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    Tuesday 12 August 2008

    Not All Freebies Are Good Value


    I see Carlsberg and The Sun; two erstwhile World icons if ever there were any, have joined forces to offer a free pint of lager to anyone brandishing a voucher from the paper on August 24th.

    I won't be taking them up on the offer, although I'm sure there'll be no tears over that decision. I am reminded though of a time many years ago when I was in a lovely country pub in deepest darkest Northants which had nine ever changing ales on handpump. I was sipping happily on some beer or other when in walked "The Caffreys Girls". This decidedly nasty nitrokeg bitter was just being launched, and the pub, surprisingly, was supporting its launch. The girls were giving away vouchers for free pints of the fizzy stuff. I think by the time I left that evening I had accumulated at least a gallons worth of vouchers. I didn't claim even one free half.

    There are some decisions you later regret. I certainly don't regret saving myself a bob or two.

    8 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    I remember when Caffreys first came out. Didn't encounter their 'girls' thankfully. All I remember was that the sort of people that used to rave about this muck were Sun reader types (twats).

    Mark said...

    My local now has 3 or 4 beers from Northants micros, yet there is still a small and loyal custom for the Wells Eagle Smooth, which I was served once by accident and found it tasted of absolutely nothing.

    Dubbel said...

    Great rant, made me chuckle :)

    Anonymous said...

    I tried Caffreys once (in the interests of scientific investigation) when it was fairly new. In a Charringtons pub in Westminster in early 1995.

    It was awful. I hadn't realised how much worse nitrokeg was than ordinary "top pressure". It even managed to taste a bit "off" (some achievement for a processed beer).

    How can anybody choose to drink nitrokeg?

    Anonymous said...

    I must admit I've used Caffrey's before - not to drink myself but as a "stepping stone" to convert former lager drinkers. They're already used to something cold and fizzy and once they get the hang of drinking something brown instead of yellow the next step would be John Smith's (smooth), followed by a quick conversion to John Smith's (cask) before venturing to offer them some proper beer.

    Mark Edwards said...

    Nitrokeg beers are dreadful. Funny thing is, it seems to be old men who are the biggest customers. They've got no reason to like that stuff having lived and drank in the pre-CAMRA days when all beer was real ale.

    Unknown said...

    If they lived round my way, the old sods would have had their taste buds knocked into a cocked hat by all the Shippo's they drank, so no wonder they now go for something that's easier on the gums and ulcers.

    Anonymous said...

    The offer is off after Liverpool FC fans threatened to boycott the beer