Now for the briefest of blog entries....
Events Ahoy!
Cropton beer festival at the New Inn, Cropton,
(near Pickering North Yorkshire)
All being well I shall be attending the above event with Wee Keefy, my 6 foot 9 inch 104 year old ickle brother, and possibly Paddling, who is a person, who I have had to hastily make a new nickname for as had forgotten the one I always used to use for him. The festival is on this weekend with a marquee dispensing hopefully unfrozen real ales ciders and continental bottled beers, plus of course beer on the bar and food inside the undoubtedlyy warmer pub.
Being a bit tapped, there is a significant chance that WK and I or all three of us may be camping. Outside. In a tent. FFS. Seriously, a whole 24 hours of drinking then stumbling out into freezing night air on the moors and being deluded into a sense of toasty warmth by alcohol - what could possibly go wrong? Well, time and potential medical reports will tell. Either way, if you want to know more, please follow the link below :
New Inn Cropton beer festival 2011
CADS real ale and blues festival 2011
Following on from the success of their event as part of the tramlines festival in July, CADS on Snow Lane (and Smithfields and other nearby back streets), are repeating the bluesy boozy part of the trick again and having a similar range of bands performing, and hopefully a similar range of ales available.
The event is on for one day and tickets are £6.00 in advance available from local pubs and online. There seems to be an emphasis on it being at Snow Lane CADS - which makes me wonder if there may be more than one entrance. Either way there is food and real ale and 12 hours of entertainment to keep you occupied. See the link below for more details :
Snow Lane CADS December real ale and blues festival 2011
More news to come should I survive camping in nearly December up at Cropton....
Cheers
Wee Beefy.
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
Monday, 14 November 2011
Dada for Dee-daa's, new members CAMRA beer crawl, 2 local beer fests and a new Blue Bee brew
Evenin arwhl
its been a busy 6 days and have learnt lots and seen lots in the world of beer, here are some of the salient details :
Dada for Dee-daa's
With the Dog and Partridge left behind to die by a feckless Pubco, recently the only refreshments to be had on Trippet Lane were in the New Dog, or the Grapes to give it the proper title. This was down to a refurb and significant name change for redoubtable Sheffield boozing institution Trippets, once a wine bar with bands on, then a real ale pub with a little less live entertainment and now....
Well, I should clarify that I made the mistake of reading up on the transformation on the Sheffield Forum before visiting. Not that the Forum is a bad place to gain info and opinion, but it can rather taint ones expectations. Despite this I reckoned I could still manage an honest appraisal and ventured in a couple of times this last week. The outside is changed significantly by its dark grey and black colour scheme, inside the decor is also radically different but the layout is the same. Notable changes are afoot in the furniture, the beer range, and, ultimately, the name. Below is a last lingering look at Trippets from "back in the old days ", i.e about May 2011.
Dada is not, lets be fair, an artistic movement notably connected with Sheffield. Neither is it one that's instantly identifiable or is readily summarised by the average Joe or recognised by a global signature. In essence, the name reflects a movement as undefined and non specific as the decor, and at this early stage, the apparent direction of the venue.
This may not be a bad thing of course. Themes, especially those in licensed or dining premises, are usually soul destroyingly mediocre, sanitised or downright desperate, but are primarily oft repeated ad nauseum so that they lose all semblance of impact or ultimately identity. The "theme" of Dada, as far as that's even what it is, can at least be heralded for being unusual, unlikely to have been yet tried in the UK ( I think there is one in the US of overseas) and in taking a stylistic cause so ambiguous to all but die hard art fanatics, affords itself a freedom that say a Munch or Monet bar would be nakedly and recognisably restricted by. So when you enter and blink in the strange brightness of the left hand room, or rub your eyes uncomfortably at the headache tempting kaleidoscope of posters framing the back room, its probably worth remembering that in the event that this is not a Dada approved thematic statement, it is at least unique to Sheffield, and certainly an entirely new concept for the building and the real ale and continental beers scene.
Because that's the other change of course. There are less cask ales and much much more Thornbridge to choose from. In total there are now 4 real ales, on my two visits 3 Thornbridge offerings plus a Buxton guest, this was the excellent Buxton Pale both times, and the Thornbridge range included Brother Rabbit and Lord Marples. The prices are reasonable, being £2.70 for the guest so thats not bad for the city centre and there is an improved range of continental bottled beers, although, regrettably the pricing policy of the above is a bit Dali absurd rather than say Lowry down to earth.
One major gripe though is the placing of the bank of keg beers on the bar as you enter. No (legally required) price list jumps out to warn you of the keggy costs and only those who have visited before would definitely think to venture round the corner to find the cask ales. The advantage of key-kegs is plain, in that you can maintain an astounding range of Thornbridge products including some I don't think have made it to cask yet, but as many of you will know key-keg beer is about a pound a pint dearer than cask and the lack of clarity on this impedes customer choice.
Overall I think its an exciting, mildly frustrating, puzzle of a venue which, crucially, serves damn good cask beer at sensible prices. I look forward to seeing how Dada evolves, if only to see if they encompass the popular suggested name change to Dee-daa's in honour of its Sheffield location.
Hallamshire House, Commonside.
Being slow off the mark as usual I had contrived to miss the fact that the above venue, run by Thornbridge for Enterprise Inns, had reopened. I popped in late Saturday afternoon for a glim. Outside there was a worrying grey board and grey paintwork and signage which reminded me of Dada but that was really where comparisons end.
Inside the room on the right has lost its pool table and this makes it a great room for a quiet pint. On the left, the snug was quite dark and with a roaring fire going, and nothing appears to ave changed, what with it still being the most sought after seats in the house. Down the corridor the snooker room I am told is unchanged but I did not look in, the major difference seems to be the very high ceillinged back room, now resembling a small beer hall, and sporting a slightly disjointed banquet-cum-Edwardian town house look.
The other principle difference concerns the beer range. Once again you are spoilt for choice if you like Thornbridge, but disappointingly no non Thornbridge guests were available from the range of 8, albeit excellent real ales. The cask is supplemented with a few key-kegs, with the price disparity clearly shown on two beer blackboards. I tried what is unfortunately undoubtedly a rebadge, the Les's Best at 4.0%, and £2.60 a pint. Not having been a regular I don't know what the renowned former landlord would have made of the tipple, but I noted with childish amusement that said out loud it either suggested that same sex female relationships were best, or, that Les himself was the best, which whilst no doubt a deserved compliment, threw open to question Thornbridge's appreciation of their own management! Alas it just means the best bitter that is named after Les.......
Before departing I had time for an expensive (£3.50 a pint, but 6.2%) half of the Everlade porter, which was worryingly easy to quaff for its strength, and the perfect starter to my evening of porterly appreciation with a well known consumer organisation.
CAMRA new members beer crawl.
Its old news but I have not been a Kammrurr member for a long time now, but also worth considering that I support their aims, patronise their festivals (although, I wonder if patronise is correct, since it seems like I am patting the festival on the head and telling it that it would not understand my concerns about beer prices versus ABV); and that a goodly number of my best friends are also members of the campaign. So its against this backdrop that I accepted an invite from Rich at Blue Bee to join him on a tour of several local hostelries, and hopefully taste quite a lot of his delicious new porter brewed in aid of Movember and for the Technophobia organisation.
Hardy souls had started at somewhere before Noon at the Blue Bee brewery for a tour, then I know they had visited the Rutland Arms for lunch, and then a few more pubs, and I was hoping to see them in the Three Cranes on Queen Street at somewhere between 4 and 6PM. Having diverted all the way to Commonside it was surprise enough that I made it for 17.30, but alas they were long gone. So my 3 Cranes visit was a brief one, as I wolfed down an extremely quaffable porter, the Blue Bee Techmophobeer (see Techmophobeer). I did not check the beer's strength at first but assumed that this was about 4%, so easy was it to slake, and the pumpclip of the same that I recently acquired (quite legally mind) confirmed my suspicions about this porter, which went down like velvet and tasted like everything a good porter should.
Alas I had to meet the group a mile or two away at the Gardeners Rest at Neepsend so had no time to linger, but grabbing a bus straight away I had time to pop in the Cask and Welly (or Wellington) at Shalesmoor, for a half of Steel City Brewing "Its better Oop North", an unsurprisingly uncompromising throat punch of hops in an almost warming haze of dry citrus bitterness, with a hint of fruit that tried and failed to provide balance. Not that this was a bad thing taste wise, it was, despite my wording a most enjoyable drink, but I noticed a Little Ale Cart stout on the bar that I would have also tried had I not been on a mission...
University Arms Celtic Beer Festival
The above promised a yummy selection of Welsh Scottish and Irish beers to tempt the curious drinker, and did not disappoint, despite the teasing details in the programme of food until 20.00, which was clearly not available when we arrived prior to that deadline. The Purple Moose beers were obviously very popular as they had all disappeared along with a smattering of most of the others, leaving four on stillage in the conservatory and 6 on the bar. Of the range available I tried Strathven Old Mortality, packed with a little too much Scottish malt for me but enjoyable if tired, Gertie Sweet New World Pale (which, with the greatest respect, seemed a misnomer owing to a lack of pale colour or hopiness), Tryst Cannamore which was a very refreshing Scottish hoppy ale, Vale of Glamorgan Cwrw Dewi, an ale about which through no fault of the brewer I remember precisely nothing, and Otley O7 Weissen, which was essentally Rich's choice, but I still had a taste and it was very palatable. We had a goodly stop here but eventually had to move on elsewhere, which was a shame considering i had failed to attend any of the other days of the festival.
Common Room beer festival
Next we headed down through West One and onto Devonshire Street for more casks. On my first visit to the most packed pub on Black Friday 2010 I was met with a bar with four handpumps with the clips turned round, but a whole stillage of casks awaiting me at the end of the room. Despite seeming like the most unlikely venue for a beer festival, this was also our chosen food stop, to help us soak up some of the days excess. We also of course took the opportunity to sample some beers - I had a pint of Blue Bee Nectar Pale (which was also not particularly pale, something Rich attributed to late season malts turning slightly darker) as well as a swift half of Autumn fruits, which, due to some minor addlement on my part was either from Steel City Brewing, or Sheffield Brewing Co. I really couldn't tell you which! It was an enjoyable drink though.
Beehive beer behaviours
My final stop on the crawl, and possibly that of the whole group, was the Beehive on West Street. I had reservations about the suitability of such a haunt on a Saturday night after an England match but to be fair it wasn't overwhelmingly busy, and there was a good choice of beers - almost inevitably, I finished up enjoying a pint of Techmophobeer, which I drank slowly and appreciatively from a handled beer mug, which is a method of holding beer for drinking which is starting to be more common than straight pints in some venues. According to my photos, much revelry was had, and I left at gone 22.00 for a (not actually my) last one in Harrisons, which was Bradfield Farmers Blonde. Below is a photograph to illustrate the depth of our bibulous badinage, and is of myself and a gentleman who I am assured came for the whole day out, and despite not being able to remember his name, was undoubtedly a harmless CAMRA member as opposed to an opportunistic serial killer of drunks. Modesty prevents me from identifying which one is myself.....
After visiting the 1854, I had an awkward half (lone drinker at gone 23.00 in Dada = not cool ) of Buxton Pale on Trippet lane. I then utilised the fab new night bus service to get home, thus saving me a good 6 or 7 quid in the process, and rounding off an excellent evening of beer tasting travel and socialising.
More beer news as it comes, and who knows, I may even face down the demon of writing up my trips away! Meanwhile stay thirsty and drink real ale wherever you find it.
Wee Beefy.
its been a busy 6 days and have learnt lots and seen lots in the world of beer, here are some of the salient details :
Dada for Dee-daa's
With the Dog and Partridge left behind to die by a feckless Pubco, recently the only refreshments to be had on Trippet Lane were in the New Dog, or the Grapes to give it the proper title. This was down to a refurb and significant name change for redoubtable Sheffield boozing institution Trippets, once a wine bar with bands on, then a real ale pub with a little less live entertainment and now....
Well, I should clarify that I made the mistake of reading up on the transformation on the Sheffield Forum before visiting. Not that the Forum is a bad place to gain info and opinion, but it can rather taint ones expectations. Despite this I reckoned I could still manage an honest appraisal and ventured in a couple of times this last week. The outside is changed significantly by its dark grey and black colour scheme, inside the decor is also radically different but the layout is the same. Notable changes are afoot in the furniture, the beer range, and, ultimately, the name. Below is a last lingering look at Trippets from "back in the old days ", i.e about May 2011.
Dada is not, lets be fair, an artistic movement notably connected with Sheffield. Neither is it one that's instantly identifiable or is readily summarised by the average Joe or recognised by a global signature. In essence, the name reflects a movement as undefined and non specific as the decor, and at this early stage, the apparent direction of the venue.
This may not be a bad thing of course. Themes, especially those in licensed or dining premises, are usually soul destroyingly mediocre, sanitised or downright desperate, but are primarily oft repeated ad nauseum so that they lose all semblance of impact or ultimately identity. The "theme" of Dada, as far as that's even what it is, can at least be heralded for being unusual, unlikely to have been yet tried in the UK ( I think there is one in the US of overseas) and in taking a stylistic cause so ambiguous to all but die hard art fanatics, affords itself a freedom that say a Munch or Monet bar would be nakedly and recognisably restricted by. So when you enter and blink in the strange brightness of the left hand room, or rub your eyes uncomfortably at the headache tempting kaleidoscope of posters framing the back room, its probably worth remembering that in the event that this is not a Dada approved thematic statement, it is at least unique to Sheffield, and certainly an entirely new concept for the building and the real ale and continental beers scene.
Because that's the other change of course. There are less cask ales and much much more Thornbridge to choose from. In total there are now 4 real ales, on my two visits 3 Thornbridge offerings plus a Buxton guest, this was the excellent Buxton Pale both times, and the Thornbridge range included Brother Rabbit and Lord Marples. The prices are reasonable, being £2.70 for the guest so thats not bad for the city centre and there is an improved range of continental bottled beers, although, regrettably the pricing policy of the above is a bit Dali absurd rather than say Lowry down to earth.
One major gripe though is the placing of the bank of keg beers on the bar as you enter. No (legally required) price list jumps out to warn you of the keggy costs and only those who have visited before would definitely think to venture round the corner to find the cask ales. The advantage of key-kegs is plain, in that you can maintain an astounding range of Thornbridge products including some I don't think have made it to cask yet, but as many of you will know key-keg beer is about a pound a pint dearer than cask and the lack of clarity on this impedes customer choice.
Overall I think its an exciting, mildly frustrating, puzzle of a venue which, crucially, serves damn good cask beer at sensible prices. I look forward to seeing how Dada evolves, if only to see if they encompass the popular suggested name change to Dee-daa's in honour of its Sheffield location.
Hallamshire House, Commonside.
Being slow off the mark as usual I had contrived to miss the fact that the above venue, run by Thornbridge for Enterprise Inns, had reopened. I popped in late Saturday afternoon for a glim. Outside there was a worrying grey board and grey paintwork and signage which reminded me of Dada but that was really where comparisons end.
Inside the room on the right has lost its pool table and this makes it a great room for a quiet pint. On the left, the snug was quite dark and with a roaring fire going, and nothing appears to ave changed, what with it still being the most sought after seats in the house. Down the corridor the snooker room I am told is unchanged but I did not look in, the major difference seems to be the very high ceillinged back room, now resembling a small beer hall, and sporting a slightly disjointed banquet-cum-Edwardian town house look.
The other principle difference concerns the beer range. Once again you are spoilt for choice if you like Thornbridge, but disappointingly no non Thornbridge guests were available from the range of 8, albeit excellent real ales. The cask is supplemented with a few key-kegs, with the price disparity clearly shown on two beer blackboards. I tried what is unfortunately undoubtedly a rebadge, the Les's Best at 4.0%, and £2.60 a pint. Not having been a regular I don't know what the renowned former landlord would have made of the tipple, but I noted with childish amusement that said out loud it either suggested that same sex female relationships were best, or, that Les himself was the best, which whilst no doubt a deserved compliment, threw open to question Thornbridge's appreciation of their own management! Alas it just means the best bitter that is named after Les.......
