Good Chemistry

 On Friday we'd popped to Unwins.  We'd not seen the lass on bar before but soon got onto the obvious "were you working the EBBT?" question.

She was, and was staggered by how busy it had been -  she'd never seen so many people.  She was, apparently, also slightly horrified to learn there was also an "autumn" event. 

They had very little beer of their own - it all having been drunk the previous weekend (the best possible reason to be out of beer) but their cask 4% bitter (were I a pedant, I might call it a pale ale) was absolutely knockout.

I have to say the collaboration beer with Full Court Press (coffee roasters and cafe who I think are probably setting up in another arch nearby???) which was a Strawberry and coffee sour was really not our bag at all.  

Thankfully they still have the wonderful dark mild with which we finish.

Yesterday was warm and sunny so I suggested we pop round the new incarnation of Good Chemistry brewery which now has regular weekend opening times.

GC has never been a go-to brewery for us - the beers have always been restrained and "fine" but not something we've sought out.  I was curious whether the takeover by an organisation who, on the face of it, seem to have a less understated personality, might change our opinion. 

Again, this brewery is about a 7 or 8 minute walk from us (if you're counting, that means 4 breweries within 10 minutes on foot from our flat).

The main thing that seems to have changed at the brewery is their house graphic style - from precise, scientific-looking diagrammatic livery to bright, whimsical characters. 

After the "obligatory" exchange with engaging chap behind the bar (they were very busy last weekend, unsurprisingly) we settled on two 4% pale beers - me:  Kokomo Weekday, him something else (can't remember the name).  KW was a good, decent keg beer, his had more of a lager characteristic - nice, but not quite what we expected.

There were about a dozen people there when we arrived and the numbers ebbed and flowed - there was a nice hubbub on the whole.

Our second beers were in the 5.5 - 6% range (me a Canadian IPA, whatever that is, him Vienna Lager which was a colab with Little Martha) and both were really good.

Because it's a standard industrial estate unit, it's very much an "open fronted" affair and most seating is in the line of the open frontage. Not a place for inclement weather and, like a lot of taprooms like this - quite homespun in nature.  People stood in the street outside, people sat inside and I would guess we saw 30 or people during our visit.

Lasties was always going to be Kokomo weekend which I loved in the brewery's old incarnation.  It's lost nothing - hefty 7% but very drinkable.

We'll be back, I have no doubt.  The BBB, initially sceptical at the suggestion, was really pleased I'd suggested it and we both really enjoyed the session.

Only downside would be (like Unwins) the lack of 2/3rds measures but it's a small gripe, isn't it.

It's made me want to make the effort to find their other pubs (or maybe to give the Collie a second go).  But that's for next visit.