Ah, Stevenage, the Skelmersdale of the South.
Actually, it’s not that bad. There’s a few good estate pubs for a start. And the hospital where Mrs RM spent 48 hours in labour. But enough of that, for now.
We walked the mile from the Beefeater into the Old Town, the first Stevenage tourists since it won Floral Town (large) (Herts) 1988.
I hardly remembered it from 20 years ago when we moved from Hitchin, and certainly hardly recognised it. The New Town is hard to love, but the Old Town was a delight.
Mrs RM scowled at the library; I thought Gardies (?) looked wonderful. Whatever it is.
In 1992 I spent my stag night, perhaps the most innocent stag night since 1872, at a curry house in Stevenage. It might have been this one. I forget.
Mrs RM was sceptical about the qualities of the new Guide craft bar tucked down a side street,
but the Broken Seal was an unexpected joy. Mostly.
As cutting-edge as anything in Sheffield or Waterbeach, high stools, ambient music and one of those electronic beer display boards we all love. All it lacked was someone to serve us.
“Go and knock on the door on the left” said the helpful customer. I knocked on the right.
The overworked chap was probably adding the wort or whatever folk do in brewery taps, but he obviously heard Mrs RM moaning about lack of beer even if he missed my feeble knock.
I bought a pint of the cask Citra (perfect temperature, 3.5) and two halves of Six Hills keg and thought they were splendid.
Mrs RM was too concerned about falling off the stool to enjoy them, and I had pulled a muscle levering my lithe body onto the seat. I HATE high tables.
“The struggle with high bar stools is real” said Mrs RM, and I said I’d used that as the blog title.
But I forgot, didn’t I ?
retiredmartin 
Those look like particularly bad high stools. And I hate even good high stools.
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Eurghh! They have beer from Mold! Nothing good can come from Mold. (says the Wrexham boy)
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I’m pretty certain that the first time I saw one of those electronic, beer display boards, was three and a half years ago, in the good, old US of A.
Easier to read than a chalkboard and easier to update, especially if the bar-staff have wonky handwriting, but it still reminds me of that trip, and bars with upwards of 30 beers on their menus!
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Electronic beer display boards have made it as far as Shetland, Lerwick’s bijou Dowry Bar has one. Not as many beers on it though.
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Just Tennents?
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It’s actually one of only two pubs/bars in Lerwick that doesn’t have Tennent’s! Punk IPA, Heverlee and a selection of 9% mango and brown sauce DIPAs at eye-watering prices.
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Brown sauce DIPA. Mmmmm.
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Blimey! Stevenage (I live here) has become famous. First, Retired Martin, then I bumped into Pubmeister here last week and I believe BRAPA is due here soon.
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Well John, I saw Duncan on Thursday and he told me what a great night you had; seeking out Doom Bar in the New Town, wasn’t it ?
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Seeking out anything that wasn’t Greene King
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Mate, I already put Stevenage on the map https://zythophile.co.uk/2019/08/31/the-i-was-a-teen-under-aged-drinker-50th-anniversary-pub-crawl/
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Great read. Not sure what’s most terrifying, the New Town now, or your hair at 18 !
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