Hellall,
as my bank account clearly attests, the last two weeks have been quite refreshing. There have of course been events to attend, but mostly me and Tash have split our time around different pubs and sampled numerous excellent beers in doing so. Here are some details of that, along with news of some reopenings.
We start, as always, in Shakespeares. I recently had several pints f the excellent Buxton Axe Edge at 6.9%, sold on cask at £3.90 a pint. This is whopping IPA with bags of hop flavour but is well balanced and easy, too easy, to drink. Last night I was in with Tash supping the Steel City collaboration strong ale - Hoppy Barley Wine. Its 9.4% and actually very well balanced - tons of hops but lots of malt in the background help to keep the beer and the tastes together nicely. The collaboration is between Steel City, Raw and Waen breweries, and costs, reasonably for it's strength, £4.80 a pint. Myself and Tash had a pint last night, whilst warding off the attentions of a drunken racist who was determined to share his absurd and frankly pointless prejudiced opinions with us.
We also had a pint of Mallinsons Baton Rouge red ale, and some delicious Buxton Far Skyline Berliner Weiss. I was in the night before as well with Matty, and sampled the keg saison Zinnebier and the Baton Rouge again, as well as the Citra on keg and the Alechemy Koala T. a bizarre but refreshing orange and lemon pale ale. Once again, Shakespeares serves up a wide range of different beer styles.
A couple of trips to the Bath Hotel recently saw us on keg once again, the last weekend we played cards against humanity there with Matty and "Rando" (who won, by being funnier than us by our pulling cards at random from the answers pile) and we supped pints of the Wiper and True Ella, which I may have previously told you is a fantastic beer. On our next visit we tried the Belgian version of Halcyon, also on keg, and possibly stronger - I can't say I like it as much as normal Halcyon, but it was worth trying, along with a half of Melba IPA on cask.
Last night I was in the Walkley Beer Co and was shocked to find all 3 casks and 1 keg still available! I had a delicious pint of Arbor NZ Bomb with Dan and Rob who I'd seen at the Punchbowl reopening, along with an exceptional half of Kernel Mosaic on keg - bursting with flavour and perfectly showcasing the flavours of Mosaic hops.
Two recent visits to the Andrew Inns Three Tuns have seen impeccable ale choices - the first time I had a pint of the 3.9% Comet pale ale from Blue Bee which was a dead heat choice with Mallinsons Citra - I chose the Comet as its a less regularly encountered hop. It was punchy and bitter and very refreshing. Last night I had a fantastic pint, as did Tash of the excellent Return of the Geek Mosaic Pale at 6.0%, also from Blue Bee. This was bursting with flavours, but was a very different beer from the Kernel earlier, not last because it was on cask.
Prior to this me and Tash popped in the Church House. Now no longer maligned by the absurd marketing segmentation of Scottish and Newcastle (as was) the pub has carved itself a niche as a rock pub, with bands and DJ's and, alas karaoke. I was disappointed to find so many pump clips turned round, especially on a Saturday night, but in fact the Robisons Trooper was on good form. I had a pint and a half and Tash two double whisky and coke whilst we listened to some long unheard tunes.
We recently visited the Gardeners Rest after a walk and had pints of the Sheffield Brewing Company Stonecutter IPA, as well as a red ale from Pin up Brewing. We sat in the beer garden initially, listening to the pagoda amplify our voices as we raised our heads - a logical but surprising event!
News now of upcoming events. Firstly, signs are that work is well underway at the Ship on Shalesmoor. No idea of a reopening date yet but the company behind it is Artisan beers - their website suggests it will retain its name as the Ship but operate as the Artisan Tap. Information is hard to come by apart from it appears to have been bought by them from Greedy King - since I doubt anyone would be able to arrange the deal the previous landlord did with them, this is potentially a positive development. If anyone has been to one of their ther three pubs in the UK, please let me know.
Also, on the 22nd September the Red House on Solly street is set to reopen - it promises to sell local real ales and craft beers (whatever that means!). I first went in the Red House in 1993 and drank Wards Bitter on cask and had something to eat at lunch. It was a friendly, paneled local pub then, but gradually changed into more of a venue, with, if memory serves, pretty terrible beer! It will be good to see some decent beer on, but am not sure what will happen to the facilities for bands to play.
More info on the above two openings and other news, as soon as I get it.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
Showing posts with label The Church House pub. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Church House pub. Show all posts
Sunday, 20 September 2015
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Bars and kegs and coffee - for beer lovers.
Good afternoon,
as well as having a thoroughly enjoyable night out at Shakespeares, whom you may have noticed me refer to previously, this week I have also gone off the rails and recklessly ended up in places where I don't normally get to. Including, shock horror, two bars with NO REAL ALES...! Despite that I have survived virtually unscathed and am here to tell you the details.
Friday I met Miss N along with Rach and Ade in the Dove and Rainbow. There was some decent music playing and I didn't look too out of place despite having come from work via the hospital, but I wasn't encouraged to find ale drinkers Rach and Ade on Guinness - "the beer's a bit crap now that stout's gone off so we are on emergency beer" they explained. Looking down the bar there were the usual suspects from national and local breweries (Trooper and Hobgoblin) so in the end I plumped for Blue Bee Nectar Pale. It was £3.00 a pint and looked fab but tasted a little, um...burnt? Still, it was drinkable enough and it was nice catching up with the R and A.
Saturday saw us in Sellers Wheel. Initially I thought they'd gone mad and put a beer on handpump but it was just the angle of the sign on one of the cakes - had I been able to see better am sure that the confectionery's identity may have made it obvious there wasn't a beer on of that name...
As it was we had excellent coffee (as was the idea) along with Lemington (Lemonton?) Squares which are rich coconut covered slabs of delicious cake that are enjoyably filling. Feeling a bit sugar laden after, we had halves of Hop Studio Pilsner and Thornbridge Versa to cleanse the palate. The Pilsner does just that but the Versa was perhaps the better of the two, being both refreshing and strongly flavoured. There is also a decent range of bottled beers from quality breweries to choose from.
Heading back into town we popped in a new venue - or a newly renamed one. The Jaipur Arms is the bar at the Best Western Hotel between Arundel Gate and High Street. Proclaiming food and Thornbridge beer it seemed like a great idea, with four beers listed on the board. Alas, this is a rather optimistic listing since there are only two keg fonts - and no hand pumps. Granted the Tsara was nice, and the decor OK for a hotel bar, but I think they've missed a trick in not having any of the real stuff on. Although, I hadn't heard anywhere that they had taken over what I imagine was the existing hotel bar so maybe its a bit too low key to risk a live product.
From here I took Miss N to the Church House. When it first opened there were 5 or 6 handpumps and they admirably strove to always have a dark beer on from the Caledonian range. Now goodness knows how many managers down the line, there are 4 handpumps, and there were three beers to choose from - Deuchars, Caledonian XPA and Autumn Red. The Red was pleasant enough but it was such a long wait at the bar that the seasons may have changed during it.
