Damn you Windows Vista, Harrisons 1854 Regent Terrace, Lancashire lollop

Afternoon,

sorry for a distinct lack of posts of late, I got stupid arse Windows Vista (it was free, I know that everyone who has ever used it hates it) installed on my P.C to cure my virus problems. Unfortunately, the new IE9 browser helps me to not see or even log on to most websites, mainly this one, by claiming the website doesn't work.

So, in the busiest fortnight of the year so far for going out, I have been amputated from the net, with shoddy consequences.

Anyhoo, grumble aside, my first topic is the result of a Tuesday wander raand taarn last week. I checked for the 40th time that the 3 Cranes still had not reopened, and then went into a virtually empty Dog and Partridge to find the beer was still Tetley and no-one able to answer my question about guest beers. It was interesting looking at the layout and features of the Dog - a venue previously so busy that you could only get a vague impression of its appearance, rather like seeing something from a car window whilst you rush past at high speed.

The pub, as I mentioned earlier, is quite plain now having lost a lot of ephemera to the Grapes, but has a pleasing simplicity, with sturdy seating round the edges, a magnificent snug, with, according to who you believe, late 1800's graffiti carved in the panels. There is also the long room at the back, previously used for live music, and first choice position for numerous redoubtable stalwarts of hours in the same pub, probably for every one of their drinking years. I have not been in the back room since the Flynns moved up the street, and seeing as I was the only customer at about 19.30 I decided that I wanted to stay at the top end near the bar, on the off chance someone might also come in for a drink.

As you can see from the above pics, the front window view in the Dog is almost the same as the Red Deer (minus candles). I noticed that as I was sat drinking my pint of Saltaire Blond, which was a fantastically refreshing drink, admiring the nuances in light and appearance afforded by the candles that a member of staff was dutifully placing on each table.I should point out however that this similarity was made more obvious by scanning through my phone photographs. More of the Red Deer news in a mo.

In between times, i did reach Trippets for a pint and a quite contemplation in my usual spot near the reading material, supping a somewhat pricey Thornbridge Alchemy, brewed with Bishop hops. This was a familiar but distinct enough to be interesting, pale brew that went down all too quickly. Trippets seemed to be fairing slightly better than the Dog in having quite a few customers, and not just the evening suits brigade either, showing that its a popular venue with people wanting a quiet after work chat and drink, as well as those intent on power conferencing whilst supping, and the likes of myself, supping quietly alone, perhaps reading, likely spotting photo opportunities.

I did go to the red Deer next, but decided against having a bite to eat, so instead settled down to slowly sup my pint and observe the pub filling up, and as I said, watch the careful preparation of the venue for the evening

At this juncture I should point

out there is an excellent if eclectic choice of music playing at the Red Deer - I don't think there is a jukebox, but its testament to the musical knowledge and tastes of the staff that an older gentleman like myself can nod and tap my feet to new and well recognised tunes, whilst the numerous students, most with more than a decade on me, can display the same appreciation.

Now, in a recent beer matters copy I saw a list of city centre pubs and bars selling real ale accompanied by an optimistically small map which struggled to overcome the honeycomb affect of so many venues in such a small place all needing a mention. Apart from one or two inaccuracies, it was a helpful list, and mentioned a venue I had never visited before.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a copy on me so all I could remember was that it was somewhere off West Street and had a date in its name. Round the corner from the Deer the former dreadful Soyo bar had metamorphosed into a Cuban themed venue, with reference in its name to the revolution - aha I thought, even without seeing a specific date this was clearly the venue I was thinking of. Alas, on entering, I quickly revised this theory, as the barman apologetically acknowledged that more than half of the slightly bland selection of continental keg beers was off.

So I went next along Pitt Street heading for what I had thought the week before might be a restaurant or a bar but was unsure if it was, or even whether I should venture inside. On the wall of this former factory was a sign - Harrisons 1854 Steeplejacks - of Nelsons Column fame. I decided, noting the date reference, to peak in through a window and to my joy spotted real live handpumps, and so ventured in.

The interior is very minimal and modern, with some feminine touches here and there, and a long and perhaps overly modernist stainless steel bar, which Dave the barkeep points out was installed by the previous incumbents. There is one large room housing the bar and some high tables and bar stools, and the way out to what i am assured is a suntrap yard ( it was a trifle cool on this occasion so i have not confirmed this yet), with a relaxing yet slightly chilly lounge area to the right with comfy leather sofas and slightly avant-garde modern decor.

he bar sports 3 handpumps, all of which were in use on my visit, a box of real cider, and a number of continental beer fonts such as Brooklyn ( sorry, that's intercontinental I know ) lager and Erdinger Wheat beer. There is a decent wine list, Dave does a mean cocktail if you ask, and there's a good range of imported bottled beers and some of those dreadful but inexplicably popular fruit flavoured ciders - remembering of course that cider is already fruit flavoured, but hey, that's marketing for you. And don;t even get me started on pear cider...

So back to Harrisons, and I was having a rather tired (the beer, not me) pint of Abbeydale Surrealism ale, which was cloudy but tasted alright. The moonshine was not on good form either, but visiting again on the Wednesday I discovered this was simply a slow sales problem, and drawing a pint or two off revealed a familiar drinking friend, and Moonshine was in good nick again.

From talking to Dave, It seems the former Harrisons works were converted to restaurant use by the family in the 1980's and leased out to a couple of swanky restaurants, most recently the Ivory. After that arrangement had ended, 15 months ago, the family converted it into its present state, as a crisp, clean looking city centre bar.

On this visit, as well as soaking up the atmosphere and admiring the scale of the main room, I was also amused by the incongruous blend of background music - not that the choice was in anyway bizarre or unsuitable, but its modern sounds were intermittently drowned out by the joyous brass tones coming from upstairs.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays the upstairs room is hired by the Sheffield brass band for practising. So as a pleasing and slow building Unkle track ( get me, with my modern musical knowledge, erm, from 7 years ago ), you are suddenly transported to a band stand on may day and an upbeat reprise of the floral dance. Personally, I think this odd mixture is fantastic, but perhaps brass or electronic music aficionados may find it a bit difficult to appreciate....

I finished on a couple of pints of the Abbeydale Deception, which was in good form, and was the beer of choice for a couple of blokes who came in and were discussing when they either worked there or dealt with the Harrisons back in the days when the firm operated from this city centre site.

I suggested to Dave that some bar snacks wouldn't go amiss, since they had quickly stopped their own food operation soon after reopening as Harrisons, but of course its not really up to the convivial barman to make changes. That said, I had chance to suggest it to the owner the next day when I went in with Chala, an evening I will have to tell you about next time.

Having enjoyed my first visit, having left puzzled at how Harrissons could have been open 15 months and selling real ales without my hearing about it, I headed for a last one in the Bath.

The pub was busy but I was able to get a few pics on my phone from the vantage point of the far right corner, where I don't usually sit. The Itchen Valley beer sounded great but smelt grim and tasted not much better, so I had it swapped for the Deception, which in the end i had 2 pints of. A pleasant end to an interesting night of new experiences.

Alas I haven't time to tell you about Lancashire or indeed anything else as I am off out for Chala's birthday in 30 minutes.

So, Vista permitting, I'll be back ASAP

Wee Beefy

BrewDog timid IPA, Greystones Greystones Road, Porter Cottage and Lescar Sharrowvale Road, Sheaf Island Ecclesall Road, Rutland and Sheffield Tap.

Hello Readers

I have now purchased and drank a BrewDog newly weakened Middle Aged rocker IPA, a beer now competing in an uninspiring market of mass produced regionals and conglomerates such as Marston's Ringwood, Polish Tyskie, Theakstons Old Peculier and slightly better ales from smaller concerns such as Bath Wild Hare and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Thing is, there is nothing wrong with tweaking a recipe, nor, as demonstrated by the last two beers above, along with the fantastic Worthington White Shield, is there anything wrong with a 5.6% IPA. However, with a brewery that grew its reputation on unflinching defiance of conformity, the lessening of the alcoholic potency of this beer suggests its brewers aren't confident enough of its staying power. What could this mean ?

Well, firstly, this change of market position, for that is what the reduction is and what it spells, is especially prescient in the face of an almost never ending list of 5.0% "premium" ales, as marketed and produced to a non-negotiable cost savings and market share recipe for success by every medium to large sized brewer in the UK.

