Good evening,
I haven't been out that often this year so far. No Dryanuary nonsense or dark artistry at work here, just restricted by lack of funds. I have however, tried lots of lovely new beers on those two nights out, thus.
I picked up the other half of the humongous box of beers I had bought from Beer Central last week and headed to the Rutland Arms. I hadn't gone in specifically to see their new bar fonts but I have to admit I was impressed. New bar, same pub, great pub. Despite the longer length of the keg font displayeriser I was assured that they had exactly the same number of keg beer on, but now they would be easier to spot and choose. The handpumps are also more together. No problems with the beer range either, I had halves of the Northern Monk Patrons Project something point numbery which I recall was a citra lager. Facts aside it was excellent. The other half was better still - the Buxton Centennial IPA at 7.0%. Its the first of these single hop IPA's I have seen (I think they have Simcoe on at the mo) and since I love Centennial this was understandably a fabulous hoppy pale ale. All good at the Rutland it seems.
Not too far away I went to the Old Queens Head, partly based on info they posted on Faceache about a beer they had on. It was reasonably busy and I got the last table in the back, looking at the fine Christmas tree and over to the fireplace and sat down with some crisps to enjoy my pint. Hopjacker Medved is an imperial stout with a hint of chilli and weighs in at 7% but is troublingly easy to drink. So much so that I had two pints.
As any fule kno, Medved is Czech for bear, hence the ursine beasty on the pumpclip. Matty (who with Tash share the name of the beer, although Nedved is slang for bear am led to believe) was worried about the chilli as he doesn't like it in beer but he needn't have been. The roasted malt and creamy texture were simply tickled by an underlying subtle heat, finishing this excellent beer off perfectly.
My other foray was to home number two, Shakespeares. I had arranged to meet Davefromtshop there already, so was pleased to see on Faceache that they had the excellent Deya Falling into Place DIPA at 8.3% on keg. Arriving late, and as Adam noticed at pretty good speed, I was asked at the bar by a gent I didn't know if he could buy me a pint. Being short of funds I agreed and so started on a pint of the Abbeydale Voyager IPA. I started on a cloudy hop packed beer, and continued thus. Dave was somehow persuaded to buy me a further pint of the Deya and I may have had a third before moved onto bottles.
I tried the Basqueland and Lervig Nor Jose pale ale on Adam's recommendation, and it didn't disappoint, and we finished by sharing a can of the Evil Twin Even More Jesus imperial stout at 12% or whatever sledgehammer strength it is. A fab finisher, although I would suggest the emphasis should be on finish, since the amalgam of ale and cold air combined with my unsteadiness resulted in not one but four falls onto the ground in the short distance from Shakepeares to taxi and taxi to house....
So, Tryanuary despite its restrictions is underway, and I have already tried five new beers from a total of seven consumed. Don't give up the fight pub drinkers!
Cheers
Wee Beefy
Showing posts with label Drinkuary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drinkuary. Show all posts
Saturday, 13 January 2018
Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Wanderiains
Hullaballoo,
and a very Happy New Year! Aah, a phrase best used...um about 16 or 17 days ago. But never mind, have been otherwise engaged and this is my first blog post of 2017. Here is what happened when myself and Mr P did our first Wanderiains of 2017.....
Twas the first Friday and I met Mr P after work to catch the 20. Didn't wait long, didn't take long, and we ended up at a pub I have never previously visited, the Sportsman on Harvey Clough Road. I know the late, great George, or rather Keith Laycock went there to do the quiz - although that may have been the Mount Pleasant, but either way, it was my first visit and Mr P's first for a couple of decades or more. For info, before setting out, George often used to say "am just going to change a tenner" or, "am just going to see a man about a dog". We all knew he was going to the quiz....
Inside I understand little has changed, Mr P recognised the layout, and on the large bar there were two real ales, of which we both had halves of Abbeydale Moonshine at a price which may have been below £3.00. The beer was well kept and this was an enjoyable start to our crawl. I also paid on card for two halves, which very much suits me down to the ground.
Nearby we visited the Mount Pleasant. In through the front this time (!) and I didn't see Gwynneth (?) or her Sister behind the bar, instead a jolly lass who was discussing the merits or otherwise of the Chrizznussly themed ale from a National Brewery. I think Mr P had a pint and I had a pint of the excellent Adnams Ghost Ship.
The pub seems unaltered since my first visit five years or more ago and that's to its credit. Its has a traditional layout with a lovely lounge on the left and a very small bar in the...um..bar. Room. An excellent place to stop for a beer as always.
