Hullabloo,
sadly, or perhaps maybe thankfully, the title of this post is not the ingredients list for some new-fangled modern "craaaft" beer. Although, am aware that at least one of them could impart some vociferous disgust in many. In fact, that is kind of what this post is about. My experiences of, and the reaction of others to, three recent(ish) boozey features, with remarkably different results.
Its probably best to explain, or rather perhaps to remind readers, that I like hops. I am willing to admit that they feature in all of my top ten beers of the last decade. Am not averse to any particular other ingredient by the way, but like all those that drink I have preferences. And that of course is an understandably fine way to provide assumptions, sometimes negatively. A recent chat with a chum however caused us to discuss the reasons behind some fairly strong reactions to certain ingredients. So I have decided to look at the issue in time order, based mainly on when I heard people discussing them in places over the last four years. I genuinely hope this will be better than I am misdescribing it thus far.......
About four years ago at IMBC I came across a beer with Tonka beans in it. For some reason my recent memorial dalliances have somehow mixed that up with Tonka cars, which may be incorrect, but anyway, this was the first time I think I had come across a beer with such a potential flavouring. I do know it was brewed by Hawkshead......
I recall being surprised at the scope and depth of chocolatey vanilla flavours on offer, and this appreciation has continued in the two versions of BrewYork Tonkoko stout, another strange sounding (perhaps) chocolateblock of darkness, that is likewise vast in the range of flavours shown in the taste. I can also say that whilst out amidst the circles of persons with interest in beer ingredients, I thus far have yet to hear any discontent regarding Tonka bean's inclusion.
So. Sabro. I think this "new" hop may have been called HBC438 or similar prior to this point, however being a citrussy and fruit laden burst of wonder it obviously features in far more - and admittedly too many - beers to mention. Admittedly my potential inability to remember its pre name name, if that makes sense, is frustrating, but since its identity was found I can't say I have come across any complaints or criticisms for it's beery inclusion either .
Its interesting then that I predicted time order, because I think in fact that the oldest of the three ingredients featured in beers of the UK is good ole "milky" (but in fact sugary) lactose. Myself and my mate discussed this based on a quite noticeable disgruntlement amongst many about lactose being not only in one particular brewer's beers, but likely it's inclusion in new styles such as milkshake IPA for example.
I know that the first time I tried lactose in a beer was when I first tried a taste of Mackeson. I imagine WF gave me a sip when I was 9 or 10, either to dissuade me from beer (based on my youth and nothing else) or to enlighten me about it (based on its taste, as well as my youth). Am not going to suggest for a second that I liked it but suffice to say by the time I was 17 I already disregarded Mackeson from my....um...list of potential low alcohol options....
The thing is, if the amount or usage of lactose in today's excellent small and micro brewers beers was in any way similar to Mackeson I could understand dissatisfaction. But in terms of, for instance, brewers like Wander Beyond, an operation quite widely criticised for their usage of the milky product, then I would have to say there is no comparison. And am certain this would count for the higher majority of modern small brewed outputs in the UK over the last two years or so. Crucially for me, despite initial concern based on having not tried modern era beers with it in, I have to say that thus far I love Wander Beyond beers, which thus inevitably includes those with lactose in them. And that doesn't even get near to mentioning their frankly excellent artwork.
So if I can summarise the three points I have warbled aimlessly around -
1. All three ingredients are seen in excellent beers;
2. The inclusion of any or all of them does not by itself render that beer grim;
3. Lactose being in less appealing nineteen twenties/thirties brews has nothing to do with how it fits into more recent and arguably far better products....
Admittedly that means this could have been a far shorter espousal, but its always nice to share a few guessmories, fumblements and thoughtfails when offering an opinion. The end of which is to say that I look forward to continuing to see these and other new or resurrected tastes in beers as time goes on, and to decidedly enjoy them.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Showing posts with label Hawkshead Brewery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawkshead Brewery. Show all posts
Tuesday, 21 January 2020
Thursday, 11 May 2017
Drinking in the Drink Inn
Hello folks,
I thought it about time that I made you aware of my experiences of the above activity, which prior to the unending death of medically engineered sobriety, took place quite regularly. I have to say, as well as being a thoroughly decent boozer, my visits are partly a tribute, especially not being keen on the Bankers, to the Three Tuns. It seems that their closing has impacted strongly on my drinking life, not least my trying the Drink Inn. Sure I still see Nate as he now works in the cradle of greatness which is Shakespeares, but I probably popped in the Tuns every other day....
Anyhoo, at the beginning of April I was orf to see Tash and waited 65 minutes for a number 40 to not bother showing up, so headed into town on the X5, alighting on Commercial street. Thirsty, after the near nine minute journey, I decided to pop in the Drink Inn. Having heard on Faceache that it sold mainly Carling and Bradfield I wasn't holding out much hope for decent beer but of course, ye Faceachers pulleth mine leg. Though reserved, there are a fine selection of slurps in the Drink.
I noticed he had a new-fangled keg ale on as well as some decent cask - I had a half of the Sheffield brewing Co Seven Hills on account of not having had any for a while, and a whole pint of the Beavertown Gamma Ray. To be fair, the Gamma Ray was over a £1.00 a percent at £5.60 for a 5.4% beer - so near Dev Cat or Sheffield Tap crazy prices, but it was my first visit and after being questioned carefully about what I wanted I decided to bite the bullet and gulp the juice. It was, in case of doubts, delicious. There's even a link here to details about it. I also quaffed a can of Wild beer which was on offer at something inexpensive, alas in the time since, I have forgotten its moniker....