Secondly, and quite frustratingly, the fact that 5.6% is an untrendy strength in terms of shelf coverage means it could be the forerunner of great beers in its style, but, its not - this is punk IPA light. And yet still, it has the same blurb - come on BrewDog! We know you bolted in the face of savings - why pretend your beer is the same ? What less maverick an action could there be than to effectively neuter the dog for the sake of a potential alcohol duty saving ?

Taste and appearance wise - and this could be the third strand of the sea change - the bottle still pours cloudy; seemingly the lessened alcohol content has done nothing to help the beer fall crystal clear. Mercifully it still has that ostensibly brutal fizz of hops in the initial flavour, but the problem is that the reluctance of BrewDog to maintain Punk IPA's gravity suddenly gives me doubts about the overall and ongoing evolution of the beer.

Had it always kept that harsh astounding zingy bite up until the strength was reduced, or had the beer's inherent and unhindered hop blast been steadily on the decline since its inception ?

The point is, the 5.6 % beer is not radically different to the 6. That's my opinion.
And moreover, I admit, the potential impact of the post reduction cost is muddied by Asda reducing the price, meaning that no-one can be sure what, if anything, the duty saving is about.

I would however be interested to know why BrewDog swapped the impressive venom of Brutal Truth for the asinine strains of Good Charlotte, something we might only know in a few months time, when market pressures have been allowed to affect the costs and a true and reflective new price is proffered by the brewery.

In the meantime, to paraphrase the young bucks themselves " its quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate the affect of the sudden decrease in alcohol, you probably don't even care that because Asda constantly fanny about with the price its almost impossible to notice an impact on your wallet. So just go back to drinking your almost mass produced watered down in strength cloudy BrewDog and assume everything is OK, closing the door behind you.....


So, wanderings.

On Wednesday, having survived yellow fever or similar, it was time to meet Dave for a wander to Greystones and a catch up with what Ecclesall Road had to offer the discerning drinker.

Owing to having left work early I had 20 minutes to kill so went for a half of Kelham Island Riders on the Storm at the Bessemer on Pinstone street. Davefromtshop thought this was a Wetherspoons, and I don't want to fall foul of my own ignorance here, but I reckon its not.

Mind you, there are similarities in the high ceilings and vast open plan drinking areas, but the beer is more averagely priced ( £1.30 for my half) and there does not seem to be the ubiquitous food options available.

Onto the bus and we were drawing up outside the Greystones in little time at all, noting a spare table in the warm sunshine, and marvelling at the views over the city. Inside is a long bar with 8 handpumps and various continental and lager fonts, with distinct drinking areas on each side, notably a raised area to the left. We went outside having purchased, after having tried, a pint each of the fantastic Marble Ginger.

" Everybody's talking about it" Dave informed me, before inserting a numerical caveat which indicated that only 3 customers had taken up the mantle of the subject of this ale. Either way, notoriety is only right for this beer - I had reservations about ruining my palate with a strong ginger episode, but needn't have worried.


Although the inclusion of ginger lends a refreshing edge, there is sufficient bitterness and overall beery notes to make the ginger a complimentary bonus rather than an intrusive interloper on the palate. We supped our pints outside, trying hard not to earwig in a conversation between a man in Thornbridge staff attire and someone who was likely sales profligate Sheffield wine shifter John Mitchell.

Clearly my modest journalistic decorum forbids me from writing the salient points of said talk here, but it was interesting enough a chinwag that we had to go inside for our next pint so as we could actually hold a conversation. Inside we had pints of Bracia - all but the Marble on the guest handpump are Thornbridge beers - which was probably very nice, but despite my earlier praise, I have to concede that the astringent flavours of the ginger do impinge on the taste of your next drink.

Both pints were £3.00 each, leading us to speculate that all beer was that price regardless of strength- alas, our timetable and some confusion meant we were unable to be certain of the veracity of such a claim.

Afterwards we headed downhill to Sharrowvale and went first to the Porter Cottage. Inside the interior is slightly dark, and there are two large bay window seating areas on either side, and noticeably, more bar like features meaning that the further you get from the front door the less traditional and more unpub-like the outlook becomes. The bar was a depressing modern design (except for the diamond patterns ) with bright lighting and a bar rather than pub feel. That said, our window seat was a nice alcove, and an excellent vantage point to see what the legendary - and for once deservedly so - jukebox had to offer.

Tellingly, given my previou concerns over costs in Sharrowvale, our choices from the range of three Bradfield beers - Dave had Brown Cow and I the blonde, were £2.85 a pint, making it marginally cheaper for the area.

Our next stop was the Lescar. The same range of beers was on as Thursday last week, and I had primed Dave on my concerns over the cost issues. He asked what the prices of the real ales were and the barman stated that Sharps Doom bar was £2.80 (reflecting its role as the most disappointing beer of the range perhaps?), the moonshine and Ashford £3.00 and the Atlantic IPA£3.05. I queried why I had paid £3.10 for moonshine last time and the prices were reiterated, so it must have been a mistake....

Information now stored, we ordered 1 pint of Atlantic IPA (£3.05) and 1 Ashford (£3.00) and it was somehow £6.10 !?! As a result (and I know we should have pointed this out but we didn't) I therefore don't know the true extent of how expensive the Lescar is because the staff seem unsure themselves - either way its at least and likely more expensive than the Greystones, more so than the Sheaf Island ( see later in post ) and more than the Porter Cottage. So hey, why not digest these facts and reach your own conclusion ?

So, having grabbed fuel from the greedy Greek we headed down Sharrowvale road, and down a jennel to Ecclesall Road, and finally onto the Wetherspoons adventure in irony that is the Sheaf Island.

Housed as it is in the former Wards brewery, it serves Samson brewery (or similar ) Wards bitter which tastes unlike the original, and of course is the first proper bar to appear on the site dispensing real ale since the Wards tasting room was mothballed with the brewery in 1999. But, on the plus side does at least bring the building agreeably towards its original use of providing beer. It was bit difficult to figure out what parts, if any, of the original buildings the pub occupied, and even more difficult to solve the riddle of how to get in through one of the four double doors, only one of which was unlocked.

Inside is a long bar and a high ceiling lounge area at the left side and along open plan seating area with separate seating to the right. There were a number of real ales on tap, a combination of regionals and unusual guests. Alas our order of choice meant we missed out on the intriguing plum beer but sate ourselves instead with pints of Titanic light Fog Mild and Lymestone Gold, which, even with Dave's discount cards, were £3.90 for 2 pints.

Now, that's not expensive at all, especially if you have just invested in a drink at the Lescar, but its a little bit steep for Wetherspoons. Usually you can get two pints for a little over £3.00 ( real ale at least) - so perhaps this is a deliberate attempt by the chain to define the direction and target clientele of the venue ?

Its perhaps contentious, but there was a noticeable surfeit of refreshed characters propping up tables and the bar and deafeningly holding court across the venue with friends imaginary or otherwise.

At this stage its unclear whether we had halves first and halves again - in fact i think we did, but its not unfair to mention that the lengthy escapades of our sojourn had left us a trifle tipsy. Despite that, I was able to procure Dave's camera to take couple of photo' which I hope to upload in the near future.

We were soon off into town trying to guesstimate which 80 service stop we disembarked at to be nearest the Rutland. We got it half right, of course the answer is, neither potential escape points are really any good.

Once in the pub we had halves of Blue Bee Lustin for stout and their red white and blue bitter. I have tried the stout before and was a big fan, but only had a half on both occasions - Dave and I agreed that despite its admirable qualities it might in fact be a half rather than pint option in future, owing to its mass of flavours and vinous qualities. Soz Rich...

So, our final resting place was the Tap, which had their usual Gamut of splendid Thornbridge offerings, as well as 3 from Buxton Brewery in gosh, no idea where. We both, perhaps unwisely, opted for their 6.2% Axe Edge dark ale. In the end, this formidable mighty beast was our match, and we quickly abandoned plans to sample the rest of the Buxton portfolio, and instead wend our way home - a suggestion I took perhaps a little too literally since I had to walk home from Woodhouse terminus for somnambulistic reasons....

A fantastic night all the same, and a nice change from the usual Handsworth run and booze at Chez Nut....

Wee Beefy.

BrewDog ABV crisis update

Hello,

further to yesterday's post, I feel I should update you on a couple of things.

