retiredmartin

And so it came down to Whitley Bay to provide my final two Tyne & Wear GBG ticks for 2018.

It’s not as impressive a feat as it sounds; Tyneside is a doddle to get round on the metro (Washington apart) and the pubs seem weirdly keen to be open during the day.  It’ll never catch on.

On to Whitley Bay, past the impressive architecture of Tynemouth (or Poshmouth as it’s called in Byker).

Tynemouth station is a gem; I was nearly seduced by the indoor market with its artisan sausages and ’70s football programmes, before realising I had work to do.

It was snowing again by now, so I took a screen shot to remind myself where I was.

You’d never mistake the Dog & Rabbit for anything other than a micro pub, however much snow was obscuring your view.

A bit of a contrast to the trad pubbiness of Tynemouth, so it would take something special from the Dog.

Just for a change, that was the beer.

As you’ll know, beers that aren’t brewed in giant beer factories in Staffordshire don’t impress me much, and “collaborations” is a word I associate with jam jars and samplers, but Walk of Life was special.

While I sat at the bar a chap came and asked for a pint, but apparently I’d just had the last.  Perhaps the end of the barrel has mystical qualities (NBSS 4.5).

A proper Evil Craft Keg range, too.

I also liked the map where you can show where you’re visiting from.  No flags on Chicago and Minneapolis yet, I noticed.

A micro gem, and as I approached my final tick I sensed it might be the pick of the Whitley bunch.  The King George (or is it 42nd Street ?) looks a bit “faded nightclub“, a branch of pub that the Bay specialises in.

Let this pub be a lesson to you; the Good Beer Guide rarely gets it wrong.  The self-deprecating humour (top) is always a clue to what’s inside, too.

It looked like homebrew on the pumps.

“What beer should I have then ?”

“This one”   I do like a landlord who gives you a clear steer.

Something called Spanish City, apparently. So good it could have been made in Wolves (NBSS 4).  Bargain priced too, as were the chilli nuts.

Even better was the soundtrack, lurching from “Theme To A Teenage Opera” to “Where The Streets Have No Name” with effortless ease.

https://youtu.be/89JqNIyTsiM

A couple of Professional Drinkers at the bar, a couple of younger ladies at the window carrying out a diagnostic on “A Little Time“.

“Minging”

“It’s nae that bad”

“I prefer Kylie”

If you wonder why there’s so few photos, I was charging my phone on their floor.  They were very accommodating. Would have helped if I’d plugged it in.

A great place to finish Tyne & Wear.  Shame the ice cream shop was closed.