Hello again,
I've been orf work this week and have used my time constructively. I....um...went to the pub. Oh yes. Lots of times. And enjoyed it very much. Since my note taking and long term memory are equally poor, I thought I'd fill you in on what I got up to so far.
Monday saw me and Miss N going shopping and drinking, in town and Walkley. Miss N started her shopping at the Dove and Rainbow and bought a fetching hat, whilst I started my wander in Walkley at the Florist. Subtle internal changes have taken place since I last ventured in, namely the decor, and Bradfield Brown Cow was the only real ale. It was on decent form and £1.25 a half. Sat in the left hand bay I could see the now refurbished "Crown House" across the road, now almost unrecognisable as a pub and as previously mentioned, sharing its fate with other Walkley locals. Good to see then, customers coming in the Florist straight from work.
Along South Road the Walkley Beer Co premises weren't open but still set up to be a temporary pub - I hear they were open August Bank Holiday. There was talk of them opening the building permanently as an off licence and then getting a temporary bar license for events and bank holidays, but am unsure what the situation is. I understand you can only get about 10 such licences a year, and with no further bank holidays til Christmas it would be a shame to wait so long to visit the pub/shop again.
Next up I popped into the Rose House. Three handpumps in here and one beer on, a rather odd tasting Moorhouses First Cut which I recall was £1.50 a half. It was fairly busy, and although not noticeably advertising the real ales, its a good sign that they are still selling them.
Into Commonside next and I opted not to visit the Springvale and instead went to the Closed Shop which was also, for a Monday late afternoon, quite busy. I had an excellent pint of Brass Castle Cliffhanger at £2.90 a pint and went and sat in the last of the sunshine in the beer garden. Having eaten an entire packet of chorizo from the excellent Beeches shop in Walkley I opted not to eat here, apart from some expensive zebra jerky. Instead I opted to "eat" the Brass Castle Sunshine, which, despite its light colour, you virtually needed a spoon to get it down your throat. Afterwards I nipped into the Hallamshire to see the man of Ash and sup a very enjoyable half of Thornbridge desert sessions rye IPA at 5.7%, which was probably £1.75 a half - but I didn't write that down.
I walked into Broomhill next and had a tasty smoked chicken and potato salad and half a 4.2% Summer Wine Brewery Union pale at the York. The salad was delicate and delicious but I probably would have benefited more from a bag of chips! I also visited the Broomhill Tavern for the first time this decade and had a half of Kelham Island Easy Rider at £1.50, from a range of 2 or 3. Its difficult to get the feel of the place on such a short visit but I noticed they took the menus off the tables at 18.50....
Off into town I stopped in the Wick at Both Ends for half of the Blackjack Trial 13 at £1.60, which was an odd but tasty beer, before going to meet Miss N and drink a pint and a half of Blue Bee Lustin for Stout in the Dove and Rainbow. Here I met Mr Slaughter and we persuaded him to join us for a last one in Shakespeares before he walked home to Stannington (!) and we headed home. I can't remember what we had but Mr S had a pint of the Revolutions demo wheat beer which was very nice, as we discovered on Wednesday....
Which is when I met Miss N outside work and we walked in the hazy evening sunshine to the Gardeners Rest. I had a pint of Fyne Ales Jarl and Miss N the Sheffield Brew Co Galena, which was stronger than the Jarl but about 80p a pint cheaper. We sat outside watching the bird life on the river and letting it get dark and the triffid like lamps light up, before we opted for more beer. This time I had a half of Kia Kaha from the Crwr Tal community brewery, and a Seven Brothers brewery IPA as well as another pint of Jarl, which came to £6.16 and was shared between us both.
It was now dark and we walked round to the Ship for a pint each of the Kelham Pale Rider which, at a guess, was likely £2.80 a pint and was as always, on top form. We then repaired to Shakespeares to drink some Hand Drawn Monkey beers, Tynebank Mosaic and the Raspberry Wheat beer from Revolutions, before realising that it was too late to get a bus and ordering a taxi home.
So, the first three days have been a success with some excellent beer in a number of equally excellent Sheffield boozers. Tomorrow, I will tell you all about yesterday and today as well.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Showing posts with label The Wick at Both Ends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Wick at Both Ends. Show all posts
Friday, 12 September 2014
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Spoilt, by unspoiled beer
Hello,
its been a good week in Sheff for the discerning slaker. A few fine pubs have excelled themselves in terms of choice. And a new pub is set to open very soon. I say a new pub; a previously open pub that was on its last legs, and dealt a final death knell by well kept if slightly pricey Thornbridge beers in Commonside. But more of that in my next post.
I was in The Bath Hotel (I snigger if I say "in the Bath" but then, I am slightly immature..) on Tuesday, and was tempted, having tried one of the excellent beers in particular, to stay there all night. I could easily have, had it not been for the allure of lamb chops, and no hangover. I managed to eat the lamb chops, at least.
I arrived around 19.00 and got myself a warming pint of the Dark Star Espresso Stout. It was ace. Everything that a coffee stout should be, roasty, heavy, thick yet drinkable, creamy, and it managed to be all of these. It also wasn't a bad price (not that I have dallied with triviality like what that was) and was served in a lined glass. I looked this time, see.
Next,. I tried the highly recommended Red Willow Sleepless Amber Ale. Usually a second pint lacks the pace of the first, as the body has had its much needed initial hit, but this lasted me about 4 minutes. It was simply incredible.
Two more pints followed, admittedly a little slower (it was 5.4%), and they confirmed that this was an amazingly well balanced tasty beer. Hoppy, but not daft. Malty, in an ingeniously smooth way, with a hint of sweetness that somehow blended in so well it didn't have a sweet aftertaste or overall flavour. It was quintessentially astounding. I believe they have another barrel, so you should get down and buy some. Plenty more Red Willow and Dark Star on the way as well.
After I left and purchased supplies I needed to nip in a hostelry for the facilities and did so in the Wick at Both Ends. Three real ales were available, including to my surprise, the newly re released Matins from Abbeydale. A swift half followed, plus a look at their Beer Menu. I can't claim they heeded my advice on this subject, but its a good idea. Alas no Brewdog at the mo but plenty of decent ale, including Saison Dupont. If only the toilets didn't reek so badly of urine this pub could be the shit, as the young folk might remark.
My final stop was DAda. Jamie was holding the fort and was overseeing an admirable range of ales. No Pollards alas but that was coming on - so I had a pint of the Dark Star Espresso again. I also had two pints (against my better judgement) of the excellent Marble Lagonda. A perfect blend of hops sitting on a fabulously complimentary malt background made this tasty and refreshing and pleasingly hoppy.
I finished on half of dear old friend Thornbridge Halcyon. Just as lychee peach and melon like as I craved, and still best supped in halves. A fantastic end to the evening.
A few things made me think after this - firstly, the Lagonda. Its £3.00 a pint on cask at DAda. Its £5.20 a pint on Keykeg at the Sheffield Tap. Now, there is a slim possibility that it's a stronger version on at the Tap, but that doesn't explain the £2.20 difference. Both beers are below the HSBD levee and, I think, the traditional excise standard (who knows if that means anything nowadays!).
I can't see the Keykeg version competing with, let alone being better than, the cask version. So why is it so expensive, comparatively? I suspect we'll never know, but am open to suggestions that the fault lies with more than one party in this respect.
In other news, I have contacted Thornbridge, and they are to brew a 3.1% mild with lots of caramalt and chocolate malt and only Target Hops. Its to be called"Madness" and will be served in specially rebranded John Smith oversized WMC pots that hold about 700ml to accommodate foam.
Obviously the above isn't true, but it made me laugh.
Finally, one year ago today we had to have our cat Bruin put down. In tribute to him that day I opened a bottle of Durham Temptation. Alas the beer failed to deliver the joy I expected, as I wrote here so tonight I have opened a three year old version to try and pay my respects. This version is much better carbonated and despite that weird, possibly bretty molasses aroma, and a disconcerting flavour of cheap cola, it has a very pleasing leather and coffee and treacle taste that reminds me of Courage Imperial Russian Stout.
