How the pub is meant to be

 Two pub visits since we've arrived have reminded me what a great experience a good pub visit is.

In the BM on Thursday, we couldn't sit next to the fire because there were Christmas meals being had.  We looked in the other half and the BBB looked at the two-person table next to the gents and grudgingly settled in there (it's the worst space in the pub).  As I arrived with the beers the two chaps on the next table (the one with the wobbly leg) said "we're just about to go - you're welcome to this table...".

Naturally, we gladly took up the option and settled in.  The leg was wobbly again.

Still, we were in the BM and we were happy.

BBB went to get a second drink but in the fluster of the queue forgot to get beer mats. No matter.

After a while a lone chap settled into the table by the gents, then another guy came in.  Instead of sitting with us where there was loads of space, he asked the other guy whether he could sit at that table.  The resident guy was gracious but I could see a look of near-horror of sharing a really small space with a stranger.

I caught the incomer's eye and suggested there was plenty of room at our table.  He thanked us and said "it's OK, I'm really quiet".  He wasn't.  Clearly a chap wanting a bit of company - and we know, from work, that just a small amount of interaction with people can make them feel better - even though it's not something we necessary thrive on. It would have been churlish not to.  I can't really remember what we chatted about.

I tootled off to get a third beer (and some beer mats to fettle the table) and opted for very strong Wiper and True keg beer.  The lady at the bar poured them and put them on the bar whilst I paid.  They looked quite different colours but I then held them up to check it wasn't just a trick of the light.  To be honest, it was difficult to tell.

The BBB once again took one for the team - tasting them to see if there was anything awry.  He said they tasted slightly different from each other but both were fine.  So we shrugged and settled back in.

Meanwhile the bar manager had noticed that they didn't look quite right - and called over that he wanted to replace them.  I'm not sure he said what the reason was but the replacements were grand.  Maybe the keg had been tipped or something...who knows?  This is god-tier bar management in a pub that was heaving with people.

Then, yesterday, we went to the Kings Head.  We had no idea if it would be busy or not - you can't always tell.  It was. We knew there was a possibility that it would be the stools at the far end of the bar - as I passed them I did notice they were both covered  coats - probably from the blokes on the adjoining stools.  I made a mental in case the snug was  full.

It was very busy with three groups:  one of 8 blokes at one end, a small young group on one side of the entrance and about 5 blokes on the other.  However, between the two groups of blokes there was a bottom-sized gap on the bench, and a table barely being used.

Immediately one of the chaps on the nearest group shuffled along to make more space for me.  I asked the other group of men if they were ok with me using the table and they were delightful and waved me in.  The last piece of the puzzle was a stool.  There was a little cluster next to the young group, confirmed to be unused so I tucked that next to the table and allowed the BBB to sit on the bench so that it was easier for me to get the next round in (he has a  more svelt backside, too).

The big group swelled to 10 but somehow everyone managed to squeeze in with a reasonable degree of comfort. The tramcar snug is the only route out from behind the bar so we despaired of the staff trying to clear glasses.

 Then the small group of chaps nudged us to alert us that they were moving on and that we might want to slide into their space.  We did so gladly but were amazed that the bigger group didn't immediately make themselves a bit more comfortable and spread out.  We were impressed.

It was time for a second, but the previous incumbents of the space we'd moved had left their glasses, so I picked them all up and took them back to the bar.  The lady on duty thanked me profusely and I ordered fresh beers.

The behaviour of everyone in the place (save, perhaps, for the people who be-coated the stools) taking some personal responsibility for the enjoyment of everyone - and of excellent bar work, too.

This is how it should always be. 

 

New Kid in Town

 We had a plan.  Barley Mow when we arrived on Thursday (no contest), Moor on Friday for a catch up and to pick up some cans, new brewery Unwins on Saturday and Martha's on Sunday. 

I checked the various places Moor might have posted their opening times and it looked like we'd be able to stick to the plan...but when we arrived all was in darkness at 4.30pm.

Who knows whether they're ever open now?  So, instead, we walked back down to Unwins.  It was pretty busy when we got in but we got a couple of pints (no 2/3rd glasses yet) and found a little table to settle into.

The modern, keg pale ale was gorgeous - you can tell it was from an accomplished brewer.  There was also an On Point bitter which we didn't fancy and an English Malt lager which we wanted to reserve judgement about.

People ebbed and flowed and although there looked to be a chance we would be the only people sitting in - that never actually happened.

Normally, with only really one beer to be super-enthusiastic about we would only have one but we liked the place enough to stay for a second.  This time we shared a pint of the pale and a half of the lager.  

The lager wasn't really our style but, for all that, it was really good and something that, whilst it wouldn't be a first choice, would definitely make me happy enough to not feel cheated.

 We even stayed and shared a third pint of the pale.  A few more people had started to drift in by then so when we left, the place was certainly not empty.  

As we walked past Martha's, it was rammed and we had a sense that maybe there was an amount of overspill happening.  Sometimes, it just goes like that to start with.  

In conversation with the owner/brewer/barman we learned that he'd been open for a couple of weeks and that there would be a wider range of beer just as soon as he'd brewed it.

It wasn't quite as cosy-feeling as Marthas but, no doubt, it's not just the beer range that will mature.

We'll definitely be going back.  Bravo! 

Comparisons

 So we're back in the Shire until the new year.  There are lots of reasons for this - stuff to do with work, stuff to do with shying away from "sociability" and because of the beer.  Oh, the beer.

Someone has recently messaged me about what the beer scene is like down in East Sussex, compared to Bristol.  They specifically wondered whether it was only about the Harveys. It has set me thinking about recommendations.

 I try and read most of what Jess and Ray/Boak and Bailey write because I learn loads and love the way they write.  Our most enjoyed beers and places rarely overlap all that much - but that's the joy of it all.

But because beer is a matter of personal taste, it also means I can't be sure that anything I say would land with anyone else (and that's fine, too - I mostly write this for my own amusement and to give me something to think about other than digital exclusion).  

So to ensure you have an idea about my beer-drinking tastes and chosen venues:

I mostly switched away from drinking mainly 4% brown bitter around  25 years ago.  

Bath Ales Spa in 4pint jugs to share was initially responsible for this.

However around 2008/9 I discovered the Barley Mow and started drinking "Sunrise" whenever it was available.  I started helping at the Bristol and District beer festival, having been persuaded to be the set-up manager.  I also started to learn about Arbor Ales modern beers and lost an afternoon to pints of cask Yakima Valley at the Three Tuns (what was I thinking?).

 The first day the, now, Best Beer Buddy came to Bristol we went to the Cornubia, then the bar that used to be a place run by Barney Haughton in the main drag of the Harbourside and, of course, the Barley Mow.  We still go to the BM weekly (often more than once) when we're here - we go to the Cornubia much less frequently and we know that we can expect a more traditional range of cask ales - often that's OK, but it's not usually what our preference would be.

Together the pair of us have migrated towards modern styles of beer and we tend to drink in a specific way.  Anyhow, this is all a long way around of saying that we've drifted away from the drinking styles of many of our contemporaries and we rarely drink two pints of the same thing:  we really value having several different beers in a session. I think I blame Tapstone Brewery for the "final straw" of thick, bitter, fruity hopped beers: it was a Damascene moment.

In all this context - how does East Sussex fare?

 I'd have to say "mixed".  I really only get involved in pubs/taprooms in the coastal stretch - we don't have a car and the public transport is very coastal road/rail biased.

Starting from the westmost bit of the East Sussex coast where it basically turns into Brighton you have "Lewes District" - main coastal towns are.

Newhaven:  bit of a desert in many senses.  In the summer Abyss Brewery seems to do a pop up next to the Marine Workshops and there are couple of pubs in the town - they don't look very "beer" focussed.  There is a recent take over a Harveys pub which I really ought to check out when I work over there.  Other than that - not really anything I'd make the No12 journey for.  With some more investment underway in the town - that might change.

Seaford:  The Old Boot pub is a huge "Sunday Lunch" kinda place, always in the GBG and usually has a couple of interesting modern cask beers (Arbor at least a couple of times) but it's not a place we really linger.  Steamworks, at Seaford Station, on the other hand usually has cask and interesting keg available if we're in the area this is where we go.

We find The Cuckmere at Cuckmere Haven is best avoided.  Massive chain pub which mostly relies on its positioning to bring people in - as a result, it doesn't really have to make much beer effort.

The next bit of the coastal residence is probably East Dean (technically, we're now in "Wealden" district).  It's an undeniably beautiful village and the Tiger Inn is in a splendid spot.  The beer offering is way better than it used to be so is a great place to have a walk and beer thing - not, for us, a destination in its own right though.  Gun Brewery Beer often features, along with "Only With Love" and semi-ubiquitous Long Man beers.  Often heaving, and really quite pricey.

Eastbourne is next on the coast.  Harveys Best can be found in pretty much every pub but the bars/taproom type places tend to avoid it.  We've seen a couple of blokes grumpily walk out of Wolf because Harveys Best wasn't available - only Star of Eastbourne (FFS).

Only one non-tied traditional pub (Bohemian), I think, so the best variety comes from the independent non-pub places.   As a result, in town, we tend to drink in "Belgian Cafe", "Beerarama"", Wolf on the Corner", "Ninkasi", and "Frontier" - with the recent addition of the Gun Brewery Tap. Tied pubs in the main part of Eastbourne are, I think Harveys (4), Greene King (4), Brakspear (1) and pub cos.  

Our home local (The Crown) is Heineken so no interesting kegs for us there - but there's always a couple of really good cask beers on and there are the beer  festivals.  The only other pub we go to regularly near home is Harveys but well kept and usually offering the seasonal beer.

We tend to avoid all the other real pubs in town.  Such a shame, to be honest.

Heading west there are a couple of small villages/outlying districts (Harbour, Langney, Pevensey, Normans Bay) we have been to the pubs there but none of them would be a natural choice.

Then you hit Rother District - and Bexhill (includes Cooden Beach and Collington)- there's a micropub which wasn't my bag of spanners although the beer was pretty good, trad beers dominated.  There's a pub which I think has just landed in the GBG - The Ruddy Duck: small but nicely curated range of beers, definitely needs a visit next time I have to work there.  Also the Three Legs Brewery tap - again definitely needs a visit.  