One member of staff suddenly appeared to assist the two who were rushed off their feet serving a customer next to me with the longest and most complex order ever and a large number of people at the other end of the bar - but he just went to the first person he saw in the larger group, except that group had formed after I'd got there. The two staff there at the beginning them both went to attend to the same group at the opposite end of the bar before both remembering at the same time that I was there for a drink. I know its Saturday night but ten minutes is a long time to wait for two halves.
Meanwhile, the decor remains the same and there was a mixed clientele savouring the food aromas and relaxing in comfy seats. I can't see that anything has changed in a way that will attract more customers or that has improved the experience of the customer in terms of service or choice, so I expect the pub to struggle on with no-one knowing where it is. In their favour (from my point of view) there appears to always be a seasonal beer on so maybe one of Caley's excellent stouts will make an appearance soon. However, a year and one day after it reopened its still a place to nurse a half in and remains traceable on the internet mainly via some blokes beer blog, as opposed to their FB page or fairly out of date barbook page....
Our final stop of the night was in a strangely quiet DAda, where all four of the handpumps were dispensing some of Thornbridge's poorer cask offerings - Kipling, Marples and Wild Swan. Luckily the excellent Saint Petersburg was flying the flag for the good old days. I had a half of that and Miss N a half of the excellent Chiron, before she moved onto a pint and I a half and a half of Halcyon. To be fair, one reliably excellent feature of the Thornbridge portfolio is Halcyon - and it was damned excellent as always.
DAda my be a regular haunt of mine but its slowly metamorphosing from its original incarnation two years ago into a reliable source of excellent Keykeg and bottled beers, and when Daddy T allows, a decent guest cask ale or two. Plus there is the promise of Gluhkriek for Winter. And, whilst not a beer related bonus, it does have a rather fabulous big red leather sofa to snuggle up on and listen to some music. Simple pleasures but ones that help to make it worth going back.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
as well as having a thoroughly enjoyable night out at Shakespeares, whom you may have noticed me refer to previously, this week I have also gone off the rails and recklessly ended up in places where I don't normally get to. Including, shock horror, two bars with NO REAL ALES...! Despite that I have survived virtually unscathed and am here to tell you the details.
Friday I met Miss N along with Rach and Ade in the Dove and Rainbow. There was some decent music playing and I didn't look too out of place despite having come from work via the hospital, but I wasn't encouraged to find ale drinkers Rach and Ade on Guinness - "the beer's a bit crap now that stout's gone off so we are on emergency beer" they explained. Looking down the bar there were the usual suspects from national and local breweries (Trooper and Hobgoblin) so in the end I plumped for Blue Bee Nectar Pale. It was £3.00 a pint and looked fab but tasted a little, um...burnt? Still, it was drinkable enough and it was nice catching up with the R and A.
Saturday saw us in Sellers Wheel. Initially I thought they'd gone mad and put a beer on handpump but it was just the angle of the sign on one of the cakes - had I been able to see better am sure that the confectionery's identity may have made it obvious there wasn't a beer on of that name...
As it was we had excellent coffee (as was the idea) along with Lemington (Lemonton?) Squares which are rich coconut covered slabs of delicious cake that are enjoyably filling. Feeling a bit sugar laden after, we had halves of Hop Studio Pilsner and Thornbridge Versa to cleanse the palate. The Pilsner does just that but the Versa was perhaps the better of the two, being both refreshing and strongly flavoured. There is also a decent range of bottled beers from quality breweries to choose from.
Heading back into town we popped in a new venue - or a newly renamed one. The Jaipur Arms is the bar at the Best Western Hotel between Arundel Gate and High Street. Proclaiming food and Thornbridge beer it seemed like a great idea, with four beers listed on the board. Alas, this is a rather optimistic listing since there are only two keg fonts - and no hand pumps. Granted the Tsara was nice, and the decor OK for a hotel bar, but I think they've missed a trick in not having any of the real stuff on. Although, I hadn't heard anywhere that they had taken over what I imagine was the existing hotel bar so maybe its a bit too low key to risk a live product.
From here I took Miss N to the Church House. When it first opened there were 5 or 6 handpumps and they admirably strove to always have a dark beer on from the Caledonian range. Now goodness knows how many managers down the line, there are 4 handpumps, and there were three beers to choose from - Deuchars, Caledonian XPA and Autumn Red. The Red was pleasant enough but it was such a long wait at the bar that the seasons may have changed during it.
One member of staff suddenly appeared to assist the two who were rushed off their feet serving a customer next to me with the longest and most complex order ever and a large number of people at the other end of the bar - but he just went to the first person he saw in the larger group, except that group had formed after I'd got there. The two staff there at the beginning them both went to attend to the same group at the opposite end of the bar before both remembering at the same time that I was there for a drink. I know its Saturday night but ten minutes is a long time to wait for two halves.
Meanwhile, the decor remains the same and there was a mixed clientele savouring the food aromas and relaxing in comfy seats. I can't see that anything has changed in a way that will attract more customers or that has improved the experience of the customer in terms of service or choice, so I expect the pub to struggle on with no-one knowing where it is. In their favour (from my point of view) there appears to always be a seasonal beer on so maybe one of Caley's excellent stouts will make an appearance soon. However, a year and one day after it reopened its still a place to nurse a half in and remains traceable on the internet mainly via some blokes beer blog, as opposed to their FB page or fairly out of date barbook page....
Our final stop of the night was in a strangely quiet DAda, where all four of the handpumps were dispensing some of Thornbridge's poorer cask offerings - Kipling, Marples and Wild Swan. Luckily the excellent Saint Petersburg was flying the flag for the good old days. I had a half of that and Miss N a half of the excellent Chiron, before she moved onto a pint and I a half and a half of Halcyon. To be fair, one reliably excellent feature of the Thornbridge portfolio is Halcyon - and it was damned excellent as always.
DAda my be a regular haunt of mine but its slowly metamorphosing from its original incarnation two years ago into a reliable source of excellent Keykeg and bottled beers, and when Daddy T allows, a decent guest cask ale or two. Plus there is the promise of Gluhkriek for Winter. And, whilst not a beer related bonus, it does have a rather fabulous big red leather sofa to snuggle up on and listen to some music. Simple pleasures but ones that help to make it worth going back.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
Thursday, 11 April 2013
Cancel the beer! There is illness here...
Good evening,
I was supposed to be catching up with good friend J9 tomorrow, alas both f us have contracted housemaids knee, a debilitating ailment which makes us sniffle in a fog of malodorous germs whilst our faces run and our heads pound. Okay, its a cold, I admit. But I, for one, am at the losing my tastebuds stage. So I spent the beer money on vitamin C instead Prescient then, that I invested so heavily in birthday inspired refreshment s last weekend, the last installment of which is finally here.
