My very last tick in Suffolk Beer Guide 2018 won’t live long in the memory, but I need to rub it in with BRAPA while I can. Ten counties pinked so far, Simon (probably miles behind Pubmeister, mind).
And another place I’ve never heard of, despite driving past Stoke Ash on the A140 many times en route to the thriving metropolis that is Eye, sadly deprived of borough status in the scandalous reorganisations of 1974.
Look how exciting today’s OS extract is.
The White Horse is an upmarket hotel for Retired Gentlefolk who drive so slowly on the A140 that they need an overnight stop between Ipswich and Norwich.
They certainly don’t stop here for the views.
WhatPub suggests they’re open from 7.30am. I can assure you won’t get a beer at that time. I phoned them to find out, as you must do before visiting any pub other than a Wetherspoons. Is anywhere in the Beer Guide, apart from the Market Porter, open before 9am?
The yellow AA sign has a similar status to that sign of a blue hand pump on a yellow background.
No mobility scooters outside, and the little hut by the door was a little too cutesy. Perhaps the pub can sell it off as a micropub when that trend catches up with Diss.
Inside, it’s all reassuringly pub-restaurant. Nervous couples perusing the menu, groups of pensioners arguing over the bill, “Are you looking to dine with us ?”.
A reassuringly Old School beer range too.
In a world where any beer range lacking a mocha-infused sour is deemed lacking, I welcome beers I’ve heard of, and Boak and Bailey reminded us today that one person’s dull is another person’s exotica.
This level of brand awareness isn’t uncommon. My father-in-law in Tunbridge Wells could name Shepherd Neame, Harvey’s and Adnams,at a push. But Dark Star or Burning Sky ? Not a chance.
On the table next to me, a couple in their 30s perused the beer menu before their meal.
Almost parodying the old folk who read out all the dining options, the chap read out the descriptions of the beers and the ABVs. Word for word.
“Fresh, zesty and crisp“. Wherry sounded very exotic. Perhaps Woodbastwick is, if you live in Suffolk.
They probably went for the Aspalls. And after I’d gone to the effort of having the first drop of Wherry pulled for them. Possibly the first pulled all week based on the head;
It was the worst presented beer of the year, though rather sadly it tasted sufficiently average to deny me the opportunity to take it back.
And just to remind you folks, the Coopers Tavern isn’t in the Beer Guide. I’ve just been there. The beer was nectar.
But at least we’ll always have the Bass clock.
retiredmartin 
You’d need a Brass Cock to drink that evil looking stuff? Anyway, I thought you said you got claustrophobic in those small micros? It looks quite eggciting though.
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Coopers will always be in my book.
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I’d buy your book, Dick, I really would. Your pub trail maps with Dave should be published.
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I won’t say never. Dave may beat me to it.
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“sufficiently average to deny me the opportunity to take it back” –Ha! In the photo it really looks more like a glass of apple juice than a glass of beer.
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That’s the comparison I was looking for ! Yes, served in an apple juice jar. It looks better from the side than the top.
Am I overanalysing all this ?
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Loving your quest to get the Coopers back in the GBG 🍺🍺
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I shall succeed. Even if I have to move to Shobnall and infiltrate the branch. The new entries were good when I visited on Friday, to be fair…
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I look forward to reading about them….
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That Old School beer range looks remarkably like the beer range in the Swan in Milton Keynes.
And judging by that menu I would have opted for the Adnams bitter. Cheaper than the Speckled Hen. I’ve 500ml cans of the Hen over and while it’s not bad, it’s not great either. 😉
Cheers
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It does look very similar, its the fact it’s sold as local beers that stands out. There’s probably 323 tiny microbreweries close by they could have picked !
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Excellent progress. Think Coopers should sponsor your travels! Actually you have ‘pinked’ a few more counties than me so far – I have only completed 3 in England. Need a solitary 1 in another 5 counties but double figures in 11. It’s a tough job.
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You’re the man for the job, Duncan. It’s a lot easier completing the counties round me each year than your “locals”, even with micro hours.
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It’s just wrong.
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What ? The clock ?
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Well the clue is in Bass Brewers, clearly modern copy tat. The pub, the beer but most of all the exclusion of the Coopers. We should have a a list of pubs that should be chucked out in favour of the Coopers.
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I do. It’s the Good Beer Guide. 😉
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Brilliant, nothing else just brilliant
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