retiredmartin

June 2023. Walthamstow.

My eighth (8th) and last new London tick meant a slog up to Walthamstow’s Blackhorse Road,

starting point for the famous Blackhorse Beer Mile comprising 37 breweries, wineries, German delis and make up artists.

So famous that I’d never heard of it, always associating the Walthamstow beer scene with Ravenswood Industrial Estate. Which just shows how out of touch I am with the microbrewery scene, but do I care ?

It’s a pleasant mile’s walk to Beerblefish, the only Guide entry (wonder why ?), where you seem to walk through an industrial estate that would have fixed my Aygo before I dumped it on my brother-in-law last year,

and when you reach your destination you realise it’s not going on the CAMRA heritage list any time soon.

It reminds me of many, many, microbreweries on industrial estates visited these last 10 years or so, the notable difference being that cask takes precedence on beer board,

and the Australian guy, a real gem who whom I share memories of Jimmy Barnes, is as passionate about the real stuff as anyone in CAMRA.

Obviously after saying all that I have the keg to start anyway, but it’s that Pan Galactic Pale that really impresses.

As do the loos, twinned with Zambia.

I guess you’d expect me to say the Zambians have got the better of the deal, won’t you ?