Before departing I had time for an expensive (£3.50 a pint, but 6.2%) half of the Everlade porter, which was worryingly easy to quaff for its strength, and the perfect starter to my evening of porterly appreciation with a well known consumer organisation.
CAMRA new members beer crawl.
Its old news but I have not been a Kammrurr member for a long time now, but also worth considering that I support their aims, patronise their festivals (although, I wonder if patronise is correct, since it seems like I am patting the festival on the head and telling it that it would not understand my concerns about beer prices versus ABV); and that a goodly number of my best friends are also members of the campaign. So its against this backdrop that I accepted an invite from Rich at Blue Bee to join him on a tour of several local hostelries, and hopefully taste quite a lot of his delicious new porter brewed in aid of Movember and for the Technophobia organisation.
Hardy souls had started at somewhere before Noon at the Blue Bee brewery for a tour, then I know they had visited the Rutland Arms for lunch, and then a few more pubs, and I was hoping to see them in the Three Cranes on Queen Street at somewhere between 4 and 6PM. Having diverted all the way to Commonside it was surprise enough that I made it for 17.30, but alas they were long gone. So my 3 Cranes visit was a brief one, as I wolfed down an extremely quaffable porter, the Blue Bee Techmophobeer (see Techmophobeer). I did not check the beer's strength at first but assumed that this was about 4%, so easy was it to slake, and the pumpclip of the same that I recently acquired (quite legally mind) confirmed my suspicions about this porter, which went down like velvet and tasted like everything a good porter should.
Alas I had to meet the group a mile or two away at the Gardeners Rest at Neepsend so had no time to linger, but grabbing a bus straight away I had time to pop in the Cask and Welly (or Wellington) at Shalesmoor, for a half of Steel City Brewing "Its better Oop North", an unsurprisingly uncompromising throat punch of hops in an almost warming haze of dry citrus bitterness, with a hint of fruit that tried and failed to provide balance. Not that this was a bad thing taste wise, it was, despite my wording a most enjoyable drink, but I noticed a Little Ale Cart stout on the bar that I would have also tried had I not been on a mission...
The Gardeners Rest was busy when I arrived and I quickly spotted Rich and Kath, who as crawl leaders had to be quizzed about the location of the hundreds of new members I had anticipated seeing. Alas it seemed that 7 hours or more in, we were down to just one, and a gaggle (suggestion for the correct collective noun of CAMRA members welcome) of stalwart and newer members alike sampling the excellent wares. It goes without saying, that despite the excellent range on offer as always, this occasion warranted a pint of Techmophobeer, which was likewise delicious and well kept, but all too soon we were off again and headed from here to the tram stop and onto our first pub beer festival.
University Arms Celtic Beer Festival
The above promised a yummy selection of Welsh Scottish and Irish beers to tempt the curious drinker, and did not disappoint, despite the teasing details in the programme of food until 20.00, which was clearly not available when we arrived prior to that deadline. The Purple Moose beers were obviously very popular as they had all disappeared along with a smattering of most of the others, leaving four on stillage in the conservatory and 6 on the bar. Of the range available I tried Strathven Old Mortality, packed with a little too much Scottish malt for me but enjoyable if tired, Gertie Sweet New World Pale (which, with the greatest respect, seemed a misnomer owing to a lack of pale colour or hopiness), Tryst Cannamore which was a very refreshing Scottish hoppy ale, Vale of Glamorgan Cwrw Dewi, an ale about which through no fault of the brewer I remember precisely nothing, and Otley O7 Weissen, which was essentally Rich's choice, but I still had a taste and it was very palatable. We had a goodly stop here but eventually had to move on elsewhere, which was a shame considering i had failed to attend any of the other days of the festival.
Common Room beer festival
Next we headed down through West One and onto Devonshire Street for more casks. On my first visit to the most packed pub on Black Friday 2010 I was met with a bar with four handpumps with the clips turned round, but a whole stillage of casks awaiting me at the end of the room. Despite seeming like the most unlikely venue for a beer festival, this was also our chosen food stop, to help us soak up some of the days excess. We also of course took the opportunity to sample some beers - I had a pint of Blue Bee Nectar Pale (which was also not particularly pale, something Rich attributed to late season malts turning slightly darker) as well as a swift half of Autumn fruits, which, due to some minor addlement on my part was either from Steel City Brewing, or Sheffield Brewing Co. I really couldn't tell you which! It was an enjoyable drink though.
Beehive beer behaviours
My final stop on the crawl, and possibly that of the whole group, was the Beehive on West Street. I had reservations about the suitability of such a haunt on a Saturday night after an England match but to be fair it wasn't overwhelmingly busy, and there was a good choice of beers - almost inevitably, I finished up enjoying a pint of Techmophobeer, which I drank slowly and appreciatively from a handled beer mug, which is a method of holding beer for drinking which is starting to be more common than straight pints in some venues. According to my photos, much revelry was had, and I left at gone 22.00 for a (not actually my) last one in Harrisons, which was Bradfield Farmers Blonde. Below is a photograph to illustrate the depth of our bibulous badinage, and is of myself and a gentleman who I am assured came for the whole day out, and despite not being able to remember his name, was undoubtedly a harmless CAMRA member as opposed to an opportunistic serial killer of drunks. Modesty prevents me from identifying which one is myself.....
After visiting the 1854, I had an awkward half (lone drinker at gone 23.00 in Dada = not cool ) of Buxton Pale on Trippet lane. I then utilised the fab new night bus service to get home, thus saving me a good 6 or 7 quid in the process, and rounding off an excellent evening of beer tasting travel and socialising.
More beer news as it comes, and who knows, I may even face down the demon of writing up my trips away! Meanwhile stay thirsty and drink real ale wherever you find it.
Wee Beefy.
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Wee Beefy's beer bites, of beer and pubs, pubs and grub, and great music and beers.
Oh aaarh
news tonight of a number of local haunts selling real ales and a few other things to tempt punters.
Old House.
A recent visit saw some excellent beers, looks like Moonshine, Kelham Easy Rider, Flowers (?!?) IPA, and Bradfield stout are regulars, and this time the guest was the Two Roses brewery First Edition IPA, (see Two roses brewery beers ) a sumptuous dry hoppy delight which warranted a couple of pints in our short visit. This follows a pattern in recent months of some unusual beers cropping up at this popular and often eclectic venue.
Shakespeares, Rattle and Roll (sorry, couldn't find a suitable "attle" to continue the theme")...
On Friday 4th November it was Jake's 40th and the Kingfisher Blue gig at Shakespeares on Gibraltar Street. Upstairs in the Bards bar there is alas still no signs of the bar of the name being open, but there was a polished presentation of excellent Kingfisher Blue tracks from their 15 year touring career. Never mind that, there were also inevitable excellent beers on the bar.
Downstairs (for it is there) they had some interesting beer choices and I plumped to start with Deception, a reliable pint and only £2.10 per 568ml, whilst Wee Keefy ventured into Cains bonfire Toffee (not to my taste but it did what it said on the clip, and some less hoppy beer producer which may have involved the word barrister. Myself, I followed with a couple of pints of Summer Wine brewery Whitewater IPA, and their Coffee Stout. Ultimately, the worst and most disturbing beer of the night was the Landlord's Choice/Landlords friend Chip, an unfeasibly sweet weird amalgam of sharp malt and sugary nonsense which was possibly the worst pint of not off beer I had ever tasted - thankfully that was keefy's choice!
All in all it was a fantastic night showcasing the excellent upstairs venue and topped off with a pint of Deception at Harrisons 1854. Good times all round.
Harrisons 1854
More news on the beer choice merrygoround, after a, I cannot confirm, but suspect, disastrous trial of Sheffield brewing Co Blanco Blonde. The 3rd beer pump role has for the time being been taken by Bradfield Brewery, not sure which one of their wares but suspect it was their Blonde, given that the beer had run out by the time of my arrival. Lets hope this does well, and that they may be tempted into a reckless foray into one of the other Bradfield portfolio, such as the Yorkshire Farmer or their excellent Pale Ale.
Arkwirght Arms, Sutton Cum Duckmanton Chesterfield.
Wee Fatha has aged officially in the last week so we took him out for a meal and some excellent beer at the above. Despite being a drizzly November Monday the pub was steady, with a good turnover of customers in the 2 hours we were there, and still offering a range of about 9 beers. We started on Dark Star Hophead, which had to be changed, but was well worth the wait, and Church End Goats Milk which WF liked but I didn't care for. Next I had the Titanic Plum Porter which was exactly as named but lacked a little balancing bitterness, whilst WK had Whim Arbor Light and WF Prospect Silver Tally. My third was the excellent Brew Dog Trashy Blonde, whilst the others had another Hophead and a Muirhead brewery Pirates Gold, before I finished on a half of Durham Vanilla Waltz which was a very easy drinking 5% ale with a creamy malt taste.
The food was enjoyable, even if my chilli was a little sweet and perhaps shy of some more rice, and was very well priced. Overall this was a rare and enjoyable trip out to a fantastic pub.
Derbyshire Wanderings
My last dispatch comes from the wilds of Derbyshire and a trip out on the 6th November. Me and Davefromtshop went for a yomp starting in Litton, alas before the pub opened, then down to Litton Mill then along Cressbrook Dale and through Cressbrook then up the hill on the arduous track to Brushfield. Here our plans went awry slightly as we listened to half thought advice from other walkers and did not double check the map. Suffice to say we ended up back down the hill on the A6 having already toiled up one side of the incline.
Fifty strenuous sweaty minutes later than planned we arrived in Taddington at the Queens Arms, home now to the local shop, and focused on its food. In the past it was a redoubtable ale venue but changes have occurred since and now its perhaps not so much a nailed on source of beer. Prior to visiting I checked their website and the food and drinks link that hinted at real ales had only the food menu on. On arrival this was played out for real with the whole lounge full of diners. Mind you, in these troubled times this is not a bad sight, even if the picture was completed with the fire ablaze, increasing our thirstiness after dragging our considerable forms all the way from the valley bottom.
The Peak Ales Bakewell bitter alas ran out whilst we waited, and we plumped for the Delicious and refreshing Oakwell Barnsley bitter, from South Yorkshire's most secretive brewery, that being the only beer remaining. Mind you, although its not abnormal these days, one felt it had to hit the mark at £3.10 for a 3.8% ale. We enjoyed this in the garden whilst formulating a plan to catch up with our wayward timetable.
In the end, the route into Presitcliffe and down a precipitous muddy slope with cliffs on one side, coupled with sudden plunging temperatures and my concerns about my susceptible dodgy feet, meant that on arriving on the Monsal trail at 14.50, despite having time enough to reach Great Longstone in daylight, we opted to sensibly negotiate the slippery rock strewn slope to Millers Dale and the Anglers Rest.
On this visit the recent Sheffield District pub of the year improved upon its usual more than excellent rosta of beers with Adnams as its regular, and three Locale guests, Storm Silk of Amnesia, which is £2.70 for a 4.7% beer (all beers are the same price), Wincle Waller (of the dry stone variety), and Spire Brassed Off. So engaging was this bibulous team sheet we stayed for several pints before reluctantly heading to the bus stop.
With timetables and connections ruling out trips to any of the Longstone or Monsal pubs, we decided to stop off in Tideswell as I had never been in the Horse and Jockey and it was allegedly quite good.
Passing on the bus it was emblazoned with lights, however, on reaching the pub the door was locked, and after catching the eye of someone inside we were told it didn't open on that day as they were changing ownership! FML! So now (not even attempting consideration of the folly of paying to halogenically light ones closed business) we had an hour and a half to fill in but only two pubs to go at, so, after a fortuitous stop at a late closing shop for pork pies, we headed up to the Star.
Its 6 years since I was in, and back then it was a thriving local with an excellent range of beers and take away pizzas (I think, unless am confusing it with somewhere else like the George at Youlgreave!). Now, at 17.20 on a Sunday, we replaced the customer at the bar and in doing so added 33% to the tally of patrons. There was now 3 of us in the pub, plus staff.
On the bar was Marstons Bitter and Jennings Cumberland, and one other customer to enjoy them. The bitter was very palatable, but, given that it seems the George was also closed for refurbishment, (and a lack of info about the other pub or club at the other end of the village), it seems desperately bad that the Star could attract so few customers. There is nothing wrong with the pub it has a traditional multi roomed layout, or at least, very distinct separated areas, and real ale and a central location. Yet the stark reality was that in the face of no competition the pub could barely turn over a trade. This does not bode well for the future, even if, as was privately mooted by the licensee, the late evening trade would be brisk.
Our escape was earlier than planned then and we were soon on the 173 to Bakewell, frustratingly highlighting that we could have got off for 40 minutes at the Red Lion at Litton. Once in Bakewell, we headed straight for the Peacock. They still served an impressive portfolio of four real ales from Peak Ales brewery, of which I had the rather rich Chatsworth Gold and the more refreshing Bakewell Best, whilst Dave opted for the Swift Nick and a rather optimistically priced double whisky.
Once back in Sheffield we had time for a last one in the Sheffield Tap, Dave enjoying a rather prescient titled Brodies Prime, and myself relying on my favoured Thornbridge fail safe the Lord Marples.
Though its a shame we didn't manage the planned route we still got to visit some excellent venues and sample some terrific real ale, most notably at the Anglers Rest, but all of the pubs visited sold real ale and in general the choice was very good.
Keep drinking, and keep asking....
Wee Beefy.
news tonight of a number of local haunts selling real ales and a few other things to tempt punters.
Old House.
A recent visit saw some excellent beers, looks like Moonshine, Kelham Easy Rider, Flowers (?!?) IPA, and Bradfield stout are regulars, and this time the guest was the Two Roses brewery First Edition IPA, (see Two roses brewery beers ) a sumptuous dry hoppy delight which warranted a couple of pints in our short visit. This follows a pattern in recent months of some unusual beers cropping up at this popular and often eclectic venue.
Shakespeares, Rattle and Roll (sorry, couldn't find a suitable "attle" to continue the theme")...
On Friday 4th November it was Jake's 40th and the Kingfisher Blue gig at Shakespeares on Gibraltar Street. Upstairs in the Bards bar there is alas still no signs of the bar of the name being open, but there was a polished presentation of excellent Kingfisher Blue tracks from their 15 year touring career. Never mind that, there were also inevitable excellent beers on the bar.
Downstairs (for it is there) they had some interesting beer choices and I plumped to start with Deception, a reliable pint and only £2.10 per 568ml, whilst Wee Keefy ventured into Cains bonfire Toffee (not to my taste but it did what it said on the clip, and some less hoppy beer producer which may have involved the word barrister. Myself, I followed with a couple of pints of Summer Wine brewery Whitewater IPA, and their Coffee Stout. Ultimately, the worst and most disturbing beer of the night was the Landlord's Choice/Landlords friend Chip, an unfeasibly sweet weird amalgam of sharp malt and sugary nonsense which was possibly the worst pint of not off beer I had ever tasted - thankfully that was keefy's choice!
All in all it was a fantastic night showcasing the excellent upstairs venue and topped off with a pint of Deception at Harrisons 1854. Good times all round.
Harrisons 1854
More news on the beer choice merrygoround, after a, I cannot confirm, but suspect, disastrous trial of Sheffield brewing Co Blanco Blonde. The 3rd beer pump role has for the time being been taken by Bradfield Brewery, not sure which one of their wares but suspect it was their Blonde, given that the beer had run out by the time of my arrival. Lets hope this does well, and that they may be tempted into a reckless foray into one of the other Bradfield portfolio, such as the Yorkshire Farmer or their excellent Pale Ale.
Arkwirght Arms, Sutton Cum Duckmanton Chesterfield.
