What a month September was.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
In sport, England won the Ashes after the Aussies returned home before the 100 ball decider, Liverpool clinched the Premier League, and VAR was cheered to the rafters in Tottenham.
Elsewhere, Cambridge finally got a Brewdog , Mrs RM started a blog just to slag off Maidenhead‘s most famous craft bar,
and half of the Southworth clan made it to the UK’s most socialist Spoons in Maldon.
Just to prove I can be nice about London, this was my view of the month.
September saw me in South London, Newcastle, Milton Keynes, Rotherham, Doncaster, Maidenhead, Horsham, Hertford, Norwich and Wycombe. Only one of those isn’t worth a two week holiday in November.
Of course, the highlight came early with the arrival of the new Good Beer Guide.
THE STATS
And I was off to a flier, merrily ticking sixty (60) new GBG pubs in Month 1 of GBG ’20. I need at least 50 a month, remember.
That took me well ahead of Duncan, who’d been dispatched to Moldova to find Non-League moth pre-emptives, and BRAPA, who’s been walking Hardian’s Wall looking for the “Welcome to Scotland” sign.
Beer quality was pretty impressive in the first week, possibly because it was nearly all Greene King IPA, but had tailed off by Whittlesey, which nevertheless provided the pub slouches of the month, and the best fashion range.
NEW PUB OF THE MONTH – TYNEMOUTH SOCIAL CLUB
First win for a social club. Ever. Wonderful folk, and I get to drink Newcy Brown for the first time too, sparking a lifelong interest in Dutch beers.
The Ashton Tap really ought to be joint winner, so it is .
BEER OF THE MONTH – PEDIGREE IN THE ELM TREE, CAMBRIDGE
Never heard of it before, will probably never see it again.
All the beers and pubs on that Monday afternoon with Old Mudgie and West Suffolk Andrew were superb.
OCTOBER PREVIEW
Three nights in Crewe to start the month, with trips to the Etihad, Stafford and IndyMan from a picturesque Cheshire base.
Then the Southworth brothers tip up for a series of inadvisable pub crawls round northern towns, culminating in Leek, which sounds unmissable.
Apart from that, I’ll be targeting the places that become more inaccessible as we get into Winter (which according to pubs has already started); places like Holy Island, Greenock and Windsor.
Splendid performance and a definite early season lead. No surprise after a strong pre-season and some shrewd dealings in the transfer window. You have still got a terrible taste in beer though!
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Aren’t you doing Liverpool on Friday with us PubMen between staying in Crewe and the week with the Southworths ?
And while in Crewe will you have time for the Hop Pole ?
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Not doing Liverpool. Nothing new there this year. And will be missing Mrs RM after 3 nights in Crewe.
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Is it common for a city that size to have nothing new? I assumed there would always be a new micro…
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Okay, We shall each raise a (pint) glass of Draught Bass to you in the White Star.
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Ooh don’t
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It may be a case of And Then There Were Three in Liverpool, then, although Alex aka Quosh may also turn up. Never mind, I doubt that the conversation will flag 😀
Are you doing Manchester on Monday 14th, Martin?
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I certainly hope to join you in Manchester and Leek.
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I have found that three or four can talk as much nonsense as a dozen, and can be an ideal when finding tables and avoiding group a splits!
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Or maybe a glass of Carling!!
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T’other Mudgie,
I do hope so. We’ve got seven months of news about Alex aka Quosh’s ailments to catch up on.
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Manchester and leak? Now I reckoned the number of pubs around there with the one BBB would get you excited, but that seems a bit excessive.
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Only half made it to Maldon but not due to a flight cancellation.
You really are caught up!
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My friend in Macclesfield is married to a lass from Leek, so I’ll be interested in reading about your experiences there. Will this be your first pub-ticking visit there?
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Oh no, 6th trip I think, but first for a couple of years. Last time I raved about the Earl Grey pub and the meringues!
Haven’t been to Macc for 4 years, oddly.
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The Wilkes Head is still my favourite.
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