WINTER WARMERS

December 2024. Cambridge.

Christmas shopping. For Mum, obviously, I haven’t bought a single Christmas present for 30 years and I haven’t been struck down dead yet.

Five (5) shops I visited in Cambridge looking for size 12 velcro slippers, finally tracking them down in Marks & Spencers in the underwhelming market place.

I popped in Lloyds, one of Cambridge’s most gorgeous buildings,

then headed back to the station, the inevitable rail delay giving me 20 minutes in a pub. It’s what train delays were invented for.

I popped in Slingers, a darts themed bar on the station approach, drawn in by the promise of Chocolate Marshmallow Porter,

but a large group of office workers were in slow, careful, deliberation over drink choices.

“What’s a crushable IPA” asks one.

“I dunno. Ask for a taster” I offer, which I’m sure the staff will have appreciated.

I  cut my losses, and nip in Young’s Station Tavern. Young’s used to brew you know.

It’s a characterless modern bar, but as busy as I’ve ever seen it, family groups and mates meeting for Christmas.

Ah, a Christmas beer.

Another decent seasonal ale, a slight hint of sharpness but tasty enough (NBSS 3),

and definitely not bad enough for a plant pot pour.

I miss plant pot pours.

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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.

16 thoughts on “WINTER WARMERS”

    1. Didn’t he even offer you a lift to the Queens Head? Pretty difficult to get there by bus from Cambridge. Then, of course, he took you “North East” from Newton to Harlton. Also pretty difficult.
      Happy Birthday, RM.

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      1. Yes, Martin offered me a lift to the Queens Head but there were other things he needed doing and I got there in good time on the 7 bus and 31 minibus.

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      3. Well as one who had a life of not using buses I’m surprised these past two years how I’ve taken to using my bus pass almost weekly. It’s got me about to many more places and occasionally is a bit of an adventure, e.g. Me “Does this go to Newton”, 31 minibus driver “I don’t know”, it did !

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  5. Is Winter Warmer what it was when brewed in Wandsworth?

    I asked an old friend, and a fellow Youngs drinker back in Wandsworth days what seems to be wrong.

    “What’s the word that Retired Martin bloke uses?”, quoth pal. “Chewy”, I replied.

    “That gets it”, said friend. And he was absolutely right, the chewyness is no more.

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