Wee Fatha has aged officially in the last week so we took him out for a meal and some excellent beer at the above. Despite being a drizzly November Monday the pub was steady, with a good turnover of customers in the 2 hours we were there, and still offering a range of about 9 beers. We started on Dark Star Hophead, which had to be changed, but was well worth the wait, and Church End Goats Milk which WF liked but I didn't care for. Next I had the Titanic Plum Porter which was exactly as named but lacked a little balancing bitterness, whilst WK had Whim Arbor Light and WF Prospect Silver Tally. My third was the excellent Brew Dog Trashy Blonde, whilst the others had another Hophead and a Muirhead brewery Pirates Gold, before I finished on a half of Durham Vanilla Waltz which was a very easy drinking 5% ale with a creamy malt taste.
The food was enjoyable, even if my chilli was a little sweet and perhaps shy of some more rice, and was very well priced. Overall this was a rare and enjoyable trip out to a fantastic pub.
Derbyshire Wanderings
My last dispatch comes from the wilds of Derbyshire and a trip out on the 6th November. Me and Davefromtshop went for a yomp starting in Litton, alas before the pub opened, then down to Litton Mill then along Cressbrook Dale and through Cressbrook then up the hill on the arduous track to Brushfield. Here our plans went awry slightly as we listened to half thought advice from other walkers and did not double check the map. Suffice to say we ended up back down the hill on the A6 having already toiled up one side of the incline.
Fifty strenuous sweaty minutes later than planned we arrived in Taddington at the Queens Arms, home now to the local shop, and focused on its food. In the past it was a redoubtable ale venue but changes have occurred since and now its perhaps not so much a nailed on source of beer. Prior to visiting I checked their website and the food and drinks link that hinted at real ales had only the food menu on. On arrival this was played out for real with the whole lounge full of diners. Mind you, in these troubled times this is not a bad sight, even if the picture was completed with the fire ablaze, increasing our thirstiness after dragging our considerable forms all the way from the valley bottom.
The Peak Ales Bakewell bitter alas ran out whilst we waited, and we plumped for the Delicious and refreshing Oakwell Barnsley bitter, from South Yorkshire's most secretive brewery, that being the only beer remaining. Mind you, although its not abnormal these days, one felt it had to hit the mark at £3.10 for a 3.8% ale. We enjoyed this in the garden whilst formulating a plan to catch up with our wayward timetable.
In the end, the route into Presitcliffe and down a precipitous muddy slope with cliffs on one side, coupled with sudden plunging temperatures and my concerns about my susceptible dodgy feet, meant that on arriving on the Monsal trail at 14.50, despite having time enough to reach Great Longstone in daylight, we opted to sensibly negotiate the slippery rock strewn slope to Millers Dale and the Anglers Rest.
On this visit the recent Sheffield District pub of the year improved upon its usual more than excellent rosta of beers with Adnams as its regular, and three Locale guests, Storm Silk of Amnesia, which is £2.70 for a 4.7% beer (all beers are the same price), Wincle Waller (of the dry stone variety), and Spire Brassed Off. So engaging was this bibulous team sheet we stayed for several pints before reluctantly heading to the bus stop.
With timetables and connections ruling out trips to any of the Longstone or Monsal pubs, we decided to stop off in Tideswell as I had never been in the Horse and Jockey and it was allegedly quite good.
Its 6 years since I was in, and back then it was a thriving local with an excellent range of beers and take away pizzas (I think, unless am confusing it with somewhere else like the George at Youlgreave!). Now, at 17.20 on a Sunday, we replaced the customer at the bar and in doing so added 33% to the tally of patrons. There was now 3 of us in the pub, plus staff.
On the bar was Marstons Bitter and Jennings Cumberland, and one other customer to enjoy them. The bitter was very palatable, but, given that it seems the George was also closed for refurbishment, (and a lack of info about the other pub or club at the other end of the village), it seems desperately bad that the Star could attract so few customers. There is nothing wrong with the pub it has a traditional multi roomed layout, or at least, very distinct separated areas, and real ale and a central location. Yet the stark reality was that in the face of no competition the pub could barely turn over a trade. This does not bode well for the future, even if, as was privately mooted by the licensee, the late evening trade would be brisk.
Our escape was earlier than planned then and we were soon on the 173 to Bakewell, frustratingly highlighting that we could have got off for 40 minutes at the Red Lion at Litton. Once in Bakewell, we headed straight for the Peacock. They still served an impressive portfolio of four real ales from Peak Ales brewery, of which I had the rather rich Chatsworth Gold and the more refreshing Bakewell Best, whilst Dave opted for the Swift Nick and a rather optimistically priced double whisky.
Once back in Sheffield we had time for a last one in the Sheffield Tap, Dave enjoying a rather prescient titled Brodies Prime, and myself relying on my favoured Thornbridge fail safe the Lord Marples.
Though its a shame we didn't manage the planned route we still got to visit some excellent venues and sample some terrific real ale, most notably at the Anglers Rest, but all of the pubs visited sold real ale and in general the choice was very good.
Keep drinking, and keep asking....
Wee Beefy.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Alcohol strength mistaken for root of sociatel breakdown by fools, retail behemoth appears in Sheffield.
Good Heavening,
tonight we shall be steering away from valuable yet perhaps overly prevalent gen about pubs and what they sell and explore, albeit briefly, the complex machinations and myriad complexities of how the UK Lib-con coalition government know nothing, and are incapable of acting sensibly in respect of, beer.
Ignorant meddling - an explanation you may have missed
The Government has noticed that lots of people get very drunk. Thanks for that Sherlock. Apparently, the coalition (for it is they) have concluded, using guesswork and a blatant lack of intelligence and understanding, that stabbing wildly in the dark to find the cause is an acceptable and indefatigable means of identifying the root causes of alcohol abuse, and having pinned the tail on the donkey, have decided its super strength beer.
Initially, rational people might say yeah, that's a good point actually, all those drunks and street mentals supping Skol Super and Carlsberg Special Brew. And that is broadly correct. However, both the aforementioned brews start at upwards of 9% and are brewed by giant multinational conglomerates, with sites and revenue streams around the world, and the nounce and profit margins to, potentially at least, find legal but immoral ways to avoid paying UK tax, which whilst not exempting them from this ill thought through duty, does of course allow them to offset inconvenient things like this in the UK.
So, given the above, (and not forgetting the desire of alcohol abusers, the problem drinkers targeted but entirely circumnavigated in this unseemly quiche of shortsighted measures, to drink milm like Special brew at all costs), what exactly are Noddy and Big Ears hoping to achieve in Toytown?
Well, as hinted at by the children's TV reference, an inexcusable and frankly retarded "tar everyone with the same brush and punish anyone who likes quality higher alcohol beers from time to time". What an epic failure this will be.
Problem drinkers, a euphemistic semantic umbrella for everyone nobody making the decisions wants to think about, are, I am strongly convinced, not connoisseurs. Rarely, if ever, do they seek out a £5.00 750ml corked Chimay Blue Reserve, or a similarly priced Durham Brewery Temptation, or a Brew Dog Hardcore IPA, or a Lees Harvest Ale. These are premium products, at a premium price. If you seriously want to get shitfaced, the specialist beer importer or well stocked real ale off license is not your first stop. Yet, in la la land, the MP's have erroneously sought tp punish persons wishing to enjoy these and other bibulous treats. Why - because they are ignoramuses, making knee jerk policy on the basis of information which lacks clarity and veracity.
And the folly does not stop there. HSBD (High Strength Beer Duty) is just that - it targets beer only. So what part of the binge drinking culture have the Con-dems looked at to ascertain that quality, craft (or independently brewed, if you like) beers are the source of our drink sodden demise? Is it, perchance, precisely none? I suspect it is. Because of course, no-one drinks super strength cider to get mullered. Or cheap sherry. Or own label spirits. No, of course not. Except they do.
So in essence, what we have is a duty levied on taste, sophistication and intelligent consumer decision making based on knowlegde and pallette. The HMRC (for it is they whom implement the misguided edict) say "High Strength Beer Duty (HSBD) will be due on beer which exceeds 7.5% alcohol by volume (abv) and is produced in or imported into the UK. HSBD will be paid in addition to the existing general beer duty and is set at 25% of the general beer duty rate. At the time of introduction this is £4.64 per hectolitre % of alcohol in the beer.
Small Brewer's Relief is still available on the general beer duty element of beer above 7.5% abv. However, it does not apply to HSBD and no further relief will be applied to the reduced rate for lower strength beers.
Strangely, a search of the tinterweb offers no reason provided by the Government for this idiotic departure from logic. It is, more prevalently, the opinions of those reporting the fallacy that have mooted the reasons behind the change. So why so reticent? Is the Government and HMRC too embarrassed to argue its case? I only wish we knew, but if not, they damn well should be. This measure must have, nay could only have, been instigated out of spite and ignorance.
The End of All Sense?
But wait! There is surely a counter measure to appease unhappy folks? Why yes! A reduction in duty on despairingly weak beers! Hurrah! Its WW2 all over again - quoth HMRC "From the same date, a reduced rate of general beer duty for lower strength beer will apply to beers exceeding 1.2% abv but not exceeding 2.8% abv, and which are produced in or imported into the UK. The new reduced rate is set at 50% of the general beer duty rate, which at the time of introduction is £9.29 per hectolitre % of alcohol in the beer".
Well fuck me sideways kids. That is certainly aimed at the massive market percentage of sub 3% beers that, erm, don't exist. There are some good low gravity beers, but immeasurably few below 3%. You could paint this as a challenge for brewers, but its not because the reasoning applied is palpably WRONG!
So how to make the reduced beer duty on products that don't exist work? Well aside from reinventing a world where its 1940 again, we could look to the supermarkets to plough a furrow for failed logic. After all, they sell most of the chemically enriched uber crap at 11% that's quaffed at home before people go out, so they must be leading the way on pricing? Surely? See part 2 of my Review below for the Answer....
ASDA beer pricing farce unwrapped!!!
Yep, good ole Asda is leading the way once again in promoting cheap strong alcohol for binge drinkers, and making it more expensive to drink weaker beers, in line with upcoming Government legislation, erm, well, not.
On a recent visit, my regular tipple Brewdog IPA (which is 5.6%, and I buy it for the (albeit reduced) hops and bitter flavour ) is back to £1.46 a bottle, or 3 for £4.00. So, this makes it per ml the cheapest beer on sale in the UK beers section, and significantly more expensive than the two lonely low gravity offerings, which are Brakspear bitter at 3.5% and Manns Brown Ale at 2.1%. What foresight!
Clearly they saw the duty changes coming so have ensured that its financially unrewarding to drink low gravity beer but cheaper to get smashed quicker on the loopy stuff. When the changes bite, customers will rush headlong into the welcoming arms of Daddy Asda to crave their low gravity offerings, which will be cheaper to produce, but whose current over inflated price can be harmlessly reduced to ape the magnanimous actions of the purse string tighteners in HM Treasury. And if they don't? Well, happy days! The strong beer the customers crave is already heading for being too expensive for them to afford so they'll either cut back, and thus generate less revenue for HMRC (or buy from abroad thus sidestepping import taxation and utilising laughably generous allowances and loopholes like coach drivers using tee-totaller passengers combined allowances) or move to cider or spirits! Either way no memberof the public wins! Yet (and) neither do HMRC! Such philanthropy oh American owned friend.....
So here's to a stupid idea, neither justified by its proponents or its deriders, set to make enjoying quality UK and overseas strong beer a much less affordable luxury, for the good of nobody.
Retail Behemoth rises up in Sheffield
Hot on the heels of news about shortsighted government meddling in areas it clearly fails to understand, the new Tesco Extraneous has opened on Saville Street, bringing with it a maelstrom of greedy brand led neediness, and, an interesting range of frol.
Notwithstanding that Tesco, the anti competitive tax evasive giant that strangles fair trading out of every hectare it poisons, is nowhere near as good a destination for beer choice as say, the Archer Road beer Stop. It is, however, on my way home, and brand new, so i felt a single, if final, visit was required to assess the wares on offer.
Overall a fairly humdrum selection of British beer was offered, supplemented by an achingly conservative rosta of world and continental offerings that would make beer ignoramus's Morrisons feel proud of their core range, the UK lines resembling the decisions of a trigger happy Sainsbury's beer orderer, with a few notable highlights in the form of some Scottish Micro offerings, for instance brew Dog. I chose their Alice Porter, which is a sublime dark concoction, and a Tesco branded Double IPA which turned out in all but name to be Brewdog Hardcore IPA.
This is a welcome, and dare I say it (for now) affordable journey into hop meltdown. Almost brown in colour, like a dark caramel, this monstrous assault on the taste buds and olfactory senses packs in huge bitterness balanced with warm tingly citrus bitter-sweetness and hints of marmalade (sorry, its the quince again, i can;'t seem to separate it from hoppy beers!). Not a beer to be rushed, you can appreciate the flavours best by serving it cold but drinking it slowly enough to allow the drink to warm and release further biting fuzzy tangs of hop and belligerent bitter notes.
The appearance of Alice Porter and Glencoe Oat Malt Stout (not BrewDog) is a welcome addition to the Sheffield bottled beer scene, what with ASda, Sainsbuys' and Morrisons steadfastly failing to ignite more than begrudging interest in their Greedy King Wells/Youngs slew of identical ale products. However, how ironic this bounty is! Since, all too soon, we will be punished for our adventures in taste - as the Government wishes.
This means that anyone not wanting to drink Old Speckled Hen and Spitfire til it bubbles through their eyeballs will feel the impact, whether it be in the form of direct price increase on classic beers like Old Tom, or through brewers offsetting the onerous impact with moderate rises across their portfolio.
In short - HSBD - a baseless shot in the dark resulting in a shot to the head for consumer choice and brewing innovation. Shame on the Government.
Wee Beefy.
tonight we shall be steering away from valuable yet perhaps overly prevalent gen about pubs and what they sell and explore, albeit briefly, the complex machinations and myriad complexities of how the UK Lib-con coalition government know nothing, and are incapable of acting sensibly in respect of, beer.
Ignorant meddling - an explanation you may have missed
The Government has noticed that lots of people get very drunk. Thanks for that Sherlock. Apparently, the coalition (for it is they) have concluded, using guesswork and a blatant lack of intelligence and understanding, that stabbing wildly in the dark to find the cause is an acceptable and indefatigable means of identifying the root causes of alcohol abuse, and having pinned the tail on the donkey, have decided its super strength beer.
Initially, rational people might say yeah, that's a good point actually, all those drunks and street mentals supping Skol Super and Carlsberg Special Brew. And that is broadly correct. However, both the aforementioned brews start at upwards of 9% and are brewed by giant multinational conglomerates, with sites and revenue streams around the world, and the nounce and profit margins to, potentially at least, find legal but immoral ways to avoid paying UK tax, which whilst not exempting them from this ill thought through duty, does of course allow them to offset inconvenient things like this in the UK.
So, given the above, (and not forgetting the desire of alcohol abusers, the problem drinkers targeted but entirely circumnavigated in this unseemly quiche of shortsighted measures, to drink milm like Special brew at all costs), what exactly are Noddy and Big Ears hoping to achieve in Toytown?
Well, as hinted at by the children's TV reference, an inexcusable and frankly retarded "tar everyone with the same brush and punish anyone who likes quality higher alcohol beers from time to time". What an epic failure this will be.
Problem drinkers, a euphemistic semantic umbrella for everyone nobody making the decisions wants to think about, are, I am strongly convinced, not connoisseurs. Rarely, if ever, do they seek out a £5.00 750ml corked Chimay Blue Reserve, or a similarly priced Durham Brewery Temptation, or a Brew Dog Hardcore IPA, or a Lees Harvest Ale. These are premium products, at a premium price. If you seriously want to get shitfaced, the specialist beer importer or well stocked real ale off license is not your first stop. Yet, in la la land, the MP's have erroneously sought tp punish persons wishing to enjoy these and other bibulous treats. Why - because they are ignoramuses, making knee jerk policy on the basis of information which lacks clarity and veracity.
