Is there a particular pub in the island that you stay true to?

Twenty-eight Manx pubs have been judged as great venues providing great ales in this year’s CAMRA Good Beer Guide. We asked residents which public houses were their top choice or whether they go to pubs at all.

Douglas residents Sharron Duke and her daughter Rachael, aged 48 and 25 respectively, say they hardly ever visit pubs.

Sharron said: ’I go to Jaks with the hubby on the very rare occasion. All of our friends go there.’

Rachael continued: ’I only go out for an occasion when friends get together. We do pre-drinks at someone’s house, it’s cheaper to do so and that way we can play games which is so much fun.’

Sharron added: ’Maybe bars and pubs should look at having beer pong and other games?’

Rhys Quayle, 23, from Castletown said: ’I go to the The Union in Castletown because it’s within stumbling distance and everyone in there is really nice. There are no clubs in Castletown so it’s a pub focussed place.

’Going to pubs is definitely getting less popular and more expensive.

’People are deciding to stay home more to watch the game as licensing to get Sky Sports has got more expensive for pubs. Pubs need to be constantly busy to afford that.’

Friend Brian Tung, 23, from Ballabeg, added: ’I never really go to pubs because I don’t drink much. I usually save to go away, but I will go in if there’s a group of us.’

Sam McBurney, aged 70, from Douglas, said: ’My favourite pub is the Terminus Tavern in Douglas. I like its good service, good food and good beer.

’I’ve been going to the Terminus for as long as I’ve been in the island, around 16 years. Nowadays it’s very busy with people having to book for food.

’I wouldn’t go to a pub just to drink because I’m not interested. Also, when you get to my age you get terrible hangovers.’ He added that he hasn’t noticed a lot of young people going in for a pint.

Ray Sloane, 49, from Douglas, who runs karaoke in a number of pubs, said the Saddle in Douglas and Whitehouse in Peel are his favourites.

’I like the older, more local kind of pubs where there’s no loud music playing in the background,’ he said. ’I go to pubs mostly on a Monday and Saturday because it’s a lot quieter.’

When asked whether he sees a lot of young adults coming into pubs, he replied: ’You get waves of people coming in so it’s quite hard to tell their ages, but there are plenty of young people about. However, there’s been a big population drop of people aged 22 to 29 at the moment.’

Linda Findlay, 55, from Douglas, said: ’My friends and I would usually go to places like Artisan, Bath and Bottle and do a sort of pub crawl to see where’s busy.

’I like the new places and prefer them to Jaks, but as the night gets on everyone seems to congregate at Jaks.

’My friends and I will meet up at home and have a couple of cocktails - they’re easy to make yourself these days and you’re saving money - and then see where we go.’

She says that the young crowds at pubs tend to be men from the financial sector who go in after a day at work.