September 2026. Chesterfield. Having spent at least a tenner getting to the outer edge of Chesterfield for that Beer Guide newbie, and with the next nearest GBG tick a) an hour away or b) not open till Friday I decided to try an old favourite at random. One of the things you notice each September… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – ROSE & CROWN, BRAMPTON, CHESTERFIELD
THE BRAMPTON MILE, M’DUCK
September 2026. Chesterfield. When a new Beer Guide comes out each September the temptation is always to look for trips to towns with lots of new ticks, even if that means a train to Newton Abbot or Carlisle. But my priority on Monday was nursing my gammy leg I don’t like to talk about, but… Continue reading THE BRAMPTON MILE, M’DUCK
IGNORE THE CLOSED SIGN. THE HEWETT ARMS, SHIREOAKS
September 2026. Shireoaks. Nottinghamshire. 10 minutes through the old colliery site to the GBG brewery tap, ten minutes back to the station, still feeling that ache at the back of my leg but keeping up with Google maps generous timings now. One of the most attractive approaches to a Beer Guide pub anywhere, I reckon.… Continue reading IGNORE THE CLOSED SIGN. THE HEWETT ARMS, SHIREOAKS
THE GBG CLOCK STARTS TICKING IN SHIREOAKS
September 2026. Shireoaks. Notts. The new Good Beer Guide has dropped (ugh); it would have been poetic to blame my injury on the descent of this massive brick of a book (forgot to mention that last post), but it arrived while I was in Dewsbury and flattened Mrs RM instead. Having made every effort to… Continue reading THE GBG CLOCK STARTS TICKING IN SHIREOAKS
A LIMPING RM HOBBLES TO THE ASAHI SELF-SERVICE MACHINE
September 2026. Manchester. Oh, Manchester, but it’s Goldthorpe with so much to answer for, as my post-pint dash through another South Yorkshire mining town ends with a pulled muscle (or something, I’m no medic) at the back of my leg. I really shouldn’t have taken the mick out of Mrs RM’s sporting injury. So Friday… Continue reading A LIMPING RM HOBBLES TO THE ASAHI SELF-SERVICE MACHINE
THE GOOD BEER GUIDE 2027. A TRIUMPH
Yes, officially out today (order HERE !), the 2027 Good Beer Guide is a triumph of campaigning for real ale. And non-real ale, as we see more crafty keg outlets with the rider “Please ask which beers are Key Keg“, which I guarantee no-one is going to do. And who cares ? Good beer is… Continue reading THE GOOD BEER GUIDE 2027. A TRIUMPH
THE MICRO STRIKES BACK ! CORNER TAP, GOLDTHORPE
September 2026. Goldthorpe. South Yorkshire. A real ale gain in the unlikeliest of places, as Goldthorpe becomes the latest South Yorkshire mining village to get a micro, and a CAMRA Pub of the Season micro at that. What are those numbers below the letters ? Scrabble ? In a village of 6,051, any pub needs… Continue reading THE MICRO STRIKES BACK ! CORNER TAP, GOLDTHORPE
I AM GOLDTHORPE’S BLOGGER
September 2026. Goldthorpe. South Yorkshire. Mrs RM and I were having one of our romantic* chats about blogging yesterday. Approaching middle-age, the most important things are to eat healthily and keep the brain telling the body you’d like it to keep going a bit longer, please. Our respective blogs keep the brains going as well… Continue reading I AM GOLDTHORPE’S BLOGGER
THE PERILS OF RELYING ON THE WI-FI
September 2026. Barnsley. My visit to Greater Barnsley, which will shortly end in disaster, had both cultural and cask objectives. Nailmakers Brewery had opened a second tap in Barnsley’s shiny shopping centre, sensibly labelling it “1” to distinguish it from their first bar, which itself was called something to do with cows once. It’s a… Continue reading THE PERILS OF RELYING ON THE WI-FI
ALL CHANGE AT BARNSLEY’S OLD No.7
September 2026. Barnsley. If put on the spot and asked to pick ONE (1) Barnsley pub, it would have been the Old No.7, Acorn’s flagship and the best place to drink the revived Barnsley Bitter. Not any more. Sold to Valiant in 2023, it still feels a cask pub, but today there’s a Tap Takeover… Continue reading ALL CHANGE AT BARNSLEY’S OLD No.7
