Did a mini pub-crawl with a buddy of mine on Friday. We decided to go to spots that aren't our regular haunts.
Pub 1: El Fenix Good start - tipping away at 5 o'clock, decent tunes on. 2 x pints of Rising Sons' Starlight. Nice if a bit too bitter - but a great one for slaking your thirst. Wicked craic with my pal - we were slow to leave after a single pint but a mission is a mission.
Pub 2: The Liberty Brought crashing back down to Earth with a bang. No KPA nor whatever the other Black's beer was. This is the second time that this has happened to me in there. Staff didn't make and suggestions so we left - no pints.
Standing outside and wondering the fuck to go - I suggested;
Pub 3: The Raven. Haven't been here in years and were 50/50 on it. Delighted that we went in. It was absolutely hopping! Got 2 stools at the bar - 2x Kinnegar Big Bunny. The also do food - beef tacos x3 (my drinking buddy), cauliflower tacos x3 (myself) - tasty but €48 for 2 pints and 6 tacos, no sides - Jesu Christi! The craic was back on. One of the people making cocktails behind the bar was a great laugh.
Pub 4: Ó Súilleabháin (ex-Preachers). Same lad who has The Liberty. Looked like we interrupted the barmaid's conversation with her companion who were both sat out on the outside tables when we arrived. She arrived in 60 seconds after us with a scowl on. Bar wasn't very busy. Ordered two pints of Blarney Muskerry - savage tack. The lady behind the bar barely looked at me, threw the card machine in my direction and looked away as I said thanks. That being said - very nice comfy pub with some good tunes (Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac being a stand-out) plus some soft-ass beige tunes too. Decided to stay for a second - I stuck to the Muskerry, my buddy had a Neck Oil - more craic.
Decided on another round - 2x Muskerry - my friend came back from the bar and asked what we had done to deserve the "shit-on-her-shoes" treatment that we were getting from behind the bar. Especially given that we weren't boisterous, brought our glass back up and didn't roar our orders down the counter. Bizarre carry-on - it's the job, if you don't want to do it then find something else.
We would have stayed in this bar for the rest of the night if it wasn't for this. Also had to ask young fellas/young wan to stop vaping while sitting next to us - in full view of the bar - 3 of them sat together - only two of them drinking. Quiet in enough when we left. No thanks or see you next time from behind the bar, didn't even look up.
Pub 5: The Woodford. Quiet-ish save for a few big tables of work/birthday crews. Got a seat at the bar. This was more like it - the barman asked if we wanted to try anything on the craft taps before making a choice - but I had already spotted Blarney Brewing IPA - two pints of. The Woodford is an interesting bar - reminds me of the Bodega (another gaff that I haven't been in for years) - it feels massive and cosy at the same time. The music was fairly bland, pints were good though and
Pub 6: Callanan's. This was under protest from me. I argued that my buddy goes there a lot, he argued back that I never do to which I replied "I hate the fuckin' place - that's why." Anyway - cos I'm sound we went along - it was busy-ish (it always is) but we found 2 seats down the very back and had two pints of Beamish - one each.
They were grand but I really can't stand this place - borne out by the entitled little fuckers that go in there to pretend that they're in a John B. Keane novel (that they've never read). One of these cunts actually sparked up a fag down the back and then started to smoke it in an "Oh my god - aren't I outrageous?!" some of way until a massive lad in an IRFU jersey told him to take it outside. My buddy suggested one more in Callanan's but the place had killed the fun of the evening for me.
Slightly annoyed that it was the last pub of the night but I would have been dying on Saturday if I'd have more.
TL : DR - Went to pubs that I don't normally go to. Some were grand, some weren't - wasn't too bad the next day.
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