Paul had been tremendous company, but it was time for him to head back to New Town with its heritage interiors and beardless customers.
I may not have done any new GBG pubs that Monday, but I could at least have a possible pre-emptive tick on the way to Waverley Station.
The Hanging Bat has been top of the table on RateBeer’s Guide to Edinburgh for a while. But as we know, RateBeer isn’t a place you’ll find the Stamford & Warrington, or anything in Coalville, so I think we can discount that as authoritative.
But note that Paul is ahead of me zipping in the Bat, game for anything as usual.
Now you’ll know the views of old codgers like me on hard to read beer boards (see also: Euston Tap). At least they had CASK first on the sign.
Paul was about to ask for a half. They didn’t sell halves, only thirds and multiples. I think that was the cue for Paul to head north. I never saw him again. Well, not for 10 days, at least.
Only thirds. That suited me. The Fallen Grapevine was somehow just £1.30, and was gorgeous, as good as anything I drank that weekend (NBSS 3.5+).
The two chaps at the bar were chatty, we compared notes on the Bath Hotel, all was well with the world.
And it’s not in the GBG, while a Brewer’s Fayre selling warm Doom Bar was*. Ha !
Hope the homebrew isn’t an attempt to make the Guide.
*Let it go, retiredmartin, let it go !
retiredmartin 
The people who write beer boards – close up – should all be made to watch this:
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I’ve only been in Hanging Bat once and I was quite disappointed with the beers I had. The curry house a few doors away was however very good, and of course we had to try the Haggis Pakoras.
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I must have been lucky then, especially on a Monday lunchtime. Perhaps the judgement of local CAMRA in choosing GBG entries reflects some average beer as well.
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Was in there for the first time last year, and realised that I’d been there before (25 years or so ago), in it’s previous incarnation as the Burnt Post, a “proper” old school Edinburgh bar with an almost identical layout; just a lot more dark wood, as best I can recall.
I think they may struggle to get GBG entry by having quite a bit of cask with “challenging” flavours and ingredients. The beer I had at the time featured Hibiscus and Lime, which I imagine may scare off the more traditional amongst us (I struggled with it).
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Traditionalists ? In Edinburgh ?
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Difficult to believe I know, but yes. The ones who sit in Diggers drinking Stewart 80/- on a daily basis.
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Diggers lost its Guide place last year (as did the Oxford).
May have been a technical reason, but still felt like the end of an era.
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Difficult to argue with places like the Dreadnought getting in though.
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I can’t argue with any of the Edinburgh selections. Looking at NBSS scores over many years, only Manchester, Cambridge, Sheffield and Newcastle match them for quality in cities. Never taken a pint back there either. Turnover, turnover, turnover.
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So the McEwans 80/- last time I was in Diggers has given way to Stewart 80/-.
The old Scottish beer names are suddenly appropriate again. I paid £3 for a pint of Belhaven 60/- at the AGM and I’m sure there are Edinburgh pubs that will charge £4 for the 80/-.
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Paul has his finger on the pulse as usual 😀
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I was once out to a vicious bouncer that clipped the hanging bat and was caught by gully.
Let’s see Russ work that one out !
Just heading off to the airport for the first of four flights to get home with not a huge margin of error.
This could be fun.
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