And the folly does not stop there. HSBD (High Strength Beer Duty) is just that - it targets beer only. So what part of the binge drinking culture have the Con-dems looked at to ascertain that quality, craft (or independently brewed, if you like) beers are the source of our drink sodden demise? Is it, perchance, precisely none? I suspect it is. Because of course, no-one drinks super strength cider to get mullered. Or cheap sherry. Or own label spirits. No, of course not. Except they do.
So in essence, what we have is a duty levied on taste, sophistication and intelligent consumer decision making based on knowlegde and pallette. The HMRC (for it is they whom implement the misguided edict) say "High Strength Beer Duty (HSBD) will be due on beer which exceeds 7.5% alcohol by volume (abv) and is produced in or imported into the UK. HSBD will be paid in addition to the existing general beer duty and is set at 25% of the general beer duty rate. At the time of introduction this is £4.64 per hectolitre % of alcohol in the beer.
Small Brewer's Relief is still available on the general beer duty element of beer above 7.5% abv. However, it does not apply to HSBD and no further relief will be applied to the reduced rate for lower strength beers.
Strangely, a search of the tinterweb offers no reason provided by the Government for this idiotic departure from logic. It is, more prevalently, the opinions of those reporting the fallacy that have mooted the reasons behind the change. So why so reticent? Is the Government and HMRC too embarrassed to argue its case? I only wish we knew, but if not, they damn well should be. This measure must have, nay could only have, been instigated out of spite and ignorance.
The End of All Sense?
But wait! There is surely a counter measure to appease unhappy folks? Why yes! A reduction in duty on despairingly weak beers! Hurrah! Its WW2 all over again - quoth HMRC "From the same date, a reduced rate of general beer duty for lower strength beer will apply to beers exceeding 1.2% abv but not exceeding 2.8% abv, and which are produced in or imported into the UK. The new reduced rate is set at 50% of the general beer duty rate, which at the time of introduction is £9.29 per hectolitre % of alcohol in the beer".
Well fuck me sideways kids. That is certainly aimed at the massive market percentage of sub 3% beers that, erm, don't exist. There are some good low gravity beers, but immeasurably few below 3%. You could paint this as a challenge for brewers, but its not because the reasoning applied is palpably WRONG!
So how to make the reduced beer duty on products that don't exist work? Well aside from reinventing a world where its 1940 again, we could look to the supermarkets to plough a furrow for failed logic. After all, they sell most of the chemically enriched uber crap at 11% that's quaffed at home before people go out, so they must be leading the way on pricing? Surely? See part 2 of my Review below for the Answer....
ASDA beer pricing farce unwrapped!!!
Yep, good ole Asda is leading the way once again in promoting cheap strong alcohol for binge drinkers, and making it more expensive to drink weaker beers, in line with upcoming Government legislation, erm, well, not.
On a recent visit, my regular tipple Brewdog IPA (which is 5.6%, and I buy it for the (albeit reduced) hops and bitter flavour ) is back to £1.46 a bottle, or 3 for £4.00. So, this makes it per ml the cheapest beer on sale in the UK beers section, and significantly more expensive than the two lonely low gravity offerings, which are Brakspear bitter at 3.5% and Manns Brown Ale at 2.1%. What foresight!
Clearly they saw the duty changes coming so have ensured that its financially unrewarding to drink low gravity beer but cheaper to get smashed quicker on the loopy stuff. When the changes bite, customers will rush headlong into the welcoming arms of Daddy Asda to crave their low gravity offerings, which will be cheaper to produce, but whose current over inflated price can be harmlessly reduced to ape the magnanimous actions of the purse string tighteners in HM Treasury. And if they don't? Well, happy days! The strong beer the customers crave is already heading for being too expensive for them to afford so they'll either cut back, and thus generate less revenue for HMRC (or buy from abroad thus sidestepping import taxation and utilising laughably generous allowances and loopholes like coach drivers using tee-totaller passengers combined allowances) or move to cider or spirits! Either way no memberof the public wins! Yet (and) neither do HMRC! Such philanthropy oh American owned friend.....
So here's to a stupid idea, neither justified by its proponents or its deriders, set to make enjoying quality UK and overseas strong beer a much less affordable luxury, for the good of nobody.
Retail Behemoth rises up in Sheffield
Hot on the heels of news about shortsighted government meddling in areas it clearly fails to understand, the new Tesco Extraneous has opened on Saville Street, bringing with it a maelstrom of greedy brand led neediness, and, an interesting range of frol.
Notwithstanding that Tesco, the anti competitive tax evasive giant that strangles fair trading out of every hectare it poisons, is nowhere near as good a destination for beer choice as say, the Archer Road beer Stop. It is, however, on my way home, and brand new, so i felt a single, if final, visit was required to assess the wares on offer.
Overall a fairly humdrum selection of British beer was offered, supplemented by an achingly conservative rosta of world and continental offerings that would make beer ignoramus's Morrisons feel proud of their core range, the UK lines resembling the decisions of a trigger happy Sainsbury's beer orderer, with a few notable highlights in the form of some Scottish Micro offerings, for instance brew Dog. I chose their Alice Porter, which is a sublime dark concoction, and a Tesco branded Double IPA which turned out in all but name to be Brewdog Hardcore IPA.
The appearance of Alice Porter and Glencoe Oat Malt Stout (not BrewDog) is a welcome addition to the Sheffield bottled beer scene, what with ASda, Sainsbuys' and Morrisons steadfastly failing to ignite more than begrudging interest in their Greedy King Wells/Youngs slew of identical ale products. However, how ironic this bounty is! Since, all too soon, we will be punished for our adventures in taste - as the Government wishes.
This means that anyone not wanting to drink Old Speckled Hen and Spitfire til it bubbles through their eyeballs will feel the impact, whether it be in the form of direct price increase on classic beers like Old Tom, or through brewers offsetting the onerous impact with moderate rises across their portfolio.
In short - HSBD - a baseless shot in the dark resulting in a shot to the head for consumer choice and brewing innovation. Shame on the Government.
Wee Beefy.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Wee Beefy's beer bites at home and out round Sheffield and Derbyshire
Hello, here are some bibulous updates for you.
Beefy's UK and continental beer tasting
I recently met up with Davefromtshop for a few pints in town, a bite to eat and a beer tasting at mine. Instead of doing stuffy old paper notes we recorded videos of us reviewing each beer in turn so that we could, to an extent at least, be sure what we had been saying!
The line up was (i.e in order of when tasted, not preference):
1. Brinks Rethymnian Organic Blonde, Rethymno, Crete
2. Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale, 3.5% Porthmadog, Wales
3. Bath Ales Gem, Bath.
4. Thornbridge Jaipur, Derbyshire,
5. Fullers Bengal Lancer IPA, London bottle conditioned (BCA)
6. Chiltern Lord Lieutenants Porter, Terrick, Buckinghamshire (BCA)
7. Kernel India Porter, London (BCA)
8. Achouffe brewery N'ichouffe, Belgium 2007 (BCA)
General thoughts were that the Bengal Lancer was particularly disappointing, with marmalade and biscuit flavours replacing any anticipated, and essential hops. The Brinks stood up well in the context of it being brewed in Crete to satisfy a hot climate market, but was a welcome catch since its not for sale in the UK, the Gem was a nice malty and orangey beer providing a contrast to the usual pale Northern beer styles, and the two porters were equally good with the Kernel maybe edging it for being less carbonated.
The Top 3 were :
3. Jaipur - initially seemed lacking in hops but they came up to surprise you mid drink;
2. Snowdonia Ale - due to its incredible amounts of flavour packed into such a low gravity brew;
1. N'ichouffe - a reliable classic, 10%, 750 ml bottle conditioned matured strong Belgian ale with tons of flavour and a soporific after effect.
Video evidence of me and Davefromtshop in a state of mild inebriation, to make its way onto Facebook soon, in the meantime, using the new edit settings on my blog, here is (or might be), a video summary of the winner, 3 out of the 4 times we attempted to reach this conclusion, the N'ichouffe. (note, opinions expressed in this video are those of two drunk people, and should not be afforded any credibility whatsoever).
White Lion Heeley Oktoberfest 2011
Last weekend saw 2 days (possiby more?) of music and beer, a fab mix of treats, in which the redoubtable multiroomed Heeley classic The White Lion held a beer festival with microbrewery beers and one or two regionals from round the UK. From a range of 20 the highlights for me were Enville Gothic, Hambleton Nightmare Porter, and my final and most oft ordered pint, the amazing Blue Monkey BG Sips pale ale. Had I been more than once I would have found time and room for an RCH Firebox, Moorhouses Blonde Witch, Thornbridge Jaipur, Absolution or Ossett Silver King. Overall a fantastc event which shows how a pub festival should be run.
Derbyshire real ale yomp
On Sunday I fitted in a somewhat arduously long walk based loosely on the Monsal trail. Starting in Hassop we walked up to and along Longstone edge, down into Little Longstone and visited the Packhorse. There wer 5 ales on here, including 4 from Thornbridge, and two real fires - we both had pints of Lord Marples. Up the road we felt compelled to pop in the Stables bar and I was pleased to see an excellent choice - Moor Top and Stables Ale from Buxton, and Sir Phillip and Undertaker from Wincle. This is the first time I have been able to find their beers on tap anywhere and I wasn't disappointed.
Down into the dale next we followed the path all the way along to the Anglers Rest in Millers Dale. The beer range was the same as last time so we both had pints of the Storm Silk of Amnesia. From here we clambered up onto the trail and walked to Thornbridge Station and into Great Longstone. We visited the Crispin, which has a range of 4 or 5 Robinsons beers on, including excellent Hatters Dark and their seasonal offering, Black Beauty porter. We walked into Hassop next and had a pint of the Peak Ales Swift Nick in the Eyre Arms - alas we had already missed the bus so extended our walk along Church lane into Baslow to catch the 240 home. We still had time to pop in the Rutland, a drab pastel colour fest food pub with 1 real ale available, an average Jennings Cumberland of which I had a half. Still, a fantastic walk and some great pubs and beer were encountered along the way.
Rumour Mill
Two wildly unlikely guesses this time. Firstly, an ongoing impossible to quash rumour that Ossett brewery are to open a real ale outlet in one of the empty units at West One. This is actually old news so don't be surprised if nothing happens anytime soon! And, I hear that maybe a Walkley real ale pub may potentially reopen, hopefully once again serving a decent pint. You heard it hear first! And probably never again...
Optimistically Early Advance Notice
Just to let you know that Cropton beer festival will take place at the brewery's pub, the New Inn at Cropton, in the last weekend of November - camping available! Well worth a trip I am told, more details to follow.
Take care, stay thirsty and Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
Beefy's UK and continental beer tasting
I recently met up with Davefromtshop for a few pints in town, a bite to eat and a beer tasting at mine. Instead of doing stuffy old paper notes we recorded videos of us reviewing each beer in turn so that we could, to an extent at least, be sure what we had been saying!
The line up was (i.e in order of when tasted, not preference):
1. Brinks Rethymnian Organic Blonde, Rethymno, Crete
2. Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale, 3.5% Porthmadog, Wales
3. Bath Ales Gem, Bath.
4. Thornbridge Jaipur, Derbyshire,
5. Fullers Bengal Lancer IPA, London bottle conditioned (BCA)
6. Chiltern Lord Lieutenants Porter, Terrick, Buckinghamshire (BCA)
7. Kernel India Porter, London (BCA)
8. Achouffe brewery N'ichouffe, Belgium 2007 (BCA)
General thoughts were that the Bengal Lancer was particularly disappointing, with marmalade and biscuit flavours replacing any anticipated, and essential hops. The Brinks stood up well in the context of it being brewed in Crete to satisfy a hot climate market, but was a welcome catch since its not for sale in the UK, the Gem was a nice malty and orangey beer providing a contrast to the usual pale Northern beer styles, and the two porters were equally good with the Kernel maybe edging it for being less carbonated.
The Top 3 were :
3. Jaipur - initially seemed lacking in hops but they came up to surprise you mid drink;
2. Snowdonia Ale - due to its incredible amounts of flavour packed into such a low gravity brew;
1. N'ichouffe - a reliable classic, 10%, 750 ml bottle conditioned matured strong Belgian ale with tons of flavour and a soporific after effect.
Video evidence of me and Davefromtshop in a state of mild inebriation, to make its way onto Facebook soon, in the meantime, using the new edit settings on my blog, here is (or might be), a video summary of the winner, 3 out of the 4 times we attempted to reach this conclusion, the N'ichouffe. (note, opinions expressed in this video are those of two drunk people, and should not be afforded any credibility whatsoever).
White Lion Heeley Oktoberfest 2011
Last weekend saw 2 days (possiby more?) of music and beer, a fab mix of treats, in which the redoubtable multiroomed Heeley classic The White Lion held a beer festival with microbrewery beers and one or two regionals from round the UK. From a range of 20 the highlights for me were Enville Gothic, Hambleton Nightmare Porter, and my final and most oft ordered pint, the amazing Blue Monkey BG Sips pale ale. Had I been more than once I would have found time and room for an RCH Firebox, Moorhouses Blonde Witch, Thornbridge Jaipur, Absolution or Ossett Silver King. Overall a fantastc event which shows how a pub festival should be run.
Derbyshire real ale yomp
On Sunday I fitted in a somewhat arduously long walk based loosely on the Monsal trail. Starting in Hassop we walked up to and along Longstone edge, down into Little Longstone and visited the Packhorse. There wer 5 ales on here, including 4 from Thornbridge, and two real fires - we both had pints of Lord Marples. Up the road we felt compelled to pop in the Stables bar and I was pleased to see an excellent choice - Moor Top and Stables Ale from Buxton, and Sir Phillip and Undertaker from Wincle. This is the first time I have been able to find their beers on tap anywhere and I wasn't disappointed.
Down into the dale next we followed the path all the way along to the Anglers Rest in Millers Dale. The beer range was the same as last time so we both had pints of the Storm Silk of Amnesia. From here we clambered up onto the trail and walked to Thornbridge Station and into Great Longstone. We visited the Crispin, which has a range of 4 or 5 Robinsons beers on, including excellent Hatters Dark and their seasonal offering, Black Beauty porter. We walked into Hassop next and had a pint of the Peak Ales Swift Nick in the Eyre Arms - alas we had already missed the bus so extended our walk along Church lane into Baslow to catch the 240 home. We still had time to pop in the Rutland, a drab pastel colour fest food pub with 1 real ale available, an average Jennings Cumberland of which I had a half. Still, a fantastic walk and some great pubs and beer were encountered along the way.
Rumour Mill
Two wildly unlikely guesses this time. Firstly, an ongoing impossible to quash rumour that Ossett brewery are to open a real ale outlet in one of the empty units at West One. This is actually old news so don't be surprised if nothing happens anytime soon! And, I hear that maybe a Walkley real ale pub may potentially reopen, hopefully once again serving a decent pint. You heard it hear first! And probably never again...
Optimistically Early Advance Notice
Just to let you know that Cropton beer festival will take place at the brewery's pub, the New Inn at Cropton, in the last weekend of November - camping available! Well worth a trip I am told, more details to follow.
Take care, stay thirsty and Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Wee Beefy's beer bites - for every good pub news story there's a bad one....
The three cranes soar high whilst Pubco dogs savage the Partridge.....
First, the good news - Three Cranes official reopening night
Well after a week or so practising the Three Cranes Queen Street Sheffield finally officially reopened on Friday 14th October. (see http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Three-Cranes/243249239055249 if you have access to Facebook) Having assumed that this would be well attended I made the effort and got there about 17.30 to secure seats, as a few people were hoping to join me for drinks and to listen to the evenings entertainment.
Clearly everyone else had the same idea and we initially found only a small inconveniently placed table, for me Chala, Maureen and Rox, but luckily Middlemarch and Jones (sounds like a solicitors!?...) had secured seating in the right hand side and we moved into the space when they left. So now to relax and imbibe.