A fitting tribute to the wee hairy boy.
Cheers.
Wee Beefy
its been a good week in Sheff for the discerning slaker. A few fine pubs have excelled themselves in terms of choice. And a new pub is set to open very soon. I say a new pub; a previously open pub that was on its last legs, and dealt a final death knell by well kept if slightly pricey Thornbridge beers in Commonside. But more of that in my next post.
I was in The Bath Hotel (I snigger if I say "in the Bath" but then, I am slightly immature..) on Tuesday, and was tempted, having tried one of the excellent beers in particular, to stay there all night. I could easily have, had it not been for the allure of lamb chops, and no hangover. I managed to eat the lamb chops, at least.
I arrived around 19.00 and got myself a warming pint of the Dark Star Espresso Stout. It was ace. Everything that a coffee stout should be, roasty, heavy, thick yet drinkable, creamy, and it managed to be all of these. It also wasn't a bad price (not that I have dallied with triviality like what that was) and was served in a lined glass. I looked this time, see.
Next,. I tried the highly recommended Red Willow Sleepless Amber Ale. Usually a second pint lacks the pace of the first, as the body has had its much needed initial hit, but this lasted me about 4 minutes. It was simply incredible.
Two more pints followed, admittedly a little slower (it was 5.4%), and they confirmed that this was an amazingly well balanced tasty beer. Hoppy, but not daft. Malty, in an ingeniously smooth way, with a hint of sweetness that somehow blended in so well it didn't have a sweet aftertaste or overall flavour. It was quintessentially astounding. I believe they have another barrel, so you should get down and buy some. Plenty more Red Willow and Dark Star on the way as well.
After I left and purchased supplies I needed to nip in a hostelry for the facilities and did so in the Wick at Both Ends. Three real ales were available, including to my surprise, the newly re released Matins from Abbeydale. A swift half followed, plus a look at their Beer Menu. I can't claim they heeded my advice on this subject, but its a good idea. Alas no Brewdog at the mo but plenty of decent ale, including Saison Dupont. If only the toilets didn't reek so badly of urine this pub could be the shit, as the young folk might remark.
My final stop was DAda. Jamie was holding the fort and was overseeing an admirable range of ales. No Pollards alas but that was coming on - so I had a pint of the Dark Star Espresso again. I also had two pints (against my better judgement) of the excellent Marble Lagonda. A perfect blend of hops sitting on a fabulously complimentary malt background made this tasty and refreshing and pleasingly hoppy.
I finished on half of dear old friend Thornbridge Halcyon. Just as lychee peach and melon like as I craved, and still best supped in halves. A fantastic end to the evening.
A few things made me think after this - firstly, the Lagonda. Its £3.00 a pint on cask at DAda. Its £5.20 a pint on Keykeg at the Sheffield Tap. Now, there is a slim possibility that it's a stronger version on at the Tap, but that doesn't explain the £2.20 difference. Both beers are below the HSBD levee and, I think, the traditional excise standard (who knows if that means anything nowadays!).
I can't see the Keykeg version competing with, let alone being better than, the cask version. So why is it so expensive, comparatively? I suspect we'll never know, but am open to suggestions that the fault lies with more than one party in this respect.
In other news, I have contacted Thornbridge, and they are to brew a 3.1% mild with lots of caramalt and chocolate malt and only Target Hops. Its to be called"Madness" and will be served in specially rebranded John Smith oversized WMC pots that hold about 700ml to accommodate foam.
Obviously the above isn't true, but it made me laugh.
Finally, one year ago today we had to have our cat Bruin put down. In tribute to him that day I opened a bottle of Durham Temptation. Alas the beer failed to deliver the joy I expected, as I wrote here so tonight I have opened a three year old version to try and pay my respects. This version is much better carbonated and despite that weird, possibly bretty molasses aroma, and a disconcerting flavour of cheap cola, it has a very pleasing leather and coffee and treacle taste that reminds me of Courage Imperial Russian Stout.
A fitting tribute to the wee hairy boy.
Cheers.
Wee Beefy
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Wee Beefy's August beer bites, already...
Hello,
with the hectic month hardly started, here's a round up of beer and pubs encountered over the last week.
Old House
A goodly selection of ales to choose from including First Porter from True North/Welbeck, but I plumped for the Abbeydale Dog Star having missed it at Sun fest. This beer, with an amount of each pint being donated to rain rescue, was a really satisfying well balanced fruity hoppy ale which went down well. I also tried a bottle of Saison Silly. Points go to the House for having a branded glass for this, but alas this was the most disappointing saison I've tried so far - far too sweet and hardly refreshing.
Wick at Both Ends
Just the Farmers Blonde on when I visited, and unfortunately their world bottled beer festival was in Asia, so nothing tempted me from the bottles either. Regrettably I had just missed the European leg - most unfortunate! The music was excellent though, so that was a plus point.
Gardeners Rest
A recent trip in with Mr P heralded another stonking range of new brews plus the output from Sheffield Brewing Co. I started with a pint of Bowness Tern Mild and Mr P the Radnorshire Whimbledon. The Radnorshire was, putting it politely, very grim. Slightly jarring with an odd malt flavour and a bewildering hop taste that defied description. It wasn't off, just awful. Luckily the smoky crispness of the Tern was far better.
We also tried pints of the Hackney Best for Mr P and Blackjack Stout for myself, whilst enjoying the calm before the storm sat in the beer garden. The stout was a perfect roasted, dry bitter beer which did everything it should. The Hackney was nice, with a slight caramel taste and good earthy hops.
Ship
We would have stood outside waiting to get in the Ship but it was hammering it down, luckily by the time they opened it had brightened up. Kelham and Abbeydale ruled the bar this time and I had a pint of the Abbeydale Brimstone, the same as Mr P. It was good to take some time out and relax in the pub watching the weather change from sun to downpour and back again outside.
Silly saison at the Wellington.
I persuaded Mr P our last one should be in the Wellington, a pub he had previously avoided due to a dislike of one of the members of staff. Realising that this was probably a long time ago I insisted we should go, espcially since their own brewed beer was so good. I got a pint of the Kimbolton Castle again, which was fantastic, and Mr P a mild which could have been called Light Grey. I should know by now to write these things down....
When it was the Cask Neil used to keep a fairly impressive range of Belgian beers so having sunk my pint I thought I'd try and find out if they stocked a saison. Having discovered they didn't, I also found out that this incredible departure from normality had attracted the attention of the grumpy man who runs the place. He asked what saison was, but as it turned out wasn't actually interested to find out the answer. Now I'm no saison fanboy, but me and the gent stood next to me did try to describe it, while his followers mumped and grumbled amongst themselves about the beer which it was suggested was a"new fangled thing". Alas the opportunity to improve this discourse with an answer was drowned out and the conversation then moved onto Rodenbach Grand Cru, one assumes not because its similar, since that's a well known Belgian sour ale (that he did not like either) as any fule kno.
I opted for another pint of Kimbolton because it was very good, and sat back down wondering why given an apparent lack of knowledge about beer styles, no-one seemed interested in learning anything, like erm, what the beer they had likely never tried was, for example. Had this been Shakespeares, never mind that they do stock one, and are probably quite knowledgeable (and polite), had they not known what it was they would have been interested to find out.
Shakespeares
Nicely segued from the above I was in Shakespeares twice, once to have a half and once to have a pint, of the excellent Steel City Brewing A slight case of over-hopping 14 (according to the barman), which had to be secretly fetched from the cellar like some illicit product. It certainly ticked all the right boxes for me, and wasn't too strong either, so this was an excellent beer. I also think it was actually called a Hopfenweiss.
Interestingly, Steel City are going to brew a saison - alas, with it having ginger in it (and something else incongruous), I think I'll probably dislike it as much as Dave himself! Which means I'll be looking forward to the next slight case of over-hopping instalment instead.