Further down the Road Mr P asked if we could go in the Prince of Wales. I can't say I was blown away by it last time but I agreed, if nothing else to hear him read his poem he wrote after being told not to come in anymore when he was in his late teens. An excellent poem, I have to say. On the bar this time were two beers and I think one of them was from Wychwood, which we had a half of each. It was OK, a bit Wychwoody, but that's not a criticism of how it was kept.
Further down the road is the Cross Scythes. Still a Thornbridge pub selling numerous real ales and kegs (and flavoured pork scratchings), I went "mad" and bought myself a pint and Mr a half of the 7 or above% Huck from Thornbridge. I have to say I really liked it, but agree with Edd that you could expect more from a hoppy pale ale at that strength.
Having bumped into Steve in the loos, we headed his way - down Derbyshire Lane, to the main road and walked along to the White Lion. A guy whose surname I think is Miles (who I saw at the Bath Hotel do an excellent version of John the Revelator, unaccompanied of course) was doing a set at the back. We got pints - myself am fairly certain of Abduction., and sat near the stage having watched the first five or six of his songs from the steps.
As always the Abduction was on top form and it was good to see the pub absolutely heaving - testament of course to the sterling work done by Jon and Mandy since they took over (and Jon may have lost an H, sorry Jon....)
So ended an entertaining and enjoyable crawl of some new and old favourite boozers in Sheffield to kick start Drinkuary in fab sunny Sheffield.
Drink! Drink! Drink!
With regards,
Wee Beefy
and a very Happy New Year! Aah, a phrase best used...um about 16 or 17 days ago. But never mind, have been otherwise engaged and this is my first blog post of 2017. Here is what happened when myself and Mr P did our first Wanderiains of 2017.....
Twas the first Friday and I met Mr P after work to catch the 20. Didn't wait long, didn't take long, and we ended up at a pub I have never previously visited, the Sportsman on Harvey Clough Road. I know the late, great George, or rather Keith Laycock went there to do the quiz - although that may have been the Mount Pleasant, but either way, it was my first visit and Mr P's first for a couple of decades or more. For info, before setting out, George often used to say "am just going to change a tenner" or, "am just going to see a man about a dog". We all knew he was going to the quiz....
Inside I understand little has changed, Mr P recognised the layout, and on the large bar there were two real ales, of which we both had halves of Abbeydale Moonshine at a price which may have been below £3.00. The beer was well kept and this was an enjoyable start to our crawl. I also paid on card for two halves, which very much suits me down to the ground.
Nearby we visited the Mount Pleasant. In through the front this time (!) and I didn't see Gwynneth (?) or her Sister behind the bar, instead a jolly lass who was discussing the merits or otherwise of the Chrizznussly themed ale from a National Brewery. I think Mr P had a pint and I had a pint of the excellent Adnams Ghost Ship.
The pub seems unaltered since my first visit five years or more ago and that's to its credit. Its has a traditional layout with a lovely lounge on the left and a very small bar in the...um..bar. Room. An excellent place to stop for a beer as always.
Further down the Road Mr P asked if we could go in the Prince of Wales. I can't say I was blown away by it last time but I agreed, if nothing else to hear him read his poem he wrote after being told not to come in anymore when he was in his late teens. An excellent poem, I have to say. On the bar this time were two beers and I think one of them was from Wychwood, which we had a half of each. It was OK, a bit Wychwoody, but that's not a criticism of how it was kept.
Further down the road is the Cross Scythes. Still a Thornbridge pub selling numerous real ales and kegs (and flavoured pork scratchings), I went "mad" and bought myself a pint and Mr a half of the 7 or above% Huck from Thornbridge. I have to say I really liked it, but agree with Edd that you could expect more from a hoppy pale ale at that strength.
Having bumped into Steve in the loos, we headed his way - down Derbyshire Lane, to the main road and walked along to the White Lion. A guy whose surname I think is Miles (who I saw at the Bath Hotel do an excellent version of John the Revelator, unaccompanied of course) was doing a set at the back. We got pints - myself am fairly certain of Abduction., and sat near the stage having watched the first five or six of his songs from the steps.
As always the Abduction was on top form and it was good to see the pub absolutely heaving - testament of course to the sterling work done by Jon and Mandy since they took over (and Jon may have lost an H, sorry Jon....)
So ended an entertaining and enjoyable crawl of some new and old favourite boozers in Sheffield to kick start Drinkuary in fab sunny Sheffield.
Drink! Drink! Drink!
With regards,
Wee Beefy
Monday, 26 December 2016
Bar-stewards
Merry Chrissmuss yall!
the title of this post is perhaps a little risky - although pertinent, I appear to have locally garnered a reputation for being some sort of criticism monkey, living in a tree of moaning in a forest of malcontent. So to make clear now, this isn't a polite way of saying Bastards. Its a way of saying Bar Stewards, but making it one word. You may not have noticed, but I am trying to stick to single word post titles this month, in order to be more punchy and, um, rad, fo the yoot. I am quite old by the way....
