Wetherspoons In Yorkshire

[Chapeltom]

My favourite two pubs other than the Sheffield Tap in Sheffield are: Devonshire Cat, about 10 minutes walk from the station, always loads of hand pulls on in there. The other is the Kelham Island Tavern, about 15 minutes walk away.

Both cheaper than the Tap and certainly with the KIT a more obscure range of real ales.

 

[curly42]

I'm puzzled as to why anyone would WANT to go into a Wetherspoons.
Truly the McDonalds of the drinking trade.

 

[DarloRich]

I'm puzzled as to why anyone would WANT to go into a Wetherspoons.
Truly the McDonalds of the drinking trade.

It is. However, you can always get a pint of ale in Weatherspoons - which you often cant in other pubs. I know it is often southern ale but still.......

 

[142094]

I'm puzzled as to why anyone would WANT to go into a Wetherspoons.
Truly the McDonalds of the drinking trade.

The good thing about Wetherspoons is that it is consistent across the UK - I don't think I've ever had a bad pint in one, although staff can be few and far between or downright useless it seems in most of them. Handy when you're in a new place and don't know where to go for a drink.

 

[DarloRich]

The good thing about Wetherspoons is that it is consistent across the UK - I don't think I've ever had a bad pint in one, although staff can be few and far between or downright useless it seems in most of them. Handy when you're in a new place and don't know where to go for a drink.

The bad thing is that many of them, especially down here, have no idea how to keep and serve a pint of ale

 

[142094]

The bad thing is that many of them, especially down here, have no idea how to keep and serve a pint of ale

Doesn't help that down south they serve the beer flat with no sprinkler - and always keep it colder than it should be for some reason.

 

[DarloRich]

Doesn't help that down south they serve the beer flat with no sprinkler - and always keep it colder than it should be for some reason.

Why on earth they cant use the sprinkler beats me - bloody cockneys :roll:

 

[Bungle73]

First, Wetherspoon's is the "McDonald's" of the drinking trade? I've seen that said somewhere before (it must have been another forum) but what the hell does it mean?

Secondly, a lot of Wetherspoon pubs are Casque Marque accredited, which means their ales get checked for quality on a regular basis. I've never had a problem with the ale quality in any I've been into, which is more than I can say for some ordinary pubs.

Lastly, beer has to be specially brewed to be served with a sparkler; the beer in the south isn't, so should not be served with one.

 

[142094]

Lastly, beer has to be specially brewed to be served with a sparkler; the beer in the south isn't, so should not be served with one.

I've heard this before, and I know it causes a lot of debate with CAMRA members, but even if it is brewed to be poured without a sparkler, I still prefer a sparkler to be put on. Flat beer, even if it is good beer, isn't what I call a decent pint. But that's just me.

 

[Chapeltom]

I'm puzzled as to why anyone would WANT to go into a Wetherspoons.
Truly the McDonalds of the drinking trade.

I don't consider Wetherspoons that way. If you've tried the burgers, it makes McDonalds look absolutely awful. There's few places you can get the value of the Gourmet Burgers, posh burger + pint for £6.59 is pretty good.

I actually make a habit of ticking them off, I like my real ale and they are consistent enough.

It is. However, you can always get a pint of ale in Weatherspoons - which you often cant in other pubs. I know it is often southern ale but still.......

I know a lot of students who go in Wetherspoons, especially the one half a mile from our Uni. £2.15 a pint is attractive to people, having ale cheaper makes it more attractive to people...

The good thing about Wetherspoons is that it is consistent across the UK - I don't think I've ever had a bad pint in one, although staff can be few and far between or downright useless it seems in most of them. Handy when you're in a new place and don't know where to go for a drink.

I've had a few bad pints and having being back to the establishments that have served them, only one has done the same again. The Calvert Court in Stockport is somewhere I now avoid, even if I have an hour to waste in Stockport, rather than chancing a bad pint I go opposite and try my hand with food poisoning with a donner from the takeaway across the road.

Some staff are clueless and at times quite harsh, some on the other hand know their stuff and enjoy real ale as much as the customers. For me, its often the female staff in Spoons who are more of a problem than the males, don't know why. That said there is something about ordering a 'half' that seems to annoy some staff. I go in Spoons to try a few new beers, if I've not tried something why will I have a pint of something that I may not want?? if I like something and I've time to have more of, I'll have a half then a pint of the stuff...