As you perhaps groaned upon noticing, I had to load my piece last time with a number of caveats due to a combination of failed memories and unfindable evidence, so its perhaps useful that i can now try and clear up a couple of those "althoughs" and "howevers".

I had to go to tsupermarket today to get medicine ( literally, this is not a euphemism ), so despite the fact that the walk up had made me feel gross, I ventured to find the Punk IPA anomaly on the shelves. I can confirm that the new weaker strength is 5.6%, so its not as bad as I made out. Its still bad though - like I said, its not a sixer.

I also noted the price, but its not worth recording since Asda will no doubt change their minds again in a week and put it back in an offer or make all beer the same price or some other rudimentary switch that the shelf stickers will fail to reflect.

On further investigation, based on my reading a couple of other people's blogs, therefore employing the steadfast journalistic tools of opinion supplemented by supposition, I read that not only had BrewDog cut the strength, but they had also dared to reduce the hop content.

This, of course, is a grave development. Its pointless talking about bite and being anarchic or for Punks if you take away some of what made the beer noticable or unique in the first place. Draught Punk IPA (at 6%, obviously), is one of the finest beers I ever tasted, and the conditioning lets it mellow just enough, without losing its edge, and therefore to be better than the bottled version. Now that care bear adopting and cabbage patch doll amassing has taken the place of frightening people with a combination of hops and alcohol, one wonders what's next for the taming?

All this upheaval reminds me of happier days when BrewDog beers first arrived at Davefromtshop's shop, and we got to try them for the first time. It was 2008, or possibly as long ago as 2007, and everything was great.......

We tried the punk first. We liked the packaging, we liked the strength, since it stood up to classics of the genre like Flying Dog, Brooklyn East India Pale, Thornbridge Jaipur and Burton Bridge Empire to name but a few. The thing is, when we tasted it, it was nothing like any of the above beers. It was harsher, punchier, and for a few weeks in my mind, palpably better.

We both loved hoppy beers and there were hops in abundance in the initial taste and the lingering background bitterness. We laughed in admiration at the ballsy wording on the bottle and mused on what customers might make of this raucous assault of citrus bitterness. Pleased, we moved onto the Physics.

I actually winced. I pulled a face like I'd tried to swallow a paracetamol and it had dissolved on the way through. Dazed, and desperate for there to be a saviour in the taste, I sought out the recognisable hop bitterness in the wall of ascorbic white-flavour buzzing on my tongue, then looked surprised at the gentle, lingering almost soothing caramel flavour that washed in like a tranquil ripple at the end. We both looked at each other and had we got our words out, would have said the same thing - "its amazing, but how the hell are we going to described it accurately and still sell it ?"

Mercifully we need have had no such concerns. The next beer Dave got was the paradox which was a whole different story, sold out in next to no time despite its price tag, and create a lasting buzz about these new brewers.

Apart from giving my mate one to try ( he was similarly horrified and warm with admiration for the obtuseness of the overall taste ), I didn't try Physics again until it came out in cask form, when Paul at the Sportsman in Darnall had some on at £2.20 a pint and we tried what was now a slightly tweaked version of the initial shocker, made many times better for being conditioned, and being one of the best beers I have tasted at the pub. Meanwhile, Punk IPA continued to be my bottle of choice for parties and when entertaining, and I never turned down the opportunity to drink it in cask form.

So, you see, if only the above was the case, BrewDog would be the crown princes of non-conformity and pushing the boundaries, and therefore could rightly shout this from every bottle label.

Yet now that Punk has been violated and made to sit ashamed on the shelf with its embarrassing purple flares and yellow dicky bow with a bright orange badge proclaiming "I am 5.6" it can't make those claims. It must instead nuzzle up to it new friends Old Empire and Bishops Finger and wait to become part of an "acceptable face of British Brewing" suicide anonymity bottled beer pack for Fathers Day.

I suppose the only way to get over this is to order a box of Hardcore IPA and Tokyo from the brewery website. How you have let us down BrewDog. ....

Wee Beefy.

In which BrewDog are old ladies and are afraid of alcohol, and I visit the Lescar, Fat Cat, Kelham Island and Gardeners Rest, Sheffield

Good evening fellow slakers,

I have less than usual to report owing to having contracted some sort of evil noro virus, likely from my trip to the Hospital on Thursday, which means I have not been out catching up with my friend Rox on Friday, and have made it to precisely none of the CMARA AGM beer festivals that were on ( bearing in mind that not being a member, that's all I would have graced ).

So after Thursday night, I have been bereft of Champion Juice and, until this afternoon, solid food. However, before my social life temporarily ended I was out Wednesday, and did have a quick pint before a meal on Thursday night so here are the details, as well as a little bottled beer news.

I start with revelations that despite their uncompromising and radical stance on alcohol, BrewDog in fact turn out to be a couple of old women wearing shawls and discussing marmite tights in the war. And why has this claim been proven beyond all reasonable doubt ?

Well, aside from being an image I dreamt up, its because I bought 2 bottles of their finest Punk IPA the other day from Asda, and only when I got home to devour these wares did I realise to my horror that I had purchased a girl's bottle of 5.3% or possibly 5.6% standard pale ale, rather than the acceptable 6.0% ABV beer I had expected. The catch ? It still says its Punk IPA.

(note, this is 8 days ago now, the rueful reliability of the bin men, coupled with the fact that Asda is now shut, means I can't decide which weakling strength it was, but listen, its not a sixer. That's all that counts )

I quickly referenced the BrewDog sales blurb that I had liberated from the Sheffield Tap and saw as I had thought, that Punk IPA was indeed 6.0%. Not to be fooled I checked the label again, and just now their website. The label clearly states 5.3%, and their website, for all its rhetoric and bluster, fails to get the basics right, as it does not mention the ABV of any but the strongest products on sale. I even flicked through the beer section of the 2010 GBG and noted that, albeit using information from 2009, Punk IPA was once listed as 6.2%.

It tasted more or less the same, noteworthy that it was still a little hazy, but seemed to be the same price!? (although once again, with Asda's Mavis style pricing policy, its impossible to judge if its now the same price as it was before or after the last offer, or before the offer before that when it was last sold separately, prior to it being on offer - so I have no idea.)

If this proves to be the case, this could be a Greedy King style deceit such as when they "helped" consumers by reducing the strength of Old Speckled Hen without making the necessary adjustments in the price to reflect the duty saved.

And don't forget kids, reducing the strength of a beer is always the first step in its sad and slow demise. Show me a beer that's been reduced in strength and got better, and I will put it straight into my self abusing apology in the next post. Alternatively send me a depressing list of ones that have been reduced in strength and then sunk without trace, been discontinued or farmed out to Burtonwood or Hydes, such as Ind Coope Burton Ale, or Stones....

So, in conclusion, not withstanding the fact that pathetic easily spooked retailers may have begged the naughty older boys form Fraserburgh to reduce the alcohol in their beers to keep interfering do-gooders off their backs, BrewDog may now have to be called BoooDog. Shame on them.

Right, ont t't pubs now.

I was in the Lescar for a couple on Thursday, before my plague took hold, and prior to a meal out with some of Chala's college friends. I sampled Thornbridge Ashford, a pleasant brown ale, Sharps Atlantic IPA, which may never have been a different strength on draught being new to the format (and am not even sure that is true ) but I swear was stronger in a bottle - the end is nigh!, and Moonshine. Puzzlingly, the Thornbridge and Sharps were £3.00 a pint, which is steep enough, and the weaker Moonshine a spine chilling £3.10 !

Whats going on The Lescar, who is a person, not just a building that houses a pub? I understood the Students Union ran the pub, surely they can't be advocating profiteering and catering only for the richer students ?

In the absence of facts on this matter, i will reason that maybe "ran the pub" is literally the scope of their arrangement - on which basis they would be tenants, likely to some disinterested greedy Pubco, and there could be some vague semblance of justification. I have to say I don't drink anywhere else nearby, so perhaps in leafy Sharrowvale its maybe the norm to be paying £3.00 or more a pint for average strength beer. Its just that I seriously doubt it.

And also, there is always the possibility that the pub is owned by the SSU...

If so, that's very poor. I know of many pubs in Sheffield where the average price is £2.30 a pint, a few where its less than £2.00 and with the exception of swanky bars that sell only imported continental lagers and wheat beer, only one that sells real ale at over £3.00 a pint.