Anyway, the Bar Stewards is Sheffield;s latest pop up pub - this claim is made on the basis of a lack of information about the Pub Inn which opened after I had already formulated the text for this post. So nehrrr.
Its on Gibraltar Street across from Shakespeares and is run by Al and another gentleman, who will have one of many thousand male human names, probably with an I in it. I dunno, Richard, Michael?
The pair have done a good job sprucing up the empty retail unit and have a bar with four handpumps and possibly some sort of keg dispense, with a well socked fridge behind with bottles and cans inside. There is also a snazzy toilet, and comfortable seating throughout. I have been in three times now and enjoyed each one, the first by myself, once with the lovely Kati and once with Mr Grant and Hux's friend whose name I have since forgotten. On that occasion the real ales on offer were Wild Millionaire stout, Tiny Rebel Cwtch, North Riding Mosaic Pale and Fyne Ales Jarl. The North Riding and Fyne were tried and both were on good form.
I understand the idea is to get a permanent license and open full time sometime in the future - it is rumoured there has been much red tape to leap over and clamber through which may be retarding progress. I do hope for their sake's they get a permanent license - the bar does feel just like a pub now (if that makes sense) and especially in December, when the wonderful Shakespeares is packed to the rafters, its often a little quieter in the Bar stewards.
One question you may ask is - does Sheffield really need another ale venue? The answer is - yes. Of course. Not just because one has recently closed either, but because all venues have their own unique atmosphere and offer their own brand of hospitality. If the nearby (ish) Pub Inn becomes permanent there will be six Micropubs in Sheffield and what that does is increase choice for consumers, which has to be a good thing.
In addition to the cask and bottles and cans they also sell wine and possibly spirits and crisps, and Mr Rich was there doing a quiz on Wednesday last so this may take off as a regular feature. Whats more, Bar Stewards is the perfect place to undertake support for Drinkuary, which I expect all of you to be involved in through the dark joyless January ahead.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
the title of this post is perhaps a little risky - although pertinent, I appear to have locally garnered a reputation for being some sort of criticism monkey, living in a tree of moaning in a forest of malcontent. So to make clear now, this isn't a polite way of saying Bastards. Its a way of saying Bar Stewards, but making it one word. You may not have noticed, but I am trying to stick to single word post titles this month, in order to be more punchy and, um, rad, fo the yoot. I am quite old by the way....
Anyway, the Bar Stewards is Sheffield;s latest pop up pub - this claim is made on the basis of a lack of information about the Pub Inn which opened after I had already formulated the text for this post. So nehrrr.
Its on Gibraltar Street across from Shakespeares and is run by Al and another gentleman, who will have one of many thousand male human names, probably with an I in it. I dunno, Richard, Michael?
The pair have done a good job sprucing up the empty retail unit and have a bar with four handpumps and possibly some sort of keg dispense, with a well socked fridge behind with bottles and cans inside. There is also a snazzy toilet, and comfortable seating throughout. I have been in three times now and enjoyed each one, the first by myself, once with the lovely Kati and once with Mr Grant and Hux's friend whose name I have since forgotten. On that occasion the real ales on offer were Wild Millionaire stout, Tiny Rebel Cwtch, North Riding Mosaic Pale and Fyne Ales Jarl. The North Riding and Fyne were tried and both were on good form.
I understand the idea is to get a permanent license and open full time sometime in the future - it is rumoured there has been much red tape to leap over and clamber through which may be retarding progress. I do hope for their sake's they get a permanent license - the bar does feel just like a pub now (if that makes sense) and especially in December, when the wonderful Shakespeares is packed to the rafters, its often a little quieter in the Bar stewards.
One question you may ask is - does Sheffield really need another ale venue? The answer is - yes. Of course. Not just because one has recently closed either, but because all venues have their own unique atmosphere and offer their own brand of hospitality. If the nearby (ish) Pub Inn becomes permanent there will be six Micropubs in Sheffield and what that does is increase choice for consumers, which has to be a good thing.
In addition to the cask and bottles and cans they also sell wine and possibly spirits and crisps, and Mr Rich was there doing a quiz on Wednesday last so this may take off as a regular feature. Whats more, Bar Stewards is the perfect place to undertake support for Drinkuary, which I expect all of you to be involved in through the dark joyless January ahead.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Monday, 12 January 2015
Keeping it moist
Hello there,
it may seem an unusual position to adopt, given my attempted (and almost entirely failed) "Dryvember" experiment, and the fact that we are nearly half way through the month, but I wanted to write today about the campaign for people to not drink alcohol in January. What I want to say is: "don't". Or possibly "do". Let me explain.......
