The next pub was also visited, and lauded, by young BRAPA this week. And rightly so.
North Wingfield’s Shinnon was a mere 15 minutes walk from his next tick in Clay Cross, but clearly that was way beyond the range of our hero who resorted to the bus.
The colliery villages below Chesterfield are some of England’s last wildernesses, unknown to all but the intrepid GBG ticker and the driver attempting to find the McDonalds just off the M1. I believe some of the pubs may even be keg.
The Shinnon is so austere it looks like it’s been transplanted from the Scottish borders, and is I suspect a recent cask convert. Duncan will know.
For once I’m totally bewildered as to what to expect through the brown door.
I got a place with two locals, a fantastically friendly landlady, and two unlikely beers.
One named after the famous US adventurer, the other the pride of Ancoats.
The Blackjack was spot on (NBSS 3.5), the simple public bar was homely, the two Sunday regulars chatty but unsuspicious of their visitor.
Sadly, they had the City match at Burnley on.
The last few months have been traumatic for City fans, and I’m desperate to avoid any coverage of matches I’m not actually at.
The two gents stood transfixed by City’s forlorn attempts to get a winner to keep their title hopes alive. I couldn’t cope.
“Lovely beer. Sorry. Must rush” I blurted out. And completed the shortest pub visit since the Maltmeister did a pub in a minute on the Isle of Man.
Just as I burst out, Aguero’s shot was fumbled over the line, and by a margin of 29.5mm, the dream was on.
But how will it end ?
retiredmartin 
I am presuming the cliff hanger is for Russ’ benefit as the final scores won’t have reached Canada yet? Or Scotland for that matter so Duncan will be unaware too…I won’t put a spoiler out! Great boozer by the way. You are spot on about that region
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No spoilers, but apparently City have been referred to CAMRA for crimes against beer in the bar at the Etihad so we may be forced to play in the Welsh league for a season.
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Silver lining might be Tiny Rebel Bar selling Stay Puft at TNS?
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Is that the Marshmallow flavour one ?
Asking for a friend.
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Tell your friend he’s correct 😉
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If they ask nicely, City could replace Berwick as the token English side playing in the Scottish leagues.
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Could we start in the Highland League?
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Straight replacement for Cove. Perhaps Berwick could be their replacement in the Premiership?
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“For once I’m totally bewildered as to what to expect through the brown door.”
I’ll forgo the juvenile snicker at ‘brown door’ and simply say that it’s a good thing it wasn’t behind the green door. 🙂
“One named after the famous US adventurer,”
I see what you did there. 🙂
“But how will it end ?”
Hmmm, very deep. I’d have to say, for all of us, the Pearly Gates await.*
Cheers
* – except Si, of course. 😉
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Are you unwell Russ ?
I normally settle down with a cup of tea and a packed of Hobnobs to read your posts but this is so short the kettle hasn’t even boiled …
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Russ’s posts are shorter than mine these days 😉
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Yes, in those ex-pit villages south of Chesterfield, it’s hard to believe that you are in the same country – or dimensions even – which offer the comforting anonymity of London, Glasgow, Bristol etc.
Some people only ever find them when the M1 is blocked, and they switch to the A38/A61.
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Looks like exactly the sort of great unpretentious pub that a non-local would never discover without the GBG. Sterling work, caskateers.
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News does travel slowly here but good luck to City in the Champions League semi. I predict an Ajax v City final. Co-incidentally 29.5 seconds is the Maltmeister’s record time for shortest pub visit. The Shinnon deserved longer but appreciate you were on a professional mission.
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“since the Maltmeister did a pub in a minute on the Isle of Man.” –These incredibly short pub visit claims have got me scratching my head. I can’t even get the payment process completed in less than a minute, much less go in, order a pint, receive it, drink it and pay. All of that surely takes at least 5 or 10 minutes, for mere mortals!
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They are not really advisable but periodically necessary. Have sometimes finished beer whilst still waiting for change. You may have given me an idea for a future blog as have a couple of stories on that theme. Not so easy in mainland Europe where you normally pay at the end of your visit.
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Yes, they are the exception, Pauline ! And definitely halves. Much easier to drink two halves than a pint, oddly. I’ve sometimes finished a half before the glass has reached the table, and in Cumbria on my birthday drunk a pint before it had been pulled (the wrong one, mind).
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Pubmeister,
Yes “Have sometimes finished beer whilst still waiting for change” reminds me of doing that, downing in one, as a seventeen year old on a geography field trip.
Martin,
With.”Much easier to drink two halves than a pint” I think it’s faster because twice as often you realise there’s not much left in the glass and you might as well finish it off.
Maybe that’s why some pub do those little board things holding three third pint glasses.
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Yesterday in the Manchester suburbs I left the tram at Droylsden, crossed two main roads, waited my turn at a busy bar, ordered a pint of Plum Porter, drank it all sitting down, took six photos of a banjo player, went to the loo, took my glass back, and caught the next tram.
SIX minutes after the one I arrived on.
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Unexpected beers? Its a GBG pub where beers like this are expected, provided they are in good form. No one expects to find beers from macro and mega brewers like GK or Wolverhampton & Dudley Brewery PLC on in a GBG pub, do they?
I have heard that W & DB PLC are trying to buy Great Heck as they have realised they don’t actually have any beers with any sort of distinct taste across their wide portfolio.
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We dream of finding Tetley and Pedi, Richard.
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I’ll take you on a tour of the crap pubs around here then, they’ve all got Tetley Bitter on. Even in really good GBG pubs in town selling loads of beer they will tell you Tetley Bitter is the top seller. The poor saps who drink it still think it really is Tetley Bitter and have been sucked in by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries fake product and marketing.
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Some of us poor Southerners can’t afford your artisan, provenance guaranteed, beer.
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I actually prefer the Black Country stuff to the “Original”.
It’s fresher tasting and crisper IME.
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This is getting so tedious that I hesitate to comment but
(a) Tetleys chose to merge with Ind Coope and Ansells in 1961 and so lost control of their beers
(b) changing brewing locations often happens, such as Oakham brewed in Peterborough
(c) whether or not Tetleys is marketed is up to Carlsberg not W&DB / Marstons.
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Sorry, I should have been clearer. All that I meant was that I preferred the hitherto “ordinary” to the newer, so-called “Original”, wherever either might be brewed.
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