My next visit saw me in for a quick one with Matty on his way to WF's. We each had a pint of the Hawkshead Great White cloudy wheat beer at 4.5% and £3.50 a pint. It occurred to me that this was also slightly pricey but in fact, you can hardly get any pint for under £3.50 in much of Sheffield now. The Drink is quite central after all, and being a micropub, relies on a small stock to get by. The Great White, by the way, was in absolutely excellent condition and went down far far too easily.
My third and fourth visits, with Tash both times, saw them running short of stock re wines, which is a shame, since Tash drinks more wine than anything else these days. That said, the gentleman did us a deal and charged us less for the more expensive one when the other ran out. I also had a fantastic can of BrewDog Neon Overlord chilli IPA, which I understand was quite difficult to get hold of. Despite the fears of Meathouse, this was very tasty and the chilli did not overawe. During the snooker finals a man came in claiming to be an American tourist who sang a couple of sings, although, it seems, on his last visit he had been Irish....
Our last visit together saw more wine shortages but Drone Valley Treeshekker dry cider was on so I think Tash had that and some lovely gin and tonic. This s also where I finally ran out of credit on my lovely card which I never had niver. A final stop off with Matty and Tash saw us enjoying Gamma Ray and some from a cask, which would have had a name, you know, in order to differentiate it from other products. We also had some rather fab Hobgoblin crisps from Burts.
The Drink Inn is deceptively large as there is seating at the back next to the bar, and has its own branded glasses. The beer has always been well kept and he keeps an interesting range of cans and bottles form microbreweries. The man himself is from Nottingham and has a name, I dunno, Rob, Richard, Pete, Ethel, one of those, or of many others. Since I normally call him Ay up it scarcely matters. Tash had a chat to him every time she was there and he seems like a decent genuine bloke. He told me they get big crowds for events and on matchdays so its well worth selling Carling as that is the most popular drink. A sensible business decision.
As soon as am off meds I will be popping into the Drink, in more ways than one, as soon as I can. In the meantime I wish man from Nottingham with a name all the very best, and hope you will also pop in for a drink. At the Drink Inn.
You very bestestest of health
Wee Beefy
I thought it about time that I made you aware of my experiences of the above activity, which prior to the unending death of medically engineered sobriety, took place quite regularly. I have to say, as well as being a thoroughly decent boozer, my visits are partly a tribute, especially not being keen on the Bankers, to the Three Tuns. It seems that their closing has impacted strongly on my drinking life, not least my trying the Drink Inn. Sure I still see Nate as he now works in the cradle of greatness which is Shakespeares, but I probably popped in the Tuns every other day....
Anyhoo, at the beginning of April I was orf to see Tash and waited 65 minutes for a number 40 to not bother showing up, so headed into town on the X5, alighting on Commercial street. Thirsty, after the near nine minute journey, I decided to pop in the Drink Inn. Having heard on Faceache that it sold mainly Carling and Bradfield I wasn't holding out much hope for decent beer but of course, ye Faceachers pulleth mine leg. Though reserved, there are a fine selection of slurps in the Drink.
I noticed he had a new-fangled keg ale on as well as some decent cask - I had a half of the Sheffield brewing Co Seven Hills on account of not having had any for a while, and a whole pint of the Beavertown Gamma Ray. To be fair, the Gamma Ray was over a £1.00 a percent at £5.60 for a 5.4% beer - so near Dev Cat or Sheffield Tap crazy prices, but it was my first visit and after being questioned carefully about what I wanted I decided to bite the bullet and gulp the juice. It was, in case of doubts, delicious. There's even a link here to details about it. I also quaffed a can of Wild beer which was on offer at something inexpensive, alas in the time since, I have forgotten its moniker....
My next visit saw me in for a quick one with Matty on his way to WF's. We each had a pint of the Hawkshead Great White cloudy wheat beer at 4.5% and £3.50 a pint. It occurred to me that this was also slightly pricey but in fact, you can hardly get any pint for under £3.50 in much of Sheffield now. The Drink is quite central after all, and being a micropub, relies on a small stock to get by. The Great White, by the way, was in absolutely excellent condition and went down far far too easily.
My third and fourth visits, with Tash both times, saw them running short of stock re wines, which is a shame, since Tash drinks more wine than anything else these days. That said, the gentleman did us a deal and charged us less for the more expensive one when the other ran out. I also had a fantastic can of BrewDog Neon Overlord chilli IPA, which I understand was quite difficult to get hold of. Despite the fears of Meathouse, this was very tasty and the chilli did not overawe. During the snooker finals a man came in claiming to be an American tourist who sang a couple of sings, although, it seems, on his last visit he had been Irish....
Our last visit together saw more wine shortages but Drone Valley Treeshekker dry cider was on so I think Tash had that and some lovely gin and tonic. This s also where I finally ran out of credit on my lovely card which I never had niver. A final stop off with Matty and Tash saw us enjoying Gamma Ray and some from a cask, which would have had a name, you know, in order to differentiate it from other products. We also had some rather fab Hobgoblin crisps from Burts.
The Drink Inn is deceptively large as there is seating at the back next to the bar, and has its own branded glasses. The beer has always been well kept and he keeps an interesting range of cans and bottles form microbreweries. The man himself is from Nottingham and has a name, I dunno, Rob, Richard, Pete, Ethel, one of those, or of many others. Since I normally call him Ay up it scarcely matters. Tash had a chat to him every time she was there and he seems like a decent genuine bloke. He told me they get big crowds for events and on matchdays so its well worth selling Carling as that is the most popular drink. A sensible business decision.
