Urllor,
last Sunday it was Fatha's day so myself and Wee Keefy treated dad to a trip out to one of our favourite pubs and a look at one of his favourite places. We originally aimed to go out for a wander a drink and an evening meal but WK picked me up at 12.30 and by 14.30, following finding a frustratingly close road closure, and an amble down a track, we arrived at our destination.
The Yew Tree is at Cauldon in Staffordshire near Waterhouses, and we have been going for fifteen or so years. Our first visit was following a meal in Elton and a drive through the Manifold Valley to find the pub packed - with both customers, and a frankly huge range of unspoilt antiques. Run by a gent called Alan, a number of visits followed, including many a pork pie, many a photograph (with his permission) and numerous playing and research into the many Polyphones. Alan used to provide pre decimal coins to slip into the ancient machines, and to step back and enjoy the process of their workings. I will always remember seeing Alan doing this by himself, with an almost child like smile on his face.
Beers wise it used to be Burton Bridge - it still is, Bass, and a mild. There were two beers on when we arrived and we all went for Burton Bridge best bitter. There was also a strong pale ale called something beginning with W, I think, and along with the two pints of Burton Bridge the ale was once again fantastic. The pub also serves food until 8 or 9PM, and although WF had a large pork pie myself and WK treated ourselves to large dinners, which we scoffed whilst sitting in the room with the pews on your left.
About five or more years ago I understand Alan became quite unwell, indeed, apart from our last visit a couple of years ago my recent visits had found the pub closed. A revisit with Wee Fatha found the pub once again open and being run, it seemed, by Alan's daughter and her husband. This time he was likely in the kitchen, but it was great to see Alan back behind the bar serving beers and taking orders. After a lengthy chat about routes with a local resident from Foxt, we finished our drinks and headed up the road to his village and then down into the valley on the other side of the hill.
Froghall is a small village in the Churnet Valley and after a brief trip to the railway station we parked up in the car park where the lime kilns and tea shop were, before taking WF for a wander around the canal in his wheelchair. The canal can be followed to a tunnel and the track then veers off so we turned round then, but not before a slow trek round some large and relaxing pools, before WF headed to the loos and we made plans to head off.
Heading back up the hill we drove through Foxt once again before heading for Grindon, now no longer visibly having what may have been called the Cavalier or loyal trooper, before heading down into the Manifold Valley and up to Wetton and down again, before coming out at Hume End and driving through Hartington. We finally stopped in Youlgreave, and decided that despite having already eaten we would make a first time stop at the Farmyard Inn.
We left WF in the car whilst we checked they were serving food before pushing him through the car park and along the road before getting in and taking a table in a small room on the right. Me and WK were both on pints of Landlord if memory serves, from a range of three beers, only one of which was a Greedy King ale for one of their pubs. Following our recent Greedy King disaster at the Phoenix am pleased to say that we enjoyed our visit, the ale and the food very much. Strange that so many such pubs find politeness and availability of beer and food so very complicated.
We got back to WFs about 21.00 and dropped him off before heading to our homes having thoroughly enjoyed our lengthy day out in Staffordshire and Derbyshire, in two cracking boozers. Long may the quality of both stay around for many more years!
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Showing posts with label Burton Bridge Brewery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Burton Bridge Brewery. Show all posts
Saturday, 22 June 2019
Sunday, 5 August 2018
Remember when beer was bottle conditioned?
Evenin,
I wondered if many of the readers of this blog under the age of 30 know of or less likely still have tried, and even less likely still, have enjoyed, a bottle conditioned ale?
I had a chat back in March with one of the brewers from Northern Monk (it may have been April) about putting bottle conditioned beers in the fridge to reduce its liveliness, and then opening it cold and allowing it to return to room temperature. He seemed concerned. What bottle conditioned beer are you drinking nowadays? I had to think.....Durham Temptation I replied. He seemed to think that was the only one likely to be any good. He is probably right. And its three years since I last had one. I may have met them in May. These are just months after all....
In 1995 I started working at Archer Road Beer Stop, Sheffield's first real ale off license, then just changed from Small Beer, as Davefromtshop had taken over. In 1995 I believed that bottle conditioning was the future of beer. I know. Don't judge me. And this was despite a horror show of evidence to the contrary. If putting live yeast in a cask and expecting strangers in multiple venues to know how to keep it and to avoid multitudinous naturally occurring happenstances that may ruin a beer is risky, then doing the same with a bottle is surely madness.
Then there were the rules. Chill it first, open it col.d Certain beers, such as Burton Bridge Empire Pale Ale, needed chilling for a day, and then to be poured into two steins to hold the froth. Much beer had issues with the yeast used (who chooses to put yeast in a beer that you can't drink?) which would either die, go rank through other issues such as light or temperature, and then needed to be poured away. Usually with the rest of the contents of the bottle. Apart from King and Barnes and Marstons, and the ever so lively Burton Bridge, oh, and Durham, most bottle conditioned ale, or BCA, was to be avoided at all costs.
