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.