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Comment by vr46 | Hacker News Reader

Many a birthday have I begun by sitting alone at the bar, in a cubby hole, at The Princess Louise, reading for pleasure and necking G&Ts, in a gradually-improving mood until the evening, when friends begin to show and we find a bigger - never better - spot in the pub.

And no visitors to the city have ever felt disappointed in an English pub if taken to the Louise, John Snow, Cittie of York, or a few of the other unmodified Sam Smith’s pubs in town. I even like most of their beers.

But they are a bit weird and stories of the boss are pretty legendary, and this confirms it in glorious detail.

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Not really relevant, but the context doesn't arise all that often: I used to live near the Cittie of Yorke and the 'Y' on the sign was so florid that I genuinely thought it was called the city of "Porke" for the best part of a year!

I went to the Cittie of York first time I was in the City (many, many years ago) and remember thinking "this platonic ideal of the cosy, perfect English pub I've been told about my whole life...it's fucking real". Good times.

> And no visitors to the city have ever felt disappointed in an English pub if taken to the Louise

Well, I have, because you can't get proper Guinness there, only Smith's inferior substitute. But it is a nice pub, despite that. Toilets are particularly good.

There is that, but nothing can really temper unrealistic expectations. You can enjoy stout for what it is on its own merits, though. And plenty of stouts beat Guinness in blind testing (or is it tasting?) such as London Black. Not that one will find that in a Sam Smith's pub.

> Well, I have, because you can't get proper Guinness there

An ex-GF of mine complained about that very pub, 25 years ago, for the very same reason.

> only Smith's inferior substitute.

She was wrong, and you are too. Guinness is an indifferent to bland stout and the Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout is a vastly better example of the style. Widen your palate, learn to appreciate variety and diversity, and recognise that brands are your enemy, in beer just as much as in social networks or political parties. Slavish loyalty to any brand is rank foolishness. Even if you do like it, your life will be better if you learn more about the wider options.

i have no "slavish loyalty" to anything - i just like the taste, as presumably your gf did as well. i do not like the smith's stout. and i think i have drunk enough beers in my 70-odd years to know what i like!

What do you think of Murphy's or Beamish?

> Guinness is an indifferent to bland stout and the Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout is a vastly better example of the style.

For what it's worth I agree with you but this is a non-starter for most people even in the US. I briefly tended bar someplace that specialized in higher-end, small-batch products; we didn't stock any of the usual suspects and if somebody asked for a Guinness we'd have them try the craft stout that we had on tap. The majority of the time people wouldn't be into it because "it's not Guinness"... not because "[they] don't like it", but because it isn't the exact thing that they have been drinking for the past 30 years of their life.

Grey Goose and Crown Royal drinkers were the worst offenders in this regard. Triple-filtered Polish potato vodka at 1/3 the price? No way - too cheap. Organic single-grain wheat whiskey? Not today - it's a Crown and Diet, not a whatever-the-heck-this-is and Diet! Also can they have the purple velvet bag since the bottle is already open?

All of these exchanges went towards my realization that for this crowd of people it's more about the ritual than the taste. If something is decent and consistent enough to provide familiar respite in a chaotic world then it serves a noble purpose. Just because I'm a hipster doesn't mean everybody else has to be too.

I agree, I would be rather be in a pub with all my mates and cracking on with the evening than worrying about the beer, but plenty of people are hung up on their own comforts and tastes.

That said, currently in Germany where several of my favourite bars have only three taps of similar beer all of which I can’t stand, and rather than drink spirits at the same flow rate (if it’s in my hand it’s likely going down at the same ml/minute) and bringing my evening and next day to a halt, I’ll have to cut the bar time short.

It pays to diversify the palate but it takes years to get used to some booze in the first place, I figured that’s why all the simple, uncomplicated stuff sells.

In the US, there is a large variety of high quality, local craft beers at every bar in the country alongside the standard beers like Guinness, etc., so its not a choice "do we serve the big brand beer or the craft beer."

> at every bar in the country

[[citation needed]]

But the thing is this... every pub and bar chain in the world is like this, pretty much, except Sam Smiths. That was the point of the article.

The company does not and will not sell ANY third party products. EVERYTHING the chain sells, it makes.

No Coke. No Pepsi. No Heineken. No Guinness. No other brands at all of alcoholic, non-alcohol, snacks, or foods.

I could not imagine spending all night in a Sam Smiths pub. Particularly on my birthday.

Maybe in the Cheshire Cheese.

I swear years ago the Sam Smiths cider used to be hallucinogenic. And the other stuff they serve is definitely a bit curious.

Been there, done that ;) tis a gem of a pub

Met my wife in there, but the refurb ruined it a bit for me. Much prefer the Mitre at the bottom on Hatton Garden, have had to be carried out of there on occasion, but I know what you mean about Sam Smith's Zoider.

There's one in my town. It's a nice, very popular old-school pub. It's a relief not to have a TV on in the corner.

Those pubs are seriously lovely, though. A bit too busy, but they look grand.

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