Into St Leonards (Hastings Borough)  - punches above its weight for interesting places to drink:

Very close to Warrior Square station you currently have Heist (by Three Legs) and Collected Fictions (micro pub/wine bar),  which major on f*cking hipster beer but there's also The Piper and the St Leonard who take part in the tap-takover and did a respectable job of it.  Soon to come also the Hastings Project (CIC brewery) are going to open a pub just around the corner from Heist and the Piper.  
A bit of a hike up the (steep) hill is the Tower which is pretty traditional pub, best described as a "locals pub" but you can't fault the range of cask beer in different styles they always have available.

Into Hastings proper there is the Seadog very close to the station.  Not much cask choice usually but a decent range of keg beers - usually several non-big-brand lagers too which cheers me.   Up the hill in Queens road is a micropub which is sort of OK but a bit quirky, further up is The Imperial which is the Brewing Brothers's original outlet.  Always a great choice of cask and keg and a nice range of guest beers.  Fab pizzas.  On the seafront is the Courtyard which houses another Brewing Brothers outlet.    Last time we drank Brewing Brothers the beer was really expensive - we ought to go back to check whether they're still an outlier.

If you carry on east along the seafront you get towards the old town.  I haven't ventured into all the pubs around here but the Dolphin, FILO and the Albion were all pretty respectable and, in addition is the micropub (Fishermans?) which I understand is good.  Probably the best for me around the Old Town was the Jenny Lind although I've not been there for a while.  The pubs in this part of town do seem to be traditional in range.

Harveys is still well represented but a couple of Shepherd Neame places too.

The last place on the coast I can comment on is Rye.  Only been there once but it's definitely a superior beer venue.  The Ypres Castle was the stand out for me because the landlord is in it for the beer and he runs it as if he wanted to drink there.  There were a couple of other places in town we tried which were very nice and with a good range for us to choose from.  Unfortunately it's not a town for pleasant pedestrian ambling and as a result we've not been back yet. 

So that's coastal East Sussex by beer.  

The rural parts of the county can be quite sparsely populated with appalling public transport links and that also means that pubs can be few and far between.  There will be some absolutely corkers - but I'm willing to be they will also be predominated by their food offering.  

Lewes is the only non-coastal place I know in any detail from a drinking point of view.  Despite what you may think there is more than Harveys to be had (though it would be remiss not to try the John Harvey - you won't get a better pint anywhere) but Abyss also have a tap room passably close to the centre of the town.  Beak Brewery tap is a bit more of a pilgrimage on foot because of the topography of the town - but you could combine a trip to Beak with one to the Snowdrop which, when I went to it, was a really nice proper pub, too.

In central Lewes is the Gardiners Arms (my personal favourite for cask beer choice) and up on the high street are a few decent places including the Lewes Arms which, though Fuller/Asahi, keeps their beer brilliantly, does lovely food and is generally a really interesting pub.

In addition to ultra local breweries and more widely there's usually some Old Dairy beer to be had in town. 

One new development on the rail route towards the coast is Glynde (home of Glyndebourne) - from having no pubs - it now has two.  Steamworks (like in Seaford) at the station and a reopened pub also close to the station which looks like a cracker we've not got there yet.  Looks good - likely to be expensive, I would imagine. 

If I were making the move to East Sussex from Bristol now (rather than 14 years ago) I would probably think St Leonards was perfect for me and the BBB.  Hastings Borough is one of the most deprived placesnin the country and that can make it challenging be in.  But the quirky, independent nature of the place makes it very attractive and I feel very comfortable there. That's presumably why, the locals tell me, the place is full of DFLs putting pressure on the house (and beer?) prices.   Maybe its slightly Bristol-like feeling is why I like it?

 So the short answer is - yes there are pockets of good/interesting beer as well as Harveys (see also:  Arundel Brewery, 1066 Brewery, Long Man ) and although it's a long way behind Bristol..it is definitely starting to get the idea. 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking a Pint Back

 We had to do some maintenance at the Wish Tower on Sunday afternoon.  It was bitterly cold and there are no facilities of any sort at the Tower.

By the time we finished, even though we planned to go to Wolf, I desperately needed to warm up and get to a loo.  So we popped into The Bohemian.

There was Longman Long Blonde and Best on but also what looked like something decent from "Only With Love".  I ordered two pints, took them to the table and then dashed for a comfort break.

One pint was a little warm - as if it had sat in the lines a while.  The BBB sniffed and tasted and made a bit of a face and said it was probably "on  the way out".  He tried the second which was, at least colder, but the face remained.

I tried the better of the two but I reckoned it was off.  Only With Love generally don't do weird funky flavours in their cask beers.  So I took them back.

The chap at the bar came straight over when I said "These are off" but then said "Oh, is that the Best?" (they looked nothing like Best from any brewery). 

He also immediately offered "do you want something else" - we took the Longman Blonde which, actually, was fresh as a daisy and much nicer than I'd remembered. 

It has put a bit of a cloud over my feelings for the pub which had been looking up over the last year or so.  It might just be a bad day, and I'm not saying we'll never go again, but it's hard to shake the feeling that a pub that charges this much for beer (upwards of £6/pint) needs to do better to know what condition its product is in.

So we used the facilities, finished our pints and strolled up to Wolf - god, it was great! 

 

Surprises

 On Thursday last week, I learned that new bar - Wolf on the Corner - had Harvey's "Star of Eastbourne" on cask.  Barely containing a squeeeee of excitement, I informed the BBB.

 We already had to be in town and close by the venue because of work on Friday so it seemed that stars all aligned.

Our meeting in our (hopefully) new office concluded before Wolf opened but we needed to sit down and pull together things we'd learned, measured, etc, etc. So we popped down to "The Frontier" first.  They had Kernel Table Beer and at 3% was perfect for the time of day.

It's a really useful place and another where it'll be really convenient for our new workplace (along with Wolf, Ninkaci and Gun) but we haven't yet found the ideal time for us there - it always seems to be a little bit light on people.  Definitely can't argue with the beer range which has clearly increased a little.  There were probably 3 or 4 draught beers that we'd have happily tried - and that was without even looking at the fridge of cans.

Anyhow - we finished our work (and our beer)  and strolled around the corner to Wolf. We could have started with something not too strong - but the only cask beer was Star of Eastbourne so it really seemed rude not to.  Being able to choose 2/3rds as a measure of even cask beer is such a treat!  

Given it's my favourite Harveys beer and that it's usually only available in October (which we'd missed), it was especially lovely and we fully relaxed, picked up a game of Regicide and just enjoyed the ambiance.

The staff in the place are the epitome of good hospitality: it seems effortless, and you feel immediately at home in the place. Another thing they've got right (more or less) is the seating the seats are pretty comfy and the mishmash of different tables, add a degree of charm and warmth.

After a while it got a bit busier and a small group asked to share the table. They arranged themselves in a way that meant I had to move one person to get to the bar (Downlands delicious Impy Stout) but they were jolly about it.

Once they left, a slightly larger group were hovering clearly wanting to sit somewhere but not wanting to muscle in.  We offered the remainder of the table.  It was 5 or 6 people of around our age and we then spent the rest of our evening chatting with fellow beer-enthusiasts before taking our leave.  It was one of those times when chatting with strangers was a welcome thing - not something that needed to be worked at.  Very nice it was, too.

Saturday was a family do in a local hotel.  The weather was awful and the seafront location only served to emphasise it.  We popped to the bar to get a quick "pre" drink and, to be honest, I wasn't expecting much of Eastbourne hotel beer.  However, we decided simultaneously that a shared bottle of Adnams Ghost Ship might fit the bill.  It did!  Both of us were quite surprised how well it went down.  

The Belgian Bar

This little cold snap has really bitten hard.

Our little shop where we help people get and stay safely online, and encourage kids into a bit of digital creativity (sorry for the shameless plug) only has single-glazed windows - it's tricky to heat effectively.  I was on duty all day until our young workshop attendees left the building at 5.30pm.

I thought I'd prepared for the expected chill with many layers of clothing but as I left the building after dark it almost took my breath away.  The BBB and I had already planned to go to the Belgian Bar but then I remembered I needed to pick up some groceries from the local shop around the corner.  Himself headed onto the bar to get the beers in whilst I popped in and picked up some Turkish bread and black peppercorns.

The temporary respite from the cold, only served to make me feel colder as I left the shop.  I don't think I've ever walked quite so fast to the bar.

Opening the door and coming in to the bar was like being enveloped in a heated duvet.  It was glorious.

He'd already ordered two pints and was sitting down waiting.

The beer was just what I needed to stave off the chill (I know the physiology, and how much that statement is not literally true, but you know I mean).  The ABV of the Belgian Bar beers wanders around a bit but is always upwards of 5%, it seems.  

We left at around 7.30pm and the temperature had dropped further - I cursed my lack of a hat. 

I'd have been warmer if we'd gone straight home but I wouldn't have missed that feeling of just warming up with a beer in my head for the world. 

 

 

 

Strong Cask Beers

 We popped into Beerarama on Friday, after work, to take advantage of their weekend cask beer.

We normally start with weaker/lighter cask beers and maybe progress to stronger/darker.

For example, in the Barley Mow - I'll normally start with their sub-4% light beer, BBB typically starts around 4.2%.  The BM's cask offering usually allows for a gentle ramp up. 

We were arriving at Beerarama from different directions and I got there first.  The cask offering was Kernel Brown Ale at 5.2% (or something). I toyed with the idea of something lighter first, but I find going from keg to cask a bit disconcerting so I ordered two two-thirds (a pint felt a bit weighty).

I remarked that I don't normally start at 5.2% and we shared a bit of a joke.  Then I mentioned that Ringwood 49er would once have been a favourite but always felt strong.  Jamie wasn't aware of Ringwood - but then again, he's pretty young.  The customers either side of me were more contemporary of me and we all had a bit of a sighing reminiscence of Ringwood (presumably now gobbled or disappeared by an UberBrand): both 49-er and old Thumper.

Anyway - to the Kernel: the way the beer poured, and the amount of condition in it, I could easily have been fooled (but for the temperature) that it was keg.  The head was small but tight and almost viscous.

 It punched above its weight even for over 5% and, despite it not normally being a beer I might choose, it was absolutely lovely.  The BBB approved of my choice, too.

