When I visited England way back in the 1980's, I noticed that table etiquette was different. In the US, if you and a friend sit down at a table for four, then the table is generally yours, even if people are standing. It is generally OK if someone asks to grab a chair and take it to another table, but the table itself is yours. In England, if you are at a table with free space, people seem to feel free to come over and ask to sit. I gathered that it was impolite to refuse. I kind of liked the British way. You were free to ignore the other party or to introduce yourselves and start a conversation. It was a good way to get to know people.
Jonathan Wetherell I did not really pay attention to it. At that point, I did not do much drinking in bars, and never ran a tab.I guess it makes sense when you don't have a wait staff to keep an eye on the tables, etc.
@@petertr2000 I'm in Scotland and i see it here regularly, if the pub is fairly full then any spare seats at tables will often have somebody ask if they can sit down. I've done it, like fuck am I gonna stand up to drink my pint if I've just spent 12 hours on my feet cooking for people 😆
Yes, America, where at 18 you're responsible enough to drive, vote, have children and handle millions of dollars worth of military equipment in the army....but a beer is just too much to trust you with
I used to feel that way until I was in the army and was stationed in Germany where the US military allows soldiers under 21 to drink. Some of the stupidest crap done while drunk was done by them. This is not to say that no one over 21 had ever done anything stupid while drunk, but, more times than not, it was the under 21 crowd that constantly got into some stupid crap while drunk. I no longer say the things that you said as a result of my experience.
I think that whatever age people are allowed to drink at, they suddenly go at it full force, and many do it before that just because it's not supposed to be done.
Recently traveled to the UK with my 16 year old daughter. Went in a London pub and asked about the legal drinking age.Waitress looked shocked and said 'what?'
Back in 2005 I took my son to Britain for a graduation gift. We went into a pub, sat at a table and waited, and waited. After about 15 minutes or so, the bartender came over to us and told us how things worked there. Very kind man. We ended up ordering a large potpie, some British chips and our pints. We both still love 💘 ❤ 💕 Great Britain and always will.
@@dansomething7742 Well, except Spoons of course. Where you've been able to order by app to your table for a couple of years. Edit: And now, due to the Rona, loads of other places too.
I used to sing with a band. We’d finish the set, then sometimes hang out till closing, start packing up the equipment and enjoy a lovely breakfast the owner cooked...at 4 am. Those were the days.
Byte Me , no. The band made a rule that I could only have one drink all night. After that it was water, or I would forget the words to the song. I’m a lightweight. Always the designated driver.
The main thing lost in the pond is the meaning of the word "beer" itself. In the UK, beer generally means ale, which is properly consumed at cellar (not "room") temperature, about 55 F. In the US, beer usually means lager, served much colder, like around 40, maybe even 35, F. Since the onset of craft breweries, there is a lot more ale in the US, but usually served cold since American bars rarely have cellars. And since many regional breweries have been bought up by multi-nationals, lagers are becoming more common in the UK. It's all rather confusing, really.
On early trips to the UK I thought that the idea of ordering food at the counter was almost incomprehensibly weird. Then one day it occurred to me that that that is, after all, how every fast food restaurant in America works.
Yeah the only ones I haven’t seen them at are the ones that are part of a larger restaurant. Though, true, not too many people play them. You are allowed though, I have.
@@nemaru Haven't been to a bar in a good 10 years, but I used to see dart boards all the time in small local bars across multiple states. It was rare not to see one. Just depends the sort of place you go I guess.
Scot living in Philadelphia. For me the largest aesthetic difference is that bars and pubs never *ever* have carpet. A lot of what makes a British pub feel like a home from home is that it in many ways is feels like a community living room. The US experience always seems a lot less sociable, more like a restaurant and designed around individual parties at their own tables, especially with table service preventing you from 'getting the next round in' for the folks at the next table.
@@ClarinoI nailed it. You dont throw up inside a pub, it will make you very unpopular with landlord/lady and fellow drinkers alike. You either go to the toilets and throw up all over everything except the toilet bowl, or you go outside and leave some pavement pizza.
hahahaha I finally reached that certain age. My husband and I stopped at Denny's for breakfast, and ordered from the +55 breakfast menu. First time in our lives!
No, the worst thing about getting carded is that you turned 21 during the pandemic and it’s 50/50 whether the establishment will take your expired ID that you can’t replace because there’s a 3 month wait to get in to SoS to get it renewed
@@themostdiabolicalhater5986 Oh wow, that would suck. My husband got a new license, but there was even less of a wait than usual. He was in and out in less than a hour. Mine renews next year, I hope it's as easy. I hate the DMV.
@@TheDellaniOakes I renewed my license by mail in September. I think if Covid wasn't around I wouldn't have been able to because of my age. I'm 53 and I had already renewed by mail once before.
