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Let Them Drink Keg
Small beer choice for University of London Students
Gordon Hunter, PhD student at UCL and CAMRA activists, reports on a worrying development in the University bars in central London.
by Gordon Hunter
Real ale loving students are facing little or no choice at various student union bars. Most notable amongst these is the "Duck & Dive" bar at the University of London Union (ULU) in Malet Street. During the summer, this bar stopped serving any real ale, and students are now faced with a choice of keg John Smiths (if it hasn't run out, as it does all too often Caffreys (which isn't even a true bitter) or lager. Prior to last summer, the Duck and Dive had three hand pumps, normally offering Bass, Young's Triple A and occasional guest ales. These pumps were removed around July 2001, presumably on the reasoning that offering students a choice of real ales was not economically viable.
Sam Pickering, 25, a postgraduate student from Bishop's Stortford, said, 'It's ridiculous - surely they could offer one real ale? If they priced it correctly it could easily outsell John Smiths'. Dave Corney, 30, a mature student from Barnet, broadly agreed, 'Normally, I'd drink the cheapest pint of bitter on offer. However, it would be nice to have the choice of a better beer - particularly a real ale - even if it was a bit more expensive.' Sujay Mansingh, 21, a computer science student from Leicester, added, 'They seem to assume that student drinkers have little taste and just want the cheapest beer possible. Why can't they cater - at least in a small way - for the more discerning tastes.
Although several other student bars in the area - notably at Birkbeck College - are also real ale free zones, at others real ales are still hanging on - but for how much longer? Most UCL bars still offer Fuller's London Pride and Courage Directors, but Worthington Bitter has been a recent casualty at the College's main student union bars in Gordon St.
Meanwhile, some students prefer to drink at some of the more CAMRA-friendly local pubs. In fact, 'The Head of Steam' at Euston is reported not only to offer a good selection of real ales, including some less commonly found in London, but to give a discount to students on production of a valid student I.D. card!
Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 14.
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