As promised there were 6 real ales available - Stones Bitter, Sharps Doom Bar, Abbeydale Moonshine, Blue Bee Bee's Knees Bitter and Nectar Pale Ale and Camerons Strongarm, along with a real cider and some decent bottled continental beers. Alas the Birra Moretti draught did not make the starting line and it was only through the much appreciated kindness of the staff that we secured snacks, but that aside everything was in working order.
Entertainment came courtesy of Jack of Harps around 8pm, but to be fair we didn't hear a lot from our far corner, and besides we had a lot of catching up to do, so all worked out well. With the Nectar on imperious form I had a good 6 pints (you know, just to make sure it was OK) as the evening rolled merrily by. Overall this promises to be an exciting new addition and crucially, the pub is only 5 minutes walk from work so I hope to be spending a lot more time in there now its open again. The only downside? How to fit it in my expanding roster of favourite pubs......
Harrisons beer
Harrisons 1854 have lost control of their minds and added a third beer (although this may be a temporary addition in place of Moonshine, which means its still two - watch this space, or better still, go and see for yourself ). Sheffield Brewing Co Blanco Blonde was the new arrival on Thursday night when I popped in, hopefully this beer can be as popular as the Abbeydale Deception, which, I concede, is always my first choice beer in the 1854...
The Wick at Both Ends
Two recent visits have seen Thornbridge Sequoia on handpump, sometimes with a friend down the bar for company, in addition to the decent range of continental draught and bottled offerings. A mercifully good music selection on Friday meant an enjoyable visit, although I can confirm officially that I shouldn't have been headbanging, at my age.
Fat Cat special ale
I am reliably informed that the Kelham Island Brewery have brewed a special ale to celebrate the recent contesting of the Anglo Galician Cup. The ale was aparrently on the bar at the Fat Cat on Saturday, along with a plaque presented by the Galicians. I report all of this story in the style of repeating rumours because, having accidentally drank at least 9 pints and had nowt to eat on Friday night, the very last thing I could stomach on Saturday was a trip to the pub. Thanks to my friend Maureen for his nod ahead of the event, hopefully he tried said ale and took a photo....
And now the bad news PUB UNDER THREAT
Since the Flynn's decamped to the Grapes, where I was on Thursday enjoying a pint of Absolution in the snug, things have gone rapidly downhill in the Dog and Partridge, Trippet Lane. New licensees took over and created an initial interest with bands and other events and even had the rare treat of serving a guest ale before the pubco got wind and pissed in that souffle. Their tenure soon came to an end and the pubco, always mindful no doubt of how many thousands it had to take each week to consider not selling it for redevelopment or turn it into offices, installed a manager to oversee the day to day running until a solution could be found, a term nicely used to avoid saying closure.
On Thursday night, even though the nearby Trippets bar was closed for a refurb, and despite the recent influx of students, there was just me in the Dog at about 20.30. And I only stayed for a half - it was only Tetleys, and only average Tetley at that.
The Dog looks like it has somehow lurched from profitable venerable Sheffield institution to forgotten failure in less than a year. Depending on who you listen to (and how well, i.e not dreadfully so, I recall my chat with the manager ), it would seem the pub company have absolutely no interest in continuing to keep the pub open and are set on closing it in the next few months.
What, and I'm going to swear here, a fucking travesty. Honestly. Which planet do pubco's live on? What can't they see in terms of potential for this fine original Gilmours fronted, large multi-roomed Victorian classic boozer one wonders?
The Flynn's ran it very successfully and to great acclaim for decades, but the greedy pubco decided that the only way to get what they wanted was to punish them for their success and hike the rent up (I heard doubled - yet to be confirmed). Naturally, the Flynn's didn't need to lose all their profit in one fell swoop having worked hard to build up a fantastic business, so, given that they owned the Grapes, rightly dismissed the punitive and derisory reward from their megalomaniac building owners and moved out.
Mindful of the sudden earth shattering change this would entail, surely the pubco would have taken a step back, offered a reduced rent and given any new tenants longer than usual to start rebuilding trade. As I said myself at the time, the transition was breathtaking, even though, in essence, only the decor had gone from the physical building, the pub seemed completely different and devoid of its soul and character. But of course it did - its incumbents of many decades had moved up the road and in effect created the Dog and Partridge all over again in the Grapes. So it needed a massive input and stoic belief to return the pub to anything like its former glory.
Cue shortsightedness in the extreme form the pernicious blight of the British pub the pubco. It would appear that they expected the pub to turn its fortunes around despite all of the above in a matter of months. When that didn't work out, they simply placed a temporary manager in charge, likely with no remit and am sure no ability to get something interesting in for punters to drink, and then sat back and waited for the inevitable stagnation so that they could close down a historic city centre pub without having made the slightest effort to allow it to come back to life.
If whichever faceless foreign bank owned accountant breeding pool of a pubco owns the Dog and Partridge aren't interested in making it work, it should be sold, at a realistic price. Or, failing that, a plan should be put in place to temporarily close the pub whilst a proven, experienced tenant with a realistic remit is found to be put in charge and start the slow process of bringing the business back to life.
And just how realistic is that prospect? Well just look at pubco's track record around the UK and see what you think they will decide. If its not to be apartments it will be offices. The lazy business template for disinterested, immoral and unsuitable landlords of period properties all over the country. How terrifically sad, yet despairingly prominent, this story is. A pathetic waste of a pub to please shareholders. Shame on them.
So, that wraps up a good cop bad cop story of Sheffield pubs for now. Drink well, stay active and sign or better still start, a petition to save the Dog.
Wee Beefy.
First, the good news - Three Cranes official reopening night
Well after a week or so practising the Three Cranes Queen Street Sheffield finally officially reopened on Friday 14th October. (see http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Three-Cranes/243249239055249 if you have access to Facebook) Having assumed that this would be well attended I made the effort and got there about 17.30 to secure seats, as a few people were hoping to join me for drinks and to listen to the evenings entertainment.
Clearly everyone else had the same idea and we initially found only a small inconveniently placed table, for me Chala, Maureen and Rox, but luckily Middlemarch and Jones (sounds like a solicitors!?...) had secured seating in the right hand side and we moved into the space when they left. So now to relax and imbibe.
As promised there were 6 real ales available - Stones Bitter, Sharps Doom Bar, Abbeydale Moonshine, Blue Bee Bee's Knees Bitter and Nectar Pale Ale and Camerons Strongarm, along with a real cider and some decent bottled continental beers. Alas the Birra Moretti draught did not make the starting line and it was only through the much appreciated kindness of the staff that we secured snacks, but that aside everything was in working order.
Entertainment came courtesy of Jack of Harps around 8pm, but to be fair we didn't hear a lot from our far corner, and besides we had a lot of catching up to do, so all worked out well. With the Nectar on imperious form I had a good 6 pints (you know, just to make sure it was OK) as the evening rolled merrily by. Overall this promises to be an exciting new addition and crucially, the pub is only 5 minutes walk from work so I hope to be spending a lot more time in there now its open again. The only downside? How to fit it in my expanding roster of favourite pubs......
Harrisons beer
Harrisons 1854 have lost control of their minds and added a third beer (although this may be a temporary addition in place of Moonshine, which means its still two - watch this space, or better still, go and see for yourself ). Sheffield Brewing Co Blanco Blonde was the new arrival on Thursday night when I popped in, hopefully this beer can be as popular as the Abbeydale Deception, which, I concede, is always my first choice beer in the 1854...
The Wick at Both Ends
Two recent visits have seen Thornbridge Sequoia on handpump, sometimes with a friend down the bar for company, in addition to the decent range of continental draught and bottled offerings. A mercifully good music selection on Friday meant an enjoyable visit, although I can confirm officially that I shouldn't have been headbanging, at my age.
Fat Cat special ale
I am reliably informed that the Kelham Island Brewery have brewed a special ale to celebrate the recent contesting of the Anglo Galician Cup. The ale was aparrently on the bar at the Fat Cat on Saturday, along with a plaque presented by the Galicians. I report all of this story in the style of repeating rumours because, having accidentally drank at least 9 pints and had nowt to eat on Friday night, the very last thing I could stomach on Saturday was a trip to the pub. Thanks to my friend Maureen for his nod ahead of the event, hopefully he tried said ale and took a photo....
And now the bad news PUB UNDER THREAT
Since the Flynn's decamped to the Grapes, where I was on Thursday enjoying a pint of Absolution in the snug, things have gone rapidly downhill in the Dog and Partridge, Trippet Lane. New licensees took over and created an initial interest with bands and other events and even had the rare treat of serving a guest ale before the pubco got wind and pissed in that souffle. Their tenure soon came to an end and the pubco, always mindful no doubt of how many thousands it had to take each week to consider not selling it for redevelopment or turn it into offices, installed a manager to oversee the day to day running until a solution could be found, a term nicely used to avoid saying closure.
On Thursday night, even though the nearby Trippets bar was closed for a refurb, and despite the recent influx of students, there was just me in the Dog at about 20.30. And I only stayed for a half - it was only Tetleys, and only average Tetley at that.
The Dog looks like it has somehow lurched from profitable venerable Sheffield institution to forgotten failure in less than a year. Depending on who you listen to (and how well, i.e not dreadfully so, I recall my chat with the manager ), it would seem the pub company have absolutely no interest in continuing to keep the pub open and are set on closing it in the next few months.
What, and I'm going to swear here, a fucking travesty. Honestly. Which planet do pubco's live on? What can't they see in terms of potential for this fine original Gilmours fronted, large multi-roomed Victorian classic boozer one wonders?
The Flynn's ran it very successfully and to great acclaim for decades, but the greedy pubco decided that the only way to get what they wanted was to punish them for their success and hike the rent up (I heard doubled - yet to be confirmed). Naturally, the Flynn's didn't need to lose all their profit in one fell swoop having worked hard to build up a fantastic business, so, given that they owned the Grapes, rightly dismissed the punitive and derisory reward from their megalomaniac building owners and moved out.
Mindful of the sudden earth shattering change this would entail, surely the pubco would have taken a step back, offered a reduced rent and given any new tenants longer than usual to start rebuilding trade. As I said myself at the time, the transition was breathtaking, even though, in essence, only the decor had gone from the physical building, the pub seemed completely different and devoid of its soul and character. But of course it did - its incumbents of many decades had moved up the road and in effect created the Dog and Partridge all over again in the Grapes. So it needed a massive input and stoic belief to return the pub to anything like its former glory.
Cue shortsightedness in the extreme form the pernicious blight of the British pub the pubco. It would appear that they expected the pub to turn its fortunes around despite all of the above in a matter of months. When that didn't work out, they simply placed a temporary manager in charge, likely with no remit and am sure no ability to get something interesting in for punters to drink, and then sat back and waited for the inevitable stagnation so that they could close down a historic city centre pub without having made the slightest effort to allow it to come back to life.
If whichever faceless foreign bank owned accountant breeding pool of a pubco owns the Dog and Partridge aren't interested in making it work, it should be sold, at a realistic price. Or, failing that, a plan should be put in place to temporarily close the pub whilst a proven, experienced tenant with a realistic remit is found to be put in charge and start the slow process of bringing the business back to life.
And just how realistic is that prospect? Well just look at pubco's track record around the UK and see what you think they will decide. If its not to be apartments it will be offices. The lazy business template for disinterested, immoral and unsuitable landlords of period properties all over the country. How terrifically sad, yet despairingly prominent, this story is. A pathetic waste of a pub to please shareholders. Shame on them.
So, that wraps up a good cop bad cop story of Sheffield pubs for now. Drink well, stay active and sign or better still start, a petition to save the Dog.
Wee Beefy.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Breaking beer bite news!
Just a quick extravasation of pulsing beer facts tonight.....
The Three Cranes, Queen Street, Sheffield, Reopens!
(Rumour Mill win....)
Its official launch night is still 48 hours away but as of Monday 10th October 2011 the 3 Cranes was open and serving a range of real ales and most other drinks (snacks en route ) accompanied by a decent selection of piped music ( so often dreadful but, as demonstrated by the Red Deer, potentially brilliant) to test customer interest and levels of trade.
Inside there doesn't appear to have been radical change, likely just a clean up, but the island bar has been retained, and flyers are available now proclaiming this new addition to the real ale scene in Sheffield, in an area sparse on choice, despite obvious bibulous choices Fagans and the Three Tuns being nearby.
Friday i am told promises live music and a full selection of real ales and draught continental beers and crucially snacks. For this visit, it was notable that nearly all the handpumps were in use, dispensing : Stones Bitter (£2.55 a pint ), Westons Old Rosie, Sharps Doom Bar (possibly not yet on ) Abbeydale Moonshine, Blue Bee Bees Knees bitter (pending) and an excellent pint of Blue Bee Nectar Pale Ale (£2.70 a pint).
Although its not strictly in the city centre, the prices bode well, since previously, despite the efforts of numerous licensees, the strangulating policies of the pubco's made beer expensive, and even as long ago as 1995 I considered the Three Cranes the most expensive pint in Sheffield, long ago breaching the £3.00 a pint mark for real ale. The recent sensible pricing policy will hopefully entice customers back to this venerable paradise quarter venue.
And in other news....
Anglers Rest Millers Dale
Omitted from my last essay was news of the Anglers Rest Millers Dale. Out on a Monsal trail amble appreciating the tunnels recently, I forgot to mention that I visited the Anglers for a mid walk pint. On the bar were 3 real ales, including Adnams Southwold and local brewery Storm Silk of Amnesia, at below £3.00 a pint. This proves that you can get decent local ale from within 50 miles in a traditional pub and not pay bistro prices. Looking forward to visiting again in the next few months.
Wee Beefy.
The Three Cranes, Queen Street, Sheffield, Reopens!
(Rumour Mill win....)
Its official launch night is still 48 hours away but as of Monday 10th October 2011 the 3 Cranes was open and serving a range of real ales and most other drinks (snacks en route ) accompanied by a decent selection of piped music ( so often dreadful but, as demonstrated by the Red Deer, potentially brilliant) to test customer interest and levels of trade.
Inside there doesn't appear to have been radical change, likely just a clean up, but the island bar has been retained, and flyers are available now proclaiming this new addition to the real ale scene in Sheffield, in an area sparse on choice, despite obvious bibulous choices Fagans and the Three Tuns being nearby.
Friday i am told promises live music and a full selection of real ales and draught continental beers and crucially snacks. For this visit, it was notable that nearly all the handpumps were in use, dispensing : Stones Bitter (£2.55 a pint ), Westons Old Rosie, Sharps Doom Bar (possibly not yet on ) Abbeydale Moonshine, Blue Bee Bees Knees bitter (pending) and an excellent pint of Blue Bee Nectar Pale Ale (£2.70 a pint).
Although its not strictly in the city centre, the prices bode well, since previously, despite the efforts of numerous licensees, the strangulating policies of the pubco's made beer expensive, and even as long ago as 1995 I considered the Three Cranes the most expensive pint in Sheffield, long ago breaching the £3.00 a pint mark for real ale. The recent sensible pricing policy will hopefully entice customers back to this venerable paradise quarter venue.
And in other news....
Anglers Rest Millers Dale
Omitted from my last essay was news of the Anglers Rest Millers Dale. Out on a Monsal trail amble appreciating the tunnels recently, I forgot to mention that I visited the Anglers for a mid walk pint. On the bar were 3 real ales, including Adnams Southwold and local brewery Storm Silk of Amnesia, at below £3.00 a pint. This proves that you can get decent local ale from within 50 miles in a traditional pub and not pay bistro prices. Looking forward to visiting again in the next few months.
Wee Beefy.
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Wee Beefy's beer bites
Now then browsers,
A few more spoonfuls of wholesome beer news to digest and maintain a healthy diet of bibulous information, in no particular order.
The Railway Wadsley Bridge.