The Blake
At long last I got back to the Blake with the excellent company of my good friend Middlemarch. She was off fruit beer for the evening so opted for a pale lightly hopped bitter, which was provided by Allgates, and named after a Pagan goddess. meanwhile, as well as the obligatory pork pies, I had a good few pints of the Bobs Yakima Pale, which was a brilliant session beer, along with a pint of Fortl Kolsch, (please note, I am sure that is wrong, can anyone tell me what brand the Kolsch in the Blake is at the moment?) which was a new one on me. This was another great reminder of how enjoyable it is to spend an hour or four sat in the Blake enjoying the simple pleasure of supping ale. Excellent.
That's all for now, hopefully I will have some more info over the next few weeks.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
with the hectic month hardly started, here's a round up of beer and pubs encountered over the last week.
Old House
A goodly selection of ales to choose from including First Porter from True North/Welbeck, but I plumped for the Abbeydale Dog Star having missed it at Sun fest. This beer, with an amount of each pint being donated to rain rescue, was a really satisfying well balanced fruity hoppy ale which went down well. I also tried a bottle of Saison Silly. Points go to the House for having a branded glass for this, but alas this was the most disappointing saison I've tried so far - far too sweet and hardly refreshing.
Wick at Both Ends
Just the Farmers Blonde on when I visited, and unfortunately their world bottled beer festival was in Asia, so nothing tempted me from the bottles either. Regrettably I had just missed the European leg - most unfortunate! The music was excellent though, so that was a plus point.
Gardeners Rest
A recent trip in with Mr P heralded another stonking range of new brews plus the output from Sheffield Brewing Co. I started with a pint of Bowness Tern Mild and Mr P the Radnorshire Whimbledon. The Radnorshire was, putting it politely, very grim. Slightly jarring with an odd malt flavour and a bewildering hop taste that defied description. It wasn't off, just awful. Luckily the smoky crispness of the Tern was far better.
We also tried pints of the Hackney Best for Mr P and Blackjack Stout for myself, whilst enjoying the calm before the storm sat in the beer garden. The stout was a perfect roasted, dry bitter beer which did everything it should. The Hackney was nice, with a slight caramel taste and good earthy hops.
Ship
We would have stood outside waiting to get in the Ship but it was hammering it down, luckily by the time they opened it had brightened up. Kelham and Abbeydale ruled the bar this time and I had a pint of the Abbeydale Brimstone, the same as Mr P. It was good to take some time out and relax in the pub watching the weather change from sun to downpour and back again outside.
Silly saison at the Wellington.
I persuaded Mr P our last one should be in the Wellington, a pub he had previously avoided due to a dislike of one of the members of staff. Realising that this was probably a long time ago I insisted we should go, espcially since their own brewed beer was so good. I got a pint of the Kimbolton Castle again, which was fantastic, and Mr P a mild which could have been called Light Grey. I should know by now to write these things down....
When it was the Cask Neil used to keep a fairly impressive range of Belgian beers so having sunk my pint I thought I'd try and find out if they stocked a saison. Having discovered they didn't, I also found out that this incredible departure from normality had attracted the attention of the grumpy man who runs the place. He asked what saison was, but as it turned out wasn't actually interested to find out the answer. Now I'm no saison fanboy, but me and the gent stood next to me did try to describe it, while his followers mumped and grumbled amongst themselves about the beer which it was suggested was a"new fangled thing". Alas the opportunity to improve this discourse with an answer was drowned out and the conversation then moved onto Rodenbach Grand Cru, one assumes not because its similar, since that's a well known Belgian sour ale (that he did not like either) as any fule kno.
I opted for another pint of Kimbolton because it was very good, and sat back down wondering why given an apparent lack of knowledge about beer styles, no-one seemed interested in learning anything, like erm, what the beer they had likely never tried was, for example. Had this been Shakespeares, never mind that they do stock one, and are probably quite knowledgeable (and polite), had they not known what it was they would have been interested to find out.
Shakespeares
Nicely segued from the above I was in Shakespeares twice, once to have a half and once to have a pint, of the excellent Steel City Brewing A slight case of over-hopping 14 (according to the barman), which had to be secretly fetched from the cellar like some illicit product. It certainly ticked all the right boxes for me, and wasn't too strong either, so this was an excellent beer. I also think it was actually called a Hopfenweiss.
Interestingly, Steel City are going to brew a saison - alas, with it having ginger in it (and something else incongruous), I think I'll probably dislike it as much as Dave himself! Which means I'll be looking forward to the next slight case of over-hopping instalment instead.
The Blake
At long last I got back to the Blake with the excellent company of my good friend Middlemarch. She was off fruit beer for the evening so opted for a pale lightly hopped bitter, which was provided by Allgates, and named after a Pagan goddess. meanwhile, as well as the obligatory pork pies, I had a good few pints of the Bobs Yakima Pale, which was a brilliant session beer, along with a pint of Fortl Kolsch, (please note, I am sure that is wrong, can anyone tell me what brand the Kolsch in the Blake is at the moment?) which was a new one on me. This was another great reminder of how enjoyable it is to spend an hour or four sat in the Blake enjoying the simple pleasure of supping ale. Excellent.
That's all for now, hopefully I will have some more info over the next few weeks.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Thursday, 17 May 2012
A crawl of some new pubs, and a new angle on Keykeg beers
Hello,
me and Davefromtshop met up to sample a few more beers in pubs that either he has never been to here in sunny Sheffield, or hasn't been in for ages. Measuring your last visit in decades in a city where almost no pub remains unspoilt means you may as well have never been in! So both of the above meet the criteria for our pub crawl (and we finished in some classics, for beer reasons). Here are the details of our trip out.
Bath! And the thirst is gone (sorry)...
We started in the "new" Bath Hotel and Dave had beaten me too it. He was already on the Allgates Napoleon's Retreat. I should really have tried it having not really got on with it first time, but I had my eye on the Thornbridge Frank as Apollo, brewed for the Nicholsons pub chain. This was a very pleasant bitter and seemed a little more balanced, by which I mean a smidgen less hoppy, perhaps to suit those delicate London palates?
We also had time for a half each of the Dark Star Revelation, which seemed to be running out unfortunately. This was every bit as good as I remembered it and Dave was I thought, suitably impressed.
Bowery
On leaving it suddenly seemed as monsoon like as our last crawl so we decided that our next stop would be the Bowery. They started selling real ale last year, I thought maybe for the Tramlines festival only, but either way it was on now. Here we had two halves of Moonshine (£2.80 a pint) in a virtually empty venue. This is interesting for me because I'd never even seen the floor on my last couple of visits.
The Moonshine was a little cold but enjoyable enough, and as we were to find out quite a lot, it and other Abbeydale beers noticeable resilience once connected up was probably a deciding factor in just how many times we saw it throughout the night. There are also a decent range of bottled beers, and depending on your outlook, now and again some decent tunes.
Green Room
This was my second visit this month and once again I ended up with Moonshine, seemingly more reliable than the guests they have had on. Last time Abbeydale Resurrection was beyond being so, this time Kelham Island Riders on the Storm came out the colour of rainclouds, with a piquant olfactory bite to match. A shame, because i rate the beer, but it had to be swapped for Moonshine, on at £3.00 a pint.
This visit on a rainy Tuesday was also an opportunity to get to see the interior of the Green Room. Not least because of my strange battle of wills with them over the last 18 months (almost resolutely always missing the cask!) and also because last time I was in I had too little time to stop for a look around.
I was surprised just how spacious it was and with many different seating areas. They told me they have just started opening during the day, and they serve food during the day as well.
May be a great time to get in and have a look round, and enjoy a pint of the real stuff of course. Hopefully they can continue with the real ales and there will be another decent late night venue that you can go in and not be expected to part with cash for bland UK brewed copy lagers you don't want.
Wick at Both Ends
To give you a last visit timescale here, last time Dave was in it was the Mail Coach. So nothings changed then....
There was only one real ale on here so we both had halves of Deception, at £3.20 a pint. We found a table without school chairs and sat down for a chat listening to a decent selection of tunes. The Deception was on very good form, and although not trying them side by side, I can say quite certainly that I much prefer this beer to Moonshine. Hoppy, citrussy and with a little fruit, a perfect pale session ale.
Bungalows and Bears, of Sheffield and Liverpool fame
Our next stop was not actually a first for Dave. He had visited the Division Street Fire Station many many years ago. Once again, little had changed...