Of course, to add weight to the above point I do need to try a couple of nearby pubs, and I intend to do on Wednesday, but for now I have to stick with my initial feeling that this is too pricey. Charming as the Scar is ( god, I hope no-one actually calls it that, although, it could be the Les, which may or may not be more suitable ) it appears overly expensive when it would seem to better serve its intended customer base by being competitively priced. Sort it out please student related licensee folk !

Finally Wednesday's brief saunter. In anticipation of my vile intrusion at the Hospital the next day, I decided to stay out near work and restrict myself to a few pints only, which in strict scientific terms, is 4, possibly 4 and a half with a sandwich.

We started at the Gardeners Rest, where I had a pint of Stag from what might have been Milestone Brewery, and Mr P the Five Rivers from the pubs own brewery. We sat in the empty conservatory watching the sun trying to come out whilst discussing the pertinent issues of the day, although this task became less viable once a group of the loudest people on earth arrived and chose to share that same echoey space with us. By this time we had soundproofed ourselves with a Stag for Mr P and for myself a Sheffield Brewing Co IPA V, which had been recommended on my last visit to the University Arms, and was very nice too.

Its odd that whenever you come in, unless its incredibly busy, you always, sorry, I always, seem to feel uncomfortable about sitting in the snug through the separate door on your left as you enter. This is maybe because you of course need to be served at the hatch on that side, but if its busy then Eddie or Pat are usually invariably at one of those handpumps anyway, but I am still strangely reticent to go in there, despite this being a fantastic example of a small separate bar snug.

Odd preferences aside you can of course always sit in the main bar which is rightly popular, as I am sure the outside seating will be when it warms up and the whole of the riverside area is safe (currently the parts nearest the river appear blocked off ). The conservatory, foghorns permitting, is perhaps the nicest spot, and the absolute best place to be in a real heavy downpour.

For now, we had an IPA each, and admired the changing scene as the sun finally broke through for 15 minutes of impotent brightness. On finishing our drinks we walked back from here along the river to the bridge on Ball Street. Here we stopped to take some pictures of the reflections of the last of the sun on the low river and the weir, before we headed down the street and left at the Milestone round to the Kelham Island.

Our choice of ale was a pint of Thwaites Nutty Black for us both, which I am sure is still £3.60 for two, although it may have been £3.80 - either way its a good price, and if you stick to their own brewed beers at the Gardeners on your crawl its an inexpensive affair all round. We sat in the back room as we always do, whilst I demolished a sandwich, before Mr P reached his limit - beer not patience wise, and we parted ways to allow me a last one in the Fat Cat.

The pub was quite busy and there were 4 or 5 blokes stood at the bar whilst I was there, I tried a half of a mild which I have frustratingly forgotten the name of, and a slightly sweet but very enjoyable half of Tigertops May Bock, before wending my way home.

I will continue to find new places to drink and to revisit venues from the past, but I am lucky, as Sheffield is lucky, that there are an unswerving, longstanding hardcore of excellent pubs to come back to time and time again.

Wee Beefy.

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.

Stout in Stannington - Crown and Glove, Peacock and Anvil

Good evening,

               it may have been grim today what with rain and wind but yesterday ( Saturday 2nd ) was gloriously sunny. So much so, that I decided to wander off up Stannington to get some views, soak up the weak spring sunshine and try some new pubs.

I started at Crookes, easy for me to reach on the bus, and walked along Stannington View Road (it seemed apt), down the jennel, and out into the field at the end of St Andrews Road. Instead of heading towards Mark lane I went straight down and over the stile then made my way down a steep slope, through the woods and eventually out on to the road. I headed down to the allotments then picked my way across the stream and through more steep woods out onto Rivelin Valley Road.

I then headed through Rivelin park and left up onto Roscoe Bank - a good start so far, except I wanted to start at the lowest point and catch the bus to the top, so I had to walk downhill for 5 minutes or more to the Anvil.

This large corner pub has a car park and small outdoor drinking area, and two large rooms inside. The main bar room is on the left with a well lit seating area and a bar with lots of dark wood panelling. Most of the punters were in here watching the, for once, good football news rolling across the screen, and I sat behind them keeping an eye on the scores. I had a pint of Bradfield Blonde from a choice of that and Black Sheep, the Bradfield was well kept and a hard earned reward after my near sprint, albeit a needless one, from Rivelin.

I went out about half past the hour to catch the number 11 bus - I had seen it at Roscoe bank at 4 minutes past so assumed it would be on the hour, 20 past and 20 to. Alas, the bus stop suggested this was not the case and I had obviously just missed one, so I began walking back up the hill to where I had joined Stannington Road.

Once on the bus I kept an eye out for the turn onto Uppergate Road, and having spotted the sign hopped off expecting to espy my intended destination. Alas my eyesight was having an off day so I headed initially left past the closed Hare and Hounds opposite the church.

The pub looked as if it had been shut a while based on the tempest of encroaching undergrowth, and I wondered what may have occasioned its closure. Certainly in comparison to other Stannington pubs (perhaps with the exception of the Sportsman ) it looked as if it would have struggled to compete in terms of traditional appearance - it appeared to be a 1960's prefab stuck incongruously across from the church, on a site which surely would have had an older pub there if not next to the church.

Its fair to say I see a lot of closed pubs and think, surely someone could make a go of that. I saw a pub, stood almost on its own near Meadowhall the other day, on a street off Attercliffe Road after the Wentworth,a road I had never had reason to travel down before, all of a sudden in the wilderness of flattened industry a dirty brown and grey, once terracotta fronted Stones pub loomed up, forlorn and abandoned but not seemingly in disrepair. Alas my fleeting glance meant I did not see what its name was, but I immediately started to imagine what could be done to save it, assuming, as I am afraid I have to, that it closed years ago. No such thoughts however, accompanied my view of the sad edifice of the Hare and Hounds.

On round the corner back on myself (I was sure i could see a sign on a wall) i walked up the hill to the Crown and Glove. The impressive frontage is large, looking like 3 or perhaps 4 buildings encompassed into one, the part on the left being the only one that still resembled a cottage or house. There is a 1930's style jug and bottle as you enter, with rooms on either side.

No-one was in the left side so I ventured to the right and found a few locals in the bar and the pubs dogs readying themselves for a walk. On the bar were 3 handpumps, with Black Sheep, a Tetley seasonal and Kelham Easy Rider on offer. I opted for the Kelham, although I did try the Tetley offering, which was not to my taste, reminding me of the things I dislike about the Tetley flavour whilst hiding the facets that make it distinct. I also had a trip down memory lane in the form of a couple of bags of Frazzles to stave off my hunger.

After the dogs (and owners ) returned I sat at one of the tables thronged by the large windows which afford a fantastic view over to Staithes and Rails, and was joined by Bella the bull terrier for a while before parking myself at the quiet bar for a chat with the barman. We discussed at length the vagaries and injustices of renting a pub from a pubco and the state of beer in Stannington amongst other subjects. Overall I had a fantastic time and intend to go again soon.

Heading for the Robin Hood at Little Matlock I popped in the Peacock on the off chance this Thwaites house would have some dark beer - and was well rewarded. The pub was heaving with diners and drinkers sat outside catching the fading evening sun.

On the bar were three handpulls, dispensing a range of Lancaster bomber, Nutty Black and Black Magic, a dark porter style beer with a lovely cappuccino head and a robust malty finish. It was impressive enough to see them selling a dark mild but the porter was a revelation, so much so that i stopped for a pint despite being by now a little behind schedule.

15 minutes later I was walking down the path to the Robin Hood, which was quiet inside but a lot of people, mainly families were sat outside. This had been my first experience of the pub when we used to visit on summers evenings when I was a kid. We would sit outside or, more likely in my case, go on the swings or the climbing frame ( which may have been a pile of rocks, or indeed any structure, but was climbable nonetheless).

Inside there were two Bradfield beers on the bar, the Blonde and one which may have been called Decade, which is what I had, with some emergency olives to put me on - not a traditional beer accompaniment I know, but a change from crisps. Alas I could not linger for food so had to trudge back up the path and on eventually to Myers Grove lane where i caught the bus, making it all the way back on two buses to Handsworth in 45 minutes. So, a successful day of stout walking and almost stout drinking in sunny Stannington, where all the pubs I visited served more than one real ale, and were just reward for a weary walker.

Wee Beefy

Hepwoth Brewing Co bottled Iron Horse, Weltons Old Cocky, Blake update

Now then,

        first I would like to tell you about a couple of bottled beers I have had recently.