As soon as am off meds I will be popping into the Drink, in more ways than one, as soon as I can. In the meantime I wish man from Nottingham with a name all the very best, and hope you will also pop in for a drink. At the Drink Inn.
You very bestestest of health
Wee Beefy
Sunday, 28 April 2013
The Bath, a bash and the Ship.
Now then,
A friend's birthday meant I was out and about around West Street on a Saturday night, which although I did the same for Wee Keefy's birthday a few weeks ago, is still a rarity for me. As it turned out, an unplanned turn of events meant I also ended up having another enjoyable session in a fantastic pub.
I met Fluff at the Bath Hotel for a few warm up pints. It was nice to bump in to Steff fir the first time in a a while and when Fluff arrived just as I was buying my beer it was the start of a night of good timings and fortuitous outcomes. We both had pints of Bristol Beer Factory Seven, a surprisingly refreshing copper coloured beer with a lot of quite heavy but perfectly balanced malts in the mix. We sat in the main room, struggling to hear ourselves over the loudest blokes in the world, supping and talking beer.
We also had time for a pint each of the Hawkshead Brodies Prime.I only tried this once before, at the Sheffield Tap, on the day that Brodie Clark resigned. Who he you may ask? Well, its not that important, but noteworthy that in the clamour to discover who he really was when he hit the headlines, I found that top of the first page of search results on Google, was his entry on the ".....is a c*nt" website! Clearly a top bloke....
The beer, luckily, shares none of his attributed or alleged characteristics, being a full flavoured dark brew with a pleasing hoppy edge, that set us on our way nicely.
Next we caught up with the throng in the Frog and Parrot. Its always been an odd pub for me, its certainly conveniently placed, always rammed, but has never really seemed to make much of an effort on beers, although back in the mid noughties I did find them selling a pint of Itchen Valley Fagans from a range of about five. Things seem to have fallen off a bit since then (possibly due to it being owned by Greedy King?).
There were 4 beers on, 3 Greedy King and a guest, which promptly went off (Kelham Island Pride of Sheffield) when I ordered it, so I ordered me and Fluff pints of Twisted Wheel ( a"guest" no less) which was a Greedy King-ish beer with lemon in it. Not too bad actually, especially given the other options of weakened OSH and their IPA.
We stayed for another in here with the birthday girl, Miss Wish, with some decent music playing and a procession of trips to the beer garden for the smokers, whilst me and Fluff caught up with friends in the group. Alas the parties diverged at this point with the revelers, wearing a variety of excellent apparel, headed for the Green Room. Me and Fluff bade our farewell and headed to the Ship at Shalesmoor.
I hadn't actually planned to do this so it was a pleasant surprise, and when we got there it was packed. Considering, as I've mentioned before, there really aren't any local clientele it was impressive just how busy the pub was. One thing I have noticed before is that I am usually one of the youngest customers - and since Fluff is slightly older than me that didn't change this time!
On the bar were the usual 3 real ales, Kelham Pale Rider, Abbeydale Moonshine and Welbeck Ernest George. I wasn't sure I'd had that one before, and being a fan of Welbeck beer I opted for a pint of that. A fantastic well rounded quaffable dark beer was what I found. And once we got a table, it was clear that we would be in for the rest of the night.
Unusually I stuck with the same beer - there seemed no point changing when the Welbeck was so damned good. Fluff was likely on the same, Col on Pale Rider, and Sue on lager. A few good tunes came on the juke box (which I had only previously admired for its retro qualities, instead of attempting to use it) and we relaxed (some more), talked and soaked up the atmosphere.
Its true to say that there are a dwindling number of pubs like the Ship. A long standing landlord, a good deal with a Pubco (actually, to be fair, its Greedy King that he has some sort of tie in with, not sure on the details though...) a dedicated troupe of regulars, pool and other pub games teams, 1970's furnishings abound, inexpensive well kept real ale is on sale and its probably, in terms of Sheffield, the epitome of a "proper pub".
Fitting then that we should have been in for a proper session drinking great beer, before stumbling outside to clamber in a beer chariot home. You don't get many nights that just remain great from the start, but this was one of them. Thanks to my companions as well for making it a good night all round.
If you haven't made it in yet, I strongly suggest you make the effort to visit the Ship.
Wee Beefy
A friend's birthday meant I was out and about around West Street on a Saturday night, which although I did the same for Wee Keefy's birthday a few weeks ago, is still a rarity for me. As it turned out, an unplanned turn of events meant I also ended up having another enjoyable session in a fantastic pub.
I met Fluff at the Bath Hotel for a few warm up pints. It was nice to bump in to Steff fir the first time in a a while and when Fluff arrived just as I was buying my beer it was the start of a night of good timings and fortuitous outcomes. We both had pints of Bristol Beer Factory Seven, a surprisingly refreshing copper coloured beer with a lot of quite heavy but perfectly balanced malts in the mix. We sat in the main room, struggling to hear ourselves over the loudest blokes in the world, supping and talking beer.
We also had time for a pint each of the Hawkshead Brodies Prime.I only tried this once before, at the Sheffield Tap, on the day that Brodie Clark resigned. Who he you may ask? Well, its not that important, but noteworthy that in the clamour to discover who he really was when he hit the headlines, I found that top of the first page of search results on Google, was his entry on the ".....is a c*nt" website! Clearly a top bloke....
The beer, luckily, shares none of his attributed or alleged characteristics, being a full flavoured dark brew with a pleasing hoppy edge, that set us on our way nicely.
