FRENCH CRISPS AND SUSSEX IMPY STOUT

July 2025. Sheffield.

You’ll remember (you won’t) that Mrs RM had cruelly abandoned me in Sheffield to swan off to Nantes,

to tick mechanical elephant and drink Oompa Loompa stout in craft bars that look like they could have been in Chisinau, or Tallinn,

or Sheffield.

After that “meh” pint of Budvar I needed something more distinctive, and while the Old Shoe’s styling isn’t to, ahem, every Old Codger’s taste,

it seems to be bringing in the female crowd this summer with its Bass Basqeland DIPAs and organic orange wines.

A pint of Clydebank’s Overtone for me, as murky as the Clyde, and because I was thinking of Mrs RM at that moment a bag of French crisps.

The most expensive (huge) bag of crisps I will ever buy, more expensive than crisps at JFK airport, but almost sort of worth it.

And then, because you can never only have one pint in the Shoe,

a third of Beak x 3 Sons, an incredibly soft imperial stout that the enthusiastic chap explained to me in great detail in the misapprehension I know anything about beer*.

Meanwhile in Nantes at the Little (petite, surely ?) Atlantique Brewery, Mrs RM was on the pastry sours.

She was no doubt forced to eat snails and frogs legs that night. I had proper food from Sang Lung;

*Unlike the Old Shoe team, I really don’t

Unknown's avatar

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.

10 thoughts on “FRENCH CRISPS AND SUSSEX IMPY STOUT”

  1. I think your focus needs to be on the price of beer in pubs, you can call me if you wish 07815905303, but I recently contacted the editor of the morning advertiser to ask why someone can’t investigate why beer in bottles in the supermarket is so much cheaper than we as a pub can buy it in kegs, hey its a simple question , my accusation is the breweries are in cahoots with the supermarkets and we are subsidising the offer for them, the editor thought I was talking out of my arse, but that publication is only for the chain gang, and any conversations about Spoons buying out of date beer is also rubbish, also if our government wants to stop bing drinking, it ain’t happening in pubs its too expensive.
    You have actually been it my pub The Grapes Inn Slingsby York. TTFN
    Regards,
    Leigh Spoons
    Well Spooner actually.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. I don’t get many comments from pubs on here; I stopped copying in on my blog posts as I don’t really want to be seen as a reviewer or someone whose every word needs to be taken too seriously.

        But I do have immense respect for publicans and pub staff as I hope comes through on the blog.

        Incidentally, Leigh Spoons (the Thomas Burke) is a cracker.

        Like

    2. I sympathise with pubs that have to buy beer at higher prices than certain pubs can sell it at.

      I’ve only been in the Grapes once and you certainly couldn’t have been doing more to bring in the custom to keep the pub viable and keep pumps flowing.

      Sadly, I’m not even sure reducing price differentials with supermarkets is the answer. People are just drinking less these days. Folk will always want to go out and socialise, but they won’t drink as much.

      All the best.

      Like

      Reply

    3. The breweries don’t need to be in cahoots with the supermarkets, the power of the supermarkets has the same effect.

      Tesco: Hey, we need a better price on Carling so we can offer a slab for £9.99.
      Carling: No can do, soz. Times are tough, y’know?
      Tesco: OK, we’ll delist you until you change your mind.
      Carling (losing £2m in sales a day): Shit, OK then, I suppose we can cut the price a bit more…

      It’s a constant process of brinksmanship in negotiations with these retailers and their suppliers.

      Obviously you are partially right in that the breweries’ profit margin is squeezed to the bone by the supermarkets and they need to make that up by charging more to pubs, so in a real sense pub drinkers are subsidising sofa drinkers.

      Like

      Reply

    2. Ah I once drank a litre of Breton cloudy cider and then walked out in 34 celsius full sun.
      Highly recommended if you fancy an evening being treated for heatstroke.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment