And tariffs.

They whittled down their menu, made ordering from the table a lot more obtuse, and made several other changes that detracted from the whole experience.

I've been going there for around 30 years. We used to go with a group for a once-a-month 'pub night' before COVID, but when we returned afterwards there had been too many changes and the whole vibe of the place was somehow 'off'. Last month when we went there they had the Museum Room closed off (we used to like to sit back there, since it was relatively quiet and also we could include any under-21's that were with us that day) and we all wound up sitting at the bar against the wall. It went from beer-lover family owned place to corporate 'let's see where we can make cuts'.

Quite a shame. Charles was a legend in the brewing community, always friendly and welcoming to everyone. The last few times we were there it definitely wasn't the same. We had planned on going this evening after our shift, but when we arrived we found that the whole place had been rented out for a private event, so we pretty much lost out on our last chance. Wound up at the Taproom on 1st instead. We'll probably be changing our monthly pub night to Old Stove on Western, at least during the colder months when they aren't massively mobbed. Not sure what we'll be doing when the weather warms up, the sun comes out, and the tourists return.