Year End

 I've enjoyed reading a few "Golden Pints" type posts - I especially like Boak and Bailey, partly because their writing is always refreshingly judgement-free (not opinion-free...that's different) but also because they live in Bristol and that local familiarity keeps me close to the Bristol home (I really never thought I'd ever be homesick for Bristol, but I occasionally am).

However, it's not something I'm going to do in full because I've drunk so much good (and equal amounts of perfectly-fine) beer this year, as every year for the last 14 or so years, I would say.  I no longer believe there is a perfect/best/favourite beer for me.

I think I'd stick to "experiences" with beer that have made me smile this year (and I can't even promise to include all of them, or any specific occasion, even).

Barley Mow, Bristol.

Almost every time we arrive at the flat, going in there is a rite of arrival - it means we're "home" (in Bristol terms).  9/10 times the staff remember from the get-go that we really like straights not jugs.  If they've forgotten (or they're new) they don't usually have to be asked twice.  They also happily dispense cask beers in 2/3rds - what's not to love.

In general, the BM nails it pretty much every time - from the range of beer, to the ambiance to proximity.

Little Martha, Bristol

Beer usually great - sometimes some really impressive cask beers on their slightly quirky cask dispenser.  I particularly remember arriving in the middle of summer, after getting off a train after a day in a conference and being greeted with a glass of Petite Bulba which I'd never seen anywhere else but was the perfect comedown for an introvert having done too much peopling.

Siren Brewery Tap, Reading

On the same day as above.  Pretty much bog-standard modern taproom (that's to say modern, open, well thought-out) superbly placed halfway between conference venue and train station and a quick way to catch up and spin down immediately after said peopling.  The beer, I think, was probably Soundwave - I remember that I picked by familiarity and ABV but what I really remember is sitting alone in a place with aircon, just chilling and catching up on my emails etc - feeling calm, relaxed and content.

Beer Emporium, Bristol

 Not so much the place per se - but, having decided to refamiliarise ourselves with it after a long period not going there, really loving their choice of Wiper and True "Wild" somethingorother on cask and thinking how bloody good it was, and in perfect condition.  We've been back a couple of times since and the cask selection has been pretty good and it's an interesting place to watch people's behaviour in pubs.

Beerarama, Eastbourne

Actually, it's rare that I can strongly remember the beers we have there for very long after we've had them.  They're all of a high standard. We discovered Azvex beers (Liverpool) there and I now tend to search them out when we're in.  BBB frequently chooses some of the interesting dark Burning Sky beers as a lasty. We love the chaps who run it, often swapping brewery recommendations, but also since we've got in the habit of catching the bus home from just around the corner from there, it feels like a really "local" place.

The Crown, Eastbourne

This is our Sussex local.  It's a 12-15 minute walk from the house, or 2 minutes from a bus stop which is on my way home from work.  Definitely the most consistently well kept cask beer which isn't Harveys (they have Harveys, and it's well kept but they have many other things).  Although a Heineken pub, Andy the landlord has a fair bit of latitude in the cask beer he can serve (I'm guessing this is something to do with Heineken itself not owning a cask brewery like some pubco orgs do).  His beer festivals are always fun.  The pub itself is very unlike the places we drink in Bristol but we feel just as much at home there and are on nodding terms with most of the other regulars.  I wouldn't think twice about going in on my own, whether or not I was meeting someone there.  Every now and again, we get ridiculously excited that something interesting has gone on...that's how a pub should make you feel.

The Seadog, Hastings

It's usually quite busy, the staff great, the beer selection can be a bit hit and miss (often no cask on) but what they have is always good.  Nearly always have Drop Project beers on, which deliver consistently.  Serve 2/3rds (not a given in Sussex) and have good food.  Its proximity to Hastings station (<5 mins walk) and one of the organisations I work with makes it especially good. In 2024 had several really pleasant sessions in here both with colleagues and the BBB (sometimes at the same time), just giving me a general positive vibe for the place.  Am overdue a visit.

Steamworks, Seaford

Seaford is a funny old place.  Medium-sized coastal town about 20mins by bus away. Also a railway terminus on the line to Brighton via Lewes. Steamworks is the old station buffet and often peopled by people waiting for trains. Beer tends to be a little inconsistent but every now and again there will be something magnificent or surprising on cask and/or keg.  I got reacquainted with Dark Star (Fullers/Asahi) APA here this summer and it seems to be back to pretty much its old self depsite not being brewed in Partridge Green any more. Large tables and pews for a lot of the seating means that this tiny space has to be shared nicely.  We approve.

Pilchard Press, St Ives

Rank and unpromising access lane to it meant that the place and the beer really needed to deliver in order for us to even think of going back.  We did, though - three times.  Again, a tiny space where sharing tables was essential, but selling an immense quantity of superbly kept cask ales and good kegs too.  Quite an achievement.  Service definitely not effusive, but gruffly friendly - my sort of place.  Fun conversations with other punters (usually started with "excuse me, but what's that game you're playing with cards and an app?").  Not fully relaxing because the seating didn't really lend itself, but nevertheless probably the standout venue from our St Ives holiday.

Bruhaha, Bristol

First visits here this year (perhaps newly opened, can't remember).  Snug, jolly, very nice arancini snacks.  They hadn't started brewing on site when we visited but it will be interesting to go back when they have.  Another small, very busy place where sharing space is a must.  On both occasions we drank a couple of the same thing here because they have a wide range, but only one of any given style.  Nevertheless, I still remember it as a wholly pleasant experience which means we'll almost certainly head back again fairly soon.  

Evening Star, Brighton

I don't actually think we've been there many times this year - and this is a criminal oversight.  When the trains to Eastbourne from London were particularly unreliable, we'd frequently get on a Brighton train in Victoria, instead, to at least get us nearer home.  A visit to the Evening Star would then be inevitable.  Taking an hour-long bus ride from home just to go there always feels like a bit of an overindulgence and the walking around that route doesn't particularly lend itself to "ending at the pub".  Nevertheless, the ES is absolutely in the same league as the BM.  Again, overdue a visit for sure.

Looking at this list - it's clear we've not travelled around much this year (or, if we have, I've forgotten it).  It's probably mostly because work has been so damned busy so that, even though we're part-time, we often don't feel we can just take a random couple of days out just to visit places.  We should probably try a little harder, next year, I think.

 

Light at the end of the Tunnel

 So, here we are - day 10 (ish) of the 3-day headache.  I know that it's sinusitis borne of the stupid bug I'm 3-weeks into and, to be fair, it's a lot less painful now than it has been, nevertheless I just wish it would f-off now.

On Friday we just about managed to drag our carcasses around the park that's opposite our house - makes for a 20 minute trip but we came back knackered.

We had some plans to schlep through the woods yesterday but it seemed a bit daunting so, instead, we decided to stroll down to The Crown where we were greeted with Gun Project Babylon and Kent Golden.  Both very acceptable and a couple of pints of each were quaffed.

From the sounds of some of the locals in the pub, we're not the only ones who have been unwell.

On the way back in the cold and damp (and it's uphill) BBB said "I'm never going out again".  Obviously he didn't mean it but it's kind of how both weather and bugs are making us feel.

Today, the cold, flat, quiet grey mist continues to envelope the neighbourhood and I, for one, don't feel particularly like going out anywhere.

Tomorrow, however, we should try the outside again - perhaps to see if the Lamb has any Christmas Ale left...maybe.

 

Unaccustomed as I am

 Been an ongoing weird few days.  I'm still coughing like a 40-a-day-Woodbine smoker and we're on day 6 of a three day headache. Whatever this bug is, it can do one.

Now the BBB seems to have acquired it too, along with his knackered back.  In short, we're a right pair just now.

I had anticipated we might venture down to the Crown (definitely not going down tomorrow) today but all we've really wanted to do is hunker down.

I've ripped some 45's, cooked some ham (in a bottle of supermarket cider) which proved to be very tasty. We've retrieved and assembled chairs and that's about it.

We didn't drink beer or wine with dinner - he thought it was better to swerve it, given the oncoming symptoms, and I decided to keep him company.

Hopefully, the middle of the day for the next couple of days will be tolerable even if we have to resort to early nights.

To be honest, it's typical of me - almost always, when I persist through the first few bits of a bug and then get to a time when I can properly relax...this often happens.  Grumble.

Hopefully there will still be Christmas Ale at the Lamb when we find our way there.

Slings and Arrows

 It's been a couple of "interesting" weeks back in Sussex.  

Whatever it was I brought back from the Shire is still making its presence felt.  Added to that, the Boy acquired a back problem which means getting comfortable can be a bit of a challenge.

As a result our pub tripping and such has been minimal.

Twice we've made a very pleasing journey to see Jamie and John in Beerarama - they remain the folk in the industry I most admire down here.  They stick at it, despite Eastbourne being really quite rubbish at beer culture and they've always got something interesting on the bar as well as plenty of options in the fridge.  They're also genuinely nice folk who are a superb addition to town.

We've also been to the Crown, of course, with good sub 5% beers always on offer...but nowhere to go to up the strength since all their kegs are from the Heineken stable.

We decided to try The Lamb one evening and the Boy was delighted to see they had Harveys Christmas ale on a pump. 

Best beer since we arrived back is an 11% Imperial Stout by Azvex which we each had 2/3rds of  in both of our trips to Beerarama.

This year we're hosting Eastbourne Family for lunch - our kitchen area lends itself perfectly well to task and cooking a roast lunch (chicken, not turkey) is quite a lot of graft but, to be honest, I never find it stressful, just a bunch of tasks.  The main requirement, as I have realised, is to not under-cater on the gravy front.  As a result the freezer has a few pints of "proto gravy" (or home made chicken stock as most people would know it) ready to be employed to distract the assembled company from anything else that might be sub-par.

Outside of that?  A fridge (well, and cupboard) full of lovely beer (Arbor, Burning Sky and Moor with some other odds and ends from previous purchases). 

