I've been frantically busy for the last couple of weeks on a community project that is properly coming to fruition now. Also, S & I decided it was high time to sort out some Eastbourne domestic bits and pieces so we've spent a jolly couple of days in and around the house getting things done.
I've not sworn off the stuff of malt and hops, though and the time has been spent in a variety of pubs - including one new one and I can report (in no particular order) that:
- The Half Moon in Hitchin can shift a LOT of beer in a festival. Howard put on about 60 beers (so that's 60 x 9 gallons = 540 x 8 pints) starting last Thursday and by the time we were able to pop in yesterday afternoon...there was pretty much nothing left. Respect, Howard and Wendy.
Oddly the slight tinge of disappointment that there was little unusual beer to choose from (the normal bar had a full range, of course) was balanced with the delight that the pub was nice and quiet and allowed us a couple of games of Battleline over our beers.
- The Bricklayers (also in Hitchin) continues to have so much potential...but misses it almost every time. We could only manage one pint in there yesterday because the beer simply wasn't very good. Can't tell if it was tired or just not very good but it was a struggle to finish before we sloped off home.
- You can tire of Harveys so it's good to be able to rely on a couple of different pubs in Eastbourne to supply something different to try. It was nice to stumble on a joint Eagle/Dewdrop beer festival and try a few new beers. Nicely done, folks.
- I've now managed to try some Burning Sky beer from the cask - two in fact. Both excellent. Both unsurprisingly reminiscent of Dark Star brews. More strength to your elbow, sir.
- Someone in Eastbourne is talking about wanting to start a food and drink festival...as I chip into the conversation, all I can think about is how to shoehorn beer in as often as possible. Ah well.
- I think my very favourite Friday evening in Eastbourne is an early evening trip to the Eastern Wok - quite possibly the best restaurant in Eastbourne - followed by a couple of pints almost-next-door in The Crown. It means we eat well (which we're quite bad at doing sometimes), then we enjoy really good beer (not much choice but what there is often drawn by gravity) and only have to walk for about 8 minutes in order to reach bed.
Simple things for a simple woman.
Monday, 28 April 2014
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Place in the Playoffs
Now, it's that time of year when hopeful football fans everywhere are chewing their nails watching to see whether they make it into or can keep a foot in the playoff places.
Ah, but you see there are other playoffs that you're not even aware of. Those for pubs worth frequenting. Some are always destined to stay mid-table, and some always languish at the bottom and those who float to the top...then there are those that tantalise with their straying into playoff places, only to demonstrate disappointing form when they need to shine.
OK, enough with the metaphors (or allegories, or whatever).
The Bricklayers Arms in Hitchin. Hugely improved since its take-over by Banks and Taylor but has a tendancy to serve somewhat uninteresting beers.
It's possible they try and keep too many beers on the bar to sell quickly enough and so you get the odd tired pint. I also have to say that the service can be a tiny bit lack-lustre and inconsistent.
However, all this went by the wayside on Sunday. We knew the Half Moon would be heaving and we weren't in the mood for a noisy crowd. We'd already discovered, a few days earlier, that Bricklayers has a rather decent garden, the top part of which catches the evening sun very nicely.
And so it was that I had a pint of Bunny Hop Blond from the Peerless Brewery. I knew it was pretty fresh since it wasn't on when we went in there on Friday. It was very nice indeed. Nothing unusual, no unsubtle flavours and not particularly distinctive - but really well balanced and well kept. So good that I didn't feel the need to try anything else and had 3 (yes, that's right, three!) pints.
S opted for two pints from the Black Country Brewery (Pig on the Wall and Fireside Bitter) and declared that this brewery should be "watched out for". This time he was a little disappointed by the pint of B&T Dragon Slayer - we suspect the cask had been open for a few days.
So, I do believe that The Bricklayers is showing potential for promotion (some three pint days aren't a good indicator of long-term form) so we'll be making more trips there to see.
Ah, but you see there are other playoffs that you're not even aware of. Those for pubs worth frequenting. Some are always destined to stay mid-table, and some always languish at the bottom and those who float to the top...then there are those that tantalise with their straying into playoff places, only to demonstrate disappointing form when they need to shine.
OK, enough with the metaphors (or allegories, or whatever).
The Bricklayers Arms in Hitchin. Hugely improved since its take-over by Banks and Taylor but has a tendancy to serve somewhat uninteresting beers.
It's possible they try and keep too many beers on the bar to sell quickly enough and so you get the odd tired pint. I also have to say that the service can be a tiny bit lack-lustre and inconsistent.