Dry January is a campaign run in the UK by Alcohol Concern. For those rebels among you, here is a link to their registration page, and other sections including a list of corporate supporters. Dryathlon is slightly more hip in it's approach, and is undoubtedly* going to stop babies and kittens dying of cancer since its run by otherwise admirable organisation Cancer Research UK, as shown here. All the newspapers have written articles about "going dry" this January, (although using my usual rigorous level of research I haven't read any) and as always, there is much medical opinion flying around to support it. So who can resist?
Well, I can for one. Why? Because I used to work in a real ale off license. December was far and away our most profitable month, whilst in January it was hardly worth being open. So as to restrict the level of impact on sales figures it was often necessary to combine, for our own records at least, the earnings of both and divide them in half. January was the only month we ever had a week where we didn't sell a single pint of real ale. January was a millstone round our necks.
This phenomena continues to exist outside of pressures on pub attendance such as the smoking ban, drinkers preferring to stay at home, and previous vast increases in the price of beer. January now even more so, haunts pubs like a jaundiced spectre of temperance led regret, that seeks to undermine the hard work of the year before, and start the new year off on a low.
A friend of mine recently said he was giving up alcohol for January. He wasn't doing it as part of a charity campaign, but he noticed his friends were doing it and wanted to join in. I'm not for a second suggesting that my pub and bus stop learnt medical acumen stretches to doubting the benefits of a dry month, but I do know that January is not the month to do it. Someone who works in one of Sheffield's numerous real ale pubs said he had friends who'd made the same threat, sorry, promise. His response had been "well, I wonder if there's some way I can go and fuck up your business in January as well". He was joking, of course. Sort of.
No-one is suggesting you should, say, drink to excess at Christmas and then carry on a booze fueled orgy of over indulgence into January. What I am saying is, do continue to go to the pub, and keep money running through the tills of the places you would expect to drink in, or outside of, when the summer sun comes.
Last year we had the counter campaign of Drinkuary, this year possibly something like Tryuary or Dampuary exists. In truth, all we need to do is drink in January as we would at any other time.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
*this is an example of exaggeration. And you are more likely to contribute to closing a pub where a cancer patient drinks by not drinking in it.....
it may seem an unusual position to adopt, given my attempted (and almost entirely failed) "Dryvember" experiment, and the fact that we are nearly half way through the month, but I wanted to write today about the campaign for people to not drink alcohol in January. What I want to say is: "don't". Or possibly "do". Let me explain.......
Dry January is a campaign run in the UK by Alcohol Concern. For those rebels among you, here is a link to their registration page, and other sections including a list of corporate supporters. Dryathlon is slightly more hip in it's approach, and is undoubtedly* going to stop babies and kittens dying of cancer since its run by otherwise admirable organisation Cancer Research UK, as shown here. All the newspapers have written articles about "going dry" this January, (although using my usual rigorous level of research I haven't read any) and as always, there is much medical opinion flying around to support it. So who can resist?
Well, I can for one. Why? Because I used to work in a real ale off license. December was far and away our most profitable month, whilst in January it was hardly worth being open. So as to restrict the level of impact on sales figures it was often necessary to combine, for our own records at least, the earnings of both and divide them in half. January was the only month we ever had a week where we didn't sell a single pint of real ale. January was a millstone round our necks.
This phenomena continues to exist outside of pressures on pub attendance such as the smoking ban, drinkers preferring to stay at home, and previous vast increases in the price of beer. January now even more so, haunts pubs like a jaundiced spectre of temperance led regret, that seeks to undermine the hard work of the year before, and start the new year off on a low.
A friend of mine recently said he was giving up alcohol for January. He wasn't doing it as part of a charity campaign, but he noticed his friends were doing it and wanted to join in. I'm not for a second suggesting that my pub and bus stop learnt medical acumen stretches to doubting the benefits of a dry month, but I do know that January is not the month to do it. Someone who works in one of Sheffield's numerous real ale pubs said he had friends who'd made the same threat, sorry, promise. His response had been "well, I wonder if there's some way I can go and fuck up your business in January as well". He was joking, of course. Sort of.
No-one is suggesting you should, say, drink to excess at Christmas and then carry on a booze fueled orgy of over indulgence into January. What I am saying is, do continue to go to the pub, and keep money running through the tills of the places you would expect to drink in, or outside of, when the summer sun comes.
Last year we had the counter campaign of Drinkuary, this year possibly something like Tryuary or Dampuary exists. In truth, all we need to do is drink in January as we would at any other time.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
*this is an example of exaggeration. And you are more likely to contribute to closing a pub where a cancer patient drinks by not drinking in it.....
