I’ve been on the Bass in Bath today and I really can’t be bothered with this post. sorry about that. Feel free to wait till I get into South London and something more interesting.
More London, more gastro nothingness.
The Beer Guide will always provide a trip to the Hamptons. This year it’s the Foresters in Hampton Wick, described as 2Boutique Pub, Restaurant & Hotel”.
You can imagine my excitement at finding a place with a “Keep Calm” poster on the outside.
Sadly, it’s too far to walk to Hampton Court to bring you pictures of Henry VIII and his maze, which is actually a worthwhile London attraction.
Hampton Wick itself is a bit dull, but I’d only given myself 20 minutes between trains so there was no time to lose.
The Foresters has obviously had a lot of money spent on it to make it the sort of place you cant take your girlfriend/mother/wealthy aunt to for a cocktail.
The ONLY items of note are the memorials to deceased locals, which are quite touching,if a bit weird.
So why’s it in the Beer Guide ? Presumably because of Twickenham and Wimbledon beers on the bar.
I knew it was wrong, but I went for the mysteriously anonymous Burton brew.
Served in a tulip glass by polite but disinterested staff (a bit like me now) it was the epitome of NBSS 2. Not bad enough to take back and make a scene about, nowhere near good enough to make you ever drink that horrid cask again.
Still, I had a good tour of the pub, hoping to eavesdrop on some exciting West London conversation to drown out the (admittedly great) “What’s Going On” soundtrack.
But I failed.
“Thank you Sir” said the barman.
Which says it all, really.
retiredmartin 
Corporate clutter without any soul.
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Glass tabletops. And no beer mats. At least there was no evidence thus far, of children splashing their cola about on them though.
But who knows, with the right customers in it, the place could be the embodiment of conviviality?
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You really enjoyed that one then.
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How did you guess ?
Also, don’t do posts straight after 6 pints in Bath.
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Was that a Forum trip? I have registered on it.
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Do you mean Bath or Hampton Wick. Very official, I even have the T-shirt (it says Bass and Star, mind).
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Yes Bath. Have they any more jaunts planned?
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6 pints in the bath…?
Warning…risk of drowning…(or a least losing the soap…)
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Soap suds add to the drinking experience.
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It says a lot about Martin that even in a post that he says he “really can’t be bothered with” he takes a moment to note the music that was playing. A #PubMan and a #BlogMan, to the core!
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Thanks Mark. Truth is, did that in 15 minutes after a lengthy pub crawl in Bath yesterday. Not my best.
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“I’ve been on the Bass in Bath today”
Not me. I take my beer in the shower.
(my wife has wine in the bath though)
“You can imagine my excitement at finding a place with a “Keep Calm” poster on the outside.”
So the poster affected you in a contrary way?
“which is actually a worthwhile London attraction.”
With regards to the map I like how ‘deer park’ actually has a ‘P’ right beside it. Although I doubt there any many people still riding deer these days.*
(* – John Deere owners being the exception of course)
“so there was no time to lose.”
Reminds me of that Monty Python sketch. 🙂
“if a bit weird.”
Indeed. The feathers are supposed to be arranged as they pertain to the colours of the rainbow. 🙂
“nowhere near good enough to make you ever drink that horrid cask again.”
Sigh.
“But I failed.”
I think it’s more like they failed.
Cheers
PS – “the sort of place you cant”
Unless you’re being insincere I think cant should have an apostrophe.
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Did I tell you I’ve got the autograph of Brian Cant (R.I.P.) ?
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Someone else mentioned him this past week. He did the narration for a Canadian children’s show called Bruno about 10 years ago from what I read. Never saw as my boys were in their 20’s by then and had yet to grace us with grandchildren.
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Grace is a great name for a granddaughter.
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The mighty Brian Cant, encountered hillwalking in the Highlands where he was looking to acquire some nefarious smoking material (allegedly)….
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Looks like it probably was a lovely old pub before it got boutique’d…
What was that anonymous Burton ale? I wonder who made that?
….couldn’t trace it on the internet…
….shame that it ‘bombed’…
🙂
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I was hoping someone would identify that “Burton” beer – there’s normally a beer bore or two lurking about on here…
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Is that Burton beer not listed in the brewery section of the 2019 Good Beer guide ?
Or has that half of the book already gone into the recycling ?
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I have taken the oath never to look at the satanic pages containing brewery details, Paul.
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