post, which seems to swallow anything these days, has printed a press release about the worrying news here. The Post goes on to [...]

Drinker revolution shuts down tube – updated

The cops have closed down Liverpool (yay) Street station on the London Underground after thousands of drinkers turned up to protest against the ban on tube booze. The BBC has the first story.
Reports are coming in of other tube stations being over-run with pie-eyed partisans.
Brilliant! Let’s hope there’s similar stunts when the booze ban is [...]