The latter part of the year at work has been trying, to say the least, but that finally all feels like it's coming under control so I'm hoping for some quiet time with log burner and some board games and - when the boy can walk more comfortably, maybe a stroll on a sunny day.

 

Thwarted

 I'd been gagging to go to the Evening Star and we'd never quite found the time or, rather, the right time.

So before we left Bristol I mooted the suggestion that we swing by on our way back to Eastbourne.  There had a been a lot of travel disruption so it looked like there may be a possibility we'd be forced via that route in any case.

Still, when it came to it on Sunday night it did look like order had been restored but I felt a bit unwell.  When I woke on Monday, I still felt quite ropey and the boy offered a delay to travel.

I really don't find the travel itself at all stressful but when I know I am travelling I do like to get it out of the way (I appreciate how weird that sounds).  So I decided I wasn't badly enough sick to delay and that, in fact, I'd prefer just to get on with it.

When the world climbed onto the train in Temple Meads and all chattered with what seemed more than the usual level of intensity I despaired of a peaceful journey.  I shouldn't have worried - it seemed that almost everyone got out at Bath for the, now legendary, Christmas Market.  The rest of the journey proceeded peacefully.

The boy asked did I still want to go to Brighton but I wasn't feeling like it - all I wanted was a sofa, a warm fire and pointless TV.

I even eschewed beer in favour of a mug of tea (Darjeeling, since I don't play fast and loose with caffeine after about 3pm).  Thankfully, the fridge still had a goodly supply of cans so the BBB was happy enough and I never feel beer envy once I decide not to drink so all was good.

There's no way we're venturing to Brighton before Christmas now, so we'll have to save it up as a New Year treat instead.

Today I'm catching up with work, and top of my to-do list was beer purchasing...so some of that's been done.  I'm not counting out the idea that more might be ordered...jus' saying.

Singularity born of a critical mass of black t-shirts

 We're in Bristol again - our last period her before the seasonal whatnots (we're spending the C word in Sussex).

Travel and arrival was stress-free and pleasant.  We arrived in a little late but it was of no consequence.  Dropping bags and turning on heating was followed by - yes, you've guessed it, a trip to the Barley Mow which continues to be the perfect pub.  The fire was on, the beer was excellent and the vibe was jolly.  We relaxed.

Wednesday was a quiet day before a bit of an onslaught.  Naturally, we convened in Little Martha where there was an ebb and flow of people and a good game of "Jaipur".  If only they'd have had the namesake beer on, then it would have been extremely fitting.

Thursday I had an early start (7.30 train to Birmingha,) and a long day.  It was a conference for work and involved a LOT of networking.  By 4pm I was done - as was my colleague who knows the area pretty well, being a west-midlander with family nearby.

We snook out and went to the Post Office Vaults - a small, fairly basic but very convenient, GBG-listed bar.  I didn't have too much time before my train back south so I just had a pint and a half of Oakham Citra which was perfect!  Maybe I'd have tried other things if I'd had longer there...who knows.  Still there was a train to catch so colleague walked me to the appropriate part of New Street (and by the way - WTF have they done to the concourse there? It's really hard to navigate now).

When I got back home - it was dinner time with a shared can of Old Freddy Walker - and a very early night.

Friday was more peopling - this time family and we had lunch in the Hollybush which is close to where brother lives.  We did a late lunch and had Proper Job and Fierce ad Noble Liberty.  Definitely a cut above the usual country-pub thing in that neck of the woods.  Catching up with family was lovely...nevertheless, we were both thoroughly peopled-out.

So, yesterday we did the usual Saturday-schlep up to Moor where there was an afternoon/evening gig on. Now, I've no idea how many forms of "metal" there are - but it was all represented in the line-up (I think).  Weirdly, whilst very noisy (in the back room in the brewery) because it was pretty much all low frequency sound it didn't really stop up chatting.  

We were totally surrounded by people in black garb.  When I went to the bar (with my pale grey sweatshirt and t-shirt) I felt like a real outlier.  When they poured the beer I'd ordered they first reached for a plastic glass, hesitated a second and looked how I was dressed - then said "are you here for the music" when I smiled and said no, immediately switched it for a proper glass.  Phew.

It was a nice vibe so we came back pleasantly relaxed.

Today? Well, it's Sunday so it'll be games at Little Martha - of course.

Gagging for a Pint

 Weird thing.  When we got to the end of our last trip to Bristol I was really ready to come back down south, tinker in the garden, light a fire in the evenings, and generally cosy down (the flat, whilst easier to keep warm, is brilliant but definitely not 'cosy') in the house with a decent kitchen etc, etc.

In my head I was perfectly happy to leave the city of beer well behind for a while and it didn't feel at all like any sort of compromise.

True enough, the first thing I did on landing in Eastbourne was order in a load of cans from our favourite south-west breweries for the days we didn't venture to the pub.

Our local pubs responded well to our return (yeah, we know it was very much accidental) and had really interesting guests at The Crown, and good seasonal beer (Bonfire Boy) at the Lamb.  We have also settled into both of them as decent places to play games (on the right day).

And yet, here I am now about six weeks later pawing at the ground to go to The Barleymow and have two cask beers and (probably) a stronger keg beer whilst playing a game or reviewing a funding bid (of which there are many we have to do).  We've been doing this back-and-forward living things for about 10 years now and every time I think it's maybe getting a bit old - something keeps me thinking it's the best of all possible worlds in terms of facilities, pubs, being useful and yet getting a bit of variety.

It's not a long stay this time - we'll be back after about 2 weeks, the trip being bookended by a few obligations at both ends - but getting a good fix of brilliant beer in that time, whilst also catching up with friends and family feels like the perfect getaway (even if there still funding bids to do)

Not letting perfection become the enemy of good

 I'm a recovering project manager (there, I've said it).

I've spent quite a lot of my time on corporate projects where the members of the project team are fixated on perfection.  Honestly, it's really good to have high standards but sometimes you have to get the job done to "is it good enough" standards.

So, too, with beer-drinking for us.

On Saturday we'd arranged to meet some friends we don't see all that often.  They like a beer, but they're not quite as fanatical as we can tend to be.

They had a prearranged thing late afternoon (right when we'd normally be going to the pub) so a compromise was required.  I did a bit of surfing around and realised that the Landsdowne pub in Clifton was probably the most suitable place on a Saturday evening which was also convenient for them in the circumstances.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous - since we'd not been there for years and we weren't that impressed by it at the time.  But it seemed to have "local beer" promise.  So we went with it.

At 4.15 we landed there after a little walk around the village and it was pleasingly quiet.  The cask offering was two from Good Chemistry and one from Moor plus Doom Bar and London Pride.  We both went with the Moor and the lad grabbed a seat.

We bemoaned the beer choices a little, but it was nicely cool, fresh and well-kept.  We muttered that it wouldn't be a regular haunt for us.

Hoardes of people (mostly students) came in, ordered beer and got swallowed up by the garden and the room upstairs.  It was impressive to see.

Older adults came in, ordered food and drinks.  People came, people left and all the while the pub felt lively rather than busy.

By the time our friends arrived we'd ordered our second and we had a good time catching up -  and doing a lot of moaning about insurance and dreary business things.

For the last pint the boy switched to Moor Festbeer on keg and I reduced my quantity to a "half of the same".

After the friends had dropped us back home, and we set about making a very quick late dinner we both agreed it was fun and though it's not a pub we would normally choose it did the thing very well and suited the circumstances.  Sometimes, it doesn't need to be perfect - good will get the job done.

Basketmakers' Rules

 My Saturday usually starts with coffee, a biscuit, and reading Boak and Bailey's weekly update - and so it was today.

What particularly caught my attention was the bemoaning of the (poor) use of seating (specifically benches) and tables in pubs.

The BBB and I frequently allude to "Basketmakers Rules" in our conversations about how people use the communal space in a pub.

If you've ever been to the Basketmakers in Brighton - especially on a 3pm kick-off home game Saturday - you'll recognise it.

Basketmakers is a Fullers pub that does good food and it's in close proximity to both "The Laines" and the part of town that has the buses that goes to Brighton's home ground.  As a result, when you arrive between noon and 12.30 on a matchday you enter via one of two doors and you'll usually be confronted by packed full tables (a mix of home and away fans, and other folk) and the casual observer might write the venue off as "nowhere to sit".

Hold your nerve.

There are usually a few free (tall) stools at the bar.  Go and get your beer, and perch on one of these.  Be casual, but remain vigilent.

In my experience within about 5 or 6 minutes a gaggle of people will finish their drinks, put their coats on and make to leave.  If they catch your eye, or you theirs, there will be a signal to take over residence of the resulting space.  Usually with a smile, often with a quip - it's how the pub works.  You sit, taking up as little space as you possibly can (no coats and bags on extra stools here, please).

If your party is smaller in size than the outgoing one, you make it absolutely clear that the remaining space is up for grabs.

Even if there are first time visitors (for surely, some of the throng are), they get the gist really quickly.  On the rare occasion that a "spreader" tries to claim more space than is necessary, someone will inevitably wade in with a cheery "Is anyone sitting here?" (hint: treat this question as rhetorical) and fill the space.  

The pub really benefits from having built-in benches around much of the perimeter and then countless  round cast-iron-leg-dark-wooden-top tables with oh-so-many stools.  It's a system that's worked for a couple of decades, I'm reliably told by the men who have been going here on matchday since they were very much younger men than they are now.  Even a change of hands (old landlord retired) hasn't appeared to dent the model.  

Even though, these days, I tend to avoid crowded pubs and bars - if there's an opportunity to meet our friend, M, who lives in London but is still a season ticket holder on a matchday - we don't have to "choose" a venue - we'll see him at the Basketmakers between 12 and 12:30.  And we'll enjoy it.

Related to the Basketmakers is the complementary post-match venue:  The Evening Star.

One time home of the Dark Star Brewery, it also seems unchanged in nature - or quality of offer.

