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 September.
And I’d done enough. Forty-two (42) new GBG pubs, mainly in Gloucestershire, Somerset, Lancs and Dorset (exciting report to follow). If BRAPA beat that I’d be surprised. It took me up to the dizzying heights of 88% completion of the current (battered) GBG.
An odd month, August. The highlight, as always, was meeting the Southworths in Cambridge, though they failed to take a pint back this time, so good was the beer in the Blue.
And then a few of us, including the Stafford Mudgie, spent an evening on Brew Dog and Banks’s in Wolves (again).
Keeping up the Wolves theme, BeerMat and I went to a new (old) classic in Coalville that rather blew me away, as pubs on the A511 often do.
Weston-super-Mare looked superb as I completed Gloucestershire for the first time.
And the Forest of Dean finally unveiled it’s mysteries, even if one of them was Cinderford. The return visit to the Boat, across the Wye, reminds me that Gwent has all the best pubs.
NEW GBG PUB OF THE MONTH was Early Doors in Skipton, with the best display of pub values I’ve seen all year.
Runner-up was a slightly larger wet-led pub a mile from Cinderford in Upper Soudley where they also test the beer before serving it.
The beer was nectar there, but my BEER OF THE MONTH was this craft ale from one of our top Burslem brewers.
Sadly, in August a fair bit of cask went this way;
Oh, BEST PUMPCLIP AWARD GOES TO….
SEPTEMBER PREVIEW
Out with this…
and in with GBG19, whenever it turns up.
Back from Dorset, there’ll be trips to East London (Prolapse gig), Manchester, Sheffield (as eldest son goes into digs next to the Shakespeare) and Beer & Pubs Day Out in Worcester. Plus no doubt the Isle of Wight (oh yeah).
retiredmartin 
You could wander east and start doing pre-emptives from some branch areas – http://norwichcamra.org.uk/en_gbg/scoring
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A week off! That is a long time for you.
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Overdid it in Blackpool and Bournemouth 😱
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“They also test the beer before serving it” – now that’s an idea that could catch on if publicans were concerned about the quality of the beer they were selling.
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But they’re not concerned, are they, in the main. The link between brewery and pub saw to that.
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Good work RM. 88% highly commendable. At this rate you will have time to add more and my two planned trips south will be tickless.
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We need to track down the person who has that copy of GBG19,’Duncan. I bet he lives in Richmond.
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I was in the Peasant at Welshpool early last October and my pint of Montys was fine which makes it infinitely better than my first pint in the Railway Tavern across in Newtown.
The Pheasant was one of four Welshpool pubs I used that day and I “couldn’t be bothered to do it” again with a three mile return journey let alone a 325 mile return journey.
Just a thought but maybe the 2019 GBG would be a bit easier if you franchised out some of the pubs to your Proper Day Out chums.
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Excellent idea. Rather defeats the purpose though, unless you’re willing to take photos of pointless street art 😱
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Okay. it was just a thought with my wife reminding me that I don’t get out much.
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I bet you really get in the way at home, don’t you Paul ?
All those empty tins of Punk IPA all over the floor…
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Well, yes, I make the house look untidy.
And that’s why I get to pubs early on, so I’m not in the way when they get busy.
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I might choose that spot in Weston-Super-Mare over the Southworths. Really pretty.
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It was your lovely wives that swung it 😉
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We assume they are preferred over us:)
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They ask less questions 😉
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Because they already know everything about pubs and beer ?
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“The return visit to the Boat, across the Wye, reminds me that Gwent has all the best pubs.”
The photo of the glass below that is a luverly looking beer. And I love how most folks walk across the river to get to the pub.
“but my BEER OF THE MONTH was this craft ale from one of our top Burslem brewers.”
I definitely have a hankering for a Titanic Plum Porter after reading you lot. 🙂
“Sadly, in August a fair bit of cask went this way;”
Sigh. 😦
“Oh, BEST PUMPCLIP AWARD GOES TO….”
LOL
“and in with GBG19, whenever it turns up.”
Fingers crossed.
Cheers
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Thanks.
By the way, I’m in Toronto in October. That’s in Canada, isn’t it ? I’ll bring a bottle of Plum Porter over and bury it under a tree for you.
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“I’ll bring a bottle of Plum Porter over and bury it under a tree for you.”
Excellent!
Just look for the maple tree. We don’t have many of those. (LOL)
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No Plum Porter here in TO but plenty of good beer- can’t comment on the music scene though!
Look out for the (very) short pints…
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Recent news from the Titanic Brewery, in the same county as me, is ;
SPECIAL PLUM PORTERS ARE ON THEIR WAY…
We now have our special Plum Porters; Plum Porter Grand Reserve & Plum Porter Grand Reserve Port Infused booked into the brewing schedule and planned in with bottlers too! So what size are they going to be available in we hear you say? Well then:
•Plum Porter Grand Reserve will be in cask & 330ml bottles
•Plum Porter Grand Reserve Port Infused will be in keg as well as 750ml bottles & also 2ltr bottles (yes… 2ltr bottles!!)
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