Next we caught up with the throng in the Frog and Parrot. Its always been an odd pub for me, its certainly conveniently placed, always rammed, but has never really seemed to make much of an effort on beers, although back in the mid noughties I did find them selling a pint of Itchen Valley Fagans from a range of about five. Things seem to have fallen off a bit since then (possibly due to it being owned by Greedy King?).
There were 4 beers on, 3 Greedy King and a guest, which promptly went off (Kelham Island Pride of Sheffield) when I ordered it, so I ordered me and Fluff pints of Twisted Wheel ( a"guest" no less) which was a Greedy King-ish beer with lemon in it. Not too bad actually, especially given the other options of weakened OSH and their IPA.
We stayed for another in here with the birthday girl, Miss Wish, with some decent music playing and a procession of trips to the beer garden for the smokers, whilst me and Fluff caught up with friends in the group. Alas the parties diverged at this point with the revelers, wearing a variety of excellent apparel, headed for the Green Room. Me and Fluff bade our farewell and headed to the Ship at Shalesmoor.
I hadn't actually planned to do this so it was a pleasant surprise, and when we got there it was packed. Considering, as I've mentioned before, there really aren't any local clientele it was impressive just how busy the pub was. One thing I have noticed before is that I am usually one of the youngest customers - and since Fluff is slightly older than me that didn't change this time!
On the bar were the usual 3 real ales, Kelham Pale Rider, Abbeydale Moonshine and Welbeck Ernest George. I wasn't sure I'd had that one before, and being a fan of Welbeck beer I opted for a pint of that. A fantastic well rounded quaffable dark beer was what I found. And once we got a table, it was clear that we would be in for the rest of the night.
Unusually I stuck with the same beer - there seemed no point changing when the Welbeck was so damned good. Fluff was likely on the same, Col on Pale Rider, and Sue on lager. A few good tunes came on the juke box (which I had only previously admired for its retro qualities, instead of attempting to use it) and we relaxed (some more), talked and soaked up the atmosphere.
Its true to say that there are a dwindling number of pubs like the Ship. A long standing landlord, a good deal with a Pubco (actually, to be fair, its Greedy King that he has some sort of tie in with, not sure on the details though...) a dedicated troupe of regulars, pool and other pub games teams, 1970's furnishings abound, inexpensive well kept real ale is on sale and its probably, in terms of Sheffield, the epitome of a "proper pub".
Fitting then that we should have been in for a proper session drinking great beer, before stumbling outside to clamber in a beer chariot home. You don't get many nights that just remain great from the start, but this was one of them. Thanks to my companions as well for making it a good night all round.
If you haven't made it in yet, I strongly suggest you make the effort to visit the Ship.
Wee Beefy
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Lades
Good evening,
yesterday I decided to do something that I'd been intending to for a while. I had made the first faltering steps back in June 2011 (described at length here ) but now I decided I should go the whole hog and spend a day visiting some of Leeds' city centre watering holes. I photographed the excellent Leeds CAMRA city centre beer guide and set off with a thirst and an insatiable curiosity.
On arriving I tried to find a cash machine, without success. A Leodisian glitch that would also affect procedures later on, however soon, by luck rather than planning, I arrived at my intended first stop, Friends of Ham, on New Station Street.
Friends of Ham describes itself as a bar and charcuterie. It sells real ales, Keykeg and bottled exotica, a selction of unrivalled meats and cheeses and good wine. Beer, meat and cheese. Heaven.
Upstairs you enter a small busy bar area with limited seating. This is where you do important things like buy beer. You can stay up here if you want (and its quiet) but assuming its not too hot and stuffy its best to head downstairs for a more comfy and less "off the wall" selection of seating (annoying bar stools, humph). That said, downstairs its still not run of the mill.
Here it was busy and warm and featured the all important menus. I won't go into too much detail about the decor as that's already been done with aplomb by the Beer Prole here , instead I'll concentrate on the beer. I had a pint of Tynebank Cherry Stout, 5.2% to start, at an "interesting" £3.80 a pint, AKA about 80p too much. It soon became obvious that this wasn't the place to come if you were watching the pennies. The Tynebank was well kept and delicious, but a look through the beer menu showed fearful numbers such as Thornbridge Halcyon at £7.00 and Moor Old Freddy Walker (albeit in a 660ml bottle) at £10.00.
I think its a case of if you want to try something unusual or difficult to get, and there was oodles of that from breweries such as Redchurch, Beavertown, Quantum and Hawkshead, you may well be less concerned with things like the price. The only reason I can compare the price of Halcyon for example is its quite easy to get, but the fact that its under £5.00 a bottle at Dada makes this a less enjoyable comparison.
Still, I went back for a more reasonably priced Magic Rock Curious at £3.20 a pint. The Curious was enjoyable, but lacking in balance and not really reminiscent of the amazing examples encountered earlier in the year, which was disappointing. What was good though was my splashing out on a selection of three of the meats, which was £11.00. And that wasn't bad value. Because this was a porcine treasure box of delicious flavours and incomparable quality the likes of which I have never encountered before. Quite simply, the meat selection I tried, including the instant heart attack that is Lardo, was mesmerisingly brilliant.
And its for that reason that I will ignore the absurdities of the cost of the beers and remember my visit fondly with a determination to return. For more info see their new website.
Off next for a fruitless search for a working cash machine (15 bloody minutes, Grrr!) only to come all the way back to New Station Street to pop in the equally untraditional, but nonetheless enjoyable Leeds Brewery Tap. There were 6 Leeds beers on the bar here with a few guests. I started with a pint of Leeds Gathering Storm (£3.00) which was an enjoyable strong dark ale, although it faded a little toward the end, followed by halves of Leeds 7 spires, which was dry and hoppy but ultimately lifeless, and Hawkshead Cumbrian 5 Hop, which was fantastic - one of the best beers of the day.
