It was in the Mighty Oak Tap that I checked my Twitter and saw that Team BRAPA was in the area, a mere 12 miles and several centuries away in Southminster.
“We should go and say hello” said Mrs RM, who’s always wanted to meet Tom.
I tried to explain that Simon would be annoyed if we disrupted their meticulous plans for the day, but she just doesn’t understand.
So we set off, knowing we’d probably interrupt them 25 minutes into their 27.5 minute stay in the Station Arms, the worst possible time.
By a massive stroke of luck, the road into Southminster was closed, and by the time we’d found a detour via lovely Burnham our BRAPA trio had escaped.
We pressed on to Wibblers Tap.
It’s a busy place, with loads of odd jars on the shelves, but otherwise your classic simple Essex micro before they started getting ambitious and added Jazz chess or whatever.
A lovely cool pint of the Wibblers IPA (a top quality BBB) for Mrs RM,who is slowly becoming acclimatised to the notion that not all pubs serve Punk IPA.
Bags of hops in the ceiling and dangling lights gave it a bit of charm, though it was clearly the pub where blokes came for a session.
“Let’s all put a score in, shall we ? A ton should do it”
Wow, that’s a lot of beer.
Brewery Taps are clearly the destination pubs of 2017 in Essex, a county where blokes know a good pint.
I visited the famous Gents toilets visited by Simon only an hour ago. Mrs RM showed no interest in seeing them too.
We’ll catch up with BRAPA sometime, even if it takes us to the end of the earth (or Cleethorpes, whichever is cheaper).
Wibblers is on an industrial estate outside a rural village, so this is the best shot I got of the area. I quite like it.
retiredmartin 
Has Cleethorpes ever had a pub in GBG? Most autograph hunters at a lower league football ground…ever…
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Not often I say this but my reports on Cleethorpes from this year are essential !. 6 pubs in the Guide, 3 at the station alone. Fantastic place.
https://retiredmartin.com/2017/04/02/cleethorpes-part-2-boogie-nights/
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I like it! To be fair it’s a gritty place so probably shouldn’t underestimate it..
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You’d find a month’s worth of material in Cleethorpes, particularly in holiday season when it’s practically Nottingham-on-Sea ! Bass too.
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Ha love that description! To Nottingham as Weston super mare is to Birmingham
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Can I class Cleethorpes as the Midlands?
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oh yes, Lincolnshire. Tom may disagree.
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When they hived off Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe into Humberside, it was a fairly accurate delineation of where the North/Midlands divide ran through Lincolnshire.
And a classic BBB called IPA – that will get some beer pedants fewmin’ 😛
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Just names, Mudgie, just names. Mrs RM was hoping for something less, er, Brown, it’s fair to say.
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As someone born in Scunthorpe, I should just point out that Cleethorpes (and Scunthorpe) are actually further north than Manchester…so Mudgie’s point is partly valid. However, I’d say that the Midlands end at Suton-in-Ashfield and just north of Newark. If you drew a line across the country there, it would mean that Crewe is just in the Midlands, but Macclesfield and Chesterfield are in the North.
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Never heard or seen ‘Cleethorpes’ and ‘Fantastic’ in the same sentence before?????
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You’re just a craft fan boy, Richard
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Excuse me! I’m a committed real ale enthusiast! I’ve been to Cleethorpes many times, unfortunately it has always been closed. You will need to plan your trip meticulously to avoid disappointment.
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“A lovely cool pint of the Wibblers IPA (a top quality BBB) for Mrs RM”
Yes,yes but; what did you have and what did you score it as? 🤔
“I visited the famous Gents toilets visited by Simon only an hour ago. Mrs RM showed no interest.”
Gee. I wonder why? 😳😁
Cheers
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