Visiting pubs on a Thursday lunchtime in one of the world’s great cities, that’s a Proper Job. Though of course, not as commendable a job as the folk leading the Extinction Rebellion outside the Abbey. Fear not, pubs are safe with Stafford Paul.
Paul not only had the itinerary, he also had the annotated map. Being more courteous than that BRAPA, there’s nothing rude about Fenland towns scribbled on it.
Too early to check my tiny rucksack into the Z Hotel, so we did the new GBG entry that I’d found unexpectedly closed a month before. It took a while finding the entrance this time.
The Griffin, post-refurb by St Austell, comes as a bit of a letdown after the OGT.
“Very pastel” said Jon/Paul.
Bench seating of sorts, I guess. Mrs RM would like it, as they say.
Despite the potential custom from the nearby Christmas Markets (all tat) we’re the only customers at 12.30, which means I can’t ask “What’s going quickest, mate ?”.
Sometimes it’s traditional to try the three different beers if there’s three of you. Not here.
Yes, Proper Job in a Tribute glass. It looked tremendous, and was cool, fruity and drinkable (a GBG quality NBSS 3+).
But without a crowd it felt a bit sterile, and we only stayed for 20 minutes, long enough to come up with a shortlist for the next Beer & Pubs Forum Day Out.;
- Wigan
- Uttoxeter
- Exeter
- Huddersfield
- Pyongyang (good beer says Jon)
I sense Wigan may be a bit ambitious.
It was time to take the hill to the Star.
retiredmartin 
This potential custome.
Is this for Ye Olde English pub ?
* That’s twice in a week I’m not only first but with a typo to thwart Russ.Unless,of course,I’ve fallen into another RM hill trap.
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I’m getting worried about Russ, he’s been well off the pace lately. Can you pop over there and see if he’s all right ? (you’re closer)
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December in Canada ?
The old boy is snowed in for the winter with nothing but wind-dried moose in maple syrup soup to keep him going till the Spring.
Unless you’ve got short-wave radio or a pair of those tennis racket snow shoes you won’t hear a peep from him for months.
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Ahem:
https://retiredmartin.com/2018/12/02/november-18-stocktake-december-preview/#comment-31817
(2nd para).
I’m going to be a day late and/or a dollar short for the next little while. 🙂
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Short memories, Russ. It’s when we say “Who’s Russ ?” you need to worry ;-o
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“Unless you’ve got short-wave radio or a pair of those tennis racket snow shoes you won’t hear a peep from him for months.”
True for 99% of the Great White North.
But, the missus and I wisely decided to move to Vancouver Island just over a decade ago. Its climate is remarkably similar to yours.
(of course it lacks pubs, be they Irish or English).
Cheers
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P P-T,
This Ye Olde English pub malarkey is really catching on.
Glancing at my list of pubs used last month I see that it includes
the Old Fish Market, Bristol
the Olde Fighting Cocks, St Albans
the Olde Cheshire Cheese, Fleet Street
the Old Green Tree, Bath and
the Olde Rose And Crown, Stafford.
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Done three of those. The beer in the Fish Market was always a bit too cold. Is it still like that?
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No, I didn’t notice the beer as too cold, but maybe it was still kept at fish temperature when you used it. I must admit that I was only in there because it was nearer, and no doubt better, than the Wetherspoons while I was waiting for the Kings Head to open.
If the Stafford one is one you’ve not done DON’T bother. It’s dreadful and I was only in there for a branch meeting.
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Could it be that at your time of life, you are identifying with anything old(e) – birds of a feather…?
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Clive,
No, it’s was actually more of a coincidence last month.
I went to the Olde Cheshire Cheese because it’s one of Humphrey’s oldest proper pubs, the Olde Fighting Cocks and Old Green Tree because they were on Proper Day Out itineraries ( and they’re both proper old pubs ), Ye Olde Rose And Crown because I attended a branch meeting there and the Old Fish Market because the Kings Head wasn’t yet open.
It might be quite some weeks before I’m in another Old or Olde pub.
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Any pub – except perhaps the Beacon (Sedgley) or the Great western (Wolverhampton) – “comes as a bit of a letdown after the OGT” and before the Star.
Your mention of Proper Job here reminds me that last month I also drank St Austell’s Proper Cracker. Both are undoubtedly proper beers.
Which reminds me that my nearby Dorbiere pub today had two Cornish beers on, Skinners Betty Stogs alongside the usual Doom Bar. Also Directors and Oakham Jester.
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Not a big St Austell fan … but Proper Job is very good. Excellent in bottles too, M & S Cornish IPA is Proper Job rebadged. Best one ever was in the Globe, Weymouth, pure nectar. Er … it’s not a proper pub is it?
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Richard,
I think St Austell ( along with Adnams and Fullers ) are one of the most progressive of Britain’s thirty long established brewers.
Drinking their Trelawny and HSD, both proper BBBs, last summer reminded me how they had moved forward with Tribute and Proper Job, and their range now extends to Big Job while they also do their own Korev lager, Mena Dhu stout and several “craft” beers.
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Don’t like Tribute – slight sweetness I do not prefer. Mena Dhu stout is good. Do they still do Tinners ale, that was pleasant. Not sure about Big Job, I think it loses it’s balance at the higher ABV, but interesting nonetheless. I wouldn’t try the ‘so called’ craft beers from this sort of traditional brewer – don’t know what they are doing, should stick to what they do best, stop jumping on band wagon, are all phrases that spring to mind.
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Richard,
I think Tinners Ale has been renamed Cornish Best but I’ve not seen it for a while.
If St Austell’s “craft beers” are no good surely they won’t sell.
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But I remember St Austell jumping on the band wagon when they introduced a bitter a century ago, when they brought out HSD as a strong bitter in 1976 and when they replaced top pressure with handpumps a couple of years later.
Or might “jumping on the band wagon” just be moving with the times, and is there any business ( except Humphrey’s ) that can survive without doing so ?
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“But I remember St Austell jumping on the band wagon when they introduced a bitter a century ago” – wow.
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When I see Paul Mudge in the opening picture I know it’s going to be a terrific post 😉
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“not as commendable a job as the folk leading the Extinction Rebellion outside the Abbey.”
Blimey. I hope none of them used any form of motorised conveyance to get there. 😉
“PubMan plans”
All I see is toilets. 🙂
““Very pastel” said Jon/Paul.”
Wait. You had a former Pope with you?
“Some folk like cushions”
Not everyone can be ProperPubMen (not saying that I’m a big cushion fan!).
“Sadly no candles to burn the Ullage”
Real men always carry a lighter (or so I’ve heard).
“It was time to take the hill to the Star.”
Makes sense. 😉
Cheers
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“Said Jon/Paul.” Wait. You had a former Pope with you?
Ha
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