Weekend wanders

Artanoo yall,

        the last two weekends have been a great opportunity to try new places to sup, including Chester, and Nottinghamshire - here are a few scarcely remembered details from the last two weeks....

Last Saturday I joined the lovely Vikkie along with Jill and Rich at the Industry Tap. Sadly I never got when it was owned and run by Lost Industry but they still supply a lot of the excellent beers there and despite the gusting wind it was a glorious place to sit outside in the bright sunshine. I started on a can of excellent Clamp from Sheffield's St Mars and finished on a half of the equally excellent Abbeydale Deliverance DIPA.

From here we walked to the Rutland for my first post lockdown visit and we sat on the last available bench in the beer garden where I definitely had a half of IPA......it was simultaneously busy and well managed and everyone enjoyed the drinks. From here we got two taxi for the four of us to the Crow Inn where I had at least one half, maybe two, of the excellent  BBNO IPA which was on excellent form. Lovely to sit in the garden there for the first time in ages, and to see Paul and Lisa, who may have other names......

We went to Bar Stewards next where I may have had a pint of Cask from the Past, and got a few cans to take out, and we once again enjoyed our drinks sat in the beer garden. We finished our crawl in the mighty Shakespeares where I  had a pint of something whose name sadly escapes me.

On Sunday me and WK went for a walk around Newstead and the related pit sight where there was lots to see, but also alas a lot of rain - and I hadn't bought a coat. Before heading back to Sheffield I popped in the Pit Micropub in the sports hall and had a choice of three real ales, all from Magpie, as well as a keg of Northern Monk. Sadly as I was soaking wet and short of time I didn't tell them the 5.2% Magpie summer ale was at best very tired - and at worst off. So I am both an awful customer and a dreadful blogger. Am surprised nobody else had noticed it but am well aware I should have said something.

Back in fine sunny Sheffield and me and WK popped in the White Lion - although I almost always go for Dancing Duck both me and WK had pints of a Salopian 3.6% session ale which the barman recommended. Am always a fan of their brews and this did not disappoint. We sat in the small room on the right and although we had to get off after just one we enjoyed our sup along with the excellent new exit down the passage at the side.

This weekend me and WK took a surprise trip to Chester - a place which I last went to aged 17 to watch a play with the janitor from Grange Hill in it which was by Shakespeare, but was also a place I have never been drinking in. Having booked last minute accommodation at a hotel about 20 minutes or less walk from the centre we arrived at 1500 and by 16.00 we had wandered into town. Seeing the crowd outside the Lodge on the way down I thought I had wandered into Crosspool, with some well rehearsed toffy-nosedness on display, but then having passed a few outdoor cider enthusiasts I thought I was back in Sheffield city centre - that aside though Chester has an amazing centre and we started our trip at the Old Hawkers Arms by the canal.

From an excellent range of beers I started on a pint of Abbeydale Aftershave at about 4.2%, and followed this with a pint of Hobsons stout - a brewery whose beer I haven't had for years! Whilst here we found out about micropubs and similar places to visit and headed with a mix of success to the 18.00 closing Beer Heroes where we had arranged a table for 17.30. The combination of Google maps and some confusion over the name of separate venues meant wqe got a little lost but Soon found it and WK was on a pint of session ale and I was on a pint of excellent Shindigger, sat on a small table inside. Sadly we only had time to stop for one as we had to leave just after six but from here it was a leisurely walk up  Northgate and just out of the centre to what turned out to be the best pub of the trip.

Goat and Munch was a micropub selling about 5 kegs as well as two local cask beers and we sat in the back room along with regulars and a dog called Rory, with WK on half a Marble stout and myself on a fabulous pint of Kernel IPA at 6.8%. Rory was very well behaved and loved by the customers and the atmosphere was relaxing, warm and friendly. After having got some directions we headed to the Brewery Tap next which I think may have been in a former Linen hall - 6 Cask from the Past by Spitting Feathers along with a couple of keg - I had a pint of the strongest pale on cask and finished on an excellent half of Hacker Pschoor!

After this WK went for some scran whilst I headed own the road to the  Bear and Billet where having given my details I quickly got a pint of Adnams whilst awaiting WK before getting him a pint of Weetwood Eastgate and myself a pint of Okells - another brewery whose output I haven't tried for ages.

Our last stop was the Cellar Bar where WK had a cloudy half of something refreshing and I had a fabulous pint of excellent Manchester Lagonda IPA in a venue where we initially sat outside but were later allowed back in. Excellent end to the night!

Yesterday although we nipped to the Oakwood pub next door for breakfast, we only made one pub stop - we nipped in the Lockkeepers next to the canal and WK was on tea as he was driving and I had a rather dire pint of BrewDog Punk IPA. The staff were nice but overall the visit was quite disappointing, since as well as the garbage selection of beers they also didn't offer the 50% off discount having only opened a week earlier.  We nipped into henious Co-op en route back to pick up the car to get some local take out, and made it back to fine sunny Sheffield in good time - where I had a can of a Northern Monk collab IPA at 7.2% with Alpha Delta and Pomona Island and others which was absolutely delicious!

Overall I continue to enjoy my lockdown drinking and am looking forward to finding some new places this week as am off. And Chester was a fabulous place to go for both cask and keg and scran, along with excellent architecture.

Your very best of health!

Wee Beefy