W is for What’s on cask please? - The slow public death of my local
Last Round? - My sobering quest into pubs and finding out what beers the last public house in the village has to offer
Recent events down at my local have prompted me to dig up my copy of Christopher Hutt’s The Death of The English Pub (1973).
Today’s pubs don’t seem to be fighting the same battles of the 70s, but the struggle is still as real. Big Beer is still strong, and data published by CAMRA[i] in February this year shows that in 2023, 64 million fewer pints were sold due to pub long-term and permanent closures.
1293 pubs closed their doors permanently last year, and a total of 194 pub buildings were lost due to conversion or demolition.
This is sad in itself, but the same report also highlights ten confirmed cases of pub closures without permission, including pub conversions with no or improperly recorded permission from their relevant Local Authority!
The highly publicised, sad and unlawful demolition[ii] of The Crooked House was just one of those crimes against heritage. A true horror story if you ask me. As Laura Hadland points out: “[...] the fall of the Crooked House is already a defining cultural moment. It has raised the profile of pub heritage, provoked questions about the planning system and made us wonder why some historic pub buildings are excluded from the legal protection that listed status should afford them. [...]”[iii].
But it’s not all doom and gloom, because 296 new[iv] pubs opened their doors to their communities. As a comparison, 2023 saw 320 new pubs and in 2021, 264 new pubs welcomed imbibers.
Bear in mind that those numbers relate to pubs as drinking places and don’t include craft beer bottle shops, breweries and tap rooms. I’m not saying that the stats look better if they would, sadly... In May this year we had already lost 47 breweries compared to last year[v] ...
Ok, granted, this doesn’t fill me with much confidence either, but sadly this is the state we find ourselves in.
Before I moved to the village I now call home, I lived in walking distance to eight pubs. Each one of them unique and catering for a different audience[vi]. One I spent a lot of time in had a 'Public Bar' and 'Lounge Bar' and depending on what mood I was in or what the purpose of my visit was, I could choose where to sip my pint. Another had an amazing beer garden, while a third poured my favorite ales. Others I enjoyed walking to, and others offered the best Sunday Roast... and all serving cask ales alongside keg!
While I still lived there, one sadly was sold and became a Tesco Express, and since moving away another is now temporarily closed and on the market with “Re-Development Potential”.
Back in 1973, Hutt questioned use of the “characterless or gimmicky way” pubs have “been tarted up”, and, years later, I have to agree, this, still, irks me a little. There are gimmicky pubs, chain pubs, theme pubs, gastro pubs, run down pubs, backstreet boozers, high gloss establishments... And, before you jump, I am also aware that, simply because I have a preference for a certain kind of pub, not everyone may agree with me.
There are pubs and there are pubs. And just like the beers, not every single one will appeal to the masses.
Yet, this uniqueness is inevitably my issue with my local. I really, really hate to rain on someone’s parade, but it’s time to air my frustrations.
My local pub occupies a lovely spot in the village, it has a large fenced outdoor area with trees providing shade, as well as additional outdoor seating on the patio. The building itself is a Grade II listed building, which makes my historian-heart beat just that tiny bit faster, and as the only remaining pub in the village[vii], should thrive.
Given that the village was once home to five pubs and a brewery, should, is the word indeed.
Yet, how my heart aches ...
Rewind a few weeks and the pub temporary closed for good. I say for good, as the landlord at the time opened and closed the pub randomly, with customers arriving to enjoy their pre-booked lunch, only to find out via a note on the door that the pub will remain shut for the day. Additionally, people took offence as the landlord was reportedly a “hard Eastern Euro”, cold, unhospitable and everything but friendly.
This “let’s use a stereotype to hide our raving nationalism and racism” is not ok, especially as many comments were posted publicly on social media[viii].
Disgraceful? Yes. Current state of affairs? Sadly yes. Successful? Also, sadly yes – the landlord left, and the pub closed. The rumour mills spun into action, as any good village one does, and stories floated around of the pub becoming an Italian restaurant, a takeaway or a private residence.
Opening dates floated around and eventually a new landlord was found. The pub then opened its doors once again... yet the randomness remained, for reasons beyond me.
Instead of using the blackboard on the outside of the building, the new publicans preferred social media as their communication tool, which I have no qualms about – what works, works, I guess. Yet, alas, it didn’t work.
Messages of opening times were published, and once again potential punters arrived at the doors firmly shut. Yours truly included.