On the bar was Moonshine or Deception (sorry, can't recall, it seems equally likely to have been either) and the Robinsons Elbow beer, unlikely to be called that, but brewed by one of the blokes in the band Elbow (a popular beat combo from the North West I understand) who may also have a connection to the Hop Franchise. We found ourselves a table and set about reading the beer bottle menu, slightly less choice then the Bowery (and the Wick ,which is very good) and watching different people repeatedly make the erroneous decision to walk up some stairs to a barrier, then back down again. Little things...
Roebuck
Next we walked down towards the Rutland and along the way dallied with the idea of a visit to Henry's. Instead though we ended up in the Roebuck, which its a fair few years since I've been in, and longer than you need know for Dave. Here we sat in what was a very quiet pub, which alas somewhat accentuated the vastness of the premises, and supped a decent half of Kelham Island Pale Rider (£3.20) from a choice of 2, on four handpumps.
Rutland
Our penultimate stop was the Rutland, where it was possible to get a table this time, which was good because we were tiring by now. We each had a pint of the Blue Bee Turned out Mild Again, which Dave seemed very taken by. I also snaffled him some Phoenix Brewery beer mats (a tegestological treasure no doubt) and set about snacking and supping. Its probably about that time that elsewhere in the UK editors were putting the finishing touches to articles reporting the employment tribunal involving the Rutland. Without expanding on any details here, its clear that many people will have some soul searching to carry out in terms of how they and the Rutland continue. Enough said for now I think.
The Sheffield Tap
Our final port of cal was carefully organised so that we had time to try a few beers rather than rushing in before last orders and buying too many halves. Here initially we had a pint (for me) and a half of the truly excellent tempest Cresta, and a half of the Phoenix Black Bee. This honey porter was not really a hit with either us am afraid, it just started with honey and malt and then got sweeter.
Better though were our next round of beers. We had half each of the excellent super hoppy Summer Wine Brewery Kahuna 6.0%, a Camden Hells, and a half of the Magic Rock Brewery Rapture. I think this all came to £7.20, which with a keykeg or two thrown in and given the strength of the Kahuna isn't bad.
The real star of this was the unfiltered, unpasteurised (as written in pen I think on the font label!) Rapture . Gloriously cloudy, and with an amazing array of complimentary flavours that showcased the red hops brilliantly (although I wondered if there was red malt that was coming through?). Either way this was possibly the best keykeg beer I've ever had - the other contender also being from Magic Rock, their Magic 8Ball.
I confess that if there was to be any minor fault, it was a little bit too cold for me. That's one of the infuriating features of keykeg dispense it seems, in my admittedly limited experience. However, putting that aside, far and away the most incredible thing about this beer was the easy drinking quaffable nature afforded by its unfiltered and unpasteurised condition. Normally, as well as being let down slightly by chill, I find keykeg can also be a trifle over carbonated. This wasn't.
I can honestly say that this was a revelation - an easy drinking keykeg beer, and made all the better by the way its flavours burst through. It may be the case that some flavours are lost by colder or more carbonated serving, so the amazing array of malty and hoppy notes, pepping up in the drink intermittently like pogo-ing punks, bringing waves of fabulous flavour across the palate, was a dreamy surprise.
I came away thinking that if keykeg could become popular in this unfiltered form, it would be a much more appealling prospect for the real ale drinker. It would certainley be of equal interest for me to taste an unfiltered and unpasteurised keykeg offering along with the finest cask beers. I just hope that Magic Rock and other breweries are interested enough to do more of the same.
This was a fitting end to a brilliant night, featuring three or four of the best beers I've tried this year.
Now for a much needed rest from imbibing, in preparation for a visit to the Gardeners Rest beer festival on Saturday.
Wee Beefy.
me and Davefromtshop met up to sample a few more beers in pubs that either he has never been to here in sunny Sheffield, or hasn't been in for ages. Measuring your last visit in decades in a city where almost no pub remains unspoilt means you may as well have never been in! So both of the above meet the criteria for our pub crawl (and we finished in some classics, for beer reasons). Here are the details of our trip out.
Bath! And the thirst is gone (sorry)...
We started in the "new" Bath Hotel and Dave had beaten me too it. He was already on the Allgates Napoleon's Retreat. I should really have tried it having not really got on with it first time, but I had my eye on the Thornbridge Frank as Apollo, brewed for the Nicholsons pub chain. This was a very pleasant bitter and seemed a little more balanced, by which I mean a smidgen less hoppy, perhaps to suit those delicate London palates?
We also had time for a half each of the Dark Star Revelation, which seemed to be running out unfortunately. This was every bit as good as I remembered it and Dave was I thought, suitably impressed.
Bowery
On leaving it suddenly seemed as monsoon like as our last crawl so we decided that our next stop would be the Bowery. They started selling real ale last year, I thought maybe for the Tramlines festival only, but either way it was on now. Here we had two halves of Moonshine (£2.80 a pint) in a virtually empty venue. This is interesting for me because I'd never even seen the floor on my last couple of visits.
The Moonshine was a little cold but enjoyable enough, and as we were to find out quite a lot, it and other Abbeydale beers noticeable resilience once connected up was probably a deciding factor in just how many times we saw it throughout the night. There are also a decent range of bottled beers, and depending on your outlook, now and again some decent tunes.
Green Room
This was my second visit this month and once again I ended up with Moonshine, seemingly more reliable than the guests they have had on. Last time Abbeydale Resurrection was beyond being so, this time Kelham Island Riders on the Storm came out the colour of rainclouds, with a piquant olfactory bite to match. A shame, because i rate the beer, but it had to be swapped for Moonshine, on at £3.00 a pint.
This visit on a rainy Tuesday was also an opportunity to get to see the interior of the Green Room. Not least because of my strange battle of wills with them over the last 18 months (almost resolutely always missing the cask!) and also because last time I was in I had too little time to stop for a look around.
May be a great time to get in and have a look round, and enjoy a pint of the real stuff of course. Hopefully they can continue with the real ales and there will be another decent late night venue that you can go in and not be expected to part with cash for bland UK brewed copy lagers you don't want.
Wick at Both Ends
To give you a last visit timescale here, last time Dave was in it was the Mail Coach. So nothings changed then....
There was only one real ale on here so we both had halves of Deception, at £3.20 a pint. We found a table without school chairs and sat down for a chat listening to a decent selection of tunes. The Deception was on very good form, and although not trying them side by side, I can say quite certainly that I much prefer this beer to Moonshine. Hoppy, citrussy and with a little fruit, a perfect pale session ale.
Bungalows and Bears, of Sheffield and Liverpool fame
Our next stop was not actually a first for Dave. He had visited the Division Street Fire Station many many years ago. Once again, little had changed...
On the bar was Moonshine or Deception (sorry, can't recall, it seems equally likely to have been either) and the Robinsons Elbow beer, unlikely to be called that, but brewed by one of the blokes in the band Elbow (a popular beat combo from the North West I understand) who may also have a connection to the Hop Franchise. We found ourselves a table and set about reading the beer bottle menu, slightly less choice then the Bowery (and the Wick ,which is very good) and watching different people repeatedly make the erroneous decision to walk up some stairs to a barrier, then back down again. Little things...
Roebuck
Next we walked down towards the Rutland and along the way dallied with the idea of a visit to Henry's. Instead though we ended up in the Roebuck, which its a fair few years since I've been in, and longer than you need know for Dave. Here we sat in what was a very quiet pub, which alas somewhat accentuated the vastness of the premises, and supped a decent half of Kelham Island Pale Rider (£3.20) from a choice of 2, on four handpumps.
Rutland
Our penultimate stop was the Rutland, where it was possible to get a table this time, which was good because we were tiring by now. We each had a pint of the Blue Bee Turned out Mild Again, which Dave seemed very taken by. I also snaffled him some Phoenix Brewery beer mats (a tegestological treasure no doubt) and set about snacking and supping. Its probably about that time that elsewhere in the UK editors were putting the finishing touches to articles reporting the employment tribunal involving the Rutland. Without expanding on any details here, its clear that many people will have some soul searching to carry out in terms of how they and the Rutland continue. Enough said for now I think.