So much so that he went back for another whilst I switched up to a Beak 6% hipster-beer.  

I was uncharacteristically squiffy by the time it came to leave.  

I think I'm seeing fewer strong cask beers on even cask-first bars - but maybe I'm just not going to the right places. 

Harvey's Old

I was working in a chilly basement all day yesterday, getting laptops ready to be donated to people on low incomes who don't have them, can't afford to buy them and are finding themselves digitally excluded without them.

By the time I came to leave, I was cold and tired and was quite prepared to come home - then the BBB suggested "Crown" or "Lamb" as a compromise between him coming all the way into town and me coming all the way home.

We hadn't been to The Lamb, a Harvey's tied house since the dawn of time, for several months - it's not really a summer pub.  So for a damp November afternoon/evening it was quite appealing.

I arrived first, settled into a seat by a radiator (sadly no wood burner running at the time), disappointed not to see Bonfire Boy on the bar (apparently more available in a day or so) but got two pints of Armada from a cask choice of "Best" (of course); Armada, Sisters and XX Mild.  BBB arrived very shortly after. 

 A couple of months' absence from Harveys beers (we only ever have them in a Harveys pub and usually only in Eastbourne - maybe with an extension to the John Harvey pub/tap in its hometown) had made the palate grow fonder.

First pint barely touched the sides: Harveys works particularly well in a 12th Century building.  Also the bar manager on duty is the absolute cream of the crop in bar staff.

The BBB and I caught up on our respective days and, unaccountably, both reminisced about narrowboat holidays we'd had in previous lives.

For a second pint I asked for Old.  I'm a fairly recent convert to this beer (maybe a couple of years ago) although I never want too much of it.  The first sip was absolutely stunning.

It punches well above its ABV.

I've tried Long Man brewery "Old Man" but it's never felt as rich or hefty. Whereas I like to drink Moor's Old Freddy Walker late in the day the Harveys Old I drank yesterday evening was a perfect 6pm beer.

 

 

 

 

Newness

 Now we're back in Eastbourne, we'd already reacquainted ourselves with the Crown to meet up with friend and colleague, W.  Oakham Green Wave (or something) wasn't in the first flush but was lovely.

Friday and Saturday we were scheduled to be in work, in town. 

So, on Friday we opted for a new place that's opened - Wolf on the Corner.  It's effectively a micropub but it's more a bar, really - with good beer.  It's a joint venture between one tiny local brewery and a local cider producer.

It'll be very close to our new place of work (always assuming that goes ahead, as planned) from early next year. 

It opens at 4pm and we arrived about 30mins later.  It was already pretty busy.

They had a cask beer on - it was by BRZN but at 3.4%, the BBB wanted something a bit stronger.  So I had the BRZN and he had Joosy by unbarred.

One of the owners was serving and he immediately asked if I wanted my beer in a straight or handled glass (always extra points for that).  It was then I noticed that one of the other bar staff was the brilliant G from the, sadly closed, Bottle Grove.  It was so lovely to see him again - one of the very best bar folk, ever!

BBB had found a table to sit at - possibly the last one at the time.  More people came in.

We recognised a few folk from the local "beer" scene - but not everyone.  The demographic seemed subtly different.

The bar had a fairly generous number of beers on offer - but it was sticking with an Oktoberfest vibe and so there were kellerbeers, wit beers and lagers very heavily represented.  I'm guessing (hoping, really) that this was just a seasonal thing - although I very nearly tried one of the stronger ones.  I don't hate any of those styles, when done well, it's just that it'll never be my first choice (I say "never" but more accurately it's probably "just now").

Anyhow, the atmosphere was good - though there's a huge expanse of shop glass which I think might make it a bit subject to temperature challenges...but that's for another time.

I enjoyed my first beer so much - I had a second.  He chose something from the Oktober range - it was nice - a little Kwak-like possibly.

We were very happy that 2/3rds are available.

Third round was Joosy for me and a med-dry cider (seemed fitting) for him.  

We've identified it as a good place to take sisters, in future, potentially and that's always a nice thing. 

We'll definitely be back but next time we'll time the walk from bar to bus stop a little better, I think. 

 

 

Taking the Glasses Back

I know that, for the most part, the days are gone when you take your glass back to the bar and the staff refill it with "same again".  I assume it's mostly a hygiene thing - if you're filling a glass and the spout goes inside the glass then there's definitely an issue with whatever is left in that glass.

Personally I like a new glass simply because the beer pours and looks nicer in a clean one.  Even more reason if it's a different beer (caveat:  we don't do this at home but we might 'rinse' the glass with a small quantity of the new beer - obviously drinking the dregs)

OK, so we're not asking for refills but I still insist on taking empty glasses back to the bar - when fetching fresh drinks, and if at all feasible, when we leave.

I don't know when it started but it's become almost an obsession.

I've never worked in a bar - but I spent several years, as a teenager,  in a weekend job being a chambermaid and occasionally waiting at table - christ, people treat hospitality staff appallingly.

When we went to lunch with brother and sister-in-law we had a discussion about it.  As we all went to leave, I picked up the glasses to return to the bar and my brother followed suit but my sister-in-law expressed surprise. This also happens when I go out with the other directors of our organisation.  I suspect that people feel slightly shamed if I clear the table so they join in.  I'm sorry if it makes people feel like that -  but it won't stop me doing it.

I watched, in the Barley Mow, yesterday evening, two blokes take up two tables with their glasses, elbows, food and stuff - seemingly indifferent to people looking for a place to sit.  Yes, I'm afraid I did judge them.

I don't honestly know what my real motivation is for doing this.  I know how much I hate arriving at a pub where the only seats are next to a table covered in glasses - who wants to sit with other people's dirty glasses around?  So part of it is helping to make an environment pleasant for other people.

But it's more than just that - I've always found it quite difficult to be "waited on", by anyone.  There is a story of me behaving very awkwardly in a five-star hotel that we were staying in for a wedding.  We were shown to our room by a - actually I have no idea what that job role is called - called Simon.  He went to take my bag for me and I said "no, that's OK..." but he sweetly and gently insisted.  Walking up the stairs, with him behind carrying the luggage still made me feel supremely uncomfortable.

Bar work is skilled - especially if you're also looking after beer, as well as serving it.  Returning glasses to the bar is not skilled and, OK, it might be considered part of the job, but don't we all appreciate it when someone shows us a bit of help?  I dunno, it might be an irritating trait - and I'm sorry to all bar staff if it is - but I think I'm beyond changing now.

To all bar staff everywhere - I know it's coming into "holy crap this pub is full of people who have no idea how to be in a pub" season of goodwill etc - good luck all!  

 

Independence

Each time we come to Bristol we try to catch up with (a manageable number of) friends and family.  Inevitably this tends to happen in a pub (or similar).

As all of us get older, we're all more tolerant of each others' need for "not too much peopling", finding mutually convenient places, accommodating eating/drinking times and habits, etc.  That means it's not terribly difficult to find somewhere but it does need a bit of research and assent.

This time, we were meeting with brother and sister-in-law.  They live on the far eastern side of the city - and we live in the centre.  They have bus passes, we're happy and used to travelling on public transport.  So this time, I suggested Bath as a venue - there was a new(ish) bus service that served them and we can be in Bath in about 15 minutes. 

The BBB has an irrational (but good-natured) dislike of Bath because about 35 years ago and in a different life he visited and declared it "closed" (the long story is that between shops closing and pubs opening there wasn't anywhere to go). It's been a struggle to get him to see it as a viable pub destination - with the notable exception of the "Royal Oak" in Oldfield Park.  This means I can't confidently suggest anywhere which might be specific to our various wants. 

My brother has not made the transition to "hipster" beer - likes golden/pale but fairly traditional cask beer - obviously that doesn't provide a complete overlap with my love of pale, hoppy (even hipster) beer. 

 My research for matching beer spec beer and decent food pubs really only turned up The Raven as a pretty sure-fire thing but as I was about to suggest it they suggested the "Bath Brew House".  I'd heard of it, and thought we'd been there a few years ago. Sounded like a decent deal.

When we got inside we realised we hadn't actually been there at all (not sure what pub I'm thinking of, then).  Anyhow - as a brew pub it was obviously majoring on their own beers, with a decent offering of about 5 cask and 6 keg beers.

Our companions had had the bitter and a golden ale, we went for their American Pale - all were in the 4 - 4.5% bracket.  Pretty good price, too, for Bath (I'm told).

We settled into catching up and eventually decided that we really needed to order some lunch.  It was then I noticed that the literature on the table indicated that this was a Youngs-owned place.  I was quite surprised a little while back when Boak and Bailey identified that the King Street Brewhouse which we go to infrequently, but not unhappily, was a Youngs place.

When I paid a bit more attention to the building and the decor I realised that it was very similar to the King Street place.  It all made sense.

We're very keen, on the whole, on small independent breweries and venues.  There are only so many places we can go and drink so we like, wherever possible, to use our beer-buying power to support them.

Now, as far as I can tell, Youngs is still independent but it's far from small and the last time I tried their beers, I wasn't at all inclined to try them again. So this micro-sub-brand thing is a bit of a dilemma for me.

The beer served from the brewery was good, the staff we dealt with were professional and friendly, doing a really good job.  The food was OK and the space was pleasant and not too noisy (apparently it gets so later in the day) - but I still feel a bit cheated at the "Youngsness" being slightly sotto voce.  It makes the homespun-looking chalk graphics of the brewing process reek of artifice and trying to trick us into thinking it's a small organisation. 

I actually liked it a bit better than the King Street venue - that might be down to where it is in Bath or something else. 

 BBB and I wouldn't rush back on our own, but it would make an acceptable compromise venue, for sure.

As an aside, we decided to try somewhere else, closer to my Brother's homebound bus stop for one last one.  "Trinity" was the nearest place - neither of us had any knowledge of the place.  It was somewhat different.  Very much a locals pub, one probably owned by Heineken.  London Pride on cask and the usual Camden/Beavertown offerings on keg.  We decided on a quick one anyway as they didn't have long to wait and there are 4 trains an hour back to Bristol.

Yeah, well - the staff member serving was great, but that was the high point of the pub...at least it got us out of the rain.  Neck Oil is really insipid now, isn't it? (even in lovely, funky half pint glasses). 

