I’m enjoying the sun and soapy suds, as you Yanks say, at the End of the Road Festival. Loads of youngsters with beards. It could be IndyMan. The Beavertown bar has a craft peacock to protect it against hostile takeover by Big Beer. We’ll see how corporate Beavertown have become when they open their mega… Continue reading HOPE FOR CASK AT THE END OF THE ROAD
Month: August 2018
AUGUST ’18 STOCKTAKE & SEPTEMBER PREVIEW
Since the latest Government advice came out I’ve had a week off from pubs. Mind you, as of August 28th my closest new tick would have been here; Yes, in Welshpool, Mid Wales, Wales etc. I couldn’t be bothered to do it before the new Guide comes out. I should get B&Bs cheaper in… Continue reading AUGUST ’18 STOCKTAKE & SEPTEMBER PREVIEW
SIZZLIN’
One of the joys of the Beer Guide, if we ever see it again, is the variety of places you get to visit. Basic boozers, gastropubs, brewery taps, places that don’t like opening at all. Loads of Wetherspoons and Ember Inns across the country, but only a few of the main family diners. A… Continue reading SIZZLIN’
THE FYLDE, ANYTHING BUT PLAIN
An attempt to visit three plain pubs in an hour and then squeeze in the days glamour National League fixture (AFC Fylde v Dover) fell apart at stage one, when it transpired that Salwick Station doesn’t actually exist. I bet Matthew Lawrenson could have told me that, and no doubt BRAPA wrote about it,… Continue reading THE FYLDE, ANYTHING BUT PLAIN
A DARWEN TRILOGY – PHIL THOMPSON, THE £2.60 PINT & DR. NO
I ought to colour code these posts so you can dip in and out more selectively. Perhaps; Green for your Complete Tourist Guide (e.g. to Nuneaton) Yellow for reflections on changing underpass art or shopfronts (e.g. in Stoke) Blue for Pub Cats Red for Draught Bass (obvs) Orange for a quick dip into a plain… Continue reading A DARWEN TRILOGY – PHIL THOMPSON, THE £2.60 PINT & DR. NO
NO HELLO, NO GOODBYE, NO SPACE AT THE BAR
My trips to Burnley haven’t always been successful, setting aside the 6-1 in 2010. Prosecco preposterousness in Padiham, pole-dancing pubs by the bus station (sorry, no pics) and some drab home-brew from the likes of Reedley Hallows (brewed by Harry Potter). But I admire their dogged if dull football team, and their generous GBG allocation,… Continue reading NO HELLO, NO GOODBYE, NO SPACE AT THE BAR
WELCOME TO RAWTENSTALL
We’re off to Cranborne Chase tomorrow for our annual non-Guardian reader music festival. Four hours, heavy traffic, avoid the Novichok, says Google Maps. Who knows what the WiFi will be like this year? You may be lucky to get more than a picture of Mrs RM in a field with a peacock and a… Continue reading WELCOME TO RAWTENSTALL
POLLY’S IN THE CITY OF DAN
No, not gollies, Polly’s. Still more fun from Coalville. Or nearby Whitwick, which you can walk from the Stamford (or run if you’ve just nicked Sod’s coat). The Three Horseshoes is another “A511 classic“, not quite as basic as the Stamford & Warrington, but still a culture shock for the American tourist acclimatised to our “Will… Continue reading POLLY’S IN THE CITY OF DAN
TOP 10 BASIC PUBS – THE STAMFORD & WARRINGTON HOTEL, COALVILLE
Well, I can wait no longer for BeerMat to claim the scoop. Here’s the evidence that Coalville has one of the world’s great basic pubs. And it may be on that silly National Heritage Inventory, but you’ve never heard of it (prove me wrong). I very nearly didn’t make it to meet BeerMat there at… Continue reading TOP 10 BASIC PUBS – THE STAMFORD & WARRINGTON HOTEL, COALVILLE
COALVILLE – WAITING FOR LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL
Life After Football (BeerMat to his Mum) is desperate to post about his trip to Coalville last week, where we met to discuss at length Birmingham City’s triumphs* and put the world of pubs to right. But he’s waiting to see what I write first. The world of pub blogging is as competitive as a… Continue reading COALVILLE – WAITING FOR LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL
