Eefnin,
yesterday myself and the lovely Tash took a train and a bus to Derby and back and out into the Ecclesbourne valley for a wander. Here are some details of the boozers we tried and the beers and other drinks we supped en route.
I got to the station early on to purchase a Derbyshire Wayfarer - I hoped they were still available and also that you could pay in cash at the ticket office because although I had some cash in my wallet I had next to none available in my account. Luckily both were true and by 09.55 I had the ticket and 35 mins to wait for the train to Derby. Having met up with Tash and said goodbye to Matty we got on board wearing face masks and were soon in Derby. After a lengthy escape route on an underpass we stopped in some public gardens for a coffee and then headed to the bus station where we got the 6.1 to just past Idridgehay - luckily the bus has a system which names every stop so as soon as we had passed the stop for the Black Swan in Idridgehay we were told the next stop was Wood Lane where we got off.
Its a while since I have been into Kirk Ireton and last time we caught a bus there from Ashbourne which seems not to exist these days. And although me and Tash walked down the same hill and along the road into Idridgehay back in 2013 we had clearly both forgotten just how steep a walk it was up into the village. We got off the bus at 12.40 and by 13.05 we were sitting outside the Barley Mow. I was on a pint of Hartington IPA on gravity and Tash a bottle of Fentimens Victorian lemonade and we sat outside the door on a bench enjoying the scene and the fellow visitors. Our first sups did not last long.
Soon I was back indoors and on my second pint of IPA and I bought a pack of crisps for Tash along with a half of cloudy cider. After I had nipped to the loo I noticed that the pub now advertised a contactless payment machine for bank cards since the Covid outbreak - alas I don't have a contactless card, and besides which the man serving told me that was fine as the machine was currently upstairs. I also mentioned to him that I was glad they still didn't have a till - instead just a wooden drawer behind the counter. Apart from everyone signing a sheet when they came in, it seems that absolutely nothing else has changed - well, apart from the fact that the barrels are no longer behind the counter but am not sure when that took place. I thought the other day that it may have been 1993 when I first visited this pub and it's still a cracking boozer. Another pint of Hartington for me came at 13.50 and 5 minutes later he came out to call last orders.....
We sat in the churchyard on a bench next to get some dinner before setting off along Wirksworth Road, which then becomes Whapantake Lane before becoming Dark Lane and heading into Millers Green before coming out in Wirksworth, or Wuzza. A swift wander up the hill and down the other side allowed us to spot the tiny micropub which was our next stop around 16.00.
The Feather Star is situated on both floors of a tiny former antique shop on the main road, serving 4 or 5 casks from the past and 5 glorious kegs. Straight away I got Tash a pint of cider and myself a lovely pint of Cloudwater on keg and we wandered up the ginnel next door to a seating area in front of the church. We got sat in the last of the sunshine and marveled at both our surroundings as well as our drinks along with a large number of dogs who were accompanying the customers. When I nipped back indoors I found they were playing the marvelous Pigs Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs on the record player, and after a chat with the lass behind the bar I chose a can of Shiny IPA at 6% or more and got another pint of cider for Tash. After seeing the lass from the Barley Mow at Bonsall (where I haven't been for a good while alas) and having got chatting to all the other people sitting outside, we went for a wander round the church and then up to the nearby Royal Oak.
Me and Tash had last visited in 2013 as well and this time I was once again on a pint of Whim Flower Power and Tash was this time on a pint of Cider. We were both sat at a large table in the room on the left and after signing in and Tash nipping for a smoke I got us both the same again, this time served in a splendid Burton Bridge glass. I finished this stop on a can of Verdant IPA at 6.5% from their supply and thoroughly enjoyed it! Regrettably all too soon it was 20.00 and the bus was due about 20.30 so we headed out back onto the high street and walked down the road to catch the bus back into Derby.
Once back in Derby we had an hour to wait until the train so having walked back up towards the station we nipped for a quick one in the Alexandra. I was once again on an IPA this time on cask but am not sure what Tash was on. After enjoying our drinks along with understanding the system for getting to the obviatorium (..?!) we left about 20.10 to walk back to the station to get the train home to fine, sunny, Sheffield.
Overall we visited 4 excellent pubs, one of which was a first for me and Tash, and all of which were serving excellent quality ales and crucially, allowed us to pay in good old cash! Although we probably only walked 4 miles in total the exercise was well received and the whole day was perfectly enjoyable.