I can vividly remember my first experience in a British Pub, waiting for table service, which never happened. I finally caught on when I observed new people enter the pub and go to the counter to order. When I tried it, the bartender asked me for my table number. I had not noticed one, so I had to go back to my table and find it on a little brass plate screwed into the tabletop, return to the bar and order, again. Lesson learned.
Same system here in Ireland though it may be possible to order if someone is making the rounds to collect glasses. The Porterhouse in Temple bar has table service.
It's not pubs applying for 24hr licences that are the limitation, it turns out, it's that they have to be approved by the local councils, which are mostly full of puritanical nimbyism.
Exactly. The four tenets of running an establishment: protecting the young, avoiding over drinking, caring for the community... and something else I forget. I did the course 12 years ago. My local council would take a heavy sum of money for a 24h license after demanding a literal fuck-ton of documentation and have the old bill billeted next to your pub, just waiting for an infraction so they can take said license away, fine you and make you think you're lucky to get your old license back. If you get it back.
Before the 80s British Pub hours were 11:30am - 3pm and 5:30 pm - 10:00pm with 20 minutes dreinking up times after those hours. Night clubs had different hours, so you would start in the pub and move to the night club later. Then it became 11:00am -11:00pm until they said it could be 24 hours with a special licence.
The reason that most British pubs do not open late is because they have found that the actual quantity of custom they get hasn’t increased by much, if at all, and is just spread over more hours. This has lead to increased overheads for no extra profits. When a pub applies for its licence it able to request its operating hours. Many pubs close earlier than they actually have to in order to give themselves extra leeway to accommodate a later finish if circumstances warrant it.
@@colinp2238 Depended on the County one lived in, country counties often the pubs opened at 10:00 till 2:00 pm and then 5:00 pm till 10:00 pm, others opened at 10:30 with 30 minutes added to the other times. London pubs opened at 11:00 to 3 and 5:30 to 11 apart from those with a Market Licence such as those in Billingsgate or Covent Garden which could open at 3am but would close at 3pm for the day. Pubs in Theatre land could stay open till midnight. Some in Fleet St. had hours from 3pm to 3am I knew a pub on the Surrey - Sussex border where the County border ran through the pub, one bar in Surrey one in Sussex, one bar opened and closed 30 minutes before the other. Drinking up time was 10 minutes after permitted hours.
My friend Julie and I used to visit a particular pub every Friday. The landlord viewed us as regulars and had our drinks waiting for us on the bar when we walked in, it was great. One day we arrived a bit earlier and he asked: "What's it to be, ladies - the usual?" and we said not that time, we wanted something else as we were celebrating. "Oh, what's the big occasion?" he asked. "Our 18th birthdays," we said (they were 5 days apart). He almost dropped the bottle.
I am a Brit living in the Philippines. I have been to the US quite a few times and to different regions but my most enjoyable was at a bar in NYC that had a menu of a variety craft beers listed by state. After 3 visits I had just about made it to Missouri. My NYC friend gave me a hint about service - give a big tip on the first round and the table staff will tend to notice you.
Nothing better than going into a country pub, built hundreds of years ago, with wooden beams, a low ceiling and roaring fire, relaxing and enjoying the ambience.
Feel like there was a missed opportunity for a cut away, lol... “Let's go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over." -Shaun of the Dead
Closing time in Louisiana - None. In New Orleans, bars can stay open 24 hours, so one can get wasted anytime. However, local governments can set any last call time they wish. It's closing time at 2 AM in Baton Rouge (perhaps an attempt to keep the Legislature sober). But don't book your flights yet - all New Orleans bars are closed due to the pandemic, as of yesterday (July 26).
Don't know if it is just a story or was true, but I had heard of a town or county that enacted a closing time on what use to be 24hr bars. So the bars closed at 2am. But then opened at 2:15 am because the was no limit on when they could open.
I remember going to a drive through daiquiri stand with my older cousin one time in Louisiana. We then proceeded to drink the daiquiris while driving down the street even passing by cops who didn't so much as bat an eye. I was 14. I miss Louisiana.
I was 18 in 1984 when it changed. It actually went into effect in KS in July 1985. There wasn’t a federal drinking age there was a threat to receive no federal transportation funding unless you changed your state drinking age.
In the city of New Orleans no bar is required to close at all, in fact there are a few bars with no locks on the doors. Johnny Whites Bar was famous for not closing at all during Katrina, even though they did so with no electricity. They sadly did not survive Covid-19. RIP
Most places in South Louisiana don't require bars to close. 24hr bars are pretty common.
4 года назад
Wonderful episode! I'm a bit older. I remember growing up in Seattle... from the 70s into the 80s there was darts, Foosball, shuffleboard and pool tables. Live music at least 2 or 3 nights a week but no TVs. It was kinda like watching an old Inspector Morse episode, we'd hangout with our locals and catch up on local gossip, tell tall stories and do some business. I have fond memories of those days talking to friends, pint in hand, and no technology distractions. We could BS for hours... so much fun!