I still have a couple from the saaaarf, along with a Kelham Island one and some Freeminer BCA from Co-op. I will also update you on a couple of recent visits to the Blake at Walkley and another look at pub etiquette.

So, firstly, the bottles.

1. Brewery & Beer : Hepworth & Co Brewers Ltd – Iron Horse
ABV : 4.8%
BCA or none BCA : none

The final Hepworth offering for me to try, apparently, beer fetcher Keefy confirms the retailer purveying this selection of perfect pop is called The Offie, and is in Brighton, which is in the South, near London, Sussex, as you might say had you no idea about geography.

Iron Horse is a much more rounded offering than the others, perhaps even better than the Prospect on account of its warming flavours, appetising light hobnob brown colour and pleasant aroma.

The bottle claims that its traditional credentials means it contains roasted barley, and I am swayed to report I can smell that, apart from the fact that I wouldnt know if I could. It also claims the beer is a strong pale ale, highlighting an interesting gulf in personal perception between myself and the brewers. Perhaps the Yorkshire obsession with number 1 and 2 malts to give lager like appearance, and the joyous plethora of 5.3% and up awards pale beers available means I view this as a mid brown malty ale, but that does not stop me from appreciating it.

It has an aroma and lovely lingering background taste of toffee and burnt caramel, the latter likely from the roasted malt, but its not overly dry or bitter, it may even remind you slightly of toffee apple. Overall the malt is prominent and balances so well with the hops, their even representation in the mouthfeel means the beer although less hoppy than all the others I have tried probably presents the bitterness better – much better balanced than the Sussex for example.

No specific details of the hops used are provided although they are Sussex grown and may well be goldings and admiral as in other Hepworth brews, alas am not expert in recognising Admiral, even though I can usually pick out a golding flavour.

Largely, the beer shares a number of characteristics with other brews where goldings are prominent so that helps strengthen my certainty of the hop used most, and the mix of malts noted on the label likely contributes to the satisfying and very pleasing malt flavour, although despite this malt predominance, after a few mouthfuls you start to retain a lingering bitterness.

Overall a very good traditional beer which showcase's its ingredients well – just tell us what they are please !

2. Brewery & Beer : Weltons Brewers - Old Cocky
ABV : 4.3%
BCA or none BCA : BCA

Last time I ventured to try a Weltons bottle it had gone mad and mixed all the ingredients together, including the yeast, to make a soupy substance which somehow managed to taste of very nice beer. So promising, but hardly accomplished.

This time there were no such problems.

I stood the beer in the fridge for about 45 minutes and let it stand a further 10 before opening. The beer was clear in the bottle and I was able to see the yeast at the very bottom steadfastly secured to the bottle as I poured it out, leaving only a glass covering in the bottle.

The aroma was the first noticeable feature, the label proclaims gooseberries but alas I am not a goosegog muncher so have no inkling of what that should smell like - instead there was a citrus malt and orange assembly which reminded me of a toned down Thomas Hardy's.

The colour is a golden blonde, with, in the right light, a further orange influence, the head was lively enough to demonstrate the beer was living but not a foaming mass like in so many beers these days - Meantime, are you listening ? We aren't after champagne !

After a while the aroma mellows and the taste takes control, I tasted and smelt citrus hops and warm malt, plus at the end of each mouthful a lingering lemon flavour. However, the predominant taste was burnt marmalade - I think orange is too strong a flavour to identify here, more caramelised marmalade, possibly burnt like I said, with a treacle hint which quickly balances out in the overall taste.

In summary, a pleasing citrus orange flavour gives the malt a necessary boost and the hops make for a drinkable and refreshing golden ale.

So, the Blake again. I make no apologies for featuring said hostelry so often, because despite its relative inconvenience as a venue for me in Handsworth, I like the beer, love the atmosphere, and enjoy taking people to see it, especially those who live in Crookes or Walkley.

After work Friday myself and Mr G caught the 31 and were in about 17.15 and enjoying pints of Potbelly Best and Bradfield Blonde respectively. There was also Kelham Island Bete Noire, probably my favourite of their beers, and I was soon on that followed by a Yakima IPA from Bobs Brewery in Ossett, and then back to the Noir.

We had a sandwich, a Kuppers Kolsh just so Mr G could find out what it was like and several Bete Noir before heading to the Hillsborough Hotel for something lighter, possibly the Hillsborough Pale. Our final stop was the Wellington, for a delicious pint of Salamander porter to round off an excellent evening of refreshments.

On Saturday i met old friends; Jules, Jack n Martin and Wee Keefy for beers and a short crawl. We started at the Princess Royal, trying 3 beers between us. The Sheffield Seven Hills was the least enjoyable as it was the end of the barrel, the Kelham Easy rider was memorably unremarkable, and the Bradfield Blonde perhaps the best - I felt a little bad about the dissatisfaction of the party with the beers since it was my recommendation - also the beer quality was a lot better when I was there back in February.

From here we descended to the Hallamshire House - we did not divert to the Heavygate for time reasons but most of the group assure me it has once again closed down, possibly for good.

Meanwhile, the Hallamshire is about to see a change of ownership or perhaps at least a change of stewardship, I understand from Mr C that Les is about to retire and there will be a new owner or landlord of this veritable old pub. Certainly Les' name is still above the door and the only change I can see is that I think the signage and front woodwork is painted red, although am unsure if that was the case last time. Inside we tried 3 of the beers, I and Martin had the Copper Dragon best which was very quaffable, the others Doom Bar and London Pride. The range seems good and mercifully the hateful spectre of Greedy King is missing from the bar so fingers crossed.

From here it was a shortish walk to the Blake. The pub was busy but we did manage to get a table. Most, in fact perhaps all, of yesterdays choice were gone, so I had a pint of Bobs White Angel, whilst the others sensibly tried halves, including Kelham its cold outside baby, Roosters rare Whiskey Stout - with a price tag to match, and Whim Flower Power.

I tried the latter myself and it was fantatsic, I also braved a half of the excellent stout which was worth its London price tag. The Flower Power occasioned a discussion with the barman re Cheriton/Flowerpots brewery's beer of the same name, the upshot of which was a suggestion they might try and get some.

All too soon alas our time ran out as M and J needed to releive the babysitter so we taxi'd it back to Crookes to their house via Co-op for a beer or two and some essential chorizo.

Finally, an etiquette observation.

Taking a cloudy half pint, in a full pint glass to the bar recently, I remarked that I thought the beer had come to an end based on its cloudy appearance and jarring yeasty taste - the barmaid concurred and poured me the pint I asked for. Now, its true that had I wanted a replacement it might have been awkward having taken half a pint to admit or realise the beers shortcomings, and I did not request such a reimbursement, but given I was willing to buy a round for 5 of us I would have thought the bar person could have said I could have half free since half (at least, in reality) of my pint had been undrinkable.

No such courtesy was offered, and some 30 minutes later the beer was still available for sale on the bar. Whilst I recognise that clarity is a useful commodity, I would argue that in this case a free half should have been offered. I also concede that I should have made that clear, but the fact that the barstaff were in agreement that the beer was off makes it all the more suprising that it remained on sale. Most landlords would be, and indeed should be, keen that the customer enjoys their beer, but on this occasion that appeared to be secondary to the desire to continue selling what was now a bad beer.

I think the pub in question were wrong. Even though I did not ask, it should have been clear ( well, literally, in the case of the beer ) that I had returned the half because it could not be drunk. A somewhat, and literally, sour note to the evening. And, by contrast, the taxi driver from the Blake took us to Barber road Co-op intead of Crookes so had to divert a longer way round - but without prompting, he knocked a quid off the price.

Anyway, thats all for now, do feel free to email suggestions about pub etiquette issues - its an interesting field since what constitutes such an arrangement is often dependent on where you are in the UK, but I would like to know of other examples where you think etiquette has been ignored or rigoroulsy imposed, either well or badly.

Happy supping

Wee Beefy.

Walk over offerton Moor to Hucklow and Litton, 2 new bars to try in Sheffield.

Hello,

on Sunday me and Mr P headed out into the Dark Peak for a wander, which in reality, being his first and only my second walk of the year, turned out to be a life threatening slog.

