Glasgow
Glasgow Pubs
31/07/23 12:23
Visited Glasgow a couple of weeks ago for a wee holiday (hell that’s just the way I roll) and fitted in a few museums and galleries as well as some pubs (see blog on none pub related trip here).
But there were the pubs too of course. Scotland is quite (in)famous for its relationship with alcohol. Whenever the UK government publishes anything negative about their latest thoughts on health or general trouble they always use a stock image of a pint of real ale: despite any societal problems with alcohol rarely having any relation tpo my favourite styles of beer. I suspect it’d be a different image used in Scotland; probably a can of some super strength lager juxtaposed with a bottle of Buckfast. There are some good breweries up in Scotland (I'm particularly a fan of Fyne Ales), but the ale culture is not as deep as in the rest of the UK. One suspects a fair proportion of the breweries have to export most of their products to England.
The State. Oakham Green Devil anyone?
The Three Judges (just opened. It was a lot busier later in the day).
I went around a few ale pubs and asked various locals or staff about ale hostelries around the city and they all pointed to the few I knew about. There was no vein of local knowledge about new micro pubs, which I’d expect to hear about in any medium size town in England. There were lots of shaking heads and apologies - I was in real ale pubs asking people, who’d love a few more options I’m sure.
Everywhere T gangs up on U.
I was in Scotland for four days and twice I visited Wetherspoons outlets (which sounds more appropriate than hostelries). I think I’ve only visited two ‘Spoons in England in the last four years or so: once to use the toilet, and once because I’d just missed a bus and had almost half an hour to wait for the next with no seating etc; I was forced to, I tell ya!). The fact that I went into two ‘Spoons here (one in Glasgow and another in Dumbarton) was because I was exhausted by the ale deserts and dodgy knees. Ho hum.
Some of the Glasgow pubs I got to.
Anyway, here are the ale pubs I went to in Glasgow and I’ll sort a map out at some point to help you out if you’re ever passing through.
Bon Accord
Griffin
The State
Howlin Wolf Blues Bar (keg only)
Hop Still (excellent whisky bar with a cask line too)
Three Judges
Horse Shoe
Raven
Counting House (Wetherspoons, sorry)
Innis & Gunn (keg only)
Deoch & Doris (keg only)
Aragon Bar
Tennents
Curlers Rest
Inn Deep
The Laurieston
Some of these are better than others. My top five in terms of ale would probably be Three Judges, State, Bon Accord, Inn Deep, and the Laurieston.
Glasgow Subway
One thing you’ll spot up in Glasgow is a single circular subway. It’s apparetnly the third oldest in Europe and doing a pub crawl along the underground is ‘a thing.’ Two things to be aware of are that there aren’t many stops close to the subway stations which are ale pubs (Three Judges by Kelvinhall. Curlers Rest by Hillhead, and Laurieston by Bridge Street) so you’ll end up drinking a lot of keg and Guinness if you decide to give it a go. Also be aware of how narrow and therefore small the platforms are if you are in a big group. Heaven knows how the Ibrox stop is on a match day.
Glasgow Subway Map
But there were the pubs too of course. Scotland is quite (in)famous for its relationship with alcohol. Whenever the UK government publishes anything negative about their latest thoughts on health or general trouble they always use a stock image of a pint of real ale: despite any societal problems with alcohol rarely having any relation tpo my favourite styles of beer. I suspect it’d be a different image used in Scotland; probably a can of some super strength lager juxtaposed with a bottle of Buckfast. There are some good breweries up in Scotland (I'm particularly a fan of Fyne Ales), but the ale culture is not as deep as in the rest of the UK. One suspects a fair proportion of the breweries have to export most of their products to England.
The State. Oakham Green Devil anyone?
The Three Judges (just opened. It was a lot busier later in the day).
I went around a few ale pubs and asked various locals or staff about ale hostelries around the city and they all pointed to the few I knew about. There was no vein of local knowledge about new micro pubs, which I’d expect to hear about in any medium size town in England. There were lots of shaking heads and apologies - I was in real ale pubs asking people, who’d love a few more options I’m sure.
Everywhere T gangs up on U.
I was in Scotland for four days and twice I visited Wetherspoons outlets (which sounds more appropriate than hostelries). I think I’ve only visited two ‘Spoons in England in the last four years or so: once to use the toilet, and once because I’d just missed a bus and had almost half an hour to wait for the next with no seating etc; I was forced to, I tell ya!). The fact that I went into two ‘Spoons here (one in Glasgow and another in Dumbarton) was because I was exhausted by the ale deserts and dodgy knees. Ho hum.
Some of the Glasgow pubs I got to.
Anyway, here are the ale pubs I went to in Glasgow and I’ll sort a map out at some point to help you out if you’re ever passing through.
Bon Accord
Griffin
The State
Howlin Wolf Blues Bar (keg only)
Hop Still (excellent whisky bar with a cask line too)
Three Judges
Horse Shoe
Raven
Counting House (Wetherspoons, sorry)
Innis & Gunn (keg only)
Deoch & Doris (keg only)
Aragon Bar
Tennents
Curlers Rest
Inn Deep
The Laurieston
Some of these are better than others. My top five in terms of ale would probably be Three Judges, State, Bon Accord, Inn Deep, and the Laurieston.
Glasgow Subway
One thing you’ll spot up in Glasgow is a single circular subway. It’s apparetnly the third oldest in Europe and doing a pub crawl along the underground is ‘a thing.’ Two things to be aware of are that there aren’t many stops close to the subway stations which are ale pubs (Three Judges by Kelvinhall. Curlers Rest by Hillhead, and Laurieston by Bridge Street) so you’ll end up drinking a lot of keg and Guinness if you decide to give it a go. Also be aware of how narrow and therefore small the platforms are if you are in a big group. Heaven knows how the Ibrox stop is on a match day.
Glasgow Subway Map