do young Aussies drink at pubs anymore?

Discussion in 'Australia' started by heygeebee, Aug 24, 2012.

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  1. heygeebee

    heygeebee Pooh-Bah (2,101) Aug 6, 2010 Australia
    Pooh-Bah Society

    this in the UK Forum.

    http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/young-people-and-pubs.32913/

    leads to this

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/19160041

    rang a bell with me. My 19 year old son basically doesn't go out to pubs very much at all. Him and his mates will all stay at home wherever they can find a house with parents out for the evening or so, and drink there - usually to excess. The UK article made me realise that the world is changing.

    Maths are straightforward - $40 for a shared case of TEDs vs maybe four/five schooners at city prices for the same cash. I think the poms are looking at making takeaway vs pub prices equitable (somehow!!!)

    I am interested in your info re the young people you know - same situation or different? Not good for the Aussie craft brewers and hotel owners as I see it as the years roll on.

    Not good for my trashed carpets, but that's another story :grimacing:
     
  2. foles

    foles Initiate (0) Jan 28, 2007 Australia

    The Government here doesn't want young people drinking. Sad state of affairs. I remember sitting in a beer garden in Germany in June, and seeing two boys who didnt look older than 16 (legal beer drinking age in Germany), having a casual 2 x 0.5L in a responsible manner - then jumping on their racers and taking off (cyclists). That is how beer should be treated in society. Those kids were brought up with beer around and treat it with respect. Its nothing taboo. Here we are bombarded with ads saying its bad for dad to have a beer at a BBQ when kids are around (FFS).
     
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  3. Lukie

    Lukie Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2007 Australia

    I have a better tap selection in my shop then 99% of Perth, so there is that as a factor.
     
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  4. MrKennedy

    MrKennedy Pooh-Bah (1,814) Dec 29, 2006 Australia
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I'm not real good friends with that many young people, but work with a few and given my line of work, most of them are tightwads with their cash...so they will pre-load at work to minimise the drinks they buy when out at a pub/bar. Culturally that leads to kids with no idea of pub culture rocking up already whacked and leaving the problem for the publican/security to sort out. Would much prefer the culture of pubs being family venues where people are introduced to alcohol by others that are responsible and have been around for some time. Just like the examples highlighted above.

    Financially i think the game has changed a bit, when i was 18 (here we go) you could take $20 to the pub and that'd guarantee a maximum of 10 x 10oz glasses. The case price of beer would've been around $28 to $30 at the time, so while it was still cheaper off-premise, it wasn't financially as screwed towards drinking at home as the figures are now...so it seems the off-premise prices haven't kept pace with the increase in on-premise prices. I'm guessing a lot of that is to do with the power the big two liquor companies, Lion and Fosters have over off-premise retailers. While the on-premise drinks prices have really spiked on the back of a property boom & the "instant millionaire" decision to grant pubs pokies which forced up freeholds and the publican having to make money back in one way or another to cover the large loans associated with the expensive freehold.
     
  5. danieelol

    danieelol Initiate (0) Jun 15, 2010 Australia

    I'll tell you why young people don't go to bars in Sydney- they're full of overpriced shit beers. There's two reasons why people go to bars- to get wasted or to meet people. There's no point in going to bars/pubs to meet people in Sydney because that simply does not happen. And you can get drunk cheaper and drink better beer at home. Take away the only reason why anyone would conceivably go to bars rather than staying at home and you're left with the only patrons of bars/pubs being rich kids with no taste. Don't want to hang out with them thanks. $12 for a midi of hoegaarden so I can watch a bunch of people from the outer western suburbs dancing with each other? No thanks.
     
  6. scmorgan

    scmorgan Initiate (0) Apr 5, 2005 Australia

    Harts is not a venue with alot of <25 year olds.Wrong location, too expensive and far from hipster cool. Its great for us as we do not have associated issues with random shopping trolley incidents or people behaving poorly. We leave folks to do that at Ivy and associated venues.

    Has the ball game really changed? I dunno if so; when at Uni for the first of my 3 degrees we used to drink as much as we could at home then head out about 10pm. Seems folks still do that. And as Mr Kennedy said, $20 was plenty to see you through, doubt that would be the case some 20 years later.