It was starting to get really busy in the Tap so I decided to head off for pastures new, using my camera to find addresses of pubs and the numerous street maps to navigate my way to Whitelocks First City Luncheon Bar.
Its a good few years since I was last here (last century) and my overwhelming impression, that being that it was rammed, has not changed. I did manage to get a beer quite quickly, halves of a 4.2% Goose Eye beer that I could not read the name of, and Kirkstall Pale, which I supped sat on benches outside. I really must come back on a Monday in February to really get a look at this place!
I dallied with the idea of visiting some of the other alleyway pubs further on, the Packhorse did nothing to tempt me and a bilious drunk burping in my face in the Sam Smiths Angel was hardly a recommendation, but the Ship was a great pub. Also completely rammed, I somehow made my way to the back where there was seating and took with me two excellent real ales from a range of about 5 - halves of Ilkley Fireside Porter and Ilkley Siberia Saison.
The staff seemed knowledgeable (and helpful in the seething scrum) and the beer was well kept and interesting. I also got directions to my next pub from here, which wasn't too far away.
Admittedly in the dark and with my poor eyesight I missed North Bar, but luckily a helpful soul pointed me in the right direction. Inside it was busy, but most noticeably dark, making choosing my tipple a lengthy squinty process. I settled on halves of North Prototype 3, and Ridgeside Black Night, and repaired to the back of the pub to share a table.
The prototype was uninteresting but the Ridgeside was really good. Also excellent was the music - much better to have interesting "edgy" (dear god!) music played loud than the tired old MOR fare that dirties the airwaves at an irritating just discernable volume in some pubs. At this stage I also decided, quite unwisely, to have a half of Red Willow Ageless- £2.20 a half but then it is 7.2%, and was incredibly good. The only down side was that it left significant holes in some of my later recollections....
Off along the Headrow next to Mr Foleys where I have no idea what I had to drink, but it was very nice. Presumably. That's literally all I have to say on that one! I then headed back down Briggate and off to the Duck and Drake on Kirkgate.
Firmly a more traditional music led pub, this reminded me of the (Grinning?) Rat in Keighley or the Shakespeare in Sheffield. Large, with bare boards and no frills but homely and with an emphasis on good beer. I had halves of Naylors Pinnacle Mild and Revolutions Brew Bela Lugosi's Dead, named after the iconic Bauhaus song of the same name - alas none was plated at the time.
Things were getting a little tiring now and I ended up in the Scarborough where I had a half of, erm...dark beer. I don't mind the Scarborough but also have a niggling dislike of the place that I can't explain. Still, the doorman was friendly and gave me an estimate of how long it would take to get to my last intended stop, the Adelphi. I decided instead to sensibly get the train home.
Once back in Sheffield after my sleep, I decided to finish on a few beers in the Sheffield Tap. I chose halves of Williams Bros 7 Giraffes, their Fraoch, and Magic Rock Rapture. To my disappointment the Magic Rock was poor, very one dimensional and ill at ease with itself. Perhaps the brilliance couldn't last forever? That's a good few Magic Rock I've had recently which, even taking into consideration vagaries such as cellar skills and wacky weather, have been quite poor. Lets hope this is just a temporary blip, the likes of which every brewery has. The Fraoch was dreadful by the way.
So, a fantastic trip out featured some new pubs to me and some great beers. Pub (or bar) of the day was a tie between North Bar and Friends of Ham, but the beer was far better in the North Bar - F.O.H wins plaudits mostly for its amazing food.
And beer of the day? The Hawkshead Cumbrian 5 Hop. Better even than the Red Willow.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
yesterday I decided to do something that I'd been intending to for a while. I had made the first faltering steps back in June 2011 (described at length here ) but now I decided I should go the whole hog and spend a day visiting some of Leeds' city centre watering holes. I photographed the excellent Leeds CAMRA city centre beer guide and set off with a thirst and an insatiable curiosity.
On arriving I tried to find a cash machine, without success. A Leodisian glitch that would also affect procedures later on, however soon, by luck rather than planning, I arrived at my intended first stop, Friends of Ham, on New Station Street.
Friends of Ham describes itself as a bar and charcuterie. It sells real ales, Keykeg and bottled exotica, a selction of unrivalled meats and cheeses and good wine. Beer, meat and cheese. Heaven.
Upstairs you enter a small busy bar area with limited seating. This is where you do important things like buy beer. You can stay up here if you want (and its quiet) but assuming its not too hot and stuffy its best to head downstairs for a more comfy and less "off the wall" selection of seating (annoying bar stools, humph). That said, downstairs its still not run of the mill.
Here it was busy and warm and featured the all important menus. I won't go into too much detail about the decor as that's already been done with aplomb by the Beer Prole here , instead I'll concentrate on the beer. I had a pint of Tynebank Cherry Stout, 5.2% to start, at an "interesting" £3.80 a pint, AKA about 80p too much. It soon became obvious that this wasn't the place to come if you were watching the pennies. The Tynebank was well kept and delicious, but a look through the beer menu showed fearful numbers such as Thornbridge Halcyon at £7.00 and Moor Old Freddy Walker (albeit in a 660ml bottle) at £10.00.
I think its a case of if you want to try something unusual or difficult to get, and there was oodles of that from breweries such as Redchurch, Beavertown, Quantum and Hawkshead, you may well be less concerned with things like the price. The only reason I can compare the price of Halcyon for example is its quite easy to get, but the fact that its under £5.00 a bottle at Dada makes this a less enjoyable comparison.
