Forst Pint

[paul mann]

Wee can mind tha forst pint? Mine was at The Gardners Arms when ah was 15. Ah can still smell the place, all wood, sawdust, beer an' Woodbines. The young lads knew te gan in the back room an ask Ned for a pint owa the stable door. One time ah had te shoot fo' Ned so ah tried te soond ahder. Ah came oot wi' a voice like a foghorn and the blokes in the front bar nearly wet thasels laughin'.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

Up the top-end you had more to try than us poor oval lot. The staff in The Terrier new everyone so if you went in for a drink, this was 1964age 16, you were sent out to use the off-license shop at the side of the pub - no pint in a glass.

Before the disco in The Railway Tavern (was it Gregsies or Craigsies?)we couldn't get in anywhere. The Bank Top wouldn't let us in. The

Percy Arms was like the Terrier, use the 'off-sales' door. One stool and a hatch into the bar to get served. They would serve you a half

through the hatch, but not a pint. In The Clayton Arms we would get thumped before we got a pint!

So it was across the water to The Kings Arms, Cowpen. There were three of us used to go on a Friday night and the darts team members looked after us. They knew how old we were. Made sure we behaved and as soon as any of us started to have a wobble to the loos they would pack us

off home. Wonderfull blokes but can't remember a single name.

[Reedy]

1979 at The Terrier. Pint of 'ordinary' was 25p.

[keith lockey]

Same here, Reedy, but early 70s. Me, Jim Hunter & Jimmy Mitchell went into the Terrier on a dare. The two Jim's were tall and older looking and I was small and looked like an angel descended from on high, honest! The proverbial piano player stopped playing and all eyes stared in amazement as I asked for a pint of shandy. Vic Cowell snr served me and to make matters worse my brother and his mates were all sitting at the back. You could add an H to sitting when they saw me enter because they knew I was under age.

 

But prior to that we used to put our pocket-money together and go to the hatchway at the Bank Top and get a can of Tartan. Vile stuff and I never touched it again.

[Maggie/915]

For the females it was a glass of white wine or a fruit based drink.

Those were the rules and without rules where would we be:-

Answer France!

To many rules and where would we be:-

Answer Germany!

Oh sorry that's Al Murray's logic.

In the sixties it was Babysham or Cherrybee.

No drink and drive rules that I remember just dodgy driving. A 21st birthday in 1967 had me going in the car for more booze at the Terrier.

Danger on the road! It was only going through the recently passed test rules that saved the day.

That did not prepare me for driving in the seventies in Cyprus.

Again no rules, lots of hazards but self preservation did step in.

[Eileen]

Cherrybee and cider at the Terrier. Strange that a lot of us got our first drink at the Terrier .

[tonyg]

Brit Peacock had the percy arms when i used to drink there in the 1960s,

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

Brit Peacock had the percy arms when i used to drink there in the 1960s,

It would have been 1965-66 (legally in 1966) when The Percy was my local. Can't remember a Brit Peacock, but that's just me. The only Landlord name I can recall at the moment is Brian! and I think it was his wife's name above the door. There are a number of brief entries about the Percy Arms but a topic attempting to depict it's full colourfull past. You should start a topic Tony - Percy Arms History - Landlords - Leek club members - Darts Teams - Piano players!   

[Canny lass]

What was the legal age for being served a drink in a pub back in the 50s -60s? I bought, and tasted, my first alcoholic drink (also a Cherry B ) in 1965 after completeing a nursing exam. I was 18½. Was I breaking the law? The drink was awful but I perservered and drank it.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Canny lass

[tonyg]

No it was 18

[Symptoms]

The Railway Tavern when I was about 16.  Trouble was it was a mackem Vaux pub so the first pint I had was Vaux Gold tankard and it tasted awful, it had a sort of 'soapy' flavour.  But, 'pints' were what all the blokes drank so I persisted with beer and developed a life long taste for the stuff.  Obviously, Blue Star* beers were much, much better than the mackem muck and of course there was always the Federation beers at the clubs - yum, yum!

 

I seem to remember the girls usually drank a porter sort of beer that came in a very small gill bottle (1/4 pint) but its name has slipped the memory for the moment.

 

Drinking and driving was never a concern back then, I remember regularly driving miles to boozers, having a skinful, then driving home.  Many stories to tell but I'll hold-off telling until others post theirs ... what's the 'statute of limitations' for out-running the Peelers whilst pissed at the wheel?  Obviously, I don't do that sort of thing now ... the Bizzies have guns here!

 

*for our younger viewers Blue Star was the trademark for the Newcastle Brewery.

[Maggie/915]

Please consider that some of us are law abiding

Symptoms.

Anonymity is important in any story telling.

[Brian Cross]

I didn't drink until the ripe old age of 27 boy has that changed !!