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Doing my bit for Drinkuary
Hello,
after the melee of Christmas and New Year slaking and the weighty spectre of expectation sitting on the shoulders of all expecting a better year ahead, its been reassuring to know that the reckless merry go round of drinking and general revelry can be continued into January. Not only that, but its all for a good cause!
In response to the sanctimonious imploration by Enjoyment Concern for a "dry January" (surely a more apt meteorological wish given recent events) people, who are real, have come up with the concept of drinkuary. This idea draws a clear correlation between the efforts of Enjoyment Concern and zealots in the health lobby to make people stay off alcohol of any kind for a specific period, with the ongoing decline in the fortune of pubs, the seemingly unstoppable tide of tax rises, and the general spiralling cost of drinking responsibly.
If you forgive the slightly odd misspelling of George Galloway as George Galway, who sounds like he ought to be an Irish folk singer, its an interesting idea, and one which fits in nicely with my intention to continue my normal pre Christmas drinking patterns. Anyone who runs a pub or knows people who run pubs will be aware that January is a write off month - ideally you combine the sales of all of December and January and average them out to make January less of a waste of time. Against which backdrop, the last thing the struggling trade needs is a dearth of custom, so I am pleased to have so far lent my support to the following establishments...
Friday night was Chala's choice so we started in the Church House. Its probably important to clarify that I do actually wish the venue every success; and despite my amusement at its bizarre customer profiling concepts, its still a nice place to have a decent pint of real ale (especially the Caledonian Double Dark, which is fantastic), after work. And that's what we did. Two rounds of Double Dark for me and Birra Moretti for Chala. A pleasant repose.
Off next for a surprise toilet inspired (the need, not the decor) stop off at Popolo's. Despite arriving in time for the drnks offers, nothing beery really caught my eye, at least, nothing in the offer list. So Chala had a half of Staropramen and myself a bottle of Brooklyn Brown. I don't know that I'm really a fan of this beer. It seems oddly sweet and sort of, I dunno, weirdly caramelised. Maybe it was a skunked bottle? Although being refrigerated to near freezing probably does it no favours.
The Rutland Arms on Brown Street was our next destination, for food and beer, and also the opportunity to engage in another Blogosphere meetIRL. After 18 months of hunting, I have finally spotted a SparklePete. A thoroughly nice chap as well. Only 20 more bloggers to meet now....
Drinks wise, Chala tried the Freedom Wheat again and to be fair it was lifeless and even weirder than New Year, so I gamely offered to finish it, and bought Chala half of the very drinkable Freedom Organic lager, which was on top form. I meanwhile ignored the advice of everyone in the know, which was to drink Jarrow Best, and went for pints of Wincle Wassale, Ilkley Mary Christmas and Magic Rock Cannonball, this time to remind myself why its not as good as the Human Cannonball which was amazing when I tried it in the Rutland last year.
There was a slight issue with the Leffe that Chala tried. Its an awkward one to call because realistically, who drinks enough Leffe to know if its right or wrong? Chala was adamant that it was not right, having a cough medicine type flavour and sulphury smell, and did get it swapped. Whilst I have torn loyalties here, I have to agree with young Paultous, who quite sagely pointed out that it definitely wasn't off, and that despite not claiming to be an expert, it tasted nice. An awkward one to call. Incidentally, and unsurprisingly, the food was excellent. Must eat there more often.
Our final drinks were in the Sheffield Tap, where, after discovering to my surprise that they don't sell a single saison (the silly was out of stock, but its not a good beer in my opinion) I decided to go KeyKeg and Cask and came away with a pint of the excellent Kirkstall Black Band Porter, and a half of the even more excellent Camden Hell(e?)s. Chala meanwhile finally got tp try a bottle of Vedett wheat, which was very much to her taste. An excellent way to finish the evening.
Yesterday was meant to be a day of lost pub research - but a much needed lie in saw to that, and I was out mid afternoon to start some rather more local investigations (Ooer!) at DAda. On the bar were two excellent real ales (4 in total, including the weird new St Petersburg with peated malt or whatever gives it that unfortunate edge), those being Red Willow Directionless and Amber Ales Derbyshire Gold.
The Gold was really refreshing and subtly hopped (but in a way that the beer benefited from) and the Red Willow was an intriguing blend of malts and hops, a fantastic drink but one that defied categorising. It was very very good, so that's what matters.
The Red Deer was my next stop, and I had a half each of the two guests - Celt Experience Celt Gold and the St Peters Best Bitter. I probably should have had the bitter first because it paled into insignificance against the amazing golden hoppiness of the Celt Experience, a rarely seen but often enjoyed brewery. Good to see both in Sheffield.
