Charlton Athletic U21 v Dulwich Hamlet, London Senior Cup QF, 25/2/25 (at Champion Hill)

[Pink Panther]

Pub nerd question for the pub nerds on the forum...

I doubt the club will get rid of the crowd-pleasing Guinness, but is there any reason why London Black couldn't be on as well? (As a sop to those of us with functioning tastebuds). It's on in the outside bar, but for some reason never tastes as good as it should, though it's still better than Guinness.

Sample size of one, but whether I stay or not after a game these days usually depends on whether they've got cask on the bar, because most of the other options are pretty bland and generic (though, no doubt, make commercial sense).

In theory I don't see why you can't have both. (The Montpelier has Guinness and Murphy's for example.) It may depend upon the contracts the club has with the different suppliers. Diageo/Guinness don't like competition.

Older Guinness drinkers seem to be brainwashed to believe nothing else is good enough for them, but I think many of the younger drinkers for whom it's become a trendy beer will be more curious to sample similar alternatives. That recent "Guinness shortage" had all the hallmarks of a classic publicity stunt to make the brand more seem more essential, but it might have backfired, as many people will have switched to Murphy's or London Black and preferred it.

During the winter anything served from the outside bars will be colder than the recommended cellar temperature, so it's not surprising it won't taste as good.

 

[Alex W]

In theory I don't see why you can't have both. (The Montpelier has Guinness and Murphy's for example.) It may depend upon the contracts the club has with the different suppliers. Diageo/Guinness don't like competition.

Older Guinness drinkers seem to be brainwashed to believe nothing else is good enough for them, but I think many of the younger drinkers for whom it's become a trendy beer will be more curious to sample similar alternatives. That recent "Guinness shortage" had all the hallmarks of a classic publicity stunt to make the brand more seem more essential, but it might have backfired, as many people will have switched to Murphy's or London Black and preferred it.

During the winter anything served from the outside bars will be colder than the recommended cellar temperature, so it's not surprising it won't taste as good.

Thanks! Fwiw, according to people I know at Diageo the Guinness shortage was very much a real thing (and there's no way they'd give up all that revenue during their busiest time of the year).

Anecdotally, I find you see a mix from younger trend-following Guinness drinkers. For a minority, it's certainly made them more "stout curious". But I've overheard more than a few lads a Champion Hill getting London Black at the outside bar and moaning that it's not a Guinness. I'm sure they were very grateful that I was there to patiently explain how wrong they were!

That said, I work round the corner from The Devonshire in Soho (aka ground zero for fashionable Guinness drinking), and it does already feel like Guinness is losing its "look at me, I'm not drinking an IPA, I'm different and interesting" sheen.

 

[Pink Panther]

Hanwell scored in the 89th minute to beat Tooting 1-0 tonight, so we'll be visiting them in the semi-final. Decent club with a nice little ground about a 10 minute walk from Perivale Underground Station on the Central Line. I'm guessing 8th or 15th April will be the most likely date.

 

[AveryDave]

Welling v Brentford B in the last of the quarter finals confirmed for Tuesday 8th April. Winner plays Barking at home for a place in the final.

 

[Bugpowder Dust]

Is the date and venue for the final already fixed?

 

[pompeydunc]

Is the date and venue for the final already fixed?

Harrow Borough. Pencilled in for Tuesday 29 April.