Wee Keefy became a year older than he'd on April 9th 2012 yesterday. Every year he tries it on in attempting to be older than me, which is wearying, especially since you consider that every June I myself ratchet up another score. The benefits though are plentiful. At least one night out, and sometimes a pub meal.
We met in the Beehive which, not least because its on West Street, the official capital of twats, is going slightly off the boil. Only two beers on, the Honeypot which I assume is still a Blue Bee re-badge, and the Sheffield Brewery Five Rivers. Or it might have been Seven Hills. *clears throat...*
Still, at £2.50 a pop it wasn't bad and served at a sensible temperature, to boot, when we convened in the former shop side to catch up - myself, Jack, Carlos, Half Pint, Paddington, Lauren and, um, you know, her friend, and of course Wee Keefy, with his mate Adam. Bob. Dave? Jesus. It was a long night (not that I'm suggesting Jesus was an attendee, for various ideological reasons). Anyway, all of whoever us was were having a few in here before heading for a presumably larger range at the Hop.
Now, you may know that I find the Hop a bit like a slipper with a bit of grit in. It looks inviting enough but there's something nigglingly wrong about it. We entered to find the place 4 thick at the bar, and I opted for a pint of the Ascot Alligator Ale, and others variously had choices including Excelsior, and Abbeydale Prophecy. Alas the prophecy had not come to fruition, in fact, more likely it had finished altogether, and that was swapped, with no fuss from the staff, for half an Ascot for my mate, whilst I had a pint of the excellent Riverhead Deer Hill porter. It was fantastic, and a bit over £3.00 a pint.
Later as the glasses mounted up more of us headed Ascot and Ossett way and I had more Deer Hill, but then finished on the glorious Fernandes West Coast IPA, at 6.something percent. An excellent choice, promising and delivering everything I required.
A quick change here as we headed up to Crookes for the last pub, with Jack leaving and Martim replacing her. In the Ball on Crookes I had a very nice pint of the Kelham Island Gentleman Death Baltic Porter, in fact, so good was it, I had a few. Alas, the Kelham 20th century boy tasted like that was when it was brewed, but, in stark contrast to the customer service farce I suffered in the pub 3 years ago, it was replaced without fuss, and I had yet another pint of Gentleman Death. Still eh.
On Sunday, I knew we were going to a food pub, in the countryside, where beer is often an afterthought. Lucily I was rolling up in the Closed Shop at 2 for a chinwag so was able to stock up on great beer. I say stock up. I mean sup, obviously. Here, the Muirhouse Coffee Porter started promisingly but went a bit mental on my second pint, so I consoled myself with at least two pints of Blue Bee Tangled Up IPA, at 6.0%. I;m seeing a pattern here to be honest - and it's not supporting the theory that you drink less quantities of stronger beer. Probably time to remind myself that 6.0% is not, I repeat not, session beer.
Once in the beer wagon we headed out into the Peak District to the Yorkshire Bridge Inn. Rumour, or more likely confusion, suggests I've never actually drunk there of drinking age, so affronted was I by the price of Old Peculiar. Whether I did or didn't, the pub is no longer £1.20 a pint dearer than many around it, although still a little steep.
Inside the rooms on the right are kind of more bar like than the restauranty bits, but it's silly to think that this is a quiet haven for a pint. That said, there was a decent selection of cask ale available.
Here Wee Fatha had a half of Peak ales Bakewell Bitter which I think was a shade over £3.00 a pint, whilst Wee Keefy had a birthday pint of the same and a half of Buxton Moor Top, at a slightly painful £3.40 a pint (it's 3.5% or something). Given that the other local ales (Bradfield Bitter and blonde, Abbeydale Moonshine) are stronger and cheaper, it makes me wonder maybe the cost is being insisted upon by the brewery more than the retailed. Granted it wipes the floor with the others in terms of taste, but it's an uneasy equation.
Mind you, I had another pint or two with my absolutely ginormous ham hock. A stupendous mass of food.
The final Birthday fling came about not with Wee Keefy himself, but as a result of delivering his somewhat last minute gift. Having already popped in the Church House, seemingly even darker than before, but selling a decent Caledonian Dry Dock Stout, I found the inspiration somehow, to pop back in the Closed Shop.
Here I had a half of the Maypole Midge, a commendably hoppy pale light beer at around 3.5%, as well as a half of the Sheffield Brew Co Rustless, which was much more underwhelming than the Staybrite at the Woodside Inn. Across the road I settled on a half of Jaipur which was OK, before heading to the University Arms. Here two impeccable halves were consumed, Nethergate Umbel Ale, and, showing Muirhouse how it should be done, Dark Star Espresso, the cost of both coming to less than £3.00.
My final stop was in the Bath Hotel where I spotted the DAda folk along with other bar luminaries, and supped a pint of Whim Flower Power IPA (always an excellent choice) and a half of the Bristol Beer factory Milk Stout.
All of which means I can now safely send a few days off the ale without forgetting what it tastes like, whilst the fever rages in my joints and my eyes hurt.
Woe is me...
Wee Beefy.
I was supposed to be catching up with good friend J9 tomorrow, alas both f us have contracted housemaids knee, a debilitating ailment which makes us sniffle in a fog of malodorous germs whilst our faces run and our heads pound. Okay, its a cold, I admit. But I, for one, am at the losing my tastebuds stage. So I spent the beer money on vitamin C instead Prescient then, that I invested so heavily in birthday inspired refreshment s last weekend, the last installment of which is finally here.
Wee Keefy became a year older than he'd on April 9th 2012 yesterday. Every year he tries it on in attempting to be older than me, which is wearying, especially since you consider that every June I myself ratchet up another score. The benefits though are plentiful. At least one night out, and sometimes a pub meal.
We met in the Beehive which, not least because its on West Street, the official capital of twats, is going slightly off the boil. Only two beers on, the Honeypot which I assume is still a Blue Bee re-badge, and the Sheffield Brewery Five Rivers. Or it might have been Seven Hills. *clears throat...*
Still, at £2.50 a pop it wasn't bad and served at a sensible temperature, to boot, when we convened in the former shop side to catch up - myself, Jack, Carlos, Half Pint, Paddington, Lauren and, um, you know, her friend, and of course Wee Keefy, with his mate Adam. Bob. Dave? Jesus. It was a long night (not that I'm suggesting Jesus was an attendee, for various ideological reasons). Anyway, all of whoever us was were having a few in here before heading for a presumably larger range at the Hop.
Now, you may know that I find the Hop a bit like a slipper with a bit of grit in. It looks inviting enough but there's something nigglingly wrong about it. We entered to find the place 4 thick at the bar, and I opted for a pint of the Ascot Alligator Ale, and others variously had choices including Excelsior, and Abbeydale Prophecy. Alas the prophecy had not come to fruition, in fact, more likely it had finished altogether, and that was swapped, with no fuss from the staff, for half an Ascot for my mate, whilst I had a pint of the excellent Riverhead Deer Hill porter. It was fantastic, and a bit over £3.00 a pint.
