The law stepped in to stop a patriotic pub-owner from giving away pints for just six pence each during the Queen’s funeral yesterday.
Luckily, the loyal landlord managed to find a way around that which made his punters even more happy.
The proprietor of Q Gardens in Bradford decided that he’d celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth II by allowing punters to purchase a pint for a knocked-down price.
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Hey, what better way to remember a deceased monarch than by giving away a load of cut-price ale, right?
So, he decided that all pints purchased at his pub would be priced at 6p per jar, which is what they would have cost when the Queen was crowned back in 1953.
See? There was logic behind the idea after all.
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The plan was to hold a two minutes silence in memory of Her Maj, then sell cheap pints between 2.22pm and 2.44pm.
Despite only wanting to do ‘something special’ they were shut down by the police turning up beforehand to remind them about minimum pricing laws on alcohol.
Rules are rules, at the end of the day.
So, the longstanding royalist co-managed Sean Lowe decided to get around it by simply agreeing to give the pints away for nothing.
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No law against that, is there?
After the visit from the coppers, Sean said: "Rather than doing it for 6p a pint to honour her memory, we are doing it for free,
"People are still looking forward to it.
“Ultimately it is about everyone coming together and paying their respects to the Queen."
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According to alcohol sale rules set in 2018, beers must be sold for at least 50p per unit, and rules since 2014 have stated that selling alcohol underneath the minimum unit price plus VAT is forbidden.
Still, people flocked down to the pub to show their respect and to take him up on his generous offer.
One, a man called Dean, said that he came down in good time to take advantage of the deal.
He said: "This deal is fantastic. I am not a big royalist, so I didn't think I'd be this emotional.
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"It has just brought everyone together. I got here at 12 so I would be ready for the deal."
Another punter, Dave Lang, said: "I live locally anyway, so I would have been in.
“But you can't complain about free beer. It is busier than I thought it would be.
“It was really good on them to put it on. It has really brought people together."
Manager Sean added: "My family have always been massive supporters of the royals, particularly my grandma.
"It has just been passed down the generations. I really loved the Queen and what she did for this country.
"It was like let's stay open and pay our respects in a way where everyone can get together for this historic moment.
"A lot of the customers who don't really talk have been in conversation with others about it in recent days. It has really brought a community feel."
"Although it is going to cost the business money, it is our way of honouring her memory and all the work she did for the country."
Topics: UK News, The Queen, Food And Drink, Royal Family, Money
Tom Wood