You Know You're in Sussex

 The train journey back from the shire was largely uneventful.

When we got to Victoria, we decided to come straight back to Eastbourne rather than do the Brighton diversion.

The weather was pleasant when we got back so we walked home and called into The Crown on the way.  The first pint was Gun Extra Pale and instantly we were back in Sussex.  It's a very distinctive beer and is as good as Hophead always was.  This cask was in particularly good nick, too.

Since we've been back we've only been to the Crown (twice) and otherwise relied on Fridge beer.

The weather is nice today and so we've been doing a few chores in the garden.

Not sure whether we'll brave "Front Garden" beer just yet...it feels almost warm enough.  Almost.

Applauding the Effort

 A couple of years ago a new brewery started not very far away and it was based right next to the greenway path that runs along the river.

It was called "Cocksure" and, for some reason I really didn't take to the name.  They changed to Tapestry (maybe new company or maybe just a name change) and they had a little bit of local trade in pubs.  We tried the beers a few times but they were fine, but we never sought them out and for the pub that regularly stocked their beers - we weren't pursuaded to go in often.

Then they started to open their taproom and a friend messaged me (publicly) on Twitter to say "you really must try them..." I replied that I was pleased they were there but had found the beer not really to my taste.  The brewery messaged back with a "please try us again..." or words to that effect.

So we did.  We ambled around to try it out and it was a bit better.  So we tried a couple of other times and we were happy to go there, especially as it involved a bit of a stroll via green stuff (loads of wild fruit trees - and the odd bird to see).  It became a semi-regular haunt even during the pandemic.

Then a sad thing happened:  post-pandemic they fell on hard financial times and then they closed.

After a little bit of time a new venture started:  Props.

Props are a charity that support people with learning disabilities in work and learning skills.  Immediately I liked the idea as it chimes a little with some of my work.

They've been going for a little while but we hadn't made the journey out.

Yesterday, the boy suggested he wanted a bit of a pre-beer amble.  So we made a long-overdue visit via a walk along the greenway.  We took stock of the fruit trees in blossom:  cherries, pear, apple, damson all in evidence and whilst pausing to look at something, we were visited by a cheeky robin.

We arrived at the tap and it was good to see a few people there.  The barman told us they get quite busy now and they've been pleased with how the project is progressing.

We tried their two beers and retreated to the mezzanine and listened to the music.

It has to be said that the beer was OK but definitely felt like "early in the journey of brewing" beer rather than the product of a confident brewer.

We look back to other breweries who we've seen go through this journey (Croft, Route 21, Martha) and what happens when they're able to stick with it and are able to learn.  It can be done.  Early stage breweries are not the finished article and I'm hoping that we'll stop off for another beer next time we're in town and see how things are going.

Glad I Went. Not Going Back

 When we first bought the Bristol flat, the location was a combination of necessity (proximity to railway station), feel of the place (I often arrived back late and needed to feel safe in the area), luck (I got a flyer through the door the day I had taken a decision to start looking) and the fact that there were a couple of good pubs nearby that me and the boy had frequented and liked.

What we were less prepared for was a nearby Chinese restaurant called "Dynasty" which was set up in an old commercial building and perched atop a brilliant Chinese supermarket which I had been using for a long time.

The day we moved (well, part moved) into the flat had been incredibly busy and hard work (as moves always are) and because I hadn't actually let my house go yet there was none of the usual "box of things to open first in order to make a quick dinner".

In fact, the only place we had the energy to go to was Dynasty.  We'd tried it a few months before and were decided less than impressed with the food.  We'd chosen the set meal, for speed, and it had been rather uninspiring.  Nevertheless, we were knackered, and really hungry so we decided it was the least worst option.  This time we chose off the proper menu and were absolutely wowed!  We became regulars and always greeted so enthusiastically by the FoH manager, Calvin that when it closed for the area to be flattened and redeveloped, we were devasted.

Fast forward a couple of years.

I'd noticed that there was a huge Chinese supermarket with a restaurant at the edge of the "Ikea/Tesco" retail park.  The reviews were great.  It's defintely not a proximity thing but we had been thinking about plans that might include a visit.

Yesterday, the weather was lovely so we thought we'd like a bit of a walk to beer-destination of choice.  I suggested Fierce and Noble as we'd not been there for a while, and it includes a little amble.  The Boy was definitely up for that so we struck out.

The walk was pleasant and the sun was quite warm in the brewery's courtyard when we arrived.  The board of draught offerings was a little bit sparce but they had plenty of cans.  We got a couple of pints and sat in the yard.  It was really nice being back there.  It's a little homespun when compared to most of the other brewery set-ups but the beer is good, the people friendly and we quite like a bit of variety.

