This evening I got the chance to drink in the newly refurbished Bishop's Arms pub. They have made some major changes to the bar, drinking and dining areas which are very new and flash but do take something away form the character of the place.
The Bish was always the one true 'English Pub' in Västerås (don't get me started on what is wrong with the Oliver Twist). It might not have the ale selection or quality of the Akkurat pub in Stockholm, but it did capture that intimate pub atmosphere you get in English pubs where you can sit amongst the other drinkers and feel that you are all part of the family. The term pub is an abbreviation for 'Public House' and the old Bish felt like a public house where everyone was welcome to come in and drink.
The new Bish by contrast has gone down the sad route of so many refurbished English city pubs in that the open friendly atmosphere has been replaced by smaller eating areas where you go to eat with a private group rather than sitting amongst a mass of other people. Also the bookshelves are such a goddamn cliche!!!
What is it that makes pub interior designers think they can throw in a load of old books and suddenly it creates a traditional 'old world' atmosphere. Take it from me, the shelves full of old books only serve to date a pub in that they prove it was refurbished in the last ten years or so.
Of course you should ALWAYS judge a pub by the beer and one very pleasant surprise for me this evening was the Bödeln Indian Pale Ale from Västerås's own Hantverksbryggeriet which was really excellent and my only gripe was that the glass was too small and it should really have been served in a pint measure.
I have been told that the beer is brewed by a group of researchers from Mälardalens Högskola, which just goes to show what happens when you take a group of academics and put them to work on something really useful for a change.
A sign of life
6 months ago
2 comments:
Haha, but you need these markers. A cicketbat, some heraldic weapons, maybe a schoolboys cap. All fake, sold by a traveling salesman (or some concept store) to make it look British.
The same with when you visit your local Indian for "a nice curry" or whatever. It's an concept, different from the countries own feeding/drinking places.
Some old fellows of me (from KTH) started the whiskydistillery at Mackmyra (outside Gävle). It is much science in producing alcoholic. And the name Mackmyra will work internationally.
This is true. I suspect there are people whose sole job in life is to go around the country buying up old bits of junk to use for decorating pubs.
At least the curry houses are run by people form the Indian subcontinent though.
I've always wondered what the pubs in Ireland are like since all the 'Irish Pubs' I’ve ever visited have been in foreign countries and they all look the same with the flags, the fiddley-diddley music and the Guinness beers.
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