Next time you're in Seattle, go to the Zoo Tavern in East Lake. You'll have a great go with pool, snooker, darts, ski ball and plenty of other activities. Bring cash as they don't accept any cards.
In 1968, I was in a nightclub in New Orleans, Louisiana. I had been partying pretty good when I happened to look toward the door as someone was entering or leaving. I was shocked to see that it was daylight outside! Louisiana still has no closing time today, except for Baton Rouge, where it's 2:00am.
This isn't exactly true. I grew up in this area and was born well after you apparently. New Orleans proper (the central business area and French Quarter) has no closing time, but the outer areas (Metarie, Slidell, etc) have a rule that alcohol is not to be sold after 2am. Since the rule isn't that you have to close your doors, some bars will stay open later and may even risk a sale if the crowd is smaller. I'm from Louisiana and I can tell you other parts (with less tourists) close at 2am.
Sounds a lot like our cigarette smoking laws. I believe it recently changed but when I was under 18 (legal age to purchase tobacco products, recently changed to 21) I wasn't legally allowed to purchase them but it wasn't illegal to have them on your person nor was it illegal to smoke them. I'm not 100% sure but I'm not aware of any laws (in the recent past) that made any statements about legal age of consumption of tobacco products.
@@CoasterMan13Official A lot of countries have drinking laws on the books that allow for minors to consume alcohol if either a) They are at a restaurant and eating food at the same time, provided the purchaser of the minors drink is the legal drinking age (18 in many countries) or the minor’ s parent or b) if its a pub or bar and the minor’s parent buy the drink for their child. Some countries allow for different drinking ages for purchasing or consuming alcohol depending the type of drink thus beer and wine might be a legal of 16 but hard liquor might be 18. There can be all sorts of other rules that may allow for minors to purchase or consume alcohols in some select venues or stores but not others. Now as for consumption of alcohol by minors within the privacy of one own home , it’s quit common for the law to allow parents to serve alcohol to their kids in the home provided that they aren’t getting the kids drunk or encouraging hinge drinking or Drunk driving. In some cases they do have a minimum age the child must be such as 5 but not always. Keep in mind that evening countries that set no minimum age for serving your child alcohol, if you get your child noticeably intoxicated then they can charge you with child endangerment or something along those lines. This all differs greatly in the U.S. where the law for public drinking in pubs, bars, and restaurants and such that minors under 21 cannot ever buy or consume alcohol on premise not can you buy alcohol for them to consume off premise. In the privacy of the home, the laws very by state. Some states allows serving your kid alcohol in the home provided your not getting them drunk and their can be minimum ages the kid must be while others prohibit ever server you odd alcohol though enforcement is often lax of this rule either due the difficult of the police knowing it going on or simply the police preferring not to make it an enforcement priority in certain cities/states.
I went the UK back in 92, while in highschool. So, I wore a stylish leather bomber jacket, while my high school friends wore their high school varsity jackets. We went to a pub, as a group but everyone was in smaller groups of conversation. Suffice to say, my compatriots got kicked out of the pub when they tried to order beer, while me and one girl were able to buy without a problem. I think you have to just be so obviously underage that they can't in good consciousness serve you.
I lived in East Anglia from '82 to '85 with the USAF and I got the briefing on "Beer over Here." I loved it all. When we had a new troop come in and mention the "warm beer" concern I would explain that it's not warm, just cool. Cold sounds good because if you drink most US beer anything but cold it's awful. This stuff is delicious, and you're gonna love it.
Only the US macros, who have considerably lost their stronghold on the market since home-brewing was made legal. Times have certainly changed. Took a few decades for them to get it right, but the States cranks out some divine choices, now. I’d take a Heady Topper by Alchemy, a Founders Breakfast Stout, or just about all crafts made from Victory or 3 Floyd’s over the stuff made from anywhere else in the world other than Belgium. Belgium still reigns king.
The war beer myth sadly persists in Ireland even if our grandparents, great grand parents and Great great grandparents drank their beer a degrees than was the norm today be it off the shelf in a bottle or out of a cask.
The quality of US macros and the macros of England or Europe are all equally shitty adjunct style pale lagers. Idk where this reputation came from but have you ever had an Heniken or a Carlsberg and you’re gonna honestly tell me that’s any fucking different than a Budweiser? They all taste like piss water. Meanwhile America has a larger craft brewing scene than anywhere in the world. We have great beers we just don’t sell them to you
Having owned a Triumph Spitfire (equipped with Lucas Electronics), I was always under the impression that the British drank warm beer because their refrigerators were made by Lucas Electronics.
jokes aside, the temperature of beer is to do with flavour, cold temperatures would hide the flavour of a cheap beer, while a "warm" beer would have more flavour.