The Sheffield Tap
Our final port of cal was carefully organised so that we had time to try a few beers rather than rushing in before last orders and buying too many halves. Here initially we had a pint (for me) and a half of the truly excellent tempest Cresta, and a half of the Phoenix Black Bee. This honey porter was not really a hit with either us am afraid, it just started with honey and malt and then got sweeter.
Better though were our next round of beers. We had half each of the excellent super hoppy Summer Wine Brewery Kahuna 6.0%, a Camden Hells, and a half of the Magic Rock Brewery Rapture. I think this all came to £7.20, which with a keykeg or two thrown in and given the strength of the Kahuna isn't bad.
The real star of this was the unfiltered, unpasteurised (as written in pen I think on the font label!) Rapture . Gloriously cloudy, and with an amazing array of complimentary flavours that showcased the red hops brilliantly (although I wondered if there was red malt that was coming through?). Either way this was possibly the best keykeg beer I've ever had - the other contender also being from Magic Rock, their Magic 8Ball.
I confess that if there was to be any minor fault, it was a little bit too cold for me. That's one of the infuriating features of keykeg dispense it seems, in my admittedly limited experience. However, putting that aside, far and away the most incredible thing about this beer was the easy drinking quaffable nature afforded by its unfiltered and unpasteurised condition. Normally, as well as being let down slightly by chill, I find keykeg can also be a trifle over carbonated. This wasn't.
I can honestly say that this was a revelation - an easy drinking keykeg beer, and made all the better by the way its flavours burst through. It may be the case that some flavours are lost by colder or more carbonated serving, so the amazing array of malty and hoppy notes, pepping up in the drink intermittently like pogo-ing punks, bringing waves of fabulous flavour across the palate, was a dreamy surprise.
I came away thinking that if keykeg could become popular in this unfiltered form, it would be a much more appealling prospect for the real ale drinker. It would certainley be of equal interest for me to taste an unfiltered and unpasteurised keykeg offering along with the finest cask beers. I just hope that Magic Rock and other breweries are interested enough to do more of the same.
This was a fitting end to a brilliant night, featuring three or four of the best beers I've tried this year.
Now for a much needed rest from imbibing, in preparation for a visit to the Gardeners Rest beer festival on Saturday.
Wee Beefy.
Monday, 7 May 2012
Wee Beefy's Tuesday tipples
Salutations
in the last week there has been a payday and many reasons to celebrate. So, I am afraid I have to admit, I have spent quite a few occasions in the last 7 days partaking of a fine and tasty beverage in a good pub. Here are some details of my excursion into Tuesday temulency.
Gardeners Rest
Myself and Mr P started our evening in the Gardeners Rest. The river level had mercifully dropped by now, and I wondered whether the extensive work done towards Lady's Bridge which included dredging the river bed had kept the pub dry in the last fortnight of horrific inundation. Luckily all was fine.
There were quite a few people in for a Tuesday, and a good selection of beers to choose from. I started with a pint of the Reedley Hallows Old Laund Bitter, 3.6% and Mr P the Scarborough Moody's Mild at 4.1. Reedley Hallows is perhaps the best name of any of the current crop of Microbreweries, so I was drawn to it right away, but also because it was quite a low gravity beer to start on. Its based in Burnley and has some link to Moorhouses. The beer was very much of its locale, but still had quite a bit of flavour, if not a tremendous amount of hops.
For our second pint we swapped beers and I got to taste the Moody's Mild, which was a dry and bitter drink, perfectly black and likewise very drinkable. I also had time to have a half of the Sheffield Brewing Co Chocolate Cascade, perhaps suffering slightly from being named after a euphemism, but tasting very nice despite its sweet dairy ingredient. Overall a very good quota of ales.
Ship
Off next to Shalesmoor and the Ship where there were 3 real ales on as usual. Mr P had a pint of the Abbeydale Daily Bread and me the excellent Spire Coal Porter.
We had a goodly time in here sat down trying to decipher how Mr P had managed to change his smart new phone's language setting to Greek, and supping the beer. All too quickly I had finished the Porter but unfortunately so had it - luckily I was able to fit in a half of the excellent Dark Side of the Moon from Spire which replaced it. Another excellent session in the Ship.
Wellington
Myself and Mr P parted ways here as I headed off West Street way under the flimsy premise of seeing if the Bath was yet reopened. I missed a tram so decided that the only solution, rather than wait for my next one, was to go in the Cask and Welly for a half.
This time I triumphed in having one of their beers, only to not chuffing write down what it was - it was about 4.2 to 4.5% and was stronger than, erm , another of theirs (and was a very enjoyable tipple). Whilst in here I was pleased to bump into a few people I have known for years, such as Dave S and Mark and Wendy. It was great to catch up, albeit briefly.
The Old 54
I jumped off the tram at the University stop and headed down to the Bath to see if it was open, but as we all now know it wasn't, though teasingly the lights were on. So I popped in Betty's for a fishcake butty (my evening meal) before heading up to Harrisons 1854. Here the Deception was back on form so I had a pint or two of that and caught up with Barraharri before I made the rash decision to go and get some late tipples at Dada.
Dada
The pub was quite empty but there were a couple of blokes at the bar enjoying a pint and a discussion with James who runs the place. I had a pint of the Thornbridge Pica Pica and soon got into discussing, quite pertinently, Thornbridge Brewery (a popular recent subject of mine) and beers. Seeing that last orders had passed and that we were in the mood for further "ale hard talk(?!) and beer we headed up to The Wick at Both Ends for a late one. In here I am certain that I had a Thornbridge beer but I didn't note it down and also made sure I made it last so as to reduce the impact on me for the next day, before escaping home in a taxi.
This was a good Tuesday crawl featuring some great beers, and was the ideal warm up to a week of reckless excess and rejoicing, the details of which will be coming over the next couple of days.
Wee Beefy
in the last week there has been a payday and many reasons to celebrate. So, I am afraid I have to admit, I have spent quite a few occasions in the last 7 days partaking of a fine and tasty beverage in a good pub. Here are some details of my excursion into Tuesday temulency.
Gardeners Rest
Myself and Mr P started our evening in the Gardeners Rest. The river level had mercifully dropped by now, and I wondered whether the extensive work done towards Lady's Bridge which included dredging the river bed had kept the pub dry in the last fortnight of horrific inundation. Luckily all was fine.
There were quite a few people in for a Tuesday, and a good selection of beers to choose from. I started with a pint of the Reedley Hallows Old Laund Bitter, 3.6% and Mr P the Scarborough Moody's Mild at 4.1. Reedley Hallows is perhaps the best name of any of the current crop of Microbreweries, so I was drawn to it right away, but also because it was quite a low gravity beer to start on. Its based in Burnley and has some link to Moorhouses. The beer was very much of its locale, but still had quite a bit of flavour, if not a tremendous amount of hops.
For our second pint we swapped beers and I got to taste the Moody's Mild, which was a dry and bitter drink, perfectly black and likewise very drinkable. I also had time to have a half of the Sheffield Brewing Co Chocolate Cascade, perhaps suffering slightly from being named after a euphemism, but tasting very nice despite its sweet dairy ingredient. Overall a very good quota of ales.
Ship
Off next to Shalesmoor and the Ship where there were 3 real ales on as usual. Mr P had a pint of the Abbeydale Daily Bread and me the excellent Spire Coal Porter.
We had a goodly time in here sat down trying to decipher how Mr P had managed to change his smart new phone's language setting to Greek, and supping the beer. All too quickly I had finished the Porter but unfortunately so had it - luckily I was able to fit in a half of the excellent Dark Side of the Moon from Spire which replaced it. Another excellent session in the Ship.
Wellington
Myself and Mr P parted ways here as I headed off West Street way under the flimsy premise of seeing if the Bath was yet reopened. I missed a tram so decided that the only solution, rather than wait for my next one, was to go in the Cask and Welly for a half.