The inimitable Jean continues to single handedly steer this previously neglected ship along the treacherous waterways of the beer and pubs business, seemingly with consummate ease. On my recent visit there were only two beers on, Bradfield Blonde and Acorn Barnsley Bitter, and a decent number of punters in. I would have preferred a stronger beer option but I have to say that the Acorn was in cracking nick, and duly warranted a second pint. This pub has restricted opening hours of Friday Saturday and Sunday only, with the pub open all day Sunday and on the other two from 5 onwards, so ringing ahead may be advisable if making a trip, but its well worth a look.
Shakespeares
Recent ales seen on the bar include an incredibly bitter Three Swords from Kirkstall, Blue Bee Lustin For Stout (the brewery of which now have their own website at http://www.bluebeebrewery.co.uk/w/doku.php?id=beers ), a couple of underwhelming Geeves Brewery offerings (alas not found a good one yet!) Summer Wine Brewery Dark Mild, and 2 from Hornbeam brewery Manchester. On a recent visit one of theirs that i tried, the White Swan, was very, very strange, even though I should have read the description on the board (although poor eyesight makes this near impossible), I was really unhappy with the bubble bath taste.
I returned to the bar and asked if, given that i knew that the beer was not off, they would be kind enough to replace it anyhow since it was so affrontingly vile. They duly did, cautioning that no-one else had complained and replaced it with the Hornbeam bitter which was a much better beer altogether. Well done to Shakespeares for their admirable focus on customer satisfaction.
Ship Inn Shalesmoor
You know how it is, you don't know what it is you've missed until its gone. I have had that dread feeling many times and often rued my decision making and priorities in not getting to visit pubs that have been swallowed up by progress or disappeared altogether. Luckily, this has not happened to me regarding a pub I have passed many times without popping in, the Ship at Shalesmoor.
You can't miss it. Every time you drive from West bar past the Shakespeare (erm, you probably can't do this in a car any more, but you get my drift ), or swing round the corner to Shalesmoor tram stop on the tram, you can see this fine tiled building, proclaimimg proudly its Truswells Ales, standing steadfastly on its own on a road previously blessed with at least 5 pubs, I am told.
Its not like I haven't been in either. I went in with Chala years ago, and took a handpicked selection of the Gloystarne lads there on an epic chrisrtmas pub crawl in the late nineties, amongst other visits. The problem is, I was never totally sold on Kimberly ales, and then when the pub and Kimberly brand became owned by Greene King, I kind of lost my inspiration to go, and missed the chance to appreciate what a refreshingly traditional local this was.
I tried to pop in a couple of Sundays ago but alas it closes during the day Sunday I think, but remedied this on Friday night. Inside to my surprise there wasn't a Grim King beer in site, instead 3 guest beers, Bradfield Blonde, Thornbridge Sequoia, and the one I had, Spire Dark Side of the Moon, at £2.60 a pint. I picked a table near the door with a draught repelling snob screen to my right and sat down to take in the hub of conversation and the stream of regulars (based on their being addressed by name) to the bar to order beer.
It dawned on me that Grim King through their objectionable megalomania had previously deprived me of a great pub experience. So now I have the opportunity to make up for lost time, I strongly recommend you do the same, and give the Ship a try.
P.S - don't forget the 50p a go pool!
Double H
Earlier that same evening I had been in the Hillsborough Hotel. Always a handy stop after a slake in the Blake, especially since they serve food til 21.00. Alas I chose the wrong night for a visit. Unfortunately the manager had been in an accident and wasn't in and, whether related or not, there was only a third of the cheffing staff and it seemed, an occurrence of beermageddon.
My first pint the Crown HPA was on its last legs, but not enough that i would take it back. I knew there was a wait for food so decided to drink it quickly and move onto my favourite, the Stannington Stout. Alas, this had run out so I had a try of the Cottage - I can't recall its name, but it wasn't Golden Arrow, and to be fair their beers are usually very samey - i.e all incredibly poor. It was true to form so I got a pint of Blue Bee Bees Knees. Not my favourite Blue Bee beer, but it sufficed.
I toyed after this with the idea of a Crown bitter but after trying another grim offering I had a half of the Derby 30 hop which went off straight after, and then a half of the Cottage Golden Arrow, mainly in desperation at the lack of available options. The HPA soon disappeared and it was quite late into the evening before any beers were replaced.
I have been going to the Double H for yonks so won't be making plans to avoid it on this showing when there was a clear explanation - and significant sympathy and apologies from the staff - for this poor display. It just means I'll have to go back sometime when all is working well again and secure a pint of the fantastic Stannington Stout.
Harrisons 1854
Just a quick note about the above, to remind you if nothing else that they continue to sell two real ales from Abbeydale, at £3.00 a pint which is reasonable for West Street. Make sure you pop in for one of their DJ nights or other events - find them on Facebook (I am told this is a public page! http://www.facebook.com/Harrisons1854 - please ignore the Harrisons link posted yesterday, twas raang am afraid, sorry for any confusion.)
Ay up duck! A pub crawl with a difference
On a recent trip out with Mr Ashman, I happened across a great new idea that is being promoted in fairest Sheffield. A local artist is (with the agreement of the premises involved!) spray painting pictures of ducks on a number of Sheffield's best hostelries from the City Centre right out to the fringes of the city.
The idea is that participants will strive to find pubs emblazoned with the painted canards (the Latin name for the genus duck is Anas, so I have helpfully sidestepped that for the French instead......) and visit them to sample their unique atmosphere, appearance, music, beer garden, or hopefully decent ale, (although am not sure that everyone is guaranteed to be a real ale stockist). Each duck will carry an archetypal Sheffield phrase, and participants are encouraged to visit as many as possible to get the best drinking and pub experiences, as well as scoring points along the way.
The anticipation is that "duck hunters" will find their way to all of the duck emblazoned hostelries, and in doing so, drink some Sheffield beer and discover some pubs they may not have done before. There are prizes on offer to those who visit every venue and for other achievements in the field. To find out more details, visit Facebook and search Ay up ducks (spelling important) or follow the link (note, i am unsure if this is public) on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/ayupducks .
On the Slake in S6
The above meeting happened at my regular after work destination the Blake at Walkley. As ever the pub strives to provide a range of excellent beers on its 6 hand pulls, along with real cider and an impressive range of continental draught and bottled beers. Not forgetting of course, the fabulous pork pies. On my last visit a notable choice available on the bar was an excellent West Coast Brewery California Pale Ale. This is a beer from a new brewery from North Wales who I understand are brewing using the Conwy brewery kit at present. For (not much more) info see
http://www.conwybrewery.co.uk/16.html .
This news serves as an introduction to a recent trip round Walkley to see how the ever changing scene there is progressing. Across the park from the Blake both the Firwood and Belle Vue appear to still be trading. Try as I might, I have never been tempted to go in the Vue but note changes afoot at the Cottage.
On South Road the Freedom House has just reopened its doors, its first night was Friday 7th October. On my visit I found there was no real ale but was assured it was being delivered Tuesday and would be on by Friday. I seem to recall its only Bombadier (which I subconsiously just mis-spelled as Bombadire) but its a start, and hopefully this will be the nub of a revival. The Firwood connection is that according to Beer Matters, the new licensee is a former Firwood Cottage landlord, although am not sure if they have moved directly from there.
Further down towards Hillsborough, and on Walkley Bank the Florist had no real ale on when I visited, but I was told that they usually do, and that the Farmers Blonde was being substituted by the Bitter.
37th Sheffield Beer Festival
This year I was at two sessions of the fest, alas this is a rather expensive way of doing things, but I had hoped to see some people there on the Friday. Normally I would never go Friday, instead Saturday all day only, or maybe Thursday as well at a push. Much as I enjoyed the festival overall, I think I'd have rather used my normal plan.
Friday was a very hot day as you all know, so its important to note how impossible it would have been to predict the record breaking temperatures that week. That said, the sports hall at Ponds Forge was boiling. The beer was warmer at the cider bar end than the other (cooler beer stopped around the letter H?) and no one seemed to have thought of opening a door at each end of the hall to create a through draught, like they do in Crete for example.
That said the Hummingbirds were good, if a little quiet for such a large space, and there were some notably good beers on. Saturday was less sweaty and being a quieter session it was easier to get sat down, and near to a door at that. The quiz was as tough as always (I failed miserably again) but it was nice being there for the afternoon and still able to sample a decent range of beers, with plenty available when I left at 18.30.
The only puzzle not solved was the prices. Some lower gravity beers were well above town prices - for example a half of the Blackedge Pike which is a 3.8% session beer was £1.70. One member of the bar staff alluded to the fact that some casks had come by courier, and I also heard that some beers were as low as £2.20 a pint (Acorn perhaps?), but there were far too many beers that should have been affordable at sensible strengths that topped £3.20 a pint and some of the stronger ones, which are naturally more expensive, were over £4.00 and thus a pound more than nearby pubs. In summary - a welcome return indoors, the venue size and location are perfect, but sort out the prices!
Forum 3 - or the York at Broomhill.
Now kids, don't get all up in arms, am not sure for definite that the forum own the York and the Old House, but if they do, then visiting the three establishments shows an interesting transition, from hit and miss beer to beer heaven, but without a traditional boozer in sight.
Have not been in the forum for a couple of month but noted a reduced emphasis on the real stuff, and a friend informed me that last week there was no ale to be had at all. Up the road the Old House is also one I have missed of late but last time I went it was still serving decent beer and great food. The York, all the way out at Broomhill, is an interesting addition. The pub interior boasts a mish mash of classic and modern pub interior styles, with emphasis on food, and a good range of beer, including the Anvil Porter brewed for them by brew Company. The interior is warm and comforting and the bar is reassuringly classic looking.
Having only been on a Sunday I haven't had chance to see what the food side entails regarding seating. The impression I get is that the right hand seating is for drinkers and the left and to the back is for diners. I don't mind this per se - its no doubt essential to have dining as part of the set up given the money laid out in its transformation (the bar has moved a third time since the early nineties) but I would like to think that the drinking area is not encroached when it gets busy - I will have to come back soon and see for myself.
Drinks wise, there are 5 or 6 real ale pumps including the porter, and one or two used for real cider and perry, along with a decent range of continental bottled beers (too few darks though!) and a very impressive wine list, coupled with cocktails, softails, spirits and even speciality teas. So do give it a try, preferably to compare and contrast it with the Old house and Forum.....
Aaagh! Not the Nottingham House....
I was to have had a third trip to the above featured pub, the York, but en route my mate Carlos told me it was rammed and so we decamped to the Notty House. What a travesty this turned out to be! The pub was quiet for a Saturday night, and the plain white walls hinted at the fact that it may only have just reopened. On the bar were four handpumps, with none serving real ale. The staff were inattentive and seemingly inexperienced, more interested in the fact that me and my mate both had soft drinks (as he was taking it easy and there was no decent beer) than anything else.
I made a trip to the loo and found 7 empty toilet roll holders and some piles of hopefully unused bog roll on the floor, away from the cubicle there were no hand towels with the holders left open (assumedly by desperate blokes in the cubicles?) and along with the lack of hot water, I also had no opportunity to make my hands clean as there was also no soap or handwash.
I found Carlos in the beer garden where we paused very briefly to drink our soft drinks before heading off for a professional and enjoyable pub experience down the road at the University Arms. I don't normally rate a pub on toilet cleanliness alone, and am not going to now, but i have to say the Notty House was memorable for just how gross its facilities were, coupled with its apparent lack of management and of anything worth drinking. The fact that anyone was drinking in there at all I think says a lot about its former qualities and maybe a little about the fact that some students it seems will drink anywhere. 1 out of 10 - for having an outside space.
So that ends a beer bites that was really a beer 3 courses, hope to to be back soon with some more info and details of trips away from sunny Sheff.
Wee Beefy.
A few more spoonfuls of wholesome beer news to digest and maintain a healthy diet of bibulous information, in no particular order.
The Railway Wadsley Bridge.
The inimitable Jean continues to single handedly steer this previously neglected ship along the treacherous waterways of the beer and pubs business, seemingly with consummate ease. On my recent visit there were only two beers on, Bradfield Blonde and Acorn Barnsley Bitter, and a decent number of punters in. I would have preferred a stronger beer option but I have to say that the Acorn was in cracking nick, and duly warranted a second pint. This pub has restricted opening hours of Friday Saturday and Sunday only, with the pub open all day Sunday and on the other two from 5 onwards, so ringing ahead may be advisable if making a trip, but its well worth a look.
Shakespeares
Recent ales seen on the bar include an incredibly bitter Three Swords from Kirkstall, Blue Bee Lustin For Stout (the brewery of which now have their own website at http://www.bluebeebrewery.co.uk/w/doku.php?id=beers ), a couple of underwhelming Geeves Brewery offerings (alas not found a good one yet!) Summer Wine Brewery Dark Mild, and 2 from Hornbeam brewery Manchester. On a recent visit one of theirs that i tried, the White Swan, was very, very strange, even though I should have read the description on the board (although poor eyesight makes this near impossible), I was really unhappy with the bubble bath taste.
I returned to the bar and asked if, given that i knew that the beer was not off, they would be kind enough to replace it anyhow since it was so affrontingly vile. They duly did, cautioning that no-one else had complained and replaced it with the Hornbeam bitter which was a much better beer altogether. Well done to Shakespeares for their admirable focus on customer satisfaction.
Ship Inn Shalesmoor
You know how it is, you don't know what it is you've missed until its gone. I have had that dread feeling many times and often rued my decision making and priorities in not getting to visit pubs that have been swallowed up by progress or disappeared altogether. Luckily, this has not happened to me regarding a pub I have passed many times without popping in, the Ship at Shalesmoor.
You can't miss it. Every time you drive from West bar past the Shakespeare (erm, you probably can't do this in a car any more, but you get my drift ), or swing round the corner to Shalesmoor tram stop on the tram, you can see this fine tiled building, proclaimimg proudly its Truswells Ales, standing steadfastly on its own on a road previously blessed with at least 5 pubs, I am told.
Its not like I haven't been in either. I went in with Chala years ago, and took a handpicked selection of the Gloystarne lads there on an epic chrisrtmas pub crawl in the late nineties, amongst other visits. The problem is, I was never totally sold on Kimberly ales, and then when the pub and Kimberly brand became owned by Greene King, I kind of lost my inspiration to go, and missed the chance to appreciate what a refreshingly traditional local this was.
I tried to pop in a couple of Sundays ago but alas it closes during the day Sunday I think, but remedied this on Friday night. Inside to my surprise there wasn't a Grim King beer in site, instead 3 guest beers, Bradfield Blonde, Thornbridge Sequoia, and the one I had, Spire Dark Side of the Moon, at £2.60 a pint. I picked a table near the door with a draught repelling snob screen to my right and sat down to take in the hub of conversation and the stream of regulars (based on their being addressed by name) to the bar to order beer.
It dawned on me that Grim King through their objectionable megalomania had previously deprived me of a great pub experience. So now I have the opportunity to make up for lost time, I strongly recommend you do the same, and give the Ship a try.
P.S - don't forget the 50p a go pool!
Double H
Earlier that same evening I had been in the Hillsborough Hotel. Always a handy stop after a slake in the Blake, especially since they serve food til 21.00. Alas I chose the wrong night for a visit. Unfortunately the manager had been in an accident and wasn't in and, whether related or not, there was only a third of the cheffing staff and it seemed, an occurrence of beermageddon.
My first pint the Crown HPA was on its last legs, but not enough that i would take it back. I knew there was a wait for food so decided to drink it quickly and move onto my favourite, the Stannington Stout. Alas, this had run out so I had a try of the Cottage - I can't recall its name, but it wasn't Golden Arrow, and to be fair their beers are usually very samey - i.e all incredibly poor. It was true to form so I got a pint of Blue Bee Bees Knees. Not my favourite Blue Bee beer, but it sufficed.