Although the Belgians seem to know what they are doing with it.....
This realisation of the pooernes of BCA in part prompted me to write the following post here. All the way back in 2012. Having thought carefully about it I reckon there may only have been a handful of bottled beers, all aged, and very few purchased, that were BCAs, thereafter. And that isn't all down to the horrors of the Corvedale or Litton brewery bottled beers, all of which were senselessly bad.
Its mainly because, as of 2014 or 2015 when I first tried "modern" beer in a can, I have recognised that the type of beer I like to drink tastes better in a can. Nobody wants a BCA soupy IPA. Some such beers are bottled but very clearly implore you to drink fresh - spot on advice. I want to drink the freshest beer with the hops at their prime. And the likes of Citra, Mosaic and Centennial do seem to have extra citrus bitterness when freshly mashed. So gerrit supped!
I do still have couple of old beers that I intend to drink, and some that, unlike most of my collection, may in fact be worth something so won't be opened, although that is a narrow market am sure. My 1994 Thomas Hardy Ale is reaching maturity next year and will be shared. The difference there is, the style is suited to ageing, and the yeast also. Its a work of art. It may not have a whole bagful of zesty hops but it will still be an interesting and hopefully enjoyable drop.
Apart from Durham, am struggling to think of breweries whose beers I like that I know still produce BCAs. Are BCAs dead? No. And for different reasons, not all positive. They don't however end up in my monthly beer shop nowadays, with far far better potations on offer in can.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
I wondered if many of the readers of this blog under the age of 30 know of or less likely still have tried, and even less likely still, have enjoyed, a bottle conditioned ale?
I had a chat back in March with one of the brewers from Northern Monk (it may have been April) about putting bottle conditioned beers in the fridge to reduce its liveliness, and then opening it cold and allowing it to return to room temperature. He seemed concerned. What bottle conditioned beer are you drinking nowadays? I had to think.....Durham Temptation I replied. He seemed to think that was the only one likely to be any good. He is probably right. And its three years since I last had one. I may have met them in May. These are just months after all....
In 1995 I started working at Archer Road Beer Stop, Sheffield's first real ale off license, then just changed from Small Beer, as Davefromtshop had taken over. In 1995 I believed that bottle conditioning was the future of beer. I know. Don't judge me. And this was despite a horror show of evidence to the contrary. If putting live yeast in a cask and expecting strangers in multiple venues to know how to keep it and to avoid multitudinous naturally occurring happenstances that may ruin a beer is risky, then doing the same with a bottle is surely madness.
Then there were the rules. Chill it first, open it col.d Certain beers, such as Burton Bridge Empire Pale Ale, needed chilling for a day, and then to be poured into two steins to hold the froth. Much beer had issues with the yeast used (who chooses to put yeast in a beer that you can't drink?) which would either die, go rank through other issues such as light or temperature, and then needed to be poured away. Usually with the rest of the contents of the bottle. Apart from King and Barnes and Marstons, and the ever so lively Burton Bridge, oh, and Durham, most bottle conditioned ale, or BCA, was to be avoided at all costs.
Although the Belgians seem to know what they are doing with it.....
This realisation of the pooernes of BCA in part prompted me to write the following post here. All the way back in 2012. Having thought carefully about it I reckon there may only have been a handful of bottled beers, all aged, and very few purchased, that were BCAs, thereafter. And that isn't all down to the horrors of the Corvedale or Litton brewery bottled beers, all of which were senselessly bad.
Its mainly because, as of 2014 or 2015 when I first tried "modern" beer in a can, I have recognised that the type of beer I like to drink tastes better in a can. Nobody wants a BCA soupy IPA. Some such beers are bottled but very clearly implore you to drink fresh - spot on advice. I want to drink the freshest beer with the hops at their prime. And the likes of Citra, Mosaic and Centennial do seem to have extra citrus bitterness when freshly mashed. So gerrit supped!
I do still have couple of old beers that I intend to drink, and some that, unlike most of my collection, may in fact be worth something so won't be opened, although that is a narrow market am sure. My 1994 Thomas Hardy Ale is reaching maturity next year and will be shared. The difference there is, the style is suited to ageing, and the yeast also. Its a work of art. It may not have a whole bagful of zesty hops but it will still be an interesting and hopefully enjoyable drop.
Apart from Durham, am struggling to think of breweries whose beers I like that I know still produce BCAs. Are BCAs dead? No. And for different reasons, not all positive. They don't however end up in my monthly beer shop nowadays, with far far better potations on offer in can.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
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