The Delight of a pub with a fire

 Understandably, a lot of the places we've been drinking beer over this visit to the Shire have a been a little bit on the chilly side.

The Barley Mow has a fire but, for some reason, the warmth from it doesn't always penetrate the space.  Even so, there's a delight to it when you step through the door, the pub isn't too busy and you see the fire on...even more so if there's an adjacent seat.

Tap rooms and other non-pub places really suit themselves better to 3-season (spring, summer, autumn) enjoyment - but that doesn't stop us going there.  But if the weather is cold and/or wet (like it has been the whole time we've been here) they don't present the soul-lifting experience that a cosy be-fired pub has.

We've been to a few different places this break - Barley Mow, Moor, LHG, Kings Head, Newtown Park, Marthas, Swan with Two Necks, King Street Brewhouse, Llandogger Trow, Oxford but yesterday we struck out a little further.

We were thinking about walking to Easton to pick up spice supplies but other things intervened and so it was about 4.15pm when we were ready to go and that would have been a bit of a stretch for running errands and going to the pub.  So, instead, we just walked to the Duke of York.

It wasn't particularly a cold walk but it was pretty damp so when we got to the pub and realised there were a pair of chairs right next to the small, but perfectly formed fire I leapt on the chance.

The DoY is a lovely, cosy, little pub.  Never a large range of beers but enough to keep us happy for a couple of hours.  Getting into conversation with a chap after his family had a falling out was an interesting experience but that's part of what the pub is about...the odd occasion to get chatting.

Today is promising to be nasty and wet all day - so if we go out, it'll be local.  Will it have a fire?  Hmmm it's about a 50/50 chance.

New Places, and Old

 The weather was really cold and then really wet so it hadn't felt like trekking weather.

I'd had quite a lot of work to do and there are train strikes so all these things have dictated against going anywhere too far away.

We'd been to the Barleymow a couple of times - always quite busy, we'd been to Moor twice (because, you know, Moor) and Martha's once.

So the boy said "shall we try somewhere new?" so we decided to amble down Old Market Street.

We started at the Stag and Hounds which is a 13th Century building - although very few features remain recognisable.

They had a Bristol Beer Factory Seasonal Beer plus a Butcombe beer on cask but nothing interesting on keg.  Naturally we opted for the BBF which was cool and decently kept.  The pub is a really nice set of interlocking spaces so, whilst being quite big, feels like it has plenty of corners to cosy up in.  They also do pizzas which look really nice, so that's worth remembering.

Not wanting a second pint of the BBF, we decided to continue strolling. Next venue was Elmers Arms.  An odd little place but with a decent range of keg beers and a friendly person on the bar.  The music was streamed but good and we looked enviously at a juke box which is, sadly, non-functional.  Apparently, whilst opening in the afternoon, it's really a late-night venue so it's relatively unlikely we'll see it in its pomp.

Our final venue was just around the corner from Elmers, and in the general direction of home.  "To the Moon" has always seemed a bit of a strange place and has probably been through a few different hands of late.  Most noticeable when we stepped inside was a pungent smell of limes being squeezed - looks like they were expecting to be making a LOT of Margaritas.  They had two or three local good keg beers on so we picked the strongest (not at all strong, to be honest) and found a little cost seat to sit in.  I'm forced to observe that it isn't a pub, of course, but it is a really nice little place that some of our friends would really like.

Oddly - none of these places sold beer in 2/3rd measures which we found a bit odd and although they'll not be regular haunts - we'll almost certainly be back.

We've also returned to Marthas and, yesterday, reprised LHG brewpub after running an errand.

Today we're heading up to Moor partly because - y'know, Moor - but also we need to pop a bit more beer in the fridge because nowhere will be open tomorrow and there's only so much tea we'll want to drink whilst doing our traditional "playing board games on Christmas Day".

Finding somewhere open on Monday (Boxing Day) will likely be a challenge too...but come 27th I'm pretty sure we'll be out and looking for somewhere to support.

