retiredmartin

A decent month, with 33 new Beer Guide pubs in 13 counties, and Northants and Staffordshire completed for the year. No new Guide pubs since 21 May though, with Cambridge Beer Fest and a trip to Nuremberg intervening, so Simon may well be catching me up now he’s discovered walking as a travel option.

It was the month I finally accepted Leicester’s title had really happened, and hopefully Ranieri will get a good reference when he’s inevitably sacked in November. The city fully deserves the tourist boost it will get when BATE Barisov come to town.

New Pub of the Month

Honourable mentions to CAMRA Pub of the Year the Sandford and Derby’s Golden Eagle, but the Bag of Nails is an easy winner, unless you really dislike cats, or are a craft keg zealot.

I made a couple of stops in Bristol in May, and enjoyed the pubs in Hotwells, King Streer and Lawrence Hill immensely.  One of our great pub cities.

Beer of the Month

The Oakham Tranquility IPA I had in St Ives was the best real ale, though at 6.5% it ought to have made an impression.  City pushing United into 5th that day certainly helped.

The Maypole Beer Fest had some great gravity beer, and a wonderful Mallinsons Station.

Best beer was the Schanzenbrau Rot that Erlanger Nick showed me to last week in Nuremberg.  You can find beer that isn’t fizzy in Germany.

Discovery of the Month

Everywhere looks good if you start your month in Maidenhead.

(I can now be sure no-one from Maidenhead reads this blog, which is helpful).

Surprisingly, my favourite new place is the stretch of South East London between Charlton’s Thames Barrier and Woolwich, which has been splendidly redeveloped, but it was the derelict Trumans pubs you ought to go and visit.

Re-discovery of the month

Mrs RM and I had an evening in Stockport, and joined the good folk of Stockport CAMRA on their stagger round Offerton, whose varied and characterful pubs reminded me just why I love the place.  The review in the next Opening Times will be unmissable.

Wisdom

While you debate the EU or collect your Panini Euro 16 stickers, Simon Everitt has been recording the minutae and detritus of pub life. While I enjoyed “Twitgate” in Offerton, Simon had his own “Peagate” in Aylesbury.

You don’t get experiences like those drinking bottles at home folks.

June will more of the same, plus some different things, including a review of Black Sabbath at Castle Donington.  How did it come to this ?