I may have my reservations about the micropub model, but the welcome from owners and customers is often an exemplar of how you want to be greeted in a pub. One pub to go to complete the set of London GBG ticks for this year (take that BRAPA !), and an unusually difficult one. Not… Continue reading THE UPMINSTER TAP
MUNDY BOIS, MONDAY JOY
I’m struggling to find much to whinge about at the moment, what with good beer in London, sunshine in Stockport and micropubs opening when they say they will. I’ll hope for worse tomorrow. Monday opening, or lack of it, has been a reliable source of gloom over recent years, making Sunday overnighters just that bit… Continue reading MUNDY BOIS, MONDAY JOY
TOP 100 PUBS – THE PINEAPPLE, KENTISH TOWN
a.k.a. Kentish Town the easy way Vol II 20 years ago NW5’s Pineapple looked the business and sold Bass, though it wasn’t great Bass on my visit. These days it’s dropped the Bass, but the beer it does sell is some of the best in London. So, in a bit of a good beer desert between the… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE PINEAPPLE, KENTISH TOWN
KENTISH TOWN THE EASY WAY – VOL 1
Suddenly I understand what Dad’s Taxi means. First an escort for my youngest to the glitz of Covent Garden to see “An Inspector Calls” (quite brilliant, apart from the legroom) at the Playhouse last Thursday. You may be impressed to hear that; My son asked if I’d like to tick off a pub before the play. I said… Continue reading KENTISH TOWN THE EASY WAY – VOL 1
BAMFORD – PEAKS, PALE, POST & PROG
Yesterday I found myself in one of those patches of the UK with more breweries than Good Beer Guide pubs, the type which make a bit of a nonsense of the GBG App when you’re looking for the nearest pub. It won’t be too long before Guide entries are outweighed by breweries, few of which will have… Continue reading BAMFORD – PEAKS, PALE, POST & PROG
A STOCKPORT STAGGER – SKINNY LATTE VERSION
A Friday night pub crawl in the Stockport rain has few cultural equals, even without the frisson of excitement that comes with a venture into the wild suburbs. Another night in Stockport, another new hotel too, with the southern Premier Inn scoring highly on cheery staff, less well on Wi-Fi, and providing a view of more underrated Stocky… Continue reading A STOCKPORT STAGGER – SKINNY LATTE VERSION
ABBOTS BROMLEY – BACK ON THE BASS
My pub heroes of 2016 were Stockport CAMRA, for making a pub with one real ale their Pub of the Year. This year may well be the turn of Rochdale, Oldham and Bury CAMRA, for getting Draught Bass into two of their GBG pubs. Drink it up, Rochdale. The downside of the Beer Guide route… Continue reading ABBOTS BROMLEY – BACK ON THE BASS
NEW MILLS, HANDY FOR THE HILLS
New Mills seems to have a particularly poor reputation among people who’ve never been there, rather like Oldham in fact. A work colleague who stayed in one of those posh B&Bs in neighbouring Hayfield, Smarmfields I think it was called, claimed never to have heard of the town. Clearly, I’m a big fan. We stayed… Continue reading NEW MILLS, HANDY FOR THE HILLS
ON THE KEG IN CAMBRIDGE
On the sunniest day of the year so far I managed to coax Mrs RM out for a walk. Only down to Waterbeach station and round the main drag of Cambridge at lunchtime, but it’s a start. Cambridge station is looking rather different these days, a vast development of flats, hotels and bike shops transforming one… Continue reading ON THE KEG IN CAMBRIDGE
THOUGHTS ON FESTS
There’s been a few reports of disillusion with Beer Festivals recently (e.g. here ). I’m not a fan, but each to their own, and as Pub Curmudgeon noted, they’re increasingly a social event. @NHS_Martin @tandleman @SirQuinno Yes, festivals have become a "special event", also great opportunity for networking — Pub Curmudgeon 🍻 (@oldmudgie) March 13,… Continue reading THOUGHTS ON FESTS
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