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To Øl Tap Takeover @ Shakespeares - 3/3/17

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I think these "tap takeovers" are a load of rubbish tbh.

 

Why can't these pubs just feature an ever changing range of good ale instead? Doesn't need to be a "takeover" does it?

 

Just tried a couple of "takeovers", by Fierce and To ol. Nowt special tbh and I'd rather have just had the usual wide variety than some little brewery flexing its muscles and forcing us to drink their stuff through lack of choice.

 

WTF has it got to do with the brewery? I doubt To Øl have even heard of beer engine or Shakespeare. The pubs choose to put on a TTO. They do it to give people an opportunity to try several beers from a given brewery at one time. Generally a TTO will be a brewery with a wide range of styles, it's not like they're filling the taps with 12 near identical beers - something some pubs manage to do with 12 different breweries involved!

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WTF has it got to do with the brewery? I doubt To Øl have even heard of beer engine or Shakespeare. The pubs choose to put on a TTO. They do it to give people an opportunity to try several beers from a given brewery at one time. Generally a TTO will be a brewery with a wide range of styles, it's not like they're filling the taps with 12 near identical beers - something some pubs manage to do with 12 different breweries involved!

 

Completely, totally and utterly agree. But then what you have to bear in mind is that may people (especially in these parts) really epitomise the proud Yorkshire tradition of 'Change is not good!'

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Completely, totally and utterly agree. But then what you have to bear in mind is that may people (especially in these parts) really epitomise the proud Yorkshire tradition of 'Change is not good!'

 

Unless it's change from £3 for a pint.

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Tap Takeovers are great if you are a fan of that particular brewery or you are curious to sample their wares and they are relatively rare. That said, some have been poor excuses and, even for some of the better ones, some folk have been known to say 'I've already tried them'....

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Unless it's change from £3 for a pint.

 

LOL. You'll not get that much around Sheffield these days unless you're in a Spoons. I did a rather pleasant trek from Barnsley, visiting a number of the better Spoons beer gardens on Saturday afternoon and spending up my CAMRA vouchers which meant I was paying an average of £1.60 a pint.

 

Got fed up of cr@p beer by the time I hit the Sheaf Island though and went to Beer Engine, where I promptly undid all my good work by spending £6 on a pint... Was totally worth it!

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WTF has it got to do with the brewery? I doubt To Øl have even heard of beer engine or Shakespeare. The pubs choose to put on a TTO. They do it to give people an opportunity to try several beers from a given brewery at one time. Generally a TTO will be a brewery with a wide range of styles, it's not like they're filling the taps with 12 near identical beers - something some pubs manage to do with 12 different breweries involved!

 

Then it's incorrectly called a "takeover" isn't it? It's actually a "handover" by the pub to the brewer.

 

Same point applies though - why should I want to try several beers all from the same brewer? If I wanted to do that I'd go to a tied house rather than a free house.

 

I do accept that there is usually a range of different beers though - yes that's fair enough - and I totally agree with you about some pubs managing to have 12 near identical beers even though they've got a wide range of brewers to choose from.

 

I remember when the Swan re-opened in Chesterfield a few years ago. I was really excited about that as I heard they were having 12 beers on cask. When I went in they had just one beer out of the 12 that was bordering on what may be called a strong ale at 5%. Everything else was around the 4.2% mark and all much of a muchness. What a shame.

 

I think a lot of pubs seem to struggle with offering a variety of beers for some reason? Even the Beer Engine in Sheffield goes through periods when they have too many similar things on the bar and not enough variety - and that's probably the best pub I know for having a wide range of ever changing beers. They are going through a bit of a "dark beer" phase at the moment. Was in there the other day and they'd got 3 or 4 dark beers on and not a single IPA on cask. Then an IPA eventually appears - and guess what? It's a black one! FFS!

 

I don't know whether it's a supply issue or just poor management - oh and btw - I'm not picking on the Beer Engine because I think that's the best that Sheffield has to offer - but I'm just saying, even in a pub like this where they do have a good variety - they still have periods when they have too many of some types of beer and none, or few, of the others.

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ok 'takeover' is a slight misnomer, but no brewery is in a position to 'takeover' the taps except in a tied house.

 

Why would you want several beers from the same brewery? Well, with many breweries now you can have a huge range of styles from one brewery. Can you name an Omnipollo tied house round here? Or To Ol? Or Weird Beard? No. When it's a brewery you don't see often and/or one that does a huge range of interesting beers, what's wrong with a one-off line-up of a number of their beers?

 

Away from TTOs, most good pubs aim to have a range of styles, e.g. there will be a permanent stout line, a permanent 'stronger' beer line, etc

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Maybe most good pubs aim to have a range of styles but some are better at it than others.

 

The Rising Sun at Fulwood has, ooh, how many? about 12 beer pumps I would hazard a guess. It mainly has it's own Abbeydale beers on there, perhaps 3 or 4 guests.

 

And what an uninspiring range of ale the Abbeydale Brewery has. All these different incarnations of beers with slight differences - the majority around 4.5%. Deception, Daily Bread, Moonshine...etc. I can't honestly say I like many of them. The Absolution offers a bit more flavour at 5.3% - but the rest of them...not for me.

 

I only go to that pub on the hope that they might have got a guest beer on that is a bit different to the bland range of their own beers. I'm often disappointed and just settle for a half of Absolution - then go elsewhere.

 

I was pleased to see, on a recent visit, that they had some J33 Stateside Pale on. Only 5% but a very nice tasting beer and superior to anything on the other 8 or 9 pumps from Abbeydale.

 

I think the most important thing though is the person managing the place. If they know their stuff then they should be able to a) keep the beer well and serve it in tip-top condition and b) manage the range on offer so there is always a bit of something for everyone, Pale, Dark, Bitter, Stout, Low/Medium/High strength.

Edited by DerbyTup

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Some of Abbeydale's one-offs are very interesting indeed... though TBF you don't often see them

 

There's a big difference though between a 'Tap Takeover' and a tied house that (understandably) has a large permanent range from that brewery.

 

Agree that in any pub, tied or not, variety is key... 15 years ago a pub with 12 pumps would probably have 10 very similar brown beers and a token pale and stout. now the balance has (fortunately) shifted so that the pales make up the majority. Personally I like the model seen in many American brewpubs, where even just from the 'house' brewery there'll be a range including pales, brown ale, IPAs, DIPAs, stouts, impy stouts, sours, fruit beer, etc etc

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I miss the Scottish and Newcastle chain pubs. Wonder why?

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