Curmudgeon - Beer & Pubs Archive - 2009

INDEX

January

Giving with One Hand - concealed within the VAT cut was a body-blow to the pub trade
A Silver Lining? - ironically, the recession may save some pubs that had been vulnerable to redevelopment

February

The Poundland Arms - Greene King IPA at 99p a pint exposes the pricing complacency of much of the pub trade
Drinking in the Atmosphere - the character of a pub is just as important as the quality of the beer

March

Forced to Lie - the drinks industry will feel uneasy about displaying dubious alcohol health guidelines
Restraint of Trade - restrictive covenants are curbing enterprise and competition in the pub trade

April

Reaching for the Revolver - the government fail to see the point of pubs and show no sympathy for their plight
A Bunch of Fakers - many so-called charities are in reality government-funded lobby groups campaigning to take away your rights

May

Shock News for Drinkers - the government campaign to highlight the calorie content of drinks is pointless and patronising
Pale and Interesting? - there is much to be said for subtle beers
Open All Day? - pubs claiming to be open all day are often nothing of the kind

June

Night Half-Life - is Stockport’s night-time economy in need of revival and, if so, how?
Punch Drunk - the recession has exposed the pub company business model as unsustainable

July

Is the Price Right? - the idea that supermarket prices are killing pubs does not stand up to analysis

August

With Friends Like These... - the professed sympathy of anti-drink groups for pubs is just weasel words
Never on a Saturday - why are pubs so quiet at a prime leisure time?

September

A Weak Argument - the call for promotion of very weak beers fails to understand the realities of the beer market
Standing Room Only - why are pubs so reluctant to provide an adequate amount of comfortable seating?

October

Don’t Castrate our Cat - Conservative plans to triple duty on “high-strength” products are ill-considered and indiscriminate
Don’t Knock It Till You Try It - the hysterical reaction to a beer for connoisseurs exposes the hypocrisy of the anti-drink lobby

November

Keeping Drinkers in the Dark - an alcohol advertising ban would favour big producers, not small ones
Chopping Down the Grapevine - informal promotion of alcoholic drinks would inevitably be targeted too

December

Nutts About Drugs - the argument that cannabis is safer than alcohol seems to be a very hazy one
Everyone Must Suffer - you would not believe from the media that alcohol consumption was falling rapidly

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