Being within 2mins walk of Brighton Station also makes it the natural choice of venue for away fans going home after the match.  It doesn't do food, and it doesn't have loads of small round tables.  It has a few large tables and a couple of sort of booths with a goodly number of low stools.  Nevertheless, good quality sharing of space happens.

Within 30mins of the final whistle, the pub is full (tip:  if you're not watching the match get your beer in before this window of arrival).  Unlike the Basketmakers, there's loads of room for standing drinkers - and boy do they use it. But - if you want or need a seat one will become free sooner or later as long as you're prepared to share.

I've only once been given the evil eye when wanting to share a space but even then the culprit is a grumpy regular and even they knew sharing is required.

These pubs have greatly influenced my own attitudes to use of space in pubs - and on the (occasional) benefits of chatting to a stranger over beer.

They have also given me the ability - even in pubs I don't know - to cheerily approach a space that looks like it's mainly being taken up by coats and bags and ask "d'you mind if I sit here?"

On holiday in St Ives this led to a couple of jolly conversations about board games.  Fun times.

 

 

 

 

Games in the Pub

 We singularly failed, whilst on holiday, to play any board games.  We played Regicide (app-aided card game) a few times but that was it.

Partly it was because none of the pubs we went to had quite the right combination of lighting, beer, tables and ambiance.  Partly, it was because we spent a LOT of time staring at the tide coming in and out.

So, back in the shire we doubled down on our attempts.  Sunday, we took games to Martha's (as per) and got a chance to play a whole new game - Splendour Duel.  It felt like it might be tricky but we soon got into the swing of it.

Yesterday, we were back to work and so I spent the day catching up on emails and Teams messages.  By 4.30pm, I wanted an easy pub trip so off we popped to the Barley Mow, and we took Splendour with us.

It was moderately quiet in the pub and we had a nice little corner on a suitable table.  The beer, as ever, was lovely and so a relaxing evening ensued.

We drink (even) slower when we play games so the extended time in the pub doesn't translate to more drinking.  

Since the earliest days of playing Zombies! in the Half Moon in Hitchin we've refined our approach and we have several really good pub games:

Jaipur

Lost Cities

Biblios

The Mind

Chrononauts (when you have a little more space)

Sail

Lost Expedition

Island of Trains

Splendour

...and we suspect "Crew" will also work but we haven't tested in a pub yet.

We've also learned that it's no good trying to learn a new game in a dark and noisy pub (as happened with Island of Trains) but having a game you know really well in your bag or pocket when conditions aren't ideal is a really good thing. (for us, this is Regicide:  one pack of cards, one mobile phone with the scoring app on it and one 3D printed phone stand).

The combination of great beer and a good game when we're not in the mood to just chat makes for a perfect evening out.

Watching the Tide

 Our "real" holiday was St Ives.

We both love Cornwall in the autumn and, of course, we travel by public transport so St Ives is always on a list of possible places.  We'd not been for a good few years and it looked like a few more interesting beer venues may have opened up - last time we went we mostly drank St Austell beers (absolutely fine, but not exciting).

We rented an apartment overlooking Porthmeor (pronounced porth-meeeer, as I was gently corrected) beach which I was a little worried would be one of the busier areas because of the whole surfing thing but it was that or on the harbourside.

As it turned out, it was the perfect location.  Distant enough from the thronging hoards on the harbourside (even in October) but 5 minutes walk from all the main features.  Not only that, but it so happened that we arrived close to a full moon so the tides were properly high and satisfyingly 'splooshy'.

For the most part, it feels like some of the pubs don't really need to push the boat out too much in terms of beer or food offering.  This was more pointed in the venues immediately on the harbourside.

The arrival of Verdant, St Ives and Mine, together with Firebrand and Atlantic has definitely had a beneficial effect on the range of beer - but the old stagers 'Sharps' (aka Molson Coors) and St Austell still seems to dominate.

The only previous time we'd had St Ives Brewery beer - Meor -  it was in the bar at the St Mawes Hotel, last year.  It was a decent, if not particularly memorable pint. So when we walked into the "Union" pub an hour or so after arriving in town, and ordered a couple of pints we didn't have high expectations - but at least it wasn't Doom Bar.

Actually, it was lovely.  It was clear that St Mawes Hotel didn't have it at its best.

An attempt at "Seafood" as advertised in Hub was thwarted - there was no seafood - just burgers.  This becomes something of a theme - BBB not being very keen on burgers.  Still, the consolation prize was Lightbulb on keg.

All in all, the beer offerings have notched up but we were quite disappointed in the food (or specifically fish) offerings.

The Loft offered a fairly short but lovely menu - we went there twice and I had the chowder both times.  It also offered a decent house white.

We had great fish and chips, lovely pasties but all the other offerings either didn't suit us (burgers, chicken wings being two things the BBB never leans towards) or just wasn't very nice (small plates seafood promised much but delivered nothing).  The contrast with the food offerings in Falmouth was quite stark.

The only pub/bar in the GBG is the Pilchard Press micropub.  It sounded like it might have been one of those micropubs that a couple of owd blokes set up for them and their mates and tolerate other visitors.  This proved not to be the case, though.  True, you have to navigate a slightly rank laneway between a pasty shop and a thai restaurant but it rewards the visit.

When we first arrived I despaired of getting a seat but Basketmakers rules were in full evidence.  It has one lager and 3 other beers on keg with 4 - 6 beers on cask, chilled by probes.  In short, it's a lovely place - just a bit too dark and little more crowded than is ideal for games but the beers were absolutely top notch.  Over a few visits we drank Penzance (thankfully still as good and clear as before death of the origial brewer), Atlantic, Firebrand and St Ives beers - all great, all in perfect condition.  It's also clear that it's a place much enjoyed by locals.

Surprise finding was the "Art of Brewing" shop which has 4 keg taps and about the same number of seats.  They also had a fridge of loads of their beer which we availed ourselves of.  Turns out the guy serving knows Hastings, Lewes and Eastbourne.  Small world indeed.

Other notable venue would be Beer and Bird - good local beers on cask and keg and really friendly, chilled staff who didn't mind us playing Regicide at a table in the corner.  They also gifted us a bowl of dirty fries which were surplus to order requirements.  We followed this up with another round, and a bowl of mac n cheese and when I brought to their attention that they'd undercharged me they gave us a further discount because we brough it to their attention. 

The Sloop has upped its beer game considerably but the food rather underwhelmed.

All in all we loved the holiday - and our last evening was spent in our apartment with some cans of beer from Art of Brewing and some supermarket-bought pasta whilst watching the tide coming in.

That said, we both observed this morning as we sat on our sofa in the flat, with coffee and catching up with Match of the Day...it's just so much more relaxed in our own place.  It might be why our regular excursions to Bristol from Eastbourne are really quite holiday-like but with the none of the compromises of a rubbish TV, blunt knives in the kitchen.

I am missing the sound of the tide coming in, though...

People (or rather, door) Watching

 I'm on the wind down to a proper holiday but, because of various things bubbling around at the moment, there are a few things I really need to get sorted before I go because it'll be really hard for anyone else to pick them up effectively.

So, by knocking-off time yesterday, I wanted beer and I really wanted "fucking hipster" (ie Keg, hazy, hoppy) beer.

Although it's not the BBBs favourite venue, he was happy enough to go to the Left Handed Giant brew-pub.

We knew it would be busy, and we were a little later striking out than was ideal, so we were braced for the idea that there would be nowhere to sit.

As it was, we were pleasantly surprised to see that there were quite a few perfectly good spaces to sit.

He went and grabbed a spot, and I fetched the beer.

Though it was noisy, I found the hubbub quite relaxing.  What was less so, was the icy draught that swept through the building everytime the door was left open.

We ended up watching to see how people behaved when going through the door.

- parties with more than 2 people tended to hold the door open for the person behind, and each subsequent person pushed the door a little more open until the point that it stopped trying to close.  Most of the time, the door was then left open.

- If there were many people both coming in and coming out this was more likely to happen.

- Every now and again someone close to the offending door would get up, and close the door and sit down again - only to have to do it all over again.

- Just one or two people noticed that the door had locked up when they had come in - and then made an effort to close it.  I wanted to award those folk gold stars.

This is our form of people-watching.  We have "views" on the proper way to be in a pub.

We weren't completely condemnatory about behaviour, though.  As people with our own quirks we could completely understand that some people aren't as relaxed as us about going into a drinking establishment - maybe that you hadn't been to before, or in order to meet someone - it would be easy not to notice the door when you're a little anxious about making your entrance and looking for a friendly face.

It was, though, a distracting evening - and that's what I really wanted.

Today I'm tieing up more loose ends before we travel tomorrow...

Fallback Plans

 The immense benefit of being an old baggage who is, theoretically, semi-retired is that we don't need to have very rigid plans in place for anything.

We do have things we "generally do on..." things that are sort of week wayfinders but mostly we get to march to the beat of our own drum.

Because  a certain football match (no, not Bristol City vs Cardiff) was scheduled for Sunday at 4.30pm, rather than Saturday 3pm, there was the possibility of footage being shown on Sky Sports.  If we go anywhere in Bristol for such events, we tend to go to King Street Brewhouse.

So, on Saturday afternoon I asked him whether he wanted to see the match.  He hmmm'ed a bit and said he wasn't sure.  We usually (there we go, "usually") go to Martha's on a Sunday afternoon and play games, and we had a few games we wanted to try.  So, instead, we went round there on Saturday.

We got completely absorbed in our beer and games and, as a result, came back much later than usual.

Mind you, the pair of us arrived back convinced it was Sunday.

Today, the possibility of football was available but now the time approaches, the weather has arrived and the boy isn't keen.  Looks like we'll lurk close to home and mostly try and avoid the rain.

This is one of the definite advantages of being older - I'm not sure it quite makes up for the knackered joints, and the inability to remember names as well as I used to but, you know, silver-lining...

