“Bournemouth Runner!
Didn’t get far
Bournemouth Runner!
First night
Bournemouth Runner!
But the second night
He got away with our guiding light”
Bournemouth Runner – The Fall
Last pub of the first night was, indeed in Bournemouth, as foretold by Mark E Smith back in 1986. The second night ? You’ll have to wait. Is BRAPA our Guiding Light ?
As you’ll see below, All Hail Ale is perfectly located between Branksome and the main Bournemouth station, so I thought I’d get off at one and back on the other an hour later. How was I to know Bournemouth is so big ?
My evening was nearly scuppered at first base (Branksome station). I’d already had a message from Matthew complaining I’d stolen his hair gel (which I had) and now he called to tell me I’d need to come back home as he’d couldn’t unlock the front door.
“Use your initiative” I told him. “But get a kebab first“. Seemed to work.
Those western suburbs go on forever. No wonder Mark E Smith stayed in Prestwich.
Loads of Italian restaurants and estate agents, hardly any pubs, and no GBG entries till you get to the inevitable micro.
This was my sixth micro in town. I’ll post pictures of all six and ask you to tell them apart.
Just the one other customer at 6.30, who left nearly as soon as I arrived.
So I got to have a good chat with the Landlord, who pulled the beer through thoroughly and oozed quality. And kept an impressive range of beers on.
Very much in the modern craft style of micro, I had to feign interest in all the other beers before going for the Vibrant Forest, beautifully described by Si.
Yes, this was the murk. And it was lovely (NBSS 3.5+). No purple haired barmaid or Bent Double Dogs, though.
“How long is it to the station, mate ? Fifteen minutes ?”
“Good half-hour. If you run“
I ran. Just pausing long enough to bring you the Brewhouse & Kitchen (top). If you need something nice to say about Dorset, you can at least say that neither of the Brewhouse & Kitchens are in the Beer Guide.
retiredmartin 
Newport Gwent this weekend by any chance ?
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Sadly, no tickets for that. (Would have been millions for a Middlesbrough v City tie). Go Newport !
Up in Liverpool on Sunday with Stafford Paul.
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Ticking, football or both ?
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Pubbing & ticking. Doing a couple of classics (Philharmonic & Lion) with Paul and whoever else turns up at lunchtime, then some suburban micros ;-(
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Sounds good. Enjoy !
Haven’t been to myself Liverpool since before Higsons were taken over by Boddies.
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Er, 1872 ? Where do you live, Fred ?
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1985, although it wasn’t for about another four years that Whitbread – to whom Boddies had meanwhile sold their breweries – closed Stanhope Street.
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That was me !
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Wow. You impersonated me. How does that work ?
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Can I amend or delete a message that I post on here please ?
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If that was your post predicting a 4-1 City win with 2 goals from Foden I’ve just deleted it for you.
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“Use your initiative” I told him. “But get a kebab first“.– Had a good laugh at this. I like to think you added, “And if you have to choose between the two, just get the kebab.”
I must say whether it’s an ancient pub or a newly opened micro, the “christmas tree lights strung across the wall/ceiling” look does absolutely nothing for me. Better watch myself, you’ll start calling me The American Curmudgeon. 😉
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Can you change that string of numbers to “The American Curmudgeon” ? And are there really 385 million other Mark Crilleys in the States ?
Matt could have slept in the shed after a kebab. He was more lost with out his hair gel ;-0
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We love Matt stories. One of the great sub genres on the blog.
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I feel sorry for the campervan.Must be terribly lonely this time of year.
And I’m amazed young Martin sleeps with all that coffee he drinks.
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And he was drinking coffee WITH beer a few blogs ago.That’s definitely weird.
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Sleep ?
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I didn’t mention something else, because it makes me look bad and might be a bit indelicate for readers like Pauline. When I left there was sewage seeping up out of the garden and Matt had to wait for the man from DynoRod to sort out the plumbing. He’s a hero (Matt).
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There’s nowhere much downhill, towards which stuff can flow in that part of the world is there, Martin?
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Cheers for that thought.
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Don’t mention it!
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I’ve never been in a Brewhouse and Kitchen but I get the feeling of an evil genius behind the corporate scenes with a tick box spreadsheet. Microbrewery, craft beer, pretend upmarket food, pretend interest in customers. Whatever happened to mild, cheese and onion on white sliced and grumpy landlords.
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David Bruce had a similar idea with his Firkin pubs over thirty years ago – except that his beer was a sensible price and he didn’t bother with the Kitchens or smoking sheds.
Martin reminds me that Bournemouth is nearly as bad as “in Coventry” for an AGM weekend.
I’m not sure if Dundee will be much better.
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The Firkins…remember them well, serving the young folk with money who wanted their own beer venues. Nothing changes much.
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Dundee gonna be sick (as Matt would say). Now everyone important is coming. Might even persuade Duncan to cycle across from Paisley.
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Old Hawkhill, near the uni, was about the best spot that we found, but Dundee is tough.
There were several pubs and bars close together there.
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B&K are the least individual chain of the lot; a Pizza Express with a brewery for effect. In their defence I’ve had the odd really good pint (Wilmslow, Gloucester, Angel) alongside the dross, but generally those were 5% + pints.
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I’ve not been overly impressed with the beer in the B&K establishments I’ve visited, but the concept is good one. Nice to see they are keeping traditional pubs going, like the one in the photo, where others, supported by the wider public, have obviously failed.
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