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Beer Travel / Beer / Pubs / → All Tags

Britain Considering Yet Another Booze Ban

And to think we just declared The Hat and Tun London's newest must-visit pub: Officials at the UK Department of Health may recommend a ban on happy hours and drinking games at pubs to reduce excessive and underage boozing. The British Liver Trust, an advocacy group, says liver disease has killed 40 percent more people aged 25-29 this year than last, with more than 4,000 fatalities linked to alcohol-induced liver problems.

The Liver Trust suspects that making drinks more expensive--that is, by banning happy hour discounts--would cause the number of young drinkers to drop. But government health authorities are waiting for a University of Sheffield report on whether prices have a measurable effect on binge drinking before making any final decisions.

If and when the government cracks down on happy hours, don't expect gloomy nights leading up to a ban: When London outlawed drinks on public transport, booze hounds celebrated by hosting raucous parties that ended in 17 arrests and six Tube station closings.

Related Stories:
· Liver Disease Killing 40 Percent More Young People [British Liver Trust]
· Britain May Ban "Happy Hour" as Deaths Rise [AP, via Google]

[Photo: gia_s]

Pubs / Beer Travel / → All Tags

New In London: The Hat and Tun

We know, we know, no one likes the phrase "new London pub." When we go out for a pint in London, we certainly aren't looking for some spiffy new lounge; we want greasy meat pies, floors that are sticky with spilled beer and that dank but homey lived-in atmosphere.

But give us a chance here! Farringdon pub The Hat and Tun--it's on Hatton Street, get it?--is a brand new entry to the scene, but it somehow has all that old-pub goodness. There's a genuine pub grub menu (with the requisite meat pies, along with Scotch eggs, sausage rolls and the like), along with plenty of quality brews on tap and a homey vibe complete with fireplaces, antique lounge furniture and an awful lot of taxidermy.

OK, so there are no sticky floors, but we're sure those are coming soon.

Related Stories:
· The Hat and Tun [Official Site]
· London Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: The Hat and Tun]

Pubs / Beer Travel / → All Tags

Endangered Species Watch: The British Pub

When the Wall Street folks started losing all heir money, they told us it would hurt the rest of us sooner or later, but we didn't really understand why. Fast forward a month and we learn the latest economic causality is something we never imagined would go out of demand: British Pubs. Consider us hurt.

The smart economic folks at PriceWaterhouseCoopers report that some 64 pubs in the UK went out of business in the third quarter of 2008, but that's just the beginning. We're not exactly sure how they came up with such precise numbers, but they have predicted some 4,000 more pubs could close in the country over the next two years, as fewer and fewer customers can afford to go out drinking.

Looks like those world record bar crawlers finished just in time.

Related Stories:
· 4,000 Pubs to Close in Next 2 years [Metro]
· Brits Complete 24-Year Bar Crawl [Jaunted]
· Price Your Pints Before You Go [Jaunted]

[Photo: mijori]

Hiking / Active Travel / Pubs / → All Tags

Weekend in London: Escape to Hampstead

Even in London, it's nice to get out of the city for a while. Forgo the trip to Bath (and save loads on a pre-packaged bus tour or rental car) and hop on the Underground to Hampstead, just outside the city in Camden. Take the tube to the Hampstead stop, after Belsize Park, and the trip couldn't be easier.

We'll warn you that it's home to more millionaires than any other area of the country, but to most of us that just means excellent restaurants, shops and perfectly maintained streets to meander.

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When Animals Attack / Pubs / Animals / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Pub Travel: Sharing the Bar with a Crocodile

Tourists are often worried about crossing paths with a crocodile when they're visiting Australia's Northern Territory, but all you really need to know is you shouldn't smile at one--even if it sidles up to you at the bar.

That's what happened this week at the Noonamah pub on the outskirts of Darwin, and when the croc appeared, some local drinkers acted fast to tape its mouth up and put it in a box. Despite a few spectacular headlines, it wasn't a scary croc--the thirsty visitor was just two feet long.

But we still recommend watching where you put your beer down if you're in an Aussie pub. The next crocodile to walk in could be bigger.

Related Stories:
· A Croc Walks Into A Bar ... [Northern Territory News]
· Crocs Interrupt Tourist Plans in Oz [Jaunted]

[Photo: digitalreflections]

Pubs / Queensland Travel / Beer / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Australia Travel: Hit the Pub Route in Queensland

Australians love a good pub crawl--any excuse for a beer, and if you have to move between pubs to get the next round, then it's practically like playing sport. Over the weekend, the small Queensland city of Maryborough organized some particularly good pub crawling: It earned them a world record.

More than 3,000 people visited visited ten different pubs, and it looks like this will get the town into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Ten pubs in a night is a pretty big night out even by Australian standards, and we're not sure how we'd feel the next day after a marathon pub crawl like this. But in the pursuit of a world record, sometimes you've just got to make sacrifices.

Related Stories:
· Aussie City Crawls Ahead of Poms [AAP]
· Queensland Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ben Harris-Roxas]

Haunted-Travel / Bars / Pubs / UK Travel / → All Tags

Haunted Travel: Pub Keeper Not Buying It

Famous medium Derek Acorah says that Lancashire pub Euxton Mills is haunted by not one but three different ghosts. But barkeep Keith Burgess says no way--even if TV crews have stopped in to film them.

Sure, plenty of folks have reported a floating gray lady, a presence in the cellar and a spook in the loo. But Keith just doesn't buy it even though:

[He] admits things have been switched on and off in the cellar...and one or two of the staff have had a couple of "scares."

