For The Love Of Port

12 of them and great photos too:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wicked-go ... _Olde_Trip

Do you have a favorite?

I really don't know any by name, but once visiting England, I was with some friends who were members of CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale). They would visit pubs listed on their newsletter with real British Ale. The "real" stuff is heads and shoulders above the mass market ales; similar to the difference between our own "craft" beers and the mass market brands.

I'm not convinced that much research went into that article. For example, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese on Fleet Street is certainly old and still retains an old-world look and feel but they serve rubbish, mass-market beer and is mostly filled with office-workers drinking gin and tonic. That isn't really my idea of a traditional pub.

For those of us ignorant to such elements, would you please take a moment to share what dynamics you think make up a fine "traditional pub" in your sense?

Roy Hersh wrote:For those of us ignorant to such elements, would you please take a moment to share what dynamics you think make up a fine "traditional pub" in your sense?

In order of importance (for me):

1. A friendly and welcoming Landlord with good knowledgeable and equally friendly staff. People who know their locals and want to know their visitors.

2. A relaxed atmosphere, comfortable and warm. Think of leather seats, old oak beams and an open wood-burning fire and you are in the right territory.

3. A good selection of traditional ales.

4. Good, honest, wholesome food. Not huge white plates with a tiny portion of twice-baked hedgehog liver in the middle surrounded by squid-ink jus

5. Go back to point 1, very much the most important ingredient

What about the White Horse? Too touristy?

I prefer to think "British" rather than "English". First, nowhere that needs more than two people behind the bar, and preferably only one. Pubs should be small. At least one well-presented beer, and preferably two. A decent range of bottled beers and a choice of several whiskies, plus other spirts since ladies have been allowed into all bars for about 40 years. No food whatsoever served. Pubs are for drinking, restaurants are for eating. No music. A dartboard, a couple of sets of dominoes. No cards. A reasonable age mix - a few old, a few young. Most important - everybody in there has to have a rural background. City folks have to stay in the City in their wine bars, and drinking holes. Pubs are for us peasants and city folk do not understand our fixation with sheep, cattle, corn and the weather. Good, keep it that way.

Alan McDonald wrote:I prefer to think "British" rather than "English". First, nowhere that needs more than two people behind the bar, and preferably only one. Pubs should be small. At least one well-presented beer, and preferably two. A decent range of bottled beers and a choice of several whiskies, plus other spirts since ladies have been allowed into all bars for about 40 years. No food whatsoever served. Pubs are for drinking, restaurants are for eating. No music. A dartboard, a couple of sets of dominoes. No cards. A reasonable age mix - a few old, a few young. Most important - everybody in there has to have a rural background. City folks have to stay in the City in their wine bars, and drinking holes. Pubs are for us peasants and city folk do not understand our fixation with sheep, cattle, corn and the weather. Good, keep it that way.

I'm a "city folks" as you call it (cause I am) and I FAR prefer a rural out of the way pub. Problem is, it's pretty hard to find one around where I live. Everyone wants to be trendy and most of the cool old "locals" bars have long since closed or been "modernized."

Andy Velebil wrote:most of the cool old "locals" bars have long since closed or been "modernized."

But you don't have any "old" pubs. These are old pubs

No we don't cause we also have laws so the tilting building doesn't fall down on top of you.

There is about 4-5 "pubs" walking distance from my house that should qualify according Derek and Alan. I'll stop in for a Guinness now and then. Certainly for part of the Patriots game if I am not already wine'd out to walk down. I live in an area where there are lot of recent Irish immigrants and that motif spurs our local Pubs; not Britain. All working class folks; the Boston College students prefer the "Sports Bars".

Derek T. wrote:

Roy Hersh wrote:For those of us ignorant to such elements, would you please take a moment to share what dynamics you think make up a fine "traditional pub" in your sense?

In order of importance (for me):

1. A friendly and welcoming Landlord with good knowledgeable and equally friendly staff. People who know their locals and want to know their visitors.

2. A relaxed atmosphere, comfortable and warm. Think of leather seats, old oak beams and an open wood-burning fire and you are in the right territory.

3. A good selection of traditional ales.

4. Good, honest, wholesome food. Not huge white plates with a tiny portion of twice-baked hedgehog liver in the middle surrounded by squid-ink jus

5. Go back to point 1, very much the most important ingredient

I think this pretty much nails it although I think I'd move number 3 up to number 1. I get disappointed if there isn't any cask ale on hand pump when I am in a pub in England.

No we don't cause we also have laws so the tilting building doesn't fall down on top of you.

They've since straightened it out some years ago, but the barn at Ridge Vinyards on Montebello hill used to tilt alarmingly! I remember being frightened just standing close to it!

Eric Ifune wrote:

No we don't cause we also have laws so the tilting building doesn't fall down on top of you.

They've since straightened it out some years ago, but the barn at Ridge Vinyards on Montebello hill used to tilt alarmingly! I remember being frightened just standing close to it!

Yeah, I remember that. was a little unnerving.

I absolutely loved the pubs in Scotland, many with great atmosphere and every single one of them seemed to have at least one or two local cask ales available. These were two of my favourites: The Drovers Inn and Stein Inn.
The pubs in Ireland on the other hand... nothing but Heineken and Smithwicks.

Ronald Wortel wrote:I absolutely loved the pubs in Scotland, many with great atmosphere and every single one of them seemed to have at least one or two local cask ales available. These were two of my favourites: The Drovers Inn and Stein Inn.

Been to the Drovers and enjoyed it. We drove around the Isle of Skye, but didn't make a stop at the Stein Inn. Mmmm, haggis and ale.