Is it possible to water down beers/ciders in pubs?

[Porgie]

My friend and I were in a Wetherspoons at the weekend and the cider and lager we bought tasted and looked watered down. My friend did not think it was even possible to water it down however I'm sure I remember another Wetherspoons being fined for it. If it is possible, how do they do it and if not, why does it taste so bad?

[Ethel]

Wetherspoons sell their beers and lagers so cheaply because they bulk buy when it is very nearly out of date.

I know they've been fined for mice infestations and similar offences, I'm not aware of the watering down.

It can happen, but I'd be surprised if Wetherspoons' would risk it - depends on the manager I suppose.

If it was too near it's sell by date and hasn't been stored properly, it could taste different to how you'd expect.

[fishing81]

i presume it was draught lager and cider you are referring to,it is possible that the pipes haven't been cleaned for a while in which case your drinks will not taste as nice.

[Natters]

Ii dont think that they can water down their beer. I know that draught coke etc is watered down, you can see it as it comes out!

[Rtaxron]

You can water any beer, lager or cider if you have a keg spanner.
Managers do this to get good stock-take results, otherwise they could be out of a job.

I know, because I used to be one.

[Brooksy]

Real ales in casks (wood or aluminium) are easy to add water to, but as real ale fans are very critical these days it would be risky as it would be detected & word would get round. As Rtaxron says, if one has a keg spanner it is possible to add water, but one would have to depressurize
the keg first. It is possible that you had the first drinks out of the line that session, or that whoever cleaned the pipes either didn`t rinse them through properly or didn`t get all the rinsing water out. There is an "ullage" allowance & I always drew off 1/2 pt from a keg & 1 pt from a cask (varies depending on the length of pipe from cellar) serving the 1st customer. As to the draught coke, it is mixed at the tap from a box of "syrup" coke & fresh, chilled water, so yes, you will see the 2 separate liquids blending to a metered mix.

[motherhen32]

Its unlikely to be watered down as it would potentially mess the keg up. However it is likely that its been poorly kept, bad lines or the bottom of the keg all of which can affect the taste etc