I will get back to cheery posts very soon, but I’m trying to keep this blog roughly chronological, so sorry Newport. My relationship with the City (really ?) has always been up and down, despite the array of budget hotels that draw me back again and again. In 2010 I took my Dad to watch… Continue reading NEWPORT REINTRODUCES SUNDAY CLOSING
HO HO HO
I’ve been pretty complimentary about Greene King lately, and there is a faint possibility that my choice for best pub will be one of theirs, though the Dove oddly doesn’t serve any of their beers. So it’s time to redress the balance a bit and be Mr Grumpy. The Horse & Groom in Clapham (not… Continue reading HO HO HO
NORWICH – CITY OF BEER ?
Richard Coldwell posed an excellent question on his Ouhouse blog the other week. “Why are only Derby, Norwich and Sheffield vying for the world’s best beer city“, referring to the editorial in the new Beer Guide. The answer may be simply because Mansfield, Stockport and Nuneaton are towns not cities. It might also because there’s more interest in… Continue reading NORWICH – CITY OF BEER ?
JOHN SMITHS IN PETERBOROUGH ESTATE PUBS
Regular contributor Malcolm recently requested I do a penance (for questionable apostrophe usage) of three pints of John Smiths before 10am. I’m sure Malcolm meant JS Smooth, as I’d be quite happy to accept that challenge if the cask was available in any Spoons. Johns cask is still a pint I’d go for given the choice. Unlike Bass,… Continue reading JOHN SMITHS IN PETERBOROUGH ESTATE PUBS
ELGOODS – A HOME WIN
My last Beer Guide pub in Cambridgeshire turned out to be a small joy, just as completing your home county before September is out is a joy. Take note Simey BRAPA Man. 20 years into Beer Guide ticking, you reach a point where there aren’t quite so many return trips into darkest Fenland annually, each… Continue reading ELGOODS – A HOME WIN
SEPTEMBER STOCKTAKE
The month that began with wailing and gnashing of teeth over non-delivery of the new Beer Guide ended with some revelatory trips to Nuneaton, Luton and Stevenage. Decent walking weather in the main, and a couple of glorious days in Halifax and Manchester while it bucketed down in the South. The sun shines on… Continue reading SEPTEMBER STOCKTAKE
THE GREAT NORTHERN – A TRIBUTE TO LUTON
Or, Luton gets the basics right In February I gave (I hope) an affectionate account of Luton‘s unchanging appeal, never better captured than in the attractive Irish pubs, real ale or not. Many of those along Hitchin Road are long gone, victims of repressive legislation in 2007 and the emergence of “home entertainment”. A few… Continue reading THE GREAT NORTHERN – A TRIBUTE TO LUTON
THE SUN, PICKERING
I could have lumped this one in with Cropton, but I reckon the Sun deserves some attention of it’s own. A definite Top 100 pub contender. It was certainly the highlight of a quick walk round Pickering, a town that suffers from the A170 steaming through it. The High Street was set back, but scarcely more… Continue reading THE SUN, PICKERING
NEW INN, CROPTON BREWERY TOUR OVERNIGHTER
When I retired I received one of those Red Letter vouchers with a choice of activities involving near brushes with death (go-carting, parachuting, prosecco tasting etc). They should add some really scary things like “Taking your pint back in the Charlie Chaplin” Our power boating trip on the Thames was a highlight of the year… Continue reading NEW INN, CROPTON BREWERY TOUR OVERNIGHTER
STEVENAGE NEW TOWN. AND GREENE KING.
Folk who just track down interesting beers and classic pubs miss out on a lot. Simon goes to Hoyland, which even people in Barnsley have never visited. I get a trip “home” to Stevenage to tick off a Greene King pub. Retirement is underrated. Stevenage is, of course, best known as the stunt double for Slough… Continue reading STEVENAGE NEW TOWN. AND GREENE KING.
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