The First Decent Victim Of The Smoking Ban?

It's been six years or so since I've drank in Manchester. When I did, I was a pretty desperate ticker so spent most of my time in The Smithfield, The Beer House or The Marble Arch. However on my walks to and fro the pubs from my city centre hotel, I would usually pass The Castle on Oldham Street.

I was aware of it being a drinkers pub with a good range of Robinsons' beers, and a pretty much perennial entrant in the GBG, but as scooping a Robbos beer was not high on my agenda I never went in. That's a real shame, because for one thing it has an interestingly attractive exterior, and, no doubt, is pretty eclectic inside, and for a second thing I'll not get the chance again. The Castle appears to be the first regular Good Beer Guide entry to close and blame it on the smoking ban. Most of us have opined that decent pubs are coping, if not flourishing in the wake of the ban, but here we have something different.

I can see that the lack of a rear smoking area is a real issue for a city centre pub which only has a narrow pavement onto the road at the front. There's obviously nothing the brewery or publican can do about location, and unfortunately The Castle may therefore be the first of a few to meet the same predicament.

The article linked to suggests that today is the final day of its life. If anyone's in Manchester tonight do go in and raise a glass at its passing.

The Smoking Ban - One Year On

Today is the one year anniversary of the smoking ban in England and Wales. The ban was the catalyst for my starting this blog, and I wrote a fair bit about it back in the early days. That I am not mentioning it often now is a sign that it has worked, and that the silly little rebels and their silly little campaigns have gone away. I went back to The Malt Shovel today, a year on, and as I supped thought about the ban and what it has meant for me personally.

Pubs are nicer places to be. It is so much more pleasurable being in a pub and knowing that the people who are going to grab that empty table next to you, won't be blowing their smoke in your direction; in your eyes; or over your food.

You can smell things. I like to smell my beer. Although aroma isn't the be all and end all, I do like to have a big sniff. Cigarette smoke used to get in the way.

Your clothes don't stink at the end of the night. Wearing a pair of jeans the next day after going to the pub is a newly found luxury. My wife's happier that her ironing pile is smaller these days.

Your hair doesn't smell. There's few things nastier than going to bed with smelly hair, or worse still with a partner with smelly hair.

There are of course downsides. Outside drinking area are now the smoking zone, so sitting outside with the family isn't as nice as it once was, and those pubs where the smoking zone is right outside the main entrance are a bloody nuisance. I've also heard it said that others smells are now more noticeable such as customers' body odour, but I've not picked up on that (or perhaps it's me who smells?).

All told then it's been a good thing. Pubs have shut, but good pubs have not shut. Inivative landlords who originally struggled have thought about and introduced things to make the customer come back. So many more countries have come on board, of course many preceded us. The Netherlands ban started today. Smoking really is on the wain ,and the ridiculous budget increase on beer should have gone towards a bigger hike in tobacco duty. Maybe next time.

Northants Pub Event Forced Outdoors

A traditional event which has taken place in a Northamptonshire pub was forced outside yesterday after more than 100 years taking part inside by the warmth of the fireside. The Bull in Harpole holds an annual pipe smoking competition with the aim being to smoke one pipeload of tobacco in the longest time possible.

Of course with the English smoking ban now in force, the event was forced outside under a temporarily erected gazebo. And with tradition stating the event occurs on Shrove Tuesday, the weather is not exactly friendly either.

I must admit that the smell of a pipe is a damn site more pleasant than cigarettes, and if I remember I may try to get there next year to give a first hand account on these pages. I shan't be entering though.

Smoking Ban To Hit Munich

The Bavarian Parliament passed a smoking ban today which will commence on January 1st 2008.

I'm a big fan of the smoking ban in this country and wish Bavarians every success with this, but it's pretty short notice. We had months in this country to prepare. Mind you it tends to be the case that something which takes a long time in this country is done in a jiffy overseas (think Football stadia).

So the Munich Oktoberfest will be smoke free next year. Not that I will be going, I don't really see the point of a beer festival with so few beers.

UK's Smallest Pub - Go While You Can

One of the most amazing pubs I have been in is The Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Ignore the fact that the pub is in the home of Greene King and that it is their beer which is stocked; the pub is an absolute essential visit.

It claims to be the tiniest pub in the UK measuring just 110 square feet, and on my visit there were about six people in, and it was crowded. The lack of square footage, though, makes for an intimate atmosphere, where everybody is your friend. There are eclectic decorations including a suspended mummified cat which has to be seen to be believed.

Because of the size of the pub, drinkers often spill out on to the street (there is no garden). This is actually unlawful but the police have overlooked it at this particular establishment due to its size and the fact that the pub is a tourist attraction. However since the smoking ban the police in Bury are having to be more consistent. Smokers have not been allowed to take their alcohol onto the streets outside other pubs so all customers are being stopped doing so at The Nutshell.