When I visited England back in 2007 I was drinking at a pub and there was an old dog lying in the corner. I asked about the dog and the bartender said that what he (the dog) does. The dog didn't belong to anyone at the bar, he just liked to lay there and take naps. I absolutely love England and I can't wait until I have the opportunity to visit again. During my visit everyone I encountered was wonderful and very pleasant.
over here in pubs where the landlord would live on site it is fairly common to have a pub dog, usually a big docile thing that is big enough to get noticed and not get stepped on, they will wander round all the customers to get fussed, then act as an alarm system if someone were to break in at night! Also back in the day they may even have a terrier or two to deal with the rats in the cellar....
The pub dogs are common in Ireland too. Lovely concept. "Here's your pint, sir. Oh, and if you don't mind, could you let the dog out? It's standing by the door so it probably want's to go out for a bit."
My favorite local gun store (US) has 2 big old dogs that belong to the owner. They wander around and take naps. They'd probably kick you out if the dogs don't like you ;p
7:17 “At the end of the day we go to the pub to get absolutely RAT-ARSED.” Literally LOL! Best description of getting drunk I’ve ever heard. It even beats “pissed”!
The reason the legal drinking went up in so many states in the early 70s was mainly because if we were old enough to be drafted (no pun intended) to die in Vietnam, we were old enough to drink, which was also the impetus for the change in voting age you mention. Keep up the great videos, Lawrence.
I was stationed in England in the early 80's. I became addicted to English beer and ales. I have yet to find a proper pint of Bitter here in the US! I remember when I came home to the US I felt I was getting ripped off because the pints were smaller!
@@michaelschmidt5179 Depends where you go? I've just had a look and London averages for a pint (UK) are lower than New York. Both can be expensive tourist traps though. I suppose you just need to know where to look?
Darts are very popular here in Montana just about every bar has a team that competes in a league. It's probably not as popular now as it was in the 90s/2000s though.
there's been an explosion of craft ale bars (closed due to covid atm) where there is a better quality mix of cask, keg, bottled & canned biers. Also, draft beer /has/ to be sold by the 568ml 'pint' or by the ½ or 1/3, the 2/3 pint (379ml) being very popular and having the stronger biers served in a smaller size. Bottles tend to be ½litre and cans tend to be 1/3 litre (330ml)
Here in Ireland that was the norm in many urban pubs and a number of country ones until the late 1950’s when nitro stout was rolled out but a number continued serving casked Guinness until 1973 now it is the wetherspoons,bierhaus in cork and Tig na Bhric which stock cask beer
This vid makes me smile. I went to grad school in Lawrence, KS and met so many people outside of my academic department at the Red Lyon Tavern. Many of the "brits" (English and Scottish grad students) gravitated to that spot, not because it was a perfect "pub," yet perhaps because of the Carlsberg on tap - who knows? I have great memories of playing pool, kooky and sometimes heavy conversations, meeting one of my best friends for life (from E. Yorkshire - philosophy PhD), and learning so much from how America and Britain see the world similarly (and differently). Through the silliness, I also learned some perfect british-isms:" jammy bastard!" and "absolute hatstand!" come to mind. :)
Being six foot tall when thirteen years old, I was never challenged in bars, even by police. Every party needed my attention. But a married person had the right to service. The marriage age was 13. Both husband and wife. They could also get a drivers license together. Good old New Zealand.
I hate the “Irish” pubs, here in the States. To me, it’s more of an Irish theme restaurant. When I went to London, I found your pubs very welcoming and, uh...authentic.
many just have Irish written some where and a few flags. A real Irish pub is about the people in it and often backed up with great live music. In some places the musicians are playing for themselves not the crowd but that will only be allowed if there very good, its called a seisiun
Even in the UK, it's best to avoid any pub branded as an Irish pub, even (especially?) in Northern Ireland. They're not Irish pubs, they're tourist pubs.
unless they are a Wetherspoons pub... in which case they are the IKEA/Starbucks of UK pubs, the locals try to act like nothings changed but they just feel sterile.
I was 19 visiting England for the first time on a class vacation. I didn't understand it at the time but now I understand the bartender's snicker when I ordered Stella Artois.
Stella Artois use to be known as "wife-beater" in the UK due to a perceived connection with aggression and binge drinking. It used to be seen as the drink of alcoholics who would then get aggressive and hit their wives, yikes, bad reputation I know. They have tried to rebrand as a classier drink and lowered the ABV of it down to 4.8% (I think it's 4.8). It's still occasionally called wife-beater but doesn't have as bad a reputation as it once did.
Cai Beacham if I heard that nickname, I would have thought it was because Marlon Brando’s character wore a men’s undershirt -known as a wife beater- when he bellowed for his wife, Stella, after beating her in “A Streetcar Named Desire”.
@@cai739 Wasn't that more down to the "slabs" of cans sold in supermarkets, the combo of strength and price made it one of the cheapest ways to get pissed. Carlsberg Special Brew being another for the dedicated alkie.
