retiredmartin

A title only Matthew Lawrenson will get, I suspect. Not sure Mobberley‘s Church Inn deserves a post, but it was gorgeous and pubby and one of those qualities is a bit rare in Cheshire. Five minutes up the line back to Manchester from Knutsford; it’s actually just about on the map I used in the… Continue reading ZABADAK ! – IT’S MOBBERLEY

WARNING : DO NOT READ WHILE EATING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. A life’s mission to complete the Beer Guide has to play the cards that CAMRA deal. The obligatory closed micro, misunderstandings at the bar, a Brewer’s Fayre in Fife. But worst of all are the identikit gastropubs and wine bars of Cheshire, my least… Continue reading BRAVING KNUTSFORD

Not just the Mac’s punk’s finest moment, immortalised in the Smashing Pumpkins “1979”, but yet another example of how pubs these days go the extra mile to offer patrons enhanced restroom experiences. See also Draft House, Aberdeen. The Roebuck in Draycott in the Clay, in the heart of Pedi/Bass land, hardly merits a post. Flat… Continue reading TUSK

“Will he stop banging on about Doom Bar ?” I hear you moan. Well, no. Having confirmed it can be a tremendous beer three times now, I feel compelled to test that hypothesis for you at every opportunity. Particularly when it’s £1.69 a pint. Actually, £1.49 with my token in Huntingdon Spoons, which suggests some… Continue reading (NEARLY) NEW SPOONS ON TUESDAY

99% of my pub visits, i.e. 594 a year, are enjoyable affairs. The odd one, a Conservative Club in Berkshire or a Buckinghamshire gastro with high tables for drinkers for instance, will disappoint. Very rarely do I leave a pub upset, unless they’ve been showing a City CAR decision or have Coldplay on repeat. The… Continue reading “BITTER MEANS JOHN SMITHS SMOOTH”

Yes, it’s the one you’ve been waiting for. A first visit to the Queen of the East Coast since, ooh, before BRAPA started. Wiki tells me it’s a seaside resort, apparently. There were a good few dozen dotted on the beach on a cold Autumn Sunday. And Jehovah’s Witnesses. I confess I always assumed it… Continue reading GORLESTON – KLASS-Y

A few dull ones in Norfolk, now.  Perhaps. I’d promised Curry Charles a night in Gorleston to help me complete the GBG here, but frankly accommodation, let alone curry, options were a little threadbare so I’m taking him to Leicester on Sunday.  I believe there is curry there. Gorleston was doable by train, and with… Continue reading A NARROW RANGE IN THE BROADS

The plan was good. Meet Quosh in Stalyvegas for a quick half in the Crafty Pint (or was it a crafty pint in the Quick Half) and be back at my hotel (well, Oldham Travelodge) nice and early to catch up with the blog. But I’m not a ticking professional like Pubmeister, and I get… Continue reading STALYBRIDGE – NO PERMANENT DAMAGE

On the Friday I headed east (or is it west ? Mudgie will know) for a couple of Greater Manchester GBG ticks. And before you complain, I know Greater Manchester isn’t a real place. The metro takes you through a real ale wasteland that unfortunately includes the Etihad. Keg but kute So you can understand… Continue reading GONE IN 60 SECONDS – PLUM PORTER IN DROYLSDEN