Later as the glasses mounted up more of us headed Ascot and Ossett way and I had more Deer Hill, but then finished on the glorious Fernandes West Coast IPA, at 6.something percent. An excellent choice, promising and delivering everything I required.
A quick change here as we headed up to Crookes for the last pub, with Jack leaving and Martim replacing her. In the Ball on Crookes I had a very nice pint of the Kelham Island Gentleman Death Baltic Porter, in fact, so good was it, I had a few. Alas, the Kelham 20th century boy tasted like that was when it was brewed, but, in stark contrast to the customer service farce I suffered in the pub 3 years ago, it was replaced without fuss, and I had yet another pint of Gentleman Death. Still eh.
On Sunday, I knew we were going to a food pub, in the countryside, where beer is often an afterthought. Lucily I was rolling up in the Closed Shop at 2 for a chinwag so was able to stock up on great beer. I say stock up. I mean sup, obviously. Here, the Muirhouse Coffee Porter started promisingly but went a bit mental on my second pint, so I consoled myself with at least two pints of Blue Bee Tangled Up IPA, at 6.0%. I;m seeing a pattern here to be honest - and it's not supporting the theory that you drink less quantities of stronger beer. Probably time to remind myself that 6.0% is not, I repeat not, session beer.
Once in the beer wagon we headed out into the Peak District to the Yorkshire Bridge Inn. Rumour, or more likely confusion, suggests I've never actually drunk there of drinking age, so affronted was I by the price of Old Peculiar. Whether I did or didn't, the pub is no longer £1.20 a pint dearer than many around it, although still a little steep.
Inside the rooms on the right are kind of more bar like than the restauranty bits, but it's silly to think that this is a quiet haven for a pint. That said, there was a decent selection of cask ale available.
Here Wee Fatha had a half of Peak ales Bakewell Bitter which I think was a shade over £3.00 a pint, whilst Wee Keefy had a birthday pint of the same and a half of Buxton Moor Top, at a slightly painful £3.40 a pint (it's 3.5% or something). Given that the other local ales (Bradfield Bitter and blonde, Abbeydale Moonshine) are stronger and cheaper, it makes me wonder maybe the cost is being insisted upon by the brewery more than the retailed. Granted it wipes the floor with the others in terms of taste, but it's an uneasy equation.
Mind you, I had another pint or two with my absolutely ginormous ham hock. A stupendous mass of food.
The final Birthday fling came about not with Wee Keefy himself, but as a result of delivering his somewhat last minute gift. Having already popped in the Church House, seemingly even darker than before, but selling a decent Caledonian Dry Dock Stout, I found the inspiration somehow, to pop back in the Closed Shop.
Here I had a half of the Maypole Midge, a commendably hoppy pale light beer at around 3.5%, as well as a half of the Sheffield Brew Co Rustless, which was much more underwhelming than the Staybrite at the Woodside Inn. Across the road I settled on a half of Jaipur which was OK, before heading to the University Arms. Here two impeccable halves were consumed, Nethergate Umbel Ale, and, showing Muirhouse how it should be done, Dark Star Espresso, the cost of both coming to less than £3.00.
My final stop was in the Bath Hotel where I spotted the DAda folk along with other bar luminaries, and supped a pint of Whim Flower Power IPA (always an excellent choice) and a half of the Bristol Beer factory Milk Stout.
All of which means I can now safely send a few days off the ale without forgetting what it tastes like, whilst the fever rages in my joints and my eyes hurt.
Woe is me...
Wee Beefy.
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Doing my bit for Drinkuary
Hello,
after the melee of Christmas and New Year slaking and the weighty spectre of expectation sitting on the shoulders of all expecting a better year ahead, its been reassuring to know that the reckless merry go round of drinking and general revelry can be continued into January. Not only that, but its all for a good cause!
In response to the sanctimonious imploration by Enjoyment Concern for a "dry January" (surely a more apt meteorological wish given recent events) people, who are real, have come up with the concept of drinkuary. This idea draws a clear correlation between the efforts of Enjoyment Concern and zealots in the health lobby to make people stay off alcohol of any kind for a specific period, with the ongoing decline in the fortune of pubs, the seemingly unstoppable tide of tax rises, and the general spiralling cost of drinking responsibly.
If you forgive the slightly odd misspelling of George Galloway as George Galway, who sounds like he ought to be an Irish folk singer, its an interesting idea, and one which fits in nicely with my intention to continue my normal pre Christmas drinking patterns. Anyone who runs a pub or knows people who run pubs will be aware that January is a write off month - ideally you combine the sales of all of December and January and average them out to make January less of a waste of time. Against which backdrop, the last thing the struggling trade needs is a dearth of custom, so I am pleased to have so far lent my support to the following establishments...
Friday night was Chala's choice so we started in the Church House. Its probably important to clarify that I do actually wish the venue every success; and despite my amusement at its bizarre customer profiling concepts, its still a nice place to have a decent pint of real ale (especially the Caledonian Double Dark, which is fantastic), after work. And that's what we did. Two rounds of Double Dark for me and Birra Moretti for Chala. A pleasant repose.
Off next for a surprise toilet inspired (the need, not the decor) stop off at Popolo's. Despite arriving in time for the drnks offers, nothing beery really caught my eye, at least, nothing in the offer list. So Chala had a half of Staropramen and myself a bottle of Brooklyn Brown. I don't know that I'm really a fan of this beer. It seems oddly sweet and sort of, I dunno, weirdly caramelised. Maybe it was a skunked bottle? Although being refrigerated to near freezing probably does it no favours.
The Rutland Arms on Brown Street was our next destination, for food and beer, and also the opportunity to engage in another Blogosphere meetIRL. After 18 months of hunting, I have finally spotted a SparklePete. A thoroughly nice chap as well. Only 20 more bloggers to meet now....
Drinks wise, Chala tried the Freedom Wheat again and to be fair it was lifeless and even weirder than New Year, so I gamely offered to finish it, and bought Chala half of the very drinkable Freedom Organic lager, which was on top form. I meanwhile ignored the advice of everyone in the know, which was to drink Jarrow Best, and went for pints of Wincle Wassale, Ilkley Mary Christmas and Magic Rock Cannonball, this time to remind myself why its not as good as the Human Cannonball which was amazing when I tried it in the Rutland last year.
There was a slight issue with the Leffe that Chala tried. Its an awkward one to call because realistically, who drinks enough Leffe to know if its right or wrong? Chala was adamant that it was not right, having a cough medicine type flavour and sulphury smell, and did get it swapped. Whilst I have torn loyalties here, I have to agree with young Paultous, who quite sagely pointed out that it definitely wasn't off, and that despite not claiming to be an expert, it tasted nice. An awkward one to call. Incidentally, and unsurprisingly, the food was excellent. Must eat there more often.