I laughed about the pint size difference. I used to own a bar and grill in Florida. One of our happy hour deals was a 99¢ beer, but it was always the cheap beer and was served in a 10 oz glass. The 10oz and 16oz glasses were the same physical size, but the 10oz had more glass in the base. If you wanted a larger beer, you got a 24oz.
I was once working in America and at the start of the job the guy in charge told the American guys that they shouldn’t go drinking with us brits. When asked why he started asking the American guys what age they started drinking which was answered with ages 20 to 21, when the same was asked to us brits it was answered with ages varying from 14 to 16. The guy in charge then announced that not only did we have about 6 years on them but that the drinks in the uk were bigger and usually stronger. Long story short this was taken as a challenge and the brits broke the Americans with a trip to the bar Friday night, an afternoon and evening in a bar on Saturday, a day in the pub Sunday and on Monday morning the quivering wrecks that were previously Americans were on display for all to see at the start of shift
In America, drinking too much means you lack discipline. You can get away with it every now and then but mostly, you are looked down upon if you get too sloshed.
I honestly don't know anyone aside from myself who hasn't been drinking since the ages of 14-16. Hell most of the people I know think drinking is boring so they do drugs instead. The legal age may be higher but that doesn't stop everyone
I work in a restaurant in Tennessee and I once ID'd a 99 year old man. He was days away from his 100th birthday and was very delighted I had asked and was more than proud to tell me he still drove.
There's an Irish pub in Wuhan China and they have a wait staff on hand to take orders. During big events when it is crowded they don't take orders in the main part of the pub, only at booths further away from the action. Someone at the computer will take orders and then the food/drinks will be brought to the tables. There are 5 TVs in there that usually have no sound while music plays on the radio. And as for authenticity the owner was an Irishman. But he recently retired and has permanently moved back to Ireland.
In the 1970's we teens from California went to Arizona, where you could drink at 19. Or to Baja California, where you could drink at any age as long as your dad, uncle, or older boyfriend gave the bartender a stern look....
the change in the drinking age was actually because the federal government said they would withhold federal funding if states didn't change their drinking age to 21 which was also due to pressure from drunk driving groups but it prolly wouldn't have happened if the federal government didn't threaten to withhold funds
I got grandfathered in. Ohio had passed an amendment fixing the drinking at for beer and hard spirits at 19 just before the federal law went into effect. Since I was 19 at the time, I could still buy and consume both.
Here in Virginia, we got grandfathered in as well. Reagan has zero respect from me. War Hawk but didn't let his troops buy booze at 18. And military bases only served 3/2 beer. Half strength beer. 😠😠😠 #ReaganSucked
I'm from Ohio. I was able to buy beer at 18 in 1984. When they changed the law to 21, there was a grandfather clause on the age for beer. I'm not sure where you're getting the information that it was only legal until the 1960's because it's not true.
I watch a lot of UK shows and I noticed that the bars(pubs?) looked more like living rooms and people would go to them in the day time! Plus kids would be in there sometimes. Looked very family/community oriented.
In England (not sure about the rest of the UK) It is legal for a child over 16 to have beer or wine with a meal on licensed premises. Children are permitted in pubs as long as they are not in the bar area but a separate room. It is legal although not recommended for children from the age of 5 to have alcohol at home. My children were allowed wine at celebratory dinners but neither of them liked it and as adults they rarely drink alcohol. It is my belief that prohibiting alcohol just makes it more attractive but parents obviously have to be vigilant and I am not advocating it, just saying what worked for my family. We have spent a lot of time in France and probably have a more European attitude. Going to the pub is a social activity, so not necessarily about alcohol, some pubs are family oriented. A lot now are also dog friendly so you can take your -well behaved- best friend with you. This is especially true in more rural places as you can treat yourself to a nice pint/glass of something and a sit down after your dog walk! Pubs make more money on food than "wet sales" so very few do not serve food. When my family meet up for a get together we will often go to a pub but usually have soft drinks as we are driving. Some pubs/bars/clubs will give a free soft drink to designated drivers and from my experience young people are very responsible and will avoid drinking and driving. I know Brits have a reputation for being permanently pissed by in reality we are merely mellow 😉
Before for corona it was not unusual to go in to the local village and in the pub it would be the mums and kids come out of school and stopping in for a drink and a gossip in the summer the beer gardens were full this is 3.30 pm
When I was in the Air Force at tech school in Florida my roommate was just 17, because you can enlist at 17 with a parent's permission. Well, the legal drinking age in Florida back then, where Daryl was actually from, was 21. However, in all branches of the military the legal drinking age on a federal reservation is 18. Actually, if you get carded at the Airmen's Club or when buying alcohol at the BX and show your military ID, no one is going to look at your date of birth. You're in the service. You can drink. So at the age of 17 Daryl was able to "legally" buy and consume alcohol as long as he did it on base.
nc bartender here, it’s the law. we hate refusing to serve someone who is clearly of age, but it’s not our job to serve people of age. rather, it’s our job to serve people with valid, in-date ids. it’s stupid but the ALE (alcohol law enforcement) has and will again come in with someone undercover with no id or an expired id. this includes bearded men in their 50s and is a surefire way to get a $1000+ fine and immediately lose your job. it simply isn’t worth the personal risk to go out on a limb for a stranger that couldn’t be bothered to bring an id
@@jakemorrison8507 The Oregon Liquor Control Commission sends out undercover inspectors, the result is that many bartenders card everyone. At one point many Americans were very puritanical about alcohol and implemented these sorts of enforcement schemes. That point was a long time ago, but the government shakedown persists under its own inertia.
