On the Friday I headed to Sheffield to pick up James from Uni. It’s good to see him, but his return has slowed down our internet speed somewhat.
On the way, a tick in the beer centre of the Yorkshire world.
Elsecar looks great on the wall from the station. I’d call it “posh Barnsley” but Penistone would complain.
The new Guide entry is called Maison du Biere, so it’s only right Elsecar has gone all French with TdF and trendy cafes.
There’s four pubs in a row that have been in the Guide, perhaps a record. Duncan will know.
The Market wins for its Bass livery.
Elsecar Heritage Centre is an undiscovered joy, drawing in cricklies and school children to admire steam trains and antiques.
But the Maison du Biere comes as a bit of a shock; this is cream tea land.
Clearly it’s a offie with sit-down option, and I prepare to hate its presence in the Guide.
Particularly when there’s no hand pumps. Just a wall of keg.
But do I care ? It’s all beer. And Mr Beer guides me to a low ABV beer that’s strangely wonderful, cask or not.
I don’t think we’ll be planning a Beer & Pubs crawl here though.
Music from Duran Duran and Simple Minds, which is odder than you’d think.
Mr Beer may or may not pick the music, but he knows his beer.
“Everyone who comes here buys Belgian Blue” .
That’s Bradfields finest, the surprise hit of the festive season.
Brad would be appalled. Possibly.
retiredmartin 
My Nan lived in Platts Common opposite the old social club which has long since been knocked down.
And last year we interred my mother’s ashes in a local church graveyard next to my dad’s which had been there for a few years.
It’s probably forty years since I was last there but within a couple of hours I was eh ba gumming like a proper Yorkie.Lovely part of the world.Lovely people.
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Yes, lovely folk. Search “brad hoyland” on my blog. There was a a beer guide pub in Platts Common not long ago.
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I’ve been to the Ashbourne equivalent and I have to say I thought it was excellent…great beer and friendly knowledgeable barman ….seems to be the same in Elscar
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Agree. It’s all about people, isn’t it ?
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Totally!
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Ah, that’s the one wrote about in Ashbourne, isn’t it ?
https://lifeafterfootball839.wordpress.com/2018/08/19/ashbournes-new-wave-of-drinkers/
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Good man – that’s the one!
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And enough of this annual Golden Pints nonsense.
What I’d much rather read is RM’s 2018 Plant Pot Pints.
Sponsored by Sarson’s.
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Good man. Good idea. Might throw in some top photos.
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Are plant pots like pint glasses? Are there preferred formats?
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How can a place that has no cask be in the GBG? Or were you just terribly unlucky to be there the one day they’d run out?
Simple Minds ended up with a funny career in America: “Don’t You Forget About Me” being massive (due to Breakfast Club), known by everyone, and basically nothing else they ever recorded getting any radio airplay at all. But I’m sure Robbie Williams would say, “At least they got their one American hit, the lucky bastards!” 😉
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Something called KeyKeg, Mark, Simon will explain !
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Re:Simple Minds, similar in UK, cult till’85, ridiculed thereafter.
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It is keykeg which Camra say is real ale. This pub was going to be the subject of my next blog so had better find a new angle! I liked it.
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So did I,
.
Doubt BRAPA will.
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Thanks for this explanation, Duncan! I’d heard of keykeg, and though I don’t understand the technicalities of it, I do recall the idea that this form of keg had acquired a sort of “essentially the same as cask” status. Where I live it’s basically 100% keg, no matter where you go– no doubt I’d be delighted with the keykeg option!
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It might be “essentially the same as cask” with what goes into it but its pressurised dispense, despite what some say, means it is not real ale.
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“but his return has slowed down our internet speed somewhat.”
In olden days a return home would result in an emptier fridge. 🙂
“a tick in the beer centre of the Yorkshire world.”
You deliberately picked the most boring OS map going didn’t you?
“Trendy”
More like Naf rather than Caf; but the bicycle on the roof does clinch it.
“That Bass triangle would look good on my shed.”
Considering they have Caffreys and Guinness signs as well I think they were just covering all the basses. 🙂
“Future mobile micro pub”
Good lord. Looks more like a version of arbeit macht frei.
“Barrels for seats”
The cream tea bits are further back at the building in the background.
“DO NOT ask 4 a taster”
Delirium Tremens beer mats though so that’s a plus. 🙂
“That’s Bradfields finest, the surprise hit of the festive season.”
So; blue is the new black is the new orange then? 😉
Cheers
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Saw Delirium Tremens on tap in Manchester’s Ancoats Cask yesterday, sorely tempted !
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Bradfield’s Belgian Blue – definitely a top beer – still look at my empty 5 litre Belgian Blue keg with fond memories from Christmas past….
😉
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Young guy in Maison du Biere spoke of it the way your High Street offie spoke of a four pack of Stella! Never knew it was so popular.
https://retiredmartin.com/2017/12/13/christmas-in-chapeltown/
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Correct – Elsecar is nice, but Penistone is better (Posh Barnsley is actually Cawthorne). In fact I find myself agreeing with you here on several points – can you get a nicer beer than NMBCo Striding Edge? And how do they pack in all that flavour at 3%. There are a lot of ex Bass Yorkshire houses around West and NW Barnsley,
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Yes, NMBCo it was, and very impressed.
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Drives a horse and cart through the fuckwits who reckon all modern beer is too intensely flavoured.
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