Greene King Pubs

[Flanker7]

Wetherspoon's have a big fat manual that tells them have everything should be done - and they move the staff around a lot. This keeps standards consistent even in pubs across the whole country. IMO they do this well, despite having to deal with a very 'challenging' clientele. The actual beer they sell is beyond local control and can be a bit iffy.

Do Green King need a manual? or better compliance to the one they already have?

[DnAuK]

I think Abbot is a bit too old fashioned for the modern beer market - as are most Greene King (+ Marstons group, Batemans etc) beers. The Reserve is batter and of course I'll be trying the Confession. To be honest thopugh I think the only 'traditional' brewery that is showing any form of real forward thinking is Adnams. Their Innovation range is pretty damn fine and you would do worse that pick up 6 bottles of the 'Winter IPA' they do for M&S for little over £2 a bottle with one thrown in free. But you only seem to see the stock stuff like Broadside in these parts.

[jemson]

Simple answer - bad management...

 

It`s not though. The Big Tree seems to do really well but it has a very different clientele. Not been in Big Tree for a fair while (not my cup of tea) but I think the staff are still the same and, if they are, they are on the ball.

[Stoatwobbler]

I think Abbot is a bit too old fashioned for the modern beer market - as are most Greene King (+ Marstons group, Batemans etc) beers. The Reserve is batter and of course I'll be trying the Confession. To be honest thopugh I think the only 'traditional' brewery that is showing any form of real forward thinking is Adnams. Their Innovation range is pretty damn fine and you would do worse that pick up 6 bottles of the 'Winter IPA' they do for M&S for little over £2 a bottle with one thrown in free. But you only seem to see the stock stuff like Broadside in these parts.

 

I like traditional beers as long as they are done well. Acorn Barnsley Bitter for example is a marvellous traditional bitter (and the rest of their range is very good as well).

 

The trouble is, Greedy Kerching beers are not in my opinion "done well". I've never liked Abbott Ale or their awful excuse for an IPA. About the only even vaugely decent beer they do is their XX Mild, and even then I can think of a fair few better milds.

 

P.S. Funny you should mention Batemans as they have recently entered the craft keg market. Saw one of their keg beers (Orange Barley I think) in the Canal House in Nottingham the other week. Batemans, like Adnams are trying to "modernise" their range a bit.

[jemson]

P.S. Funny you should mention Batemans as they have recently entered the craft keg market. Saw one of their keg beers (Orange Barley I think) in the Canal House in Nottingham the other week. Batemans, like Adnams are trying to "modernise" their range a bit.

 

And Brains are too. I had some very strong offering from Brains `Craft` Brewery in K.I.T. of all places. It also made me wonder if K.I.T. rae changing too by offering more strong beers. (I think they had 3 on at >6%!).

[DnAuK]

I like traditional beers as long as they are done well. Acorn Barnsley Bitter for example is a marvellous traditional bitter (and the rest of their range is very good as well).

 

The trouble is, Greedy Kerching beers are not in my opinion "done well". I've never liked Abbott Ale or their awful excuse for an IPA. About the only even vaugely decent beer they do is their XX Mild, and even then I can think of a fair few better milds.

 

P.S. Funny you should mention Batemans as they have recently entered the craft keg market. Saw one of their keg beers (Orange Barley I think) in the Canal House in Nottingham the other week. Batemans, like Adnams are trying to "modernise" their range a bit.

 

Really? I must have missed all this. Until recently, like many in this area, we had a caravan on the east coast and regularly went to Batemans and did the brewery tour (cos it's a nice place and quite interesting - not for the quality of the beer!) Last we were told Batemans had largely given up experimenting after a certain batch of strawberry beer contaminated the lines in a good few of their pubs and they were faced with the prospect of thousands of pound in remedial work to rectify it. Apparently this was avoided in the end but once bitten as they say...

 

Still, it's good to know innovation isn't completely dead in the older breweries.

[dacrlit]

The Leeds Arms in South Anston and The Red Lion in Todwick are excellent.

[Mr Bates]

The Leeds Arms in South Anston and The Red Lion in Todwick are excellent.

 

What beer have these got on?

[Doom]

Went to the Acorn yesterday for my lunch.

 

Can't complain really, the Mrs and myself had a very nice lasagne each from their two for £9.95 range.

 

All washed down with a couple of pints of the Greene King IPA Reserve.

 

Regards

 

Doom

[beefface]

My local for a long time has been the Porter Brook, good choice of ales and a good standard of food. Now, went in the Big Tree, another Greene King pub, only 3miles from Porter Brook, greeted with naff ales and really poor quality food . My question is how can 2 pubs of the same chain, quite close to each other, be so opposite to each other? Wouldn't you think they'd be singing from the same sheet?

 

Er, one's in Ecclesall and one's in Woodseats.