When I were a lad in Victoria, Australia, the pubs had to close at six o'clock...in the afternoon (brought in after WWI, by wowsers and temperance women with mouths like cat's arses). This led to the infamous "Six o'clock swill", where people (mostly men) would rush to the pub after work and proceed to get as pissed as possible before closing time...and then attempt to drive home. It was abolished in Victoria in 1966, other states changed earlier.
An old bloke I know told me once that people would do this at Young and Jackson and then drunk walk out into Flinders and Swanston st intersection and get run over by trams. Glad we don't have to do that these days
I took my daughter to an Irish Pub when she was 21 and she was celebrated!! I loved it. We were in the US but the pub owners were from Dublin, so think that was a win!
I’m American and lived in England for a bit, and I think you forgot to mention a couple big things. The two that shocked me going to pubs in Britain was that you aren’t asked to start a tab, you just pay per drink. And with the exception of wetherspoons none of them ever had their prices printed on a menu or anything. Just my observations.
By law all pubs have to display a price list, but they usually hide it behind the bar, so you can barely see it. You can usually guess based on the county, whether its upmarket/downmarket, and a few other factors, but sometimes you'll find a really posh pub that charges £2.50 a pint, or a really rough one that charges a fiver.
In New Orleans Louisiana, bars can stay open 24-7. Even during Mardi Gras, when they clear Bourbon Street at Midnight everyone just steps inside the nearest bar, wait for the police pass then resume the party. The best one of all is you can get a drive through Daquiri just like getting a hamburger. But you can't have alcohol delivered with your groceries.
3:40 This is actually not true, there is no federal purchasing age law and the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, contrary to its name did not have a provision that forced states to raise their drinking age. (Drinking age is under state, not federal jurisdiction.) It simply took away 10% of federal highway funding (since reduced to 8%) for states that do not have a minimum drinking age of 21. This funding was viewed by states as being so important that today we are left with no states with purchase ages lower than 21.
Should be noticed there is no “official” federal drinking age as the federal government doesn’t have the power directly. The act would punishes any state that allowed persons under 21 years to purchase and publicly possess alcoholic beverages by reducing its annual federal highway apportionment by 10 percent.
Oddly enough, the federal government has just as much authority to mandate a minimum drinking age as it does to prohibit the sale of narcotics, but since when did politicians care about consistency?
Funny enough they “can’t” do that either. But they do it any way. “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” I don’t know of an amendment that gives them the power keep me from getting stoned. At least one that hasn’t been repealed.
I believe they were told that if they tried to pass a national drinking age it would be thrown out in court because it infringed on states powers to regulate. Remember when courts and Congress actually cared about stuff like that? So they made it a provision in a federal highway spending bill.
@@Metal_Auditor Technically I don't think they actually outlawed marijuana. But to grow/buy/sell it you had to have a federal tax stamp. They just never issued any of the tax stamps.
I remember in Louisiana (in the 70s and 80s) the fast food and gas stations had drive through service with cups of ice and mixer on the side. Talk about Drunk driving. 😣😐😩
The big thing is that in the US, we have about a dozen different classifications of "alcohol serving establishment". We have "pubs," "bars," "taverns," "sports bars," "bar and grill" style bars, and more. Sure, the "default bar" may be what you describe, but there are plenty of pubs that are far closer to British-style (most of them even make a point of being British-themed, usually with a name of "The _something_ and _something_ .")
IKR, it seems very counterintuitive to just force a bunch of buzzed and drunk people out into the world at the same time. There may be an ulterior motive for politicians. I have no idea what the numbers are, but I can imagine that the most income generating DWI arrests occur within around a half hour of their mandated closure time for bars. If true, this is disgustingly irresponsible. A bartender at a place like PT's should reasonably be able to ascertain whether someone should be driving, upon clearing theirs check, but a barmaid at closing, when there are a few dozen more to go on top of wanting to go home, it's a slippery slope into responsibility. I believe a 24 hour system should be attempted after Covid, businesses and customers will have a lot of time to make up for. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DV6H2Khw48Q.html
In my state bars close at 2am and the crowd shrinks at 12:30am, so in England I was surprised to see them close at 11am, and then in Scotland people *starting* to go to the bar at 12:30am and staying much later than 2.... One problem with all bars closing at 2am is it dumps a lot of drunk people in the street all at once, and after public transit has mostly ended. In England I saw people taking the bus both ways to the pub (and not in London, but Bristol) but that's much less common in the US where there's less transit.
