The first week of September sees Duncan, Simon and myself comparing the entries in the new Good Beer Guide to the massive spreadsheet/rolls of papyrus containing previous ticks. By and large it’s the same entries year after year, despite retirements, rebranding and the plague (Maidenhead). The entries for North Hertfordshire are pretty much the same… Continue reading BALDOCK ? ARE YOU SURE ?
WATERLOO SUNSET
I spent ages trying to think of a title before this one popped up from nowhere. Always go with the easy option, kids. Singalong with Ray now… From the bustle of Borough we took the quiet back streets south of the river to the South Bank. I hope Mrs RM doesn’t dig too deep and… Continue reading WATERLOO SUNSET
HARVEYS + LANDLORD = MORE BOROUGH BRILLIANCE
Sometime blogging is easy. All I need to do is show you the frontage of a gorgeous backstreet London pub, and a couple of foaming pints of BBB, and make a joke about pashminas. Job done. Oh, and stick a map in. I was a bit confused, as the King’s Arms sounds a bit familiar,… Continue reading HARVEYS + LANDLORD = MORE BOROUGH BRILLIANCE
A BOROUGH BOUNCE
There’s an amazing thing about the new Beer Guide, genuinely extraordinary if you’re a GBG nerd. Here’s a little extract from The Big Spreadsheet showing my progress by GBG chapter. For the first time ever, ever, I’d completed a chapter on Day 1, without lifting a finger. And it was Central London. Yes, the… Continue reading A BOROUGH BOUNCE
PUBLIC BAR, POTTON
Back to a Proper Pub, not just Proper Football for my 4th tick in GBG20. The first month of a new GBG sees me heading out for the Great Home Counties Clearances; Cambs, Herts, Beds, Essex and Bucks. In 2019 you expect all the new entries to be called things like “Millies @ No.37” or… Continue reading PUBLIC BAR, POTTON
GOOD BEER GUIDE 2020 – NOT JUST PUBS
Two days into GBG20 (the embargo days, anyway) and my first non-traditional tick. Loads of Beer Guide entries that don’t look like a Sam Smiths or a Marston’s 2-for-1, of course, and more by the year, even ignoring all those converted banks and shoe cupboards that are now Spoons and micropubs. And don’t get me… Continue reading GOOD BEER GUIDE 2020 – NOT JUST PUBS
RING OUT THE BELLS ! CAMBRIDGE GETS ITS BREWDOG
Misleading advertising already. There is no cask at the week old, long-awaited Cambridge BrewDog. The Nine to Five Wizard sold on the Saturday it came in, or so a delightfully cheery barman told me. That sort of occasional cask availability won’t get BrewDog in the Beer Guide, and I bet the BDs are devastated about… Continue reading RING OUT THE BELLS ! CAMBRIDGE GETS ITS BREWDOG
HOUGHTON MILL, GREENE KING THRILL
Straight into the new GBG20 entries, then. I expect Duncan did them in 1987, mind. None of you guessed No.1. Of course, it was the Red Lion in Maldon. Almost a clue in the name. Sort of. Mrs RM and I met Joan and Dave Southworth there and used up lots of Spoons vouchers on… Continue reading HOUGHTON MILL, GREENE KING THRILL
HAPPY NEW GOOD BEER GUIDE 2020 DAY !
Grief, I nearly forgot to jump on the bandwagon by doing a new Good Beer Guide post on official launch day, the nation’s second favourite after my birthday Ed Balls Day. First things first. Thanks to all the CAMRA volunteers who recommend and score pubs. They do a fantastic job. Ignore the naysayers who tell… Continue reading HAPPY NEW GOOD BEER GUIDE 2020 DAY !
KEEP RIGHT ON TO THE END OF THE ROAD
My annual post for all of you who follow my musical recommendations with as much reverence as my pub tips. Yes, the End of the Road Festival highlights package. Larmer Gardens is tucked away on Cranborne Chase just south of Salisbury, which always seems more remote than the 3hrs 20 it takes. BRAPA will know… Continue reading KEEP RIGHT ON TO THE END OF THE ROAD
