There are approximately 60,000 public houses in the United Kingdom, with one in almost every city, town and village. In many places, especially in villages, a pub can be the focal point of the community, playing a similar role to the local church in this respect.
Public houses are culturally and socially different from places such as cafés, bars, bierkellers and brewpubs.
Pubs are social places based on the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, and most public houses offer a range of beers, wines, spirits, alcopops and soft drinks. Many pubs are controlled by breweries, so beer is often better value than wines and spirits, whilst soft drinks can be almost as expensive. Beer served in a pub may be cask ale or keg beer. All pubs also have a range of non-alcoholic beverages available. Traditionally the windows of town pubs are of smoked or frosted glass so that the clientèle is obscured from the street. In the last twenty years in the UK and other countries there has been a move away from frosted glass towards clear glass, a trend which fits in with brighter interior décors.
The owner, tenant or manager (licensee) of a public house is known as the publican or landlord. Each pub generally has regulars, people who drink there regularly. The pub that people visit most often is called their local. In many cases, this will be the pub nearest to their home, but some people choose their local for other reasons: proximity to work, a traditional venue for their friends, the availability of a particular cask ale, non-smoking or formerly as a place to smoke freely, or maybe a darts team or pool table.
A society with a particular interest in the traditional British beers and the preservation of the 'integrity' of the public house is the Campaign for Real Ale, (CAMRA).
Wow. I feel like I'm there already. Who needs real life.
