Cost of living: Pub halves beer and cider choice to survive

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Chippy_Tea

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A pub has almost halved its selection of draught beer and cider for the winter due to soaring energy bills.

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Michelle Knight, who runs the Six Bells in Coity, Bridgend, said reducing the number of barrels would make her cooling system more efficient.
She has pinned her energy bills up to show punters why she is having to make tough choices to keep their local open.
The UK government said the energy bills relief scheme was protecting businesses.
The bills Ms Knight has displayed on the walls of the pub show her costs increased from £1,313 in October 2021 to £3,404 in the same month this year - a rise of 160%.
She said she does it to justify the reduced menu and putting up the price of each draught pint by up to 40p.

"I'd rather go into the winter knowing what I know now, with minimum staff, take a few products off, and try and drip feed through", she said.

The 48-year-old said: "My initial plan was to turn off one of the coolers in the cellar because it's on 24/7, but it's not really efficient to do that... if I've got any problems with that then I won't be able to sell anything.
"Taking off three or four brands will make the cooler system a bit more energy efficient."
Out of the 11 beers and ciders on her menu, Very Berry, Pale Rider, Thatchers Haze and Strongbow are off for the winter.
Ms Knight also originally took off Madri, but is using up her remaining barrels currently as the lager is selling well.
"I don't want to restrict the choice, but customers would prefer the pub to still be here in December, January and February having a smaller choice, than have a larger choice and possibly not being here in the new year." she said.
"I've got to do it for the longevity of the pub."

The response from her regulars has been mixed.
"They're shocked, they're like it must be wrong, but I've just said with the electricity bills that's how much it is," she said.
She added: "I've had people saying things like 'I wont be able to come here any more or I wont be able to come here as often or drink as much'.
"Instead of having four or five pints, they have two or three," she said.

Should it be required, Ms Knight said she would be willing to open her pub with just cans and bottles this winter.
She said: "You've got a plan A,B,C,D whatever happens, I'll keep the pub open.
"Even if I shut the cellar off and do cans and bottles, I'll still keep it open.
"It's very realistic this might happen. This pub isn't particularly big, there are other pubs in the area much bigger than mine that must be going through the same sort of thing."

Ms Knight said the pub would not be hosting any Christmas parties this year due to the energy costs.
"I can't go I'm going to do Christmas dinners in December because I haven't a clue what my bills are going to look like," said Ms Knight.
"That's the worry - it's going into the unknown. It could pay off, but it could be disastrous, it could close me down."

Read more - Cost of living: Pub halves beer and cider choice to survive

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Christ, a pub with no ale on offer besides Guiness, slim pickings
Out of the 11 beers and ciders on her menu, Very Berry, Pale Rider, Thatchers Haze and Strongbow are off for the winter.

It looks like they sell Thatchers Haze and Gold so customers might have the option of Guiness or Gold, why they would choose to keep Carling, Coors and Stella and ditch better beer is beyond me.
 
And then we wonder why wetherspoons does so well...

I would probably turn around and head to the next pub if that is the offering.

Coors light... seriously?

On another note, I wonder why seltzers haven't taken hold over there yet? Do ciders offer the same?
 
Thatcher's is cider though. Would probably go for Guinness with no other choice

DOH, we don't have that here so i wasn't aware they were both cider.

Her choice of beers to keep probably shows the type of drinkers the pub attracts if Coors and Carling are her main sales i have a feeling she is only prolonging the agony and she won't be in business much longer as you can probably get similar in any pub in the area.
 
A pub selling proper beer doesn't really need chillers most of the year and certainly not winter. If people deserve to drink industrial, super-chilled gut rot then they deserve to pay for it. The climate, on the other hand, doesn't.
Be climate friendly and drink traditional cider. No heating of liquors, no boiling, no chilling and no cooling at point of dispense. Yeah, a bit of lecky for the apple mill and the press, but you can do 200 gallons on a single AA Duracell!

Wow. I was having a laugh, but it's true that the ethical pint really is cider.
 
DOH, we don't have that here so i wasn't aware they were both cider.

Her choice of beers to keep probably shows the type of drinkers the pub attracts if Coors and Carling are her main sales i have a feeling she is only prolonging the agony and she won't be in business much longer as you can probably get similar in any pub in the area.
Or it could be the only pub around and she is tied into a contract with Coors. Looking at the beer range I would suggest she is supplied by them.
 
On another note, I wonder why seltzers haven't taken hold over there yet? Do ciders offer the same?

As RTDs for a party or picnic I think they've done well from a share of sales POV. I have heard some pubs selling them (Spoons and some others) but I don't think it really fits with pub culture.
 
I had no idea the silver bullet was that far reaching lol. In my head I see a pub in those parts handpumping cask ale. To bad though times are tough.
 
it's not a pub i'd visit. Even if the choice was restricted cos its mass produced rubbish.
I guess they have to stock what they know they will sell and the majority of drinkers happily drink mass produced rubbish, it wasn't that long ago I wouldn't drink anything other than lager, I now never drink it.
 
I guess they have to stock what they know they will sell and the majority of drinkers happily drink mass produced rubbish, it wasn't that long ago I wouldn't drink anything other than lager, I now never drink it.
You're missing out on some great lagers! As someone who never used to touch them, I've started drinking more lagers these days.

Some of the UK breweries that specialises in lager like Newbarns and Utopian are making phenomenal lagers. And then obviously lots of German, Czech pilsners are hard to beat.

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There's a lot of truth in this for me!
 
You're missing out on some great lagers! As someone who never used to touch them, I've started drinking more lagers these days.

I am not a beer snob and have posted this in the forum before.

I should have explained I found lager to be one of the main triggers for gout since I stopped drinking i have had far fewer attacks and I still drink the same amount as I used to, I do find the beers I am drinking now tastes much better than the rubbish they serve in pubs round here.
 
I am not a beer snob and have posted this in the forum before.

I should have explained I found lager to be one of the main triggers for gout since I stopped drinking i have had far fewer attacks and I still drink the same amount as I used to, I do find the beers I am drinking now tastes much better than the rubbish they serve in pubs round here.

I'm a beer snob! I think that image relates to me more than anyone! This stuff is what I got my teenage drinking stripes on - Challenge Lager Beer, Challenge Distributors, England
 
went to the tin house (tinworks tap) today and they have Guinness, a hawkstone cider and a pants lager but they also had 2 pollys on tap and a vault city as well as their own beers so they appeal to all tastes its neither a bar where the uneducated neck it down watching sky sports or a hipster joint.

They also have kreik boon and other specialty beers provided by beer park in a fridge. Apparently the kriek boon is popular.

Despite the view from tin-house being an eyesore as Llanelli town center is mostly grim it is a cycle-to destination for me.
 
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