Harrisons 1854 was on my route so I popped in for a chat with Barraharri, but alas as the alcohol was mounting up and I'd had no scran I opted for only a half in here - Farmers Blonde, which was on good form, from a range including Best and Abbeydale Moonshine. It was nice to get back in my spot, even if it was only a pit stop.
The nearby Bath Hotel was following DAda's lead and also had some Red Willow on offer. I had a couple of pints of the Fathomless, an excellent oyster stout, and a half of the Heartless from the cask, another extremely quaffable and excellently executed Red Willow beer. It was also my first opportunity to try one of the Bath's sensational hot roast pork sandwiches - well worth the 8 month wait I'd say!
I managed to find a corner to relax in and spent sometime catching up with Steph, who, poor lass, had been working so hard that she imagined me to be much older than I am. I'm being as gracious as I can here, in the face of extreme provocation.... I finished off with a very tasty pint of Thornbridge Chiron before the allure of my home patch called and I headed off up to Crookes.
After securing fuel I met Wee Keefy in the Princess Royal. From a range of about 5 beers we both had the excellent Sheffield Brewing Co Christmas Pudding Porter, a tasty 5.2% dark beer on at a bargain £2.00 a pint. We sat in the far corner near the jukebox whilst a good covers band played some more unusual tunes including Nirvana and System of a Down.
Things were going rapidly downhill next - literally. Me and Wee Keefy were on Bates Street, and finding it a little slippy underfoot, WK suddenly let out out an "aaargh" and slipped sideways off the pavement. Laughing, I said "what bloody footwear have you got on, I've only got these crappy dress shoes" then took one step and fell flat on my arse. Must not gloat...
The Hallamshire House was our final stop and although initially overjoyed to spot Thorny Goat unfortunately it either wasn't that or someone had put bloody chilli in it. Yuk! Luckily they still had Heather Honey stout, and knowing WK has a sweet tooth I bough him a half of that and me an unusual version of Jaipur, which must have been different, because it was absolutely chuffing delicious! We grabbed a seat with friends Jo and Neil and caught up and supped before I made a joyless, frustrating and lengthy trip home, marked out by utterly backward public transport provision.
So, that;s my first campaigning work in the name of Drinkuary, lets hope I can continue to help, ahem, "them" for the rest of the month.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
after the melee of Christmas and New Year slaking and the weighty spectre of expectation sitting on the shoulders of all expecting a better year ahead, its been reassuring to know that the reckless merry go round of drinking and general revelry can be continued into January. Not only that, but its all for a good cause!
In response to the sanctimonious imploration by Enjoyment Concern for a "dry January" (surely a more apt meteorological wish given recent events) people, who are real, have come up with the concept of drinkuary. This idea draws a clear correlation between the efforts of Enjoyment Concern and zealots in the health lobby to make people stay off alcohol of any kind for a specific period, with the ongoing decline in the fortune of pubs, the seemingly unstoppable tide of tax rises, and the general spiralling cost of drinking responsibly.
If you forgive the slightly odd misspelling of George Galloway as George Galway, who sounds like he ought to be an Irish folk singer, its an interesting idea, and one which fits in nicely with my intention to continue my normal pre Christmas drinking patterns. Anyone who runs a pub or knows people who run pubs will be aware that January is a write off month - ideally you combine the sales of all of December and January and average them out to make January less of a waste of time. Against which backdrop, the last thing the struggling trade needs is a dearth of custom, so I am pleased to have so far lent my support to the following establishments...
Friday night was Chala's choice so we started in the Church House. Its probably important to clarify that I do actually wish the venue every success; and despite my amusement at its bizarre customer profiling concepts, its still a nice place to have a decent pint of real ale (especially the Caledonian Double Dark, which is fantastic), after work. And that's what we did. Two rounds of Double Dark for me and Birra Moretti for Chala. A pleasant repose.
Off next for a surprise toilet inspired (the need, not the decor) stop off at Popolo's. Despite arriving in time for the drnks offers, nothing beery really caught my eye, at least, nothing in the offer list. So Chala had a half of Staropramen and myself a bottle of Brooklyn Brown. I don't know that I'm really a fan of this beer. It seems oddly sweet and sort of, I dunno, weirdly caramelised. Maybe it was a skunked bottle? Although being refrigerated to near freezing probably does it no favours.
The Rutland Arms on Brown Street was our next destination, for food and beer, and also the opportunity to engage in another Blogosphere meetIRL. After 18 months of hunting, I have finally spotted a SparklePete. A thoroughly nice chap as well. Only 20 more bloggers to meet now....
Drinks wise, Chala tried the Freedom Wheat again and to be fair it was lifeless and even weirder than New Year, so I gamely offered to finish it, and bought Chala half of the very drinkable Freedom Organic lager, which was on top form. I meanwhile ignored the advice of everyone in the know, which was to drink Jarrow Best, and went for pints of Wincle Wassale, Ilkley Mary Christmas and Magic Rock Cannonball, this time to remind myself why its not as good as the Human Cannonball which was amazing when I tried it in the Rutland last year.