 

 

 

 

 

Warm Blanket

 Even though we're not in Bristol all the time, we're here often enough and for long enough periods (we generally do about 6 weeks in Eastbourne, 3 weeks in Bristol) that we shouldn't get too precious about the odd beer experience being sub-optimal. And yet, there are times than one or both of us don't want to gamble.

Yesterday was one of those days.  I'm currently on tenterhooks awaiting the outcome of a significant funding bid and, although not prone to anxiety as such, I'm definitely feeling the stress of what the outcome (expected on Monday) will bring.

"D'you wanna go for a wander?", in our house generally means "Beer in the pub?".  Yesterday the call came at 4.30pm.  Remembering how pleasant it was to go to the Barley Mow when we arrived back from Yorkshire last week (even though we don't usually go there on a Saturday) I suggested a repeat. He had thought something similar.  So we went.

There was quite a lot of noise when we arrived at the door, and also the gentle smell of woodsmoke.  Going through we both first thought "Oh no, it's too busy" and the area by the fire was full (shame).  Past the bar and to the other side, though, was a perfect table.  Grabbing a couple of pints of Low Rider (BBF, 3.8%, never seen on cask before) we settled at the table and relaxed, whilst making it abundantly clear there was plenty of room for someone else to join us.

A few people looked and didn't take up the offer but then a young couple looked and tentatively asked if they could sit.  We waved them in and noticed that as soon as he put a pint on the table, that it was really wobbly.  Bad enough with two people at one end, but with two at the other could spell disaster for drinks spillage.  I asked the bar staff for some beer mats and set about fixing it (yes, it's possible I'm a bit obsessive about wobbly pub tables).  

BBB fetched the second pints - well, in fact we had 2/3rds.  We both love that BBF venues offer cask as well as keg in all measures, seemingly equally happily.  

Whilst some of the folk in the pub were quite noisy, everything else made up for that, and about halfway through our visit the noisy group left and the sound levels reduced to a pleasant hum and we could hear that the Inkspots (and, Vera Lynn at some point WTF?) were playing.

By the time we were half way through our final drink (2/3rds of Kettlesmith Caroline) there had been a complete cycle of people leaving and refilling tables.  

I can only believe (and hope) that the Barley Mow must be reasonably financially successful.  Whilst we've been the first to arrive there we've never been the last to leave and, since the pandemic, I don't think over the course of any visit that we've ever seen it less than about a third full on average.  

It feels like it bucks the trend of pub downturns.  It's a little bit out of the way and yet close to workplaces, some housing and the train station.  It's always got a solid range of draft keg beers (at least two lagers, one sour, one continental beer style, one nitro stout, one low/no), 8 cask beers - usually of various styles (mostly 4 or 5 BBF beers, 3 guests), it has a decent wine list, good quality spirits and mixers and a fridge full of more specialist beers (yesterday several gueze/fruit, Witts, Southville Hop, etc).  There's at least some local cider and plenty of standard as well as interesting soft drinks.

You could take anyone who is happy to go to a pub and you could find them a drink they'd like (I think they might even do coffee).  There's burgers and other food, if that's what you want.

I think, for me, it's the consistency that I like most -  maybe it's not the absolute BEST at anything (although I think, from my experience it comes pretty close on the beer front) but it's good at pretty much everything.

When I'm in Eastbourne and feeling blah I'm more likely to light the woodburner, attack the fridge beer and hunker down. Our flat isn't exactly "cosy" (modern, glass curtain wall, no dark corners but no cold spots or draughts, thankfully) so when I crave cosy here, it's the BM.  Every Time.

Thank you BBF - I've been coming here for about 17 years and you've got my back! 

 

Hoppiness, Indeed

 At the weekend we rarely stray to the busier drinking places - neither of us are fond of large crowds, ever, and crowds of large groups of people even more so.

We've noticed how we're comfortably settled at our chosen drinking "after work" timeslot (roughly 4.45pm - 7.30pm since we don't do late nights and we prefer to drink ahead of eating dinner) with a pleasant hubbub of small groups nattering, maybe a with a smattering of background music - but then a noisier group comes in and it raises the stress levels a bit. By the time we need to leave, there's a degree of relief in leaving the noise behind rather than regret of leaving that lovely pub.

On the other hand, this Goldilocks household really doesn't like places to be too quiet. We feel bad for the folk running the place and also feel a bit on display.

This, together with our fairly picky definition of the beer we like to drink can mean we can be quite hard to please - and yet, we're pleased remarkably often.

I was flattered and amused, that fellow Bristolians, Boak and Bailey,  had referred to one of my earlier posts this week in their weekly roundup, where we were disappointed when we went to the Swan with Two Necks.  

We had also wondered whether their apparent disagreement with Moor (I don't know, and don't want to know the whole story - I think I know roughly the basis and that's enough, ta) had contributed to "different" beer availability on the bar at the Swan.

Yesterday, we had decided to go up to Moor Brewery Tap - I really like their beers and the staff we frequently come across (James, and the lady that usually runs the bar on a Friday).  I checked the webiste and it indicated that the bar would be open until 8pm both Friday and Saturday.

It was quiet when we arrived but a few people came and went during our visit - but it dwindled to just us after about an hour.  

No cask on, sadly, but we had 2/3rds of an opener (one Live, one Radience, I think).  I'd seen (courtesy of Insta)  that they'd started brewing the original Hoppiness again and we were delighted to see that on keg.  Second beer, no competition at all.  The Hoppiness was absolutely wonderful.  At 6.5% it's pretty hefty but very drinkable indeed.  It was the Hoppiness I remember.

We noticed an amount of cleaning happening and "putting to bed" of the taps.  It was around 6.15pm.  She was clearly packing up.  We would probably have had another Hoppiness to be honest, but instead I bought some cans to put in our fridge.  I also asked about opening times only to find that they plan to close at 7pm on Friday and 5pm on Saturday.

I've suggested that the website might be updated.

It's never been a really busy taproom but it feels like they're struggling to get people in.  Is it the stuff from earlier in the year?  Is it the time of year?  Is it something else?  It's a shame, for sure.

I plan to grab more Hoppiness in cans when we get back down south - I just hope they find a way through this.

Meanwhile - excitement is rising as another brewery/taproom is shortly to open two doors away from Martha.  It means Moor drops to our third-closest brewery... 

 

Another experiment

 He said "I keep thinking about going back to the Golden Guinea..." so we did.  Since "World Famous Dive Bars" took over The Colloseum at the bottom of Redcliffe Hill - my mum's Friday lunchtime venue of choice when she worked in "Phoenix House" (now a Mercure Hotel) - I've been saying we should give it a try.

It was doubly relevant since the organisation took over Good Chemistry Brewing.

It's a pleasant enough walk to the pubs and we quite enjoyed it, despite the current detour because Valentine Bridge is out of action. 

The Colloseum looked bustling and jolly so we went in.  We were hit with the overwhelming aroma of fried food - then we went to the bar and there didn't appear to be any cask offering and the keg offering didn't inspire, sadly.

So we mosied around the corner, and down the hill to Golden Guinea.  What is it with Burton Bridge beers at the moment??  They were also in evidence here.  We plumped for the "Golden Ale", which was what we'd tried for the Swan.  It was hazy and tasted rather fruity - not sure if it was by design or something else.

We finished it and I switched to kegged Shangri la and he to St Austell "Maverick" - these were better choices. It was great to see the pub was busy - clearly several regulars. I wouldn't be against going in again but again, it was slightly chilly (door to the garden was open throughout) and the beers just didn't quite do it.

The continued desire of people to sit outside and drink long after the summer warmth has departed really does surprise us.  The garden of the Guinea, and the terrace outside the Colloseum had as many people as the inside.  Also, on our walk home along the Portwall there were people sitting outside a restaurant to eat.  It was bloody chilly!

 Today we'll doubtless be staying on this side of the floating harbour...

In the Feels

 Yesterday we decided to stroll a short way and revisit a pub we'd not been to for a while:  The Swan with Two necks.

On the way we passed The Crown which we've not been to since its refurb and reopening.  We knew it offered Bass (not our cuppa, thanks) but were hoping that they'd have something else too.

The only handpulls on the visible bar were Bass and Lilley's cider - so, sadly, it wasn't for us.  Maybe they have more obvious choice at other times of the week?  We didn't really want to walk in and then out so we walked on by.

We walked around the block to the Swan and went in.  It was empty save for the lady on the bar, and an older bloke sitting at the bar.  It was also quite chilly in there.

We looked at the cask offering and were a little disappointed that they only seemed to "older" beer styles - but we ordered two pints of Burton Bridge Gold.  She started to pour them but then said "sorry, it's gone".  She did offer the part poured pint on the house but the BBB tasted it and confirmed it was off.

We didn't fancy the other beers on - classic bitter types so we ordered a couple of pints of keg beers: LHG Sky Above for me, Deya Steady Rolling Man for him. Both were good - we know them well.

Music on vinyl (Bob Dylan) was good as a backdrop but the pub's quietness and it's temperature meant that it wasn't cosy experience so we decided not to stay for another.  To be honest, for a pub which has a sign saying "local beers" on the board outside, we were also a bit disappointed that Burton Bridge and The Kernel were very heavily represented. 

It may have been an off day, or the wrong time but we left a little sadly whilst not really being able to articulate why we didn't want to stay.

The walk back to the flat takes us past the Old Castle Green and a few times we've wondered about going in.  This time, we decided to give it a go.  We tentatively opened the door and were immediately cheered - it felt much warmer and the lighting gave the place a cosy feel that immediately made us want to sit down.

There was a range of a few cask beers on the bar but we wanted something a little stronger.  The signage on the keg pumps was lacking but the lady behind the bar obligingly gave us a run down and both settled on a NZ IPA by Fierce and Noble.  They only do pints and halves so we had pints.

We found a pleasant corner and settled in. The BBB reminded me of when he was new to Bristol and I could take him to a new pub every time he came down - he's now been a demi-resident for over 10 years now but it's nice to know we can still find a nice place that's new to us. It probably won't be a main destination but it'll definitely be added to the list.

Today, we're thinking about retrying the Golden Guinea and maybe venturing to The Collosseum.  Let's see what happens. 

 

T'other Side o'Pennines (or, North Yorkshire the final episode)

Wednesday afternoon we decided to look around the rest of the town.  The weather looked decent and we had old cameras with films in them which needed to be tested.