Pilgrimage

 Loaded up with full-sized rucksacks, we stomped down to the Station on Tuesday morning.  Apart from a slight balancing problem on the tube (which ended without disaster) the trip was without incident.

The trek across London was efficient enough that we arrived at Paddington just as the 1.30pm train pulled out of Platform1.  To be honest, although this leaves us with a 30-min wait for the next train, it's just less stress and huffing around whilst we try and find appropriate seats.

And so, just after 3.30pm saw us landing in the flat and doing the "hello, we're home" ritual. All was well.

Absolutely no debate whatsoever about the next step: Barleymow.  Every.  Time.

Because of all that's going on with work, and the sheer embuggerance of it I'd been a bit anxious about travelling to Bristol.

My lovely staff reassured me they'd be fine.

The second we sat in our usual seat in the pub and had the first swig, a load felt like it slipped off.  The BM is very much like home and the second we settle in, it feels like no time has passed since the last time.  It's just like Narnia...but less evil and with less religion.

 It's not that the work job's done - it more that we're halfway to a proper holiday (St Ives) where I turn my comms off (with the exception of SMS for emergencies).

Books have been ordered, new games have been gifted, B&W film and a new rucksack are being purchased on Monday...and then it'll feel like a stroll to the end of the week.

Meanwhile we've spent pleasant evenings in Martha, Kings Head and Moor and we haven't yet settled on today's venue.   Choices, choices...

Modern Times?

 So we popped into Beerarama to meet up with an old (young) colleague of ours.

We'd had a bit of day so a current collegue joined us too.

It was the launch day for the GBG2025 - the first physical copy of the book that neither have bought for maybe 20 / 30 years (depending on which one of us you calculate for).

What's great is that both Beerarama and Ninkasi are in it because they sell Key-keg beers.

My guess is that, in Bristol, the GBG pubs will still pretty much all be cask-sellers but it's nice to know that maybe there's another dimension to pub entries in smaller places.

Anyhow - I might not have the printed copy, but the content is updated on my app already so there will be some researching.

We're heading to the Shire tomorrow (probably) and we've been away for about six weeks...can't wait for that first lovely pint in the BM. 

Revisits

 A week ago or so, I'd been asked to go to a community venue to talk about partnership working. Their base is in a little-know station about half-way between Seaford and Newhaven.  It's a beautiful Art Deco number, a little down on its luck but gradually being revived by a lovely group of folk.

My favourite bus route does go close but requires a daft detour around bits of Seaford or a change at Seaford for a more local bus.  In the event I decided it would be much more fun to arrive at a station-based community space by train.

I had a really good meeting with the good folk there and then it was an easy matter to say "there's a train in 3 minutes", make my goodbyes and hop on down to the platform.

BBB and I had arranged to liaise at Steamworks (natch).  He was on his way by the time I got on my train so it was an easy matter to get off at the end of the line, 10 steps into Steamworks, order a pint of APA and grab a seat.

Once again the beer was in excellent nick so I thought nothing of popping to get the boy a pint of it when I realised his bus was nearby.

A couple of hours of relaxed nattering over more good beer ensued.  Then we headed for the bus, just making it in time - this provided me with a short aerobic work out, double stepping it up the slight incline to the stop.

Obviously, Beerarama and the Crown have been visited - definitely the best two venues in town.  Then yesterday we were down at the Wish Tower.  I'd had a bit of a day on Friday starting to sort out a problem with our base for work (where "problem" = car impact) so I was a bit frayed.  I stopped off there to put notices on the door (most of our clients arrive on foot and are generally not contactable) and then headed to the Tower.

I saw a load of police and a "what now???" thought passed through my head but as I neared the end of a side road I saw there was a parade and the police were just doing escorty/keeping order kinda role.  Then I noticed the garb - was that really an Orange sash?  Yes, it really was.

I have to say I was stunned - and really disappointed.  I'm not sure this Brexity, somewhat anti-migrant town of ours (about 100k people) really needs yet another divisive group.

A little reading, just to check I wasn't misunderstanding, informed me that it's related to the local culture of "Bonfire societies" and that coming out of the Lewes martyrs.

Once again I'm reminded that some of the "traditions" whilst might appear just to be a bit of local fun really have their roots in some nasty undertones.  I'm not sure there should be any place for it - but I know that there's nothing I can do, other than not take part.

Still, it left me really shaken (probably related to being tired and a bit fraught) that this still exists and I find myself wondering, in a town with so many high churches, with their bells and smells - does it even make sense?  Or is it just a bunch of people who are big into tribalism?

Excursions

 So, here we are - back in Eastbourne (we've been back a couple of weeks now).

The weather has been quite challenging but having a garden to sit in and a 90-year old house makes the heat more manageable than Bristol Glass Box.

We arranged a lunch with BBB's sisters and, it has to be said, Food+Beer is quite a challenge here.  So we plumped for The Ship up in Meads.  The last time we went the beer was uninteresting but perfectly good, the food likewise.

It's a bit of a trek from home and nothing resembling a bus route direct from home to Meads so a hot day could make it a bit gruelling.  Instead, I suggested getting a bus up onto the Downs (the South Downs, not the Durdham ones) and then it would be a couple of miles of downhill strolling, with the benefit of a sea breeze to make the walk a pleasant one.

Alas, I was wrong.  The first mile and a bit were fine.  Cool breeze, great view and a really nice stroll.  However as we neared the outskirts of Meads the wind dropped and the terrain got more precipitous.  I did know the slope would happen but by the time we got to the pub I was knackered and as red as a red thing.  Still, we were early so we could sit quietly on our own to cool down with a nice pint, no?  No.

Family were in attendance already so we bought some beer and joined them.  Still, at least I'd have a nice enough pint, eh?  No.

The beer was tired and stale, if not exactly "off", and Harveys doesn't do too well when stale.  The food?  Well at least they can't ruin scampi and chips (which is more than can be said for my peas and his ploughmans).  We then had a couple of miles to walk home whereupon we sat in our garden and drank fridge beer musing that we'd just walked home from Beachy Head, via a lunch break,  which is quite enough walking for one day, thank you.

On a related subject, mad-walking-type-friends were walking the last bit of the Southdowns Way in order to tick their list of routes walked (we do films and games ticking...they do that).  They're also very keen beer drinkers so finding a place to go isn't always easy - especially on a Monday.  As it was they were staying close to what we all refer to as "The Buccaneer" (the pub's name of the men's youth) - we were pretty pleased when we last went so we thought it would be a safe place to drink.  Buring Sky Plateau was in brilliant condition and some Gun beer that was a little stronger was in good condition but a little bit odd.  On the whole though, a perfectly good beer venue for the purposes.

And then, yesterday I had to go to Newhaven for a long work meeting so I suggested to the boy that we convene in Steamworks in Seaford station.  It's a little bit hit and miss and, it has to be said, when the I saw the casks beers were Dark Star/Fullers (Asahi) I was a bit disappointed but I thought I'd try the APA (previously my favourite beer EVAR).  I didn't expect much but it was really nice - almost as good I remember it.  They also had a DS Special (Polar something...) at 5% which pretty good, too.  We also tried 360-deg Hazy Pale (keg) which we agreed was probably the best of them all but, hey, to have that much good beer (and a Lakedown Keg and a cask of ESB we didn't try) in such a tiny place is damned good.  Eastbourne - take note!

(S)talking...

The thing is about people with a sprinkling of neurodiversity knocking around, and with time on their hands, is that we do tend to have slightly quirky urges:

The urge to list things

The urge to link things

The urge to analyse things

...and for at least one of us in this household...the urge to make use of an API (application programming interface...or something).

We like a bit of code, in our household...BBB is now a nimble, if not 100% efficient, Pythonista.

 A few years ago we did it with our film collection because we always found it impossible to choose a film to watch and we embarked on "The Film Chain" where we listed all our films and determined to watch each one but with the proviso that each film we watched had to be linked in some way back to the last one.

It started on the day Neil Innes died and we watched "The Rutles - All You Need is Cash", we followed it a couple of days later with "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".  You get the gist.

Obviously, because we are who we are, we meticulously recorded each link in the chain.

We found links by looking at IMDB, of course, but it got increasingly harder to do manually.  At this point I think I uttered the words "I wonder if IMDB has an API?" and that, as they say, was most definitely that.

 Right, so you're wondering how this links to beer.

It does so via the medium of games...and the magnificent "Boardgame Geek"website.

In Bristol, we almost always repair to Martha's on a Sunday afternoon because they have be-tabled booths that are the perfect space for playing board games and it's often quietish which means we don't feel bad about taking up a booth.

It turns out we'd seen Ed and Pelin (and Junior) of Little Martha around in pubs pretty much everyday for the last few days and Pelin had stopped for a chat about games they might like to put in the taproom.  Turns out they like playing games too.

So we took a few extra with us to the taproom on Sunday, on the offchance. It was interesting talking to them about the games they like vs the games we do.  We also got chatting about who we buy our games from, etc, etc. 

We all bemoaned games which don't play well with just two as that's clearly our main playing environment.

All in all a jolly Sunday afternoon and now there's a certain determination in this household to catalogue all our games and to make ourselves play them all again.  Of course, someone has already checked whether there's a Boardgame Geek API (of COURSE there is).

Busy, busy, busy: Hot, hot, hot

 We've been in Bristol for a couple of weeks, now and the intensity of my work has prevented me doing more than generally going to well-known locals...well, mostly.

 My trip up was very straightforward, even though it was via the "Long Route" (Brighton, Fareham, Bristol) and I arrived a little earlier than I had anticipated (would have been just about time to leg it for the last Super Off Peak train from Paddington but I didn't fancy the stress, to be honest).  The BBB offered to meet me off the train and take my bag but I was travelling pretty light so we met in Martha's (closest to station).  It was lovely to just collapse into a booth and be presented with a Petite Boulba to neck to recover from the heat (actually, compared to the temperature at the moment, it was nothing...but y'know).

