Back in Sussex

 Our spell in Bristol was awash with lovely beer and although we had lots of work to do, it still felt less frantic than the day to day work at TechResort.

But now we're back!

Leases have been signed, furniture has been moved and we're into our new base.

It's been really lovely ending the day in a local pub or taproom.  The beer has felt properly earned and that's a really nice feeling.

Even better, after a day working from home yesterday, we were able to avail ourselves of The Crown's beer festival.

The beer was good, the pub was lively - and even though we prefer it when it's quiet it's lovely to see people supporting their local.

Eastbourne is a diffcult place for beer sometimes but every now and again there's a light...

Taproom 3

 This is only tangentally about beer - but the thoughts occurred throughout the day, but crystallised in the LHG Taproom in the afternoon.

I find Woman's Hour a little bit tedious, at times but something someone said yesterday made me think of all the times in my life I've felt the need to prove a bloody point with men - and how that's shaped how I behave.

Ironically I never had to prove anything at home when I was growing up.  My dad involved me in gardening and woodwork and anything else, if I was interested (which I usually was).  As I got older and my dad needed more help around the house because of his health I ended up fixing the car, wallpapering the stairs (no, really...at the age of 18 or so), dismantling the washing machine so he could make a repair, etc, etc.

When I was very little my everso-tolerant lovely brother who is 8 years my senior had to put up with me demanding to play with his Lego, his soldiers, his Subbuteo and Scalextric and for him to teach me snooker and darts.  Later on he taught me guitar and photography and I never remember him seriously complaining.

I guess my mum may have been a little disappointed in my total lack of interest in clothes (I mean, I didn't want to walk around naked or anything, but I had no interest in new or "pretty" clothes) - but I think she did eventually get over that.

It was when I ventured out into the wider world when I started work when I started to notice how prickly I got when men either patronised or, more often, underestimated me.

It started with the actuary who, when I asked him a question on the application of algebra to make mine and my colleagues' jobs a bit quicker, patted his seat and said "take a seat, my dear".  I responded by getting really cross (although he was very, very senior) and said "there's no need to talk down to me, I've got an A Level in maths - I just want help applying it here!" (my A Level grade was a shocker, but I didn't feel the need to tell him that).

Actually, he and I became pretty firm friends after I told him off, and learned that my aunt who he had previously worked with had done much the same.  

Anyhow - my next really strong memory of putting a bloke in his place was raising my voice at a school friend's boyfriend in the pub one evening when he said that drinking pints wasn't ladylike so he wouldn't buy me a pint but would be prepared to buy me two halves if I insisted.

A few years later, I took indecent glee when this same chap was giving me a lift home one night and the car got a puncture.  We all got out and he (and another male friend of his) attempted to change the wheel - but had no idea how and this culminated in him trying to loosen the wheel nuts with the car fully jacked up.  I rolled my eyes (and made whatever the noise of that is), snatched the wheel brace from him, lowered the car, loosened the nuts, jacked it back up again and put the brace back in his hand.  To be honest, this now makes me feel a bit petty but at the time it felt SO good.

Later in my career I worked a lot with IT men (but always as part of the business, not the IT dept) - by then I'd done a part-time degree in computing, maths and technology subjects and was pretty pleased with my 2.1 BSc.  I'd been playing with computers since I was about 15 but a lot of the IT guys used a special voice with me that pissed me off something rotten.  I was prone, therefore, to quite public take-downs of men who used that voice from time to time. 

Though, actually, it was a private take down that I remember more than anything - when a very senior IT guy asked for some information about stuff I was testing for him and I said "it happens on this server, but not that one" and he said (using the "voice", natch) "No, that's not possible - all the servers are set up the same".  This went on for all the time I was doing the testing - I always noted the difference between servers and passed on the information - but always with the same reply.

The denouement came on the day I stopped passing on the information about what server I was working on. When I reported an issue he said "what server are you on...?" and of course, chippy me took over and said "but I thought all the servers were identical?" and when he asked "I suppose you think that's funny, do you?" I just answered "yes".

I very, very rarely get that incandescent feeling any more - I'm not sure if age has mellowed me, or whether the men I'm around are different, or have learned better.  Rather I tend to notice more positive things.

<here we come to the beer link>

We were in the LHG taproom yesterday in the "after work" shift and I was doing a lot of people-watching.

I saw women sitting on their own with books or tablets and a beer and a pizza.

I saw groups of women ordering flights of beers and delighting in trying them.