As ever,  the hike up the hill (although I was getting kinda used to it, it resembled Nine Tree Hill which I frequently had to walk up to get home when I lived in that bit of Bristol) was the prerequisite.

The grounds around the castle were busy with visitors, dog walkers, and people just admiring the view.  Because they were on autumn/winter opening, there was no visiting the Tower, nor the Sallyport. But this spot is an excellent viewpoint for the viaduct.  We wandered, and photographed things, then explored around the castle hill and found some absolutely gorgeous gardens to "ah" at the firework colours of the acers.

We arrived at Blind Jacks quite early.  Well, really early.  The market hadn't quite finished packing up (I don't think we missed anything, though) and some people were clearly in the pub post-lunch.

Still, the nice seat in the window was available so we soon settled in and started playing Regicide.  Again, the place nailed what we like about being in the pub.  Superb beer (cask and keg), a really nice atmosphere and friendly, knowledgeable bar staff.

I went to get the second pints (of cask) in and then looked at the keg fonts.  "See anything you like?" said the young guy on duty.  We chatted for a little while about what was on offer and he said, a bit ruefully, that no one makes nice juicy craft beers in "the north" - I came up with a couple of alternatives and he excitedly said he'd investigate. 

When we returned on Friday evening he was there, as was another member of staff also on the bar and as I congratulated them on the beer we'd just drunk.  "Yeah, it's really good, " he said, before adding "but they're from t'other side o'Pennines". I added "but those..." (pointing to Deya and Floc taps) are from down south - surely that's worse.  We shared a chuckle.

It would definitely be a regular haunt if we lived in Knaresborough. 

On Thursday we headed to York again to do the wall walk.  "I seem to remember it's quite flat...", he assured me.  Hmmm not exactly since the ramparts vary in height a lot so there was quite a lot of up and down.  All that said, it was really nice.  It was interesting to see that York's attitude to the wall appears to have been not to particularly revere the area around it.  As a result there are scrubby banks, social housing, recent office developments and everything in between.  I was really surprised, but it meant that you saw a lot of different stuff on the walk.  About 2pm we thought we should probably eat and there was an odd little bar/cafe/restaurant not far from where we were.  We ordered a couple of pints (which ended up being about 3 pints because the barman wasn't sure whether one was OK) and what we'd hoped would be a light lunch (in fact, a very substantial lunch and not precisely what we'd ordered...oh well).  It was a cute and quirky place with decent beer - and it was in the right place.  A win.

We resumed our walk (more up and down) and when we got to the last gate tower I definitely needed a sit down.  The closest place (literally under the wall) was another slightly strange kinda place (Fat Badger??) but seemed cosy and friendly.  The beer we had was excellent, but the place wouldn't have warranted another.  So we struck out to wander around the Shambles which is very touristy and yet architecturally fascinating.  York does a good job of embracing each subsequent architectural era (a bit like Hitchin) and, unlike Bristol seems to have dodged WWII bomb damage in some of the oldest streets.

When we (well, my knees) were ready for a pint we were close to "The Market Cat" which is a Thornbridge/Pivvovar co-production. It's more taproom than pub but clearly really popular.  We grabbed a pint Crackendale each and settled into a convenient table.  It gave us the opportunity to people-in-pub watch.  The beer was superb (unsurprisingly).  The loo was a hike up three flights of stairs past the glass-walled coolroom on the second but then we realised how much extra seating there was up there - and with brilliant views.  Definitely worth remembering should we return - but I reckon a dumb waiter for drinks and glasses might be a worthwhile addition to this vertical place.

We couldn't leave without having some Jaipur which was gorgeous.

We then just had time to head to the station and pick up some light dinner at the on-station Sainsburys before jumping on the train.

Our last day on Friday was a gentle affair - it was just warm enough to sit atop the house's turret for a cuppa and then we had a later amble up a different part of "the hill" to see the last remaining bits of the town we hadn't explored.  We bought a butcher-made ready meal for the evening and other provisions for the journey home in the morning.  Naturally, our final pub visit was Blind Jack's where we sat in the rear (cosy) room where Basketmakers' rules were well-evidenced and banter between tables was friendly and comfortable. 

 Our journey to Bristol was via Leeds and a stupid gantry where there were escalators up but not down (why???).  I dodged the huge queue for Starbucks coffee and got some from one of the other stands.  Then we were on the train and (relatively) relaxed.

Arrival at Temple Meads was just about on time.

As is our habit, we headed to the Barley Mow, of course.  Ahhhhh.  

North Yorkshire Part Deux

Sunday was my birthday (the year I officially become a pensioner for my main occupational pension - though not by the State's definition, yet).

We decided to keep it simple.  The river end of town is popular and very picturesque.  We eschewed "Mother Shipton's Cave" which felt a little bit Wookey Hole for our tastes and wandered along the river, through woods.

It was a really nice walk, gentle and not too peopled for the most part.  We carried on, past our cottage and under the railway viaduct and eventually reached the Half Moon which is at the far side of the town.

It was 2pm when we arrived.  There was a small, but nice, range of beers so we grabbed a couple of pints and found a corner to settle into.  Food in this pub was simple:  charcuterie and cheese boards at the weekend, adding pizza into the mix Tuesdays - Fridays.

We opted for the cheese sharing board for two.  Perfect! The service was friendly and attentive but also easy-going.  We agreed it was quite nice that we hadn't exhausted the "best" pubs in the first evening.  This was definitely our favourite...so far.

We needed to get up to the town (everywhere is a steep "up" from the riverside) so we hiked up a different hill to the market place.  Naturally, being Sunday it was pretty quiet but it's a charming part of the town.

On one side was the last "GBG" pub  - Blind Jacks.  It's a longstanding entry in the guide but that doesn't always mean it's the sort of place we can relax in.

However, pretty much the second we arrived it felt right.  Interesting cask beers of different styles and strengths and a respectable range of craft kegs.  We didn't dare ask for 2/3rds though - we suspected we'd be driven out of town.  We drank two and then headed to pick up provisions at the local Tesco before strolling down the hill and back to the house.

After a fair bit of walking on Sunday, we (well, I) quite fancied something a little less strenuous on Monday - so we headed to the National Railway Museum in York.  Now, I like to travel on trains and a little of my first boyfriend's (in 1978) enthusiasm has stuck with me in the form of mild interest - certainly from the "wow this is proper engineering" point of view.  The BBB was also a railway modeller in his youth - and probably would still be now, under the right circumstances.

The NRM is, as the crow flies about 250m from the mainline train station.  Unfortunately, that's not the pedestrian route at the moment (I really hope that changes when the rest of the masterplan unfolds) - so you end up walking a circuitous route of about a mile until you finally wind in towards the entrace.

Entry is free - which is amazing  - but you have to get a ticket (for managing numbers of visitors, they say) at which point you're encouraged to make a donation.  It's fair enough.  Frankly they really should charge for the most part.

To say the BBB was the target audience would be understating things by a considerable degree.  The whole place is a siren song to (mostly) men of a certain age.  It was all he could do to prevent himself from squealing and clapping like a seal.  Me?  I loved it too - but in a slightly different way.

When we do trips like this, we tend to wander around on our own (often with film cameras) and our paths will cross again periodically.  This is something I first experienced on photowalks with Flickr pals.  It's a much less stressful thing because, as a photographer, you're not always apologising to your companion for taking ages over a shot.

The main shed is amazing, loads of beautifully restored engines of various vintages - some with carriages arranged around a turntable (this in itself was greeted with enthusiasm).  We wandered, took photos, ready the interpretation and, from time to time, met up and cooed at some nerdy thing or other.  My favourite in this shed was probably the engine they had bought and then created sections of almost every part by sawing the components in half, in situ.  The result is a living schemative of how a steam train works.

Lunch was picked up in one of the cafes and allowed us to sit and look at exhibits whilst drinking tea and eating.

Then there's the "northern" shed - which is more archive than exhibit.  It is packed to the gunwhales with...well, EVERYTHING, from clocks and chairs, to models and signalling training kit.  To be honest, I found it quite overwhelming.  Mostly, I sat (on a GWR bench, natch) and took in the general atmosphere.

Just as I thought we'd seen everything - he said "we haven't even done the station shed yet...".  This part of the exhibition is another HUGE shed set up as a station with visitors able to see trains both from ground level (like in the main shed) and from platform level.   To get there, you have to walk across the site on another circuitous route.

To be honest, if I could have spent the whole visit in this shed with an array of cameras and lenses, I'd have been super happy I wouldn't have needed to go elsewhere.

By the time we'd finished the station shed, they were giving the 30min to close warning.  We headed for the station and the York Tap. the area around the museum and the station seem to be subject to some regeneration work.  This made walking around less pleasant than it might be - but, hopefully, it's improving for the longer term.  We found the Tap, ordered a beer and slumped into seats.

The beer range in the Tap, with its circular bar, was great: mostly, but not exclusively, Yorkshire breweries but a load of familiar faces, too.  BBF, NBB and Electric Bear were all represented.  The venue itself felt a little bit impersonal - like a 'spoons from the early days.  Nice building, really good beer but the people behind the bar didn't appear particularly invested.  Still, it was a good recovery place and allowed us a convenient "which train shall we get" spot.

Tuesday, we headed to Harrogate.  It's another well-to-do kind of place so we went to the Pump House museum and had a bit of a stroll around a lovely park but it didn't really have all that much for us.  We made an early visit to the Harrogate Brewery Tap in the Montpellier.  What a lovely place.  Staff were super-friendly and engaging.  The beer was great and, even though it was quiet, it was comfortable and nice to sit in.  Would definitely recommend.

We walked another route back through the town and arrived at the station - so we popped into the Harrogate Tap (same stable as the York one) on the station.  This one felt more personal and welcoming.  There was a fire in the fireplace and the gentle smell of woodsmoke and it was smaller than the York site.  Also, the staff felt more engaged, somehow.  Definitely more our sort of place.

Back in Knaresborough we decided to revist the Half Moon - it was a good choice.  We already felt at home, the second we walked through the door and we knew we wanted to try their pizzas - definitely worth it.

The stroll back to the cottage was along the riverside road, in the dark, accompanied by hooting owls 

North Yorkshire

 In a bit of a change from our usual "let's go to Cornwall for a week" autumn holiday, we decided, instead, to head north - I fancied York but he suggested a scenic place with excursions.