Whilst musing on the beer, I suggested we might try the Eastgate restaurant.  He liked the idea a lot - albeit wondering whether the walk home might be a little long (for me, not him).  I was up for it.

We left the brewery and headed over the Eastgate.  It's not a road I've ever walked before (I might have travelled by road, but I don't even remember that) - and felt like a bit of a drery slog.  Then we saw the building and assumed that we'd be able to get in on the side we saw.  As we got to it, we realised there was an additional long slog around the boundary to get to entrance.

Then it was up a looooonnnnngggg flight of stairs to get into restaurant.  It was huge...and mostly empty (7pm on a Thursday).

Staff were quietly friendly and soon we had two enormous menus to peruse. We noticed immediately there were some interesting dishes - good sign.  We also noticed it was quite pricey.

We ordered.

The starter (smoked shredded chicken) arrived and it was definitely not a good start.  Tough, largely flavourless and we couldn't finish it.

We both started to get a bit twitchy.

The mains arrived.  A great improvement.  Szechuan green beans with pork and chilli was absolutely gorgeous.  Prawns with yellow bean sauce OK but a bit overly sauced.  Fried rice - generous and well cooked.  All in all, most of the food was fine and we finished most of it.

The bill was a bit of a stunner though - almost twice the price of our regular Chinese restaurant in Eastbourne and, green beans aside, definitely not worthy of it.

Has this been somewhere closer (like Dynasty) we would probably have given it a second go - but for the price - but the 5 mile excursion definitely means we won't be making plans to go back. 

 You definitely have to try these things and be happy you've done so.  But next time I think we'll reprise Mayflower in the Bearpit instead.

Striking Out

 The weather was supposed to be quite nice.  We hadn't seen some family members in a while and south Bristol is far easier for them to get to than the centre of town.  They also aren't beer drinkers so we wanted to meet somewhere easy-going and pleasant.

I thought a pleasant walk around the harbour and ending at the Grain Barge would do nicely - and all agreed.

We jumped on a ferry to the centre (much the nicest way to travel) and then walked the couple of miles the long way around the harbour to the Grain Barge.  It was quiet and although the weather wasn't as bright and sunny as we'd hoped, it was a pleasant stroll.

We arrived a little early but this was no hardship - lots of really good beer on offer (including Independence on cask!!!) and it's such a lovely place to sit in.

Family duly arrived and we spent a lovely couple of hours catching up.

We had various options at this point but we decided to reprise the Bag of Cats (Nails).  The beer selection was fine and it's a quirky pub so it's good to revisit although because of the cat thing, most of the patrons are visiting for the cats and it gives it a slightly odd vibe.

Nevertheless, it's really nice to venture a bit further and to have a couple of miles of walking back home too.  By then it was quite late but an easy dinner of pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella  made for the end of a good evening.

Today we have a Zoom meeting to attend at 5.30pm so we're planning to sneak out to MArtha's beforehand for a cheeky pint. It's only 5 minutes away so we shouldn't struggle to be back on time.

The Shire

 It was time to head northwest (from Eastbourne's perspective, anyhow).

The last couple of visits have been distinctly chilly meaning that we haven't really ventured very far and, when we do, we wanted to be in places that were pretty cosy...or at least could do an approximation.

This time, we arrived in sunshine on Thursday - not exactly warm but at least not freezing.

We don't even have to discuss the first venue - 4 hours of travel on us means we want to be in familiar surroundings where we absolutely know that the beer will be tasty and the staff delightful.

Our train was 30 mins late but we were still in the Barley Mow by 4.30pm and already it was pretty busy.  Thankfully, "our" table was free and suddenly all was right with the world.

By the time of the second pint, people had been coming in and joining a burgeoning crowd/queue at the bar. Eventually I decided I needed to bite the bullet and join them.  The boy timed how long it took for me to come back with beer:  6 minutes.

Actually, that time belies how well the bar staff were running the backlog.  No matter where around the bar you were, I could detect no queue-jumping whatsoever.  A sure sign of excellent bar staff and, to be fair, a pretty good set of punters.  So many times here we've seen huge groups of after-workers who order and buy one drink at a time  and - just for extra annoyance - throw in the odd coffee order or dither in their choices.

We had thought about eating there but, neither of us fancied it in the end so it was back via Sainsbury's with some pasta, pesto, tomatoes and (trashy) garlic bread - and it was as good a way to end the evening as any.

Friday the weather was wet all day.  But as we were mainly planning to go to Moor - it's no great hardship.

Today, it's bright and sunny and we're meeting friends at the Wiper and True new taproom.  Probably too cold to sit outside, but it won't be long until we will.  I'm quite looking forward to the stroll over there in dry, pleasant spring weather.