Why no pubs in America?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

On October 28, 1919 the Congress of the United States over-rode President Wilson's veto of the Volstead Act, which prohibited the manufacture or sale of alcohol for human consumption. Fourteen years later, on December 5, 1933 the Blaine Act (which overturned the Volstead Act) was ratified and "prohibition" came to an end. This fifteen year pause in the tavern trade (along with other social changes in the US) resulted in a permanent shift in the drinking habits of Americans, and is largely why "pubs"-- in the sense that they exist in Ireland, the UK and some commonwealth countries-- are not found in the USA.

There are taverns in the United States which try to create the atmosphere of British or Irish pubs, but by and large these "themed" establishments are in the minority. Interestingly, in both Ireland and the UK pub attendance is down in the 18-34 year old age group as this group tends to favor different drinks than those usually associated with pubs. Also, due to a general increase in disposable income in what are considered "working class" communities, many former pub patrons now entertain in their homes, or spend their leisure time following other social pursuits.

While die-hard habitues in Ireland or the UK will defend their local with the very last of their 2.0 breath, the fact remains that more people don't go drinking on a regular basis than spend their evenings down at the pub.

So why no pubs in the USA? Prohibition, traditionally greater affluence, and different cultural mores, have created a society that generally does not feel the need to express a sense of community down at the boozer.

[wvpiper]

I guess to answer the question, I would need to know what the OP considers to be a pub. More precisely, the attributes of the the pub that the OP finds so attractive.
I think there are plenty of neighborhood bars in America that have a sense of community. Many, or most, I bet serve food, don't have Friday night karaoke, are probably smoky if ordinance permits, and so forth.
Many brew beer on premise.

[jkane]

Milwaukee Wisconsin has a local pub on every corner. The town I grew up in had 800 people, and 8 bars. None made their own beer, but they had regulars who drank there on a steady schedule.

We have lot's of new "brew pubs" starting to come back. Some are commercial, but many are small places where locals can meet.

I look for them, and find them almost everywhere I go now.

I am in Cincinnati today. Maybe I'll go out in search of. ;-)

[SteveB]

I live in New England. In the Boston area there are many pubs that cater to families and do well as the primary business is good food and good conversation. The serving of alcoholic beverages is not the main focus.

Unfortunately very few have the feel of the rural Irish pub that I frequented while in Ireland. The second day of our stay, we entered at afternoon tea and quickly found ourselves served with our favourite bevvies and asked if we wished the same (food) as the night before. The third afternoon we entered quite tired from a long bit of travel. A group of locals that we had chatted with in the square during shopping, parking, picture taking, etc. invited us to the long table, where we sat and conversed with our new friends over our tea. The landlady brought it over without asking us anything. We thoroughly enjoyed the pub, its regulars and the landlady.

There are some here that try real hard, and for the most part do it well. They are mostly Mom & Pop establishments, and not part of any chain.

If you should travel to central Massachusetts, the Gardner Ale House is one that brews its own beers, has a great menu, atmosphere, staff, and a warm group of regulars.
In Boston there are many that exist in the neighbourhoods. It is just a matter of finding the atmosphere that you like, and then frequenting it enough to be a regular.
Portland, Maine has Three Dollar Dewey's.. It has character, atmosphere and a hearty group of nice people to visit with.

Most of the pubs are finding it hard to survive as the younger set stays home, or goes to the big box clubs. The rush of our society has removed the concept of relaxation from the schedule.

Slainte

[Bob C]

Tougher drunk driving laws and enforcement have made a difference, too. Lest anyone misread my intent, I am not saying that is a bad thing.

[Lachlan09]

There’s a few Scottish pubs I know of which could have been dismantled and taken to the States !! I think the South Bronx would have been a fitting venue for them.

Scottish working men’s pubs of old were for one thing and one thing only – hard drinking for men . As a result the bar counter was usually long and straight and there were no chairs or tables. The idea was to cram them in and pour drink down their throats and there was no intention to make them comfortable by seating them. Besides, tables and chairs took up space. Some pubs kept a ready supply of filled pint glasses on the counter ready to drink, or else a bevy (excuse pun) of barmen to keep up with demand. There was no food, not even crisps or peanuts and no soft drinks. I remember a so-called modern pub in Rose Street, Edinburgh about 1979 and I ordered a soft drink as I still didn’t feel well from my last drinking session. The barman said “If you want a soft drink, go to a café”.

