I don't get bored, get bored, in the Broad field

Evening,

       with recent rounds up of linked venues and breweries it's time to reprise my 2012 visit to the Forum Bars Broadfield Ale House on Abbeydale Road - conveniently situated next to the Hop Hideout, which you may remember from being a new specialist beer shop, and everything. My initial two visits heralded good and bad impressions but apart from a spate of visits later that year I've been a bit of s stranger. Lately, a flurry of visits have afforded me the chance of a re-review, thus...

back in the warm late September Miss N and myself had a day boozing in the Tap, grabbing a  coffee in coffee shop-cum-restaurant-cakery-cum-off license Sellers Wheel, before heading to the Broadfield for a beer in the garden. On that occasion the first two beers we spotted were ours for the session. Miss N waded in recklessly to several pint of the Hardknott Infrared and I switched between that and Ilkley Norseman. Both beers were well kept although they could perhaps have been a bit cheaper, and were perfect for the third quarter of our session. It was nice to sit outside and enjoy ale in the sunshine and there is a reasonable amount of space to do so.

The other Saturday was Nat's 40th - and we had "prepared" for it with a session in the Rutland as I reported last time. Reaching Abbeydale Road and hoping to catch the party of revelers as they headed down from Woodseats we nipped in the Broadfield for a beer and started texting the throng. Finding a space at the right hand side bar in the incredibly busy pub I caught the barman's eye and asked what other beers were on offer. Initially I was contemplating a Bradfield Pale but as soon as he said On The Edge Berliner my mind was set on that!

The former Sheffield beer festival award winner was every bit as good as I had hoped - eminently quaffable and utterly refreshing this ale was not to enjoy a lengthy life - probably lasting twenty minutes, and then only because we were searching for a seat instead of drinking. So good was it that, even having established that the party were not that far away, we had to stay for another to make sure. This visit showed up the minor downside to the Broady - that being that its undoubted popularity makes it claustrophobicly busy at times.

This weekend I was at a loose end twice whilst in the vicinity. After my drink at te Rising Sun Friday I was dropped off on Sheldon Road and popped into Vintedge for a sneak preview of Hop Hideout. Since they weren't officially open it seemed cheeky to hang around so I made my excuses and escaped to the Broadfield for a beer or two.  Finding a spare seat on a Friday night is a bit of a problem - but I managed it, and set about assessing my options. I opted for a pint of the Black Iris stout at 5.0% - alas I couldn't tell what the name was but it had a picture of a mans face on. So it was that one. And it tasted good. Next up I had a pint of Magic Rock Curious, and a half of Blackjack Dunkel on Keykeg. The Magic Rock offering was on good form and the Dunkel a nice chewy half to slow down my earlier rapacious intake.

Saturday I was back at Hop Hideout for the pzazz of the opening day, and hoping to be committed to celluloid as well - alas that leap into stardom never came about but I still found my way round to the Broadfield for an earlier and quieter visit. This time the Bradfield Pale was my starter of choice, which stood up well to the free taster of Northern Monk Imperial Stout that I'd had at the shop. It was also good value at £3.00 a pint. I then moved onto another half of the Blackjack Dunkel, along with half of their Texas Holdem on cask, a well rounded feisty bitter which came to £3.40 for the two. Both were once again in good nick, especially the Bradfield.

This shows that after an initially perhaps cautious start the Broadfield, not least because its an outlet for On The Edge beers, has adopted a policy of featuring interesting and varied guests which showcases some of the better upcoming and established microbreweries in the UK. Obviously as a drinker I'd prefer less space to be allocated to eating but that's the only gripe really, which means its always worth popping in if you are up at that end of town.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy.

Wee Beefy's Easter libation round up

Now then,

    am writing this in the hope that a good bit of beer mumbling will stimulate my writing follicles sufficiently to enable me to complete a job application form which I have to go into work tomorrow on my day off to complete. If it doesn't, well, no harm done, because I have a few crumbs of news for you.

Maundy Merriment

On Thursday last we were oop Nether Edge again and being too early for the Union I once again skillfully cajoled Chala into the Broadfield on a flimsy premise created using a mixture of wily cunning and flagrant deceit. She loves it really though.

Broady.

It was quite busy I noticed given that it was only 5PM, and there were all handpumps in use as we arrived. Having worked out that, with the greatest respect, the best beers appear to be on pump one and two as you enter plus the pumps on the right hand side, I quickly chose a pint of Black Iris Brewery Peregrine. I am starting to love Black Iris Brewery (erm, not in a fruity way mind) as all their beers seem to be delicious. For more info see the link here . The Peregrine had a really fruity bitter taste, perhaps a match made in heaven given the grapefruit, mango, orange and apricot sometimes present in really hoppy beer, and this went down a treat.

