No post yesterday, just to see if Russ panicked.
Actually, I was on a mission to deposit James back in Sheffield in his new digs down the road from the Wellington, and then see the Famous Fulham at the Etihad. More on Sheff later.
Once I’d ensured James had settled in with the important information (WiFi password, discount pizza vouchers), I headed for the Trans Pennine Express for Manchester. Not many people know that TPE was the inspiration of the Kraftwerk hit of a similar name back in 1977, the year of punk and ELP.
It’s not actually as straight a line as Bing Maps suggests;
But 50 minutes is plenty of time to stand* and admire the Hope Valley as it flies by and Hazel Grove in slow motion.
It’s always great to be back in a proper city after recent excursions to the Smoke. You’ll note those Trafford Reds have as much idea about geography as certain CAMRA branches.
My target was the lone new GBG entry on Bridge Street, but I got distracted half-way along Portland Street.
It’s great to see a proper Hyde’s boozer back in the Guide, even if it should really be the Jolly Angler, as that’s on the way to the match.
But the tiny Grey Horse is proper Manchester.
Look at all those lovely Man City fans, blissfully ignoring the United tat on the walls (the Circus is more balanced in its favours).
Loads of cask being pulled by the hardworking landlady, perhaps 20 pints in the 15 minutes I was there, which is 19 more than in the average Buckinghamshire pub on Wednesday lunchtime.
And loads of Mild. A lovely cool, rich Mild (NBSS 3.5) only let down by a daft name.
“And your own“ said the bloke next to me. Basically keep the change.
But my pint was £2.98.
Keep the 2p ? That’s like only tipping 10% in America, isn’t it.
I chickened out, and then felt embarrassed as I realised she’s given me 5p back as the 2p pot had run dry.
Then I saw the 10% CAMRA discount sign.
I’m so glad I didn’t ask for the discount, although a £2.68 pint would have given me even more of a dilemma about “And your own“.
The chap behind me had no such qualms about his discount. AND asked for a top-up. He probably wanted to pay by card as well.
*More strikes = standing both ways. Cheers.
retiredmartin 
Nice to see that back in the guide, but not the same since the plates on the walls disappeared. Feels wrong to pop into there and not do the Circus as well.
The Angler was rather on the dubious side for beer quality last time I visited.
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The Jolly Angler’s not been the same since Dave left about 35 years ago and it was knocked into one room.
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You may be right on the Angler. I’m very conscious that judging pubs on Saturday lunchtime or match night a bit unrepresentative of beer consistency.
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Yes, “the tiny Grey Horse is proper Manchester” but not quite as tiny as the Circus Tavern three doors away.
I remember ‘bumping into’ friends from the Wolverhampton branch long ago during one of only two days ever that CAMRA held an EGM.
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Was that the EGM to investigate the undercooked broccoli or to discontinue the hardback version of the GBG, Paul ?
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No, it was trouble from north of the border.
But not Autovacs, it was their air pressure dispense that needed investigation.
Water engines were pressurised dispense but without them there was practically nothing to drink up there so something like ‘local discretion’ was agreed.
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I wudder stayed in Sheffs personally.
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Richard,
After my recent Proper Days Out in Leeds, Bradford and Hebden Bridge I cudder expected you to say you have no reason ever to set foot outside Yorkshire.
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The Petersgate Tap is a new entry, as it was (just) ineligible last year, but you’ve already been in it.
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I wondered about eligibility. It opened in mid 2015 (Jeff Bell did a stint early 2016 to improve beer quality), so should have been eligible for GBG 17 I thought, but some folk complain about it. Always had good beer there.
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You are confusing it with the Piccadilly Tap – not the first person to do this.
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Correct. I’d mentally linked your comment to mins about one new entry in central Manc, rather than the one about no new GBG entries in Stocky.
Perhaps confusion could be avoided by merging the two to create a Peterdilly Tap ?
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Mebbe not, but it’s always good to look elsewhere, just to gauge how far ahead Yorkshire is compared to the rest of the British Isles 😂
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No, shudder goroff t’train at Stocky 😊
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What’s all this shudder, cudder nonsense you lot ? I wudder got off at Stocky but there’s no new Beer Guide pubs this year !
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Dunner tek new GBG pubs ter get me t’ Stocky.
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One of the pics is captioned “pub men ” -did you think we would not notice there was a lady too but I suppose pub men & lady doesn’t have quite the same ring to it
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You won’t believe me, Pauline, but I just put “Pub Men” on a caption when I can’t think of what to say. Anyway, I have amended the caption appropriately.
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The Sheffield-Manchester railway route does its best to run in a straight line, as it goes through three tunnels of over two miles, which must be the highest proportion in tunnel of any similar main-line route.
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I remember when the Sheffield-Manchester railway route did better running in a straight line. That was before the Hazel Grove Chord was built to incorporate a ‘diversion’ for picking up and setting down in Stockport.
The Totley Tunnel at 6,230 yards is the second longest railway tunnel in Britain – that’s if you don’t include the Northern Line and other parts of the London Underground which aren’t proper tunnels – and the Cowburn Tunnel is 3,702 yards.
I’ve often used the Hope valley line and the train always appears to me faster than it actually is which must be because I’ve spent much more time seeing that scenery on foot.
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Does the Eagle on Collier Street (Salford) still get into the GBG ?
My notes suggest that it was a very nice pint of Holts Best Bitter when I visited last on 3 April 1978.
NBSS 4,25, had NBSS actually existed at the time.
Are we able to retrospectively score ales in the same way as Cricinfo does for test match batsmen and bowlers ?
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I laughed, Fred. 40 years on, it’s in the Beer Guide, appealing to young folk with guest beers and a very good live music venue.
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“just to see if Russ panicked.”
More like a sigh of relief as I was still catching up. 🙂
“Not many people know that TPE was the inspiration of the Kraftwerk hit of a similar name back in 1977,”
Which was only possible due to the success of Radio-Activity. 😉
“Manchester – shamefully underpubbed”
Good lord. A pub crawl there would take all month!*
* (or two days if you were Alan Winfield) 🙂
“Still never been to Red Chilli”
For a second I thought that was a lobster on the sign.
“That’s like only tipping 10% in America, isn’t it.”
More like 0.67%. 🙂
“although a £2.68 pint would have given me even more of a dilemma about “And your own“.”
That would have worked perfectly for the 10% tip. 😉
Cheers
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Excellent Alan reference. Do you tip for individual beers in Canada ?
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You tip pretty much for everything over here in bars or restaurants.
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Some fantastic pictures documenting pub life and just as you’d imagine it to be from the outside. That is a Winfieldesque pub of the highest order….loving the Guardiola/Granada TV sticker…City fans are amusing
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Atherton had a Red Chilli restaurant. Didn’t last a year. Served shark fin soup. Not its a curry house that allows you to bring your own.
I did a piece on tipping a while back. Now I just leave 20p (sometimes up to 50p) on the bar as they never hear me say “and yours” or “call it (round it up)….”
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The 20p makes sense, at least. But I’ve never noticed folk tipping, even in your part of the world (bar the odd “and your own” in a Sam Smiths).
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