I shall look forward to doing another such trip next month!
Your very best of health
Wee Beefy
Showing posts with label Derbyshire breweries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Derbyshire breweries. Show all posts
Saturday, 5 September 2020
Sunday, 12 April 2020
Pentrich Brewing Co.
Hullabaloo!
Pentrich Brewing are a bit of a strange one for me - not least because I have noticed that in the last two years they have improved their output considerably. But the situation where I first came across them is more interesting, as it involves more uncertainty and much later, rejoicing.....
I first blogged about Pentrich following an end of March wander I took in 2013. It was the last place I supped - that is, the Miner's Standard above Winster, before our lengthy and snow heavy traipse across Bonsall Moor - you can see the details here in my April 2013 post . When I got back home I did some research on the same and found the info quite confusing - they appeared to either be a cuckoo brewery based in Derbyshire or some unseemly underworld supplier of drinks in the same. Either way I did not see much of them - apart from a reference in a planned but never carried out pub crawl in Derbyshire and Sheffield of all pubs called the Devonshire Arms - which went near where they may have been based.
In the last year or so hops have been a feature, as has their inclusion in the mesmerising list of excellent brews on cask in my second home, the Shakespeares. I may even have tried one of their super hoppy and soup like cloudy IPAs at my birthday last year. Their renown for excellent soups has since grown and this, along with a number of other events, has seen their output at Shakespeares regularly. Today, I also finally got to try my first ever Pentrich can.......
This conveniently allowed me chance to view their website and also to find out that they had opened a tap in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, called the Duke of Sussex. Have a look at their wares Here. It doesn't alas, list their DIPA's but I am pleased to tell you that I am currently enjoying their Dream Tempo IIPA at 8.3%, very much!
Its important to clarify that despite my often mockery of CAMRA and brown bitters, and my creation of the phrase "Cask from the past" which, in certain circumstances at least, can be requested using processes stemming from the Dove from Above, that I do not insist that all beer looks like soup. I would have to admit though. that said slush is very much far easier to drink. I remember drinking a 7.4% or similar beer on cask, likely from Titanic, in the nineties, and thinking that I was glad I had only ordered a half - strong beer does not have to be hard work at all, as proven by Magic Rock Bearded Lady on keg when that came out in 2012. Beer is to be drunk, not hiked around the mouth feel and strained into the gullet.
I got my can of Pentrich from Dronfield Beer Stop recently and I have to say I like the products they sell - always a pleasure to go on a company website and select a number of potentially, and thus far seamlessly - excellent products from the world of brewing.
Long may the output and excellence of this fine Derbyshire Brewery continue!
Cheers
Wee Beefy
Pentrich Brewing are a bit of a strange one for me - not least because I have noticed that in the last two years they have improved their output considerably. But the situation where I first came across them is more interesting, as it involves more uncertainty and much later, rejoicing.....
I first blogged about Pentrich following an end of March wander I took in 2013. It was the last place I supped - that is, the Miner's Standard above Winster, before our lengthy and snow heavy traipse across Bonsall Moor - you can see the details here in my April 2013 post . When I got back home I did some research on the same and found the info quite confusing - they appeared to either be a cuckoo brewery based in Derbyshire or some unseemly underworld supplier of drinks in the same. Either way I did not see much of them - apart from a reference in a planned but never carried out pub crawl in Derbyshire and Sheffield of all pubs called the Devonshire Arms - which went near where they may have been based.
In the last year or so hops have been a feature, as has their inclusion in the mesmerising list of excellent brews on cask in my second home, the Shakespeares. I may even have tried one of their super hoppy and soup like cloudy IPAs at my birthday last year. Their renown for excellent soups has since grown and this, along with a number of other events, has seen their output at Shakespeares regularly. Today, I also finally got to try my first ever Pentrich can.......
This conveniently allowed me chance to view their website and also to find out that they had opened a tap in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, called the Duke of Sussex. Have a look at their wares Here. It doesn't alas, list their DIPA's but I am pleased to tell you that I am currently enjoying their Dream Tempo IIPA at 8.3%, very much!