This time I triumphed in having one of their beers, only to not chuffing write down what it was - it was about 4.2 to 4.5% and was stronger than, erm , another of theirs (and was a very enjoyable tipple). Whilst in here I was pleased to bump into a few people I have known for years, such as Dave S and Mark and Wendy. It was great to catch up, albeit briefly.
The Old 54
I jumped off the tram at the University stop and headed down to the Bath to see if it was open, but as we all now know it wasn't, though teasingly the lights were on. So I popped in Betty's for a fishcake butty (my evening meal) before heading up to Harrisons 1854. Here the Deception was back on form so I had a pint or two of that and caught up with Barraharri before I made the rash decision to go and get some late tipples at Dada.
Dada
The pub was quite empty but there were a couple of blokes at the bar enjoying a pint and a discussion with James who runs the place. I had a pint of the Thornbridge Pica Pica and soon got into discussing, quite pertinently, Thornbridge Brewery (a popular recent subject of mine) and beers. Seeing that last orders had passed and that we were in the mood for further "ale hard talk(?!) and beer we headed up to The Wick at Both Ends for a late one. In here I am certain that I had a Thornbridge beer but I didn't note it down and also made sure I made it last so as to reduce the impact on me for the next day, before escaping home in a taxi.
This was a good Tuesday crawl featuring some great beers, and was the ideal warm up to a week of reckless excess and rejoicing, the details of which will be coming over the next couple of days.
Wee Beefy
Monday, 9 April 2012
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
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
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Wee Beefy's beer bites
Afternoon
recent activity surrounding beer and pubs has been frantic so am going to give you a few small tit-bits to try and cover all that's been going on.
BrewDog vs Asda
Asda recently put up the cost of the reduced strength Punk IPA to over £2.30 a bottle. Responsible you might think - but its still in the 3 for £4.00 offer. Once more Asda's alcohol irresponsibility reigns supreme - the less you buy, and the weaker alcohol in the beer you buy, the more expensive it is. Genius.
Shakespeare Gibraltar Street Shalesmoor
Work continues on the interior and upstairs rooms in particular, bookings are now coming in for bands to play in the large upstairs function room, where a bar is hoped to be installed in the future. A good range of local beers has always been available on my 4 visits so far, last night I had Abbeydale Deception, Spire Dark Side of he Moon, and not so local but the best of the lot, Hornbeam Black Coral Stout. The new signage is half up - one is waiting to presumably go on the side wall; and this identifies the pub as Shakespeares Ale and Cider House.
Welbeck Abbey Brewery
Continue to get their beers into Sheffield, having been seen at the Harlequin, Shakespeares (to reflect their new signage and differentiate between them and the Olde Shakespeare on Well Road Heeley ) and the Old House. Their First Brew was very quaffable at the Harlequin, and their low gravity session beer Henrietta at 3.6% was the stand out beer of an evening at the Old House recently. Me and Davefromtshop caught a pint of the surprisingly heavy ruby biter Red Feather at Shakespeares last week as well. Although they have excellent mentors and distributors in the form of Kelham Island brewery, its noticeable how quickly they have created a recognisable brand, and found that crucial consistency and quality. See their blog on this site or follow http://welbeckabbeybrewery.blogspot.com/
Toad Brewery
The flip side of the Welbeck story is the demise of short lived Doncaster brewery Toad, who have gone into liquidation. I rarely found their beers and I have to say that when I did I was likewise rarely impressed. Perhaps their apparent intention to supply the unusual/one off guest beer market caught them out - an over ambitious beer roster maybe contributed to a lack of consistency and a prevalence at beer festivals. A shame for South Yorkshire to lose a brewery though.
Robin Hood
News of their impending conversion to luxury housing has drawn a few people together to visit - a friend of mine told me he'd met his now wife when she was working behind the bar there and was off for a final visit last week, meanwhile I have finally visited with Davefromtshop - his first visit, and let countless other people know through the debatable wonders of Facebook. Get to the Robin Hood before August Bank Holiday weekend and see what you'll miss.
Wick At Both Ends West Street Sheffield
Two recent visits have seen Sheffield Brewery Tramlines and Thornbridge Sequoia on hand pump, served in handled beer mugs as beer should be - top marks for that. As well as a decent range of music I was also able to experience some excellent bottles of Budels Alt and some offerings from Goose Island brewery. The only drawback is - no beer menu! Sort us a list out The WABe and more people will buy your range of beers.
Old House Devonshire Street
Table service is on offer at the Old House and some very very nice food at sensible prices for the quality provided. Flowers IPA, a beer enigma in that you can rarely be sure where its brewed or by whom, along with Bradfield Farmers Stout, seem to be regular features on the bar now, with the total number of handpumps increased to 5. Drinks offers on Weekdays until eight and large for small wines until nine mean it needn't be extortionate to drink their either.
Tramlines festival beers
I got to a few pubs at Tramlines - more pubs than I saw bands actually, and sampled some decent beer along the way. The Abbeydale Deception at Harrisons 1854 was in fantastic form, perhaps helped by its quick turnover with the venue 8 thick at the bar at times. The Red House was offering two beers including Hancocks HB and Marstons EPA, Shakespeares of course had the biggest range of those tried and I had a very nice pint of something low gravity and pale from Acorn, then there were about 5 beers at CADS in Shalesmoor for the blues and ale festival, including the Tramlines beer and Brimstone from Abbeydale. Our final stop was the Red Deer which was offering, from a range of 7, a very nice pint of Moorhouses Blonde Witch, and serving til gone midnight - showing you can get decent real ale after 11PM.
More news soon, and, I promise, more of my Scotland adventure...
Cheers
Wee Beefy
recent activity surrounding beer and pubs has been frantic so am going to give you a few small tit-bits to try and cover all that's been going on.
BrewDog vs Asda
Asda recently put up the cost of the reduced strength Punk IPA to over £2.30 a bottle. Responsible you might think - but its still in the 3 for £4.00 offer. Once more Asda's alcohol irresponsibility reigns supreme - the less you buy, and the weaker alcohol in the beer you buy, the more expensive it is. Genius.
Shakespeare Gibraltar Street Shalesmoor
Work continues on the interior and upstairs rooms in particular, bookings are now coming in for bands to play in the large upstairs function room, where a bar is hoped to be installed in the future. A good range of local beers has always been available on my 4 visits so far, last night I had Abbeydale Deception, Spire Dark Side of he Moon, and not so local but the best of the lot, Hornbeam Black Coral Stout. The new signage is half up - one is waiting to presumably go on the side wall; and this identifies the pub as Shakespeares Ale and Cider House.
Welbeck Abbey Brewery
Continue to get their beers into Sheffield, having been seen at the Harlequin, Shakespeares (to reflect their new signage and differentiate between them and the Olde Shakespeare on Well Road Heeley ) and the Old House. Their First Brew was very quaffable at the Harlequin, and their low gravity session beer Henrietta at 3.6% was the stand out beer of an evening at the Old House recently. Me and Davefromtshop caught a pint of the surprisingly heavy ruby biter Red Feather at Shakespeares last week as well. Although they have excellent mentors and distributors in the form of Kelham Island brewery, its noticeable how quickly they have created a recognisable brand, and found that crucial consistency and quality. See their blog on this site or follow http://welbeckabbeybrewery.blogspot.com/
Toad Brewery
The flip side of the Welbeck story is the demise of short lived Doncaster brewery Toad, who have gone into liquidation. I rarely found their beers and I have to say that when I did I was likewise rarely impressed. Perhaps their apparent intention to supply the unusual/one off guest beer market caught them out - an over ambitious beer roster maybe contributed to a lack of consistency and a prevalence at beer festivals. A shame for South Yorkshire to lose a brewery though.
Robin Hood
News of their impending conversion to luxury housing has drawn a few people together to visit - a friend of mine told me he'd met his now wife when she was working behind the bar there and was off for a final visit last week, meanwhile I have finally visited with Davefromtshop - his first visit, and let countless other people know through the debatable wonders of Facebook. Get to the Robin Hood before August Bank Holiday weekend and see what you'll miss.