I remember working-class pubs in Edinburgh and Glasgow without tables and chairs, large empty rooms with industrial linoleum floors made for mass-drinking. When I went to England on holiday in the early 1970’s my brother and me went into a lovely country pub and had this amazing creation “Chicken in a Basket”. It was light years ahead of Scotland. Food in a working-mans' pub in Scotland ? – No way ! They also had families allowed in the pub ! Not in Scotland at that time. The Scots were barbarians at that time when it came to their drinking culture and only with the 1980’s did they creak into modernity. Don’t get me wrong, in the 1970’s there were hotels with bars and posh pubs around, but “normal” pubs were basic and attitudes to drink were archaic. Hardly surprising when you consider in the 1960’s New Year first-footing in Scotland offered whisky and beer for the men, ruby port (how posh !) and advocaat for the ladies and hellish awful ginger or raspberry cordial for any kids who were allowed to stay up late. What happened in Scotland though was that many “fashionable” working-class young men in the late 1960’s/1970’s raised their sights and shunned those booze factories in favour of “posh” pubs. For instance, there were good beer "standing only" pubs like Mather’s Bar in Edinburgh, but I avoided them and made for pubs with a comfortable surrounding and tables and chairs (and even food), like the Beau Brummell, Chic Murray's or the Claret Jug (all in nicer parts of town). The padded leather chairs in the Claret Jug were so excellent and helped me relax with a Newcastle Brown ! Chat to the girls and no pressure to drink up.

During the 70’s, there was a legendary Edinburgh pub in Thistle Street called “The Oxford Bar”. It was 2 tiny rooms, the little front-room was standing room only and the back-room had ex-church pews and heavy, but shoogly cast-iron tables. The pub was owned by Willie Ross. He was an old curmudgeon and an avid ScotNat. He detested Englishmen with a vengeance and did not allow them into his pub. It was no publicity stunt. He really mass-banned them. He had various whiskies and only sold beer, not lager. He also only had pint glasses. One Christmas-time, some work-colleagues went there for a pre-dinner pint. One of our number, a rather aloof pipe-smoking professional gent, asked for a half-pint of lager !!! Willie nearly burst veins in his neck at the request. Shouting, he ordered our colleague out of the pub and it took some explaining and apologies to rescind the ban !! Willie used to keep his own hours in opening and closing and once he shut the pub and ordered everyone out as he was going to get some messages (shopping) for his wife ! Mind you he was a character – the grumpy old buzzard !!!

[Galician]

There’s a few Scottish pubs I know of which could have been dismantled and taken to the States !! I think the South Bronx would have been a fitting venue for them.

As a native of that area, I don't know as I'd expect that kind of establishment to thrive there. The bars I knew growing up were the kind which would be split into men's and ladies' section, with their appropriate entrances. It was the latter which had tables and served food, but there were no dividers between them.

I would add that there were over thirty beergardens in the South Bronx, which were shut down by F.B.I. at the start of WWII. They were suspected to be bases of Nazi sympathizers (perhaps with lots of reason). Locally, that's what we consider to have been the demise of the "family bar" which the O.P. seems to mourn.

Btw, in NYC it was only in the 1970's that an establishment was allowed to use the term "saloon" for itself. There was a well-known restaurant near Lincoln Center, owned by a minor movie star of the day, which called itself "Balloon, as a result. To me that shows how legal hostility to bars died slowly.

[Streetcar]

(Warning - mass generalization ahead)
It seems most microbreweries I've seen tend to follow the sports-bar model - large open area, lots of tables, lots of televisions. Not terribly condusive to casual conversation, lingering over a book or a friendly game.

However, I've recently been seeing small breweries and bars starting to put more emphasis on the social angle. We're seeing longer, communal tables and smaller conversation areas with couches and overstuffed chairs.

Many of these places are very family friendly.
So while I agree that there aren't as many "Pubs" in the United States, they are out there if one is willing to look.

[dutchy kilted]

Tommy Condon's in Charleston, SC, is the best pub I have ever been to, but there are many other good ones if you look hard enough.

[beloitpiper]

Milwaukee Wisconsin has a local pub on every corner. The town I grew up in had 800 people, and 8 bars. None made their own beer, but they had regulars who drank there on a steady schedule.

My thoughts exactly. Have any of you guys ever been to Wisconsin? Sure, they're called taverns here, but they're the American (or at least Wisconsin) response to a true British pub. Food is served, usually home-made or local recipes, and it's not uncommon to see kids at these places. However, they're never kitchy or themed--they're just the public living room.