There was a slight issue with the Leffe that Chala tried. Its an awkward one to call because realistically, who drinks enough Leffe to know if its right or wrong? Chala was adamant that it was not right, having a cough medicine type flavour and sulphury smell, and did get it swapped. Whilst I have torn loyalties here, I have to agree with young Paultous, who quite sagely pointed out that it definitely wasn't off, and that despite not claiming to be an expert, it tasted nice. An awkward one to call. Incidentally, and unsurprisingly, the food was excellent. Must eat there more often.
Our final drinks were in the Sheffield Tap, where, after discovering to my surprise that they don't sell a single saison (the silly was out of stock, but its not a good beer in my opinion) I decided to go KeyKeg and Cask and came away with a pint of the excellent Kirkstall Black Band Porter, and a half of the even more excellent Camden Hell(e?)s. Chala meanwhile finally got tp try a bottle of Vedett wheat, which was very much to her taste. An excellent way to finish the evening.
Yesterday was meant to be a day of lost pub research - but a much needed lie in saw to that, and I was out mid afternoon to start some rather more local investigations (Ooer!) at DAda. On the bar were two excellent real ales (4 in total, including the weird new St Petersburg with peated malt or whatever gives it that unfortunate edge), those being Red Willow Directionless and Amber Ales Derbyshire Gold.
The Gold was really refreshing and subtly hopped (but in a way that the beer benefited from) and the Red Willow was an intriguing blend of malts and hops, a fantastic drink but one that defied categorising. It was very very good, so that's what matters.
The Red Deer was my next stop, and I had a half each of the two guests - Celt Experience Celt Gold and the St Peters Best Bitter. I probably should have had the bitter first because it paled into insignificance against the amazing golden hoppiness of the Celt Experience, a rarely seen but often enjoyed brewery. Good to see both in Sheffield.
Harrisons 1854 was on my route so I popped in for a chat with Barraharri, but alas as the alcohol was mounting up and I'd had no scran I opted for only a half in here - Farmers Blonde, which was on good form, from a range including Best and Abbeydale Moonshine. It was nice to get back in my spot, even if it was only a pit stop.
The nearby Bath Hotel was following DAda's lead and also had some Red Willow on offer. I had a couple of pints of the Fathomless, an excellent oyster stout, and a half of the Heartless from the cask, another extremely quaffable and excellently executed Red Willow beer. It was also my first opportunity to try one of the Bath's sensational hot roast pork sandwiches - well worth the 8 month wait I'd say!
I managed to find a corner to relax in and spent sometime catching up with Steph, who, poor lass, had been working so hard that she imagined me to be much older than I am. I'm being as gracious as I can here, in the face of extreme provocation.... I finished off with a very tasty pint of Thornbridge Chiron before the allure of my home patch called and I headed off up to Crookes.
After securing fuel I met Wee Keefy in the Princess Royal. From a range of about 5 beers we both had the excellent Sheffield Brewing Co Christmas Pudding Porter, a tasty 5.2% dark beer on at a bargain £2.00 a pint. We sat in the far corner near the jukebox whilst a good covers band played some more unusual tunes including Nirvana and System of a Down.
Things were going rapidly downhill next - literally. Me and Wee Keefy were on Bates Street, and finding it a little slippy underfoot, WK suddenly let out out an "aaargh" and slipped sideways off the pavement. Laughing, I said "what bloody footwear have you got on, I've only got these crappy dress shoes" then took one step and fell flat on my arse. Must not gloat...
The Hallamshire House was our final stop and although initially overjoyed to spot Thorny Goat unfortunately it either wasn't that or someone had put bloody chilli in it. Yuk! Luckily they still had Heather Honey stout, and knowing WK has a sweet tooth I bough him a half of that and me an unusual version of Jaipur, which must have been different, because it was absolutely chuffing delicious! We grabbed a seat with friends Jo and Neil and caught up and supped before I made a joyless, frustrating and lengthy trip home, marked out by utterly backward public transport provision.
So, that;s my first campaigning work in the name of Drinkuary, lets hope I can continue to help, ahem, "them" for the rest of the month.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
Friday, 28 December 2012
How to follow a tipsy boxing day
Hello,
the answer, of course, is get back on the ale. No point putting yourself through the achy pain of sobriety when New Years eve is just round the corner. And then its Drinkuary of course....
Alas, the pong of work hung over my calendar so I had to take my foot off the bottle for another day before beginning three days of Christmas relaxation starting today. In order to soften the impact of this needless distraction, I arranged to meet up with friends after work for, ahem "a couple of pints". Whilst you struggle to guess what may have actually happened in relation to that description, I'll fill you in on the important details....