Still, I went back for a more reasonably priced Magic Rock Curious at £3.20 a pint. The Curious was enjoyable, but lacking in balance and not really reminiscent of the amazing examples encountered earlier in the year, which was disappointing. What was good though was my splashing out on a selection of three of the meats, which was £11.00. And that wasn't bad value. Because this was a porcine treasure box of delicious flavours and incomparable quality the likes of which I have never encountered before. Quite simply, the meat selection I tried, including the instant heart attack that is Lardo, was mesmerisingly brilliant.
And its for that reason that I will ignore the absurdities of the cost of the beers and remember my visit fondly with a determination to return. For more info see their new website.
Off next for a fruitless search for a working cash machine (15 bloody minutes, Grrr!) only to come all the way back to New Station Street to pop in the equally untraditional, but nonetheless enjoyable Leeds Brewery Tap. There were 6 Leeds beers on the bar here with a few guests. I started with a pint of Leeds Gathering Storm (£3.00) which was an enjoyable strong dark ale, although it faded a little toward the end, followed by halves of Leeds 7 spires, which was dry and hoppy but ultimately lifeless, and Hawkshead Cumbrian 5 Hop, which was fantastic - one of the best beers of the day.
It was starting to get really busy in the Tap so I decided to head off for pastures new, using my camera to find addresses of pubs and the numerous street maps to navigate my way to Whitelocks First City Luncheon Bar.
Its a good few years since I was last here (last century) and my overwhelming impression, that being that it was rammed, has not changed. I did manage to get a beer quite quickly, halves of a 4.2% Goose Eye beer that I could not read the name of, and Kirkstall Pale, which I supped sat on benches outside. I really must come back on a Monday in February to really get a look at this place!
I dallied with the idea of visiting some of the other alleyway pubs further on, the Packhorse did nothing to tempt me and a bilious drunk burping in my face in the Sam Smiths Angel was hardly a recommendation, but the Ship was a great pub. Also completely rammed, I somehow made my way to the back where there was seating and took with me two excellent real ales from a range of about 5 - halves of Ilkley Fireside Porter and Ilkley Siberia Saison.
The staff seemed knowledgeable (and helpful in the seething scrum) and the beer was well kept and interesting. I also got directions to my next pub from here, which wasn't too far away.
Admittedly in the dark and with my poor eyesight I missed North Bar, but luckily a helpful soul pointed me in the right direction. Inside it was busy, but most noticeably dark, making choosing my tipple a lengthy squinty process. I settled on halves of North Prototype 3, and Ridgeside Black Night, and repaired to the back of the pub to share a table.
The prototype was uninteresting but the Ridgeside was really good. Also excellent was the music - much better to have interesting "edgy" (dear god!) music played loud than the tired old MOR fare that dirties the airwaves at an irritating just discernable volume in some pubs. At this stage I also decided, quite unwisely, to have a half of Red Willow Ageless- £2.20 a half but then it is 7.2%, and was incredibly good. The only down side was that it left significant holes in some of my later recollections....
Off along the Headrow next to Mr Foleys where I have no idea what I had to drink, but it was very nice. Presumably. That's literally all I have to say on that one! I then headed back down Briggate and off to the Duck and Drake on Kirkgate.
Firmly a more traditional music led pub, this reminded me of the (Grinning?) Rat in Keighley or the Shakespeare in Sheffield. Large, with bare boards and no frills but homely and with an emphasis on good beer. I had halves of Naylors Pinnacle Mild and Revolutions Brew Bela Lugosi's Dead, named after the iconic Bauhaus song of the same name - alas none was plated at the time.
Things were getting a little tiring now and I ended up in the Scarborough where I had a half of, erm...dark beer. I don't mind the Scarborough but also have a niggling dislike of the place that I can't explain. Still, the doorman was friendly and gave me an estimate of how long it would take to get to my last intended stop, the Adelphi. I decided instead to sensibly get the train home.
Once back in Sheffield after my sleep, I decided to finish on a few beers in the Sheffield Tap. I chose halves of Williams Bros 7 Giraffes, their Fraoch, and Magic Rock Rapture. To my disappointment the Magic Rock was poor, very one dimensional and ill at ease with itself. Perhaps the brilliance couldn't last forever? That's a good few Magic Rock I've had recently which, even taking into consideration vagaries such as cellar skills and wacky weather, have been quite poor. Lets hope this is just a temporary blip, the likes of which every brewery has. The Fraoch was dreadful by the way.
So, a fantastic trip out featured some new pubs to me and some great beers. Pub (or bar) of the day was a tie between North Bar and Friends of Ham, but the beer was far better in the North Bar - F.O.H wins plaudits mostly for its amazing food.
And beer of the day? The Hawkshead Cumbrian 5 Hop. Better even than the Red Willow.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Monday, 29 October 2012
Stalwarts and starlets of the South Yorkshire pub scene
Hello,
on Sunday, despite promises of dreadful weather, and the fact that Christingpher was coming for tea and considerable alcohol the night and morning before, I rashly agreed to go for a walk. We planned to find the source of the Don, but that's a bit disingenuous since it appears that its beginning is around the grains moss area, the nearest settlement being White Gate near Hade Edge.
So myself and Mr P conceded that having thought originally it sprang from Dunford Bridge we'd catch the bus there and walk along the Trans Pennine Trail as far as our hollow legs would carry us. Luckily, Mr P had escaped the chains of a temporary ban on alcohol so was keen to utilise a facility or two along the way.