We wanted to play hooky for the day and pop down to Devon, but our planned trip was thrice thwarted so we eventually gave it up as a bad job - it was a shame since it looked like our destination had two or three good places to go.  We've decided to try again in the autumn.

 Last weekend we (I) decided a little amble was in order but I get extremely bored of the same old routes.  Instead I suggested a bus to the farside of Ashley Down and thence to walk back via "Concorde Way" cycle/walking route which would land us in St Paul/Monpellier and allow us to avail ourselves of Licata in Picton street and then Basement Beer and New Bristol (I mean, seriously, you know we don't let these routes happen by accident, right?).  As it happens, the northern end of Concorde Way was closed because they're developing a new "Ashley Down Station".  It meant quite a detour and back onto a route we've walked before but it was nice to be out (if a little warm) and Basement Beer has taken over a bit more space and reconfigured itself so it's starting to feel quite spacious and charming.  We had a couple there but we wanted to drop into NBB too, so after two we toddled down the road and settled into their taproom.

We've also made a visit to the Cider Box which is such an intrguing place.  It was fun spending time there because the local building work means you're really sitting between two building sites and at knock-off time you get a completely different set of customers.  We also ended up in conversation with a chap who had never been to the Orchard or Middle Farm - so we sent him to both.

 Yesterday, I had a conference to attend in Reading.  From Eastbourne it would be a real drag of a rail journey but from Bristol, it's simple and pleasant.  Because the conference ended within the "YU ticket restrictions" period, I had to plan carefully to minimise the ticket cost.  Thankfully I managed to time it so that I had about 40 minutes in which to enjoy the Siren Taproom.  It was equidistant between conference venue and station so it really would have been rude not to.  It also had the benefit of good aircon which made the break very pleasant.  Really nice place, friendly staff and somewhere I'd happily go again.

By the time I was back in Bristol, the BBB was in Marthas so I joined him there and sweltered for a bit - although a railway arch is much cooler than a glass-box apartment.  I'm hoping it'll be a bit cooler today - but I'm not betting the house on it.

What's new, Pussycat?

 ...in short, nothing.

We've been in Eastbourne for over a month because work has been busy, we'd been in Bristol more than usual and the garden had gotten away from us so a few weeks here has allowed a fair bit of catching up in several senses.

I've had a few work trips locally, we've been to Heist (some grumbles about the relative costs of 2/3rd vs pints) and Collected Fictions where we only had one in this tiny, tiny place - and it was a strong one at that.  Nevertheless it such a lovely, friendly place that we really need to go back.

Yesterday, we met family in Beerarama and it remains fun and relaxing there.  The Crown has had some really good weekend guest beers of late and tomorrow we'll undoubtedly pop around to the hangover-inducing Belgian Bar.

Wednesday we're heading up to Bristol (for me via a slightly roundabout route because of work) and I'm really looking forward to arriving and heading somewhere relaxing and not too loud, and lovely, lovely, lovely beer with the best company...

Small glimmers

 The beer scene in Eastbourne remains a long way behind other places we spend time.

We get that it's tough in the industry but there's probably something else at play in Eastbourne - a lack of interest in beer (other than Harveys Best) seems to be the most likely.  

Anyhow, we've been doing our usual haunts since we've been back from Bristol - Crown, Beerarama, Belgian Bar and Ninkaci. We haven't even been to the Lamb or the Hurst.  Mostly because the warmer weather doesn't lend itself to Harveys beers (in our opinion) and partly because clientele in the latter place have "views" that we don't want to be in amongst - especially at the moment.

There was a fun trip to The Seadog in Hastings because I was there for work and I may have won BBB over to the idea of bao with beer.

But yesterday, I'd promised to do a day at the Wish Tower.  By the end of the open day, we needed to convene to talk to one of the other members about the renovation of the front door (that's another story) and it required a bit of thought and geeking - both best done over a pint.

We were going to head to Beerarama but we decided to have a quick look at the newly-opened "was the Buccaneer" which is the closest place to the Tower.  It's now called "Bohemian" and it's had a bit of a makeover.  In the past the venue has been a bit of a place of necessity so we don't generally have high expectations of the offering. Added to that, it was tennis finals day so we anticipated it might be stupidly busy.

Anyhow, all appeared to be well, so we ventured in.

The cask offering was pretty respectable - 4 cask beers (2 Longman, 1 Burning Sky, 1 Three Legs) and there were a few keg beers - including 2 local offerings (Beak & Longman).

I think we'd say the cask was a little too cool but the beer was in excellent nick.

It was pleasant in there, they had Euros Football on and you could kind of see the tennis out the back.  It was probably busier than usual but it was a good place for us to be.  The beer was quite pricey but not so much it would actually put us off.

All in all?  A welcome addition to place we might go from time to time but I still think it's unlikely we'll venture out to it specifically.  Still, small mercies.

Fallback Plan

 Yesterday, we had an idea to go for a walk in Arnos Vale to finish off a couple of films in our old cameras so that we could process the film before going back down south.

This would have, naturally, meant we ended up in Totterdown for a couple of beers.

However, the day was overcast and the light completely flat and featureless - a day when B&W photography would likely have been very unrewarding.

So we did some chores, listened to the radio and decided it was probably better to put it off until Sunday morning instead.

That did leave a "where shall we go for a pint" dilemma since we absolutely knew that Sunday afternoons are now firmly in the diary as Martha's and boardgames.

Ciderbox?

It was a tentative suggestion because it's a bit of an odd place and not always as relaxing as it could be.  But we decided to give it a go, noticing on the way that Martha's has space to take us if we decided against cider.

We were greeted very enthusiastically, did our usual of selecting 3 halves to share and sat on their slightly rickety folding benches and tables.

We were alone in sitting inside but there were a fair few people sitting on pub-garden-type tables outside.

Shortly after we sat down people started arriving to set up some sort of DJing event.  Clearly in their very early 20's, not terribly organised, the lads were quite entertaining.  One arrived with a bag of 12" vinyl which, obviously piqued a certain beer(cider) buddy's interest.  So we started chatting to them.  

At one point the owner of the vinyl said with a smirk "if you stay you can hear some of our ...'house'...music" - with the italicising of "house" very obvious.  Rather like when you're trying to explain how to pronounce a word to someone who is likely never to have heard of the concept.

I remember, very distinctly raising an eyebrow, fixing him with a stare over the top of my glasses (which I'm told by the lads who work for me is terrifying) and just saying..."house?"..."before you were born, lads...".  This was met by a bit of a shame-faced chuckle and a warm smile.

The BBB got chatting about vinyl and how he'd never got rid of his.  

Just before we left we noticed that one of them had a film camera - so we had a bit of a chat about that.

We ended up staying a little longer than we anticipated simply because it was fun watching what was going on (and taking the piss out of the youngsters, obvs).  I took the glasses back to the bar as we left and the owner said "thanks so much for supporting us" which I thought was a sweet thing to say.

We said goodbye to all the youngsters as we left and we all shared a nice moment (dear god, they'd call that intergenerational engagement, these days...sigh), leaving with a big smile.

It's never going to be one of those venues we long to go to but we were reminded, again, that sometimes you just need to embrace the moment and go with the flow.

 

Back Again

 A shorter than usual gap between Sussex and Bristol, this time.

Mainly because we had been invited to friends' wedding.

I'm always conflicted at such events.  The absolute joy of being invited, the chance to share the celebrations of people you're very fond of but, the incipient social anxiety.  This, alone, had been preying on my mind.  Yes, I completely understand that it was going to be a relaxed affair, and that I was lucky enough to have best beer buddy with me and we took a couple of film cameras just in case it all got a bit much.

In the event, of course, it was a fun and wonderful day but I was pretty glad to have taken the decision to politely decline the evening do in a pub and, instead, head back home. (and  I've never been so grateful that a venue had bottled Tribute).

We did take a slight detour via New Bristol Brewery Taproom where we looked like a couple of people on the way home from a wedding.  All in all, though, a day well spent.

Work has been so full-on and I was so preoccupied by going to the wedding that Sunday was very much a take the brain out and just chill.  Perfect.

All we did is go as far as Marthas to play board games and drink beer.  Today has also been pretty chilled and we were going to head out for a bit of a walk, but have, instead, opted to stay closer to home.  It'll be the BM for us in a little bit.

Weirdly for me, the next 5 days have no meetings or appointments of any sort so I'm hoping to make a decent dent in my extensive to do list. oh, and drink some beer, natch.

Striking Out

 The sheer amount of weather, recently, has reduced our excursions both in Bristol and Sussex.  Frankly, I simply don't enjoy getting soaked.  Nor does BBB.

Things are brightening up (where brightening up = gone from wet and cold to stupidly hot) so yesterday we decided we'd stroll along the greenway, cross the railway bridge and make an attempt at a Totterdown venue.  I'd heard good things about the Shakespeare so we started there.  For us, there wasn't really any choice but they had a cracking pint of W&T Kaleidoscope.  It was fresh, with plenty of condition and it's soooooo much better as a cask beer than a can or keg one.

In fact, it was so good we had a second pint and decided to swerve the Oxford this time around.  Apparently not all the other punters were so keen.  The Butcombe was off and one of the other customers didn't like the W&T at all.  Never mind, eh?

Not a pub we'd hack up to every week but if we lived in the neighbourhood we would probably be regulars.

We walked back via the Greenway again.  All in all, a pleasant trip.

This evening I'll be insisting on Martha's.  It's our last evening here for a couple of weeks (back for a wedding towards the end of the month) and I wish to be in familiar and pleasant surroundings.  Martha's is most definitely that.

Best of all Possible Worlds

 Yesterday it was the first day of the May version of East Bristol Brewery Trail.

I'd planned this trip here to coincide - mostly because I really wanted to go to the Arbor Brewery Tap again (they're rarely open) - and with a chance to go to the Good Chemistry brewery, too.

James from Moor had told us on Friday that this weekend is their biggest with gigs and Sunday opening and everything else.  For the most part, though, we'll be avoiding the taps we usually go to because we supect it'll be pretty busy.