He probably just wants visitors to focus on something else: The place won awards for Best Kept Pub in Lancashire in 2001, 2004 and 2006. Maybe the judges give extra points for the paranormal?

Related Stories:
· Ghostly Pub's Landlord Is a Non-Believer [Lancashire Evening Post]
· Haunted Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Bars / Pubs / Nudity / Australia Travel / → All Tags

Going Topless in Australia: The Dos and Don'ts

Now you see 'em, now you don't. Australian authorities seem to get pretty mixed up about when it's alright to see women's breasts and when it's not. Just this summer Australia was searching for women (especially backpackers) to work at the nude car wash in Brisbane to encourage people to get their cars clean in a water-saving, Earth-friendly way.

Well, the drought that inspired the car wash hasn't exactly broken, but the topless women have headed south of Perth to Pinjarra. This week a barmaid at the Premier Hotel was fined A$1,000 (about $900) because she exposed her breasts twice to bar-goers; her colleague was fined half that for helping to hang spoons from her nipples. Seems like going to the pub in Australia just ain't as fun as going to the car wash.

Related Stories:
· Barmaid Fined Over Beer Trick [Age]
· Nude Backpackers Wanted in Aussie Drought [Jaunted]
· Australia Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: buck82]

Websites / Pubs / Bars / Travel Guides / → All Tags

Trust the Swiss to Find You a Pub

A bunch of Swiss computer geeks who also love their pubs are about to launch a website that they think will change our traveling lives. Or at least that part of traveling which involves finding a pub that suits our tastes.

Localina aims to use a database of 100,000 bars, pubs and clubs from across the world along with international Location Scouts to help match you to your kind of pub. That means that you can input the details about your favorite local pub back home, plus the destination you're traveling to, and it will spit back a recommended pub to match your taste.

It's reminiscent of Amazon.com's attempts to recommend books, CDs or DVDs you might like, judging by your previous taste, and it might just work. Sounds great in theory, but we're a bit wary. If you travel to another country and end up sitting in a pub just like your local, maybe it would've been easier if you'd just stayed at home?

Related Stories:
· Finding a New Local Pub Gets Easier [Ananova]
· Localina [Official Site]

[Photo: formfaktor]

Bars / Pubs / Smoking / Britain / → All Tags

This Pub Smells Like Cut Grass

While most people expected the recent ban on smoking in British pubs to make the air cleaner and fresher, there's been a surprise development: all these years, cigarette smoke has actually been masking a whole heap of other smells. As Oliver Devine, a marketing manager in the pub business, delicately puts it:

Appetising food smells have increased but others are less attractive, such as stale food and beer, damp, sweat and body odour, drains and -- how do you put this nicely? -- flatulence.

So one large pub chain is now trying out various artificial scents that should sweeten up the air. (Reminds us of a certain hotel chain.) Smells of ocean breezes, freshly cut grass and beer are all on trial, so give your nose a good workout next time you're in an olde English pub.

Related Stories:
· Make Mine a Pint of Chanel [UK Times]
· Travel Stories in England [Jaunted]

[Photo: markhillary]

Prague Travel / Beer / Pubs / → All Tags

Czech Culture = Czech Beer

While we don't exactly condone the British habit of picking a European city, flying in for a weekend to sample alcohol and women, and flying home leaving a trail of destruction ... well, it happens, and if you're going to enjoy a few beers in Prague, why not do it properly. Take, for example, the Prague Underground tour company which sets up pub crawls for groups wanting to try more than just that horrifying green absinthe the Czech Republic is known for.

Prague Underground offers the Zizkov Pub Crawl: Zizkov is a neighborhood of inner city Prague that claims to have more pubs per square mile than anywhere else in the world. If you're after a more scenic route, the River Pub Crawl has slightly less hardcore nightlife, but your guide still won't leave you until 2am at the earliest. Drink up!

Related Stories:
· It's Not Easy Being Green [Jaunted]
· Prague Hotel Reviews [HotelChatter]

[Photo: johnystadlerka]

Drinking / Pubs / Los Angeles / Susan LaTempa / → All Tags

L.A. Times Pub Extravaganza

L.A. Times writer Susan LaTempa took one for the team when she went on a three-month long mission to round up Los Angeles County's best Irish and British pubs. The results are in, the wrap-up scarily comprehensive, and there are more than a few revelations to be had for the pub novice.

First, forget what you think is "authentic." Who knew that fish & chips weren't real pub fare, but a dish usually relegated to their own specialty joints? Also, there's no such thing as a British "real ale" here--those are unpasteurized and available only over in the motherland. So what, if not false snacks, makes a great pub? LaTempa lays out her criteria:

A great L.A.-area pub has four main attributes: It offers a goodselection of beers on tap and sells a lot of those beers so they'realways fresh and lively; it serves delicious, fresh, beer-friendly food, whether it's simply well-fried pub grub or more ambitious dishes; it's integrally connected to the neighborhood but is welcoming tovisitors. And it has personality.

Ye Olde King's Head, a British pub owned by an Irishman, is a well-oiled L.A. favorite that serves up twenty beers on tap and the classic mushy peas. Finn McCool's, The Cat & Fiddle and Lucky Baldwins also made the cut for 15 best. But she didn't stop there; there are runners-up a plenty. You know what they say: the more beer, the better. They do say that, right?

[Photo: jarrett.]

Related Stories:
· Let's tip one back together [LAT]