This is going to make a massive difference to the pub and its future is said to be uncertain. I think this is potentially a tragedy. The pub is wonderful and to lose it would be a disgrace. The least Greene King could do with their multi million business is make good any losses suffered at the pub to keep it open. They can certainly afford it!

If however GK don't do the right thing and you've never been to The Nutshell, then get there quick before it's too late.

A Little March By Little People

A protest march took place on Saturday in Wells, Somerset, against the English smoking ban. The organisers were two guys who object to the fact that they cannot smoke in their work van, nor whilst setting up their karaoke kit at various venues. I think it's pretty sad that these people don't appear to have the legs to walk outside for a fag, or stop their van and step outside, yet they can happily do a march.

I'm hoping stories like this will go away shortly and I can concentrate on writing beer stories rather than stuff about the smoking ban, but I do believe in highlighting the vain idiocy of people who believe they can beat the law. The argument they use that "One aspect to remember when living in a democratic society is the free will to vote on changes, no such vote has been taken or even been offered for this matter" just doesn't wash. The British public do not, and cannot vote on every new law that is introduced. Why do these idiots think we should?

On a lighter note, and what is hopefully a sign that people are seeing the sense in complying, only forty people turned up to march. And to think, because they were outside they could have smoked to their heart's content! Perhaps most smokers are just not fit enough to walk long distances.

A Beer And A Fag Rolled Into One

I suppose it had to happen. The Old Bear Brewery of Keighley in West Yorkshire has brewed a tobacco beer. It has the original name of Puffing Billy! So now people can have their fix of nicotine without going outside .

What I personally find surprising that it's such a small microbrewery which has produced this beer. I shall certainly give it a go if I see it, inspite of my disliking of smoking.

I am not aware of their being another tobacco beer. Maybe you know different?

Protesting In Vain

So the moronic landlord I reported on a few weeks ago, went ahead with his protest on Sunday as threatened. Apparently a goodly number of protestors turned up and enjoyed their carcinogens. The landlord, though, may live to regret his actions, as he has already received his first warning for breaking the law. The next stage is a prosecution warning, and then a local councillor has threatened to have the pub closed down. Interestingly, landlord Nick Hogan who is now the face of the smoking protestor stated he is not looking for legislation to be overturned, just amended. Well to my mind an amendment is tantamount to the legislation being deemed not fit for purpose. There is absolutely no chance of anything changing, and even if, as Nick suggests, the voting smoker speaks with their 'X' in future elections, any future Government will not amend this law. I hope Nick has the bottle to keep rebelling, as I would love to see him made a big example of, and his, no doubt crappy, pub being bolted shut pretty swiftly.

Smelling Of Roses

So I made my first trip to a post smoking-ban pub today, and how lovely it was. I went to The Malt Shovel, and, although I am sure it was suggestion, the pub smelled like new.

It was as busy as usual, if not busier, for a Sunday lunchtime, and everybody was, of course, complying with the law. There's a small garden out the back with five benches, and that's where smoking is still allowed. People were nipping in and out whenever they thought it necessary, and that's what the law allows for.

The free nibbles on the bar (black pudding, roast potatoes and cheese and biscuits) were all the better for the clean air. The Malt Shovel was never the smokiest of pubs but there was sometimes enough to put you off your beer. Not anymore though. I came out (almost) smelling of roses!

Drinking at Home To Increase

Online beer seller Rent-a-keg have sold twice as many kegs of beer in the last week than they do in an average month, as drinkers prepare to drink at home rather than in smoke free pubs. The range of beers available are prety dire to say the least, but obviously people who cannot bear to drink without smoking have dodgy palates and don't care about quality ales and lagers.

I suppose it's a good thing though that rather than try unnecessary, and ultimately unsuccessful, protests these punters are staying indoors and clogging up their own homes with smoke.

Obviously great off-licences like those I have previously blogged about will see an upturn in sales too, and well deserved for them it is. Evidence suggests that on sales will decline by 4% in the short-term, and will gradually pick up over time. Hopefully all decent pubs can cope with this issue.

A Tale Of Two Tynemills

I had an hour to kill in Nottingham today so decided to visit two pubs in the Tynemill chain. In my opinion Tynemill is the best pub chain in the country and they certainly have the awards to back up my opinion. Their pubs are pretty much centred in the East Midlands but there are a couple in Yorkshire. Personally I consider Northampton to be in the East Midlands so hurry up Tynemill and open one here.