I did waver slightly and head off for a Springhead Leveller but its a shame that it seems less good than when I first tried it in the Broadfield back in January. After a slow sup I decided that more crisps were required and another delicious Black Iris beer - Chala meanwhile dispatched an alarming quantity of Pinot Grigio...

Wait For It

On the way home, slightly fuzzy of focus, we went into Waitrose to spend far too much on meat, wine, pesto and beers. The cringingly expensive wine has not been tried yet (well, one has, but never mind), but I have tried both of the interesting beers I bought.

The first on Thursday was the West Brewery of Glasgow's St Mungo lager. This is a totally new brewery to me (although as always with Beefy come lately they have been going since 2008) and it strangely coincided with my reading a review of their beer on Barm's blog (which I almost never read, not because its not good, but because the nanosecond I click on his blog my Internet explorer session grinds to a halt, and, like this time, I lost some of my post, so that's great) here . 

I have to say that I am a trifle jealous of anyone who can easily get to West, because although I get the distinct impression they don't sell real ale (prove me wrong!) am fairly certain that their lager must be very  very nice indeed based on this bottle. More info on them here .

St Mungo has none of that horrid Samlesbury water, cereal malt, absurd carbonation and hopless wort that chracterises most UK brewed lager, this had a bitter flavour balanced by decent German malt, with a sensible amount of carbonation and a satisfying refreshing aftertaste. Its more the shame that I only bought one, because I could have sunk many of these, which is absolutely not the case if I am forced to drink lager even in decent pubs in town.

Saturday night - preloading shock.

I was off out on Saturday with Wee Keefy for his birthday and not meeting til late, so I decided it wouldn't matter if I had a delicious beer wi me tea. I had one bottle available, the Chapel Down Winery Curious IPA. This 5.6% beer was a revelation. It used traditional beer ingredients, Fuggles and Bramling cross hops, but also a large amount of Citra hops and wheat malt. The result is very enjoyable. The Fuggles likely gives it that strong Fullers like taste which appears in their stronger beers, the Bramling Cross they claim gives some blackcurrant flavours, and there are subtle fruits in the mouthfeel, but the Citra is perhaps what gives it that zesty citrussy hit. The Wheat malt maybe balances out the weighty flavours of the Fuggles? And for all you beer geeks, you will  find that the back label is rammed full of hop information. Brilliant.

Anyhow, given that this was all I supped prior to setting out, its clear that preloading hasn't been on my radar - but that's interesting, because of course what I am saying is not literally correct - I have partaken of alcohol before I have gone out. The difference is, I have not sought the highest alcoholic content in my drink and not intended to get shit faced or even drunk. That's because I want to be sober enough to enjoy the first 3 or 4 hours at least of my night out, and because due to having been paid only last week, I can afford to have a goodly sum whilst out. Perhaps the next time the Government want to assess the reasons and contributory factors behind preloading they might consider the high costs involved in actually going out and having a good session.....

Be-have

So, I was at the Beehive at 21.00 and it was busy but not rammed. I got a pint of Kipling from the range on offer (didn't see any Blue Bee beers on?) as every pint was £1.99 and Kipling, as well as being a favourite beer of mine, seemed very good value at that price. I found Wee Keefy and companions and noted that they were mostly all finished. Beer planning faux pas number one....

The Wick

Still, I didn't linger over my brew and next we were off to the Wick At Both Ends across West Street. Carlos had never been so I reassured him that there was real ale for me, cocktails for, erm, well no-one exactly, and much better music.

Please note, despite being shamefully poor, the above picture is, in fact, "artistic".....

On arriving I found the beer choice was Thornbridge Brother Rabbit and Sheffield Brewing Co Seven Hills, both on at about £3.20. I had the Brother Rabbit. It aint cheap, especially considering that Sequoia would have cost the same, but the Wick is slap bang in the centre and is a decent venue, especially since it appeals to many different drinkers (there is a decent range of American and European bottled beers available as well). The music was just as good as I hoped which meant we stayed for another, before heading up to Crookes.

The Ball

This Greedy King pub has probably the widest selection of beers in Crookes, even if its likely not the best. When Kelham and GK do decent seasonals its usually quite good, and there were about 3 beers on offer that I fancied tonight. I went for the Nottingham Legend, a beer which I think I tried at Cropton beer fest. This was an uncompromising complex beer that was a well received strong un after he Brother Rabbit.  I also had a pint of the excellent Bath Ales Barnsey dark ale, which proved very popular.

It was noticeable however that the pub seemed quiet, and this was a trend I had found on Good Friday and elsewhere that night. Also of note, the Nottingham brewery beer had a tag above the pump clip saying "I'm brewed in Nottinghamshire", the Bath likewise for Avon and Somerset, and another beer - but this only applies to guests! Consequently, the three regular Greedy King beers plus their two "guests" (one of which I don't think prominently displays the brewery - why so embarrassed?) were all devoid of Geographical identification. Perhaps the paucity of info about the beers antecedence was the reason for this blanket denial on the GK pumps? Why no "I'm brewed in Suffolk" tags one wonders?