Yesterday promised sun and warmth - today, not so much - so we decided to make the trip to Arbor then. The walk from the flat to the brewery is a pleansant 30 minute or so amble along the cycle path so even that part is a nice part of the experience.  Spring is making itself known, with plenty of greenery and tweeting.

The whole way along we saw groups of people clearly travelling from one venue to another - LHG sounded very busy with people and I imagine W&T were too.

We expected Arbor to be less busy because it's a little more out of the way.  But we were wrong.  Very wrong.

The brewery yard had been decked out with makeshift pallet seating/tables some benches and there were people EVERYWHERE!  

Undeterred, we went to the bar and were served really efficiently by their lovely crew - narrowly missing a chance to get a seat at a table we wandered around a bit and then squeezed onto some pallet seating.  I've probably said before that we don't like crowds but the odd pleasant exchange with nearby punters was right up our street.

The bar was really efficient, the music good but not intrusive, it was warm and jolly - brilliant, in fact.  It has to be said we did prefer being there in December, quietly in their tapPortacabin but having their beers on draught (including a couple of casks) fresh as a daisy was grand.

As an aside, I re-read a couple of my earliest posts about keg beer.  Oh, boy, have I changed!  I mean, I still dislike shit beer and I tend to avoid larger breweries but my taste is considerably more catholic than it has ever been.  2013 me would definitely not have recognised 2024 me's drinking preferences.  Maybe you can teach an old dog new beers...?

My Love for Brewery Taps

 I was really sad to read this article about Brewdog sexism this morning.

Of course, there have been countles less-than-complimentary articles about them over the years.  That in itself makes me sad because, in the old days, I really liked some of their beers and I also kind of liked their availability (I'm remembering particularly getting some cans of Punk in Poole to take back to our Brownsea Island cottage).

I think I've only visited a Brewdog tap once (in Bristol) and it was quiet but not somewhere I felt the need to go back to.  I don't drink their beer any more.

I think it makes me doubly sad because I really love going to brewery taps and they are frequently staffed (and visited by) young men.  I trust my local breweries handle this kind of thing better.

I've always been served with respect at the places we drink at regularly.  Only two bar staff have ever mansplained beer (in 40 years of drinking beer) and its serving to me - and I'm old enough give them pretty short-shrift but were I younger at the time, I would have found the experience dispiriting and it might well have deterred me from going to other places.  

I see some of the behaviour described in the article as similar to I had as a woman in financial services which was (might be still) a very boys-club industry.  Even worse when the work I moved to was very technology heavy and I had to slap down a few blokes who didn't believe that people from the business, much less a woman from the business could possible understand the tech we were using.  By this time I had a degree in computing and it was doubly annoying. I did have the odd moment of triumph when the odd guy learned his lesson - but they were significantly outweighed by variously being overlooked, patronised and sidelined.

It's not acceptable, it's never been acceptable but it was always quite difficult to speak out.

Frankly, any brewery stupid enough to undermine their female staff and customers deserve to be punished by fewer of us choosing to use them.  Dear god, men, it's difficult enough to be a hospitality business, why on earth would you choose (because you do choose your behaviour) to alienate a chunk of your potential customers and potentially brilliant staff who you so desperately need to keep your organisation running well.

In the last couple of days I've been to two taps - small but perfectly-formed Little Martha brewery tap and the larger, older and further-away New Bristol Brewery tap.  Both had a mix of different people enjoying the space and the beer - groups of women, groups of men and mixed groups and couples.  The atmosphere in both was lively and friendly and I'd never think twice about going in on my own and feeling safe.  If you can't make my beer-drinking experience feel like this, I won't be going in - and that also means I won't be buying your product online or from the supermarket, either.  

Also I guess my message to organisation like this is "just f*cking grow up!"

Magrathea

 Pubs are odd places.

Whether we find them a brilliant or just an OK place seems to always be on a knife edge (well, it is with us, anyway).

Obviously the beer has to be in good condition and an acceptable choice - that's a given.  But beyond that?  To be honest it seems a capricious thing.

On Monday we had a little excursion to Brighton - just to get out of the house without having to trudge through mud.

We got off just outside the main city drag and walked up into Kemp Town.  The Hand in Hand pub (with its tower brewery in the tiniest space you can imagine) was due another visit.

We walked in and the place was already buzzing - and seating at quite the premium...mostly due to non-adoption of Basketmakers Rules.

Nevertheless, we tried to take up as little space as possible on stools next to the bar and settled down with a couple of good beers.  We didn't feel 100% comfortable but it was OK.  After a short while a couple of people came in and plonked themselves on the other stools next to the bar - and in the process pushing up against me, apparently have no idea that they done that.  It felt like they had no awareness of their actions' impact.  We finished our beers and decided we weren't particularly at home and so we'd move on.

It was half a mile or so over to the Brighton Bierhaus. It's a pleasant stroll and it was sunny and warmish.

We didn't quite manage the most efficient route but we got there eventually.  As we started up the street towards it there was a suggestion of rain.  By the time we got through the doors, it was more than a suggestion.

By the time we had our beers and had settled into a high table the weather had turned torrential.  People were rushing in, soaked to the skin.

We stayed for a couple and were content...but still not 100% at ease.  There was no particular reason for the feeling and maybe if we went there a couple more times, maybe we'd feel a bit more settled.

Anyhow, it was time to eat and the nearest place was a vegan pizza restaurant (calling itself "sustainable" rather than explicitly vegan).  The folk were pleasant, the space was quite nice and both bread dough and pesto were great.  Still, we won't be going back but I guess I like that it exists.

So we jumped on the bus home and mused that it was nice to go somewhere different but it's still difficult to find that elusive planet whose sea is the perfect shade of pink.

Breaking the Habit of - not quite - a Lifetime

 When we come up to Bristol we aim to meet up with a couple of friends and/or family if we can.

This time, our departure from Eastbourne was somewhat abrupt because of juggling a shedload of other things.  It meant that I had no chance to forewarn family.

I posted something about the beer I was drinking on social media and my sister-in-law spotted it - saying that they were very tied up with family birthdays and other events - all fair enough, we've never asked people to unravel their lives just because we've landed in Bristol.

However, my brother messaged me later to ask when we were going back...the upshot being we all agreed to meet at the Barleymow for lunch yesterday.

They've become almost fans of using public transport so that they can both drink and not drive.

We wandered around just before 1pm and wondered whether it would be busy with Thursday lunchers.  It was reasonably quiet and we got a nice table, picked up some beer and settled in.  With that, Brother and Sister-i-L arrived. Conversation flowed, as did beer and we had a really nice simple lunch (burger, toasties, chips, soup...that kinda thing).

We chatted about how all of us a really quite set in our ways:  they like eating out but mainly at lunchtime, we like eating out in the evening but prefer it to be just us, we go to the pub around 4.30pm but usually go home and eat after...so getting the four of us into a pub to eat and drink at lunchtime (and travel by public transport) definitely represented a compromise on all sides - nevertheless, a happy one.

They departed around 3pm leaving us to decide what to do...

We finished the beer we'd started but decided to stay on for a bit.  We couple a couple of 2/3rd of something strongish and played cards in the relative quiet.  We were mid-game when we came to the end of the drink but I was comfy and happy, the fire was crackling away and I was enjoying the game (Regicide, obvs).  So we shared another one to finish the game.  All the while after-workers were drifting in and making the place lively again.

We finally left just after 5pm, the place was bustling and our recently-vacated seats were hungrily leapt upon.  All in all a very satisfactory break from our normal routine.

Back to normal today, I reckon!

Too Much of a Good thing?

 Tuesday we had an errand to run after a favourite, aged casserole dish finally became unusable.  This necessitated the yomp across to the shopping centre, and the lugging of a very heavy bag (cast iron, y'see).

At the top of Union Street is something of a beer crossroads.  Which way to go?

IT was sunning and almost nearly warmish so I was quite keen to make the most of the light.

After a bit of umming, we decided we should stroll through the Old City and see what going on around there.  It was quite quiet because it was after the market traders mostly shut but it was nice to remember how great this small, traditional market is.

We passed a distillery taproom - not our thing, but good to see but I reckon it lacks a good independent beer place.

We strolled through the bottom half of the market and the presence of a dull old branch of "Revolution" in the old Fish Market (the actual Fish Market, not the Fullers Pub which continues) made me a bit sad but there we go.

As we cross the road towards King Street, I suddenly remembered that BBB had never been to the Old Duke.  I'd also learned recently that it generally stocks Oakham Citra on cask.

There was a time where I could take him to a new pub/bar every time he came to Bristol but this is significantly harder to do now.  So, last time was Bruhaha and this time was the Old Duke.

It's a pub that does what it does - old skool, but 5 or 6 decent (if not exciting) beers on cask (Citra, HPA, Butcombe Rare Breeds, Doom Bar, Boltmaker) 4 or 5 ciders and the usual Madri and other premium lagers.  It also has jazz every night and twice at the weekend. Bar staff very nice, beer well kept, proper pubby. And now he's been there so that gap in his pub education has been filled.

Noticeably busy by just after 5pm - and I thought that was reserved for the sort of places we normally fo - it was nice to see they seem to be thriving.

From there, we decided to go back via the Cornubia, expecting it to be really quiet and we thought we'd be able to get a decent strongish pint to finish on.  We were wrong on both counts, to be honest.  It was busy enough for us to have to perch on stools before a table became available and the strongest beer they had was 4.7%  Still, no matter, one stout and one porter by Beowulf brewery was perfectly satisfactory.  After this we lugged the shopping home and set about using the new casserole (which is also perfectly satisfactory)

Yesterday we went to Wiper and True.  The prices here have shot up - and interesting cask and keg at the same prices.  It was also a bit chilly and we didn't feel moved to stay for more than a pint of cask and glass of hipster beer (mine was OK, his was delicious).  Probably more of a place for a brighter day with a little bit more warmth in it.  We're noticing a real difference not between Sussex and Eastbourne but between types of place.  Taprooms/Brewpubs looking much more expensive - pubs more or less in line (2 pints of BBF beer in Barleymow is the same price of two pints in the Crown...this is something new).

