THE GUV'NOR

Roy Chuter

A good range of customers and beer contributes to a pub's atmosphere, says the licensee of the Duke of Wellington, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex

This is my first pub but I've always been interested in pubs and beer. My approach at the Duke of Wellington was to create a pub that I'd like to drink in.

Beer, sports, dogs, and music make up the basic elements of the pub. I thought if I created a pub that's based around these things I'd be alright. I'm lucky in that this is a real-ale pub linked to an exceptional brewery, Dark Star, that sells wonderful beers.

Once upon a time, beer quality was the main reason people went to a pub but that's not true any more.

I'd put the convivial atmosphere in my pub down to what we don't sell rather than what we do sell - we don't sell many of the well-known brands at all, including alcopops. Maybe this promotes a more harmonious atmosphere.

It's not necessarily about how strong a drink is - we've got a 10.5% abv Imperial Stout at the moment, and we never have any trouble.

We attract a young crowd at the weekend despite lacking the big, heavily-marketed brands, by putting on live music, and all my bar staff are 25 years and under. I think a diverse selection of interesting beer equals diverse customers and a more exciting, friendly atmosphere.

Some consumers are very conservative in their attitudes - I had a customer in the other day who just couldn't accept that we did not sell Guinness, but that's a rarity. The majority of people are flexible and will appreciate your knowledge and guidance. It's a greater challenge when you've got

an unusual drinks range -

but it's very satisfying when you recommend someone something they've never tried before and they enjoy it.

Pubs need to capitalise on the growing interests in quality and provenance and local produce. There's certainly been an upsurge of interest and in these difficult times for the trade it can't be overlooked. There's a lot of excitement about real ales now and it's something people are becoming more and more interested in.

Lots of pubs can't stock interesting and high-quality beers and this is a problem that needs to be addressed. Some pubcos have a strange approach to the guest-beer laws and the range they make licensees offer can be limited and uninspiring - making for a boring drinks offer and a pub that I wouldn't want to drink in.