Windbag is worse threat than Terrorists..

I read an interview recently with Oz Clarke, who praised the Swedish system as it brought good wine to the reach of more people - simply because taxation was so high as to minimise the price difference...

However, if beer at my local was £7 a pint I'd start brewing again. I used to make a triple fermented molasses beer at 9.5%. 1 bottle was quite sufficient (and no, it wasn't a gallon bottle!)

And on the subject of booze quality, has anyone noticed the way Old Peculiar has gone downhill?

And how come no one's whinging about the alleged serious link between Aspartame and bowel cancer? It's in everything from Tesco Healthy Living (!) range to tonic water! Who knows what sort of a time-bomb that's going to be...

 

lets see weatherspoons and their ilk are more and more often the troublesome pubs and what's their usp(*)? WHY - CHEEP BEER - Q.E.D.
cheers


julian

(*) unique selling point.

 

But does cheap beer attract the people from society that are more likely to cause trouble? You can see a lot of the known trouble makers at my local wetherspoons, you don't seem them in other bars. As policeman said on the night of the shooting (a football hooligan from another part of Manchester was shot there) "there is much nicer pubs in the area and its very rare that they ever need to be called out so don't let it put you off drinking inb the area " this was when I told the copper I was not surprised that an innicdent had happened.

I do think its actually got rougher in the last couple of years but other bars are becoming less rough. So I thank Wetherspoons and The Royal Oak (another rough pub) for keeping all the chavs in one place.

Cheap drink attracts the wrong sorts but I am not convinced it makes people drink more. Having said that I am against quick booze such as shots as to me they only one purpose to get you drunk quickly.

 

Crap, tosh, bolonie, etc, where is your evidence??? for example, the price goes up on fuel every year doesn't seem to be stopping people using their cars, the price goes up on Fags every year, still see people smoking.

Ok try this, when someone gets arrested for D&D or alachol related crime, they get banned from every drinking establishment for a month (or longer), ok difficult to police but if they get caught again, they get longer sentence, which increases until they 1, learn or 2, go to prison. On the spot fines are a good idea, but they're not nearly strong eough £80, pocket change, minimum should be £500 to £1k.

I think Dom was on the right tracks with testing before the bar staff serve, but it would be impossible to impliement, but what could happen is if someone got seriously drunk and ended up in the cells, they pub that served them should also be served a fine, thus the responsiblity then is on the publican to ensure they don't "knowingly" serve people who have obsiouly had too much already. The drinking establishments should take some of the responsiblity since they are the ones serving the poison !

 

No in my experience, we have a weatherspoons in exeter (well 2 now) but the one I'm thinking of (St Georges), bans smoking, and on a Saturday night, its a quiet nice place to drink, all the chavs seem to avoid it (probably cos they can't smoke) and they have a zero tollerence on under age drinking, its actually one of the very few places in town I'd actually consider drinking in, and its dam cheap too £1.70 for a good ale, nice.

 

I really hope that happens when my local wetherspoons becomes smoke free but then at the same time I don't want the chavs to go else where. The only reason I like Wetherspoons is the food is ok, I find the beer from the tap tastes awful from there.

 

One answer could be to sell weaker bear. It is a fact that alcohol drinks have been steadly getting stronger.

 

Yep I would support that, I don't like the stronger stuff anyway, I only drink cider becuase I prefer the taste I wish it wasn't as strong. I also like the taste of Kronebourg but if I am drinking beer I usualy drink crap like Fosters or Calring as its not that strong.

My only problem with this is won't people drink more before they go out to make up for it? I certainly won't be some people might.

 

The weaker beer idea isn't a bad one actually. Recently, I've found that I can enjoy a good few beers, without getting totally plastered by sticking to lighter beers such as Fosters. It also means that the hangover the next day is non-existant, which suits me!

 

I can't go with the weaker beers I'm afraid... You'd put an "artificial" restraint on traditional real ales which can be as high as 6-7%.

I think the solution is that people take responsibility for their behaviour and drink appropriately. If people prove they're incapable of this they should lose the privelege of doing so through ASBO.

 

Yes, A weaker bear will be a good idea.
After all, those grisely bear's are way to hard for us!

 

Please name any product where the consumption rises as the price goes up, and we'll perhaps open a shop together, eh?

 

Ya no problem, we'll sell Art, Antiques or even HIFI as this trend seems to apply to all of these markets!

 

Ya that's a good suggestion, put a limit on the % of alcahol, so they can't drink 40% strench aftershocks and all that $h1te, but then I'd ban those drinks anyway, anything that can bit lit can't be good for you! (must be like drinking meths or something).

 

"Demand is Price-elastic" is one of the fundamental economic theories.

However, there are other factors involved. For example in the high-end / prestige market, higher price combined with clever marketing and presentation can make the goods more desirable. Apart from the goods, consumer is also buying self-esteem and the satisfaction that he can afford to buy goods his neighbhor can not; for example.

This may not increase the total number of units sold but the gross turnover and net profit will be higher.

We live in a consumer society and have been indoctrinated to believe notions such as "You get what your pay for".

Vendors such as Russ Andrews exploit consumer buying behavior, add value by using snake oil and psuedo-science and laugh all the way to the bank.

 

Ya Mr Devil, what he said!

 

OK, so a packet of fags is now £10,000. How many smokers?

I'm talking about consumables, you morons.

 

Oh do us all a favour and grow up. the only arrogant response I've read is yours.

I drink responsibly, as do many others. why should those who cause no trouble be charged an exhorbitant price for a pint just because some twat behaves like a feral animal on a saturday night or on the continent? is that too difficult for you to comprehend?

Your argument does not hold up. what about the homebrew drinkers, why are they not out smashing the place up 24-7?

An illogical and vast increase in price leads to an increase in trading on the black market.

Education and tougher penalties towards those who spoil it for everybody would be more appropriate than the 'sticking plaster ' approach that is £7 a pint.

 

Because some twat behaves like a feral animal on a saturday night. That's life. Get used to it.

There is far more to the argument than anti-social behaviour: there are health and sickness absence implications to the current alcohol binge which is going on in Britain. You are already paying for all of that as well, by the way!

 

I take it you speak from experience? Actually, I only did speed once, and that was the dirtiest, nastiest 3 days after I've ever had. Pills on the other hand...

All that's in the past for me though - I've grown up at last!

Now back to that beer... (these days I usually barf before I have a hangover... - and only then if I've had a Stella (to remind me why I don't usually drink it!).

EDIT: Actually, making beers piss weak (a'la America) might work, but the problem is this; Fosters and their ilk taste like crap. Summer Lightning and their ilk (all >4.5% real ale) taste great. I actually seriously wander if there's something in lagers over ciders and ales that causes people to want to fight, as you hardly ever see violence at real ale fests, and yet you can see Stella drinkers a mile off; certainly Stella seems to have an "asshole additive" that kicks in after the third pint in most people I know including me. I had five pints once and then nearly got in a fight on a bus, and have only drank 2 pints of it since in the last 4 years (1 was bought for me in a club by a mate, so I was under duress).