George IV pub on Infirmary Road

[baby barrie]

But they do sell bucket loads, and have lasted many years already, and the products are of reasonable quality if not to everyones taste.

 

The business model is a low cost one - all the beers and lagers come from their own brewery direct to the pub in very large casks and kegs, there's only one cask beer, one keg bitter, one keg stout, so they can shift large volumes of each beer, they don't advertise and they don't have entertainment - and the savings are passed onto the customer.

 

As far as I am aware, their beer prices have only ever gone up in line with tax increases.

 

Obviously if you like your pub to have Sky Sports or Karaoke you will be disapointed. You'll also be disapointed if you only drink brands like Carling that are mass marketed by don't actually taste of much. There are other pubs to cater for those markets.

 

However if you simply want to relax with a reasonable pint at a reasonable price then Sam Smith's is fine, as the many people that fill their pubs every day will testify.

 

Well said andy

[Meaks]

Called in again between Christmas and New Year, the Bumble Beer was on the turn (or hadn't been pulled off) but other than that it was OK and still cheap as chips.

 

Will see how things pan out over the next couple of months.

[discodown]

It won't last if its not supported

[Meaks]

There's an article about it in today's Star.

 

The 'loss leader' 99p Wentworth George IV Imperial Ale is one of the Wentworth brews re-badged. As for the other beers, he reckons he is only making 25p on every pint.

 

The prices will remain the same for at least a year.

[Tony]

He won't last a year at those prices.

[daftlad]

He won't last a year at those prices.

 

i hope he does last a long time, he deserves it. its so nice to go into a boozer and feel your are not being ripped off by the brewerys. its nice to see someone taking a stand against over inflated prices on beer

[Tony]

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick because I also hope that he does well. However, it is impossible for a business to survive on those prices so it's actually the customers who are ripping off the landlord, albeit by his choice. It's not about 'taking a stand at over inflated prices' it's about making a living. Believe it or not it's not a charity so I'd like to think that if his offer is good enough the costomers won't mind paying a fair price.

 

Just have a quick think about the simple maths and decide whether you could keep the doors open. Even if he was making 25p on every pint (which he isn't) he would need to sell 10 9's a week to make about £1,200 a week or £62k per year. From that he needs to find all his rent, wages, overheads, heat, light, pay some tax, etc ,etc. Doesn't sound viable to me.

[daftlad]

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick because I also hope that he does well. However, it is impossible for a business to survive on those prices so it's actually the customers who are ripping off the landlord, albeit by his choice. It's not about 'taking a stand at over inflated prices' it's about making a living. Believe it or not it's not a charity so I'd like to think that if his offer is good enough the costomers won't mind paying a fair price.

 

Just have a quick think about the simple maths and decide whether you could keep the doors open. Even if he was making 25p on every pint (which he isn't) he would need to sell 10 9's a week to make about £1,200 a week or £62k per year. From that he needs to find all his rent, wages, overheads, heat, light, pay some tax, etc ,etc. Doesn't sound viable to me.

 

he wont make a lot of money on beer i know, there is a very large mark up on soft drinks though, so if he can shift a bit of those a week they will help

[BasilRathbon]

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick because I also hope that he does well. However, it is impossible for a business to survive on those prices so it's actually the customers who are ripping off the landlord, albeit by his choice. It's not about 'taking a stand at over inflated prices' it's about making a living. Believe it or not it's not a charity so I'd like to think that if his offer is good enough the costomers won't mind paying a fair price.

 

Just have a quick think about the simple maths and decide whether you could keep the doors open. Even if he was making 25p on every pint (which he isn't) he would need to sell 10 9's a week to make about £1,200 a week or £62k per year. From that he needs to find all his rent, wages, overheads, heat, light, pay some tax, etc ,etc. Doesn't sound viable to me.

 

 

Ah, but as i understand it, he's serving up cheap real ales but charging the market price for keg drinks. Thus, if the "Stella/ Magners/ whatever's fashionable this week" mob are willing to pay the standard £2.50-£3 a pint there's no reason why he shouldn't make enough to make the George IV not just viable but profitable.

At the time of my visit, the landlord was also keen to offer entertainment in the upstairs function room such as karaoke and live bands, so the plan is to appeal to the whole community, not just the real ale enthusiasts.

[Blacksheep]

Anyway, back on topic, I still haven't been to the George IV - will have to pop in to try the place before writing about it in Beer Matters!

 

 

I'll tell you something Andy, if 'Beer' really does 'Matter' then i think the George IV is doing it a massive dis-service.

 

It is my opinion of course, but a friend and i went in on New Years Eve.

Wentworth of course stock most of the bar, 2 pumps were Imperial and then the usual tacky Rudolf themed beers, even though Xmas was over. The beer was far too cold, probably around 6 degrees.

We had just tried two pints of the same at The Hillsborough Hotel and it was excellent.

If thats a 99p pint you can keep it.

 

The pub itself hasn't changed apart from a very poor paint job.

There were two youngsters serving, two mates of theirs at this side of the bar and a legless bloke and his missus constantly f'in and blindin'.

When we left (after one pint) the pub was empty.

Every other pub we went in had no seating room, and they charge full sensible prices.

 

I see that in the Journal today the landlord is bemused as to why he has an empty pub even when he prices his beer ridiculously low.

As said at the begining of this thread, he won't be open long with that pricing regime, low cost business plan or not.

 

As you know, beer is unfortunately suffering from extreme price increases in malt and hops, and keg theft is at an all time high.

The £3 pint will probably become the norm in 2008 with the society of brewers is tipping £4 a pint if duty isn't lowered.

The government is about to try and demonise alcohol and the focus is on people selling booze too cheaply.

 

IMHO the landlord at the George needs to have a re-think about the kind of people he wants to attract and the way he serves his ale.

Choice is also the key, and having many beers from one brewer on constantly won't temp most people unless it has a unique selling point, like being brewed on the premises.

 

I always think that the key to enjoying a night on the cask ale is that you don't know what you want until you get to the bar.

A long post i grant you, but thats my thoughts