Still no actual Beer Guide, but I’m starting to get the hang of the GBG app, and can at least work out the pubs I have to do. Far too many.
Some people would start with the hardest one, but that’s on Shetland, just the 30 hours away. 30 minutes away is more sensible.
A 30 minute walk from Bury St Edmunds station takes in all the town’s top tourist sights, including the sugar beet factory, A14, new housing development and sewage works (folk travel from all over the country to see Milton sewage works). It’s odd to start the Guide in what felt forever autumn, rather than on the August Bank Holiday.
But there’s some attractive bits of Ye Olde Suffolk as well, for those of you who don’t believe that exists.
The Three Kings is a fairly typical West Suffolk village pub, which rarely means gastro.
The first week back to school isn’t the busiest for pubs, but they were promoting their dog-friendliness now that Spoons aren’t, and a few gentlefolk had just tipped up.
First time in the Beer Guide in my GBG lifetime, but was it due to quality or quantity.
“Hello, we’ve got Nog” said the astonishingly cheery barmaid. “So you can’t have the Hen, sorry”
Apparently Nog is a beer. I always act astonished at there being more than one beer on, and examined them all closely before picking the IPA. Of course.
I congratulated them on their Beer Guide appearance and could see how thrilled they are. I insisted that one good beer, even GK IPA was all you need; they weren’t convinced. This was cool, rich and chewy, and NBSS 3.5-4 and a pint of the month contender.
Sure, it felt a bit lonely in a vast sprawling pub with loads to explore, but our star barmaid came over to ask how the beer was and tell me about her exciting trip to Great Yarmouth before going off to sing along to “Boogie Nights“.
A really great start to the new Guide. Proper pub, proper beer, perfect welcome.
Oh, and if you go, look out for the remains of the old oven, where I presume all copies of the GBG19 have been cremated.
retiredmartin 
A right gem there, Martin. I’ve been to all the guide book pubs in Lerwick, by the way. You’re not missing much.
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It’s not just the ticks, Morten, I really want to see the Islands (and tick the roads).
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That looks like a lovely pub. I think from that selection I would have gone for the GKIPA too.Nice to start off the new GBG (albeit the virtual one) with a NBSS 3.5/4
Surely your “bus shelter” is the site for a new micro?
What’s the pub(s) in Shetland this year? By the way, Shetland can be done in much less than 30 hours. EasyJet to Inverness/Aberdeen (cheapish, hour or so) then Loganair to Sumburgh (arm & a leg, one hour) or EasyJet to Aberdeen and Northlink ferry to Lerwick (cheap as a foot passenger if you don’t want a cabin but takes 14 hours. However, there is a bar on board which sells decent evil craft keg, at a price)
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We need more thatched bus shelters in the Guide,
Thanks for the Shetland detail. Scalloway Hotel is the GBG entry. I quoted the drive time, as we might go up by campervan once our 17 year old goes to Uni, but the options are helpful.
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Thought it might be the Scalloway Hotel. Was last there late July, two cask ales on from the Lerwick Brewery, the one I had was NBSS 3-3.5. Nice place but pricey. Scalloway itself is a nice place.
Sort of agree with Morten on the Lerwick pubs, now that Captain Flint’s seems to have abandoned cask. You either get totally wet-led keg-only drinkers’ pubs, a couple of cafe bars with craft keg or hotel public bars, also keg-only. I’m quite fond of some of them but agree none are worth a special trip.
Road ticking: A968, Highway to the North.
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Complete lack of memories of my dad building the pier in Scalloway in 1971; there was cine footage of me throwing a cat off the steps of a trailer, although that may have been in Ullapool the year after.
Most of the evil keg options in Aberdeen are about 5 minutes walk from the ferry terminal.
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As if you didn’t know from last year’s GBG entries, you can’t go far wrong with a Greene King pub.
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Nice pub. I would be severely pissed off by being confronted with that beer selection though .
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Why, no Abbot Reserve ?
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“30 minutes away is more sensible.”
With regards to the OS map, if there’s a Fornham All Saints, why did they feel the need to single out Genevieve and *cough* Martin? 😉
“No reserved signs”
And no cutlery to boot.
“Looks and tastes brilliant”
Yowza.
“A really great start to the new Guide.”
Considering the wait I should bloody hope so!
Cheers
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Your pictures make Suffolk look really great. Love it.
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Copies of the new GBG arrived in Stockport yesterday, maybe transport links between St. Albans and here are better than they are to the Eastern counties.
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It’s marshy in the Fens, bit like that sludge in Salisbury.
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Yes, and it’s a straight road to Stockport.
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Great photo. Not many new entries in Greater Stocky, is there (and not many Robbies pub in the Guide).
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Haven’t visited there for a while so this is a reminder to return. A good walk with the dog broken up by a pint. They do a good ham, egg and chips, too, with duck eggs. Or used to. Lovely building, and proof that when well-kept GK beers can be very good. I note they have the new Yardbird – now with quadruple the hops and a seriously hoppy golden ale.
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