Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: Valmai Goodyear
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 05:39 PM

I find that buying two four-pint jugs of Harveys Best Bitter sees me nicely through an evening at the Lewes Saturday Folk Club in the Elephant & Castle , saving me the physical fatigue and nervous strain which would otherwise be caused by going up and down the stairs past the Angel of Death eight times.

Valmai (Lewes, Sussex, UK)

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 05:20 PM

The pint was normally 16floz in the 18th century. The Imperial (20floz) pint became the British standard in the early 19th century. Was this to make it closer to the half litre?

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: PoppaGator
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 03:31 PM

I'm puzzled at the mention of a one-to-a-customer limit on pitchers of beer:

A) How could this possibly be enforced? Do they stamp your hand when you purchase a pitcher?

B) It seems to be based on the assumption that that each pitcher is normally consumed by a single individual. Everywhere I've ever lived drunk, each pitcher is normally shared by two or more folks, then refilled as necessary. For one thing, the beer stays colder/fresher that way.

I would offer this advice to Mr. and Mrs. #1 Peasant: rather than buy two pitchers at once, and then have one of you fail to drain hers while the other sucks all of his down and remains unsatisifed, why not buy one, each drink at his/her accustomed pace, and then buy another?

Some bars sell draft beer by the pitcher and some don't. Some even sell beer only by the bottle or can, with no draft (draught) available at all. The pitcher option indeed allows fewer trips to the bar for refills. Choose your folk-club venue accordingly!

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 03:02 PM

Eek! That's a bit unfair on Americans, innit?...

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: GUEST,nickp (cookieless)
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 02:51 PM

Spleen Crindge, for curiosity, U.S. pints are only 16 fl.oz. compared to our 20. Can make buying fuel interesting too if you want to think in gallons...

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 01:41 PM

Just as an aside, a place in a local detox unit costs £480 per week - not something that you drink obsessed people want to be landed with!

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: Spleen Cringe
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 01:08 PM

One at a time, silly!

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 12:43 PM

A single pint sufficient....must be one of the new generation more like 9-12 more likely....

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: michaelr
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 11:05 AM

Should #1 Peasant be required to start no maore than six silly threads per week?

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: Bernard
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 10:47 AM

They should simply supply tubes to enable you to plumb yourself in to the nearest cask of ale. No need for 'pitchers' (we call 'em jugs, but we also call ladies' wobbly bits 'jugs', too!), bottles, cans, glasses or tankards!

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 10:46 AM

It's like quaffing. You need to perfect the loft on the throw when pitching.

Subject: RE: Should drink pitchers be required for folk venues
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 10:43 AM

I think anyone caught pitching beer should be stopped from buying any more. They are obviously pissed.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Should pitchers be requiredforfolkvenues
From: Mr Red
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 09:57 AM

Pitchers at folk venues?

Would that be a double-base ball venue?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Should pitchers be requiredforfolkvenues
From: melodeonboy
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 09:55 AM

I'm all in favour of pitchers. Especially a nice Rembrandt or a Monet. Always provides a nice backdrop for the performer, I like to think, and adds a bit of sophistication to the proceedings.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Should pitchers be requiredforfolkvenues
From: GUEST,Spleen Cringe
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 09:49 AM

Do you not have pint glasses in the US? The perfect size for most draft beers.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Should pitchers be requiredforfolkvenues
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 09:13 AM

I thought it was a thread about baseball.

Pitchers are ok if everybody's drinking the same, but if you're in a session where you're involved in nearly every song or tune, getting up to the bar every now and then is a welcome relief.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Should pitchers be requiredforfolkvenues
From: GUEST,mayomick
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 09:09 AM

When I saw the thread name about pitchers at venues I thought you were talking about pitch pipes to make sure folkies stay in tune with each other.

Not really a musical question this one. The bit about it being especially difficult to get to the bar at folk venues is obviously a desperate ploy to keep the thread above the BS zone coming from somebody who wants to make out that his musical rather than his drinking enjoyment is being spoiled by having to make 'constant movements' to the bar . What about having to make constant movements to the toilet after drinking all the pitchers - that wouldn't spoil your musical enjoyment would it?

Only kidding , I like pitchers as well and plenty of them .

Subject: Folklore: Should pitchers be requiredforfolkvenues
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 01 Mar 10 - 07:59 AM

When you go into establishments that serve alcoholic beverages these days it seems that there is a movement to stop the sale of beverages by the large pitcher.

While this might be done to make more money by charging more for single beers and yes sometimes there is a discount for a pitcher (after all it does save the waitstaff considerale labor) the place could still at any time charge the same rate by the pitcher as by the glass after doing the math.

Generally I feel that this transition from pitcher to individual serving is done to keep customers from consuming their required dosage of drink. Some places that do serve pitchers limit consumption to one.
No matter how big a person is or how well trained in the fine art of mass consumption. My wife who would be on the floor after a pticher gets a whole one while I who need no limits find myself short of the proper dose. So there is a stifling of freedom involved.

At folk venues especially when music is playing getting to the bar is often difficult- pitchers make constant movement to the bar unnecessary. Also the wait staff do not have to move through the audience so often.

If people want their proper measure why not make it easier. Places would sell more and customers woiuld stay longer.

But is political correctitude to be the driving force what do you think. Let us build an international movement of folk solidarity to make the pitcher the standard.

Conrad