Untying a 200 Year Old Knot

So, they finally changed the law that had been in existence since the 17^th century. No longer do tenanted pubs have to buy their beers at extortionate prices, they now have all the freedom and possibilities that the open market has to offer.

What does this actually mean for more than 10,000 British pubs?

Was the world such a bad place being protected by big breweries and pub co's, having below market rent at a slight dent to the overall profit from wet sales?

Will the 'New World' be a much brighter and better place?

Some sceptics believe that this change will cause big breweries and pub co's to take a step back so to speak and release some of the responsibilities they used to hold. Meaning the tenants will almost be left to fend for themselves. They foresee an increase in the closure of pubs, as without the backing and financial support, smaller, possibly underachieving pubs will run into debt and be forced into closure or change hands.

From what I have read from various sources, pubs are closing all over the place but this false information that we are constantly being bombarded with and to a certain extent, made to believe, is totally untrue. Pubs are closing, but like the mythological beast, the 'Hydra', when one shuts another two or three spring up. I'm not disregarding the fact that pubs are indeed closing and at an alarming rate, but there are more pubs opening up all the time. With the current 'Craft Beer' craze that is sweeping the nation, the newer pubs are targeting a mixed demographic of all ages and cultural backgrounds with the same things in common, the want for a great pub with a relaxed atmosphere and an infinitesimal selection of fantastic booze!

With the new changes in the laws, 'Tied' pubs have all the buying rights of freehouses. Theoretically increasing competitive pricing and enlarging what may have once been a very limited selection to choose from. All that is required for a successful pub is enough capital, a good, solid business model and an ideal location and ability to suit the local demographic and also attract people from afar. It is probably easier said than done, but still, the point is that it is as easy as ever to open and run a pub. The only major stumbling blocks are money, patience and everything else that comes with running a pub.

What does the future hold for publicans?

Will pub co's and big breweries react, possibly buying back and converting tenanted pubs into managed houses. That is exactly what Young's or what they are now referred to as 'Ram Pub Co' have been doing for a while. I'm sure the other major players like Greene King, Marstons and Shepherds Neame are or will do the same thing.  

Something I May Never Know

Due to a very busy period at work, I haven't had many days off or the opportunity to have any decent and memorable beer experiences.

So, after several failed attempts to make it to the Tower of London to gaze in wonder at the ceramic poppy installation, I felt, with it being my day off and with a whole day free I needed to go through with it. I was meeting a friend at about 7.30pm in Clerkenwell, London, or thereabouts any way.

I had the afternoon to myself and was in a more curious and exploratory mood than usual so walked. I walked along the Southbank from Waterloo Station to the Tate Modern Gallery. I wanted to see the progress on the extension, it was very big.

From there I walked to London Bridge and crossed over to the North side of the Thames. The Tower of London was only a five minute walk from there.

When I arrived at about 4pm, it was less than half a busy as I'd imagined it would be. Having a vision with over more than 100,000 people all tightly crammed against a temporary fence along its walls but in reality there must have only been 10,000 at the most. Maybe this was due to the crap British autumn weather or the time of the day where one can't decide if it's dark enough to turn on outside lights but is too dark to really see anything in great detail.

The spectacle was a non event for me and didn't stir up any emotions that I was expecting it should. To me it seemed to turn the mote into what one might refer to as a river of blood, gushing out of one of the windows, into the mote then around the whole castle or fort or prison, whatever it is referred to as. The sheer number of poppies was however very impressive. I walked around the whole landmark and was off in the direction of the pub.

I had a few major obstacles to overcome first. The City of London and The Barbican Centre being a couple.

My interest in architecture, and how the London skyline is expanding towards the clouds and forever changing took me on a slight detour. I say slight detour, I ended up zig-zagging in and around the city. Past the 'Walkie Talkie', Lloyds and around the 'Gherkin', to Tower 42 which was once the 'Natwest Tower'. I noticed a few new buildings I'd never seen before or even heard about the construction of. I eventually made my way through the network of tunnels running right under the Barbican Centre, past Farringdon and into Clerkenwell.

I made it to the pub a little before 7pm which gave me plenty of time to relax and cool down after a two hour marathon walk around London.

The pub was the 'Exmouth Arms' on Exmouth Market, Clerkenwell. It was an old fashioned pub that clearly looked as though it had recently been bitten by the 'Craft Beer' bug. It is in no means a bad thing, on the contrary, I think that it is a great way for pubs to go. They retain the original character and clients, attract a newer younger audience and also keep the beer industry going strong.

It was quite busy but I managed to secure a table and some chairs. I had a book, a glass of water and a pint and was temporarily in paradise.

With it being a cold, wet and windy autumnal evening, I thought it necessary to go for a porter. They had none but I was served a most delightful stout. It was sublime, so rich, velvety smooth and full of all the burnt malt flavours you would expect from a decent stout. I didn't take note of the brewery and name and the only memorable piece of information I have is that the label had a skull on it. If anyone can shed some light in helping my find out what this stout was would be ever so helpful.