Punch Bowl

Poor old Punch Bowl, stripped gradually of real ale and then renamed "Mr Q's", a name so bereft of relevance and forethought that it rendered its application almost pointless. Now, it may not yet be back to being called the Punch Bowl, but that's what its called - in my mind. So there.

Anyhoo, the range for the night in here was Copper Dragon Golden Pippin (which had run out) and Kelham Easy Rider. I had a quick pint of the Kelham (well, er, duh...) and sensing an oncoming last orders threat got another, and then two more at last orders. This may seem slightly desperate, but it was a good pint and also, I didn't want it to run out leaving me with no beer. At least, that's my excuse...

So, overall, Easter has been a refreshing time with plenty of good pubs and ales along the way. I have had some interesting bottled offerings as well. I am now off for the next week, so may well have a few more updates to come....

Wee Beefy

Forum Bars Broadfield Ale House - Reprise

Good afternoon all,

    over the last couple of months I have been to the recently reopened Broadfield on Abbeydale Road a few times. Its been a mixed bag of experiences, mostly good but plenty of irritating niggles to contend with that have refused to go away. Earlier last week me and Chala ended up popping in and to my delight many of the annoying failings had been ironed out.

No Broadside for Broady...

Literally,since I doubt the Adnams beer of the same name would feature on the bar, with its emphasis on local brews and breweries production. But a reflection of the fact that I am taking this opportunity to praise the Broady, not pick holes.

First things first, when we came in, there was a board, albeit small, proclaiming real ales that were on. At least, I think it did. Its ironic that I moaned that they hadn't done this, only to find that when they do, its too small for me to read. However sharp eyed folks can, and in case of eyesight problems you could always ask a member of staff to tell you which beers were on sale on the 125 yards of bar that is the hub at the middle of the pub.

In addition to the usual suspects, i.e Bradfield and Kelham and Acorn, there was the excellent Pure Gold, an easy drinking session beer from Partners Brewery in Dewsbury ( see Partners tell you what they brew . Canny readers will recognise some of the beer names from Anglo Dutch brewery. I knew this already but it puts me in an awkward camp here - I liked the Partners porter a lot along with another beer of theirs I had at Cropton beer festival, and I liked this one as well. However, I was expecting more hops. One of my complaints about Anglo Dutch beers was that they were vety samey and lacking any definitive character, apart from the stronger ones. They particularly lacked sharp citrus hop flavours and it made their beer a bit muddy to my mind. I will still try their beers though, and am especially looking forward to trying their porter again.

Anyhoo, I digress, I had the partners beer and Chala had a very large glass containing a very average measure of wine. I am going to suggest this is a letting the drink breathe plan on this one. We've never been blown away by the wine choice here but this Pinot Grigio was remarkably good. Meanwhile, 1 pint turned into 3, and similarly Chala kept up with her wine. We enjoyed these in spacious luxury in one of the booths to the far right hand side.

Crisps were purchased, and we even ventured to try one of their range of gins. This is a weird decision, since, erm, neither of us like gin; but it sounded so damned interesting. Luckily we had the cheerful patience of the lass with the tattoo that served us the first time we both visited so ended up with an interesting if not particularly moreish drink. Since we didn't expect to like it I think that says a lot. By this time crisps seemed a poor choice, so we caved in and got a table to eat at.


Admittedly, there is still the rigmarole of finding one that isn't reserved, but we found one in the far left corner that suited us perfectly. We ordered a bottle of the wine and I a half of the Wentworth Oatmeal Stout. This was in impeccable condition, so I had another half whilst we awaited our food.

Heres where the Broady ramps up brownie points. My £6.95 steak and ale pie with mash peas and gravy was a sensible size and really really tasty. Chala splashed out £8.50 or so on the Ham hock which came with veg and mash and more delicious gravy. And it was absolutely Hyowg. Probably enough for two in terms of the hock, and cooked for about a day it seemed, so tender and succulent as it was. We both finished our meals full to bursting, having had some excellent food and delicious beer and wine along the way. (I eventually ended up with two pints of the fantastic Stout, I couldn't resist)

However, the real winner here is the fact that they have now caught up with the York and particularly the Old House by having a drinks menu, always helpful, and which sparked our gin interest, and a comprehensive whiskey list, which with such a huge range, is arguably essential. Finding these improvements early on put us in a good mood, , as well as finding that the cask ale board idea had been taken on. These three elements were the final cogs which made the whole experience now run smoothly instead of being a jolting stuttering mixture of highs and lows.

One final point, on the right hand bar next to the Partners was the True North First Born beer. Its a shame I didn't opt to try it - what with one of yesterdays posts, it would have been the icing on the cake if I could have sampled it myself as well.

Overall a good showing, which warrants a return.

Wee Beefy