We started around 4 at Shakespeares. Not too busy, but that's often the curse of the days between Christmas and New Year - no-one seems able to work out whether to expect a working day or weekend trade. Which was good, because we were able to grab a large table in the left hand room and settle down for a few pints.
I was joined by Jazz and Dave, Mr C, Maureen and Suzie Wish and started on a pint of Axholme Dark Lager. It was a very nice dark mild. It wasn't a schwarzbier or anything similar though! From here I moved onto pints (3 or so) of the excellent Welbeck Abbey Brewery Coco Noel, a fantastic chocolate stout with just the right balance of sweetness and crisp bitterness. This really loosened up those drinking it and put us in good spirits for our next stop.
DAda was atypical in its exclusivity so we also got a decent spot to sit in here. I had another enjoyable pint of Dancing Duck Gold, J9 alas missed out on the Rauchbier because she was distracted by a fruity offering (stop it..) and overall the drinks on offer were good, although Wish and C didn't rate the Bernard, so we (I, grumpily) decided to move on.
The Red Deer was our final stop, which makes a nice change for me, and it was here from a choice of two guests (there are about 5 or 6 regulars) I finally made the acquaintance of a beer that lots of people rate highly - the incredibly tasty and satisfying Santa Baby, a 5.9% IPA from Welbeck Abbey Brewery. This is another excellent Christmas ale from Welbeck, (although its festive relevance isn't exactly apparent in the taste! I'll let the brewery explain...) and one which, I confess, pretty much finished me off. I don't know how many glasses of the glorious brew passed my lips but it was a fantastic way to end a great night out with good friends.
By the way, Welbeck have even gone and got themselves a website so you can follow this link to see what has replaced their blog - and read a little about Santa Baby into the process.
So, that rounds up the details of my proper works night out, a tale that serves as an illustration of why you shouldn't drink almost exclusively beers of 5.0% and higher all night, as well as highlighting the money saving benefits of keeping ones underlying levels up throughout Christmas.
Which reminds me, that Abbeydale Deception isn't going to drink itself....
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
the answer, of course, is get back on the ale. No point putting yourself through the achy pain of sobriety when New Years eve is just round the corner. And then its Drinkuary of course....
Alas, the pong of work hung over my calendar so I had to take my foot off the bottle for another day before beginning three days of Christmas relaxation starting today. In order to soften the impact of this needless distraction, I arranged to meet up with friends after work for, ahem "a couple of pints". Whilst you struggle to guess what may have actually happened in relation to that description, I'll fill you in on the important details....
We started around 4 at Shakespeares. Not too busy, but that's often the curse of the days between Christmas and New Year - no-one seems able to work out whether to expect a working day or weekend trade. Which was good, because we were able to grab a large table in the left hand room and settle down for a few pints.
I was joined by Jazz and Dave, Mr C, Maureen and Suzie Wish and started on a pint of Axholme Dark Lager. It was a very nice dark mild. It wasn't a schwarzbier or anything similar though! From here I moved onto pints (3 or so) of the excellent Welbeck Abbey Brewery Coco Noel, a fantastic chocolate stout with just the right balance of sweetness and crisp bitterness. This really loosened up those drinking it and put us in good spirits for our next stop.
DAda was atypical in its exclusivity so we also got a decent spot to sit in here. I had another enjoyable pint of Dancing Duck Gold, J9 alas missed out on the Rauchbier because she was distracted by a fruity offering (stop it..) and overall the drinks on offer were good, although Wish and C didn't rate the Bernard, so we (I, grumpily) decided to move on.
The Red Deer was our final stop, which makes a nice change for me, and it was here from a choice of two guests (there are about 5 or 6 regulars) I finally made the acquaintance of a beer that lots of people rate highly - the incredibly tasty and satisfying Santa Baby, a 5.9% IPA from Welbeck Abbey Brewery. This is another excellent Christmas ale from Welbeck, (although its festive relevance isn't exactly apparent in the taste! I'll let the brewery explain...) and one which, I confess, pretty much finished me off. I don't know how many glasses of the glorious brew passed my lips but it was a fantastic way to end a great night out with good friends.
By the way, Welbeck have even gone and got themselves a website so you can follow this link to see what has replaced their blog - and read a little about Santa Baby into the process.
So, that rounds up the details of my proper works night out, a tale that serves as an illustration of why you shouldn't drink almost exclusively beers of 5.0% and higher all night, as well as highlighting the money saving benefits of keeping ones underlying levels up throughout Christmas.
Which reminds me, that Abbeydale Deception isn't going to drink itself....
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
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