Hoorah !
Back into the capital for an afternoon of West London high jinks with That Tim for Newbury.
But first, the Dodo, another already famous micro pub. One I’d been looking forward to, even if I’d missed the Cloudwater on cask.
My first ever trip to Boston Manor Underground Station. I clearly hadn’t lived until this moment.
The walk to the Dodo takes you past Polish shops, pizza takeaways and plumbers merchants, less exciting than it sounds.
The highpoint is the frisson of excitement you get the moment before you arrive at a micropub that claims it’ll be open till 2pm but you have your doubts.
It takes approximately 2.75 seconds to sum up a micro pub, but you already know that.
A simple but classy place, sharing something with the RTBC in Burnage. Yes, some higher seating than I’d like, but some lower seating too by the huge windows, albeit nabbed by a couple of amiable Totten-ham fans playing a British version of Trivial Pursuit.
So what are Spuds fans doing this far west ? Ah yes, they play in Wembley these days, at least until the Beavertown Stadium opens in 2021 (tbc). They recommend the Siren.
Perhaps for the first time in a micro, I immediately see the Beer Menu on the wall, decide the Nor’Hop is the only option, and Lucy the owner shot off to the barrel to fetch a cool, unfined pint.
Our two Spuds were wonderful company, perhaps pints of 7% Siren were helping.
Showing rare restraint, I avoided answering their tougher question about Walter Raleigh and this one;
“Where do Manx cats come from ?” “Manchester ?”
I felt a bit Christmassy after a solitary pint, so it’s a good job I didn’t succumb to the Song of the Siren too.
My sort of toilet, too, from the twinning with a latrine in DR Congo to the no-nonsense advice we should all heed.
retiredmartin 
Is this an unexpected trend, micros with brewers and beers people might have heard of?
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They’ll be serving Banks’s Amber and Courage Best next.
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When’s the Charrington IPA on?
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How places like that get into the guide is beyond me.
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Good beer, I should reckon (no sarcasm intended).
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Spuds fans ?
I know the Irish team is in the doldrums at the moment but there’s no need to address their supporters like that.
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We really do call them Spuds. Something to do with the dodgy chips at White Hart Lane in the 80s.
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Phew,I thought for a minute you were setting another Hill trap.
I’m on my guard these days for your underhand blogging tactics.
I wonder if Russ is equally as wary …
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I get a bit forgiving around the holidays (notice how I ignored the ‘Soong’ bit). Besides, when I saw Spuds I thought Martin was just suffering from keyboard fumbly fingers as ‘r’ is quite close to ‘d’. 🙂
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I can give you a point for the “Soong” but the Spuds is right, see here
https://forums.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/threads/7-goals-more-than-spuds-yeah-boring-arent-we.210383/
Of course, it’s the person who OVERLOOKS the most mistakes that wins the Doom Bar in Dartford. That young Crilley fella is miles ahead.
JOKING
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“but the Spuds is right, see here”
Well dang. I blame Wiki for not showing nicknames of nicknames on their list of English football clubs. 🤔
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You should see what we call Liverpool.
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“My sort of toilet too” is a great sentiment. Everyone who knows you would understand why you and that toilet are a perfect fit. In the spirit of the season too. Good Toilet Guide entry for sure Another awkward to get to tick under your belt.
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“Hoorah !”
Was it Simon who had something about this toilet twinning in one of his posts?
“But first, the Dodo, another already famous micro pub”
Only a few miles from Hammersmith I see. I lived there for a few years as a nipper. 🙂
“Almost art deco”
The coffee shop sign almost clinched it.
” playing a British version of Trivial Pursuit.”
Was that the Star Trek edition?
“so it’s a good job I didn’t succumb to the Soong of the Siren too.”
You’re talking the beer and not the photo of Supergirl on the wall?
“to the no-nonsense advice we should all heed.”
I’m always effing nice; unless of course she wants it bad. 😉
Cheers
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Sometimes I don’t know where to start with your comments, Russ. This is one of those occasions !
I’m off to Hammersmith next post.
Song of the Siren is an ’80s indie music reference !
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The majority of the shacks at both extremities of the Picc are well worth a visit. Boston Manor is an underrated art deco gem.
I don’t understand the obsession with these London pubs growing trees inside.They should shove them up their arse. Sideways.
I will be nice on the rare occasions that it suits me.
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But. But. The Combermere !
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How the bloody hell did you know what was coming up in my next website article?
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Tell us more.
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Eventually
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The Combermere’s tree’s in the toilet to make more space in the bar and lounge.
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“London pubs growing trees inside” is because plant pots might not be big enough for Martin’s waste beer.
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I have a theory on micro pubs. Everything goes in cycles. Once upon time in our village there were seven pubs. You will find it surprising for a small village, in fact it’s surprising there are still three left, actually only one and a half are open at the minute. Back in the day, all these pubs were just someone’s front room, a bench, a table and ale fetched from the scullery in a jug. Over time they developed into multi room pubs, some developed into gin palaces and stunning purpose built public houses. These are sadly in decline as they do not give the masses what the masses want anymore. Hence we are essentially regressing to someone’s front room, in most cases a low rent redundant shop unit, a bench and a table and ale, with no entertainment, because that’s what pubs were once upon a time.
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Spot on.
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– and next you might get breweries buying them up as somewhere guaranteed to sell their beer
and then the breweries will get bigger – AND BIGGER.
and then you’ll get consistent beers recognised across the length and breadth of the land.
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No you will get regional beers first, bland, brown stuff with little or no distinguishable hop character. Only after a period of regional brewers will you get the big ones buying everyone out. Of course you will have the consumer led campaign to step in and fight against this. Hopefully CAMRA mkII will recognise Marston’s as being the same as the Big Six and not let them fly under the radar during the next cycle of evolution.
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Hops ? Hops ? If I want hops I’ll buy a bunny.
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😕
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It’s a sickening thought Martin, that’s why I am committed against Marston’s and the purveyors of bland, ubiquitous, crap like Doom Bar. GK could fall into the category, yet in their better run houses they continue to deliver local and regionally based, independent brewers ales.
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But you surely can’t say that there’s not enough hops in 61 Deep or Old Empire.
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Maybe, but we can only speculate about the future.
What I’m not sure about is all those proper little pubs established in the 1830s after the Beerhouse Act of 1830 enabled any rate-payer to brew and sell beer on payment of a licence costing two guineas. How did their furniture, toilets, opening hours and beer clarity compare with twenty-first century micropubs ?
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The toilets were better and they never closed. Beer, not so good. Dickens is particularly evocative on pubs.
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Yes, I’m sure one could have had a dickens of a time in the proper little pubs back then.
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May not have survived too long to enjoy them all 😉
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Good point. I’ve been in some very good micros and some crummy ones. With regards the opening hours, they will have been much better in 1830 as the licences were for a part of the family home (often the front room) so they lived on and days off were unheard of. In terms of beer clarity, I reckon that was the time when you had to be careful to avoid an infected or otherwise dodgy pint, although I think brewing would be quite proficient. The beer in these small public houses in our village would have been from Tadcaster or Wetherby Brewery back in those days.
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In 1830 hours weren’t restricted.
They were though towards the end of the nineteenth century and one of my mother’s uncles or great uncles was fined ten shillings for selling alcohol in his Manchester beer house outside permitted hours.
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