Beer in the Caledonian Suite
I know, I know… I have had some correspondence with the club concerning the beer in the Caledonian Suite and received a reply from Matt Cecil which may shed some light on the situation. Firstly, the terms of the agreement the club has with Heineken concerning the supply of beer stipulates that only one beer not supplied by Heineken can be sold. The club has made the decision that this will be Rebellion IPA. All the other beers sold over the last few years have been from breweries with whom Heineken have a supply agreement. I can’t remember them all but Deuchars (owned by Heineken I believe) Brain’s and Robinson’s were others. Matt is fully aware of the strength of feeling expressed on here and states that he is a beer lover himself.
Worryingly however there is the suggestion that the real ale bar reduces the capacity of the Caledonian Suite and may not justify its existence on space grounds alone. I guess therefore it is down to us to ensure that it can pay its way against this criterion if nothing else and to keep up pressure on the club to ensure its retention.
Matt goes on to say that everything is being planned from the ground up (current priority is an away supporters beer/food tent) and the process of establishing the final configuration is a gradual one which will not be completed for some time.
Hope this clarifies the situation and as I say, it looks as if it’s down to us to keep the club aware that over the last few years the real ale bar has become an integral part of our enjoyment of the off-field hospitality at the club.
Comments
So are we saying the queues are going to be horrendous again on Saturday ?
@CarParkPete I may come to regret this, because it’s fair to say I already have a certain reputation for pedantry, but I can’t resist congratulating you on your correct use of “criterion”.
@CarParkPete, could a solution be to move the real ale set up to the "car park" area just outside the Caledonian suite? That would make it accessable to more people, not just those inside the Caledonian.
I know that they used the second bar as the pick-up point for drink ordered via the Fetch app for the Accrington game. While I'm not a fan of the system I'm sure it's going to stay.
I'm sure there would be enough people willing to contribute funds to buy a gazebo if that's a sticking point. I'd even suggest moving it to Hillbottom Rd but I assume that's not possible due to licensing laws.
@Twizz I would think that the area you suggest also falls foul of licensing laws. In the past on really hot days (remember those?) I have suggested opening the double doors by the real ale bar and roping of the yellow hatched area immediately outside, only to be told it’s a fire door and not licenced outside for this health and safety reason.
Judging on the pictures of ale in away village they have a few different ones.
Hopefully home fans have the same.
I don’t think any of the suggestions are really ideal, having a beer in the car park may be fine at the beginning and end of the season but when it’s -3 with a biting northerly wind, it kind of loses its appeal. In my view we should press for the club to retain the ale bar much as before and personally I can’t see how it could not justify the small amount of space it will take up particularly as it will undoubtedly bring in extra revenue. If staffing costs are a problem, I have no doubt there would be sufficient volunteers to run the bar so basically the ball is in the club’s court. Do they want to keep their customers happy or not?
I admire anyone who volunteers to run a bar on matchday.
The number of additional customers that could be accommodated, especially with a bit of social distancing (ha ha), in that corner of the ‘suite’ wouldn’t compensate for the lost income and customer satisfaction that a choice of real ales would generate.
Yes and no @CarParkPete. It would be nice to be back in the Vere but more than happy to brink a decent well-kept beer in sub-zero temperatures than a near-zero keg beer in the relative warmth inside
@perfidious_albion, you may be correct but clearly the club have found a solution as we now serve beer in two tents in the carpark! I struggle to see how adding a third just for real ale can be any different?