[mickypotts]

Age 14 at the Dun Cow...........My brother and the Golding twins, we were in the lounge and Micky G and me gan ti order them in and pay fer them, we gan ti sit back doon....it teks a while like and then the barkeep brings em in an sits em on the cheble, we aal hev a few sips each and noo in waaalks the police, aav nivva felt see bad in me life when he asked my age aah said 18 of course but then he asks me name and address and  aah tell him the truth!!!!! of course we have shamed wor parents something aaful and we aal hev ti gan ti court on a school day up at the top end.

I get 5 pound fine fer buying it and 5 pounds for buying for someone else, ( me daft brother!!) he got nowt,  Micky Golding got the same and Alan got off since the copper never saw the beer touch their mouths, I had to use my money from my paper rounds for months ti pay me father back and we never did hear the end of it until he passed away in 91, God bless him.

 

It took about another year before we had a connection wi the barman at the side door of the monkey and we nivva got pinched again, I aalways did hate Vaux beer and Camerons wasn't much either compared with Blue Star

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

The Railway Tavern when I was about 16.  Trouble was it was a mackem Vaux pub so the first pint I had was Vaux Gold tankard and it tasted awful, it had a sort of 'soapy' flavour.  But, 'pints' were what all the blokes drank so I persisted with beer and developed a life long taste for the stuff.  Obviously, Blue Star* beers were much, much better than the mackem muck and of course there was always the Federation beers at the clubs - yum, yum!

 

I seem to remember the girls usually drank a porter sort of beer that came in a very small gill bottle (1/4 pint) but its name has slipped the memory for the moment.

 

Drinking and driving was never a concern back then, I remember regularly driving miles to boozers, having a skinful, then driving home.  Many stories to tell but I'll hold-off telling until others post theirs ... what's the 'statute of limitations' for out-running the Peelers whilst pissed at the wheel?  Obviously, I don't do that sort of thing now ... the Bizzies have guns here!

 

*for our younger viewers Blue Star was the trademark for the Newcastle Brewery.

And when the disco lights were switched on the Vaux beer looked like a pint of engine oil.

[paul mann]

Cheble - ah, that's brilliant. I can mind some beers had a soapy taste - quite liked Double Maxim though when ah got roond te it. Me an' a mate used te buy Broon Ale at an off license, say it was fo' wa mam an gan' inte the woods an' drink it. Fed was the best draught pint though. Ah was happy when a got me club card an could drink Fed cheap.

[Symptoms]

I earlier wrote: "I seem to remember the girls usually drank a porter sort of beer that came in a very small gill bottle (1/4 pint) but its name has slipped the memory for the moment."

 

It came to me in a flash .... Barley Wine.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

Cheble - ah, that's brilliant. I can mind some beers had a soapy taste - quite liked Double Maxim though when ah got roond te it. Me an' a mate used te buy Broon Ale at an off license, say it was fo' wa mam an gan' inte the woods an' drink it. Fed was the best draught pint though. Ah was happy when a got me club card an could drink Fed cheap.

Could never work out why such a big difference in the price between Fed ordinary & best. My memory of the market place club was 1966 - 1s 4d for ordinary & 1s 8d for best.  

So it was another 25% dearer to drink best. So for every 4 best you could have 5 ordinary. Quality or quantity? 1966 quantity every time, never did like best!

[Malcolm Robinson]

My old man was a steward so forst pint when I was about 12 sitting at the end of the night with the bar staff.  

 

1s 5d ordinary and 1s 8d for best.  

 

Ordinary in hogsheads Best in firkins if I remember.  Whacking in the taps was something else!

[Malcolm Robinson]

Think Best was that bit stronger Eggy and it had a distinct taste. 

[John Fox (foxy)]

You would probably Drown before you got drunk on Fed Ordinary 

[Symptoms]

I distinctly remember forking out 1s 10d for Fed at the Market Place Club in 67/68/69ish but can't recall if it was ordinary or best ... perhaps it was ordinary because of cost as we never seemed to have enough spare dosh.  Players No6 or B&H Sovereign (gold packets) snouts were chosen 'cos they were cheap ... we could never afford to buy packs of 20, always 10.  I can't remember how much they cost

[John White]

Ordinary was like gnat`s.

 

Best blew your brains out!

 

Inbetweenies like me drank "mixed"

My first pint was at 16, in the back room of the "Shakey" in Guide Post... Tartan; but only ever in a `chunky` glass, with a handle; that real men never used!!

 

When I came of age I progressed to the Bar... A smallish area which resembled London in the smog! 

[John Fox (foxy)]

Has anybody got Photo's of these Forst Pints?

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

Has anybody got Photo's of these Forst Pints?

 

Edited February 7, 2014 by Eggy1948