Our final drinks were in the Sheffield Tap, where, after discovering to my surprise that they don't sell a single saison (the silly was out of stock, but its not a good beer in my opinion) I decided to go KeyKeg and Cask and came away with a pint of the excellent Kirkstall Black Band Porter, and a half of the even more excellent Camden Hell(e?)s. Chala meanwhile finally got tp try a bottle of Vedett wheat, which was very much to her taste. An excellent way to finish the evening.
Yesterday was meant to be a day of lost pub research - but a much needed lie in saw to that, and I was out mid afternoon to start some rather more local investigations (Ooer!) at DAda. On the bar were two excellent real ales (4 in total, including the weird new St Petersburg with peated malt or whatever gives it that unfortunate edge), those being Red Willow Directionless and Amber Ales Derbyshire Gold.
The Gold was really refreshing and subtly hopped (but in a way that the beer benefited from) and the Red Willow was an intriguing blend of malts and hops, a fantastic drink but one that defied categorising. It was very very good, so that's what matters.
The Red Deer was my next stop, and I had a half each of the two guests - Celt Experience Celt Gold and the St Peters Best Bitter. I probably should have had the bitter first because it paled into insignificance against the amazing golden hoppiness of the Celt Experience, a rarely seen but often enjoyed brewery. Good to see both in Sheffield.
Harrisons 1854 was on my route so I popped in for a chat with Barraharri, but alas as the alcohol was mounting up and I'd had no scran I opted for only a half in here - Farmers Blonde, which was on good form, from a range including Best and Abbeydale Moonshine. It was nice to get back in my spot, even if it was only a pit stop.
The nearby Bath Hotel was following DAda's lead and also had some Red Willow on offer. I had a couple of pints of the Fathomless, an excellent oyster stout, and a half of the Heartless from the cask, another extremely quaffable and excellently executed Red Willow beer. It was also my first opportunity to try one of the Bath's sensational hot roast pork sandwiches - well worth the 8 month wait I'd say!
I managed to find a corner to relax in and spent sometime catching up with Steph, who, poor lass, had been working so hard that she imagined me to be much older than I am. I'm being as gracious as I can here, in the face of extreme provocation.... I finished off with a very tasty pint of Thornbridge Chiron before the allure of my home patch called and I headed off up to Crookes.
After securing fuel I met Wee Keefy in the Princess Royal. From a range of about 5 beers we both had the excellent Sheffield Brewing Co Christmas Pudding Porter, a tasty 5.2% dark beer on at a bargain £2.00 a pint. We sat in the far corner near the jukebox whilst a good covers band played some more unusual tunes including Nirvana and System of a Down.
Things were going rapidly downhill next - literally. Me and Wee Keefy were on Bates Street, and finding it a little slippy underfoot, WK suddenly let out out an "aaargh" and slipped sideways off the pavement. Laughing, I said "what bloody footwear have you got on, I've only got these crappy dress shoes" then took one step and fell flat on my arse. Must not gloat...
The Hallamshire House was our final stop and although initially overjoyed to spot Thorny Goat unfortunately it either wasn't that or someone had put bloody chilli in it. Yuk! Luckily they still had Heather Honey stout, and knowing WK has a sweet tooth I bough him a half of that and me an unusual version of Jaipur, which must have been different, because it was absolutely chuffing delicious! We grabbed a seat with friends Jo and Neil and caught up and supped before I made a joyless, frustrating and lengthy trip home, marked out by utterly backward public transport provision.
So, that;s my first campaigning work in the name of Drinkuary, lets hope I can continue to help, ahem, "them" for the rest of the month.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
after the melee of Christmas and New Year slaking and the weighty spectre of expectation sitting on the shoulders of all expecting a better year ahead, its been reassuring to know that the reckless merry go round of drinking and general revelry can be continued into January. Not only that, but its all for a good cause!
In response to the sanctimonious imploration by Enjoyment Concern for a "dry January" (surely a more apt meteorological wish given recent events) people, who are real, have come up with the concept of drinkuary. This idea draws a clear correlation between the efforts of Enjoyment Concern and zealots in the health lobby to make people stay off alcohol of any kind for a specific period, with the ongoing decline in the fortune of pubs, the seemingly unstoppable tide of tax rises, and the general spiralling cost of drinking responsibly.
If you forgive the slightly odd misspelling of George Galloway as George Galway, who sounds like he ought to be an Irish folk singer, its an interesting idea, and one which fits in nicely with my intention to continue my normal pre Christmas drinking patterns. Anyone who runs a pub or knows people who run pubs will be aware that January is a write off month - ideally you combine the sales of all of December and January and average them out to make January less of a waste of time. Against which backdrop, the last thing the struggling trade needs is a dearth of custom, so I am pleased to have so far lent my support to the following establishments...
Friday night was Chala's choice so we started in the Church House. Its probably important to clarify that I do actually wish the venue every success; and despite my amusement at its bizarre customer profiling concepts, its still a nice place to have a decent pint of real ale (especially the Caledonian Double Dark, which is fantastic), after work. And that's what we did. Two rounds of Double Dark for me and Birra Moretti for Chala. A pleasant repose.
Off next for a surprise toilet inspired (the need, not the decor) stop off at Popolo's. Despite arriving in time for the drnks offers, nothing beery really caught my eye, at least, nothing in the offer list. So Chala had a half of Staropramen and myself a bottle of Brooklyn Brown. I don't know that I'm really a fan of this beer. It seems oddly sweet and sort of, I dunno, weirdly caramelised. Maybe it was a skunked bottle? Although being refrigerated to near freezing probably does it no favours.
The Rutland Arms on Brown Street was our next destination, for food and beer, and also the opportunity to engage in another Blogosphere meetIRL. After 18 months of hunting, I have finally spotted a SparklePete. A thoroughly nice chap as well. Only 20 more bloggers to meet now....
Drinks wise, Chala tried the Freedom Wheat again and to be fair it was lifeless and even weirder than New Year, so I gamely offered to finish it, and bought Chala half of the very drinkable Freedom Organic lager, which was on top form. I meanwhile ignored the advice of everyone in the know, which was to drink Jarrow Best, and went for pints of Wincle Wassale, Ilkley Mary Christmas and Magic Rock Cannonball, this time to remind myself why its not as good as the Human Cannonball which was amazing when I tried it in the Rutland last year.
There was a slight issue with the Leffe that Chala tried. Its an awkward one to call because realistically, who drinks enough Leffe to know if its right or wrong? Chala was adamant that it was not right, having a cough medicine type flavour and sulphury smell, and did get it swapped. Whilst I have torn loyalties here, I have to agree with young Paultous, who quite sagely pointed out that it definitely wasn't off, and that despite not claiming to be an expert, it tasted nice. An awkward one to call. Incidentally, and unsurprisingly, the food was excellent. Must eat there more often.