Its important to clarify that despite my often mockery of CAMRA and brown bitters, and my creation of the phrase "Cask from the past" which, in certain circumstances at least, can be requested using processes stemming from the Dove from Above, that I do not insist that all beer looks like soup. I would have to admit though. that said slush is very much far easier to drink. I remember drinking a 7.4% or similar beer on cask, likely from Titanic, in the nineties, and thinking that I was glad I had only ordered a half - strong beer does not have to be hard work at all, as proven by Magic Rock Bearded Lady on keg when that came out in 2012. Beer is to be drunk, not hiked around the mouth feel and strained into the gullet.
I got my can of Pentrich from Dronfield Beer Stop recently and I have to say I like the products they sell - always a pleasure to go on a company website and select a number of potentially, and thus far seamlessly - excellent products from the world of brewing.
Long may the output and excellence of this fine Derbyshire Brewery continue!
Cheers
Wee Beefy
Thursday, 9 April 2020
Man sups clear BCA without Citra or Mosaic - and enjoys it
Hullaguffaw,
Bottle Conditioned Beers, eh? What are they?
As someone who worked in a specialist off licence in the nineties and early noughties, I have to say my opinion of the same is not very high. As I mentioned in early posts, I was aware then and still, perhaps to a lesser extent, now, about a kind of "if it's got yeast in it the beer will be fine" approach, in what I have to say in too many occasions, were beers which seemed like they were produced by hobby bottlers.
Don't get me wrong - there were breweries, such as Marstons, the now long gone Eldridge Pope and King & Barnes, Harveys, Theakstons and surprisingly, the early noughties productions of White Shield, who managed to do perfectly and often admirably well at the style. But through perhaps a lack of knowledge about yeast and hand bottling and length of excellent flavours, storage, pourage and batch testing, I have to admit that eventually, I got fed up with trying bottle conditioned ales, or BCA's. Even recently when WF last went up to Scotland, as well as on his every trip down south, he still came back with small batch BCA's from everywhere - leading to unintentionally cloudy, exploding, unintentionally sour, lumpy and often piss pooer brews. Strange then, that I bought a BCA from Dronfield Beer Stop recently. Stranger too, that I enjoyed it.
I had seen on Faceache much mention of Eyam brewery beers, mainly at the Joiners arms (I think) in Bakewell. I still haven't been drinking in Bakewell since that place opened, and likewise I haven't tried any Eyam beers. I ordered a number of cans and two bottled German beers along with a single Eyam bottle of All Fall Down, described as a "Full boddied IPA". Since it was 6.5%, my usual starting strength, I figured it should be worth a try. And then I read the ingredients.
Its interesting to make this point, because as well as some breweries suggesting, either clearly or implicitly, that they don't list the hops yeast and malts used because they don't want other people to copy their output, that also I had come to appreciate the new outcomes of describing the flavour and aroma and appearance of their beers now I was used to it, so that a simple list of the same should cause me to worry. However, as with when I tried a selection of Lidl or Adi craft style beers almost all containing Crystal malt, and the predominence of the same, which stirred up some poor memories of beers tried in the nineties, I therefore have to admit that I still worry about the reliance upon and perhaps the usage of certain hops, and at the end of the day, all types of ingredient. So I found the list quite disappointing....
Solely for the purpose of this article, the beer featured the following:
Pacific Jade, Fuggles, Cascade, and Styrian Wolf hops. Now I don't possess any fear of Pacific jade, but I am not aware that its renowned for it's fruity bitterness. Fuggles, whilst good in green hop beers (I kid you not) is a very traditional flavour, Cascade can be good, but that often depends on whether its British or American, and Styrian Wolf reminds me of Styrian Goldings - see all of the above. I did note further down that it mentioned yeast, and I did appreciate this, and although there was what I can describe as a BCA aroma, there was definite bitterness in there, and on tasting it, quite a good blend of the same, along with mildly citrussy flavours.
Whats more, despite it's high gravity amongst similar styles of more traditional beers, I have to admit, it went down like pop. And actually, as I continued, neither of these two crucial aspects diminished, meaning I finished the glass a pleased and pleasantly surprised chap.
I should point out by the way, as people who know me should already be aware, that I started bowze drinking on traditional beer - Castle Eden Ale and Whitbread Trophy no less. And as current drinking companions will also know, I do like to start on cask from the past and later move onto kegs and cans of DIPAs and the like, thereafter. Its a number of decades since I have walked into a pub and thought - ooooh, a nice 3.6% traditional bitter would suit me lovely thanks - but whilst of course not the same, there are connections to that same beer style in this.