We started in Hathersage at 10.30 and walked to Leadmill Bridge, before setting off towards Brough along the river Derwent, on the path that runs along the side and for some reason is now called a heritage trail. As we walked along admiring the scenery and reflections in the river (gladly espying consistent blue skies ahead) it was pleasantly warm and quiet, and the easy pace meant we could work up slowly to our looming ascent.

As you reach the stepping stones a path heads left up steeply through the fields to the hamlet of Offerton. After an initial promising start we were soon breathless and stopped for a drink at the first stile. The next field took two goes and a further stop. We reached Offerton at a snails pace, only to see our next section ominously towering above us.

We zig zagged up a poor lumpy and tufted path up onto the top of Offerton Moor, by now so acutely aware of our lack of condition that we stopped perhaps 10 times on the way up. Finally, having seen and passed a couple of fake summits, we reached the top and looked back at the tiny thread of blue grey that was the river in the distance.

Crossing the moor we encountered some light drizzle, there were dark clouds amassing to our right over Bradwell direction, and a brisk wind, but this was a necessary companion to cool us down from the climb. We quickly crossed onto Smelting Hill and then took the path right past the edges of Abney and onto Abney moor, where we propped ourselves up out of the wind against a wall for dinner. The scenery and views on the moor were fantastic with the golden tufted grasses and yellow fauna starkly contrasting with the ink black portents of precipitation which were framing the scene. Dark clouds shadowed the edges of the moor on the skyline to provide a stirring scene of joyous contrast.

En route over the moor we found a disturbed burial chamber and a cove, an ancient two stone structure thought to be precisely positioned to frame the winter sun or particular stars. We soon came out in Abney Grange and headed round on the road past the gliding club. We should have cut through Great Hucklow woods but instead I insisted, wrongly, we literally follow the instructions, but eventually we wandered into Great Hucklow in afternoon sunshine to find the Queen Anne Inn heaving.

There had been a christening somewhere near by and the pub was rammed with families in their Sunday best. Despite this unseemly melee, we were served relatively quickly by the harassed but friendly staff, and managed to secure a table outside. I have to point out though, even amidst this sea of people, someone was still selfish and divorced from reality enough to pull up a stool and sit at the bar - this despite the fact that you could barely turn round with your drink to leave. Mind you, it could have been even worse, he could have opted to stand drinking at the bar, thus inconveniencing the bar staff as well as customers.

Anyway, there were two real ales on, Tetley Bitter and Bradfield Farmers brown Cow, which we both had pints of. My last visit had been perhaps 12 or 13 years ago and I had one of the Mansfield Deakins seasonal beers, but a lot has happened since then, and the Brown Cow, recently sampled at the Old Crown Handsworth, is a nice change.

I can't really tell you much about the interior because it was so crowded, but suffice to say, for a circa 15th century inn, its very traditional, with beams and flags and low ceilings, and is probably a fantastic place for a meal.. I will have to go back when its quiet to appreciate it better.

All too soon we were off tracing the path to come out on the main road from Tideswell. It looked like we would come out near the 3 Stags, but after following a clear pattern of signs and substantial if near unassailable stiles, the path simply disappears as you drop into a small dale. With time getting on we left the field by the gate and walked down to the 3 Stags Heads, turning our phones off prior to entering.

Inside they were taking the traditional values to heart and not entertaining modern intrusions like electricity, with no lights in either of the rooms. Once i Had managed to focus and after asking the barman, i realised there were 4 Abbeydale beers on. We had pints of the Deception which was very nice, before i tried a half of the Black Lurcher, a dark 8% beer brewed for the pub. I don't get very often, but every time I do I try this and its either old, tired, sharp and bearable, or its excellent smooth and enjoyable.

Alas this time it was the former, and although I could recognise its classic flavours it was a disappointing drink, although its important to stress that it wasn't off. And just to show us it was a conspiracy of random events, as we struggled out treading on feet and dogs and stubbing our toes on stools, the lights came on.

Our final destination was Litton, about 25 minutes walk away, and the Red Lion. The pub was busy, but we managed to get a table, and the beer choice was the Oakwell Brewery Bitter, Buxton SPA and Abbeydale Absolution. Mr P had the bitter and I the excellent hoppy SPA. We got ourselves a seat and a table in the small newly opened 4th room on the right and sat down to rest our feet and peruse the menu, just out of interest. In the end, the temptation was too great, so instead of finishing our beer and catching the half 6 bus, we opted to eat and drink some more and catch the last bus at 20.45 to Chestrefield then get the train.

This involved two fantastic meals in hearty portions, sold at usual pub food prices, between £8 and £9.00 for veggie sausage veg and mash, and steak pudding chips and veg respectively. Our extended stay also heralded the opportunity for me to have some Absolution, and then some more SPA, also to sit in the other rooms as the main dining crowd dispersed, before we finally caught the bus to Chez Vegas, and the 22.00 train to Sheffield.

A measure of how tired I was ( and I mean from exercise, not from refreshments ), came from the fact that i didn't even fancy stopping for a last one in the Sheffield Tap. I just wanted to get home, eat some food and go to sleep, which i did.

A quick update on a new bar to try and yet another pub I visited from the past. On Saturday night I took the soul destroying 70 minute journey to Crookes (that's just one bus all the way through) to meet Rob and friends at the Cobden View on Cobden View Road Crookes. I remember drinking in here many times in the early nineties and also Wee keefy and friends of ours go in still so I have been in in the last 18 month, but only now and again.

This unorthodox preparation for a day of walking involved a good session on the excellent Copper Dragon best, but there was Bradfield Blonde and other real ales available. I convinced myself that drinking the same beer all night would make me less hungover, but this was moot point Sunday morning as I came round from the 6 or 7 I had on Saturday. The Cobden is a cracking back street pub with a good mix of clientele, some pleasing neglected corners, and, a source of unending fascination through the evening, a cracked support beam in the front right room. No doubt this has been cracked for years but we wondered how popular the seats below are....

The new bar to try is in Leopold Square, and is called Popolo (I think). It serves a good range of bottled beers and strangely, more than one keg bitter, as well as a decent draught cider, and an interesting selection of spirits. I drank the Freedom organic dark lager, which, despite it making no mention of this on the bottle, carries a hearty sediment, making it an honorary real ale. Chala tried a few spirits and we also looked at the appetising food menu served upstairs. Downstairs is red lighting themed, with prints on the walls and comfortable seating, in a very modern overall look.

It might not be everyones cup of tea, but is a nice change when in the area, and can be the start of a night which includes the nearby pubs of Trippet lane and the Red Deer - where we ended up, with Chala on draught Leffe, and me on Bradfield Irish Dexter, eating probably the best plate of chips I have ever tasted in a pub.

Roll on Saturday for the Walkley wander!

Wee Beefy.

Shakespeare Well Road Heeley, Red Deer Pitt Street, Walkley real ale pubs

Good evening imbibers, in today's post I will tell you about the Shakespeare, Well Road at Heeley, the Red Deer in town and all about my final visit to Walkley, which is where I will begin.

I call it my final visit to Walkley - but that's not because I have fallen out with it, or am banned by a court order, or that either the area of Walkley or myself are imminently about to expire, but simply this is a reflection of the fact that I have been there many times over the last month, and, unless I find something astonishing when I head that way a week tomorrow, I reckon this should be my last update from Walkley for a while, so I can frequent some other areas.

However, this last fling begins in the University Arms, which I know is not in Walkley, but was a good starting place for Davefromtshop to meet me, especially since he had never been before.

We started our crawl at 14.00 on a weekday, mainly because the shop has to have someone in it if Dave is absent, so a Friday or weekend jaunt simply wouldn't be possible. We both had a pint of Allgates Southern Cross, a 4.1% pale ale from Wigan, and halves of the Acorn Old Moor porter from a range of 5 or 6 real ales. I also, by means of an albeit staggered comparison, tried a half of the keg Bradfield Farmers Stout. Its never going to win me over to keg or anything, but in some achingly trendy bar or a boozer with a too slow turnover of real ale, I can see it being a useful barfront addition.

Anyway, the Allgates tasted fine but was quite, indeed perhaps significantly, cloudy. This may have been a chill haze or just a minor brewery glitch, but it didn't stop us enjoying this refreshing pale beer that Dave was sure had the triffid like takeover hallmark of Nelson Sauvin hops. Onto the bus to Crookes next and a walk to, and past the Princess royal, sadly but not unsurprisingly, it was not open on a Thursday afternoon.