I lived in London for two years and have a couple of comments: the British pint is 20 oz and the Am 16 oz, in UK you can also order a 1/2 pint (you'll lose your Am audience when you go metric); the British have "bitters", the Am version is the IPA (India Pale Ale) the problem is there are no "bitters" in the IPA (not as tasty); in the UK it is common to stand and drink at the "bar", Am normally you have a chair or stool; it's not unusual for Am to do "shots" while drinking beer, I don't recall doing any in UK but I did drink whiskey in a glass (but not shots); I also noticed the Brits put water, tonic water, soda etc in their whiskey but never ice, while in Am on the "rocks" is ice and very common with whiskey; I never got "bourbon" in the UK; I don't know when the UK drinking age was raised to 18 yrs, but it was an Am, the first female MP Lady Astor that raised the drinking age from 14 to 16 (I think what she really wanted was "Prohibition" but the Brits wouldn't have anything to do with that, remember this is the same woman that called W. Churchill a "drunk"); I believe all Am pubs, taverns, etc... would be considered "freeholds" or "free houses" while in UK there are "public houses" and "freeholds".
I grew up in Virginia and in 1979 I could go int a bar and sit and drink a beer a 17 years old. You had to be 18 to take it away, however. I wasn't a bar person then nor now. I did purchase beer for my friends and I then though. I thought it was annoying that when on temporary duty in Great Briton in the late 80's we were cut off at around 10:30 every night at the pubs. Loved that Norwich Bitter. It made me appreciate full flavored beer. When working with some British folks in the early 2000's they referred to American beer as "watered down gnats piss" I agree.
7:41, I paused out of genuine curiosity when that map appeared and that's how I realized that Oklahoma seems to have quite the opinion of their southern neighbor, lmao.
I went to a bar in New York City and the bar was open until 4 am, These days even the neighborhood American bars have a wide variety of domestic, national and even international beers. Some even have decent sandwiches and meals at reasonable prices than the trendy places.
JW McCabe yes, but they don’t have to close by 12, they just choose to do so out of tradition.. plenty of nightlife spot (clubs and music venues) are open until 5 or 6am in large cities like London...
in 2019 we spent a coupe of weeks in the London, Wales, Scotland mainly. We of course wanted to try the local brews, but we found "almost" universally you could get Coors Light on tap. I am sure to get toasted on this, but it tends to be a pretty bland beer. Also many folks would be standing outside the pub on the sidewalk drinking. In the US unless there is a special "identified drinking area" you can't just take your drink and stand on the public sidewalk and consume it.
Fun fact: the proliferation of Irish pubs in the US is largely propped up by Guiness Beer, in that they provide material support and training to entrepreneurs looking to start a drinking establishment in exchange for market share (which is why that brand is so heavily advertised in such establishments)
If I recall correctly, the 21-year drinking age is not actually a federal law, but states do not get Federal funding for highways unless they adopt 21 as their state drinking age.
I’m late to this party but, in Kansas you could buy beer at age 18 but not liquor. The beer was restricted to 3.2% alcohol content, and was available at taverns. Beer with a 6% alcohol content was considered liquor and only available at liquor stores. This didn’t change until Regan did his thing.
Lawrence! I was looking up the lowest places on earth (related to something I was watching on the Smithsonian Channel). Surprised to find any in the UK, I looked up the Fens and I found Grimsby on the map! Was so excited so I had to share it with you.
In Tromsø (where I'm from), the beer hall (the owners were German), aptly named _Ølhallen_ in Norwegian, used to open around seven to eight am in the morning, and then it closed around five pm. (In retrospect, you probably wouldn't know why that is an apt name, but the Norwegian word _øl_ means "beer" in English, kind of like "ale," except it's usually a Pilsner over here. Don't even get me started on mead...) Trivia: When the BBC visited the local brewery in the 60's, the owners - the Mack family - were suddenly of Scottish descent. So much for national pride!
Also, I have been to numerous bars in the U.S. where you have to order at the bar, and they don't really serve food except perhaps nachos or a similar appetizer-type thing. I liked the ones with saw dust (and some old peanut shells) on the floor, a juke box and sometimes a tiny dance floor. The floor was often sticky, adding an extra challenge to the dancing.
You haven't lived until you have to work an overnight shift, then go out at 7am with your coworkers to the local bar and start drinking. You are usually done or passed out by 11 am.
Many years ago another co-worker and I were in a small town in Northwest Iowa to have breakfast at a cafe/bar before going to our local audit engagement. We were astounded to see so many middle aged and older guys having beers at the bar. We asked about it and found out that the night shift of a local factory had just ended. It all made sense then! I don't remember the name of the town but it wasn't very large.
