Well, the world of pub blogging has gone Isle of Man crazeee. Following BRAPA, Pubmeister, the blog-shy Maltmeister and myself to the land of the £2.70 pint and never-ending hen party is Lady Sinks the Booze (post here).
In what looks a bit like retro-stalking, Kirsty even stayed in the Glenfaba* and drank the ultra rare Okells, just like what we did.
Back on my crawl, you’ll be pleased to hear I’d finally ordered my Salt & Pepper Chicken from Hot Wok on Granville Street, promising to pop back before 1am.
I was surprised that Hot Wok didn’t have an Okells handpump; everywhere else on the Isle does. Dave (local CAMRA legend, keep up) told us they have 100% cask coverage. We’ll see about that Dave.
On the way to Samuel Webbs, our GBG newbie, we were distracted by the bright lights and art deco scaffolding of Quid’s Inn, the Douglas fun pub.
“You’re not going in THERE ?” squeaked Dave. Possibly not, but we were now.
This is the equivalent of a pub tour in Manchester where you end up in Yates or the English Lounge, and is the mark of a proper #PubMan (buy the tie).
Anyway, you put a quid in the turnstile to get in. Keeps out the riffraff. I might have borrowed a quid off someone.
I have no idea if the drinks were all a quid. I doubt it. I can’t even score the Okells, as I was able to Campaign for Keg Bass. Very good it was too.
Live music again, very good/naff depending on your age. Worth a quid of your money, and no Coldplay covers.
We were disappointed when they finished (it was midnight), but perked up when the Cult videos started up. It was 33 years ago, but I don’t remember those lyrics to “She Sells Sanctuary“.
I remember nothing about the Samuel Webb, bar the half of Okells waiting for me when I walked in at 00:20 waving a bag of Salt & Pepper chicken. The Chinese, however, was not so easily forgotten (A-).
*Hope she didn’t find one of our socks under her bed. If she did, it’s PO Box 81773.
Thanks to Pubmeister for the use of his classic turnstile photos. I’ve deleted the rest, Duncan.
retiredmartin 
Great line re lyrics. Looking forward to a more coherent recall of the following day’s progress! Though the Chinese meal clearly has stayed longer in your mind than Sam Webb’s. No, me neither.
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Quids inn looks a bit like the Pound Pubs in England of which I think there are now just four, in Atherton, Newark, Stockton and Wavertree. They don’t charge admission and the only one I’ve used was in Leek which has since been a more expensive Lymestone pub but is now closed.
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I missed the Stockton one on my recent visit, but have been in Newark. They’re very dull, and real ale is £1 a half.
Richard recalled the Manx place from an earlier visit when it was £1 a drink.
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Really enjoyed reading the different posts recounting your night out with everyone– sounds like a marvelous evening, even if bits of it aren’t so clear in the memory. 😉
I’m getting curious about O’Kells; sounds like it’s not exactly nectar, but is it at least good?
Is the “quid in the turnstile” system a common thing for pubs? I do remember them doing that for the bathrooms at one of the London train stations; made me feel bad for the folks who haven’t got a quid to spare.
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I’ve really enjoyed writing these in short bursts, using the photos as a steer. You must find some stories come easier than others, Mark !
Always better with good company, all of whom found the Okells consistent and refreshing. Very much like Lees of Middleton, I’d say, a classic North-West drinking beer.
Never seen that turnstile gimmick (all it is) anywhere in the world, though some late night pubs charge admission after 9pm.
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The Quids Inn is, as far as I know, unique to this pub. Lat time I visited it was a £1 to get in and all the drinks, except Guinness and one or two premium brand spirits were £1, but that was in 2003 and we watched LUFC beat Arsenal 2 – 3 to stay in the Premier League the day after.
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I think the joy of this blog is probably the non pub bits as much as the pub tales…the Chinese sounds intriguingly good …
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“We can argue about the apostrophe on our death beds”
On signage (or a business) anything goes. It’s advertising. 🙂
“as I was able to Campaign for Keg Bass. ”
Lucked out there. 🙂
“I remember nothing about the Samuel Webb, ”
Maybe not. But the whole evening is most definitely a night to remember. 🙂
Cheers
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I have the sock in my shrine
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A post midnight GBG visit? Is that a record?
I was going to ask what the latest opener is, but think Simon has answered that with his Blackpool nightclub open until 4am. Very sensible, keeps the beer turning over for longer.
Samuel Webb’s the closest thing to a spoons on the IOM really.
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The Smithfield pubs all used to open at 5am so that’s an hour to get from Blackpool to London !
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Didn’t the Pakenham Arms used to open even earlier than that for the postal workers opposite?
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Earlier, certainly. Not sure about later (or is that the same !).
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Scott,
Yes, indeed – and also, or years earlier, it was the Penny Black at 106 Farringdon Road.
Mount Pleasant is the largest Sorting Office in Europe and having worked ten years for Royal Mail I well know it has more than its share of beer drinkers, most of them into proper beer, but walking the streets for most of the day does build quite a thirst, as does sorting beforehand.
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I’ve seen a few open till 4am on a Fri/Sat night. Oddly never tested myself, just after midnight IS a record (didn’t get there till 7pm).
Sam Webbs looks Spoonsish, doesn’t it ?
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Another H&B pub though.
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Nothing wrong with H&B; clean efficient pubs with consistent beer, ranging from the boisterous to the plush. A model little PubCo model we’ve largely lost in the UK (discuss !).
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By PubCo I mean brewery owed model, you know what I mean.
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Bollocks, they simply bought out MTT to increase their UK foot print. Mind you I know that you really like breweries who take over other smaller companies, perhaps you are a throw back from the seventies and at heart are really hampering for a Wolverhampton and Dudley Party Seven?
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Yep, I love economies of scale, me.
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I think he really wants a Donnington party seven….
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#WeAreAllDonnington
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#TheEndOfDaysIsNigh
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4am is seven hours after my bed time.
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But if YOU brewed a beer as good as Okells or Banks’s wouldn’t you want to share it with a larger audience ?
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Not if it needed to travel by sea to pubs where it’s competing with Doom Bar/IPA/Thwaites, as it won’t be competing with Citra or Cwtch. Banks’s is different.
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