January 2025. Cambridge. Leaving the Castle Inn the only polite thing to do is the 7.2 seconds of exertion it takes to climb the actual castle hill and admire Cambridge from its highest point. Or not. Across the road, you’ve got an almost hill leading to St Peter, and the form over substance of Kettles… Continue reading CATCHING CAMBRIDGE’S EAGLE AT THE PERFECT MOMENT

January 2025. Cambridge. I’ve read a few disparaging comments about the Cambridge pub scene recently, and although I’ve never been the biggest advocate for my home town I’m delighted to tell you that beer quality, at least, is holding up in Mill Road and the Kite quarter. Perhaps the charismatic landlords of yore have gone,… Continue reading BARRY WOM AND THE CASTLE INN

January 2025. Cambridge. Apart from Crispy Beef and a pint in The Sun, Waterbeach’s saving grace is its train railway station; an hour to London, 10 minutes to Cambridge, and only seven to Cambridge North aka Chesterton, from where I attempt a rare assault on 20,000 steps and only just fall short. I have no… Continue reading DRYANUARY IN CHESTERTON

January 2025. Royston. Is this the year of McMullens ? A new GBG entrant in Sevenoaks, lauded by Kentish Paul, if not BRAPA, and some very decent cask in un-pubby surroundings on Stafford Paul’s visit to Cambridge. It’s almost like cask breathers have been forgiven. I took Mrs RM for lunch in Royston. The Manor… Continue reading McMULLEN’S IN ROYSTON

January 2025. Thriplow. Mum’s carer comes at lunchtime, hopefully to get her to eat more, and we nip out for a quick dose of “not Waterbeach”. The Queen’s Head at Newton is unexpectedly closed, which is frankly something one of the Famous Five should never be. But a couple of miles south, just above Duxford’s… Continue reading INSET DAY IN THRIPLOW

January 2025. Eddington. Cambridge. 25 years ago ALL the pubs in Cambridge had real ale, 100%. I still have the book (thanks, Paul AInsworth) to prove it. It wasn’t always good (looking at you, Pemberton Arms), but that’s not the point, is it ? This century has seen marginal cask outlets in the Cambridge suburbs… Continue reading CASK DROPPED IN EDDINGTON HYATT

January 2025. Waterbeach. A slow start, but having caught up entirely on New Year’s Eve I now have reports on FOUR (4) pubs to bring you. None of them will change the world, or allow me to apply pink Stabilo marker to the Good book, but, unless you’re BRAPA, there’s more to life than marker… Continue reading What beer SHOULD look like

That last post was my 7,000th blog post in my 10th blogging year. Oddly, even with the interruption of “real life” (parental ageing) in recent years the regularity of blogs hasn’t let up. I guess visiting 20 pubs a week helps avoid the risk of writers block. 844 posts last year, just a series of… Continue reading BLOGGING

My lawyers have reminded me that even though I’ve just issued an Annual Report for 2024 I do need to do a December highlights post. I know how litigious old CAMRA members are; they’re still trying to get CAMRA to reinstate their monthly edition of What’s Brewing on papyrus. Gives me chance to recall that… Continue reading DECEMBER ’24 STOCKTAKE AND JANUARY PREVIEW