In the UK the legal drinking age is 5, if at home and under the supervision of a parent. At 16 you can drink alcohol in an establishment if an adult buys you the drink as part of a meal. 18 is the age you can buy alcohol in a pub for yourself.
I've been to one "pub" in America (note: I'm American). It was obviously English themed. I had a good curry and a pint of guiness. If it was a bit closer to where my apartment is, I'd go more often. I've been to two bars. One with my Wife's grandma, where we talked over a pint, and another on Saint Patrick's day where I met up with a friend. The later was far less enjoyable, especially when you consider that this was in a college town.
I will never frequent a bar/pub unless it has dart boards and pool/billiard tables. Shitty Electronic darts don't count. *and yes, i'm that guy that brings my own darts and cue
It reminds me of Jim Gaffigan’s joke about the drunk guy telling is wife: I’m cutting down this tree and bringing it in the house. And decorate it. For Jesus!
I was in my teens when New York State kept changing it's drinking age. They raised it to 19 when I was in high school. The day the 21 year old drinking age went into effect was towards the end of the year I turned 19. So I was able to legally drink for nearly a year, but then not able to legally drink for over a year before I turned 21. This led to "pre-gaming" where we'd get drunk before we went out in case we couldn't get in or get alcohol once in a bar or a club.
And then along comes Finland. Kids drink fermented mead during Vappu, the legal drinking age is 18 and the bars stay open until 4 a.m. ...and then you go to the after party.
Many trips to the UK, and a number of those spent in Cambridge doing pub crawls. To me the biggest difference between pubs in the UK and bars in the US has to do with social interaction. I have found that in the US you have to go to a bar many times, maybe even many months or a year before you're really part of the place. Strangers generally do not talk to strangers in US bars. My experience almost everywhere I went in the UK was not like that at all. People were friendly, often inviting me to talk with them. Many of the pubs I went to were set up for just that type of interaction with board games and seating arrangements that was designed for greater social interaction. The other difference I noted was that pubs in the UK often had only one or two breweries (Greene King pubs for instance) of beer represented. In the US this varies, but most have a much wider selection.
Fun fact, some (very few) states, you can legally be served drinks at restaurants at the age of 18, if you’re parents are there and have giving permission. It’s like that in Texas, West Virginia, and I think one or two more.
Minor correction -- drinking was legal at age 18 in Wisconsin during the 1960s and before. However there were special taverns/bars for those under 21. These establishments could only serve one alcoholic beverage, "2% beer". I.e. it could not contain more than 2% alcohol. (Beer is typically 5%.)
To me the biggest difference is that at least a majority of UK pubs have “real ale” which is cask conditioned ale. While the USA has upped its beer game over the last 30 years, you still cannot get a good mild or bitter.
Exactly what I was going to say. When I traveled through England and Scotland, every single place had at least a few cask ales. They are nearly impossible to find in the States these days.
@@jedinord Yeah, on occasion a local brewpub/brewery might do a cask ale, but it is becoming more and more rare. Plus they never do a traditional UK cask style, which is a shame.
@@jamesfetherston1190 absolutely... I have been trying to convince some local breweries to do it and no one has bitten yet... but at least I am convinving them to brew ESBs, English milds, etc. Had a lovely traditional brown ale just the other day.
@@jedinord while I admit to enjoying a big flavored hop bomb every now and then, I also really enjoy well brewed beers with subtle flavor and modest alcohol content. It seems American brewers are still in love with exploring how extreme they can make a beer.
Pubs have overall improved in almost every aspect here in the UK. Food much better, drink selection much better. Most, not all, but most will have a few craft beers too. Some go all out and serve nothing but craft, which is cool. Sure, not everyone is friendly but you can generally walk in, go sit down, order just the one and not be bothered by waiting staff. And most are dog friendly which is another bonus. I’ve been to many countries in this world and whether it’s a Japanese izakaya or Parisian bar, nothing beats a British pub.
In Seattle, we have a local pub chain, Flatstick Pub, that offers Duffleboard (TM), a hybrid of mini golf and shuffleboard (created only available at the Kirkland location afaik), and actual mini golf.
In America there's a spot in Boston where you can order a Sam Adam's right across the street from a graveyard where the actual Sam Adams is buried. That's what I did for my first drink on my 21st :)
When I buy a big round of drinks in the UK and cannot carry them all back to table in one go, I always have this panic that someone will have swiped the remaining drinks from the bar. This temporary panic persists despite the fact that it has never happened.
@Nathan-DTS I've done that when completely bladdered, and I've noticed others do it too, but I've also noticed that I'll sometimes buy a drink, get distracted by talking mincemeat to a stranger for a while, and then I'll toddle off to buy another drink and return to my own group forgetting about my barely touched previous drink as it becomes a gift for one of our kind. So it all balances out.