January is going to be REALLY hard for lots of venues.  I've already heard of a couple of places who are writing off the first week or two and taking the opportunity to have holidays, etc.  We'll have a new extension/kitchen to attend to when we get back to Sussex but I'm pretty sure we'll still venture out when we can and I'm also pretty sure we'll be doing a fair bit of buying cans from breweries to try and support people in that way.

Another revisit

 We got the good news, a few weeks ago, that the team behind Good Chemistry brewery had taken over the old Kings Head in Victoria street.  It's the only pub in Bristol which merits a listing i CAMRA's historic interiors and so it's been really sad that it was closed for so long.

I occasionally used to go there at lunchtime to have a half of something and a VERY basic roll/sandwich. I also remember having a FlickrMeet there once and it feeling both strange and wonderful being in the snug.

Last time I went in it was a bit tired and the beer was OK but not great.  Still, it was nice to show it off to the BBB who also, appreciated its uniqueness.

So, when I learned it opened on a Monday I thought it might be quite quiet and rather nice to go and sit in the snug and see what they had to offer.

They haven't changed much - a lick of paint on the ceiling and some rather nice wall paper but other than that it feels unchanged.

A fairly small but rather nice list of beers were available - including a few keg ones.

So much for quiet, though.

There were a few people in the front bar and four in the snug when we arrive around 4.45.  Within 20 minutes, though, people were streaming in and by the time we left, around 7pm we had to squeeze our way out.

It might not be an "everyday" venue for us but I'm pretty confident we'll be back there before too long.

A Place Changed

 After the chap in the Moor Tap said he'd be in the Swan With Two Necks on Sunday, we decided to give it ago.

The pub has been a little bit mixed for us:  sometimes friendly, interesting staff and pleasant atmosphere, sometimes a bit cheerless.  We always like the beer so we do try to make an effort to go there but it's never been on our list of "definitely" or "relaxing" to go to.

It was bloody chilly but when it was time to do the "shall we go somewhere?" musing, we decided wrapping up and getting some fresh air would be a good idea.

So we struck out.  The snow had melted and not yet refrozen so it was a pleasant enough - and we took a bit of a diversion through streets that had undergone development since the last time we went that way.

As we arrived at the pub we were really quite surprised at the number of people.  Nevertheless we found a couple of stools at the bar and had a cheery exchange with the barman.

We've never seen the pub this busy or with such a mix of people.

Good beers, excellent bar service and a lively atmosphere - it feels like the pub has found its feet.

Uncommon Skill

 Bar staffing is seriously underrated in terms of skill level.

Like any service industry job, when done well you barely notice the skill involved it appears effortless and normal.  How many times, however, have you been to a pub or bar you don't know well (or at all) and felt largely ignored by the staff and served rather carelessly.  Worse, as a beer drinker, if served with a cask beer that's past its best being told it's fine to drink and, even with insistence, only grudginly given a replacement.

Thankfully it's been a good few years since that latter thing happened - I'm happy to challenge it, but it always makes for a poor experience even if the subsequent pint is the most superb thing ever.

So, whilst I always say that the beer is the main thing in my choice of venue - given the choice it'll be the place with the good staff I'll aim for.

On Friday when we went to the BM I had over 5 hours travel on me after a pretty trying week and I was just relieved to be at Bristol home, reunited with the Best Beer Buddy, and a proper pint in my hand.  Even then, when I went to the bar for the second pint, forgetting (once again) that jugs are the default cask vessel at the pub these days, the defining moment was when the guy behind the bar waved two straight glasses and said "these?" with a smile.  When I expressed delight, the other barman who was perched on a stool on the other side of the bar said "I remembered too!" - and it's moments like this when you feel the transaction is a shared one.

Yesterday, we went to Moor both to enjoy the beer and grab some fridge-beer as they won't be open again for drinking-in until Thursday.

Remembering again that it's the first time we've been there for a couple of months I'm still stunned that the guy behind the bar launched straight into a conversations about Harvey's Bitter and how he thinks that the Nano Cask that was the cask offering is like it, but for the yeast.