Our next stop was the Heavygate, to see if manager/tennant/main man Ian's promise of ales in two weeks would hold true. It did because, as predicted, it would have to be Greedy king fayre, and it was. Eschewing the dubious pleasure of the IPA we had a half each of Abbot, not a flavour I recognise from when it was one of my favourites in the 1990's, and tasting, like all of Greedy Kings 50 odd god knows how many real ales, fairly standard within their basic taste template. The pub was empty when we left, but its true what they say - you can't serve beer to customers when you are shut. As an aside, I heard from a Crookes resident a week later that the Heavygate had closed again - but I cannot confirm this rumour so hope it is still open.

Off now to dispel my fears about the Walkley Cottage. Rumours of it being opened again proved true, and it was busy, with a range of about 4 real ales on, staple regional faves like Tetley and Landlord, plus Easy Rider from Kelham Island, which we both had a pint of. It seems that a manager is in place for the moment so hopefully this will pave the way for another long term incumbent to make it as good as it was only last year.

We walked down the hill towards Hillsborough afterwards and into the Florist, with the slight possibility that we were the first in, or maybe there was just a lull. We both opted for the Bradfield Blonde which was in excellent condition, and got chatting to the lass behind the bar who kindly filled us in on the beer situation and local boozers.

One such topic was the Crown, forlornly shuttered and closed but missing none of its livery, directly opposite the Florist. It appears that it has been shut for some time, and is to be made into apartments, virtually therefore guaranteed to never reopen again. I can't get misty eyed and tearfully recall long hazy evenings in the Crown, because unless I had a coke in there when I was 10 I likely never went in. However, any pub closure is a sad indictment of an industry slow to change, fighting against a Government with no idea how to help or even any inclination to try to help the pubs in the UK, and of course the strengthening mass market grip on alcohol posed by the supermarkets.

Its ironic in some ways, that whilst breweries were spending so much time and money marketing mass produced dross, they simultaneously pioneered new techniques to make it taste almost the same from a bottle or can, whilst trying to ensure that all pubs sold only those very same products. Whilst real ale in a bottle is often an inspiring version of the real thing, there is no viable real ale at home alternative for the majority of its drinkers, unless, shameless plug alert, you live near the Archer Road Beer Stop in Millhouses, and can take it home fresh from the cask in a container.

No such problem for smoothflow, creamflow and pretend foreign lagers brewed in Luton drinkers, who can buy the same thing for a 6th or even a 10th of the price at the supermarket, rather than venture out to have to smoke outside, pay over the odds for crisps and cigs and any other food afterwards, and fork out a fortune on private transport home. Although this situation is less straightforward now that there are only about 2 main beer producers in the UK and they sold half of their pub stock to overseas companies, there is still a dichotomy in Molson Coors and INbev brewing so much for supermarket only customers whilst tying up the main deals to supply the pub companies who now run their former pubs - they can't have it both ways.

So, Walkley Bank Road loses two pubs and in their place "gains" some vital , no doubt prohibitively expensive dwellings. Well done capitalism.

Back to the crawl and on next to the Palm on Palm Street. Still the Black Sheep is the solitary ale but it was in good nick, and the early time of our visit meant we could get a seat in the snug on the right and try and work out from the stanchions on the ceiling and the floor markings where the room walls would have been when the pub was multiroomed. A bit difficult to do, since, it appears from the outside to be two small terraced houses together. We did not linger long as the conversation topic was disappointingly heading for the safe haven of the lazy that is racism, racism in pubs being a topic that is almost unendingly fertile, and too lengthy and potentially too depressing to address in these pages.

Up the hill then next, and on South Road we stopped at Lucks Kitchen for fishcake and chips and sat on the wooden flower bed edges near the Rose House to eat them in a biting wind, before finding cash at the other end of South Road. Our next venue, The Freedom, is still saving money on lighting to the extent that I had to assure Dave it was open. Once inside, in the room on the left of course, we both had pints of Moonshine, and I retrieved my scarf. Except for somewhat refreshed gentleman who came to chat to the barmaid the room was empty, but this helped to remind me that, despite previous misgivings, I reckon I actually probably really like the Freedom House. The sight of an albeit turned round Pedigree clip also suggests there may be more choice than just Moonshine and Deuchars, and I feel sure I will find myself in here again soon enough.

Next we made a rather haphazard descent through pathways and jennels to Infirmary Road and the Masons Arms where we were joined by Christingpher. The decor I could now see was actually more subtle and less kitsch than I remembered, and we were able to sit in the small room on the right behind the bar.

This is open on three sides, and bears what look like fittings for and actual bar shutters, one of which states "waiter" underneath the paint. The let down was that unfortunately the cider had run out/gone off (I did try it and concur), although I am assured they will get some more. Dave had a whiskey and I rather unwisely opted for an eclectic glass of white wine, while Christingpher, perhaps unintentionally, opted for a "pint" of Guinness from a can. Not good, but an enjoyable new venue to sit in, and once again, to play the find the walls game.

Our penultimate venue was the Blake, which we reached by a rather odd route courtesy of yours truly, demonstrating that a little knowledge is almost always a bad thing. Also, the unshakable cough I had meant that on reaching the pub I had to wait outside for 10 minutes coughing myself stupid before I could venture inside. We had 2 pints each in here, all having the Fellows Morton and Clayton Fellows Centenary ale first, followed by an utterly fabulous pint of Potbelly Beijing Black, which is also a very admirable BCA.

Our final stop saw Dave take ownership of his senses and catch a tram, whilst I took leave of mine and pushed on to the Hillsborough hotel - not that this is an indication of insanity in itself, just that this almost inevitable set me up for paying for a taxi home. Before so doing, I had a delicious pint of Brooklyn Dark, and Christingpher a Stannington Stout. Or it could be the other way round. Both were very nice I can assure you. An enjoyable end to a brilliant and joyful crawl.

Recent wander - Shakespeare Well Road Heeley Back in the good old days when everything was nice, erm, at least some things were, I visited the above pub a few times. The first was a CAMRA pub of the month presentation which may have been as long ago as 1998, certainly I think I was living in the area and that makes it last century. The Shakespeare had an experienced and friendly landlord who I gathered had been there for many years, and was a fan of Tetley, but also of accessing their many guests, including, at that time, their Allsopps range of recreated ales from Burton, although I have no idea where they were brewed. In my youth I would have balked at trying the Tetley but in the landlords skilled hands it was no doubt a cracking pint, and I went back a few more times in the next year or so, enjoying a quiz and a games night with some free food, always a bonus to a skinny man on crap wages.

Alas at some point said host left the pub and although I am unclear of the order and manner of events it ended up being closed, probably many times, and certainly as recently as a few years ago. I surmised with a sad heart that it could not recover from the loss of a longstanding licensee (especially with previously noted pub company lack of expertise in such matters), and that the opening of the Sheaf View had put the final nail in the Shakespeare's coffin.

I came to revisit the pub on Wednesday, not after some useful tip off on its reopening, but on a whim as I was at the Sheaf View anyway. The Sheaf View, as you may well know, is not only the sister pub of the Blake (or is that the Daddy pub, having re-opened first?) but is also the busiest pub I have ever been in, and the winner of numerous and deserver of more, awards for its beer.

Me and Mr P had caught the 53 from town and arrived about 10 to 6, which I now believe forms part of a winning formulae for attaining seating. Because there were 5 tables free on arrival , but by 18.30 none. So theres the trick. Beer wise we had two excellent pints from Great Oakley brewery, their dark, and a stronger pale one called dazzler or similar - will ask their website, so to speak.

It was from here we ventured up the hill to the Shakespeare which I had spotted was open again as we walked along Chesterfield road earlier. Up the steps from the entrance is a cosy bar with a pool table on the right and an Old Rosie handpump in use on the bar,and another with or without clip. On the other side were further handpumps and a chalk board proclaiming guests landlord and Kelham Easy Rider. Sadly, both were run out, but there was still Tetley on, and not only did we choose that on the basis that cider would be a bad idea, but because for all its unfortunate qualities, Tetleys can be a good beer, and its seldom we have it.

We sat to the far right end of the bar in a small narrow room which juts out with views over Chesterfield Road below. This is probably an excellent vantage point, a fact I'd confirm were it not for the slightly shameful fact that I can't recall if it had a window at the end! The significance of our seating choice was that not only did it afford us the opportunity for a quick chat, but also for me to reminisce, somewhat incoherently about the fact that I had sat in exactly the same place when I had last visited some 13 years ago.

