Another chance

 The first pub Best Beer Buddy took me to in this town I call home, was The Buccaneer.

It's close to Towner where we had just been to a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibition and it was time for a sit down and lunch.

I was told tales of how it was once fitted out to be like a galleon.  The beer was good, the ambiance was pleasant and it wasn't the last time I went there when making visits before we moved here.

In the time since then, the fortunes of the pub have wavered a little and the latest incarnation, run by the council, has been extremely patchy - it's also changed it's name to the Stage Door.  Mostly, we've been giving it a wide berth.

However, yesterday, I'd been at the Tower all day - starting late morning and mostly there on my own until the troops joined ready for a gig we'd arranged there.  This meant I'd been unable to go to the loo.

We finished with the gig around 5.30pm after the clear up and I was knackered.  BBB asked where I wanted to go - and my main priority was to have a wee, then to sit down with a beer somewhere not too busy or noisy.

Beerarama had a gig on so that was out, so I suggested we just try the Stage Door on the grounds is was less than 5 mins away, had reasonable loos and would probably at least serve a drinkable (if not exciting) pint.

It was peopled but not too crowded when we arrived and there were 3 decent beers on.  We grabbed a couple of pints, I took my ease, and we settled in.  Beer was good (360 Tacoma which came as a surprise) - so we had a second (he switched to Rising Giant - I stuck with 360).

I'm genuinely happy that the place seems to have picked up again.  It's as good a place as several other pubs in town - especially for a weary project manager.

Today, I think I'm looking forward to fridge beer, and the quiet company of BBB

The Temperature's Rising...

 ...and it wasn't surprising.  It's not that the outdoor air temperature has changed much, it's more that the building and the pavements have warmed up so they contribute to the general feeling of the heat.

At lunchtime yesterday I (bravely) went to fetch pasties (next door to Martha's).  Instead of my accustomed stroll along the side of the harbour, I cowered in the shade of the tall buildings behind us.  This, as it turned out, was a wise move.

As I got to the end of the road there was a small gap in the shade and the temperature change was immediate and staggering (it was very sunny).

When we wanted to venture out it took us a while to decide where.  Wiper and True promised rugby coverage so we decided to brave it.  Walking a bit of a circuitous route to make the most of potential shade we took it fairly slowly.  Nevertheless we arrived hot and tired.  The Rugby on TV wasn't that engaging and not in the ideal spot in the building (in my humble...) - not only that but because the building is quite big and industrial we assumed it would feel airy inside.  It did not.

After about 20 mins, it all got too much so we went outside to try and get some respite under their big sheltering tent.  We had a jolly exchange with some people who spotted the same, shaded, table as us - and they begged us to share it.

BBB was still not sure he wanted to stay but gradually, we cooled down, the overwhelming urge to find a fridge to lie down in subsided and we decided to watch the rugby on a phone instead (thank you W&T for decent wi-fi).

The walk back was a little more pleasant.

Today we've already had a little rain, but I still think it's best to stay fairly close to home...

We're having a heatwave...

 ...it's not exactly a tropical heatwave and it's not quite as extreme as it was last year.  Nevertheless, this is really not my favourite weather.

This flat also rather serves to amplify the warmth, thanks to the glass curtain wall.  The first couple of days it wasn't too bad first thing in the morning because there hadn't been that long summer heat build-up.  Now, however, 5 days in, the fans come out earlier and earlier in the day.

I'm genuinely not moaning - just a little bit sad that I'm too hot to head out far.  The furthest we've managed is Kings Street to try the Beer Emporium (large, underground, vaulted) which we figured might have a relatively stable temperature.  Sadly, however, despite all their social media and their website saying they were open on a Monday...they weren't.

Almost next door, though, is the "Volly" which has always been a little bit hit and miss both on beer and service. Nevertheless, the inside was empty and pleasant, the beer was cool and the staff attentive(ish).

We were happy there and it was really nice to see not only a long list, but a good range and many different strengths of beer.

The journey there was SO hot that himself was a little bit overwhelmed so we took it really slowly.

For the next couple of days we didn't really want that sort of repeat so we stuck local and safe.