As a result, we ended up In Knaresborough.  10 mins from Harrogate, 20 mins from York, 40 from Leeds.

We needed to fit in a Bristol trip around work-type schedules as well, so we decided that triangular trip made sense.

Our train travel north was without incident, although, the busyness of the train reminded us that we prefer to travel during the week.

Nevertheless, we had a pleasant journey, landing at around 3.30pm - a 5 minute walk from our cottage.  There's a slight "but" to this walk...it's down a 1 in 4 hill from the station.  

As is normal for us, we dumped bags - had a mooch around our quirky digs for the week which is an old house with almost every room on a different level - and set out to try one of 4 GBG pubs.  Pretty much everywhere is "up" from the cottage and it also necessitates crossing the railway line - so you do feel like you've earned your beer.

We went to The Cross Keys which is an Osset Brewery pub.   Very traditional with a mix of locals and visitors and it was pretty busy.  We chose a couple of beers and I had to conceal a smirk - they were expertly poured, of course, with a "proper" Yorkshire head on.  We settled and ventured another.  Osset are a brewery that I consider to be "new" (obviously, it's not actually new - any more than BBF is) and we occasionally see it around in Bristol but their beers are definitely "traditional" in style.  It was a good way to get used to beer in the "Yorkshire Way"

Because it takes us so long to drink a pint, we'd been in the pub for the best part of 2 hours and we realised we should really eat something so we walked around the corner to a quirky place called "Six Poor Folk".  It had been full when we passed it on our way to the Cross Keys but it looked like there may be a bit more room when we returned.

We were greeted in jolly fashion, so we ordered a couple of pints (can't remember what of) and sat down.  It's a difficult to describe place - one part cafe, one part bar, one part bistro.  Definitely not pub but warm and friendly.

The food (small plates) were pretty good (not amazing, but good enough), the beer was lovely - even if the choice wasn't enormous.  We were happy.

Travelling (let alone all the stairs and hills) had made us a bit weary so after we'd eaten we thought that heading back "home" would be wise - but we did slide into the bar on the station platform.

It's effectively a micropub of which, we've observed, there are broadly 2 types:  type 1 is just a small version of a pub: everyone welcomed and with a wide variety of punters (Drapers Arms, Wight Bear, Steamworks).  Type 2 is more of a insular thing - a few (usually) blokes or a bloke sets it up because he fancies running a pub and it's a manageable version of a full pub. It tends to be mostly populated by hyper-locals and/or the owner's mates.  Walking in here as an out of towner can feel quite intimidating (The old blockbusters near Hitchin, the more distant micropub in Ramsgate and the one we went to  in Wells, The Farmers in Bexhill) - often the beer isn't particularly interesting.

I would have to say that the Knaresborough bar was more type 2 than 1 although the folk were very, very friendly it was pretty clear most other people in the place seemed to know each other.  The beer was really well kept but lowish strength, and not that interesting. We can hardly complain, and people seemed to be having a good time and it was rammed - but we were a tiny bit disappointed.

Heigh ho - there were clearly more places to try...and there were other towns...of which more, later 

 

Vehement Disagreement

 Whilst I drink my coffee on a Saturday morning, I invariably scroll through Blue Sky and pick up the link for Boak and Bailey's weekly summary of beer things.

I also subscribe to their newsletter so if, by chance, I should miss it on the scroll, then I definitely won't forget.

I love the round up with a wide selection of extracts and links - some which I follow and enjoy, some I don't follow but very rarely, I follow the link and find that I completely disagree with the writer of the article being highlighted.

One thing I've learned is that the "good"ness of beer is very much in the eye of the beholder beyond the basics of "does it taste or smell off". 

It so happens that I'm a lot less eager to drink traditional "bitter" or "best bitter" or even the thing oft referred to as "pale ale".  I do drink it from time to time since I live, most of the time, in Harveys Country and I like it as a grounding beer (you're back in Sussex, now, girl).

All this means I don't get ludicrously excited, any more, about seeing Timmy Taylor on the bar.  I mean, it's fine, and a well-kept pint of it will be welcomed where there's no/few other beers on offer (unlike GK IPA which, no matter how well kept, I won't drink -  glass o' red for me, please).

Anyhow, leaving aside style of beer I was very sad to see someone in the round up completely (even if maybe a little tongue in cheek?) dismissing gravity dispense completely.

I'm used to the "tight head sparkler is the only way" vs "tight head sparklers are evil" debate but I really didn't think that gravity dispense was so controversial - though, thinking about it - for people who think tight heads are the optimum serving suggestion, then it's two steps lower on the ladder, I guess.

Having been to many a beer festival (only one, GBBF, with handpumps) I have a real fondness for gravity.

One of the reasons we love our Sussex local so much is that whilst the mainstay cask beers (Harveys, obvs and usually Timmy) are dispensed via handpumps, most of the guest beers come from the "cellar" (cold room behind the bar) from casks on tippers, and gravity dispensed.  We both adore it.

Actually, quite a lot of pubs we  like don't use pumps (Cricketers in Berwick, Orchard in Bristol, The weekly cask in Beerarama, maybe the Square and Compass?) and for years my "Christmas Beer at Home" was a polypin from a local brewery.

Why do I like my cask beer on gravity?  The simplicity is attractive (I'm a simple woman),  but especially when it's really fresh I think there's a mouthfeel (BBB hates that word) that makes the first slurp especially wonderful - with the condition alone providing the gentle refreshing prickle on my tongue.

This from someone who has migrated from the "keg beers are rubbish" school in the last 10 years or so, definitely towards the f*cking hipster beer thing.  (We have friends the same age as us who really don't quite understand, but that's their prerogative).

I'm not going to challenge the author - they're almost certainly more knowledgeable than me - but I'd encourage people to at least not be put off by it.  Even for modern, hop forward beers.

This weekend, the new guest at our local was Verdant Lightbulb (on gravity) and even 24 hours after it went on it was absolutely stunning.

Next weekend we're heading up to Yorkshire - I'll probably have to keep my opinions on sparklers to myself... 

 

 

It's not the beer

 We went to the Belgian Bar twice this week.

Wednesday it was just he and I after a fairly sedate afternoon at work.

Friday had been frantic - a last minute plan to pick up a huge number of council "pre-loved" laptops for work and I was doing tours of the Wish Tower for Heritage Open Days.  We had arranged to meet sisters for beer and the BB is convenient for everyone.

By the time we got to the bar we were knackered from a combination of hauling, logging and stowing laptops, a fair bit of stomping around,  and peopling (in my case, a lot of peopling). 

The beer in the BB isn't very consistent from a flavour point of view  (he favours the Saison, I favour the IPA) but it has definitely improved over the years.  Wednesday's IPA was a bit "new" and not cool enough - by Friday it was considerably better.

Given, for us, "the beer is everything" - you'd think we wouldn't go to the BB as often as we do.

 It's not cosy - it's a large space with tables and benches, together with a slightly raised dining area.  If the door is left open in winter there's often a howling, freezing gale blowing (due to the proximity to the sea).  There are no dark corners in which to lurk.

But there's something else.  It has an ambiance which is unique.  The staff are unfailingly lovely and it's a genuine pleasure to be in their company. The sheer range of people who go there is fantastic and we really enjoy just sitting with beer and seeing who comes in.  It changes over the seasons - after all, Eastbourne is a resort - and include anyone and everyone.

I find it really relaxing and even though we'll chat about work (since it's literally just around the corner) it's an excellent way to wind down.  It feels very much like the Victoria felt when we worked close to that - not the the absolute best pub ever, by a long way but somewhere comforting and familiar and somewhere we seek out regualarly (pretty much weekly when we're around)

There are few pubs/bars where, for me, the atmosphere trumps the beer - but this does it in style.  And it seems effortless, even though I'm absolutely sure it takes a lot of effort.

I'll miss the "nip around the corner" aspect of it when we move business premises over the 12months but I know we'll also make the effort to get there.  

 

 

Revival APA

 The weather was pretty yukky - not rainy but the wind howling off the South Downs was quite the thing.  The BBB said "did you want to go to The Crown?".

I was honest and admitted I was ambivalent about going out - rotten weather and all - but I said if he was keen I was happy with that.  He was, so we did.

We took games and strolled down.

The pub was quiet (initially, at least), there was no sport on but in the end we just nattered.

The Revival APA was still on and was absolutely lovely.  It really tasted pretty much how I remembered Mark Tranter's version tasted.  The BBB said, "it's like being back in the Evening Star" - and so it was.

The walk back - uphill and into the teeth of the wind - was slightly harder than the walk out.  Then again, we wouldn't have it any other way because this way we get the view of the hill from the front of the house and it's largely unobstructed because of the park opposite.

As we came into the garden we mused that we were hoping for a couple more chances to sit drinking beer in the front garden before the end of the month - but that's very much in a lap of the weathers.

I don't love summer - I adore spring and autumn - already my head is looking forward a couple of weeks to fires in pubs again and not feeling guilty about not doing any gardening.  I'm also looking forward to putting on my enormously thick fleece-lined hoody and thick socks.    

 

Season Change

 Autumn really hit Sussex with a thud!

Bang on 1st September, the rain started, the temperatures plummeted and - being sat under the South Downs the mist started gathering in the park (aka The Rec) opposite.

 It was like someone hit a switch. 

Almost immediately the tomatoes in the garden slowed ripening almost to a halt. 

 I mean, it's still not actually cold but long-sleeve tees are now the most appropriate clothing, along with a baselayer.

A stupidly short deadline for several related funding bids for me have proved all-consuming, and tiresome for a number of reasons but it feels like the worst of that is over for now.  By the end of October I'm anticipating either huge disappointment (along with annoyance) or the usual "Oh, fuck!  Now we have to deliver it" feeling (actually, my brilliant team of folk have never failed to deliver in nearly 10 years of "oh fuck" moments).  Funding bids now have to be carefully marshalled to not generate too much overlapping project work and yet make sure we have sufficient funding going forward whatever the results.  Such is the nature of charitable work.  No wonder I spend so much free time in the pub - and often write bids there!

Work stuff, trips to the shire and a holiday booking in Yorkshire have mapped out our whereabouts for the rest of this year.  For a project manager this is joy because it means I shouldn't have last-minute angst of when we're going where. 

