Thornbridge Jaipur on cask in Wetherspoons: No Direction Home
Thornbridge one of the most well known UK ‘craft’ brewers is marking its 20th anniversary. No doubt someone will tell me I’m wrong but my experience was that it took a while to reach the London market.
Indeed today is the 15th anniversary of the first ever pint of cask Jaipur I tasted at the Jolly Butchers in Stoke Newington. I have of course had it many times since, although as Boak and Bailey have noted it can be surprisingly difficult to find on cask. I’ve mainly had it in can, bottle and occasionally mini-keg.
Today by chance I had a pint in a Wetherspoons in central Cardiff. It was in decent if not tip-top condition and it cost £2.29. Prices will vary across the Spoons estate but I suspect that was less than I paid for that pint 15 years ago.
The Spoons point of sale publicity says Jaipur is in effect making a guest appearance. However it was served in a branded glass (unusual for Spoons) and the quarterly guest beer list shows it as regularly available.
Now of course Spoons has its haters and indeed union recognition and less of some of the views of Tim Martin would be most welcome. That said my late afternoon visit (a pint and a half since you ask) found the Spoons populated with some old white blokes (not just me, but a few others) and otherwise the kind of very mixed clientele by age, gender and ethnicity that Spoons often attracts and some other hostelries perhaps don’t.
Anyway to the issue of Jaipur in Spoons. Its getting a flagship cask beer to a much wider audience (the bar person did warn it was strong) but is an association with Spoons perhaps damaging the brand a little. I doubt most of those drinking Jaipur in Spoons will have that in mind, but it’s a thought on how ‘craft’ beer reaches a wider market that is not Beavertown or Brewdog (Spoons sells Punk btw far cheaper than Brewdog bars do)
Very interesting read, we are in a Spoons for the first time in over a year, due to being on holiday in a town with few pubs, and were surprised to find Jaipur, on cask, and in great condition! I can feel the thought there about it potentially damaging the Thornbridge brand, but it is certainly making me positively re-evaluate my thoughts on bar managers and cellar training at Spoons, can’t fault it on our two visits here (and the bar staff were lovely too)
Is it still 7.5%? I remember a fight at a pub when a couple of brothers had too much at a wake!
Ive never been a fan myself, especially after discovering the brewers wife was a Tory “family” tsar. Probably no longer the case though