7th February 2020
Paul had a detailed itinerary for his first ever exploration of Congleton, thanks to WhatPub and his diligent research going back decades.
The four GBG entries comprised a micropub, a modern beer bar, the local microbrewery tap, and the revitalised Joules pub. NONE of those were on Paul’s list, of course.
The Lion & Swan is a very imposing, traditional hotel that had everything we needed for a half hour stop before the midday openers. Apart from real ale, sadly*. Beartown in bottles, which we politely declined.
That was Paul’s last option with a civilised morning opening, so I made him walkthe bounds and admire the heritage before the noon openers.
I tried to coax Paul into recent GBG entry the Lord Mountbatten with its Boddingtons heritage and promise of six microbrewery beers.
Paul wasn’t convinced, and luckily for him it never opened anyway.
Over the River Dane to the Ram’s Head, whose WhatPub entry tells us;
This description was written in 1998 and may be out of date.
Small busy urban neighbourhood pub with virtually untouched interior; the last of its kind in the town. Meals planned for 1998. The car park is tiny. The rare Highgate Mild is wonderful !
Wow, an untouched interior too scary to visit since 1997.
Paul peered in.
“I think I can see Black Sheep“.
“I think he’s gesturing he opens at 2“.
But WhatPub said 12. More vital information for Cheshire branch.
This was getting silly. Don’t Congletonians drink at lunchtime anymore?
More to the point, where’s the nearest loo?
*Yes I am notifying the lovely local CAMRA folk via WhatPub.
retiredmartin 
Catching up on the 93 blogs you have posted since Friday. That is the oddest Whatpub write up I have seen. Surely someone could have checked the pub out. Apart from you two.
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It is odd, almost like the pub is haunted and branch members are scared to go in (kidding, Macc CAMRA)
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“The four GBG entries comprised a micropub, a modern beer bar, the local microbrewery tap, and the revitalised Joules pub. NONE of those were on Paul’s list, of course”.
I didn’t know the GBG entries until reading them here a couple of minutes ago and I think you’ve proved that there would have been no point in me buying the latest edition – especially as all my eight pints of beer in Congleton last Friday were “good”.
“I think he’s gesturing he opens at 2“.but I shall never know if those two fingers indicated that I wasn’t the sort of customer he wanted in his pub.
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The Landlord in the Bulls Head is merely indicating it’s been 2 decades since the last CAMRA survey.
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The beer I enjoyed in your company was indeed good, Paul.
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“Good” but maybe “dull and uninspiring” to the GBG compilers.
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Many years ago I remember taking a look at the Ram’s Head with John Clarke to see whether it qualified for the National Inventory, but we concluded that it didn’t. However, I think it was on the same trip that we found the Vine at Pitshill, Tunstall, which certainly did 😀
https://pubheritage.camra.org.uk/pubs/144
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