The two pubs I went to were deliberately chosen from amongst the eight in Nottingham so that I could visit the one non-smoking pub in the chain, and then its nearest neighbour. So I started off in The Kean's Head which is a pretty small one roomed pub with bare floorboards. It has a choice of six handpumps, although only five were dispensing beer on my visit. There is a reasonable range of foreign beers both on draught and in bottle, although nothing which might be hard to find. The pub serves excellent food, being the only pub in Nottinghamshire to have a star listing in CAMRA's Good Pub Food Guide. It also warrants a listing in The Good Beer Guide. As a sign of things to come, it is completely non smoking. As has become apparent I am in favour of the ban, and in a pub this size I would imagine it could have easily gotten smoky, and enjoyment of the good food would have been very difficult. Although it was quiet on my visit, there is no evidence that banning smoking here has had a detrimental effect on takings.

After here I went to The Newshouse. This is a typical two roomed 1950s boozer, and is comfortable and welcoming. Eight real ales were on offer, with seven of them being part of a Summer beer season. Again the pub was fairly quiet and the main topic of conversation from those at the bar was the smoking ban. It's very apparent that everybody has different opinions, whether they be smokers or non smokers, and that's to be expected. However the concensus I am picking up from talking to people and listening to such conversations is that everybody will be complying, or at least reasonably minded people will be.

It's hard to compare and contrast a smoking and a non-smoking pub while both are quiet, and with 'S' day just five days away I won't have the chance to do so again, but that for me can only be a good thing.

A Side Issue To The Smoking Ban

Clearly now that smokers will have to go outside from July 1st, another issue is going to come to the fore: noise. As this article demonstrates, local residents are beginning to complain about the extra noise late at night from pub goers who are enjoying their habit in the open air. I am a huge fan of extended opening hours, even if I don't personally get to enjoy them, so would be disappointed to see pubs being forced to close at 11pm simply because of this issue. However local residents' complaints must be taken seriously. I really don't want to take sides on this issue, but I do know I wouldn't ever buy a house in close proximity to a pub.

Well, Bully For You

So a landlord in Bolton is threatening to flout the smoking ban on July 1st by holding a demonstration on the day with punters lighting up in some sort of organized manoeuvre at 3pm. He claims the smoking ban is a violation of civil liberties and that if the demonstration is successful, he will continue to allow smoking in his pub, even if it means his going to court. He states smoking is a legal pastime, and of course it is, BUT it ain't gonna be a legal pastime in pubs from July 1st.

I do wonder if this is some wonderful publicity stunt to fill his pub and have magnificent takings on what might normally be a quiet session for mine host, or if he is setting himself up to be some sort of martyr? Either way he has earned himself publicity in the Manchester Evening News and , of course, here, but if his aim is to beat the smoking ban, he's not going to win.

So I say: "Enjoy your moment in the limelight, but prepare for defeat"

Don't Be So Defeatist

An article in The Publican magazine caught me eye this week. A pub company named Pubs ‘n’ Bars state they will be badly hit by the smoking ban. Now apart from the fact it’s clearly a dreadful name for a company and a company I’ve never heard of I thought: “Serves you right”.

I gave them the benefit of the doubt though and visited their website to see if I recognised any of their pubs and if they were worthy of surviving the smoking ban. Lo and behold I see they include the Hobgoblin chain. These pubs were previously owned by Wychwood brewery and served a decent range of beers especially the one in Reading which was one of the first pubs in England to sell more than 1000 different real ales. So they do have some decent pubs which are worth supporting. There are one of two other pubs I have heard of, and despite the name they don’t seems to be catering for the youth market.

So why do they think they will be badly hit? They are preparing nicely by creating smoking areas outside with the legal levels of cover, and even providing heating and lighting They estimate they will have spent £30000 by the time they have done all this work, but the company made £1.07 million profit last year, so surely they can afford it.

I wish them well as they have some decent pubs and they are thinking about the ramifications of the ban. But why are they being so negative? Embrace the ban and make the most of your internal premises.

And The DoH Survey Said...

According to a Department Of Health survey 90% of people know there’s a smoking ban coming, but only 50% of people know the exact date of its introduction.

I don’t find it alarming that these people could not name July 1^st, as all too often we bury our head in the sands where upcoming dates are concerned, but then they hit us in the face and are here, and we have to react as there’s just no choice..

What is disturbing is that nearly 10% of people didn’t know it’s coming. Where have these people been? Unless they have surveyed housebound people with no visitors or those without a television, radio or access to newspapers, then I am seriously worried about this ridiculous lack of knowledge. Well wake up because it’s coming – like it or not.

The Government has prepared an advertising campaign where the sorts of places which will be smoke free will be demonstrated. I look forward to this campaign and the doubtless laughable way they try to get the message across. I mean look at the drink/driving adverts. They are pretty poor even though they are trying to get across a serious message.

