Trip to London

Have a look here http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/going-to-london.3925/

Craft Beer Co. in Clerkenwell has the biggest and widest range.
Euston Tap by Euston Station is similar.
Kernel Brewery is worth stopping by on a Saturday or if you're looking for some souvenirs.
Fullers Brewery is a great tour but you need to book in advance.
There are loads Fullers/Youngs tied pubs (that only serve that breweries beer) that offer a more traditional pub experience.
And loads more. Look at that thread. In most pubs the vast majority (if not all) of the good beer will be on cask, take advantage of it.

In Bath look for Bath Ales or Butcombe. The Salamander pub is great for sunday lunch http://www.bathales.com/our-pubs/pid/the-salamander/

Oh and we don't tip for drinks ;-)

 

Do tip as the minimum wage is appalling and the cost of living is horrendous!!

I recommend the Cask...best pub by far when I was over there. Plus one of their barmen is American so that will probably go down well.

 

Be careful where you tip as some places absorb tips into their profits and dont let the staff see a penny of it.

 

I wouldn't class the minimum wage as "Appalling" !!! Minimum wage in the UK is £5.93/hr or USD $9.42

In London many businesses sign up to the London Living Wage at £8.30/hr or USD $13.19

Minimum wage in a number of US states for waiting staff is $2.13 - that is veering towards appalling in my book, however THAT is why 15-20 % tips are expected in the US but NOT in the UK !

In the UK it is not expected for you to tip for a drink at the bar, and for food around the 10% mark is normal and again this depends on how you order the food. In many UK pubs you order at the bar, so you are doing half of the service for them, therefore a token 5% tip would be more appropriate!

 

I've been to the majority of good beer guide pubs in Bath

The Raven is my favourite, 6 on draft from a variety of breweries (largely from the SW)

2 house beers a blond and an amber brewed by Blindmans, amongst them

the Pies are excellent - homemade, choice of 8 and with 3 different gravies!!!

http://www.theravenofbath.co.uk/

It's about a 5 minute walk from the Abbey and Roman Baths

 

That £8 pound you quote as the 'london living wage' doesn't happen I suspect in practice much at all. I certainly didn't see anywhere near that when I was working there. And as for the comment that tips get absorbed into the profits well there may be some truth to that as, at the end of my 3 month working time at one particular pub, I only got around £40. So it wasn't much and goes to the point that the English drinkers are 'cheap' and bear in mind I was in quite a wealthy part of London...

Now if we compare the situation to the US, it could be argued that the wages paid or the money in the pocket is the same as £6 roughly works out to be less than 10 USD and the wage that US bar workers roughly works out to be that too from my reckoning if we assume the base wage is 2-3 USD dollars while tips supplement the 'take home' pay to the extent that it reaches at least 10 USD an hour, the factor however that swings it in favour of the US being a more affordable place to stay and live is that they have a lower cost of living. Therefore, I would recommend anyone with excess cash to tip as it is very much appreciated.

 

There are alot of businesses in London, so many can still be signed up without you having been paid that. Take when you were living full time in London too into account, as the number of businesses using it is increasing.

There is alot of truth in it, 100% in fact as I know a few do that. Not alot but a few. If you got some then it wasn't being absorbed into profits. Also, just because we don't give large tips to people who are pouring us a drink and getting paid to do so anyway doesn't make us cheap. Tipping just isn't really in our culture (especially in pubs - work in a restaurant like Pizza Express and you'll be getting £10-£20 per night in tips), and it's not really required due to the welfare state etc. Whereas in the USA people mostly do have to pay for their own healthcare and there is less government support on the whole.

 

Precisely - tipping for drinks at a bar has never been a part of our culture so there is no need to reccomend it to visitors when it doesn't exist here - whether you have personally worked in a bar or not

Tipping for food - yes, drinks - no!

If you are a regular in a specific bar, as I am in a few, you may occasionally buy the barman/woman a drink to thank them, whether they choose to pocket the cash (more likely) or have a drink is their call

As for leaving a pound coin on the bar everytime you order - there is just no need for this!

 

Especially when a quid would be a tip rate of 50% (for me anyway).