I'm pretty sure we will get used to the prices and swallow them in the interests this industry we want t support - we just have to get over ourselves a bit first.

Real Ale Rocks

 Both of us cut our beer-teeth, majoring on "Cask Beer" (or Real Ale...).

The founding of CAMRA in the 1970's as a reaction to keg-dispensed, pasturised pretend ale and high volume dull lagers came at a good time for us.  We're the generation of beer drinkers probably best-served by it because it had really begun gain ground when, in our respective lives, were really gaining a proper interest in it (me probably 10 years later than him).

Don't get me wrong, there was a LOT of cask ale around that was badly kept or dispensed or just plain bland but when you found a good beer, it was fantastic.  Styles were relatively limited:  Bitter/Best Bitter, Pale Ale, Mild (sometimes) and very occasionally something a bit different like a golden beer (lighter than Pale Ale) or a stout, porter or old ale. Nevertheless - I remember being excited at a pub selling Pedigree or London Pride - and positively ecstatic on seeing Landlord.

I'd drunk 6X, Greene King IPA, Butcombe, Totty Pot, Badger, Bishops Finger and Spitfire with equal enthusiasm. If it was well-kept on a consistent basis then it was a solid success.

Then I came across Bath Ales with a new style to me:  the pale, hoppy, slightly astringent 3.8% beer.  After many years of drinking SPA they brewed "Wild Hare" which was just as pale but considerably stronger (5% or so).  I have strong memories of sitting in the garden of the "Wellie" on the day of their launch event and just drinking it all afternoon.

After that, I guess my strongest memory of superb cask ale was Arbor Yakima Valley during an afternoon in the pub with pals.  Truth be told I don't really remember getting home after that - I vaguely remember picking up something for dinner like someone who'd been smoking skunk all afternoon.  Still, no harm, no foul, eh?

I remember my first pint of Harvey's Best but for reasons that were about the company and the occasion.  I remember enjoying it but not much more than that.

Very clear memories of the first time I was taken to The Brewery Tap in Peterborough (was it called that?  can't remember...but it is now) - this was the pre-matchday venue and there is none finer (though Charters runs a close second) - even taking into account The Basket Makers.  Seeing so much Oakham Beer with its range of styles riffing on a theme of bright, hoppy flavours and fantastic thai dishes.  From visiting the BBB in Hitchin, I was acquainted with Oakham beers but this was the most memorable place to drink them (long live JHB, Citra and Dreamcatcher).

Then a trip to the Cask and Kitchen in Pimlico prior to a visit to Tate Britain to see a Henry Moore exhibition.  This was before I scrupulously checked the ABV of the beer I was ordering BEFORE I ordered it.  I injudiciously ordered a pint of Jaipur on an empty stomach - but, good lord, it was amazing.

Since then?  I have more vague memories of cask beers that have made me sit up and take notice:  Dark Star APA (then, but not now), Tapstone Beers (any of them), Star of Eastbourne but in all the perfectly lovely cask beer I drink now (and there is a lot of it) my description of them in the moment is usually "That's nice" rather than "Wow".

However, three times since we arrived a week or so ago we've both almost done a double-take after the first mouthful of a pint:  the first was in the Kings Arms and it was Track Sonoma.  The beer was under 4% bright and hoppy and its taste belied the ABV. Both of us were pulled up short by it.

The second was in the Beer Emporium which we were going to only really because we hadn't been there for a while and it seemed only fair to give it another try after subtly unsatisfactory vists of the past.  It was Wiper and True 'Wild Places'.  Pale gold, 4.3% or so, fantastic condition,  bright and well balanced.  Both of us said "Wow!" and had a second pint.

Third one was yesterday in Martha's - Squawk Brewery Mallard.  Again 4% or so, pale and sparky.  Just gorgeous - again we went back for a second.

I know there's been a bit of a recent cask resurgence with several modern, previously only keg, brewers having a go at cask beers but initially it was mostly 4% brown bitters which we mostly don't tend to drink now but this recent experience is seriously cheering. 

It's not that we don't like kegged beers - we absolutely do - but cask is such a special thing and the reduced carbonation and slightly warmer temperature really resonate with us.

So maybe the CAMRA effect continues and maybe (eventually) it'll shake off the "beardy bloke with a cagoule and a copy of GBG to tick off in" reputation and be seen as something love by a new generation of beer drinkers.

...and I don't fancy the journey 'ome, neither!

 You'll either get the reference, or not.  Whatever.

It's very Februaryish at the moment.  Chilly, lazy wind and regular squally downpours - or just cold and bleargh.

We thought we'd venture out as far as King Street - perhaps considering getting food aswell (fridge is in, but shopping wasn't coming until today).  We left the building and immediately got hit by BLEARGH.

So instead, we cut the excursion short and went to the Kings Head instead.

Already with a good few people there by the time we arrived, we grabbed beer and a seat and settled in.  This is the pub where 10 people in the snug (Tramcar) makes the place feel quite full.  Nevertheless there was an epic level of "Basketmakers Rules" on clear display for near perfect space packing.  One group were a little slow on the uptake, but they got there eventually.

Track Sonoma on Cask was lovely - and far more punchy than the 3.8% ABV might suggest.  Then he had Burning Sky stout (4% ish) and I had Kokomo Weekday (again 4%ish).

We've definitely got to enjoy Good Chemistry beers more of late.  Maybe it's us, maybe it's them?  We'd not expected to be regulars at the Kings Head but find ourselves there on a regular basis now.  

One thing we asked ourselves yesterday as the pub reached 'peak rubber-roll-down-rucksack' is whether Bristol is typical of cities which have a generally good beer/pub scene, a good range of well-paid (media, academic, digital) jobs and somewhere university students stay after their education - together with an increasing amount of city-centre dwellers.

Obviously, we don't know the answers - we only know Bristol.  Still, perhaps slightly warmer weather might encourage us to go to Brighton, Bath and maybe some other university cities to find out...

It Comes in Pints!

 If you're acquainted with the first Lord of the Rings film (the Peter Jackson one) you might remember that Merry (or was it Pippin?) the Hobbit gets very excited when, in  an inn, he returns to their table with a pint of beer and declares "It comes in pints!", having previously only had been in smaller measures (probably halves).

This gets referenced quite a lot in our household - partly because the BBB is tall and slender - almost elven you might say and I'm...well, shorter, squat and...Hobbit-like (but for the hairy feet).

Anyhow.

Yesterday I had to pick up a parcel so we headed on to LHG because it was likely to be relatively quiet and we hadn't been for a while.

Arriving at the bar, I was delighted to see that they had two (count 'em) different cask beers on.  BBB agreed he'd also like the moasic pale so, without thinking I just asked for two.  BBB stepped in to say "two-thirds".  Wait, what?

The main thing about LHG establishments has always been their adherence to selling no larger measures than 2/3rds.  Whilst initially surprised (maybe annoyed) when we first went to Small Bar - it fairly rapidly turned into our favourite measure.  So much so that, from time to time,  when given the choice between only pints and halves we regularly get one of each measure, and share.

So this sudden availability of pints (and therefore the need to specify measure when buying) came as a shock.  We engaged the bar server on this and shared a chuckle.  Interestingly, the thing that struck me most is him saying "I don't miss having to explain to people why they can't have a pint".  Fair enough.

Beer in the 'hood

 As I've rambled about ad nauseam, this neighbourhood we live in whilst in Bristol is pretty much perfect for this section of our lives.

Not yet quite retired, but not doing the whole 9 - 5 career path.  It gives us the flexibility to deal with stupid things breaking, and to leave it all alone and pop to the pub at a time that suits us.

Saturday, there was rugby to be watched but didn't really want to hack over to the main sporty bars to watch it - they'd be busy, and probably quite annoying. 

The broken fridge meant the only beer was warm beer (yuk) so we watched the first half in the flat.  Just before half-time we mused what we might like to do for the second half.  I suggested that Martha's has decent wifi and we've got decent mobile phones so perhaps huddling around a phone screen - but with beer - might be a good compromise.

When we put our mind to things, we can certainly get our collective shit together - so coats and shoes on, nip along the road, choose and buy beer and we were settled down before the starting whistle sounded.

Admittedly, we weren't in our favourite spot initially (one of the two enclosed booths) but within 10 minutes we were able to trade up.  As used as we are to watching sport on larger screens - it was still a nice way to watch (maybe a 10" tablet would have been even better).  Just goes to show that good experiences are often not where/when/how you expect.

Yesterday it was cold, windy and rainy - all day.  Come 4pm neither of us were very much in the mood to walk far - so we went back to Marthas to sit with a couple of pints (well, 2/3rds) and played cards.  It's rare of us to visit the same pub two days in a row, these days, but sometimes you just know where's the best place to do what.

We still had a bit of budding anxiety about whether or not the new fridge would be delivered safely today. An early text message said arrival from 12.30pm (perfectly acceptable) but at about 8.15 a phone call from the courier company asked if we minded an earlier delivery since they were in the area.

So here it is - a shiny new fridge, which truth be told we'd been planning/musing on changing for about 3 years.  A bit of installation shenanigans, a a chance for it to settle and now it's humming away and I assume it's getting cooler (give it an hour and we'll know).

Weirdly, now that all this is done, I'm struggling to concentrate on much else.  However, the need to pick up some teabags (there are reasons) from the Amazon locker means I've already suggested LHG for beer (and potentially pizza).  It's the furthest we've walked since Friday!

Too Easy

 I should have known it was going altogether too well.

We were planning to head up to Bristol on Friday (always a bit of risk) but I needed my hair cut.  We calculated that if my haircut went quickly we could get on the 12.05 train which would be well in time to leave Paddington before the 15:00 "last cheap train until mid-evening" watershed.