    There was a spray from the head of Witherspoons a few years ago in their magazine about the anti-socialization of alcohol in the UK. Correct me if I am wrong, but the guy is a bit of a nutter, but in his spray he did include some valid points about the lack of social responsibility in night clubs versus traditional pubs. That being a diverse customer base such as they try to encourage in Witherspoons venues where Uncle Pete gives the young-in a tap on the shoulder when the loud mouth juice is kicking in, and said young-in toddles off home or otherwise. I've never been to the venues, so who knows if it is true, but it did raise questions on how alcohol is consumed and how fellow consumers behave with each other. Pretty much the beat of his drum was pack a place full of the same narrow age, you will get predictable results. Make for a broader age, as can be found in his venues, and you will have a level of folks looking out for each other. Its a nice idea, maybe it happens, but raises a nice idea at least ...

    And I think Sydney is a social place. Pop along to The Little Guys in Glebe or Midnight Special and I've never had an issue having a laugh ... mostly at my expense ...
     
  7. Darwin553

    Darwin553 Initiate (0) Jan 5, 2009 Australia

    I guess being someone in my mid 20s and having some experience behind the bar in the UK not to mention vast experience at the liquor retail level, does qualify me somewhat to have a say on this issue.

    To be frank, in my 6-7 years experience as both a drinker and as a worker I haven't seen as big a change as what is being mooted on here. Sure there has been a slight shift to drinking at home but I think it has been forever moving that way with the increase in excise alcohol producers pay on RTDs and the increased in costs associated with rises in license fees, security and pokie taxes. I think all of this needs to be considered as to why some people may choose to stay home than venture out...

    But I also agree with danielol's assessment that some people either go out to get blind or meet people...I would be or used to be in either one of those categories.

    As for the reference about the young English people's drinking culture, I believe, from what I saw, the problem is exascerbated even more with them doing their drinking privately at home rather than publicly at a pub but that's mainly because the cost of beer from an off license (a bottle shop) is just so ridiculously cheap compared to what you pay at the pub. And we know just how cheap those english are too :wink:
     
  8. MordeciaFunk

    MordeciaFunk Initiate (0) Feb 14, 2012 Australia

    Six pack of Big Eye = $19, 2 pints of Carlton Draught at your regular Perth booze barn = $18.

    Economically it makes sense.

    My cousin is 21, from what I can gather from him, it's mainly house parties or student nights at pubs. Otherwise it's just not viable for him.

    Speaking from my own experience (I'm 28), when I was at uni, I was sort of the same. I did spend a stupid amount of time at the Flying Scotsman, but that was because a) happy hour, b) it was near my (ex)gf's house, c) it was down the road from my work and d) the clientele at the time (after 7pm) was my demographic ie. faux alternative wankers with a chip on their shoulder and girls with loose morals. Plus, pints of Guinness were $5 at happy hour, and $7 regular price. But yes, the only reason I went there was to a) get hammered and b) meet people.

    I think it is just one of those things in which nothing has actually changed, just that it is reported. It's a 'tree falling in the woods' situation.

    I've just re-read this rambling post and I don't know what value it holds to this discussion. Oh well. Post anyway.
     
  9. foles

    foles Initiate (0) Jan 28, 2007 Australia

    Nah I reckon it has changed. As pointed out previously the price of cartons / six packs has gone up only marginally in ten years, but pints at the pub have gone up by about 40% in the same time. I'm in your age bracket (32).

    The public house will rise again.
     
  10. jbowers56

    jbowers56 Initiate (0) Dec 30, 2008 Australia

    I'm 23, and a musician. Myself and most of my friends can't really afford to go out to bars and have more than a couple of drinks any more than very occasionally. The only reason I regularly go out to bars with friends is to see live music, and I'm happy to pay a little more for drinks if there is something interesting to listen to and the company is good. I will occasionally go to my local, the Great Northern, or a few select beer bars around the inner-north area. That is very rarely for more than 2-3 pints though.

    I brew my own beer, and have a kegging set up at home, so there is very little incentive for me to pay 8-9 dollars for a pint of beer which will almost certainly be worse than my own, let alone the 10-13 dollars you usually have to pay for something halfway decent/interesting. It also really puts me off tasting the effects of a poorly managed kegging set up. Too often the beer is undercarbonated (either due to a poorly balanced system, resulting in too much CO2 being lost to excess foam or their serving pressure is too low and the keg has been tapped for quite a while) or suffering as a result of dirty lines.
     
  11. Darwin553

    Darwin553 Initiate (0) Jan 5, 2009 Australia

    IMO the price of both have gone up about the same if not slightly in favour of pub prices being higher...u also have to consider the changes in alcohol %, bottle sizes for the change not to be as great when buying cartons, 6 packs.
     
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