“Look husband, the pub is back open, fancy popping in for one and saying hello to the new landlords?” I handed him my phone so he could see for himself. We got as far as the opened door, only to be pushed back out by someone saying they were, in fact, not open during the time they had advertised they were. Then the word on the street and Facebook was that there was a Grand Opening on the cards. A fancy printed banner appeared over the normal pub sign, and everyone got excited! A few more false “we’re open”s later, and a few days where punters could “only pay with cash”, “no, actually you can pay by card too”, “no, cash only we don't have the machine yet”, and the annual Village Fete rolled around and with it the Grand Opening. Sadly, nothing appeared to be grand about it, as comments, of “dirty glasses”, “stale beer”, “no ales, not even in bottles” and “vile white wine” appeared across social media.
Don’t kill the messenger though! I would like to reiterate my comment about raining on someone’s parade here and only quote the comments published on the socials.
Additionally, I am providing my own experiences, which may differ to other punter’s experiences and opinions.
As the pub’s website is still non-functioning, Facebook is the only way of communicating with the team running the pub at the moment. This seems to be challenging as more and more confusing information becomes distributed that would have been better left unsaid until finalised.
But if they choose to communicate online, I am happy to oblige. I asked “What’s on cask please?”, only you receive ... no response. Maybe they missed it I think, so I asked again on a post where the landlord was activity engaging and replying to others. “What’s on cask please?” ... tumbleweed again.
“Fancy a pint at the pub after our walk?” the husband asked one evening. We wondered up to the front door, and, you guessed it, it was closed. No idea why.
With all the bad press about no and stale beer, and the pub actively ghosting me at this point, I tried again online. “What’s on cask please?” ...
“Let’s just give it one more try” I said. Surprisingly, the husband agreed.
Nine pounds later we sit outside, a pint of Staropramen, and a half of Tribute in front of us.
I don’t know how you like your Premium Czech Lagers, but I like mine with some good amount of carbonation. The one in front of me was certainly lacking the freshness CO₂ provides. And when it comes to Pale Ales? I prefer refreshing bitter notes and an orange kick, over the stale wet cardboard notes the ale was giving me...
Ideally, a clean glass would be nice, but hey. By this time the landlords had been in the pub for over a month, have had a grand opening and yet, still only had one ale on cask, which according to the guy serving us, was the “Local Option”. I live in Oxfordshire by the way...
I know, this isn’t what you normally read from me, but I’m heartbroken that this is happening right in front of me. My local is being killed rather publicly! There are communication issues, beer quality issues, confusions about opening times and how to pour a beer – the nozzle touching the beer is not only a hygiene issue, but also a serious ick of mine! A village pub requires a solid community-driven local publican, who knows what it takes. And this doesn't necessary involve bad Photoshopping skills and amateur hour communication.
Over the weekend a “Pub To Let” sign appeared in the front garden and my heart skipped a beat! “Maybe we are good, maybe this story can have a happy ending and someone who is professional will take it on.”
Confession time, I actually contacted the brewery the pub is part of: “[...] Hi Lisa, we're looking for someone to take the helm [...] hopefully, the pub will be in full swing again soon! Thank you. [...]”. The sound of “Another?” rings in my ears, things are looking up!
This morning on my way to work, I noticed the to let sign was covered in Christmas wrapping paper.
Alas, I wait.
... to be continued ...
[i] CAMRA - Campaign for Real Ale. Pub closure report – 2023. Published February 2024. https://www1-camra.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/27105356/Pub-closure-report-2023-FINAL.pdf [Accessed 21/06/2024]
[ii] The Extreme Housewife. The Crooked House Demolition https://www.extremehousewife.com/2023/08/the-crooked-house-demolition/ [Accessed 21/06/2024]
[iii] CAMRA - Campaging for Real Ale. What’s Brewing? Can the Crooked House rise again?
https://wb.camra.org.uk/2023/08/18/can-the-crooked-house-rise-again [Accessed 21/06/2024]
[iv] new = new build or new purpose for existing building though conversion
[v] Drinks Retailing – Championing the Off-Trade Since 1863. Brewery closures continue across the UK – SIBA https://drinksretailingnews.co.uk/brewery-closures-continue-across-the-uk-siba/ [Accessed 26/06/2024]
[vi] There used to be another 4 pubs around, but they had all sadly closed bit by the time I had moved there. Yet, 12 pubs would have made for a fantastic pub crawl!
[vii] The village was once home to five pubs and a brewery... Berkshire Family History Harwell https://berksfhs.org/harwell/ [Accessed 21/06/2024]
[viii] Do get in touch if you want further information about the comments.