How they see us - or - How I Learned To Stop Worrying About Original Gravity And Fancy A Pint

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Oh. My. Lord.

http://www.ralph.pair.com/pubguide.html

"Remarks: REAL ALE. -Not a pub but a beer store to buy ales and homebrew to bring back. Owned by the Pitfield Brewery. Mon to Fri., 11.00 - 19.30 and Sat. 10.00 - 16.00. You may want to go here during daylight*. The Shoreditch area is where the first Porters were made. Sorry, they can't ship it back for you."

The style is very Fifties-public-information-film, Gawd bless these crazy American real-ale fans. What I want for my birthday (which is today, co-incidentally) is the "CAMRA Dictionary of Beer" by Brian Glover.

*Bwaaaaarghahahaha!

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Monday, 14 October 2002 09:33 (twenty-three years ago)

happy birthday Liz :x from an insomniac interweb mentalist American! My you fancy many pints today.

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 14 October 2002 09:37 (twenty-three years ago)

hip hip hooray for liz:x on her magical birthing day!

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 14 October 2002 09:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Some pubs sell draft beer to go in polypins (milk jugs).

Does this ever happen? I suspect this information is at least thirty years out of date. I like the bit about stopping ppl on the Tube from taking your ticket and running away, tho.

Happy Birthday, Liz. I hope you get lots of nice presents.

― MarkH (MarkH), Monday, 14 October 2002 09:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Liz you never said! Happy birthday my dear, and may the Gods of bouze, corduroy and baking smile on you all year!

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 14 October 2002 09:49 (twenty-three years ago)

A happy boozy birthday to you!

― Miss Laura, Monday, 14 October 2002 09:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes happy birthday Liz.

Our friend seems to have misunderstood the idea of a Free House, but what he refers to as 'polypins' (mmmm polyps) I know as two pint takehomes. You still see them from time to time. The Head of Steam by Euston does them, which is handy when you want to take a couple of pints of cider on the train with you. It's the closest thing to straight out of the plastic (as the Lord intended).

― Tim (Tim), Monday, 14 October 2002 09:55 (twenty-three years ago)

Tim, that's really strange you should mention that pub! I'm going to the Head of Steam to celebrate *my* birthday (actually Thursday, but will be there on Friday).

Hope these things have lids!

― MarkH (MarkH), Monday, 14 October 2002 09:59 (twenty-three years ago)

"London pubs are a way of life for the British. They are in many ways an extension of their homes."

But more tidy...

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 14 October 2002 10:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Happy b'day Liz!

― Plinky (Plinky), Monday, 14 October 2002 10:03 (twenty-three years ago)

I suppose also that there are a portion of the British for whom London pubs aren't strictly a way of life... e.g. the Welsh or the Cornish.

Mark: they're like those waterproof cardboard milk cartons (tetrapaks?) with foldy-over tops.

― Tim (Tim), Monday, 14 October 2002 10:07 (twenty-three years ago)

You're right, that really should be a Cornet educational film.

I don't know what tickles me more: the idea that "[i]f it were not for free houses, London would be nothing but pubs" (blocks upon blocks of them -- whee!) or the idea that hooting in bars was all the rage in 1996 America.

― felicity (felicity), Monday, 14 October 2002 10:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Beautiful cut glass windows and original gas lights...Close to New Scotland Yard. A must stop and a nice walk from Victoria Station. After dark, Westminster Cathedral (along the way) is lighted and beautiful. Retired military men drink here in uniform often.

Fanciful but a nice description. Staffed by kindly barmen in emerald green waistcoats with glittering key fobs?

― David (David), Monday, 14 October 2002 10:24 (twenty-three years ago)

happy birthday!

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Monday, 14 October 2002 11:13 (twenty-three years ago)

What Archel said. Plus I hope you get loads of nice pressies, like Karl Smith or something.

― Mooro (Mooro), Monday, 14 October 2002 11:33 (twenty-three years ago)

happy birthday Liz!

― katie (katie), Monday, 14 October 2002 11:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, you chaps are too too kind.

An Important Question for those with extensive knowledge of The Demon Drink (all of you) and London (quite a few of you): is The Bricklayer's on Gresse St a good place to convene at for belated birthday midweek drunking? As is Sam Smith pub, have few doubts, and location is ideal, innit. Just tell me if frequently _too_ full of meeja 'ho's.

Mr Moore, are you offering me Karl Smith as a pressie? Yes please, tied, er, _wrapped_ up in ribbon.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Monday, 14 October 2002 12:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes it's fine Liz. I think the media types are put off by the cheap drinks and go to nastier places nearby.

― Tim (Tim), Monday, 14 October 2002 12:12 (twenty-three years ago)

Bricklayers is an excellent venue for such a gathering. Much less full of meeja'hos than eg the John Snow or the Fitzroy.

Happy Birthday MsD, btw

― RickyT (RickyT), Monday, 14 October 2002 12:13 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw meeja hoor T. Ewing in the Bricklayers not too long ago.

― Tim (Tim), Monday, 14 October 2002 13:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Despite his hodom being newly enlarged, it is not yet big enough to fill the bricklayers by itself

― RickyT (RickyT), Monday, 14 October 2002 13:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Me likey 'hodom'. The word not the practice, I _stress_. Although hoors *go down* well at all social occasions, don't you find? Do. You. See.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Monday, 14 October 2002 14:01 (twenty-three years ago)

The pub I worked in in Bristol, years ago, was reckoned by CAMRA to have the best beer in the area. I'm not sure how they came to this conclusion, since most of the people who talked about being in CAMRA were poshos who drank sherry or G&T.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 14 October 2002 18:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Hmm, that sounds like Clifton!

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 15 October 2002 06:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Hip hip hooray, happy birthing day!

― j.lu (j.lu), Tuesday, 15 October 2002 14:35 (twenty-three years ago)

Birthday = fun yay! Rah!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 15 October 2002 14:41 (twenty-three years ago)

No, Mark, it was much more central than Clifton: the Bunch Of Grapes, on King Street, if that's the name I'm trying to remember - 50 yards from the city centre, cobbled, Old Vic, opposite the Naval Volunteer?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 15 October 2002 17:25 (twenty-three years ago)

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