Our final drinks were in the Sheffield Tap, where, after discovering to my surprise that they don't sell a single saison (the silly was out of stock, but its not a good beer in my opinion) I decided to go KeyKeg and Cask and came away with a pint of the excellent Kirkstall Black Band Porter, and a half of the even more excellent Camden Hell(e?)s. Chala meanwhile finally got tp try a bottle of Vedett wheat, which was very much to her taste. An excellent way to finish the evening.
Yesterday was meant to be a day of lost pub research - but a much needed lie in saw to that, and I was out mid afternoon to start some rather more local investigations (Ooer!) at DAda. On the bar were two excellent real ales (4 in total, including the weird new St Petersburg with peated malt or whatever gives it that unfortunate edge), those being Red Willow Directionless and Amber Ales Derbyshire Gold.
The Gold was really refreshing and subtly hopped (but in a way that the beer benefited from) and the Red Willow was an intriguing blend of malts and hops, a fantastic drink but one that defied categorising. It was very very good, so that's what matters.
The Red Deer was my next stop, and I had a half each of the two guests - Celt Experience Celt Gold and the St Peters Best Bitter. I probably should have had the bitter first because it paled into insignificance against the amazing golden hoppiness of the Celt Experience, a rarely seen but often enjoyed brewery. Good to see both in Sheffield.
Harrisons 1854 was on my route so I popped in for a chat with Barraharri, but alas as the alcohol was mounting up and I'd had no scran I opted for only a half in here - Farmers Blonde, which was on good form, from a range including Best and Abbeydale Moonshine. It was nice to get back in my spot, even if it was only a pit stop.
The nearby Bath Hotel was following DAda's lead and also had some Red Willow on offer. I had a couple of pints of the Fathomless, an excellent oyster stout, and a half of the Heartless from the cask, another extremely quaffable and excellently executed Red Willow beer. It was also my first opportunity to try one of the Bath's sensational hot roast pork sandwiches - well worth the 8 month wait I'd say!
I managed to find a corner to relax in and spent sometime catching up with Steph, who, poor lass, had been working so hard that she imagined me to be much older than I am. I'm being as gracious as I can here, in the face of extreme provocation.... I finished off with a very tasty pint of Thornbridge Chiron before the allure of my home patch called and I headed off up to Crookes.
After securing fuel I met Wee Keefy in the Princess Royal. From a range of about 5 beers we both had the excellent Sheffield Brewing Co Christmas Pudding Porter, a tasty 5.2% dark beer on at a bargain £2.00 a pint. We sat in the far corner near the jukebox whilst a good covers band played some more unusual tunes including Nirvana and System of a Down.
Things were going rapidly downhill next - literally. Me and Wee Keefy were on Bates Street, and finding it a little slippy underfoot, WK suddenly let out out an "aaargh" and slipped sideways off the pavement. Laughing, I said "what bloody footwear have you got on, I've only got these crappy dress shoes" then took one step and fell flat on my arse. Must not gloat...
The Hallamshire House was our final stop and although initially overjoyed to spot Thorny Goat unfortunately it either wasn't that or someone had put bloody chilli in it. Yuk! Luckily they still had Heather Honey stout, and knowing WK has a sweet tooth I bough him a half of that and me an unusual version of Jaipur, which must have been different, because it was absolutely chuffing delicious! We grabbed a seat with friends Jo and Neil and caught up and supped before I made a joyless, frustrating and lengthy trip home, marked out by utterly backward public transport provision.
So, that;s my first campaigning work in the name of Drinkuary, lets hope I can continue to help, ahem, "them" for the rest of the month.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy.
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Church House update, and other stories
Hello again,
firstly, can I make clear that his isn't actual an update concerning the observations and experiences gleaned from another visit, its more a round up of other info that pertains to the pub. Interestingly, if some of the below information could have been found prior to its opening I would have been none the wiser - on the other hand if some of that info was in my hands I may never have ventured in!
Its interesting that perhaps only 5 of the above could really be considered traditional, and that many don't sell real ale. Prior to owning a copy of the GBG, whenever I found myself looking for real ale in a far off place I'd always go for older and/or Regional Brewery pubs, preferring a combo of both. I can't say that this criteria would yield many decent ales or venues if I used it in Sheffield. Perhaps the notion that old buildings are best (or only) suited to the provision of traditional environs to an older clientele is finally dispelled? Well.....
firstly, can I make clear that his isn't actual an update concerning the observations and experiences gleaned from another visit, its more a round up of other info that pertains to the pub. Interestingly, if some of the below information could have been found prior to its opening I would have been none the wiser - on the other hand if some of that info was in my hands I may never have ventured in!
The first thing to note relates to the building's listed status. As I mentioned before, its listed Grade 2, and has been since 1973. This would have made me take note straight away since I am interested in listed buildings, especially those in the City centre - its amazing how many gems are hidden away down back streets, but slightly less encouraging when you consider how many were unlisted when flattened to make way for embarrassing 70's pre fabs. In this case, the excellent exterior of number 4 St James Street does not seem to be adversely affected by the venue's change of name, which is good news.
Furthermore, in being a listed City centre building, The Church House is in the following company; Maggie Mays, The Bankers Draft, The Brown Bear, Cutlers, Crystal Bar, The Viper Rooms, Graduate, The Howard, Old Monk, Old Queens Head, Lloyds No.1, Three Tuns, Walkabout, and at a push, the bar in the Lyceum Theatre and Cutlers Hall, and perhaps the Sheffield Tap being in Sheffield Midland Station, since those buildings are listed.
Its interesting that perhaps only 5 of the above could really be considered traditional, and that many don't sell real ale. Prior to owning a copy of the GBG, whenever I found myself looking for real ale in a far off place I'd always go for older and/or Regional Brewery pubs, preferring a combo of both. I can't say that this criteria would yield many decent ales or venues if I used it in Sheffield. Perhaps the notion that old buildings are best (or only) suited to the provision of traditional environs to an older clientele is finally dispelled? Well.....
I found a rather alarming document online here relating to the proposed refurbishment of the Church House (although it describes the images as an illustration of potential refurbishment). Hosted by Starpubs.co.uk, the new name for S&N pub company, this is essentially a puff piece cum business plan highlighting sinister Daddy-Heineken's brands, strategies, business framework and customer segmentation. Now, I realise that to earthlings like you and I, this seems like, erm, bullshit. Yet, in an ironic twist, it turns out to be exactly that! (note, this is intentionally and ironically non-ironic).
Parts of the document contain depressing/dubious claims like (The Best Brands) "Britain's most popular draught beers and ciders, John Smiths, Fosters and Strongbow, as well as packaged beers" (that's bottled Newky Brown based on their annotation), which is drawn from data collated in October and November 2009.
More pertinent however, and more bizarre, are their definitions of customer "segments". Confusing punters with crustacea is weird enough, but what in the name of Satan does "Young and Edgy Pubs are similar to A Bit Of Style Pubs but with a younger clientele and an offer to the lower end of the market" mean?
