The British Public House

A public house, informally known as a pub is a drinking establishment and they are called that in Britain.  Pubs also exist in Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The history of the public house is traced back to Roman taverns where they were commonly called ale houses.  They were actually people’s homes that also served booze. The Anglo Saxons had a character in town known as the ale wife who would raise a flag on a flag pole when her brew was ready. British law in those days often limited one ale house per town.

They were originally called ale houses because most public houses, pubs for short, were owned by different brewers. The owner of the pub was called a publican. Cask ale, keg beer, wines and spirits were traditionally sold in these public houses as they are to this day.  However today’s traditional pubs also serve soft drinks and foods.

However in the 1600s and 1700s beer was scarcer than gin. Gin was very cheap because there was unlicensed gin production and brewers were taxed heavily by the government. Many of British public houses were also “gin houses” in that era. Charles Dickens had a lot to say about the public houses of that era. He called them Gin Palaces and described them as loud and bawdy dens of inequity.

Beer became cheaper in the 1800s and everyone drank it.  It was considered a health brew. Young children wren given a brew with low alcohol content called a small beer. Beer was considered safer to drink than the local water in those days.  Beer was also promoted by the local clergy as a way of weaning people off the evil gin.

Traditionally the English pub had smoky windows to conceal the drinkers inside the building but in contemporary times many pubs now boast big clear windows.

It is standard for pubs to have a local community, have dart boards, a pool table and other amusements.  Many pubs also sell specialty brews that are for home consumption.  There are many specialty brewers of stouts, ales and beers in the British U.K. and there is an organization.

Some pubs also rent out rooms or serve as hotels. Long ago it was more common to stay in a monastery than a public house or an inn.

It is not uncommon for publicans to have a lock-in which means that they close the doors after official closing time and have a private party so that their patrons can illicitly smoke.