Generally cheap, fairly reliable for quality/quantity of ales and normally my first stop in a new town but not always my only one

 

[DarloRich]

I've heard this before, and I know it causes a lot of debate with CAMRA members, but even if it is brewed to be poured without a sparkler, I still prefer a sparkler to be put on. Flat beer, even if it is good beer, isn't what I call a decent pint. But that's just me.

It is not just you mate!

Mind most (all?) beer brewed south of Nottingham tends to be horrible. They just dont get it. (Sharpes from Cornwall is ok)

 

[Bungle73]

I don't consider Wetherspoons that way. If you've tried the burgers, it makes McDonalds look absolutely awful. There's few places you can get the value of the Gourmet Burgers, posh burger + pint for £6.59 is pretty good.

I used to like their minted lamb burger, but they don't do it anymore.

I go in Spoons to try a few new beers, if I've not tried something why will I have a pint of something that I may not want?? if I like something and I've time to have more of, I'll have a half then a pint of the stuff...

I don't know if it's still their policy, but my local Whetherspoon's used to let you try the beer before you purchased it. In fact they always used to ask if I wanted to try it first when I ordered a pint. They don't ask these days though, and I never ask to.

 

[142094]

Most of the Spoons I go into are normally either very quiet, or very busy. Was at the one on Leeds station a week ago, and there were 4 members of staff that I could see - one was taking food orders out, another one was serving behind the bar and two more were standing round doing nothing. Waited patiently to be served, only for the person behind the bar serving to walk off to the other end and serve someone who had arrived after me. Not good, and when it happens all the time it pees you off very quickly.

 

[Stewart]

Two pubs which haven't been mentioned so far in Leeds arre The Hop (underneath the station) and The Grove (effectively underneath Bridgwater Place). Both tend to have around 8 ales on and do simple food.

 

[tbtc]

Two pubs which haven't been mentioned so far in Leeds arre The Hop (underneath the station) and The Grove (effectively underneath Bridgwater Place). Both tend to have around 8 ales on and do simple food.

Can't go wrong with the Grove - lovely pub

 

[HowMuch?]

The Brewers Droop is indeed next to a tramstop. But stay on the tram a bit longer .... Most of the pubs on Sheffield's city centre and Infirmary Road ale route are within 2 minutes of a tram stop, and nearly all the others are within 5 minutes. And the Sheffield Tap makes a good finishing point when you've caught the tram back to the station.

Oh, and The Queens Head is hidden away unsignposted in the interchange next to the station (I know people who catch a bus there every day and didn't know it was there). nice atmosphere, genuine Olde Worlde half-timbering, good Thwaites beer, and sensible fresh cooked pub food. But don't bother with WordSoup on the games machine - there's an expert behind the bar and you'll never get near the prize scores.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

The Brewers Droop is indeed next to a tramstop. But stay on the tram a bit longer .... Most of the pubs on Sheffield's city centre and Infirmary Road ale route are within 2 minutes of a tram stop, and nearly all the others are within 5 minutes. And the Sheffield Tap makes a good finishing point when you've caught the tram back to the station.

Oh, and The Queens Head is hidden away unsignposted in the interchange next to the station (I know people who catch a bus there every day and didn't know it was there). nice atmosphere, genuine Olde Worlde half-timbering, good Thwaites beer, and sensible fresh cooked pub food. But don't bother with WordSoup on the games machine - there's an expert behind the bar and you'll never get near the prize scores.

I'll look out for that Old Queens Head near the Interchange,sounds good, it can't be too far from the Penny Black, see my thread 29 above.
(I found another good pub near a railway station yesterday, The Raynes Park Tavern, located opposite the London side platforms of Raynes Park Station SW20, good food and drinks at surprising low prices)

 

[HowMuch?]

Missed that. If you fr equent the Penny Black, then even the Bankers Draft must seem refined!

Yes, the Old Queen's Head is near the Penny Black. You can see it from there. In fact, that's about the only place you CAN see it from. When they rebuit the bus station they practically walled off the OQH, which was bonkers because it's a real asset to a bus station that feels a little distant from town centre facilities.

Can't compete with the massive and excellent beer range of the Sheffield Tap (platform 1 on the rail station). But does decent inexpensive food and looks after the Thwaites well. It's also a bit less beard and yuppie (I'm only ONE of those).

If anyone's interested in finding it during a BOJ, it's three or four minutes from Sheffield station, on the far end of the bus station.