If I wasn't as prompt, then at least we could get the 12.30 train and then be able to travel on the 15:00 train.  I booked seats on that train just in case so at least that would ensure we wouldn't have to stand.

As it was, the flying fingers of my hairdresser give me time to get to the station well before 12.00.

The train left on time; the travel across London was stress-free, we got up to the Paddington concourse around 14:10 and the train was called at a sensible time.  We found a great seat. Even the hen party (small) was jolly but not overly noisy.

We arrived at the flat at 16:15, relaxed and ready to turn the power on in the flat and go to the pub.

We got a lovely seat, the beer was fab, as it got busier we encouraged someone to share the table and they were jolly and smiley.

We picked up pies, peas and some wine and set about making our customary simple dinner.  Then we realised we'd forgotten milk.  Himself went to check the freezer and his face fell - the fridge and freezer were clearly broken, but for the interior light.

It was 8pm on a Friday and we had shopping arriving in about 15 hours.

He set about finding a replacement, I set about asking for the grocery order to be cancelled.

Stupidly, if I'd have checked the freezer for milk when we'd arrived, some of this would have been made easier - but then, we probably wouldn't have got a seat so maybe it wasn't so bad how things turned out.

This morning I was awake early so I got straight up and showered, then popped out to get milk for our coffee.

We're rather sad that the, relatively modest, contents of the freezer had to be ditched and we'll now have to be a bit careful about how we plan meals until the new fridge arrives but all in all, it was very much a first world embuggerance and, we're also lucky to have the cash available to replace the appliance (when we know what a huge percentage of adults would not be so fortunate).

 We're both feeling pretty sanguine about it now.

Hey ho.  We've got rugby, readily available beer supplies, not to mention accessible places to keep us going.  Some of this would, actually, have felt a bit more trying in Eastboune.

 

Monday Excursions

 As the weather gradually starts to improve, we're getting into a bit of habit of going out for a wander on a Monday afternoon. It's not every week but, it's been 3 times in the last 4.

We tend to look at the weather and if it looks dry and sunny, try and find somewhere different to walk.

Last week we wandered (slogged, in my case) to East Dean, a couple of weeks ago I was keen to take a look at Bishopstone Station.  Yesterday I thought it might be fun to go to Cuckmere Haven.  My memory of it was a firm, flat, made path so even the recent rain shouldn't have made that difficult walking, should it?

The path was listed as about 1.2 miles from bus stop to beach so I figured that if we started the walk around 2.45 we could be back on the bus just after 4pm or so and head on into Brighton.

I miscalculated.  A lot.

Sure, the first half mile of the path was paved and easy walking but things got trickier as we went further.  First chalky clay slop, and then a bit of the old river course completely running across the path - too deep to tiptoe through.

We diverted way from the main river run which was initially easier walking but, again, as we got nearer the sea it got boggier, muddier and harder going.

A chap walking a few yards in front of us slipped over in a combination of mud and a boggy area.  We picked our way really carefully but still wanted to get to the beach (for reasons that are largely beyond me).

A couple of very hairy moments where I could have opted to turn back, but didn't, led us to the shingle beach.  And yeah, walking on shingle is no picnic, either.

The walk back was similarly challenging even though we thought we'd be able to avoid the worst of it. By the time we got back to the bus stop, it was about 4.45pm.  We decided it was too late to sit on the bus for an hour so made a truncated journey to Steamworks in Seaford instead.  One really great pint (and only £3.50) and one OK pint left us refreshed and ready to go home.

All in all, a really nice afternoon out - even though it wasn't quite what we had in mind.  Still, embrace flexibility, eh?

Looking Forward

 We've firmed up our plans to head west on Friday.

Immediately, it makes me yearn for all our favourite watering holes - we even discussed how we'd do some "work in the pub" - which always means the Barley Mow.

That's not to say we haven't had good beer this week:  after working in St Leonards on Thursday I came back, ran some errands and decided to head to Beerarama, since we'd not been there for a while.

The boy came and met me and we had a most satisfactory range of beers - and also vowed to come back to avail ourselves of their extensive "dark and strong" section.  

I've got stuff I've got to get done before we head up but I'm looking foward to the journey and the arrival.

Country Walk

 It had been a while since we've walked over to East Dean to the Tiger Inn.  Weather, being busy, the pub being closed for a bit of maintenance and a knee which has been slow to heal have all conspired to prevent it.

So a promised dry, sunny day on Monday saw us having a bit of a yomp.  In truths, it's only 3 miles or so but contains a lot of up and down.  By the time we got to East Dean I was knackered.

There was a decent array of cask and keg beer on and although we didn't have the prime seat in the main body of the pub, it was proper pubby and good place to recover.

The usual bus stop was out of action which necessitated a bit of a further yomp but we made it in perfect time to stop the homeward bus.

Clearly I need practice with this walk so I would imagine that the next day the sun promises to shine - and maybe there's a slightly longer day in prospect we might try it again!

Ooooh!

 This weekend (well, Thursday) at the Crown threw into sharp relief the general beer-bleh of Eastbourne.  We decided to stroll to the Crown on the offchance that the "weekend" guest beer(s) might be available.

 In this context "Stroll" meant a little hike through the woods which edge the South Downs.  Only a couple of miles but quite strenous enough on a Thursday, thank you.

We were rewarded with Burning Sky Plateau and Arbor Shangri-La.  In addition there was Harveys Best (in line with apparent local pub bylaws), Timmy Taylor Landlord (good in a pinch but I'm not as keen as I was) and New Bristol Brewery Biscotti Stout left over from the previous weekend.

By any stretch of the imagination, this is a really good range of beers for a local pub whose main clientele do not drink cask beer at all. 

By Sunday, when we ventured down again, the Shangri-La had gone and had been replaced with Long Man "No 8".  So we had Plateau (still gorgeous) and then tried the Long Man.  Hmmm, kind of Timmy Taylor ish.  I guess the people that like their cask brown and unscary would like it - but I wouldn't go back for seconds, sadly.

Today I've seen blog posts from beer bloggers about the Barley Mow, The Basket Makers and a picture of the Evening Star.  Sigh.

Out with the Girls

 This is something I almost never do.

I do my drinking with the BBB, and sometimes with him and other people.

The only usual exception is lunchtime in St Leonards when I go to Heist with a colleague.

So my trip to Hastings last Wednesday, on a planned proper "Evening" out with a group of women (more than colleagues, too) was a real outlier...and I wasn't really sure whether I wanted to go or not.

As ever, it was combined with a working period.

We all went to the Seadog which is very close to Hastings station - it makes it a really good venue for a non-driver.

The range of beer was a bit quirky - strong pale beers, no cask and lower strength stouts so I had to adjust my usual drinking style.  That would be my only, very slight criticism, however.

Drop Project and Brewing brothers beers were delicious and my fellow beer drinkers at the table very much agreed.  They even had a really good no alcohol beer for the driver and she loved it.  I tried it and thought it was better than most.

The combination of good beer and really good Asian street food (think Bao, Rendang, Wings, etc) together with the excellent company made for a really enjoyable evening - and, after a spritely walk for a train, I was home for 9.15.

I'm pretty sure it'll be something I'll repeat from time to time (not too often, though...this introvert still finds peopling exhausting).

Black Lager - Seriously?

 On our return from my western homeland we did the thing that we always do - set about making sure there's a good range of fridge beer.

Our fridge beer is usually from Bristol breweries although sometimes I add others if we feel like a change.

This time, I was reminded that it was "Dancing With Spectres" season so I naturally went to Lost and Grounded's website to order some.

If you buy 2 cases (2 x 12 cans) direct from our lovely breweries you always get delivery by courier added free...so it seems rude not to.

12 cans of Spectres...but, what to choose next?

L&G are really specialist lager-and-related-styles kinda guys (and girls) and so often we don't want to drink loads of their beers (but our visit to their taproom a couple of years ago was wonderful) but it's daft not to give a few things a try.

So this time I added a black lager thinking that if I didn't like it - the boy probably would.  I added other things too but the black lager was very much the unknown quantity.

So we tried it last night.

Blimey!  It was lovely.  Like a tamer version of "Spectres" (officially a Baltic Porter).  

It reminds me of the first time I was offered a Black IPA (Arbor's sadly missed Black-Eyed PA).  It seems contradictory - lagers and pale ales are...well pale. (I know that lagering is a process not a colour description but we all know it's pale, right?).

You look at it.  You take a sip and if you close your eyes you could think it was just the same as its pale cousin.  But wait! The chocolate malt starts to assert itself and you get a much deeper flavour.

With an ABV around 5% it's not a starting beer for us - so it's not the first thing we'd pick up, say, after a walk on a warm day but it was glorious.

Excursion

 I was working in Hastings yesterday so, despite the cold, I coaxed the Best Beer Buddy out of the house to meet me afterwards.

I finished in St Leonards but it was seriously cold and I doubted that either Heist or Collected Fictions would have the cosy atmosphere we were after.  Having been in two freezing pubs last week, I wasn't in the mood for that again after a busy day.

So instead, we co-ordinated trains and I jumped back on the train at Warrior Square and we hiked up to the Imperial.

We hadn't been there for ages.

It was good to see it already buzzing when we arrived (just before 5pm) but faffed around a bit to get a seat we were both happy with.

It is a lovely place and the staff are universally engaging but we were a little taken aback at the prices.  They seem to have suffered a real hike since our last visit to one of their venues.

£7 a pint for a 6% beer is more than we'd (almost) ever pay in Bristol (LHG is possibly the only exception) so to see that price point in Hastings gave us a pause.

The cask beer (Pig and Porter) was a little more than Harveys in the Lamb for roughly the same ABV.

A really excellent Marguerrita pizza on the other hand was a jolly £9.50 and was enough for two of us.

Dunno whether this is a wider trend, a reflection on conmtinued pressures on hospitality or Brewing Brothers setting out their stall.

I'll be interesting to compare when I go to the Seadog to meet with work colleagues next week...