Wick At Both Ends West Street Sheffield
Two recent visits have seen Sheffield Brewery Tramlines and Thornbridge Sequoia on hand pump, served in handled beer mugs as beer should be - top marks for that. As well as a decent range of music I was also able to experience some excellent bottles of Budels Alt and some offerings from Goose Island brewery. The only drawback is - no beer menu! Sort us a list out The WABe and more people will buy your range of beers.
Old House Devonshire Street
Table service is on offer at the Old House and some very very nice food at sensible prices for the quality provided. Flowers IPA, a beer enigma in that you can rarely be sure where its brewed or by whom, along with Bradfield Farmers Stout, seem to be regular features on the bar now, with the total number of handpumps increased to 5. Drinks offers on Weekdays until eight and large for small wines until nine mean it needn't be extortionate to drink their either.
Tramlines festival beers
I got to a few pubs at Tramlines - more pubs than I saw bands actually, and sampled some decent beer along the way. The Abbeydale Deception at Harrisons 1854 was in fantastic form, perhaps helped by its quick turnover with the venue 8 thick at the bar at times. The Red House was offering two beers including Hancocks HB and Marstons EPA, Shakespeares of course had the biggest range of those tried and I had a very nice pint of something low gravity and pale from Acorn, then there were about 5 beers at CADS in Shalesmoor for the blues and ale festival, including the Tramlines beer and Brimstone from Abbeydale. Our final stop was the Red Deer which was offering, from a range of 7, a very nice pint of Moorhouses Blonde Witch, and serving til gone midnight - showing you can get decent real ale after 11PM.
More news soon, and, I promise, more of my Scotland adventure...
Cheers
Wee Beefy
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Fir Vale to City Centre via West Street pub assessment
Hello,
I recently had time to kill after an appointment at the Northern General. I had been going out later anyway so had made no plans for getting home, although my original arrangement had been cancelled. It was a nice sunny day so I went for a walk, intending to catch up with the Corner Pin on Carlisle street and the East House.
The walk to the Pin took quite some time, I know the route onto Upwell Street and you can either head up and then down to the Pin past the Hallcar Tavern, or right down to the railway bridge and along which is what I did. Its worth pointing out that I didn't try all the pubs en route, mainly because I was heading to the two above and also beccause I wasn't hopeful of finding any real ale at the Sheffield Arms for example, although the Hallcarr sold a decent pint of Pedigree back in 2009.
Prior to reaching the Pin, I noted with dismay what a ball ache of a walk it was along desolate and dusty Carlisle Street, quite possibly the side effects from which were less halthy than the exercise. Luckily I was soon at the pub, admiring the promise of real ales on the board outside.
Alas, as the lady behind the bar explained, the handpumps are "for show " and their guest offering was Caffreys. I didn't question what had happened to the Ossett and Bradfield real ales from 2009, but in a state of dry mouthed exhaustion plumped for a half of magnet, which was invariably keg, but an acceptable enough drink.
I got chatting to two gents at the bar about pubs in the area and it was a friendly place to be, but it rankles that the sign is knowingly misleading, and that the change of ownership had resulted in the disappearance of real ale, when it was likely the only place in the area you could drink it.
So i trudged on, noting the apparrently still closed Royal Oak on a sideroad between two giant factories, and eschewing the temptation of visiting the Staffordshire, which would only be for old times sake and would not be selling anything I'd fancy drinking. I arrived at the East House to find an "under new management " sign on the door and inside, most of the artwok gone, a large speaker rig on one of the tables, and a noticable shift in the portion of the community who now owned it.
When I heard, with dismay, that the Kashmir across the road had closed, I wondered if the removal of the slow drip of irregular and one off visitors coming to buy beer and take it to the curry house, or even returning after for a pint, would affect the pub. The East House did seem to have a few regulars when I came in, usually a good mix of ages and cultures as well which is unusual for a traditional pub, but never seemed overly busy.
Now there were three handpumps still but only the Moonshine seemed to be on. The barman laboured for what seemd like 10 minutes to pull me a pint of slightly hazy moonshine, which tasted OK, but this may have had more to do with my thirst than anything else.
The barman left the pub after I had sat down and I listened in on the conversation between two guys sat at and parallell to the bar watching a rerun of the 2009 champions league final. One was from South Africa, the other Zambia, and they were earnestly discussing the changes in South Africa, as the screen flicked back to the modern day fixture about to be played. When I left, the guy at the bar asked if the beer was OK, which I confirmed was ok, and I quietly left to jump on a bus.
I don't know what the future holds for the East House as a traditional pub. Its not impossible to think that the real ale is on because of a recent change of ownership and one had been left in the cellar ready. Or perhpas there is still demand for pints to be taken to the Mangla up the road. I don't know the nationality of those running the pub or of course of its visitors, so I wouldn't try and guess how popular real ale is likely to be, but I can't be sure and am not confident that the Moonshine wiill have a place long term either. Since I have promised myself I wil try the Mangla, that will provide the opportunity to see how things develop beer wise.
Once in town I walked past the Three Cranes on Queen Street again, unfortunately there is still no sign of it opening, so I made my way to the Dog and Partridge. Here I got chatting to Bill and Stuart who, only afterwards I realised I recognised for the Bath Hotel. The irony is I had made certain I went to the Dog and was not going to let any perceived lack of customers or atmosphere deter me, but unlike last time they were now only selling Tetley. I opted for a half, and had a brief chat about the beer with the staff. This is another classic punch versus reality scenario regarding beer.
Not oly do Punch appear to be reluctant to let them choose which real ale they have as a guest, but they want to provide it instead of it coming from the brewery. This is a familiar scene from almost any pubco managed house, but this unjustifiable license to print money means Punch can charge £50.00 more than the cask should cost, which then has to be reflected in the price and met by the customers. Its situations like this which make the Governments slow stuttering amble towards reigning the pubco's in look incredibly negligent and ill thought through. Punch are quite simply bad for pubs, as are most other pubco's. Sort it out.
Next I popped into Trippets for a pint of Lord Marples and to take some pictures which I promise will appear on this post soon. One of the guests as well as the regulars, which includes the Red Lion which is almost certainley Thornbridge White Swan, was a Wentworth spring offering featuring summer fruits ( it may be spring fruits for practical reasons ). This ewasn't to my taste, but its nice to have a choice, and shows that along with the Kelham offerings theers usually a good range of styles and brewers available.
I should really have taken this opportunity to sit in the back with the high ceiling admiring the postsers and bottled beers, since I almost never seem to go in this part anymor. This is a a shame because on a sunny evening its a bright and cool place to relax, waiting for the stampede of suits which inevitably occurs after 18.00on weekdays.
From here I headed for the Wick At Both Ends, my original intended venue, and bumped into Namesake, who was somewhat incongrously drinking a vodka and coke. I opted for the Thornbridge beer, which on their website states Airtight, although i couldn't see this on the clip. They also had Sheffield brewing Co Tramlines, and, perhaps because it was now after 19.00, the beer was £2.90 a pint, not the £2.60 touted on the website. The WABE looks a tad different from when it was the Mailcoach and sold Tetleys and that empires various guests, and it no loinger seemed to have an area behind the bar where they used to have the DJ playing rock music on a Wednesday, or possibly Thursday night - my uncertainty stems from not having been in since about 1996. Insie now is comfy with plenty of seating and tables and some decent music playing.
I stopped for a pint and a catch up with Namesake but turned down the chance to try the food and went instead to the Red Deer. Here the beer range was much changed since it seemed now to include many more guests than regulars, alsa I can only remember my choice which was Castle Rock pale ale, which I washed my homemade fishcake and chips down with greatfully. I also bumped into the Bath drinkers again, now with companion James in their ranks, and suggested I may see them later on, depending on where my wander took me.
In the end I never reached the Bath but tried a few new or past places whilst I was out and about. Bar Lounge on West Street used to sell a good range of bottled beers although am unsure of its previous draught credentials, but I also noticed it had changed its name to Route 66. On entering, the music was good but there were not even any fonts tp be seen on the bar - I asked optimisticly about the range of bottled beers but only Sam Adams was even vaguely tempting, and when I politely declined to stop the barman said " we did away with all that draught tap stuff ". Whatever could he mean ?