We started off on the novelty joke train line between Sheffield and Huddersfield, where although our train was vaguely on time we heard the one coming the other way had broken down. Par for the course in my experience. We alighted at Penistone and caught the 21 bus to Dunford Bridge via a tour of local villages. On the way we passed the Victoria Inn at in the middle of nowhere. I can't say as it looked like its still trading, and if that's the case is a shame. I went there in the late nineties with Wee Keefy for a pint of well kept Tetley, from a landlord who must have been late seventies in vintage then.
Dunford bridge of course has definitely lost its most important asset. Some time around 2005 or so the perfectly fine as it was, GBG listed Stanhope Arms was purchased and turned into the destined to fail "Stanhope Restaurant and Bar" with inevitable results. Its now a theatre company premises. Still, there is at least a phone box in Dunford so you can't say its without facilities....
We made brisk progress in rain and mist following the Don, sometimes with views, often with none, occasionally spotting the sun trying to shine through the knitted grey quilt of cloud. Soon we were opposite Millhouse Green, and shortly after departed the trail to walk onto Manchester Road and visit the Huntsman at Thurlstone.
I have only ever been twice, both times at night, so it was nice to have a daylight visit, alas this brightness also coincided with almost half of the village arriving at the same time to order drinks and Sunday lunch. At first we appeared to be in a queue down the bar in the narrow pub, and that was working out well, even though the lady serving stopped to serve a regular at the other end, but he may have been there already. Finishing his order another couple arrived and went to the opposite end of the bar to us. And then ordered 5 lunches and a round of drinks.
I would assume the barmaid noticed they had only just materialised but to be fair to her she was rushed off her feet - something made obvious by her getting half of our 3 drink order wrong; but what exactly the hell did the woman waltzing at at the other end of the bar think we were doing stood with no drinks in our hands and wallets at the ready?
As we were getting served a local came to say goodbye to someone and pointed out that we had been waiting nearly 10 minutes to get served before she pushed in. I do like a shared dislike of ignorant queue jumpers!
When we finally got served the beer was excellent. Mr P eased himself into drinking with a pint of Tetleys which he reckoned was one of the best he'd had for a long time, whilst I had a pint of Acorn Quantum and Geeves Coco Canal. There were three other beers on offer including one from Slightly Foxed brewery.
We managed to find a seat and set about warming up, drying off (dressing for th outdoors whilst still drunk inevitably leads to cold), and savouring the brilliantly kept beers. By now the maelstrom of customers had dissipated, and we could have walked up and got served straight away, but you need the co-operation of other punters for that. They bought soft drinks by the way....
We walked into Penistone next and failed to find some shelter to have our dinner. In the end we picked the least wet bench under a tree to consume our pack up - I think my lunch tongue sandwich, Polish kabanos and wasabi peas was an eclectic, if mildly preposterous combination, neither enhanceed or ruined by having rain and leaves blown in my face mid-chomp.
Alas we hadn't time to hang around so bypassed the delights of the Wentworth Arms (former GBG entry now to let) and ploughed on towards Oxspring. Here we also missed out the Travellers on Sheffield Road and continued towards Silkstone Common. It was just gone 16.00 when we saw a sign off the trail for the station so we decided, given the distance to Dodworth, to get off and catch the train back. As it was the bus came first so we caught it into Barnsley - nicely demonstrating why it would have been foolhardy to walk to the Ring Of Bells and back to the Station as I had planned.
In Barnsley I persuaded Mr P that we should call in at the Old No.7 (above) .This was our first visit, and we weren't disappointed. An unusually long pub with a pleasing topping of handpumps on the bar, we had about 6 Acorn beers to choose form plus a couple of guests. I had a pint of the excellent Acorn Tangerine Dream that I'd enjoyed at the Sheffield beer fest, and Mr P a pint of the Herkules IPA - although interestingly, if anything the Tangerine was hoppier. The two pints came to a creditable £5.45, not a bad price for strongish beers.
Passing the time I wandered back for a half of Gorlovka (£1.50) and then noticed that Mr P had found the beer menu. And what a delight! Loads of Brewdog offerings, plenty of American exotica and, whilst its important not to base your appreciation of a range on one bottle, I was tingly with joy to spot the amazing Petra Brewery Columba wheat beer from Corsica. I didn't see the bottle prices but I know I will have to go back.
We caught the train to Sheffield next, when it finally turned up, 20 minutes late that is, and Mr P went home whilst I popped in the Sheffield Tap for some expensive if delicious ales. There were 3 from Hawkshead, 2 from Fyne Ales plus Thornbridge and possibly Tapped, but I didn't check. From the fabulous selection I chose a pint of Dry Stone Stout from Hawkshead, and a half of the 6.9% Fyne Ales Sublime Stout.
Obviously I got spanked for the cost - even considering I had a pack of crisps, it came to £6.45. That didn't matter so much though when you consider how fine the ales were. The Hawkshead was erm, well ironically "sublime", and the Sublime was, ironically, dryish, but not too much. In fact, both were excellent beers, but the Hawkshead was incredibly good. A brilliant choice from which I could have drunk a lot more.
So, a cold, tiring, and refreshing day seeking out some excellent pubs, but most refreshing of all, not a duff beer was to be had anywhere. Top marks to all the pubs for their cellar skills.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
on Sunday, despite promises of dreadful weather, and the fact that Christingpher was coming for tea and considerable alcohol the night and morning before, I rashly agreed to go for a walk. We planned to find the source of the Don, but that's a bit disingenuous since it appears that its beginning is around the grains moss area, the nearest settlement being White Gate near Hade Edge.