More pertinent however, and more bizarre, are their definitions of customer "segments". Confusing punters with crustacea is weird enough, but what in the name of Satan does "Young and Edgy Pubs are similar to A Bit Of Style Pubs but with a younger clientele and an offer to the lower end of the market" mean?
Further in, the customer expectations and behaviour (oooh, the gaunt spectre of expectation, one of my fascinations) section is possibly my favourite: a general guide to refurbishing a pub to meet the needs of certain customer, erm, segments. Seemingly "Me & My Pint - older customers enjoying a quiet drink alone in traditional surroundings " can be catered for with a range of real ales and "refurbished fixed seating in the bar area". Lets hope those same drinkers don't expect any "Pub Play" though, as this requires different wiring, and is intended for younger males....
The document is almost as hilarious as it is depressing - after all, you can't, despite their claims, meet the expectations of customers no matter what they may be (per type pf pub) by pigeon holing them. It would be worth a re-read in 6 months time as well, irrespective of the pub's success - and once again, I genuinely hope they do well despite their potential exposure to this report.
The document is almost as hilarious as it is depressing - after all, you can't, despite their claims, meet the expectations of customers no matter what they may be (per type pf pub) by pigeon holing them. It would be worth a re-read in 6 months time as well, irrespective of the pub's success - and once again, I genuinely hope they do well despite their potential exposure to this report.
Moving on, and DAda nearby has Fullers Bengal Lancer and the yummy 7.4% Thornbridge Yule on cask at the mo, along with what I believe is a barrel aged General Sherman on Keykeg. As I am not 100% sure of the details surrounding this particular beer, I suggest you pop into find out for yourself.
Finally, news from the beer pricing battlefront.I was in vile retail behemoth Tesco tonight, lured in by memories of their interesting beer and wine range. Tesco to their credit seem to have dedicated a section to lower alcohol beers (all but the Fullers offering at a pound), whereas my local Supermarket Asda still only carries Manns Brown Ale - they also only update their range as regularly as an Easter cactus flowers.
Last time Tesco had a quite good range of bottled beers (sorry, packaged beers), if small, and now they had indeed changed it since I visited earlier in the year. Unfortunately they'd got rid of some of the stouts and most frustratingly the American Double IPA, AKA Brewdog Hardcore in disguise. The Brains Stout looks interesting though, and they are also selling a Carribbean lager called Banks, so its not all run of the mill, but surely a retailer like Tesco could carry some BCA's? Maybe this is the work of the same person that made their wine list so safe and uninspiring....
Last time Tesco had a quite good range of bottled beers (sorry, packaged beers), if small, and now they had indeed changed it since I visited earlier in the year. Unfortunately they'd got rid of some of the stouts and most frustratingly the American Double IPA, AKA Brewdog Hardcore in disguise. The Brains Stout looks interesting though, and they are also selling a Carribbean lager called Banks, so its not all run of the mill, but surely a retailer like Tesco could carry some BCA's? Maybe this is the work of the same person that made their wine list so safe and uninspiring....
Of course, the Supermarket's loss is the independent retailers gain, so thankfully I will be purchasing my Christmas bottles from Archer Road Beer Stop once more. Am hoping someone will buy me a bottle of the excellent Brasserie Fantôme Saison for Christmas.
So that rounds up stuff for now, hopefully I will be back with some info soon after a Friday night meal at a country pub, and a day out in the wilds of Cheshire on Saturday, weather permitting......
Wee Beefy
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Not everything is new.
Hello,
you might be forgiven for thinking what with the tone of recent posts that my Sheffield drinking life is an endless Merry-go-round of new breweries and new pubs. Well, I occasionally go to pubs and drink beer that I have been too and tried before! This new fangled trend for not drinking only unheard of brews and visiting pubs over and over again will surely never catch on, but if it does, I've already coined a handy phrase to encapsulate the idiosyncrasies of the phenomenon - "just going out for a pint". You heard it here first...
Friday was just such an example. Although we did attend the, ahem, "launch" of the Church House, we first met up with people from the slave mill in Lloyds No.1 in town. Not perhaps a venue to set the pulse racing but there were 5 handpumps for real ale and one for real cider, and every one was utilised.
Highlights included Bradfield Belgian Blue, Cotleigh Kookaburra and Avery brewing from Boulder Colorado's 3.5% session beer, brewed in the UK. I had a pint of the Cotleigh at £2.09 and a half of the Avery. This was a really enjoyable American hoppy ale, probably brewed in a Burton regional (?) based on a light sulphury edge, and packing in a lot of hoppy flavour for its low strength. Perhaps this explains why I don't get on with the stronger American IPA's - the stronger they are the more the odd ascorbic dryness and ill suited Belgian sweetness seem prominent. Either way it was very good.
Off to the Old House next for the first time in ages. From a range of Moonshine, Kelham Bitter and two from the Fulstow Brewery, who's beers am not keen on, I went for a pint of the True North First Blonde. Given that its probably still brewed at Welbeck, it did seem faintly reminiscent, in flavour at least, of their Bay Middleton. And was thus very quaffable. Its good to get reacquainted with the Old House having been mysteriously absent over the last few months.
After our Church House assessment we went onto DAda. The music was good, Ems and Annie were manning the bar, and I was feeling a little reckless. So much so that after having a delicious pint of Evenlode Porter (becoming one of my beers of 2012) I splashed out an eye watering and obscene amount of cash on the Mikkeller Beer Geek breakfast. Chala then also lost her mind and bought a pile of food and we had a sumptuous and ostentatious feast in convivial surroundings, before leaving to get the bus (and returning for my scarf, the second thing I had left behind in one night!).
Yesterday, I set out in the afternoon to try and sample the Blue Bee/Real Ale Society beer that I'd heard so much about. The Rutland Arms, who is a person, had stated that it was on the bar there so I thought I'd pop out and try it. Except, I got to town near the end of the Football Association cup fixture so decided to head down later. Instead I popped in the Church House, which now no longer counts as a new pub, thus fitting in with the theme of this post.
I can provide you with a few minor clarifications whilst were here. Firstly, the Caledonian Double Dark which I had on this visit is only £2.85 a pint. A good price for any real ale in the centre these days where the norm is £3.00 for average strength, and this is about 4.6% I think. Also, the food menu comprises one side of actual meals, standard pub fare but sensibly priced. The tapas element I had remembered is actually called the Deli section and comprises various cold platters that you can combine yourself, again at a decent price.
Finally, with thanks to the keen eye of the writer K E Page, the impressive circular windows in the entrance show evidence that the pub did used to be called the Ferret and Trouserleg. So anything has to be an improvement! I also noted on the back of their menu that they have a website - of sorts. In keeping with their mysterious unfindable business theme, the website address is for a host site/blog(?) called barbook, and can be found here. The only thing that inks to the pub in Sheffield is the spiel about the food which is that which appears on the pubs menu's, and also the sign on the front of said pamphlets. The whole thing is incredibly light on detail, much like their Facebook page! You can probably find more out by visiting the pub...
