jemson   10 #73 Posted April 25, 2012 I`ve been lucky with my pints from Wetherspoons recently but it can be roulette. My plan is to get my Jaipur from Swim (one of the more reliable spoons imo), sneak it out and sit in Bath with a smug look on my face! Might even use a CAMRA voucher to make Jaipur sub £2!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
retrogo   10 #74 Posted April 25, 2012 Its a real shame that Brian has chucked in the towel on his pub. Could have trained his son up on the bar supervisors license and had him managing that arm of the family business. Its a shame to spoil what was a nice pub. No doubt the IPA (the only semi real ale I like) will go and the place will just be a mock with wheatabix beers that make you either heave or shtt.  Sorry, I love the atmosphere in real ale pubs, but real ale tastes revolting and has adverse affects on my insides with grave consequences for those surrounding me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Stoatwobbler   10 #75 Posted April 27, 2012 Most beer bloggers have been very silent indeed about any of the gripes people have with Thornbridge, so it's refreshing to see a blogpost like the one below. I think this thread even get's a mention! Well worth a read.  http://gettothepub.com/2012/04/25/bath-hotel-thornbridge-too-far/  Last year pubgoers all over Sheffield, and some way beyond, were praising the Thornbridge brewery to the heavens. Its outstanding, innovative beers had already won it a sturdy reputation. Now it was starting to do the business with pubs too. Its instant success at the Greystones seemed a case study in how struggling boozers – loved by neither their distant pubco owners nor their local populations – might be turned around by smaller breweries with great products and an ear to the needs of communities. This week the news that Thornbridge is to take over the Bath Hotel has been received here in Sheffield with dismay. Not unanimous dismay. But enough to make you wonder whether the takeover will turn out to be a significant own goal.  Some commenters have pointed out the paucity of guest beers in existing Thornbridge pubs. Since the company took on the Hallamshire House last year, for instance, only its own beers have been available on draught. Choice of beer wasn’t the pub’s strongest suit beforehand, though. There’d be London Pride and something local like Five Rivers, which were good, and Doom Bar, which wasn’t.  But one of the reasons Sheffield drinkers appreciate the Bath Hotel is its wide-ranging and frequently rotated beer list. Will this be under threat when Thornbridge moves in? Not according to its brewer Matthew Clark, who has promised that “lots of different beers will be on offer too, not just ours and, fingers crossed, not the same stuff you get elsewhere”. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Bilge   34 #76 Posted April 27, 2012 (edited) I think some people have got carried away with the whole real ale thing. I say that as someone who has been a big fan of it since I started going in in pubs in the late 1970s/early 1980s when about 3 out of every 5 pints of beer in S Yorks was keg Stones, Wards or John Smiths.  There's nothing wrong with the Bath, so either leave it alone or if it changes hands then I hope whoever runs it doesn't change it too much. It doesn't need to have masses of handpumps with an ever changing range of beer. It's a very small bar anyway so there isn't room. If it has 3 or 4 handpumps and sells the same quality beer that seldom changes it would make no difference to me.  The Hallamshire House is very good. I couldn't care less if it only sells Thornbridge beer because it's good stuff and well kept in a nicely refurbed pub. There is room for that kind of model too. We don't always need 12 handpumps with 8 of the beers barely distinguishable from each other. Edited April 27, 2012 by Bilge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
jemson   10 #77 Posted April 27, 2012 Stoatwobbler - that is an interesting article. I wonder if the author saw the reaction on here.  kirbyb - good to bump into you t`other day. Ale House has Dark Arts on now and the Oscar Wilde champion beer! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Stoatwobbler   10 #78 Posted April 27, 2012 (edited) Stoatwobbler - that is an interesting article. I wonder if the author saw the reaction on here. kirbyb - good to bump into you t`other day. Ale House has Dark Arts on now and the Oscar Wilde champion beer!  The blogpost does actually quote from this thread to yes the author clearly has read this thread. Most beer blogs tend to be quite uncritical of Thornbridge so it's nice to see one saying what a lot of people are thinking. Edited April 27, 2012 by Stoatwobbler . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
gravity426 Â Â 10 #79 Posted April 27, 2012 Like others I'm unsure about this. The hallamshire house is pretty much my nearest pub so I'm a big fan of thornbridge. People say they've ruined the place but to be honest I wouldn't have visited before they took over. Â The bath is a bit different, I've been in a few times and have enjoyed it, the place could do with a bit of a spruce but nothing major, just hope thornbridge run it with a aim to keep the current feel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
kirkyb   10 #80 Posted April 27, 2012 Stoatwobbler - that is an interesting article. I wonder if the author saw the reaction on here. kirbyb - good to bump into you t`other day. Ale House has Dark Arts on now and the Oscar Wilde champion beer!  Give me a shout Jemson if you fancy a beer at some point Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Stoatwobbler   10 #81 Posted April 28, 2012 Another update on this matter from a beer blog.  http://weebeefyspubblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/bath-hotel-update.html  1.Thornbridge are going to run the pub. They are already doing work in the cellar and will be putting their beers on the bar.  2. Brian will continue to own the pub. He has the say on what they do with the interior.  3. Which of course, as previously discussed, is Grade II listed, so there's very little Thornbridge can do.  4. They will be adding a lick of paint.  5. They will take over the running on Monday - but I have a feeling it might not be open until Tuesday - best ring to check.  6. Brian is off to pastures new (couldn't pin down any specifics on this, but I think its highly unlikely we'll see him in the pub again, but that's just a feeling I get). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
kirkyb   10 #82 Posted April 28, 2012 Another update on this matter from a beer blog.  http://weebeefyspubblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/bath-hotel-update.html  Was in Dada yesterday afternoon speaking to the bar staff they were under the impression that it wouldn't be open until Thursday Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
jemson   10 #83 Posted April 28, 2012 Thanks for the updates. Still a bit sad about it tbh.  kirkyb - let me know if you`re intending to drop into my local again and i`ll buy you a pint! mind you, day off on friday so might be in town / shalesmoor hunting for the perfect pint! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Andy C Â Â 85 #84 Posted April 28, 2012 last day under Brian's management is Monday, pub reopens as a Thornbridge pub Thursday night. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...