February 2024. Hanley. Stoke-on-Trent. Before I get to the last pub of the night, I need to confess that when the driver of the Number 4 back to Hanley asked to see my day bus ticket I flashed him my receipt by mistake. I take full responsibility. Back in the “capital of the Potteries“, nowt… Continue reading GREAT PUBS REVISITED No. 5 – THE COACHMAKERS ARMS, HANLEY
Tag: Bass
ONE BEER IS PLENTY, OFTEN MORE THAN ENOUGH
February 2024. Leek. An hour till Benks, my second Leek Guide debutant opened (hopefully), time to walk the bounds and take pictures of leaks in Leek. and recall the “Dick Southworth Cheese Incident” in the Wilkes Head, whose sign surely needs a trip to the Repair Workshop. Mrs RM needed a trip to the Repair… Continue reading ONE BEER IS PLENTY, OFTEN MORE THAN ENOUGH
LEEK MAKES A LATE PITCH TO BE ENGLAND’S TOP BASS TOWN
Don’t worry, Uttoxeter, it’s got a way to go yet. January 2024. Leek. But a couple of Guide newbies promised Bass. Oddly, despite a dozen visits over two dozen years, I had no recollection of either Benks or Cobblers, the latter just yards from the oatcake van and the Titanic pub. Isn’t golden light pouring… Continue reading LEEK MAKES A LATE PITCH TO BE ENGLAND’S TOP BASS TOWN
CAMBRIDGE GETS ITS BASS BACK
January 2024. Cambridge. Well, I didn’t believe Dan; In fact, I hadn’t seen Draught Bass in Cambridge this century, since a late ’90s Greene King dalliance with exotic guest beers saw it in The Zebra opposite the Cambridge Evening News offices. Dan wasn’t born when the Zebra was killed off. And now here it was,… Continue reading CAMBRIDGE GETS ITS BASS BACK
FAGAN’S. AGAIN.
December 2023. Sheffield. You know where Fagan’s is. Next to that mural. No ! Not that one ! This is only my fifth visit to Fagan’s since that triumphant re-opening, but it may just be my second most visited pub after the Blind Monkey. There’s not a lot to say, the beer range seems to… Continue reading FAGAN’S. AGAIN.
A PINT OF BASS IN FRONT OF A ROARING FIRE. THE JOLLY SAILOR, MACCLESFIELD
December 2023. Macclesfield. Pub No. 6/7/4 (delete as appropriate) on the Old Codger Day Out in Macclesfield, as we reach the highlight (H for highlight on the map). Two years ago I didn’t even know the Jolly Sailor was a Bass shrine, and now it’s in the Top 20, if I’m honest, as much because… Continue reading A PINT OF BASS IN FRONT OF A ROARING FIRE. THE JOLLY SAILOR, MACCLESFIELD
BASS IN FAGAN’S – A THING OF BEAUTY
December 2023. Sheffield. On Saturday afternoon we had a guest from Bristol. Just for a change they weren’t visiting the Blind Monkey. I suggested a half in the Old Shoe, a very Bristol sort of bar. It ended up with a min-crawl round a hotch potch of central Sheffield that I rather enjoyed, though the… Continue reading BASS IN FAGAN’S – A THING OF BEAUTY
WAITING FOR THE BASS BARREL TO BE CHANGED IN WILLINGTON
November 2023. Willington. Derby. I like the fact the newbie Guide entries are so unpredictable; just like the Spanish Inquisition no-one (except Life After Football) would have predicted the Dragon in Willington. LAF even suggested a week’s holiday in your first stop south of Derby, but a night in a campervan in the station car… Continue reading WAITING FOR THE BASS BARREL TO BE CHANGED IN WILLINGTON
YES, THE BASS IS STILL GOOD IN THE THORN TREE
October 2023. Matlock. Ian “The Wickingman” Thurman has a lot to answer for. Before his intervention a few years back Bass was happily dying off, seemingly with CAMRA folk’s blessing as a boring brown beer living off misguided past glories, set for the same fate as Boddington and Websters (RIP). But then Ian and a… Continue reading YES, THE BASS IS STILL GOOD IN THE THORN TREE
THE HOLY TRINITY IN THE THREE BULLS HEADS
October 2023. Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Here’s a little map showing you the pubs I’d been to on that epic Saturday night in Newcastle. You can walk it in a mere 6:11, so it’s a good job the Tyne & Wear metro is such a joy. But I left the metro behind at the Free Trade, inspired by… Continue reading THE HOLY TRINITY IN THE THREE BULLS HEADS
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