I popped into DAda next and straight away started supping pints of the Evenlode which, unbelievably, still hadn't run out. It was good catching up again with Ems and Jamie, but I had other sights in mind so kidnapped Ems and we trooped off up to Harrisons 1854, which I don't go to as often as I used to. Here, as promised, the Belgian Blue was available on cask, so I had a pint, Ems sensibly a half. However, my one gripe was the price! A whopping £3.80 a pint, making it 60p a pint more expensive than the far stronger Evenlode back at DAda. Had I been more cogent and in less of a rush I would have asked Bob why the beer was quite so expensive, but on this occasion I concentrated on enjoying it. It is, after all, a very tasty beer.
Off to the Bath next where there was beer. Ems went for the General Sherman because she's hardcore, I went for something else entirely. Unfortunately, its identity escapes me. I was already unsettled by a desire for food and obviously wasn't paying attention.
Finally we were off to the Rutland hoping to eat (for me) and try the Blue Bee beer I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, the stupid bus broke down on West Street, and this extra delay in getting to the pub meant I arrived at 20.58 (but not by the clock in the pub, humph). Racked by hunger I pleaded to be fed but the stone cold face of the mighty Rutland was unmoved. So not only did I not get to try the beer but I also had to rush back home before the supermarket shut - if I had stopped for a half, I would have missed the shops as well. Damn you the progression of time! Most annoying (and slightly embarrassing given my desperation).
So that wraps up a couple of trips around some of Sheffield's better and for me less frequently visited outlets. No doubt December will find me in many more venues that get overlooked the rest of the year.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
you might be forgiven for thinking what with the tone of recent posts that my Sheffield drinking life is an endless Merry-go-round of new breweries and new pubs. Well, I occasionally go to pubs and drink beer that I have been too and tried before! This new fangled trend for not drinking only unheard of brews and visiting pubs over and over again will surely never catch on, but if it does, I've already coined a handy phrase to encapsulate the idiosyncrasies of the phenomenon - "just going out for a pint". You heard it here first...
Friday was just such an example. Although we did attend the, ahem, "launch" of the Church House, we first met up with people from the slave mill in Lloyds No.1 in town. Not perhaps a venue to set the pulse racing but there were 5 handpumps for real ale and one for real cider, and every one was utilised.
Highlights included Bradfield Belgian Blue, Cotleigh Kookaburra and Avery brewing from Boulder Colorado's 3.5% session beer, brewed in the UK. I had a pint of the Cotleigh at £2.09 and a half of the Avery. This was a really enjoyable American hoppy ale, probably brewed in a Burton regional (?) based on a light sulphury edge, and packing in a lot of hoppy flavour for its low strength. Perhaps this explains why I don't get on with the stronger American IPA's - the stronger they are the more the odd ascorbic dryness and ill suited Belgian sweetness seem prominent. Either way it was very good.
Off to the Old House next for the first time in ages. From a range of Moonshine, Kelham Bitter and two from the Fulstow Brewery, who's beers am not keen on, I went for a pint of the True North First Blonde. Given that its probably still brewed at Welbeck, it did seem faintly reminiscent, in flavour at least, of their Bay Middleton. And was thus very quaffable. Its good to get reacquainted with the Old House having been mysteriously absent over the last few months.
After our Church House assessment we went onto DAda. The music was good, Ems and Annie were manning the bar, and I was feeling a little reckless. So much so that after having a delicious pint of Evenlode Porter (becoming one of my beers of 2012) I splashed out an eye watering and obscene amount of cash on the Mikkeller Beer Geek breakfast. Chala then also lost her mind and bought a pile of food and we had a sumptuous and ostentatious feast in convivial surroundings, before leaving to get the bus (and returning for my scarf, the second thing I had left behind in one night!).
Yesterday, I set out in the afternoon to try and sample the Blue Bee/Real Ale Society beer that I'd heard so much about. The Rutland Arms, who is a person, had stated that it was on the bar there so I thought I'd pop out and try it. Except, I got to town near the end of the Football Association cup fixture so decided to head down later. Instead I popped in the Church House, which now no longer counts as a new pub, thus fitting in with the theme of this post.
I can provide you with a few minor clarifications whilst were here. Firstly, the Caledonian Double Dark which I had on this visit is only £2.85 a pint. A good price for any real ale in the centre these days where the norm is £3.00 for average strength, and this is about 4.6% I think. Also, the food menu comprises one side of actual meals, standard pub fare but sensibly priced. The tapas element I had remembered is actually called the Deli section and comprises various cold platters that you can combine yourself, again at a decent price.
Finally, with thanks to the keen eye of the writer K E Page, the impressive circular windows in the entrance show evidence that the pub did used to be called the Ferret and Trouserleg. So anything has to be an improvement! I also noted on the back of their menu that they have a website - of sorts. In keeping with their mysterious unfindable business theme, the website address is for a host site/blog(?) called barbook, and can be found here. The only thing that inks to the pub in Sheffield is the spiel about the food which is that which appears on the pubs menu's, and also the sign on the front of said pamphlets. The whole thing is incredibly light on detail, much like their Facebook page! You can probably find more out by visiting the pub...
I popped into DAda next and straight away started supping pints of the Evenlode which, unbelievably, still hadn't run out. It was good catching up again with Ems and Jamie, but I had other sights in mind so kidnapped Ems and we trooped off up to Harrisons 1854, which I don't go to as often as I used to. Here, as promised, the Belgian Blue was available on cask, so I had a pint, Ems sensibly a half. However, my one gripe was the price! A whopping £3.80 a pint, making it 60p a pint more expensive than the far stronger Evenlode back at DAda. Had I been more cogent and in less of a rush I would have asked Bob why the beer was quite so expensive, but on this occasion I concentrated on enjoying it. It is, after all, a very tasty beer.
Off to the Bath next where there was beer. Ems went for the General Sherman because she's hardcore, I went for something else entirely. Unfortunately, its identity escapes me. I was already unsettled by a desire for food and obviously wasn't paying attention.
Finally we were off to the Rutland hoping to eat (for me) and try the Blue Bee beer I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, the stupid bus broke down on West Street, and this extra delay in getting to the pub meant I arrived at 20.58 (but not by the clock in the pub, humph). Racked by hunger I pleaded to be fed but the stone cold face of the mighty Rutland was unmoved. So not only did I not get to try the beer but I also had to rush back home before the supermarket shut - if I had stopped for a half, I would have missed the shops as well. Damn you the progression of time! Most annoying (and slightly embarrassing given my desperation).
So that wraps up a couple of trips around some of Sheffield's better and for me less frequently visited outlets. No doubt December will find me in many more venues that get overlooked the rest of the year.
Cheers!
Wee Beefy
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