So myself and Mr P conceded that having thought originally it sprang from Dunford Bridge we'd catch the bus there and walk along the Trans Pennine Trail as far as our hollow legs would carry us. Luckily, Mr P had escaped the chains of a temporary ban on alcohol so was keen to utilise a facility or two along the way.
We started off on the novelty joke train line between Sheffield and Huddersfield, where although our train was vaguely on time we heard the one coming the other way had broken down. Par for the course in my experience. We alighted at Penistone and caught the 21 bus to Dunford Bridge via a tour of local villages. On the way we passed the Victoria Inn at in the middle of nowhere. I can't say as it looked like its still trading, and if that's the case is a shame. I went there in the late nineties with Wee Keefy for a pint of well kept Tetley, from a landlord who must have been late seventies in vintage then.
Dunford bridge of course has definitely lost its most important asset. Some time around 2005 or so the perfectly fine as it was, GBG listed Stanhope Arms was purchased and turned into the destined to fail "Stanhope Restaurant and Bar" with inevitable results. Its now a theatre company premises. Still, there is at least a phone box in Dunford so you can't say its without facilities....
 |
| Speedwell growing near Thurlstone |
We made brisk progress in rain and mist following the Don, sometimes with views, often with none, occasionally spotting the sun trying to shine through the knitted grey quilt of cloud. Soon we were opposite Millhouse Green, and shortly after departed the trail to walk onto Manchester Road and visit the Huntsman at Thurlstone.
I have only ever been twice, both times at night, so it was nice to have a daylight visit, alas this brightness also coincided with almost half of the village arriving at the same time to order drinks and Sunday lunch. At first we appeared to be in a queue down the bar in the narrow pub, and that was working out well, even though the lady serving stopped to serve a regular at the other end, but he may have been there already. Finishing his order another couple arrived and went to the opposite end of the bar to us. And then ordered 5 lunches and a round of drinks.
I would assume the barmaid noticed they had only just materialised but to be fair to her she was rushed off her feet - something made obvious by her getting half of our 3 drink order wrong; but what exactly the hell did the woman waltzing at at the other end of the bar think we were doing stood with no drinks in our hands and wallets at the ready?
As we were getting served a local came to say goodbye to someone and pointed out that we had been waiting nearly 10 minutes to get served before she pushed in. I do like a shared dislike of ignorant queue jumpers!
When we finally got served the beer was excellent. Mr P eased himself into drinking with a pint of Tetleys which he reckoned was one of the best he'd had for a long time, whilst I had a pint of Acorn Quantum and Geeves Coco Canal. There were three other beers on offer including one from Slightly Foxed brewery.
We managed to find a seat and set about warming up, drying off (dressing for th outdoors whilst still drunk inevitably leads to cold), and savouring the brilliantly kept beers. By now the maelstrom of customers had dissipated, and we could have walked up and got served straight away, but you need the co-operation of other punters for that. They bought soft drinks by the way....
We walked into Penistone next and failed to find some shelter to have our dinner. In the end we picked the least wet bench under a tree to consume our pack up - I think my lunch tongue sandwich, Polish kabanos and wasabi peas was an eclectic, if mildly preposterous combination, neither enhanceed or ruined by having rain and leaves blown in my face mid-chomp.
Alas we hadn't time to hang around so bypassed the delights of the Wentworth Arms (former GBG entry now to let) and ploughed on towards Oxspring. Here we also missed out the Travellers on Sheffield Road and continued towards Silkstone Common. It was just gone 16.00 when we saw a sign off the trail for the station so we decided, given the distance to Dodworth, to get off and catch the train back. As it was the bus came first so we caught it into Barnsley - nicely demonstrating why it would have been foolhardy to walk to the Ring Of Bells and back to the Station as I had planned.
In Barnsley I persuaded Mr P that we should call in at the Old No.7 (above) .This was our first visit, and we weren't disappointed. An unusually long pub with a pleasing topping of handpumps on the bar, we had about 6 Acorn beers to choose form plus a couple of guests. I had a pint of the excellent Acorn Tangerine Dream that I'd enjoyed at the Sheffield beer fest, and Mr P a pint of the Herkules IPA - although interestingly, if anything the Tangerine was hoppier. The two pints came to a creditable £5.45, not a bad price for strongish beers.
Passing the time I wandered back for a half of Gorlovka (£1.50) and then noticed that Mr P had found the beer menu. And what a delight! Loads of Brewdog offerings, plenty of American exotica and, whilst its important not to base your appreciation of a range on one bottle, I was tingly with joy to spot the amazing Petra Brewery Columba wheat beer from Corsica. I didn't see the bottle prices but I know I will have to go back.
We caught the train to Sheffield next, when it finally turned up, 20 minutes late that is, and Mr P went home whilst I popped in the Sheffield Tap for some expensive if delicious ales. There were 3 from Hawkshead, 2 from Fyne Ales plus Thornbridge and possibly Tapped, but I didn't check. From the fabulous selection I chose a pint of Dry Stone Stout from Hawkshead, and a half of the 6.9% Fyne Ales Sublime Stout.
Obviously I got spanked for the cost - even considering I had a pack of crisps, it came to £6.45. That didn't matter so much though when you consider how fine the ales were. The Hawkshead was erm, well ironically "sublime", and the Sublime was, ironically, dryish, but not too much. In fact, both were excellent beers, but the Hawkshead was incredibly good. A brilliant choice from which I could have drunk a lot more.
So, a cold, tiring, and refreshing day seeking out some excellent pubs, but most refreshing of all, not a duff beer was to be had anywhere. Top marks to all the pubs for their cellar skills.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
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