"pubs" news and stories

And we Americans thought we owned the obesity market! Seems our friends in the UK have also been packing on the pounds. One in four Britons is overweight, claims the Daily Mail. After learning of a recent study supporting a tax on junk food, conducted by the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Health Organization, the Brits are questioning whether it's a good idea or, as the food industry claims, turning the country into a "Nanny State."

Maybe some of the gals in UK pubs could use a nanny to walk them home, though. According to The Sun, Britain is becoming a nation of fallen women. Says The Publican, an online site for all things pubby in the UK, "The killer combination of our booze culture and the trend towards ever-higher heels means ladies are toppling from their shoes at an alarming rate. A recent poll of 3,000 high-heel wearers revealed that one in three had injured themselves tumbling off their towering footwear."

When will we ever learn that Martinis and Manolos don't mix?

The Good Beer Seal of approval. Photo: goodbeerseal.com.

Earlier today, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially proclaimed July to be "Good Beer Month." The declaration came at the request of a local collective known as "the Good Beer Seal."

Founded earlier this year by bar owners Garry Gillis (Burp Castle and Standings), Ray Deter (d.b.a.) and Jimmy Carbone (Jimmy's No. 43), the group strives to "recognize establishments that pride themselves on serving quality, craft beers." With only 15 recognized bars in a city of more than 8 million people, the Seal has yet to become the definitive icon for the city's best spots for suds, but Carbone admits things are still getting off the ground. "We really didn't expect the mayor to make the proclamation," he humbly admits.

For a nascent organization, receiving a mayoral decree after simply writing him a "nice letter" is quite a feat. Carbone believes GBS's support of programs for sustainable food and insistence that members have an "active community presence" was an important factor. "A lot of bars don't make such a good community impact," he told us.

A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.

A giant thanks to all the Slashfood readers who responded to last week's call for shoutouts of favorite beer-friendly bars. We received a whopping 43 comments naming almost 50 watering holes in 19 states.

Beyond giving Slashfoodies a chance to chime in, What's On Tap's goal was to compile a list of new bars to draw upon for future WOT posts. We've already featured places like Chicago's The Map Room, Houston's The Ginger Man and San Diego's O'Brien's Pub (though they are always worth revisiting). It's also worth noting that WOT strives to vary metropolitan areas as much as possible. For example, San Francisco's Toronado received by far the most comments, but we visited SF suds relatively recently, so don't expect a Toronado post anytime soon. (For those who cry foul, remember, WOT isn't a list of the best beer bars in each city -- just an interesting choice. Sometimes it's more adventurous to go off the beaten path.)

Using that criteria, a lot of great pubs may be bumped towards the back of the queue, such as those in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Cambridge, Mass., and Santa Monica, Calif. After the jump, a list of bars you're likely to see in future WOT posts based on your comments.

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• Greek yogurt experiences a revival

• A tour through Oxford's pubs

• A meat eater sings tofu's praises

• What is a mangosteen?
  

• Need some spice? Try piri-piri sauce

• When you get a craving for noodles and cannoli ice cream cones...

• Forget chocotinis, these are the real deal

BloggingBaby found an interesting piece of news about a boy in South Yorkshire, Chris Hardacre, who might just be the world's youngest bartender. At twelve, he is the youngest person on record to have passed the British Institute of Innkeeping exam and become a fully licensed bartender.

Chris said that he was inspired by the fact that he eventually wants to take over the pub that his father runs and thought that it would be a good idea to learn all he could about it. After only a few weeks' worth of study, and probably a good deal of time spent in the pub, and he was ready to take the exam. He passed on the first try. His license allows him to serve beer with adult supervision, but does not allow him to drink anything that he serves.

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