I toyed after this with the idea of a Crown bitter but after trying another grim offering I had a half of the Derby 30 hop which went off straight after, and then a half of the Cottage Golden Arrow, mainly in desperation at the lack of available options. The HPA soon disappeared and it was quite late into the evening before any beers were replaced.
I have been going to the Double H for yonks so won't be making plans to avoid it on this showing when there was a clear explanation - and significant sympathy and apologies from the staff - for this poor display. It just means I'll have to go back sometime when all is working well again and secure a pint of the fantastic Stannington Stout.
Harrisons 1854
Just a quick note about the above, to remind you if nothing else that they continue to sell two real ales from Abbeydale, at £3.00 a pint which is reasonable for West Street. Make sure you pop in for one of their DJ nights or other events - find them on Facebook (I am told this is a public page! http://www.facebook.com/Harrisons1854 - please ignore the Harrisons link posted yesterday, twas raang am afraid, sorry for any confusion.)
Ay up duck! A pub crawl with a difference
On a recent trip out with Mr Ashman, I happened across a great new idea that is being promoted in fairest Sheffield. A local artist is (with the agreement of the premises involved!) spray painting pictures of ducks on a number of Sheffield's best hostelries from the City Centre right out to the fringes of the city.
The idea is that participants will strive to find pubs emblazoned with the painted canards (the Latin name for the genus duck is Anas, so I have helpfully sidestepped that for the French instead......) and visit them to sample their unique atmosphere, appearance, music, beer garden, or hopefully decent ale, (although am not sure that everyone is guaranteed to be a real ale stockist). Each duck will carry an archetypal Sheffield phrase, and participants are encouraged to visit as many as possible to get the best drinking and pub experiences, as well as scoring points along the way.
The anticipation is that "duck hunters" will find their way to all of the duck emblazoned hostelries, and in doing so, drink some Sheffield beer and discover some pubs they may not have done before. There are prizes on offer to those who visit every venue and for other achievements in the field. To find out more details, visit Facebook and search Ay up ducks (spelling important) or follow the link (note, i am unsure if this is public) on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/ayupducks .
On the Slake in S6
The above meeting happened at my regular after work destination the Blake at Walkley. As ever the pub strives to provide a range of excellent beers on its 6 hand pulls, along with real cider and an impressive range of continental draught and bottled beers. Not forgetting of course, the fabulous pork pies. On my last visit a notable choice available on the bar was an excellent West Coast Brewery California Pale Ale. This is a beer from a new brewery from North Wales who I understand are brewing using the Conwy brewery kit at present. For (not much more) info see
http://www.conwybrewery.co.uk/16.html .
This news serves as an introduction to a recent trip round Walkley to see how the ever changing scene there is progressing. Across the park from the Blake both the Firwood and Belle Vue appear to still be trading. Try as I might, I have never been tempted to go in the Vue but note changes afoot at the Cottage.
On South Road the Freedom House has just reopened its doors, its first night was Friday 7th October. On my visit I found there was no real ale but was assured it was being delivered Tuesday and would be on by Friday. I seem to recall its only Bombadier (which I subconsiously just mis-spelled as Bombadire) but its a start, and hopefully this will be the nub of a revival. The Firwood connection is that according to Beer Matters, the new licensee is a former Firwood Cottage landlord, although am not sure if they have moved directly from there.
Further down towards Hillsborough, and on Walkley Bank the Florist had no real ale on when I visited, but I was told that they usually do, and that the Farmers Blonde was being substituted by the Bitter.
37th Sheffield Beer Festival
This year I was at two sessions of the fest, alas this is a rather expensive way of doing things, but I had hoped to see some people there on the Friday. Normally I would never go Friday, instead Saturday all day only, or maybe Thursday as well at a push. Much as I enjoyed the festival overall, I think I'd have rather used my normal plan.
Friday was a very hot day as you all know, so its important to note how impossible it would have been to predict the record breaking temperatures that week. That said, the sports hall at Ponds Forge was boiling. The beer was warmer at the cider bar end than the other (cooler beer stopped around the letter H?) and no one seemed to have thought of opening a door at each end of the hall to create a through draught, like they do in Crete for example.
That said the Hummingbirds were good, if a little quiet for such a large space, and there were some notably good beers on. Saturday was less sweaty and being a quieter session it was easier to get sat down, and near to a door at that. The quiz was as tough as always (I failed miserably again) but it was nice being there for the afternoon and still able to sample a decent range of beers, with plenty available when I left at 18.30.
The only puzzle not solved was the prices. Some lower gravity beers were well above town prices - for example a half of the Blackedge Pike which is a 3.8% session beer was £1.70. One member of the bar staff alluded to the fact that some casks had come by courier, and I also heard that some beers were as low as £2.20 a pint (Acorn perhaps?), but there were far too many beers that should have been affordable at sensible strengths that topped £3.20 a pint and some of the stronger ones, which are naturally more expensive, were over £4.00 and thus a pound more than nearby pubs. In summary - a welcome return indoors, the venue size and location are perfect, but sort out the prices!
Forum 3 - or the York at Broomhill.
Now kids, don't get all up in arms, am not sure for definite that the forum own the York and the Old House, but if they do, then visiting the three establishments shows an interesting transition, from hit and miss beer to beer heaven, but without a traditional boozer in sight.
Have not been in the forum for a couple of month but noted a reduced emphasis on the real stuff, and a friend informed me that last week there was no ale to be had at all. Up the road the Old House is also one I have missed of late but last time I went it was still serving decent beer and great food. The York, all the way out at Broomhill, is an interesting addition. The pub interior boasts a mish mash of classic and modern pub interior styles, with emphasis on food, and a good range of beer, including the Anvil Porter brewed for them by brew Company. The interior is warm and comforting and the bar is reassuringly classic looking.
Having only been on a Sunday I haven't had chance to see what the food side entails regarding seating. The impression I get is that the right hand seating is for drinkers and the left and to the back is for diners. I don't mind this per se - its no doubt essential to have dining as part of the set up given the money laid out in its transformation (the bar has moved a third time since the early nineties) but I would like to think that the drinking area is not encroached when it gets busy - I will have to come back soon and see for myself.
Drinks wise, there are 5 or 6 real ale pumps including the porter, and one or two used for real cider and perry, along with a decent range of continental bottled beers (too few darks though!) and a very impressive wine list, coupled with cocktails, softails, spirits and even speciality teas. So do give it a try, preferably to compare and contrast it with the Old house and Forum.....
Aaagh! Not the Nottingham House....
I was to have had a third trip to the above featured pub, the York, but en route my mate Carlos told me it was rammed and so we decamped to the Notty House. What a travesty this turned out to be! The pub was quiet for a Saturday night, and the plain white walls hinted at the fact that it may only have just reopened. On the bar were four handpumps, with none serving real ale. The staff were inattentive and seemingly inexperienced, more interested in the fact that me and my mate both had soft drinks (as he was taking it easy and there was no decent beer) than anything else.
I made a trip to the loo and found 7 empty toilet roll holders and some piles of hopefully unused bog roll on the floor, away from the cubicle there were no hand towels with the holders left open (assumedly by desperate blokes in the cubicles?) and along with the lack of hot water, I also had no opportunity to make my hands clean as there was also no soap or handwash.
I found Carlos in the beer garden where we paused very briefly to drink our soft drinks before heading off for a professional and enjoyable pub experience down the road at the University Arms. I don't normally rate a pub on toilet cleanliness alone, and am not going to now, but i have to say the Notty House was memorable for just how gross its facilities were, coupled with its apparent lack of management and of anything worth drinking. The fact that anyone was drinking in there at all I think says a lot about its former qualities and maybe a little about the fact that some students it seems will drink anywhere. 1 out of 10 - for having an outside space.
So that ends a beer bites that was really a beer 3 courses, hope to to be back soon with some more info and details of trips away from sunny Sheff.
Wee Beefy.
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Wee Beefy's beer bites - Part 4
Good evening
despite money running out faster than patience at an automated checkout, I have still managed to cram a lot into the nearly two weeks since I last posted. So here's some news....
Dove and Rainbow Hartshead
The Dove seems to be on its usual tri-annual rollercoaster of fortunes - in the past few years it has gained plaudits a plenty for its range of beers and been an incredibly popular venue despite its hidden city centre location. Now I can't possibly comment on its popularity amongst music fans as I am in my dotage and listen only to the soulful babble of Jim Reeves et al, but I can make an observation on my Monday night visit recently.
Essentially, Mondays are unsurprisingly slow to get going. There were a few people in, a man who disliked Gary Moore but appeared at ease with wearing a cowboy hat behind the bar, some pool players, and the hatted fella's acolytes around the bar.
Beer wise the choice was about 6 but with little of interest - the Kelham Easy Rider was a god send amongst almost exclusively super regional or worse still Grim King offerings, but as always, i can use my sense of perspective to note that choice is the saviour of any good venue and so did not even mind being accused of being a smoker and given a plastic glass in anticipation of my inevitable sojourn outside.
Overall I reckon that a busier Dove is likely a better Dove - the service was an odd mix of aggressive and matey and the lack of any noticable hubris probably laid bare a few failings that would otherwise not matter or be seen. I think a return visit is required, to sample the best of the pub, and see whether it is still the only decent mix of rock bar and real ale pub in Sheffield.
The Venerable Cat
So spoilt are we in Sheff that often folks forget that there used to be but 1 place (quickly followed, admittedly, by about 4 others ) in the town to get a decent range of beer. The Fat Cat on Alma Street is where this trend kicked off and I was in there for a retrospective last week with Stevo. She was on lady beer of some kind, but i was able to enjoy two fantastic pints of the Wellbeck Abbey brewery Portland Black whilst we munched on sublime pork pies. This is a timely reminder that I don't actually have to walk miles round the city for a relaxing after work imbibe, and reminds me, as it should some of you, that the Cat is always worth a visit.
Henrys - Beer Cafe?
I was acutely aware that after an initial flurry of visits I had somewhat neglected Henry's so popped in for a couple of halves one recent Wednesday. Am pleased to report that their enthusiasm for real ale has not wained, and it still commands a central and important place on the bar.
On offer was a fantastic range of 9 real ales including the two I tried, that being Dark Star American Pale Ale, and Brew Company Smokey Joe (note this is a guess - my somewhat vague notes proclaim only the word "smoky" for this ale...). As well as sampling these two fine beers, the Dark Star being excellent and the Brew Co beer exceeding my expectations of just how Rauchbier-like it would be, I also managed to snaffle some free sarnies en route to my next stop. Top marks!
Bungalow and Beers
Yes, that's a deliberate mis-spelling. To my shock and discombobulation, what I had previously considered a trendy bar offering nowt more tempting than expensive continental fare found everywhere, was now worth a visit for the real ale alone. In a shock move, which has somehow evaded my radar, it turns out that popular bar Bungalow and Bears now , and has for 9 months or more according to the barman, sold real ale! Add into the mix a decent selection of music and some eclectic but comfy seating to tempt the dotards in our midst, this makes the Beargalow worth a look.
On my visit there was 1 cask cider and two cask beers; York Guzzler, and to my surprise, Oakleaf IPA from Hampshire. I didn't even find Oakleaf beer when we were in Hampshire never mind oop ere in Sheffield, and this was one of the best beers of the night. This is a pleasant change and an encouraging development matched by nearby venues as I shall report now....
Great Green Gatsby's
The Great Gatsby, formerly the Olive Bar and before that the Forresters, now has real ale. Only one handpump is used, but it proudly proclaims the sale of a Blue Bee brewery beer, and is served in their Pint glasses. The beer, a 4% pale beer called High Bouncing Lover, with a flavour nearer to Bees Knees than Nectar (based only on the fact that I have tried Bees Knees only once and associate it with a maltier style than the nectar) is £3.00 a pint and heralds a swift return to visitability for a venue, which, like many of its neighbours, has noticed that people do actually care about what they drink and want something tasty and well made. This infectious drive towards choice and ultimately the supply of quality independently produced products can only be a good thing.
Up the road, having derided them in May for leading me a merry dance concerning the provision or not of the beautiful drink, I also noted that the Green Room had gone and got a Blue Bee beer as well. This time it was the Nectar Pale, a little less balanced than at the Rutland where it has been excellent of late, but nonetheless signs of a seachange in bar ethos with regards to drinks choice, started by the Old house and the Wick at Both Ends, and now encompassing almost every venue in the Devonshire Green area.
The Rutland Arms, Brown Street.
Just a quick mention for the above, my recent acquisition of a Blue Bee brewery loyalty card for the venue has prompted a few visits of late, where on my first visit I had a truly fantastic pint of the Nectar Pale at £2.60. On my second just this week, I had a half of the light tasting slightly foxed ale from Slightly Foxed Brewing Company ( see http://slightlyfoxedbrewery.co.uk/ ) and a rather unwise, given its early appearance in my drinking line up that night, pint of Blue Bee Tangled up IPA. Always a pub worth a visit, the addition of these Blue Bee cards makes it doubly worth popping in, although am not sure where one gets the cards from ......
And finally, the rumour mill....
No, not the name of a pretentious bar or themed restaurant, but an object that when twisted dispenses an enticing selection of granules of truth and supposition. I am informed that the Three Cranes on Queen Street, shut for some time now, is finally due to reopen. Real ales will e available, but only a few at first in order to gauge demand. I understand the owner purchased this and another pub with more pressing needs (lets face it, the Three cranes, superficially at least, appears in damn good nick) hence the delay in its reopening. Here's to a potential new addition to the Sheffield real ale scene!
More soon, with updates from North of the border. Slainte!
Wee Beefy.
despite money running out faster than patience at an automated checkout, I have still managed to cram a lot into the nearly two weeks since I last posted. So here's some news....
Dove and Rainbow Hartshead
The Dove seems to be on its usual tri-annual rollercoaster of fortunes - in the past few years it has gained plaudits a plenty for its range of beers and been an incredibly popular venue despite its hidden city centre location. Now I can't possibly comment on its popularity amongst music fans as I am in my dotage and listen only to the soulful babble of Jim Reeves et al, but I can make an observation on my Monday night visit recently.
Essentially, Mondays are unsurprisingly slow to get going. There were a few people in, a man who disliked Gary Moore but appeared at ease with wearing a cowboy hat behind the bar, some pool players, and the hatted fella's acolytes around the bar.
Beer wise the choice was about 6 but with little of interest - the Kelham Easy Rider was a god send amongst almost exclusively super regional or worse still Grim King offerings, but as always, i can use my sense of perspective to note that choice is the saviour of any good venue and so did not even mind being accused of being a smoker and given a plastic glass in anticipation of my inevitable sojourn outside.
Overall I reckon that a busier Dove is likely a better Dove - the service was an odd mix of aggressive and matey and the lack of any noticable hubris probably laid bare a few failings that would otherwise not matter or be seen. I think a return visit is required, to sample the best of the pub, and see whether it is still the only decent mix of rock bar and real ale pub in Sheffield.
The Venerable Cat
So spoilt are we in Sheff that often folks forget that there used to be but 1 place (quickly followed, admittedly, by about 4 others ) in the town to get a decent range of beer. The Fat Cat on Alma Street is where this trend kicked off and I was in there for a retrospective last week with Stevo. She was on lady beer of some kind, but i was able to enjoy two fantastic pints of the Wellbeck Abbey brewery Portland Black whilst we munched on sublime pork pies. This is a timely reminder that I don't actually have to walk miles round the city for a relaxing after work imbibe, and reminds me, as it should some of you, that the Cat is always worth a visit.
Henrys - Beer Cafe?
I was acutely aware that after an initial flurry of visits I had somewhat neglected Henry's so popped in for a couple of halves one recent Wednesday. Am pleased to report that their enthusiasm for real ale has not wained, and it still commands a central and important place on the bar.
On offer was a fantastic range of 9 real ales including the two I tried, that being Dark Star American Pale Ale, and Brew Company Smokey Joe (note this is a guess - my somewhat vague notes proclaim only the word "smoky" for this ale...). As well as sampling these two fine beers, the Dark Star being excellent and the Brew Co beer exceeding my expectations of just how Rauchbier-like it would be, I also managed to snaffle some free sarnies en route to my next stop. Top marks!
