A WEEK IN TIER 2

It’s a week since pubs re-opened in Tiers 1 and 2, presumably a Wetherspoons in Gorleston was first because the sun rises in the west.

As BRAPA was crying about the other day, pub-going in Tier 2, which as you’ll know constitutes the parts of the UK that can behave themselves, isn’t REALLY pub-going.

You should choose a pub to visit based on the quality of the mobility scooters outside, not the state of your stomach.

Actually, I haven’t seen a single mobility scooter outside any of the eight pubs I’ve managed this first week, which says it all.

Eight pubs. A Greene King diner, a Greene King community pub, a Vintage Inn, a Wetherpoons (report coming soon !), a Punch village boozer, an Enterprise village all-rounder, a microbrewery pizza pub, a rural free house.

Eight pubs making a go of it, while many in Tier 2 have decided it’s not worth the hassle/disinterest/extra staff cost. All of them safe, friendly and worth a trip, and with a decently priced “substantial meal” in all.

The good news is the beer so far has been fantastic, just as it was in those halcyon days after 4 July.

Nothing below NBSS 3.5, several pints falling into the “Wow, taste this, this is what real ale is all about !” category.

Fresh deliveries, clean lines, cool cellars, a smaller range of beers on the bar. It’s not hard.

Sadly, most of them far too quiet for Christmas month.

Frankly, folk don’t go to the pub for food. Many of us #PubMen actively dislike the look and smell of salad and chips next to our pint/half/third.

The sooner we get out of this, the better. Take the vaccine.

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

17 thoughts on “A WEEK IN TIER 2”

  2. Hi Martin, since switching to my new computer – read all about it here, https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2020/12/and-now-for-something-completely.html, I’ve been unable to post any comments on your blog using either of my accounts – WordPress or Google Blogger.

    Not sure why, but personal settings seem to be very computer-specific. It needs someone with more knowledge of these matters than me to sort this issue out, so these comments are coming from my work PC, where I’m logged in under my WordPress account. Don’t tell the boss!

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    1. You could always try not using any account at all – no emails etc. are needed. That’s what I and others do. You just get the generic avatar, otherwise it’s all fine, Paul.

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    1. Yes, I wouldn’t mind the occasional substantial meal in a pub.

      I live in Tier 3 Sheffield, where the latest publicly available figures for new coronavirus infections per 100,000 (in the week to 4 December) stand at 137, just below the national average. Meanwhile in good old safe Tier 2 Luton Town, where a crowd (well, a thousand fans – is that a crowd?) was allowed to attend last Wednesday’s match against Norwich City, the seven-day infection rate is 281 and almost off the scale. Now I know that this is not the only criterion for the tiers, but it’s the only one we as ordinary bods can access, as far as I know, and it’s just a little difficult to comprehend.

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      1. Same here.
        Its been too long, we are just above 200 in the black country so we will be in tier 3 for Christmas.
        A pub like the Black Country Arms, with stacks of room for social distancing, and lots of options for substantial meals staying closed on the run up to Christmas is criminal 😢

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  4. Halcyon…that bird of Greek legend, which had the power to calm the seas to build its floating nest, and gives its name to a period of peace and tranquility…on July the twentieth, nineteen sixty-nine, the Sea of Tranquility was the landing site for the first manned mission to the Moon, and three small craters to the north of the base have been named Aldrin, Collins, and Armstrong, in honour of the Apollo eleven’s crew.

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  6. “You should choose a pub to visit based on the quality of the mobility scooters outside, not the state of your stomach.”

    Surely that should be ‘quantity’ of mobility scooters. 😉

    “Actually, I haven’t seen a single mobility scooter outside any of the eight pubs I’ve managed this first week, which says it all.”

    I’d say partly due to weather but, more importantly, they gravitate towards wet-led pubs, akin to Alan Winfield.

    “and with a decently priced “substantial meal” in all.”

    🙂

    “The good news is the beer so far has been fantastic, just as it was in those halcyon days after 4 July.”

    That’s certainly something to ponder.

    “Nothing below NBSS 3.5, several pints falling into the “Wow, taste this, this is what real ale is all about !” category.”

    Blimey.

    “Fresh deliveries, clean lines, cool cellars, a smaller range of beers on the bar. It’s not hard.”

    Good lord, that does make one ponder.

    “Sadly, most of them far too quiet for Christmas month.”

    (sigh)

    “The sooner we get out of this, the better.”

    Agreed!

    “Take the vaccine.”

    (no comment) 😉

    Cheers

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