Beerwise, The Crown is still shifting quite a lot of cask and it allows for some crackers.  At the moment there's the splendid Downlands APA Revival - which is more than a nod to the original Dark Star APA.  We may get down later for that (or it may be tomorrow, when it's quieter - who knows).

Beerarama are still doing cask at the weekend - it now usually goes in on Thursdays (though I suspect it'll be Friday this week as the guys are squeezing in a short trip) - and it's always good.

An overheard conversation at Beerarama on Friday indicates that the new place (Wolf on the Corner - opening in October?) in town will be doing cask on gravity from the get-go (deep joy!) and the same overheard conversation seems to indicate that the change of landlord at what was the best place to get Harveys beers (The Hurst) has not been very positive from a beer choice (?quality, too??) point of view so we'll not be making the journey up there any time soon, sadly.

We're finding it hard to get back to Ninkaci because it's a little way away from work and it can be tricky to find times when it's not too quiet and not too busy (yes, we are Goldilocks).  We will undoubtedly return to the Gun Taproom at the Cricket ground before too long 

News from the GBG has put one of the other Harveys pubs (The Vic) back on our places to go list and whilst we're working where we are currently, this is a pleasant after-work stroll. 

Yesterday I had to smile when I saw a picture of New Bristol Brewery's (not BBF as I'd initially written) branding for their bitter.  Maybe it's always been this design and, not really taking that much notice of traditional bitter styles, I've never noticed but it did immediately, and with no other reference picture to hand, conjure Timmy Taylor Landlord in my head. I guess this was not an accident!

The best pint ever?

 ...we all know there's no such thing.

 No single perfect pub, no beer which will be our single desert island beer for any length of time nothing is perfect and yet a moment can be.

So it was yesterday.

Frantic deadline chasing and cat herding had me at my desk pretty much solidly all day from 8am.

By 4.45 I was done (and, apparently, so was the day's work - more or less).

"Andy's got ZZ Hop at the Crown" quoth the BBB

So we hightailed it down there.  The Crown tends to be pretty quiet on a Monday so it was also a peaceful refuge (unlike Saturday in Beerama which was lovely, but LOUD).

I took games, but in the end we didn't play them.  We nattered. About work, about the garden, about nonsense, etc and the concept of "It takes a village" referring to our roles at work mentoring young people and coaxing them into work competence.

The ZZ Hop flowed (looking a little odd in Timmy Taylor branded glasses) and it was in perfect condition, cool and soothing.

We so seldom see Arbor beer in any draught form - let alone gravity poured cask - it was a special treat after a bit of a wearing day.

On the way home we picked up take out food and the rest of the evening was perfectly relaxed.

I may have to revisit my opinion on Martin Parr, too - but that's for another time. 

 

Target achieved - levelling up

 We really enjoyed going back to the Crown beer festival again on Bank Holiday Monday.  We met family there at lunchtime and supped in halves and spent ages catching up.

Highlight was definitely a half of Thornbridge Union.

I'd spotted it on the list the first time we went in and it's been on my general list to try ever since I heard about the Burton sets that were at risk because of the uber-brand deciding all those decades of brewing history and heritage meant nothing to them - but the "brand" was what they wanted.

I hadn't realised that Thormbridge first brewed some Jaipur on the set - so that was a thing too.

The beer absolutely did not disappoint.

For someone who generally opts for very modern beers I expected to find the beer interesting and well-made (of course) - but more of a curiosity than something I'd want to revisit.  I didn't really expect it to be as awesome as it was.

How it manages to be both traditional and modern in feel and taste, I really don't know.  At 6% it obviously had some heft which always helps, but even so, the balance of malt and hops was perfection.

I'm definitely on the further look out for it now. 

Yumsk 

 

The Perfect Beer Fesitval?

 There's been a lot of talk about beer festivals around the GBBF new venue and stuff.

After all these years of attending (and organising) festivals and, in my advanced age where I'm done after 3 drinks I'm pretty sure I know the best sort for me...

 ...beer festival in the pub.  Our local does three a year on significant dates.

This weekend is the August BH one.  It started on Thursday and will run to Monday. We missed the first two days (I was working in Hastings on Thursday, we worked in Town on Friday) but we dutifully strolled down yesterday.

About 12 beers on a cooled stillage at the back of the pub. Ranging from 3.8% pales and bitters to 5%+ darks, IPAs and Westies.

Nothing fancy in keg-land (this is part of the Heineken estate).

When we first came to this festival, there was a greater predominance of  local, traditional, brown beers - but there's much more variety now.  Arbor ZZ Hop is anticipated and Thormbridge beers are making their presence felt.

When we arrived, we simply paid for our beer and the staff were happy for us to pour our own, with glasses on a table next to the stillage.  This makes us very happy because it becomes more than just buying a pint.

Sometimes we'll go three times but probably not this time (I quite fancy sitting in my garden today - I'm out a lot with work next week).  We are, however meeting a couple of family members tomorrow lunchtime (we don't usually drink during the day but, we know we need to compromise with other people's way of doing things from time to time).

I've got my eye on ZZ Hop as well as Thornbridge Union.  And that's really all I need in a "festival".  It comes back to loving a pub that's got a big selection of cask ales available, all in different styles and strengths.  Our local can't do that on a daily basis - it just wouldn't work but the festival does and it's something to celebrate and revel in.

This weekend saw the usual "East Bristol Brewery Trail" - were we in Bristol, we probably wouldn't have gone because it would have been loud and crowded but it doesn't mean we don't feel delighted that it's an event that works so well for them.  Bravo!

I'll stick with our local with its increase in number of punters around whilst retaining its pubbiness for us.  the other benefit was watching sport on the TV, and playing board games without feeling too weird. 

Refusenik

On Friday when the flat became stupidly hot we decided to leave a little early.  It wasn't quite as hot out as the the day we went to the Cornubia carefully scutting between patches of shade so this fooled us a bit.

We set out, sensibly enough, maybe with the possibility of going to Martha's.  But, instead we headed towards the Cider Box to check out the work that was happening around the new University buildings.  "Wanna turn around?" he asked as we passed the Cider Box.  "I'm fine,", I said after he had confirmed he wasn't in the mood for cider.

So we walked.

Past the Rhubarb with its sad facade and the chances of it being a pub diminishing by the minute.

It got hotter and the amount of shade disappeared to nothing.

We crossed the railway (coincidentally I saw an old picture of the area just the next day) and decided to head onto the cyclepath "because it'll be shadier".

It wasn't.

We arrived at the Barley Mow knackered, hot and absolutely gagging for a pint.

Our pints of Notorious disappeared considerably quicker than usual. Even the BBB who almost never goes anywhere without a jumper admitted that it had been too hot and that he was knackered after walking a mere 2 miles.

So yesterday I definitely wasn't going far. We took games to Marthas instead - it was a good move.

We're heading south tomorrow and coastal Sussex promises to be a good few degrees cooler than here.  I can't say I'm sorry.  

Our neighbour messaged today to say she'd done as we'd asked and picked some tomatoes from our front garden.  This means there will be some in the back garden that also need our attention.

It's possible, also, that I've already ordered beer to be delivered...let's hope the aircon on the trains home is working... 

 

Jus' Checking

 Wiper and True taproom is not a place we go to often, despite being only a shortish walk away.

It's not that we don't like their beers, exactly, and it's not that we don't think they've done an excellent job on making a wonderfully inclusive-feeling space it's just that, well...it doesn't quite work for us, for some reason, and then there's the prices of the beers.

There's just something about all of it added together that doesn't make it somewhere we rush to.

I guess if it were as close as LHG, we might go more often on the way to or from some form of errand. But I like LHG a little better than W&T.

Nevertheless, yesterday with a slight reduction in the weather temperature I'd suggested we stroll over there and take a couple of urban grunge photos on the way (I've got the rest of a 24exp film to use, develop and scan before we head back on Monday).  He was happy with the suggestion.

We enjoyed the stroll which wasn't too warm and we took a slightly backstreet route so that was fun.  When we arrived, there was one cask on - fine.  It was called "Summer Ale" (3.8%) with no further description on the pump clip, so without any more ado we ordered two pints of it. (It's possible there was a fuller description on the big board behind the bar, but there's a lot to take in and we were served the second we arrived at the bar.)

Here's a problem with a bar that's a bit tall (it's about the height of my chest) - you can't always see what glass your drink is being poured into so you can't leap in and beg for straights over jugs.  Also, you don't really see your beer until it's lifted onto the bar (especially at my height).  

The beer was BROWN!  So that was a bit of a shock for a beer with "Summer" in the name.

The prices haven't shifted hugely (unlike some places) but at £5.60 for a pint of your own 3.8% beer, it still feels a little on the nose.  £1 or so more expensive than BBF in the BM, and about the same for all the beers in the Cornubia.

Nevertheless, we grabbed our beers and took them out into the garden, grabbed a seat and settled in.  Actually, I was really glad we did order it.  If it had been described as "bitter" or "brown" I wouldn't have ordered it and although I wouldn't want a second, it was really well done, and very enjoyable.  

The place started to fill up with a wide range of people (I love that - mostly) including a couple of families with ankle-biters. They weren't badly behaved but there was a lot of running around between all the tables and squealing with excitement.  It was less than relaxing, it has to be said.

We carried on chatting about the usual shite, I imagine. Then it was time for a second.  We generally like to try different beers to each other, but it wasn't feasible.  From the seemingly large and long list, actually there weren't many second-beers (loads of low and no, 3 different 7%+ IPAs, 2 or 3 lagers, one stout.,,etc) so we had Sundance a really solid 5.6% IPA which was lovely. (2/3rds - obvs).

We took in the variety of plants in the beer garden (vine, apple and fig trees, etc) and mused over food in pubs (he increasingly not wanting to eat in pubs, me still thinking there's a right sort of food at the right time).  We definitely want to go to both a Desi pub and to Bundobust - and we'll sort that out at some point.

Time for one more before leaving to start making dinner, using up the fridge contents.  Half of an 8% DIPA and 2/3rds of a 7.2% IPA.  Again, really well brewed beers which we enjoyed drinking.

And yet, I doubt we'll be going back there for a while - unless it's someone else's venue of choice.

