Latest features Top 10 things that make a good pub

Date Published:

27/06/2008

According to City & Business editor of The Publican magazine (and avid pub goer for more than 25 years), Hamish Champ, pubs are an essential part of what makes us what and who we are

"Most people socialise in a pub; some of the best conversations are conducted in a pub and heck, you can even meet the love of your life in a pub." So what, in his opinion, are the top 10 things that make a great one?

Hostess with the mostess

Running a pub at the best of times is bloody hard work, what with standing on your feet all day and putting up with punters moaning on and on about the price of fish. And beer. But these are tough times for the industry. Never mind the economy under pressure, with the new drinking hours people can now demand a beer pretty much from morning to night, and servicing this requires stamina. The perfect pub is headed by a publican who knows what their punters want, be they an out-of-towner or a familiar face.

Beer approval

While having great inter-personal skills is paramount in the perfect pub, a well-kept cellar is as essential. Basically, if the beer doesn’t taste as good as it did when it rolled out of the brewery gate you’re in trouble. Gone are the days of warm beer, so mocked by American tourists. A publican on top of his or her game knows the best way to serve the beers they stock, whether that means an ice-cold lager or a real ale served at the right temperature in the right glass.

Pub grub

Not every pub has to sell food to be a good pub. There are many pubs – old fashioned boozers, if you like – that thrive whilst serving just beers and lagers, wines and spirits. In these days of the smoking ban you can now taste the food pubs sell. And not only that, pubs are getting better at making it too. But not every pub is a gastro emporium of pan-fried this and sautéed that. More are offering good, basic pub grub: bangers and mash; fish and chips and cottage pie, to name three. And now there’s even more time to fill your boots.

The next Rolling Stones?

20 years ago you could find a pub pretty much anywhere in the land that put on some form of live entertainment. Nowadays, what with red tape and the price of obtaining an entertainment licence, it is easier to find a bank that’s not a wine bar. But some publicans have a passion for music which hurdles all the obstacles. While the number of music pubs may be dwindling, if you look - and listen - hard enough you may just be able to find the next Oasis down at your local.

Stub it out

Not everyone agrees with the smoking ban. Some say it signals the end of the pub, especially in rural areas. However, for the majority of pub-goers, meeting and drinking in a smoke-free environment is a real plus. Gone are the days of coming home stinking of stale cigarette smoke, a small price to pay for what some believe to be a loss of atmosphere.

Nothing like loos with character

If you want to know how well a pub is maintained, check out the loos. Tatty toilets are a real turn-off. Of course you don’t spend much time in the little boy’s/girl’s room, but a spotless lavvy is a sign that the publican has the comfort of his or her customers at heart. There are even Pub Loo of the Year awards, for the best kept facility in the land.

Sticky but sentimental

More and more pubs are reverting to stripped floorboards. They’re easier to clean, can look rather smart with the right amount of care and attention and with appropriate maintenance are hard wearing. But nothing beats a good patterned carpet for giving a pub that homely feel. True, some people don’t like to feel their shoes sticking to a carpet soaked with countless beer spillages, but for the true pub aficionado the extra second it takes to life one’s heel from a stretch of stained Warminster is well worth it.

No mugs

Brewers spend thousands of pounds perfecting their beers. They then spend thousands more on marketing them, a process which includes trying to persuade publicans to pour their product into the right glass, one with the right beer’s name on it. There is nothing worse for the beer aficionado than getting a drink in the wrong glass. Good pubs get this, and serve beers in the appropriate vessel.

Pubs with games hit the bullseye

Bar billiards, pool, dominos, darts, and now poker. Pubs are nothing if not a haven for entertainment, and games have played a part in their offering for centuries. It might be hard to persuade young pub goers, brought up on a diet of Nintendo DS, Wiis and Playstations, to get on board, but anyone who hasn’t been moved by watching a table of old codgers nursing their pints and a pile of cribbage sticks hasn’t lived.

Cheers

Meeting a group of friends in a great pub is one of life’s truly wonderful experiences. There is something about walking into a pub with a couple of mates that tells you that all’s right with the world. So much can be sorted out, discussed and agreed upon over a pint and a bit of chat with an old friend. Or, if you play your cards right, a new one.

Has Hamish covered the top 10 – or do you feel there’s more to a good pub than poker and pint glasses? Tell us in the user comments below

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