One day we even ventured to the Cornubia and sat in their garden. We always hesitate a little because their favoured beer styles are quite traditional.  However, we were really very happy with some halfway-house beers that we were happy with, and which wouldn't have frightened the traditionalists' horses too much.

Yesterday we went to Moor.  The beer is always brilliant, but as they've swapped bar staff with less experienced ones it's not quite the same experience as it used to be. Nevertheless, sitting in the garden trying to make the most of every tiny waft of air and playing cards was a good way to spend our time.  AND they had Hoppiness on - which they haven't for a good while.

There's rugby today but it's not clear whether we want to go far yet.  The sun's still hot and although there are thunderstorms promised for later this evening, it'll be a while until going too far is bearable.

Unacustomed, as I am...

 It's pretty clear from most of these vague ramblings that the Boy and I like our beer - but we like it in quiet places.  Not for us the "shared" experience of being around a lot of people - we seek out the quiet and revel in going to really popular places when they have fewest punters.

No, it's not altruistic - and whilst we like the idea that we're peopling a bar/pub/taproom which has committed to opening but whose sales probably struggle its staffing bill at certain times of day -  it's mostly that we like places to be relatively calm.

Is it because we're getting on a bit?  Not really - both have of us have eschewed crowds for most of our lives - although it's easier to hear each other without the clamour of a busy clientele.  No, we are just those kinda people that likes to be with a limited number of other people at any one time.

In fact - when I've had particularly peoply days at work - I can really only bear to go to somewhere really quiet with only himself, since he understands.

Anyhow this is preamble by way of explanation as to why us going to what amounts to a sports bar on a Saturday afternoon is an anomaly.

Brighton were playing in the 5.30-kick-off slot  - this means televisation, and that means (usually) Sky.

The competitive beast in him makes even watching on the TV quite stressful - so we don't always do it.  However, yesterday he was quite keen.  However, if the beer's not good - we wouldn't do it.

We settled on heading to King Street which is a maelstrom of drinking people from Friday to Sunday which is why we usually give it a very wide berth.  The Brewhouse always has TVs on, just up the road is the Volly and just around the corner is a Fullers pub which could work in a pinch.

As we rounded the corner to go in we braced for impact a little bit - the outside seating was RAMMED but inside it was quiet.  All the big windows and doors were open giving an outsidey-insidey thing going on (useful for a hot lady-of-a-certain-age).  There was initially a big queue and a couple of chancer young men attempted to cut in front of me (poor, naive little boys) but I soon came away with a couple of pints and the Boy had settled himself in a lovely quiet little corner - perfect spot.

As always, the beer was fine.  Crowds of people came and went to the bar but even the group who inveigled their way to our little corner of quietude were pretty well behaved (ie:  not too loud).

Three pints, two hours, periods of serious stress,  and a 3-1 scoreline later - we cheerfully ambled home leaving the throngs behind.

What I found interesting was that depsite many hundreds of people converging on these two drinking streets and who were clearly spending a long time there I only saw one young woman very obviously worse for wear (ie - she'll be the one having her hair held back by a mate later as she voms into the gutter) - and OK it was about 7.45 when we left and I'm sure it got a lot more feisty later - but it seems to suggest that with the right sort of establishments and arrangements many of the issues can perhaps be managed pretty well.  Well done KingStreet and Welshback you make this part of town pleasant to be in - even at the weekend!

Meeting Da Family

 We try and meet up with friends and family when we're staying in Bristol - although sometimes we're not as good at is as we should be.  Also, because we don't plan too far in advance we can't just expect people to bend their diaries to our whims.

So it was that we missed the chance to meet with big brother last time we came up - we arrived unwell, and so we swerved all sociability.

The day before we left, bro dropped me a text to ask how we were and whether we were likely to be up soon.

Sister-in-law having had a major operation on her ankle, meant that we needed to pick a location with care.  Their natural instinct is to drive places and then one of them doesn't drink. We've been trying for years to get them to consider public transport.

This time I made a bold suggestion - for them to consider getting the bus into town and making the most of the East Bristol Brewery Trail.  Brother said he would research the feasibility and if it wasn't, then drive.