I saw a couple of women having a romantic date with beer.

Then I saw a woman who was sitting outside in a mixed group of people, carry three beer glasses and navigate the stiff door with an expert hip-check without spilling a drop and take them to her table.  I have many years' practice carrying three pints (they were 2/3rd glasses, but it's still quite a feat) and it was fantastic to see another woman do that.

(I also saw a party of 5 or so middle-aged blokes totally unable to locate and use a door - which was mildly entertaining).

I think I mostly marvelled at a mainly-beer venue being so equally split between men and women, and for that not to be just in the company of a man.

I know there's a lot of talk about bad behaviour towards women in the beer industry and it's unforgiveable but little pockets of welcoming loveliness can restore my faith a little from time to time.

Another Day, Another Taproom

 Weekends are very busy times in the good beer places in Bristol.

We've always disliked crowds so it's natural for us to avoid them wherever feasible.  The pandemic hasn't really made us any less willing to submit ourselves to crowds but it has made us even better at finding quiet places.

We realised we hadn't been to the New Bristol Brewery taproom for...so, so, long.  As one of our other hobbies, we're playing film cameras (old ones) and then we've learned how to develop film (1 part wanting to know how, one part economy measure, one part...we're makers, so we make stuff) and it was necessary to pop into town to a camera shop which still stocks traditional film stock and chemicals.

A chat with the chap in the shop (who, I remembered after we'd left, used to be a regular in the Hare on the Hill) saw us coming away with a one-shot precessing chemical which promises to be easier and more economical than the usual raft of liquids.

It was busy in the shop demonstrating a seeming resurgence in film and its processing and smiling a little, we headed off to NBB's site which is a little north of the main drag of town.

We know not to expect cask beer (the cask pint in the Moor Tap on Friday was such a pleasant suprise) but it's so lovely to see such a wide range of style available (inc lager and cider if that's your bag). It was buzzing inside and out but not too crowded and it made for a very pleasant couple of hours.  

We headed back via town aiming to get dinner at the peculiar Chinese restaurant in the Bear Pit.  I was convinced it would be relatively quiet.  There wasn't a table to be had.  Disappointed not to get an eat-in fix but really happy they're still running and apparently doing well, we headed via a supermarket to pick up something to make a simple pasta dinner instead.  Glad to be home but telling ourselves we really must get back into the habit of eating out.

Today, I've been plotting with my brother to meet up for beer in Bath. 

The pub I've chosen is right next to a small train station a little outside the main part of the city.  We're going late afternoon on Thursday and I'm reasonably confident it won't be too busy.  Something to look forward to.

New Faces

 We arrived in the West Country base yesterday afternoon following an uneventful train journey.  Naturally, we headed to the Barley Mow as feels right an proper.

When we arrived lots of people were sitting outside but inside it was quiet.

We took up our usual seat in the corner and ordered a couple of beers.  It has to be said the range of cask was a little bit disappointing - still being far below the pub's pre-pandemic heyday.  Nevertheless, what was there was good and interesting and there were a few nice keg beers available.

As time went on the number of people coming in increased but we observed - much like we do in Eastbourne - that we don't recognise many of the people.  OK, we don't spend anything like as much time here as we do in Sussex...but even so, we tended to recognise at least some of the patrons. Today, there was only one chap who has been a mainstay of the pub since we started coming here.

I'm wondering whether a new type of pubgoer has emerged?  Perhaps someone who didn't like the crowded-stand-by-the-bar atmosphere but ventured out as the capacity of pubs has been reduced: first by law and then, seemingly, by choice (we noticed that the BM had a little more capacity than last time we came - but definitely doesn't feel crammed).

By the time we left the pub was very pleasantly busy and buzzy and we were happy that punters are returning.  This is partly selfish in that with more people drinking beer in there (and there were) they will inevitably increase the range of beer on offer.

Today we'll venture elsewhere, I suspect.  Our guess is that Fridays are likely still to be very busy around the place so we'll probably seek out somewhere a little quieter.  It's nice to be back again.

Something for Everyone

 One of the small disappointments in the lovely town I call "mostly home" (we're here about 80% of the time) is the dismal range of pubs, bars and other drinkng establishments.

It's pretty easy for the boy and I to head off to any one of the places we know for a couple of beers because our needs are extremely simple.  Good beer in a place that feels like it cares that we're there.

Since our Damascene moment with the kegged beer (which we chatted about last night, as it happens) we're none too worried about the dispense method of the good beer.

