Yes, I used a title like that last year. But that was Aberystwyth. And this isn’t.
Last time here I was actually just over the bridge in Llanfoist, bemoaning the lack of new entries in Abergavenny.
Now I’m back, killing an hour before Y Cantreff (“Begone BRAPA”) opens at an irritating 12.30 (why?).
There’s two standouts, on either side of the road into town. Don’t confuse your Station with your Railway or you’ll miss your Bass.
Aber is undergoing a bit of High Street revitalisation, or whatever their excuse is for digging up the town.
Luckily the Spoons is unscathed, and serves me a lovely authentic lamb cawl on a proper plate.
Back at Y Cantreff (“Dogs running, watch out”), I spot something that might come in useful later.
It’s a pleasant mix of flagstones and flowers and unpretentious dining.
But mainly dogs running about under your feet and arguing with each other.
Not too many beers, thankfully.
But even the Grey Trees, a lovely beer, can’t quite cut it and has a definite “first out the barrel” feel.
So I follow our canine friends out of Y Cantreff (“Stick to the Butty”) and watch a procession of tradesmen in shorts march in for their Peroni.
To be honest, those plants are lovely, undeserving of NBSS 2.5 beer, and the drain is just as good.
Nay, and thrice nay.
retiredmartin 
As a rough estimate you had three quality pints over your three day trip, right? That seems pretty low odds of getting good beer.
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Mixing your cultural references again, naughty naughty.
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Are you revisiting pubs or are all these new entries? Judging by beer quality, the threshold for GBG inclusion seems to be rather low in Wales.
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The Aber pub is new this year, I’ve completed Gwent before, but all the West Wales are new and most are longstanding.
The beer in Aber wasn’t BAD, just uninspiring and I’m past drinking uninspiring beer.
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I don’t expect beer to be ‘inspiring’ – but still find plenty to whinge about.
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Inspiring the wrong word, but I’ve had Doom Bar twice recently to make you purr. It’s not just Bathams, 6X and Banks’s Mild that does that!
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I suppose that if Lancashire can have a place simply called “Chipping”, then Wales can have one that is no more than “Aber”.
All these duff pints. It’s not another case of the wheeltapper, with his Famous Cracked Hammer is it, Martin?
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What language are the signs in that first photograph? It doesn’t look like Welsh.
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Love your ‘handle’. 🙂
(slow golf clap)
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Butty Bach castle rock harvest pale doom bar and pedigree are the four most ubiquitous beers on my travels…doesn’t make them bad just an observation.
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You see a lot of Harvest Pale in your part of world.
Butty and the HPA probably the beers i see most, after Doom Bar. Doubt i saw Greene King IPA in more than 10 pubs last year, oddly.
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Blimey!! GK should market it more as it’s actually very good when lots of turnover
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Is that a well-known phrase from the Lone Ranger, then? Must confess, apart from the theme-tune, I barely remember it.
(Thought Dorothy’s dog that visited Oz with her was Toto).
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I see the image of the Lone Ranger singing, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.
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The Lone Ranger and Tonto were at the bar drinking, when in walks a cowboy who yells, “Who’s white horse it that outside?”
The Lone Ranger finishes off his whiskey, slams down the glass, turns around and says, “It’s my horse. Why do you want to know?”
The cowboy looks at him and says, “Well, your horse is standing out there in the sun and he don’t look too good.”
The Lone Ranger and Tonto run outside and they see that Silver is in bad shape, suffering from heat exhaustion. The Loan Ranger moves his horse into the shade and gets a bucket of water. He then pours some of the water over the horse and gives the rest to Silver to drink.It is then he notices that there isn’t a breeze so he asks Tonto if he would start running around Silver to get some air flowing and perhaps cool him down.
Being a faithful friend, Tonto starts running around Silver. The Lone Ranger stands there for a bit then realizes there is not much more he can do, so he goes back into the bar and orders another whiskey.
After a bit a cowboy walks in and says, “Who’s white horse is that outside?”
Slowly the Lone Ranger turns around and says, “That is my horse, what is wrong with him now?”
“Nothing,” replies the cowboy, “I just wanted to let you know that you left your Injun running.”
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And you must know this one :
The Lone Ranger and Tonto went camping in the desert. After they got their tent all set up, both men fell sound asleep.Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says, “Kemo Sabe, look towards sky, what you see?”
The Lone Ranger replies, “I see millions of stars.”
“What that tell you?” asked Tonto.
The Lone Ranger ponders for a minute then says, “Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning. Theologically, the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What’s it tell YOU, Tonto?”
“You dumber than buffalo. Someone stole tent.”
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The injun running was new to me but yes, I’d heard the stolen tent one before. 🙂
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All these cultural references come from “Hi Ho Silver Lining by Jeff Beck.
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Had a good laugh at “Pot plant provision to get GBG symbol”; I can just see the little potted plant icon added to certain entries, though I’m not sure if it would signify a pub feature or a warning to steer clear of the pub entirely!
Is there a difference between the “first out of the barrel” taste and the “last out of the barrel” taste?
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“But that was Aberystwyth”
And, from the photo above, Abergavenny is merely Aberystwyth backwards?
“You’re not in the Fens now, Tonto”
Is that the Blorenge in the photo? I climbed up that once back in 1981 for a quiet afternoon of pondering. 🙂
“Proper food”
With a Sanpellegrino instead of a half?
“Pot plant provision to get GBG symbol”
Why doe an herb garden grow herbs but a beer garden doesn’t grow beer?
“and has a definite “first out the barrel” feel.”
(sigh)
“Nay, and thrice nay.”
Maybe that explains why the plants look so good. Oh, and the lacings didn’t look to bad to me.
Cheers
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Llanmaddog spells “God damn all” backwards.
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