My friend arrived so I put my book down. For hours and hours we spoke, drank, spoke and drank some more and eventually ordered some gorgeous food. The calamari was amazing and the sweet potato wedges were so sweet but savoury and just so damned hard to not eat. After only that one pint, they were out of that stout. For the rest of the night I was on Camden Ink, a great draught stout similar to Guinness only better. I had noticed the time and unfortunately had to rush off. I would have loved to and possibly should have stayed for longer. The consistently disappointing South West Trains service meant that a simple 40 minute journey ended up taking me over an hour and a half.

A wonderful little pub, with an alluring upstairs cocktail bar which I must try one day...

exmoutharms

One of my favourite breweries of the moment.

camdentownbrewery

A New Experience in an Old Part of Town

It's been a while since I had a notable beer experience.

Way back in April I went to a gig to see this band called 'The Notwist', I enjoyed it so much that as soon as I got back home, I ordered tickets to their next gig which happened to be last Wednesday. I'd also arranged to have the whole day off work... sort of.

Having several pub related chores to get on with, I thought it best if I rose early to give myself time to sort everything out, get the pub ready and open up. That way I'd have the remainder of the day to myself to do with what I chose. Things were delayed slightly when a couple of guys came in for 'a chat'. It was all good though as I managed to make the 14.33 train and was on my way into town.

Being so busy at work the last few days I was exhausted and felt my body and mind would benefit from a caffeine hit so I went to the café around the corner from Frank's. I was meeting Frank as we were going to the gig together later on. We conversed over a cup of coffee, then stopped off at an off-licence on the way to his to pick up some essentials. Beer. We bought a few bottles of 'Estrella Galicia', a rather fine Spanish lager that I am quite fond of.

We drank the beers as we plotted our route to the venue. The gig was at a place called 'Oval Space', I think the area is probably Hackney or there abouts, around East London somewhere. Luckily it was quite a straightforward journey and didn't take nearly as long as we both thought it would or should have. The only slow bit was waiting for the 55 bus by Old Street Station.

The doors opened at 7.30 and it was only quarter past by this point so we had a while. The Notwist were headlining of course so wouldn't be on until later.

There was enough time to explore, find a pub and have a quick pint.

The only problem was finding a pub. We walked past a pub that was wallpapered with flat screen TVs and full of bald heads. Another pub or what used to be a pub now seemed to be a museum of curiosity with taxidermy animals and formaldehyde frogs. We carried on but were losing faith. Just as we were about to cut our losses and go back to the venue we stumbled upon this place. I think place describes it well. It wasn't a bar, it wasn't a café, it wasn't a shop or workspace, it was a place. Not 'The Place' though as that is a dance academy in Bloomsbury, London.

'Look Mum No Hands' was the place. It was a fusion of bike shop, bar, café, meeting spot and there was even some kind of fashion workshop upstairs or down the end of the hall or something.

All around us were people sitting in silence, silently tapping and typing on their various apple related touch screen devices. The place did however have a very large selection of bottled beer and a few draught ales or what is more commonly referred to these days as 'Craft Beers'.

We both had a pint of '5 Points Pale Ale'. I'd had their ported a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it. The pale ale was lovely, it went down so easily, it didn't kick up any fuss or have anything unpleasant about it. We were running out of time so drank up. I needed a wee so went to find the place's office style loo along a maze of corridors. It was a bizarre, but good find with cute knitted cycling jersey buntings resembling the various trophy colours of the Tour De France.

If I'm ever in the area again I will most certainly stop off for a beer, coffee or some of the delicious smelling and looking food they serve.

It seemed like we'd walked for ages trying to find this place but the journey back to the venue couldn't have been longer than 10/15 minutes door to door. There was no trouble getting in the venue and we managed it just in time to catch the last couple of numbers from the opening act. They seemed good duo, with catchy tunes and a funky yet dancey drum and bass sound. Not to be confused with the heavy and drug fuelled drum'n'bass.

The most important thing when we walked in though was acquiring more booze. It was good booze too. Estrella Galicia again, this time in large, pint sized cans. At £4.50 a pop it wasn't that expensive for a music venue and was a decent beer.

I could go on and on, but I'll summarise it by saying that it was a fantastic gig in a brilliant venue and an amazing live performance by one of my current favourite bands. I will make sure I see them at their next London show. Even though it was a swayey kind of gig rather than a jumpy up and down gig it was still thoroughly enjoyable, complete with a horde of IT workers.

I did find the middle act a bit boring though.

According to their website, Oval Space is in Bethnal Green

ovalspace

A great place to eat, drink and be merry!

lookmumnohands

A great little East London Brewery

fivepointsbrewing