The final point to make is that as a result of the ongoing horror of non pubbing in which we currently flail, I wouldn't otherwise order such products from Sheffield or nearby beer establishments. And I can point out that every other of the number of beers I have thus far had, almost entirely in can (bar a mini keg of Abbeydale Voyager IPA) have likewise been absolutely wonderful.
So don't worry all - this self isolation has not changed my tastes and appreciation of all beers. Instead it has simply reminded me that features of the beer styles I usually avoid at all costs can also be combined with more modern ingredients, to produce excellent beer.
Well done to Eyam Brewery for this excellent brew. - the first bottle conditioned beer I have enjoyed for many a year!
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Bottle Conditioned Beers, eh? What are they?
As someone who worked in a specialist off licence in the nineties and early noughties, I have to say my opinion of the same is not very high. As I mentioned in early posts, I was aware then and still, perhaps to a lesser extent, now, about a kind of "if it's got yeast in it the beer will be fine" approach, in what I have to say in too many occasions, were beers which seemed like they were produced by hobby bottlers.
Don't get me wrong - there were breweries, such as Marstons, the now long gone Eldridge Pope and King & Barnes, Harveys, Theakstons and surprisingly, the early noughties productions of White Shield, who managed to do perfectly and often admirably well at the style. But through perhaps a lack of knowledge about yeast and hand bottling and length of excellent flavours, storage, pourage and batch testing, I have to admit that eventually, I got fed up with trying bottle conditioned ales, or BCA's. Even recently when WF last went up to Scotland, as well as on his every trip down south, he still came back with small batch BCA's from everywhere - leading to unintentionally cloudy, exploding, unintentionally sour, lumpy and often piss pooer brews. Strange then, that I bought a BCA from Dronfield Beer Stop recently. Stranger too, that I enjoyed it.
I had seen on Faceache much mention of Eyam brewery beers, mainly at the Joiners arms (I think) in Bakewell. I still haven't been drinking in Bakewell since that place opened, and likewise I haven't tried any Eyam beers. I ordered a number of cans and two bottled German beers along with a single Eyam bottle of All Fall Down, described as a "Full boddied IPA". Since it was 6.5%, my usual starting strength, I figured it should be worth a try. And then I read the ingredients.
Its interesting to make this point, because as well as some breweries suggesting, either clearly or implicitly, that they don't list the hops yeast and malts used because they don't want other people to copy their output, that also I had come to appreciate the new outcomes of describing the flavour and aroma and appearance of their beers now I was used to it, so that a simple list of the same should cause me to worry. However, as with when I tried a selection of Lidl or Adi craft style beers almost all containing Crystal malt, and the predominence of the same, which stirred up some poor memories of beers tried in the nineties, I therefore have to admit that I still worry about the reliance upon and perhaps the usage of certain hops, and at the end of the day, all types of ingredient. So I found the list quite disappointing....
Solely for the purpose of this article, the beer featured the following:
Pacific Jade, Fuggles, Cascade, and Styrian Wolf hops. Now I don't possess any fear of Pacific jade, but I am not aware that its renowned for it's fruity bitterness. Fuggles, whilst good in green hop beers (I kid you not) is a very traditional flavour, Cascade can be good, but that often depends on whether its British or American, and Styrian Wolf reminds me of Styrian Goldings - see all of the above. I did note further down that it mentioned yeast, and I did appreciate this, and although there was what I can describe as a BCA aroma, there was definite bitterness in there, and on tasting it, quite a good blend of the same, along with mildly citrussy flavours.
Whats more, despite it's high gravity amongst similar styles of more traditional beers, I have to admit, it went down like pop. And actually, as I continued, neither of these two crucial aspects diminished, meaning I finished the glass a pleased and pleasantly surprised chap.
I should point out by the way, as people who know me should already be aware, that I started bowze drinking on traditional beer - Castle Eden Ale and Whitbread Trophy no less. And as current drinking companions will also know, I do like to start on cask from the past and later move onto kegs and cans of DIPAs and the like, thereafter. Its a number of decades since I have walked into a pub and thought - ooooh, a nice 3.6% traditional bitter would suit me lovely thanks - but whilst of course not the same, there are connections to that same beer style in this.