The other interesting statistics to come out of the survey are that more than twice as many people said they are more likely to go to the pub more often after July 1^st than those who said they were less likely. Hopefully these figures will prove to be correct as I really don’t want pubs to suffer. I want them to flourish unlike what many are predicting. Presumably smokers and non smokers were surveyed. There is no reason for a smoker to visit the pub less. They manage not to smoke now whilst on buses, trains, in shops, in the office and at a plethora of other places. They’ll cope when down the pub I’m sure.

A Few Beers In Rugby And Then Home

On 11 May, I took the short train journey to Rugby to visit their festival. I arrived 45 minutes before the festival opened so strolled to The Alexandra Arms. This pub sells five real ales, sometimes including those from their own brewery “Alexandra Arms Brewery”. I sampled the Quaffers Ale, a 3.8% quaffing beer. It is light but easy to drink. A bit steep I thought at £1.05 for a half seeing it was home brewed. The pub is what I would call a local. At first glance it appears to be one roomed, although hidden away at the back is a games room which also has a loud jukebox. It is a six times winner of Rugby CAMRA pub of the year, a title though it would struggle to win at the moment as there are two better bets in town in my opinion. The pub was pretty smoky on this visit (I have found it less so before) with a chap at the bar smoking a particularly strong cigar. It’s hard to avoid peoples’ smoke when they seat themselves at the servery.

Then it was time to walk to the Festival. This is held in an indoor bowling centre which in spite of Rugby CAMRA’s claim is a 20 minute walk from the station. This is my third visit and I found the beer quality and range to be better this year than on other visits. I had beers from the following breweries:
Arran
Bushys
Great Orme
Okells
Purple Moose
Valhalla
Franciscan Well
Messrs. Maguire

My Beer Of The Festival was Bushys Old Bushy Tail a lovely malty fruity beer with great bready flavours. Very nice. I sampled an excellent Chicken and Potato Curry which is the best curry I have ever had at a beer festival and cooked by an English lady. A word on the smoking. It was barred from the room where the seating area was but allowed in the bar area where the beers were. Customers don’t have to go to the seating area but they do need to buy beer so a bit arse about face really. Smoking has been banned from most festivals for a little while now.

After the Festival I went to The Victoria Inn which is owned by The Atomic Brewery. I sampled two of their beers Reactor and Bomb, both of which were lovely pale hoppy beers. The pub has a smoke free lounge and a bar/games room where smoking is allowed.

My final pub on my crawl was back in Northampton to The Malt Shovel. Here I had the new mild from Great Oakley Brewery brewed for May, and a Hambleton beer. The pub was busy as ever and there was a small proportion of people smoking but it wasn’t too bad.

I shall visit all of these pubs soon after the ban and will report on how they have changed. All in all a good night’s crawl with some very good beers at great pubs, and only a couple of duff experiences.

A few links:

Rugby CAMRA: http://www.rugbycamra.org.uk/

Alexandra Arms: http://www.alexandraarms.co.uk/

Atomic Brewery: http://www.atomicbrewery.com/

Malt Shovel: http://www.maltshoveltavern.com/

Great Oakley Brewery: http://www.greatoakleybrewery.co.uk/

50 Days To Go

Yes, it’s 50 days until what for me is the most exciting and necessary development in the life of a pub. July 1^st 2007. The Smoking Ban. I am a fervent non-smoker but do see that for some it’s an addiction they just cannot kick. And a pub is a public place, so why can’t they smoke in public? But pubs are too enclosed and the smoke just gets in the way of my enjoyment of the pub, and it’s most important product: BEER. I love beer and enjoy its aroma and taste and don’t appreciate smoke spoiling my enjoyment. I walk out of pubs stinking of smoke and my clothes smell disgusting also. I have friends and family who smoke, and for the most part they are considerate, but not everybody is.

However I don’t want this blog just to a rant about smoking. I want it to be an appreciation of beer and the pub. For pubs are, in my opinion, the best places to enjoy beer. I go to a number of CAMRA festivals, and they are good. However I think they are too clinical and lack the atmosphere of a good pub. The pub is a quintessentially British thing and their like are not seen anywhere else. I’ve drank in bars in USA, Canada, Belgium, France, Netherlands and elsewhere but none of these countries has what I would describe as a pub in the British mould.

I will describe in this blog my drinking and pub experiences, as I intend to do a lot more of my drinking in pubs after 1^st July. Between now and July I will report on the preparations for the ban, and recount any anecdotes I come across both before and after the event, as well as describe my drinking and pub experiences in the build up. As the blog progresses I hope to not even consider mentioning the dreaded “S” word.