They live far to the East of the city - almost touching on Bath and so the bus service is only hourly.  However, it was close enough for sister in law to walk and at the town end I already knew it would stop very close to Wiper & True which I thought they may like.

Although there is a food offering (usually just gyoza) I did wonder whether it would be something my brother would really want to eat.  So, on our way round we stopped and picked up pasties and popped them, steaming hot, into our rucksack.

It's only about a mile, and we'd managed to time it so that we arrived at their bus stop a few minutes before them - so we waited and met them off the bus.

They both instantly fell in love with the taproom and marvelled how easy it was to get the bus (brother is old enough to have a bus pass) and how pleasant it was.  In fact, had her ankle been a bit more recovered, they would have been able to walk about half a mile from their house and have a bit more bus choice.  I took the opportinuty to extol the benefits of the bus company's app for live tracking of buses.

We decided to sit inside since it looked like it may rain a bit.  Whilst really busy, the bar staff were incredibly efficient and it took no time to get served.  Sure enough it rained so we were glad we'd found a good table before that happened.

We all found beers we liked, despite being a tiny bit disappointed in the lack of 2/3rd meaures (and plastic glasses).  Our visitors declared themselves utterly won over by the place and recommending it to their kids immediately.

All in all - and pasties included (which were still really warm after an hour in the bag) - as good a visit as it's possible to be.  We may have persuaded the family that buses aren't all bad...and that Town may actually be worth visiting on one.

On the way back, the BBB and stopped at the Barley Mow for a couple (and a card game) - the pace was picking up there by the time we left so it was nice to be back home in the quiet of the flat for a bit of decompression.

Today?  Actually, my main aim of being here for brewery trail wasn't Wiper and True (or almost any of the others...because most of them open weekly) - but Arbor.  They only open during the trail so it would be criminal not to nip up the cycle track to pay them a visit.

Bu that's for later...no lunchtime drinking for us today.

Right time, Right place

 After the Tour de France finished yesterday, we decided (unsurprisingly) it was beer o'clock.  "Where do you want to go?" I asked.  "Somewhere light and airy".

Wiper and True's brewery taproom seemed to fit the bill and is about 3/4 of a mile away.

It was sunny and reasonably warm and about 4.50pm when we arrived.

There were two cask choices on the bar so we chose Kaleidoscope and, unusually for us, sat outside.

They've done a really good job in turning a largeish car-park for a couple of industrial units into a welcoming outdoor space.  Whilst the parking bay lines remain, there are loads of planters filled with a variety of small trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants and it looks designed, rather than "plonked".

It would be very easy for them to have just filled the whole of the space with seating to maximise the number of punters but they've taken a much more hollistic approach and it's great!

All in all, it's a great place but I think, for us, the conditions have to be right to make it the perfect venue on any given day.  Yesterday was that day...

Surprise Cask

Sunday we still didn't have the energy to go far (and there was the threat of heavy rain) - so we popped to the Barley Mow.  Lovely and quiet and relaxing in the post-Sunday lunch lull.  Independence on cask is a rare and totally delightful treat.  We failed to take a game with us so we just chilled a bit.

This place still delivers time after time.

Monday we needed to pop out to get a packet from a locker so the natural place to go was LHG.  This has none of the cosy ambiance of smaller places and the larger staffing team makes for a different experience.  But I still really like the place and you can always rely on having a good range of higher strength beers to finish with. For the first time, the pizza guys didn't seem to be in attendance - but we weren't planning to eat out anyway so it wasn't much more than a passing observation.

Yesterday there was a game to be played (the one we picked up from the locker) and Martha's is the perfect place to do it.

We arrived and were greeted with a hearty hello (different staff from Friday) and they immediately leapt into "We've got a cask beer on...it's a new thing for us...". 

The chap pouring (ex-Moor) immediately said "2/3rds?"

They know their customers.

All in all, an absolutely perfect session of game and beer - the right number of people in the place, the brilliant staff and delightful beer.

Seriously, if an organisation can do all this from a railway arch, there's really no excuse for bigger places not to do it too.

Wonder if they'd like to come to Eastbourne....?