retiredmartin

Well, my spreadsheet says just “Fife“, but the GBG is insistent on the Kingdom, and the GBG is definitive when it comes to county names.

It only took three trips up the A1 and over the Firth of Forth to tick Fife,

a county most folks will only know from St Andrews and the chippy in Anstruther.

I reckon Fife’s highlights are the coast,

and the poached eggs and haggis in curry sauce on sourdough for breakfast at the Roasting Project in Burntisland.

But let’s start our tour in the town famous for golf and royal students.

St. Andrews – The Criterion

I didn’t much warm to St Andrews, a bit too Greene King diner, but the Criterion (also top) had Old Boys ordering cheese toasties with their whisky at the bar,

and Kylie Minogue, and the best beer by a mile.

—–

Kinghorn – The Crown

Kinghorn is a loveably plain seaside town,

and the Crown fits perfectly;

a symphony in dark red with classic bench seating,

and rare good cask. I’ll be honest, it was hard finding five (5) pubs with beer better than NBSS 3 in Fife,

but the pubs far, far, outperformed the beer.

And the Gents ?

Wow.

—–

Crail – Golf Hotel

On the Sunday of the 2019 CAMRA AGM I took an incredibly bumpy 99 bus from Dundee round the Fife coast, stopping at 45 minute intervals for wee stops and beer that was barely better (don’t dwell on that).

Unexpectedly, the Golf Hotel had a Cask Marque sign that actually meant something.

I asked the lone cask drinker Hugo what he was drinking. The following exchange actually happened.

“Scuse me. Is that Bitter and Twisted” (pointing to his beer).

” I don’t know what it is yet. I haven’t tasted it“.

Er, no, I meant…Oh never mind.

It was York Guzzler, and it was superb. Great table too.

—–

Dunfermline – Commercial

More people visit Dumbarton than Dunfermline (possibly by accident) but it looked terrific on my trip.

And the Commercial is that ancient unfussy pub with a food offer for gentlefolk that everyone wants in a town.

Those chilli and plaice & chips bargain lunches brought in the jumper brigade, giving the place a warmer character than it might have had if just catering to boozers.

That beer range may look a bit dull, but the strong Loch Leven wasn’t.

—–

Kirkcaldy – Betty Nicols

I would have picked the Harbour Bar, but it’s 26 years since my visit, and Betty Nichols is plenty good enough reason to come to Fife’s seaside town in the rain.

It’s always worth blogging about Kirkcaldy so you can do the old “There’ll be dancing in the streets of Raith” tonight gag,

and Betty’s is a joy, as gorgeous as anything in Edinburgh Morningside, but with cheaper beer. Cool and tasty Jarl, NBSS 3.5.

And a proper Scottish sweet selection.

Fife – Beer 2.5, Pubs 4.5, Calories 3128.5

That’s my first five, what’s your sixth ? Something near Anstruther’s famed (overrated) chippy would be nice.