Tuesday 20 December 2016

The Pound pub

Something I've always wondered about the "umpteen pubs closing a week" stats is how many of them re-open? Though with most of the ones I know there's no going back The Stabbage in Woking has re-emerged as The Pound pub. Sounds rough, doesn't it?




But as with all drink related matters these things have to be investigated thoroughly so I popped in. 


The place was reasonable busy, with TV screens everywhere and a pool table. Much to my surprise they had two cask beers on, neither of which tasted of vinegar though they were lacking in condition. The cask beers weren't a pound a half either, but at £2.75 a pint were cheaper than the 'Spoons down the road.

They did have drinks going for a pound a pop though, including one branded as Friary Meux bizarrely enough. 


When I were a lad Allied Breweries branded their many local pubs as Friary Meux after the closed brewery in Guildford. Friary Meux bitter was their rather poor weaker cask ale, but the keg bitter was John Bull. And I'm sure that Friary Meux had gone before the dark lord Satan unleashed nitro-keg bitter upon the earth. So I guess that makes the Friary Meux Smooth Bitter a neo-retro brand. Weird, eh?

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7 comments:

  1. Malcolm Nicholls20 December 2016 at 13:35

    Certainly is. From memory there was a keg Friary brand is some description ( I was based at their Effingham depot for a while) but I'm sure it wasn't the bitter and the term "smooth" was AFAIK not yet used in the 80s.
    A keg product brewed by Carlsberg and rebadged perhaps?

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    1. Ed20 December 2016 at 20:57

      I would guess so. Though strangely enough Carlberg allowed a local micro to revive a Friary brand recently: http://beerguild.co.uk/reproduction-of-friary-meuxs-audit-ale/

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  2. Curmudgeon20 December 2016 at 14:04

    Ooh, Friary Meux, there's a blast from the past. I think I still have a tie from doing a Friary Meux ale trail.

    My recollection was that, as big brewery ordinary bitters go, it was actually quite nice and certainly less sweet than Courage.

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    1. Ed20 December 2016 at 20:57

      I only ever drank it if the Burton was off.

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  3. Alan Winfield20 December 2016 at 18:51

    I can remember Friary Meux branded pubs along with Bensons and Taylor Walker,when drinking down South.

    Regarding pubs reopening,i think all are recorded closing but not reopening,in a small town close to me two pubs closed and then reopened within months,but more than likely counted as closed for evermore.

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    1. Ed20 December 2016 at 20:58

      That's my suspicion about pub closure stats. And the Taylor Walker brand has been revived again too, though I haven't seen any signs of a Benskins comeback.

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  4. Curmudgeon20 December 2016 at 21:42

    I'm sure all the closure stats quoted by the BBPA, CAMRA and others are net, not gross.

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