ED Forum Drinks - WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE!

[bob]

On 01/05/2025 at 22:11, Sue said:

They all were, the Firkin pubs.

What happened to them all? I vaguely remember the very first one they brewed the beer on the premises and you could watch.

When was that? Early eighties?

Or did I dream it?!

Uplands

Plough 

Bishop

Bob S

[Sue]

17 hours ago, bob said:

Uplands

Plough 

Bishop

Bob S

What Firkins were they?

The only localish ones I remember were the Phoenix and Firkin and the Fox and Firkin.

The Plough has changed its name several times, and then back to the Plough, but to the best of my recollection the Uplands Tavern was named that until it became The Actress, and The Bishop was called something else whose name escapes me (though the smell from the gents lingers in my memory) but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a Firkin?

[Sephiroth]

Bishop was the Forester's Arms

[Spartacus]

@Sue questions now are out there why you were in the gents at the Bishop? 

I remember, slightly hazily , the goose and firkin at London Bridge / elephant borders 

[Sue]

2 hours ago, Spartacus said:

@Sue questions now are out there why you were in the gents at the Bishop? 

I remember, slightly hazily , the goose and firkin at London Bridge / elephant borders 

You didn't need to be in the gents to smell it. 

You could smell it as soon as you went into the pub 😵‍💫

Anyway, to return to Wednesday's Forum Drinks in The Palmerston - just two days to go!

 

Edited yesterday at 12:39 by Sue

[Sephiroth]

what time are people meeting?

 

[Sue]

1 hour ago, Sephiroth said:

what time are people meeting?

 

The tables are booked from 7pm.

We will be there from 7pm, so come any time after that!

There's info on the forum Events page.

[malumbu]

At it's peak I recall 16 Furkin pubs, all brewing their own.    The first pub was the Goose, followed by the Ferret, the wonderful Pheonix, Fox and one other, not necessarily in that order, when I discovered them.

I did all 16 on public transport in one day with a group many years ago, if Guinness had a record this would be one, as everyone else would hire a minibus.

Reverting to Wiki, it maxed out with 19 home brew pubs, and many more not brewing before the end:

chain was established in 1979 by David Bruce as Bruce's Brewery, the Firkin Brewery grew as a chain of mostly brewpubs offering cask ale. It was acquired by Midsummer Leisure in 1988, Stakis Leisure in 1990 and then by Allied Domecq in 1991; by 1995 the chain had 44 pubs, 19 of which brewed beer on site.^[1] In 1999, Punch Taverns bought the entire chain and the rights to the Firkin brand,^[2] and then sold 110 of the pubs to Bass, leaving 60 Firkin pubs under Punch ownership.^[3] The brewery side of the chain was wound up, and in March 2001 Punch announced that the Firkin brand was to be discontinued.^[4] 

[Sue]

Back on topic (!),  just a reminder that the new incarnation of the ED Forum drinks will be in The Palmerston TOMORROW Wednesday 11 June from 7pm.

Turn immediately left as you come in by the main  Lordship Lane entrance, and we will be in the area there.

Hope that at least a few of you will be up for getting to know some of your fellow forum members in real life!

Edited 6 hours ago by Sue