A Small Rant

I was at Lou Reed in The Marquee in Cork last night. There was a big Budweiser Tent. I know that this is too big for The Beer Revolution to fight but my complaint is quite specific. I grudgingly accept that bars at big events like this are going to be dominated by the multinational breweries. I know that there will be no real choice. I've come to expect that despite a captive audience and a complete lack of competition, the prices will be somewhat inflated (€5 for a Guinness - not too bad). But what I do not accept is the refusal to sell half pints.

This didn't really affect me personally. I chose not to drink at all. But why couldn't my friend who just doesn't like drinking pints get a half pint of Guinness in a plastic glass?

I've written on this subject before here.

Great gig, by the way (apart from the awful Mick Jagger & Tina Turner meets James Last version of The Velvet's Rock 'N Roll during the encore).

My last drink was not a pint of Budweiser or Guinness from a plastic glass.

Is This Really The State of Play ?

I don't really plan for The Beer Revolution to become a bar review blog or even a beer review blog but a new bar has opened in Cork and their clear disregard for quality beer is possibly an indication of the disappointing position we're in as regards the revolution.

The Pavilion, once a cinema, which has traded for many years as a night club with a separate bar has changed hands, been refurbished and reopened as -you guessed it- The Pavilion. Again there is a separate downstairs bar and an upstairs club/gig venue.

The people behind the new Pavilion are, I believe, people who were involved in The Lobby bar and music venue and The Bodega. These guys and their compatriots have been up to all sorts of interesting club and music ventures in Cork for many years. One imagines the metaphorical finger on the slightly sluggish pulse of the Cork beautiful people set. What I mean is, these guys are not property developers, they are music/club enthusiasts with a lot of musician/DJ friends.

Evan Dando is, I think, the first gig scheduled. I haven't seen the venue yet but I have been to the bar. I dropped in during the quiet daytime hours (no food served).

The décor is clean and relatively neutral with a suitably modern feel. Understated and quite nice. I ordered a double espresso and a scone (even TBR keeps afternoon beer sipping for special occasions!). The very pleasant server duly served up a truly rank coffee in a dirty cup, on a dirty saucer and I scone which I suspect wasn't baked that morning - oh, and a glass of water which was fine.

Not great but what about the beer?

On draught were the usual suspects: Heineken, Miller, Coors Light, Carlsberg, Budweiser, Guinness, Murphy's, Beamish, Beamish Red and Bulmers. How come a contemporary, hip bar doesn't have Hoegaarden, Erdinger, Puallaner,Staropramen, Budvar or something from the local Franciscan Well brewery ? These may not be my favourite beers but at least they give some draught choice to the consumer. But no. The young and not so young clubbers and music fans will drink only mainstream industrial draught beer. I can't see Beamish Red selling anyway and I'm told Coors Lite is a hard sell too.

To bottles: Heineken, Miler, Budweiser, Coors Lite, Bulmers Light, Corona, Holsten pils. And for the connoisseur (tongue firmly in cheek): Tiger Beer, Budvar, Erdinger Hefe, Koppaberg (glorified alcopop) and .....wait for it......Hoegaarden 33cl.
So, we have 8 lagers, two of which might be considered premium, a light cider and a sweety pear 'cider', one weissbier and one (not bad) Belgian Witbier.

Wow.
Fuck me!
Is that the best the newest, trendiest, hippest, coolest, finger on the pulse bar can do with beer?

I guess so.
Shit coffee, mainstream beer and bottles of Hoegaarden!

Is there not a market for varied, interesting beer. Look at The Bierhaus. The Crane Lane has consistently sold a pretty good selection of varied bottled beer (not just lager and Erdinger) and local draught - they seem to be doing ok.

I had hopes for this bar but until they get some beer in, I won't be meeting any of my beautiful, affluent, hip friends there. We'll go where the beer is.

Apologies for the Cork Colloquial post.

P.S.

I'd like to note that on other forums, (interesting debate here) many people disagreed with my views on the coffee in The Pav. But mine was sour.

My last drink was; Glass of Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2006, 12.5%abv

And Then There Were Two?

This article may not be news to many readers but in conversation with people, I've found that there is much unawareness of what is happening in the mainstream brewing world.

For as long as I can remember the stout market in Ireland has been almost exclusively dominated by three brands; Guinness, Murphy's and Beamish.

Over the years Guinness sold out to Diagio, Murphy's to Heineken and Beamish to Scottish & Newcastle.

Now a rather worrisome development is about to take place.
Heineken and arch rivals Carlsberg have joined forces to take over Scottish & Newcastle in a €10.44 billion deal.

The effects of this will see Heineken take over S&N's operations in UK, Ireland, Portugal, Finland, Belgium, USA and India. The result of this will be that Heineken will own Beamish.
ie Murphy's and Beamish having the same owner.

It seems that the Irish part of the deal has yet to be passed by the Irish Competition Authority.
There has been talk of a management buy out or, if the deal is blocked, then the Beamish brewery would be offered up for sale. But can we trust the Competition Authority to prevent the smaller two of the three big stout producers in Ireland being under the same owenership?

One can't but help speculate that one of the two brews will be axed. Which one? My bet is that Beamish will go. Murphy's is brewed in Heineken's modern Lady's Well brewery Cork, while Beamish is brewed across town on a city centre site I assume to be much more valuable. Take into account that stout sales are falling, will a corporate brewer keep two stouts that struggle to compete in a lager market.

What is interesting to note is that, should the deal go through, Heineken will be the brewers of six lagers: Heineken, Amstel, Fosters, Miller, Kronenburg 1664 and Coors. Will it keep all of them? Who cares?

Now, I'm not a huge lover of the modern draught stout. Over the years it has been tweaked to deliver a pint that is more about coldness and creaminess than flavour. This has happened all three of the big stouts and even the likes of O Hara's Stout, while having a bit more going on, still falls into the nitrogenated, cold, rather bland model of Irish stout. (Draught stout uses nitrogen to force the beer through a fine holed plate in the tap to produce the much loved creamy head.)

I do , however, have a fondness for Beamish. I went for the price and stayed cause I liked it. I would now pay more for Beamish over Guinness or Murphy's if I had to. Beamish is not my beer of choice but given the dismal choice of beer in so many Irish bars, it is my best option. Beamish and boiled bodice.....mmmmmm.

Will Murphy's be axed? Will Beamish be no more? Will the South Main St. brewery (pictured) which employs 160 staff be turned into apartments? Along with the news that Diagio could close St. James' Gate Guinness brewery, things look bleak for the future of what's left of the Irish Stout Industry.


On The Pint Bottle issue;
I was in the iconic Mc Carthy's Bar of Catsletownbere, made famous by the late Pete Mc Carthy's book Mc Carthy's Bar. Very nice bar with grocery section and friendly staff.
But did they have The Pint Bottle?
No.
But they did have Guinness Extra in 33cl bottles.
Now that's plain odd.

My last drink was; Glass of Cote Du Rhone 2006, 14%abv