Bungalow and Beers
Yes, that's a deliberate mis-spelling. To my shock and discombobulation, what I had previously considered a trendy bar offering nowt more tempting than expensive continental fare found everywhere, was now worth a visit for the real ale alone. In a shock move, which has somehow evaded my radar, it turns out that popular bar Bungalow and Bears now , and has for 9 months or more according to the barman, sold real ale! Add into the mix a decent selection of music and some eclectic but comfy seating to tempt the dotards in our midst, this makes the Beargalow worth a look.
On my visit there was 1 cask cider and two cask beers; York Guzzler, and to my surprise, Oakleaf IPA from Hampshire. I didn't even find Oakleaf beer when we were in Hampshire never mind oop ere in Sheffield, and this was one of the best beers of the night. This is a pleasant change and an encouraging development matched by nearby venues as I shall report now....
Great Green Gatsby's
The Great Gatsby, formerly the Olive Bar and before that the Forresters, now has real ale. Only one handpump is used, but it proudly proclaims the sale of a Blue Bee brewery beer, and is served in their Pint glasses. The beer, a 4% pale beer called High Bouncing Lover, with a flavour nearer to Bees Knees than Nectar (based only on the fact that I have tried Bees Knees only once and associate it with a maltier style than the nectar) is £3.00 a pint and heralds a swift return to visitability for a venue, which, like many of its neighbours, has noticed that people do actually care about what they drink and want something tasty and well made. This infectious drive towards choice and ultimately the supply of quality independently produced products can only be a good thing.
Up the road, having derided them in May for leading me a merry dance concerning the provision or not of the beautiful drink, I also noted that the Green Room had gone and got a Blue Bee beer as well. This time it was the Nectar Pale, a little less balanced than at the Rutland where it has been excellent of late, but nonetheless signs of a seachange in bar ethos with regards to drinks choice, started by the Old house and the Wick at Both Ends, and now encompassing almost every venue in the Devonshire Green area.
The Rutland Arms, Brown Street.
Just a quick mention for the above, my recent acquisition of a Blue Bee brewery loyalty card for the venue has prompted a few visits of late, where on my first visit I had a truly fantastic pint of the Nectar Pale at £2.60. On my second just this week, I had a half of the light tasting slightly foxed ale from Slightly Foxed Brewing Company ( see http://slightlyfoxedbrewery.co.uk/ ) and a rather unwise, given its early appearance in my drinking line up that night, pint of Blue Bee Tangled up IPA. Always a pub worth a visit, the addition of these Blue Bee cards makes it doubly worth popping in, although am not sure where one gets the cards from ......
And finally, the rumour mill....
No, not the name of a pretentious bar or themed restaurant, but an object that when twisted dispenses an enticing selection of granules of truth and supposition. I am informed that the Three Cranes on Queen Street, shut for some time now, is finally due to reopen. Real ales will e available, but only a few at first in order to gauge demand. I understand the owner purchased this and another pub with more pressing needs (lets face it, the Three cranes, superficially at least, appears in damn good nick) hence the delay in its reopening. Here's to a potential new addition to the Sheffield real ale scene!
More soon, with updates from North of the border. Slainte!
Wee Beefy.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Wee Beefy's beer bites and Blue Bee Brewery too
Hello
another rapid fire round-up following my epic trip round the mid counties of England (and two in Wales ) with Mr P, Davefromtshop and Wee Fatha, ending a frenetic (but enjoyable August of trips away.
Blue Bee Brewery launch new beer - Rugbee Rugbee Rugbee!
I was lucky enough to be present and taking snaps for the launch of Blue Bee Brewery's new beer Rugbee Rugbee Rugbee. ( see http://twitter.com/#!/bluebeebrewery ) The launch took place at the excellent and now annual Abbeydale Sports Club/Shefield RUFC beer festival on the side of the pitch at the club, near Dore Station.
The club (with able assistance from Sarah Louise Morton) organised a troop of volunteer bar staff, some home made samosas and curry from a local restaurant along with the assembly of an impressive list of beers and ciders to tempt customers to the free festival where all beers were £2.50 a pint, regardless of strength.
Among the beers on sale was Blue Bee's new 4.8% beer Rugbee Rugbee Rugbee. This beer was launched at the festival, and brewed to coincide with the Rugby world cup being held in New Zealand, and brewed using Pacific Jade hops.
I started with a pint of the Blue Bee Nectar Pale by way of a comparison, and found the Rugbee had just as much hoppy bite, and a little more body than the pale, presumable because its a stronger brew. Along with some other fantastic ale this was a beer I tried a few pints of, along with (not in order) the excellent Boggart Rum Porter, Raw Anubis Porter, Spire Twist and Stout, Steel City Brewing Raw Steel IPA, Leadmill Rapture, and Thornbridge Summer ale (not all pints!). Sensibly my last beer of the night, was Thornbridge Geminus, a fearsomely hoppy 8.5% bed coaxer that meant despite heading to Dave's for a last one, I instead swiftly ended up in a taxi unable to recall the way home....
The festival was very busy especially with the crowds enjoying the band, Mahogany Newt, and runs for three days until, well, possibly 18 minutes ago, depending on when they close. Definitely a date to make in your diary for next year.
Forum Cafe Bar
A recent visit saw the beer range down to one, not that this is a venue renowned for its real ale or anything, but the surprise was the choice of beer. Springhead Olivers Army (see http://www.springhead.co.uk/olivers-army) is a ruby beer with strong malt notes that is somewhere between a bitter and a brown ale. I reckonm, if you are only to have one real ale on, this is either an edgy but confident idea, or a risky gamble. The beer was very quaffable but it was a hot day and I was dreaming of a pale ale all the way there.
Otherwise though, no real changes, with cocktails and wines still taking centre stage (and some decent continental draught). My only gripe - table service - sort it out!
Drinks seem to spend upwards of 10 minutes on the bar when they are busy, going warm or worse still, going nowhere - after waiting 15 minutes they then told me that they didn't have the product I ordered after all. A badly executed good plan am afraid....
York, beer from the shire.
Over the bank holiday weekend I was in sunny (and torrential rainy ) York, the capital of our county (that's right, its not chuffin Leeds) and beholder of an excellent range of pubs. Primarily this was a weekend away for me and Chala so tricky excursions to pubs on the outskirts was out of the question, we just wandered around and went in those we found, mostly.
On day one we holed up for an hour in the excellent Pivni near Newgate market and Swinegate. This fabulous old building has a wonderfully quirky tiled floor downstairs, some disconcertingly warped wood upstairs, and a beer to suit all tastes on the bar. In addition to an unusual selection of continental draught, and 77 lager in keg from BrewDog, there were 4 or 5 real ales on the bar.
I tried a pint of a low gravity Salamander Brewing Co beer which may have been their Axolotl but i concede I don't remember, as well as a half of the BrewDog (cask) Alice Porter, which was fantastic. Its a shame we didn't have more time to stick around, but on our way out later we stopped at a typically rammed Maltings, to sample a pint of Dow bridge mild, and half a Kirkstall Pale, both of which were very suppable.
On the Sunday we got to the Blue Bell at just gone midday to be puzzled that they had hired the front bar out for a private party - that's half of the pub! We did however get a seat in the back and enjoyed a Roosters Yankee, which is a beer I haven't had for a while, and Chala had to settle for coke as the Erdinger was all gone.
Later on we finally found the York brewery Yorkshire Terrier pub on Stonegate - not because its necessarily difficult to find, but because Chala had imagined it was accessed from the shambles. This excellent little pub has 4 separate drinking areas and a range of about 7 real ales. I had a very quaffable pint of the York Yorkshire Terrier, which unless am mistaken, seems to have lost a little hoppiness over the years ? Come on the York Brewery, terriers have bite!
Further up Stonegate is the excellent but real ale free Evil Eye lounge, an uber cool cocktail and tapas bar with a range of good bottled beers and a 4 page menu of cocktails and slammers for those who like the harder stuff. As well as trying some truly unwise and quaffable drinks, like a few B52's for yours truly, I also had a refreshing bottle of Schlenkerla Rauchbier. York bottled beers are also available, and there is a specialist off licence at the front. Well worth a look if in York...
Our penultimate pub stop was new to me, the Brigantes bar, a real ale pub similar in style to the Harlequin in good old Sheff, serving a range of about 8 real ales and once again some continental draught. I tried a half of the Kostritzer Schwarzbier from Germany which was a delicious if unusual find, along with pints of York Guzzler and a Brew Company IPA that tasted very faintly, but enjoyably, of oranges.
We did have a real ale with our meal - a half of Sharps Doom Bar at All bar One, a beer now starting to taste more and more malty and less like something I would choose to drink, but ABO only has one pump.
On Monday we somehow contrived to visit no real ale pubs, but with time to spare at the station made the mistake of visiting the coopers Bar. 6 Handpumps, all turned round and having sold 3 beers, Grim King IPA and Abbot, and Theakstons best. Not a continental lager in sight (not even a Kronenburg wheat or similar) and nowt more inspiring in bottle than Newky Brown. In the end, if only to fill in time, I opted for a tonic water and Chala a coke. That really was as food as the place got!
All in all (despite the lack of a decent station bar) York is a magnet for lovers of real ale and pubs, not forgetting of course my absence from the Golden Ball, Swan, 3 Legged Mare, Last Drop Inn, Fleece, Three Cranes and Rook and Gaskill to name but a few.
That's all the beer news I have for now, not withstanding that I have more Scottish cask ale travels to tell of, and our trip round the shires of England and Wales.
Take care and thirst no more
Wee Beefy
another rapid fire round-up following my epic trip round the mid counties of England (and two in Wales ) with Mr P, Davefromtshop and Wee Fatha, ending a frenetic (but enjoyable August of trips away.
Blue Bee Brewery launch new beer - Rugbee Rugbee Rugbee!
I was lucky enough to be present and taking snaps for the launch of Blue Bee Brewery's new beer Rugbee Rugbee Rugbee. ( see http://twitter.com/#!/bluebeebrewery ) The launch took place at the excellent and now annual Abbeydale Sports Club/Shefield RUFC beer festival on the side of the pitch at the club, near Dore Station.
The club (with able assistance from Sarah Louise Morton) organised a troop of volunteer bar staff, some home made samosas and curry from a local restaurant along with the assembly of an impressive list of beers and ciders to tempt customers to the free festival where all beers were £2.50 a pint, regardless of strength.
Among the beers on sale was Blue Bee's new 4.8% beer Rugbee Rugbee Rugbee. This beer was launched at the festival, and brewed to coincide with the Rugby world cup being held in New Zealand, and brewed using Pacific Jade hops.
I started with a pint of the Blue Bee Nectar Pale by way of a comparison, and found the Rugbee had just as much hoppy bite, and a little more body than the pale, presumable because its a stronger brew. Along with some other fantastic ale this was a beer I tried a few pints of, along with (not in order) the excellent Boggart Rum Porter, Raw Anubis Porter, Spire Twist and Stout, Steel City Brewing Raw Steel IPA, Leadmill Rapture, and Thornbridge Summer ale (not all pints!). Sensibly my last beer of the night, was Thornbridge Geminus, a fearsomely hoppy 8.5% bed coaxer that meant despite heading to Dave's for a last one, I instead swiftly ended up in a taxi unable to recall the way home....
The festival was very busy especially with the crowds enjoying the band, Mahogany Newt, and runs for three days until, well, possibly 18 minutes ago, depending on when they close. Definitely a date to make in your diary for next year.
Forum Cafe Bar
A recent visit saw the beer range down to one, not that this is a venue renowned for its real ale or anything, but the surprise was the choice of beer. Springhead Olivers Army (see http://www.springhead.co.uk/olivers-army) is a ruby beer with strong malt notes that is somewhere between a bitter and a brown ale. I reckonm, if you are only to have one real ale on, this is either an edgy but confident idea, or a risky gamble. The beer was very quaffable but it was a hot day and I was dreaming of a pale ale all the way there.
Otherwise though, no real changes, with cocktails and wines still taking centre stage (and some decent continental draught). My only gripe - table service - sort it out!
Drinks seem to spend upwards of 10 minutes on the bar when they are busy, going warm or worse still, going nowhere - after waiting 15 minutes they then told me that they didn't have the product I ordered after all. A badly executed good plan am afraid....
York, beer from the shire.
Over the bank holiday weekend I was in sunny (and torrential rainy ) York, the capital of our county (that's right, its not chuffin Leeds) and beholder of an excellent range of pubs. Primarily this was a weekend away for me and Chala so tricky excursions to pubs on the outskirts was out of the question, we just wandered around and went in those we found, mostly.
On day one we holed up for an hour in the excellent Pivni near Newgate market and Swinegate. This fabulous old building has a wonderfully quirky tiled floor downstairs, some disconcertingly warped wood upstairs, and a beer to suit all tastes on the bar. In addition to an unusual selection of continental draught, and 77 lager in keg from BrewDog, there were 4 or 5 real ales on the bar.
I tried a pint of a low gravity Salamander Brewing Co beer which may have been their Axolotl but i concede I don't remember, as well as a half of the BrewDog (cask) Alice Porter, which was fantastic. Its a shame we didn't have more time to stick around, but on our way out later we stopped at a typically rammed Maltings, to sample a pint of Dow bridge mild, and half a Kirkstall Pale, both of which were very suppable.
On the Sunday we got to the Blue Bell at just gone midday to be puzzled that they had hired the front bar out for a private party - that's half of the pub! We did however get a seat in the back and enjoyed a Roosters Yankee, which is a beer I haven't had for a while, and Chala had to settle for coke as the Erdinger was all gone.
Later on we finally found the York brewery Yorkshire Terrier pub on Stonegate - not because its necessarily difficult to find, but because Chala had imagined it was accessed from the shambles. This excellent little pub has 4 separate drinking areas and a range of about 7 real ales. I had a very quaffable pint of the York Yorkshire Terrier, which unless am mistaken, seems to have lost a little hoppiness over the years ? Come on the York Brewery, terriers have bite!
Further up Stonegate is the excellent but real ale free Evil Eye lounge, an uber cool cocktail and tapas bar with a range of good bottled beers and a 4 page menu of cocktails and slammers for those who like the harder stuff. As well as trying some truly unwise and quaffable drinks, like a few B52's for yours truly, I also had a refreshing bottle of Schlenkerla Rauchbier. York bottled beers are also available, and there is a specialist off licence at the front. Well worth a look if in York...
Our penultimate pub stop was new to me, the Brigantes bar, a real ale pub similar in style to the Harlequin in good old Sheff, serving a range of about 8 real ales and once again some continental draught. I tried a half of the Kostritzer Schwarzbier from Germany which was a delicious if unusual find, along with pints of York Guzzler and a Brew Company IPA that tasted very faintly, but enjoyably, of oranges.
We did have a real ale with our meal - a half of Sharps Doom Bar at All bar One, a beer now starting to taste more and more malty and less like something I would choose to drink, but ABO only has one pump.
On Monday we somehow contrived to visit no real ale pubs, but with time to spare at the station made the mistake of visiting the coopers Bar. 6 Handpumps, all turned round and having sold 3 beers, Grim King IPA and Abbot, and Theakstons best. Not a continental lager in sight (not even a Kronenburg wheat or similar) and nowt more inspiring in bottle than Newky Brown. In the end, if only to fill in time, I opted for a tonic water and Chala a coke. That really was as food as the place got!
All in all (despite the lack of a decent station bar) York is a magnet for lovers of real ale and pubs, not forgetting of course my absence from the Golden Ball, Swan, 3 Legged Mare, Last Drop Inn, Fleece, Three Cranes and Rook and Gaskill to name but a few.
That's all the beer news I have for now, not withstanding that I have more Scottish cask ale travels to tell of, and our trip round the shires of England and Wales.
Take care and thirst no more
Wee Beefy
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