Regionalisation

We've just come back from Cornwall.

Land of Betty Stoggs, of Doom Bar and Tribute.

I used to love all three of these beers, I probably wouldn't choose any of them now if there was almost anything else to try.

Thankfully, we managed to avoid all of these during our week in the far South West and yet, the beer experience was decent, rather than good.

I really wanted to love the Crown Brewery beers and I did like them a lot, ...but love didn't come.  We revisted one of the Penzance Brewery beers - Potion No9 and it was still impossible to not enjoy it, and yet  I wouldn't have wanted to drink more than a couple of pints of it.

There were highlights, though...

The Bath Inn on the Newlyn/Penzance borders was a delightful find, along with Exeter Brewery Avocet beer.

I loved Mousehole and it's brilliant harbour - the Old Coastguard Hotel did some nice Padstow Beers and becoming reacquainted with St Austell HSD and Proper Job in the Ship Inn was grand.

So with all this goodness...why wasn't it quite right?

None of the pubs felt like the place we wanted to just huddle in a corner, watch the world and and have the choice of a few beers we wanted to try next.  But all the places that had good beer, really only had one or maybe two we wanted to try and most of them didn't really bear a third pint.

All of the local beers we drank (and it was lovely having a choice of local brews) had common features - in much the way many Sussex beers have.  That's both and good bad, since if you want something a little different...there's nothng to choose from.

Still, we had a good, relaxing time and we walked a good few miles every day. That's a good thing, right?

And we went back via Bristol and made the most of the Barleymow...naturally...