However, all this went by the wayside on Sunday. We knew the Half Moon would be heaving and we weren't in the mood for a noisy crowd. We'd already discovered, a few days earlier, that Bricklayers has a rather decent garden, the top part of which catches the evening sun very nicely.
And so it was that I had a pint of Bunny Hop Blond from the Peerless Brewery. I knew it was pretty fresh since it wasn't on when we went in there on Friday. It was very nice indeed. Nothing unusual, no unsubtle flavours and not particularly distinctive - but really well balanced and well kept. So good that I didn't feel the need to try anything else and had 3 (yes, that's right, three!) pints.
S opted for two pints from the Black Country Brewery (Pig on the Wall and Fireside Bitter) and declared that this brewery should be "watched out for". This time he was a little disappointed by the pint of B&T Dragon Slayer - we suspect the cask had been open for a few days.
So, I do believe that The Bricklayers is showing potential for promotion (some three pint days aren't a good indicator of long-term form) so we'll be making more trips there to see.
Friday, 11 April 2014
That'll Give You Something to Blog About...
...he said.
Trust me, if I wasn't blogging about beer, I'd be blogging about what has pissed me off with humanity (or at least that section of it that annoyed me on the train/tube/bus/shop/pub/out in the street...) today or yesterday.
Anyhow - to what was he referring...? Actually, I don't really remember but I know we were in the Half Moon. Conceivably, it was at my initial disappointment about the flavour of Ringwood Fortyniner which has been a favoured "beer of my youth" (where youth = 20's to 30's).
Howard always has some tied beers (Youngs, Adnams) some old favourites (Crouch Vale, Tring, Oakham) and almost always the odd special. A couple of weeks ago, Ringwood Fortyniner made an appearance.
I remember drinking it fairly regularly when I lived near a real ale off licence in Bedminster (it was called the Brown Jug) and I think we had a polypin of it one Christmas.
More recently, about 5 years ago, I had a holiday with "the boys" in the Isle of Wight and although there weren't any really good pubs in the village, there were a couple of not bad ones, and one of them put Fortyniner on as a guest one afternoon. I remember sitting in the sunny beer garden and introducing C to its delights as we drank rather too much for an afternoon. The same evening, all six of us went to the pub and managed to wipe them out of the remainder.
So, back to the Half Moon...I think I'd had a pint of Oakham Citra and decided that I'd have a half of Fortyniner. As I took the first swig, S noticed my face took on a disappointed look. He tried my beer. "Yeah - that's how beer used to taste" saith he. It's a good pint but things have changed...our tastes have changed.
Maybe in Hampshire, and if I hadn't just had some Citra, it would still have been as great as ever. But am I so swayed to way of the "hopped to fuck and back" beer that something a little more subtle disappoints me?
I do hope not.
Trust me, if I wasn't blogging about beer, I'd be blogging about what has pissed me off with humanity (or at least that section of it that annoyed me on the train/tube/bus/shop/pub/out in the street...) today or yesterday.
Anyhow - to what was he referring...? Actually, I don't really remember but I know we were in the Half Moon. Conceivably, it was at my initial disappointment about the flavour of Ringwood Fortyniner which has been a favoured "beer of my youth" (where youth = 20's to 30's).
Howard always has some tied beers (Youngs, Adnams) some old favourites (Crouch Vale, Tring, Oakham) and almost always the odd special. A couple of weeks ago, Ringwood Fortyniner made an appearance.
I remember drinking it fairly regularly when I lived near a real ale off licence in Bedminster (it was called the Brown Jug) and I think we had a polypin of it one Christmas.
More recently, about 5 years ago, I had a holiday with "the boys" in the Isle of Wight and although there weren't any really good pubs in the village, there were a couple of not bad ones, and one of them put Fortyniner on as a guest one afternoon. I remember sitting in the sunny beer garden and introducing C to its delights as we drank rather too much for an afternoon. The same evening, all six of us went to the pub and managed to wipe them out of the remainder.
So, back to the Half Moon...I think I'd had a pint of Oakham Citra and decided that I'd have a half of Fortyniner. As I took the first swig, S noticed my face took on a disappointed look. He tried my beer. "Yeah - that's how beer used to taste" saith he. It's a good pint but things have changed...our tastes have changed.
Maybe in Hampshire, and if I hadn't just had some Citra, it would still have been as great as ever. But am I so swayed to way of the "hopped to fuck and back" beer that something a little more subtle disappoints me?
I do hope not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)