The Tetleys was, as you'd expect, Tetleyish, but by no means a bad pint, and a pleasant change. As we left there was a rational calm discussion about hunting going on, which helped highlight the influence of a mix of clientele and also emphasised the relaxed atmosphere - no powder keg verbal vitriol or stand offs, just salient thoughtful ideas shared by friends over a drink. So, lets hope the Shakespeare continues to sell real ale, and I can make it a venue that I will aspire to visit each time I am in the area.

Talking of which, our last stop was reliable stalwart the White Lion on the main road, we didn't get to go in the legendarily small snug on the left, but sat in the small second room on the right supping a pint and a half of Kelham Easy Rider. Always a pleasant stop off, and the brilliant interior at the front of the pub enhances any visit, I can safely say that I can always find time to pop in the White Lion when nearby, and despite an unfortunate but likely unavoidable prevalence of major regional brewery ales, there is always at least one interesting guest.

My final stop, after Mr P had retired from refreshments for the evening, was the Rutland Arms on Brown Street where I bumped into friends enjoying some food, and speaking very highly of it too. I had time to slurp down a delicious 5.9% pale ale from Raw brewery in Stavely whilst chatting to someone who is brewing there at the moment - keep an eye out for Blue Bee beers when they come on, the Rutland is usually a good bet for finding them.

My final despatch is from Tuesday night and a surprise wander after work - not a surprise in a Walkabout dream sequence sense (note this is referencing the film, not the shit dreadful Australian themed warehouse on Calver street) but in that I was only popping for one, and the familiarity of that statement only now makes it obvious that I would stay for a few. I started at the Bath Hotel and had a delicious and refreshing pint of Abbeydale Deception to start, before trying a pint of a smokey heady smelling and deliciously dark Vale Black Beauty Porter. I like the Vale beers a lot so was pleased to see this, which I don't think I have tried before.

The Red Deer on Pitt street was my next stop, a bit busier than the Bath and sporting a range of about 8 real ales, including a guest from a small brewery, on this occasion Wharfebank Tether, which I had tried only a snifter of at the Rutland in Holmesfield in July last year. I had read a review and article about the brewery and its beers so was interested to give it a try. I could detect the American hops which I thought the article referenced, but only in the bitter aftertaste, the main body of the beer however was a little thin with no strong flavour dominating. I tried in vain here to secure a copy of beer matters to read whilst enjoying my solitary refreshment, but ended up with a copy of kerrang instead, the reading of which was an exercise that demonstrated nicely that at 36, I could recognise only a 5th of the bands featured, and found myself tutting at bands with short hair.

The Red Deer seemed to have undergone a bad phase at some point, without my noticing. I think i didn't go in for a couple of years which is allegedly when this malaise took place. My first return whilst the pub was under its current stewardship was last year, when they kindly let me into use the loo even though they had stopped serving so couldn't allow me to buy a drink, and most recently at Christmas on mad Friday, an over hyped event that was no more chaotic and insane than any other near Christmas orgy of drunken revelry. The pub now has a nice new food menu which I have purloined a copy of, ostensibly to write my beers down on, and this is served until 21.00, which is handy to know. There is a good range of beers available including some regionals but usually good ones like Landlord and Adnams Broadside. Overall a cracking pub in a brilliant near secret location that deserves to do well.

I went next to Trippets for a read and a pint of one of my favourite Bradfield beers, the Irish Dexter, what with it being St Patrick's on the Thursday. I also briefly popped in the Grapes for a half of Moonshine, and got to sit alone in the almost never empty snug on he left as you enter. This gave me a chance to see the nice tiling on the far left side and admire the view, alas my phone memory was full so couldn't snap the pleasant scene of looking across the apparent island of the bar with its tall bar back and shelves, from the comfort of the snug.

My final stop, clearly having lost track of time, erm, somehow, was in Henry's. Here they had also seen Vale and had their Black Beauty on, so I had a half of that and half of the Liverpool Organic Brewhouse Bitter, before I headed home. All in all then, a brilliant week or two of drinking in some excellent pubs. Roll on Sunday, when am off awalkin over Offerton moor with Mr P.

Cheers Wee Beefy.

Another Horsham bottle graces Beefy...

Hello,

now don't panic, this is not intended as notice of daily bottle reviews, however, instead of rolling up at the computer armed with a few scrawled notes often from a week ago, I thought this may be a good chance to report on a beer I supped literally 20 minutes ago.

First of all, thanks to my brother Wee Keefy for bringing me some excellent ales form the saarf, namely Brighton, comprising the 3 Hepworth already tried plus another, and couple of BCA's from Weltons, also based in brewing hotspot Horsham.

This gives me a handy opportunity to add another little twist to the BCA debate. Because whilst its not as good as the Hepwroth Prospect, its also not as grim as the Old Bear Bruins mild - a horror that consistently, despite having been purchased by 3 different people within a few months and from different venues, was off. No, its not that either. Is a middle ground BCA anomaly.

Beer and Brewery : Sussex Pride, Weltons
ABV : 4.0%
BCA or none BCA ? : BCA

I have had this bottle, almost undisturbed, for 12 days before opening, stood up in a cool consistent temperature environment, and prior to opening, stood in the fridge and then at room temperature for 2 and 1.5 hours respectively. I feared the worst when, although detecting no initial explosion or sour aroma, i detected a lot of yeast, and carefully and slowly poured out a pint of minestrone.

Oh no I thought, I bad mouth a couple of BCA's and the beer guardians send magic yeast infantry on the wind to infect my beer. There is no reason why a beer treated with that much cautious dedicated care should pour like I have had it in a rucksack whilst exercising on a trampoline. I have moved it carefully, refrigerated it to reduce the carbonation which in turn helps the yeast stick to the bottom and not mingle too much with the rest of the beer, and have opened it like an antique artefact. I am disappointed with the stewing mass that stands before me.

However, and here's the clever bit - it tastes great. Yep, no point being dishonest, it tastes of lovely malt and citrus hops and if you choose to ignore the initial aroma it could be the finest beer you ever taste.

The malt taste is the real winner here - as the label proclaims, it has rich roasted malt flavours and hints of spiced rum, and they are right on both fronts. The printed advice on achieving a crystal clear glass of beer seems a little optimistic given the above but otherwise the info is brief but accurate.

Its a sort of malty citrus brew that tastes somehow warming - I know this likely does not make sense, but by way of explanation, a light hoppy or bitter beer not only benefits from being served a little cold, but also tastes cold and if light in alcohol, thin somehow. Conversely, the opposite applies to the darker maltier beers which, owing to a fuller flavour and mouthfeel and likely higher ABV, always somehow seem to taste "warm" even when served at the correct temperature. This is a psycho-analytical beer taste assessment which ultimately can herald rewards for no-one, but to simplify my response, this beer made me feel happy.

Not, I should caution, in a euphemistic way. Instead, in a satisfying moreish way which says "yes, I would like another of these".

So onto the appearance. It is not dark, despite the label claims. It undoubtedly also isn't supposed to have the cloudy mud like consistency I saw so its perhaps unfair to compare label advice with this beers appearance. The aroma, by the way, quickly mellows out to a lovely sherbet like malty one, and its uncannily similar to another beer - possibly one from the excellent Fox brewery in Heacham Norfolk - it must be the excellent malt they used.

So here is the conundrum. How do Weltons get the yeast to escape into the beer so easily, thus risking a horrific yeasty broth, yet still pull off a great beer ? The answer, frustratingly, is they just do. When Thornbbridge started bottling BCA Jailpur soon after launching it, it was, almost unfailingly, cloudy. This presented them with a problem, as purveyors of excellent products, they were presumably uneasy with the prospect of people screwing their faces up on observing their prize Jaipur ale in a glass. Despite this, it was always nice.

Then there is none BCA Brew Dog Punk IPA - a whole quarter's worth of 330ml bottles purchased by me were cloudy. Yet they always tasted spot on. And how many times have you bought a pint of delicious pale ale in a pub and got to the table to find a chill haze or unexplained cloudiness preparing you for a return trip, only to find it is brilliant, an experience I had in the Queens Head in Tirril with their beer brewed at the time, on the premises.

In conclusion then, BCA's eh, you gotta love um.....

I liked this beer a lot but wish it was clear. Perhaps my stronger Weltons offering will set the record straight.

Cheers

Wee Beefy.