I also looked in the Green Room to find empty handpumps yet again, although the lady behind the bar did confirm it may be back on in a couple of weeks. Further diwn Devonshire Street, I popped my head round the door of Bar Olive, but the handpump in the former Foresters pub has disappeared altogether.
So I headed for the good old Rutland, which had a good range of beer on, and, to its credit and my amazement, Hollow Hills by Bauhaus playing on the jukebox. My beer choice was Twist and Stout from Spire Brewery at an eye watering £3.10 a pint, which I supped slowly whilst listening to what else the jukebox had to offer, and smiling contently at the sign beseeching users not to play Meatloaf...
So, a mixed trip, with 1 confirmed real ale loss, a few maybes, a gain and some reliable stalwarts of the scene.
Wee Beefy.
I recently had time to kill after an appointment at the Northern General. I had been going out later anyway so had made no plans for getting home, although my original arrangement had been cancelled. It was a nice sunny day so I went for a walk, intending to catch up with the Corner Pin on Carlisle street and the East House.
The walk to the Pin took quite some time, I know the route onto Upwell Street and you can either head up and then down to the Pin past the Hallcar Tavern, or right down to the railway bridge and along which is what I did. Its worth pointing out that I didn't try all the pubs en route, mainly because I was heading to the two above and also beccause I wasn't hopeful of finding any real ale at the Sheffield Arms for example, although the Hallcarr sold a decent pint of Pedigree back in 2009.
Prior to reaching the Pin, I noted with dismay what a ball ache of a walk it was along desolate and dusty Carlisle Street, quite possibly the side effects from which were less halthy than the exercise. Luckily I was soon at the pub, admiring the promise of real ales on the board outside.
Alas, as the lady behind the bar explained, the handpumps are "for show " and their guest offering was Caffreys. I didn't question what had happened to the Ossett and Bradfield real ales from 2009, but in a state of dry mouthed exhaustion plumped for a half of magnet, which was invariably keg, but an acceptable enough drink.
I got chatting to two gents at the bar about pubs in the area and it was a friendly place to be, but it rankles that the sign is knowingly misleading, and that the change of ownership had resulted in the disappearance of real ale, when it was likely the only place in the area you could drink it.
So i trudged on, noting the apparrently still closed Royal Oak on a sideroad between two giant factories, and eschewing the temptation of visiting the Staffordshire, which would only be for old times sake and would not be selling anything I'd fancy drinking. I arrived at the East House to find an "under new management " sign on the door and inside, most of the artwok gone, a large speaker rig on one of the tables, and a noticable shift in the portion of the community who now owned it.
When I heard, with dismay, that the Kashmir across the road had closed, I wondered if the removal of the slow drip of irregular and one off visitors coming to buy beer and take it to the curry house, or even returning after for a pint, would affect the pub. The East House did seem to have a few regulars when I came in, usually a good mix of ages and cultures as well which is unusual for a traditional pub, but never seemed overly busy.
Now there were three handpumps still but only the Moonshine seemed to be on. The barman laboured for what seemd like 10 minutes to pull me a pint of slightly hazy moonshine, which tasted OK, but this may have had more to do with my thirst than anything else.
The barman left the pub after I had sat down and I listened in on the conversation between two guys sat at and parallell to the bar watching a rerun of the 2009 champions league final. One was from South Africa, the other Zambia, and they were earnestly discussing the changes in South Africa, as the screen flicked back to the modern day fixture about to be played. When I left, the guy at the bar asked if the beer was OK, which I confirmed was ok, and I quietly left to jump on a bus.
I don't know what the future holds for the East House as a traditional pub. Its not impossible to think that the real ale is on because of a recent change of ownership and one had been left in the cellar ready. Or perhpas there is still demand for pints to be taken to the Mangla up the road. I don't know the nationality of those running the pub or of course of its visitors, so I wouldn't try and guess how popular real ale is likely to be, but I can't be sure and am not confident that the Moonshine wiill have a place long term either. Since I have promised myself I wil try the Mangla, that will provide the opportunity to see how things develop beer wise.
Once in town I walked past the Three Cranes on Queen Street again, unfortunately there is still no sign of it opening, so I made my way to the Dog and Partridge. Here I got chatting to Bill and Stuart who, only afterwards I realised I recognised for the Bath Hotel. The irony is I had made certain I went to the Dog and was not going to let any perceived lack of customers or atmosphere deter me, but unlike last time they were now only selling Tetley. I opted for a half, and had a brief chat about the beer with the staff. This is another classic punch versus reality scenario regarding beer.
Not oly do Punch appear to be reluctant to let them choose which real ale they have as a guest, but they want to provide it instead of it coming from the brewery. This is a familiar scene from almost any pubco managed house, but this unjustifiable license to print money means Punch can charge £50.00 more than the cask should cost, which then has to be reflected in the price and met by the customers. Its situations like this which make the Governments slow stuttering amble towards reigning the pubco's in look incredibly negligent and ill thought through. Punch are quite simply bad for pubs, as are most other pubco's. Sort it out.
Next I popped into Trippets for a pint of Lord Marples and to take some pictures which I promise will appear on this post soon. One of the guests as well as the regulars, which includes the Red Lion which is almost certainley Thornbridge White Swan, was a Wentworth spring offering featuring summer fruits ( it may be spring fruits for practical reasons ). This ewasn't to my taste, but its nice to have a choice, and shows that along with the Kelham offerings theers usually a good range of styles and brewers available.
I should really have taken this opportunity to sit in the back with the high ceiling admiring the postsers and bottled beers, since I almost never seem to go in this part anymor. This is a a shame because on a sunny evening its a bright and cool place to relax, waiting for the stampede of suits which inevitably occurs after 18.00on weekdays.
From here I headed for the Wick At Both Ends, my original intended venue, and bumped into Namesake, who was somewhat incongrously drinking a vodka and coke. I opted for the Thornbridge beer, which on their website states Airtight, although i couldn't see this on the clip. They also had Sheffield brewing Co Tramlines, and, perhaps because it was now after 19.00, the beer was £2.90 a pint, not the £2.60 touted on the website. The WABE looks a tad different from when it was the Mailcoach and sold Tetleys and that empires various guests, and it no loinger seemed to have an area behind the bar where they used to have the DJ playing rock music on a Wednesday, or possibly Thursday night - my uncertainty stems from not having been in since about 1996. Insie now is comfy with plenty of seating and tables and some decent music playing.
I stopped for a pint and a catch up with Namesake but turned down the chance to try the food and went instead to the Red Deer. Here the beer range was much changed since it seemed now to include many more guests than regulars, alsa I can only remember my choice which was Castle Rock pale ale, which I washed my homemade fishcake and chips down with greatfully. I also bumped into the Bath drinkers again, now with companion James in their ranks, and suggested I may see them later on, depending on where my wander took me.
In the end I never reached the Bath but tried a few new or past places whilst I was out and about. Bar Lounge on West Street used to sell a good range of bottled beers although am unsure of its previous draught credentials, but I also noticed it had changed its name to Route 66. On entering, the music was good but there were not even any fonts tp be seen on the bar - I asked optimisticly about the range of bottled beers but only Sam Adams was even vaguely tempting, and when I politely declined to stop the barman said " we did away with all that draught tap stuff ". Whatever could he mean ?
I also looked in the Green Room to find empty handpumps yet again, although the lady behind the bar did confirm it may be back on in a couple of weeks. Further diwn Devonshire Street, I popped my head round the door of Bar Olive, but the handpump in the former Foresters pub has disappeared altogether.
So I headed for the good old Rutland, which had a good range of beer on, and, to its credit and my amazement, Hollow Hills by Bauhaus playing on the jukebox. My beer choice was Twist and Stout from Spire Brewery at an eye watering £3.10 a pint, which I supped slowly whilst listening to what else the jukebox had to offer, and smiling contently at the sign beseeching users not to play Meatloaf...
So, a mixed trip, with 1 confirmed real ale loss, a few maybes, a gain and some reliable stalwarts of the scene.
Wee Beefy.
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