This is no random observation - most of the drinkers in the tap room would have no idea what Harvey's is (or where, or that it has a pseudo-legendary status amongst certain sorts of cask drinkers).  Conversation with him is always about the beer.  He knows his stuff and delights in people who know theirs.

This is the very antithesis to the odd drinking experience I've had when a member of bar staff (sadly, always a young chap) tries to tell me what I should drink or what I should drink it out of.  I'm pretty lucky - my age and experience (and general bossiness) means that I'm no longer intimidated by that sort of attitude and an often minded to call it out.  But this is what I mean about bar service done well is almost unnoticeable and we're more likely to remember the negative experiences, then it could appear that job as a whole is unskilled.

So - remember the places where staff make you feel welcome and valued. Remember that bar-work especially in December is really hard work, on low pay and having to deal with lots of people who only go to pubs around Christmas and have no idea how it's done.

Say thank you, as you leave the pub (especially if it's quiet)...and for goodness sake, take your empty glasses back to the bar if you can.  It's a small thing but I can guarantee it'll be appreciated by the good staff behind the bar.

At Last

 So, by the time I'd "coaxed" the builders into shape it was Friday

 Meanwhile, we'd realised that open return tickets now expire after a month (always used to be 3 months) so there was some required shenanigans with already purchased train tickets.  Thursday afternoon was spent at distance trying to work out the logistics of the most cost-effective way to sort journeys out whilst navigating strike days (of which I'm fully supportive).  As a result, I made the journey up via Salisbury to take advantage of my Network Rail card.

Fortunately, the little bit of journey-stopping building work was completed by about 9.30am on Friday so I struck out to make my journey.  The Salisbury route takes about an hour longer than the London route but it was not at all unpleasant.

I arrived at Temple Meads a little before 4pm, met by the BBB and pretty soon after we were in the Barleymow (of course).  It was busy with work Christmas party-goers but pleasant, and we easily found a seat.  

It allowed me to start to relax and the Arbor Zero Zero on cask (first time I've ever had it other than in a can) was tremendous.  For all the world it felt like we'd been in the BM every week, despite it being a couple of months (they even remember straight glasses).  

I read a blog post by a beer blogger who said that he doesn't really like non-pub drinking venues.  Me?  I like lots of different places to drink my beer - indeed this evening we're odd-on for the Moor brewery tap which I identified very early on as "absolutely not a pub" but the beer, and the people make up for it and a week in Bristol would be far the worse for not going there.

However, I'm pretty determined we're going to try more than the "old favourites" this trip.  We've a month in residence (well, actually one month and 2 days hence the train ticket problems) so there's really no excuse, is there?

All Upside Down

 Work on our house continues and it's partly lovely to see and partly very scary and frustrating.

At the flat, a bust water heater needed attention and so a plumber needed to be found.

Ultimately the boy had to travel up to Bristol to plumber sit, whilst I do some builder "coaxing" down here.

So the louge is now full of all the stuff which was in the kitchen.

 The kitchen is largely unusable for, well, obvious reasons.

So I'm mostly confined to the office for reasons of sanity.

For all that I say I like to drink beer, and the beer is the "payoff" in its own right, it has to be said that drinking a lone can of "Dancing with Spectres" just isn't the same.

I even took a colleague to Beerama this evening for a catch up out of the office and as much as the beer was great, and the company was delightful...and catching up with J&J the owners was really nice, it's just not the same.

Even the BBB hasn't ventured out to the pub on his own.  He's made do with World Cup football on the TV and whatever beer and wine is in the flat.

It kind of reminds me of when we weren't living together all the time but having a sort of itinerant life between, at one point, three homes and doing weird triangular train journeys between the various places and making the first "meet up" in the nearest pub to the train station. 

Originally, I was going to head to Bristol tomorrow but the building work is running behind so now it's looking like a Thursday journey.  I'm gutted, even though we'll probably be in Bristol until the New Year so it's not like we're not going to get a chance to go to all the places.

It's just that, something's missing - it's just short of 6' and carrying a beer for me.