Maybe the size is the issue:  weird when empty and overwhelming when full.  Yesterday everyone was outside and as it got noisier (and hotter) it might have been quite nice to retreat inside, except that we'd then have been outnumbered by the bar staff which always feels weird.

Yeah, I dunno.  I'd recommend it to people without hesitation and yet, it's not quite me. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cornubia

 This is a pub I've been going to on and off for ...eeep, about 25 years???

The first manager/landlady I remember was no nonsense and a little bit scary.  I once took my beer back because it was off, I was quite nervous but she caught my eye and immediately said "oh, sorry, has it gone?" What else would you like?  Before I'd uttered a word.

I vaguely remember that Smiles had taken it on at some point to give them a bit more of a pub "estate" - but I don't think that lasted long. 

Then I remember Luke Daniels (of Bag of Cats fame) being there - I think I also knew him from the Hare on the Hill (same time, different time?  Who knows?) 

I don't really have much recollection of the change to Phil and Jackie - but that's probably because I wasn't working nearby any more but, anyway, it was about the time I first took the BBB to a pub in Bristol.  I'd hoped to take him to the Kings Head but it wasn't open (this is long before Good Chemistry's intervention) so, instead, we popped around the corner.

He was amazed loved it immediately.

This was a long time before our taste-drift towards the "fecking hipster".  But the Cornubia has stayed true to its traditional roots and doesn't seem to have made any radical changes since they sadly lost Phil.

What this means, of course, is that we don't always find ourselves in the mood for their beer - no matter how excellently kept it is (and it always is).

Yesterday it was a tad cooler but the temperature was still rising when we want to go out and so we thought going too far might not be a brilliant idea.  So we went and sat in the garden of the Cornubia.

It's brilliant to see it bustling and lively with maybe 50 or more punters in the garden.

Our first two beers (cask, natch) - straddled the modern-traditional  boundary deftly.  Mine 3.8 "golden" and his 4.2 "Electric...something" (sorry, can't remember the brewery).  We could have moved somewhere else but we were happy enough. He then had Twisted Oak "Quad Hop or something" and I switched to the Citra.  We were very happy.

 Long live the Cornubia (let's hope the "developments" nearby don't seriously affect its character)!

 

Beaking a Habit

 In the end we managed to stay in the flat yesterday longer than we thought.  When we ventured out it was about 34-deg.

Temple churchyard was soothing and tolerable but the church itself had already closed.

After pictures were taken we sought sanctuary in the Kings Head.  I normally wouldn't even look at keg for a first drink if there's cask on the bar but I was really hot and felt the need for cooling keg.

Abbeydale 3.8% was perfect for the job.

I followed this with Good Chemistry NEIPA at 5% and then had a repeat whilst his last one was a De La Senne Saison.

All was good.

We came home via Tesco where cold things were bought for dinner (bread, charcuterie, salad, hummus) which we had a little later than usual, accompanied by decent Italian Red we'd been keeping in the fridge.  The aim of keeping the wine in the fridge is for storage rather than drinking from...but we made an exception and it worked admirably.

Not quite so hot today but we'll still need to escape... 

First World Problems

 When we bought our Bristol flat, within sight of Temple Meads - it solved an immediate problem: a non-driver needing to travel between Sussex, Hertfordshire and Bristol.  When a parent moved into a carehome, it meant trips to Bristol were stressfree and visits could be met pretty easily even without a car (Train from Eastbourne, tube to Paddington, Train to Bath, Bus to Saltford, Parental visit, Bus to Bristol).

What I particularly fell in love with the first time I came to see the showflat was the glass curtain walls which give an all-round view.  Even better when the flat we had to buy as there were few left, was on the 10th Floor.  The view is superb.  When the BBB came to view it, he was similarly minded and wasn't sure why I'd waited for him to see it before making an offer.  

It's really energy effcient - rarely needs the heating on until November and it's usually off again by March and we can leave it alone for a few weeks and, generally speaking, it's unchanged when we return.

There is one downside - sunny summers.  

Today another heatwave is about to peak and, without any form of aircon, in an hour or so it'll become unbearable as the sun swings around.

We have a plan, though, we wandered to Temple Churchyard a few days ago and had a brief visit inside the church.  The gardens there are beautifully shaded and there's seating.  We need to take a few more film photographs so in a bit we'll amble around there making the most of the shade from street trees and try and keep sane for a bit.

What's that you say?  Is there beer near there?  What do you think? 

 

Don't be a Dick

Been reading a few things about whether beer festivals are fit for purpose in terms of making sure attendees feel safe and welcome.

This post from Boak and Bailey pretty much brought all the threads together for me.  It led me into a breakfast rabbit-hole following all the links.

I'm an introvert but no longer overly shy, as such.  I'm a part-time pensioner, still part-time working - I'm of Hobbit-like proportions and, not unlike one of the writers down that rabbit-hole, scruffy (jeans, t-shirt, slightly unkempt hair, you get the idea). However, I did also inherit my mother's withering "I beg your pardon?" look.  Let's face it, I was never someone who men would have looked at as a "first choice pull". I'm also (now, at least) immensely glad of all of this.

I'm mostly disappointed that sexism when it comes to drinking establishments is still a thing.

A good few years back, when I still lived in Bristol full time, I was coaxed into being the Bristol Beer Festival set-up manager for a few years. My pal from work was the treasurer, and said 

"look, you're a good project manager and that's what set-up needs".  

What he meant was 

"no one else likes doing that job because you have to tell people what to do, and they don't like it much"

It meant going to regular planning meetings with the rest of the committee.  Thankfully, the Bristol and District group were, on the whole, a good bunch and there were some brilliant women in the group - some alongside their partners, others on their own.  I was single at the time I started doing the role and, to be honest, it was a manageable way to at least pretend to be sort of sociable.

I mean, obviously it was still a bit of a boys' club - but I never really felt anything other than part of the team.  I also had my pal looking out for me to an extent.

Also, for context, I should say I worked in insurance in a niche area and project-managed with the IT dept.  Sufficient to say I had to deal with all sorts of men A LOT - some in positions of power, others in sales, others in roles junior to me - also straddling that "project manager" can mean something very specific an with a slightly grudging "you're not my line-manager, you can't tell me what to do" stuff.

Insurance was (I've been out of it for 15 years so who knows, now) a very patriarchal, hierarchical industry so women do have to learn techniques for dealing with stuff.

Anyhow - my first day on-site for a 3-day set-up was hard. I had a checklist and my pal had given me a list of "here are the documents you HAVE to make sure you get".  

All that said,  I really didn't know what it took to set up a medium to large festival and the timing that was needed to get everything on site in the right order - with getting the beer ready being the highest possible priority. 

In retrospect, I would have done better if I'd volunteered without a specific role before taking that on - but hey, I didn't and I'd agreed to do the job - so I just had to get on and do it.

 I think I was pushing 50, at the time.  Even so, a little younger than the mean age, I would guess.

Several of the folk who were actually doing the set up tasks had been doing the role for a few years and that made some of it a bit easier but there were far more "general helpers" who are there to do whatever is needed and it was my job to point them to an appropriate team to help, whilst fielding the "when is the xxxx arriving" questions and chasing suppliers, etc.  

The vast majority of the folk in the room were really fun to work with, it was impressive they were willing to give up so much free time to put the festival on.  Most were also gracious when asked to explain a particular thing when we were trying to work out how to overcome problems.  They also liked my willingness to get my hands dirty and help move the casks in when they were late arriving.

There were a few, however, who seemed to mostly be there for the "free staff beer" and staff t-shirt -  they were less than ideal, I remember general irritation (on both sides).

Only one incident really sticks in my mind: a bloke a few years older than me and an almost CAMRA cliche, when I'd had to ask him more than once to finish a particular job in a particular way because he was holding other people up,  did a bit of a "what do you know about any of this, anyway - you're a woman".

I can't actually remember what I said but I definitely channelled my mother in my "I beg your pardon?" look and he got on with it.  No one stepped in (in either direction) and it left me shaking.

There was no one in the room that I knew well - my pal wasn't on duty that day, so there wasn't anyone I could go and let off steam with, or ask whether that particular person was always a bit of a dick. 

I found out after, via my pal and one of the blokes who witnessed it that the other guys were impressed how I'd dealt with it and that he got on and did it, since no one else had managed to get him to do so.  And, yeah, everyone knew he was always a bit of a dick.

Younger me probably wouldn't have gone back.  I might even have left there and then - being single at the time, with only a recently empty home to go back so no one to talk it over with, might well have put me off doing anything similar ever again.

This is the thing.  An incident like this can stop someone ever participating again - in whatever it is.  You probably won't know, as an event-organiser or pub landlord, that it ever happened.  

Whether it's someone in your personal space (an insurance colleague - much taller than me - sniffing the top of my head and asking what shampoo I used - oh, do fuck off!); or a bloke in a pub trying to start a conversation with you by saying "what you reading there, girl?" (an ebook on microcontrollers for electronics and , no, I'm not explaining what a microcontroller is); or someone not getting out of your way when you're carrying three pints through a crowded pub because they think it's amusing (it isn't).  It's tiresome.

I'm lucky, I've never felt threatened or in danger and I think my age now gives me a weird form of protection but were I still younger and shyer I'd just stay away from your venue/event and I'd take my economic power, my project management skills, and volunteering effort with me.

Single-gender dominated spaces are always difficult - you ask any bloke whose first job in a large company back in the 70's/80's was to take stuff to the typing pool (yeah, I told you I was old).

This means if that space is under your control, or your livelihood depends on people using that space - then it's in your interest, as well as your responsibility, to make it fit for purpose.  Why would you choose to do otherwise? 

I'm probably repeating myself when i say I work with young people - mostly young men, most of whom are socially somewhat awkward and at risk of missing social cues.  We have an extensive "Code of Conduct" which everyone has to read and understand.  

"So what you're saying is - don't be a dick - in essence"?  Said one lad.  

Yeah, that's it - and everyone knows really what it means - they don't really need a list.  I don't believe any poor behaviour is because they don't understand the rules.  They understand, but they choose - for whatever reason - to ignore or flout them.

So, is that the reason I don't go to beer festivals any more?

Nah, it's much more mundane - I prefer pubs and there is more than enough really good beer available to me in Bristol (and to a lesser extent in Sussex) to try whenever I want.  I no longer need the festival to serve that to me.