The final point to make is that as a result of the ongoing horror of non pubbing in which we currently flail, I wouldn't otherwise order such products from Sheffield or nearby beer establishments. And I can point out that every other of the number of beers I have thus far had, almost entirely in can (bar a mini keg of Abbeydale Voyager IPA) have likewise been absolutely wonderful.
So don't worry all - this self isolation has not changed my tastes and appreciation of all beers. Instead it has simply reminded me that features of the beer styles I usually avoid at all costs can also be combined with more modern ingredients, to produce excellent beer.
Well done to Eyam Brewery for this excellent brew. - the first bottle conditioned beer I have enjoyed for many a year!
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Monday, 31 October 2016
Ashover
Hellall,
I was out with Wee Keefy and Tash tonight for Wee Fatha's birthday meal. Over the last few years his birthday meal has been at the Hardwick Inn but this time we chose instead to visit the Crispin in Ashover.
Arriving about 19.40 we found the Crispin in darkness. We headed to the Black Swan, with two real ales on, and they advised they did not do food Mondays. By this time the Crispin had opened and having got parked I went inside - to find they had 3 real ales but were also not doing food. Luckily the Old Poets Corner was.
It was quite busy, and Halloween free in the Poets. I had a pint of Idle Valley "Gnarly" American IPA at 5.6%, Koof a pint of the Yeovil Ales Winner (or similar, at 4.5%), WF a half of Ashover Light Rale and Tash a pint of the Ashover cider, which was deliciously dry and earthy. We found a table and sat down to order, WF having a Derbyshire Beef Stew, WK ham and eggs, Tash Chicken in a herb and red wine sauce and myself braised liver in a rich onion and wine gravy with mash.
All the meals were excellent, and served in large quantities, and as we progressed through the meal more drinks were ordered and supped. I had a pint of Abbeydale Black Mass, and Tash a half of the Ashover cider as a "filler" before I bought WF a double Caol Ila whisky, WK a ginger beer and myself a pint of the Pentrich Northfield Garage IPA at 6.5%. All excellent ales, and well kept.
Ashover is a great place to go drinking since overall they have 5 pubs, albeit the Nettle being in Milltown. Even then, this is a great range of boozers for one village. For, perhaps, obvious reasons, I consider the Old Poets to be the best but the above goes to show that there are other places to sup in Ashover, and I understand the Black Swan serve food every day but Mondays.
An excellent choice of real ales in the Poets with lovely food was a great way to celebrate Wee Fatha's upcoming birthday. Ashover is, indeed, a great place to celebrate that, and other events.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
I was out with Wee Keefy and Tash tonight for Wee Fatha's birthday meal. Over the last few years his birthday meal has been at the Hardwick Inn but this time we chose instead to visit the Crispin in Ashover.
Arriving about 19.40 we found the Crispin in darkness. We headed to the Black Swan, with two real ales on, and they advised they did not do food Mondays. By this time the Crispin had opened and having got parked I went inside - to find they had 3 real ales but were also not doing food. Luckily the Old Poets Corner was.
It was quite busy, and Halloween free in the Poets. I had a pint of Idle Valley "Gnarly" American IPA at 5.6%, Koof a pint of the Yeovil Ales Winner (or similar, at 4.5%), WF a half of Ashover Light Rale and Tash a pint of the Ashover cider, which was deliciously dry and earthy. We found a table and sat down to order, WF having a Derbyshire Beef Stew, WK ham and eggs, Tash Chicken in a herb and red wine sauce and myself braised liver in a rich onion and wine gravy with mash.
All the meals were excellent, and served in large quantities, and as we progressed through the meal more drinks were ordered and supped. I had a pint of Abbeydale Black Mass, and Tash a half of the Ashover cider as a "filler" before I bought WF a double Caol Ila whisky, WK a ginger beer and myself a pint of the Pentrich Northfield Garage IPA at 6.5%. All excellent ales, and well kept.
Ashover is a great place to go drinking since overall they have 5 pubs, albeit the Nettle being in Milltown. Even then, this is a great range of boozers for one village. For, perhaps, obvious reasons, I consider the Old Poets to be the best but the above goes to show that there are other places to sup in Ashover, and I understand the Black Swan serve food every day but Mondays.
An excellent choice of real ales in the Poets with lovely food was a great way to celebrate Wee Fatha's upcoming birthday. Ashover is, indeed, a great place to celebrate that, and other events.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
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