Pretty much:  Cask > Keg/Tank > Can > Bottle but if what they have is well made beer at a decent temperature then we're up for it.

No, the difficulty comes when we're meeting other people who aren't just in it for the beer...

So today, a gathering with sisters is planned and there's some angst about the best place which will suit.  Brown Cask beer (preferably fairly strong) for one brother-in-law, something soft for another.  Sisters tend to graviate to white wine but are known to give the odd beer or cider a go, in the spirit of adventure.

Do we want to eat or not?  Is there going to be football on at the pub? What about other events?  

 We live on opposite sides of the town so maybe a central place would be fairest?

There are six of us and prone to be noisy talkers when in a bunch...so nowhere too small so that we disturb other people...

Were this the situation in Bristol (or Brighton or even Lewes) we could be pretty confident to find a place that would genuinely keep us all happy.  But we're in Eastbourne...

We reckon that there are maybe 9 places which would meet at least some of the criteria.

But three are also Sky Sports pubs so the TVs will be on, and the locals will be in to watch Liverpool  v Chelsea later.

Two have lovely beer and could probably keep the others happy...but they're very small...

We went to one before and it was OK but the assembled company didn't really look as at home as they could have been.  Another would likely fall into that category too.

That leaves 2

We suggested the one of those that best juggles everything, even though the beer is the weakest point for us...

As it happens, one Brother in Law was really liking the idea of a beer Festival.  So we're back off to the Crown, having had an initial foray yesterday.  Nice and easy for us - let's hope the others will be as happy, too.

Rumbled

 Today I popped out to get my hair cut.

The salon is a stone's throw from my local - The Crown - and so a pleasant 15 minute walk from our house.

As I ambled past the pub I thought I'd peer in the window to see whether was an interesting second beer on cask.  I pressed my eager little nose to the window and saw there was just the usual Gun Extra Pale (always lovely but there's really only so much of it I want to drink in a single session).  As I drew my head away from the window I saw someone inside the pub (it wasn't open at the time) but didn't catch who it might be.

I turned and walked towards the hairdressers and then I heard my name being called.  I turned round and I saw the landlord, Andy, had come out to the street.  He said "Prohibition" and grinned.

See you this evening, Andy!

South Coast Beers

 We're back down south, now, after leaving the Bristol flat in the capable hands of relatives as they enjoy a well-earned break (they're both teachers) in a city.

We (he) drove back in decent enough time and conditions but both of us felt quite wearied by the journey.  As we'd parked almost next to the pasty shop it seemed rude not to pick a couple up to eat post-journey.

So there was tea and a lovely pasty at 4pm.  After that we decided to make the most of the sunshine and stroll to the Crown to sit in the garden.

The Gun extra pale was clearly near its end and we were knackered, so we stuck at one and shuffled back home - I guess a tad disappointed, but mostly just tired.

Thursday we didn't go to the pub at all, dodging the rain and relying on the beer in the fridge.  I did, however, sort out some Bristol beers for delivery.

I was working at the "office" (or lab, or college, or whatever we choose to call it) on Friday and decided to make a day of it, checking up on some jobs I'd been meaning to do for quite a while.  When I was ready to leave, I asked the boy where he might like to buy me some beer.  He suggested town.

So it was that I landed in Ninkaci just after 4.15pm - the boy joining me about 10 minutes later.

Most of the spaces had been booked for later so I found a corner with no booking, grabbed a couple of stools and enjoyed my BBNo beer. In the couple of hours that followed we comfortably drank our way through the draught beers as the bookees gradually took up their tables.

We're becomng more accustomed to the higher prices for premium beer and, for the most point, don't object (even mentally) and we're now even less likely to go to pubs with dreary beer.  Eastbourne still has scope for more interesting places to drink for us, though.  

We mused on how long it can take to build a reputation.  We were thinking about TechResort, but I realised it applies to a culture of beer, too.
When the boy started to come to Bristol I knew all the best pubs because of my involvement in the Bristol Camra group.  But I wouldn't have said Bristol was anything like a beer Mecca.  Bath Ales had filled the local brewery gap left by Smiles (no coincidence that the Bath Ales guys had previously worked for Smiles) after an interregnum of many years.

Bristol Beer Factory then followed...then came Arbor and Moor and now, some 10 years later you really can't move for excellent breweries and the pubs who stock their wares.

Hopefully two nice craft bar plus a quirky brew pub will help Eastbourne up its beer game.  After all, Beak has opened in the home of Harveys.  Surely anything is possible?