January is Quiet in the Pub, isn't it?

 errr...well, no, not really.

I mean, it's clear that several Eastbourne beer places have taken the opportunity to have a holiday for the first couple of weeks of the year but since we've been back I've been to:

The Crown on a Saturday (busy enough to only have 5th choice of seating); 

Wolf on a Wednesday and Friday (each time at least 2/3rds full by the time we left around 7pm) 

Ninkaci on a Tuesday (not busy but maybe 10 people in when we left) and

The Lamb on a Wednesday which I assumed would be largely empty - but it was not.  By about 6pm, people were struggling to find somewhere to sit .  

I really do hope that this is a sign that, whilst times are hard, people genuinely do value their good drinking places and see them as an important part of their community.

 What it does look like, at least here, is that pubs/bars seem to need to offer additional entertainment quite frequently -  there are DJ nights, live music, karaoke, food pop-ups, quizzes, painting and games nights all held regularly - whilst I prefer just the quiet hum of conversation and a bit of interesting but not too loud background music I do get why people want additional stuff and if it brings people in more often, that's brilliant.

Fingers crossed for hospitality staff this year... 

 

Back with a Bump

 We arrived in Sussex on Monday afternoon - it wasn't a perfect journey because there were some shenanigans with points or signals or something so we had to change trains at Haywards Heath but, since they lined the trains up on platforms either side of an island and the Eastbourne train was waiting when we arrived, it was absolutely no hardship.  Super helpful train staff, too which was brilliant.

Keen to get home, we jumped on a bus immediately.

No question of going out: it was bitterly cold so we lit the woodburner, cracked the fridge beer and hunkered down with pasta sauce from the freezer.

Tuesday I was working from home all day and although the promised deliveries from Arbor and Lost and Grounded were delayed because of weather (I assume) we still had supplies in the fridge.

Wednesday I had to be in work all day so when clocking off time came we pondered where to go:  Belgian Bar or Beerarama would normally be first choice but they're both closed for a couple of weeks.  So Wolf on the Corner seemed to make most sense - 15mins away on foot and even though it was really REALLY cold it was a good choice.

We arrived just as the brewer from Downlands was delivering/collecting empties and we were the only punters.  It prompted a really nice chat with him and the lady behind the bar.  Sadly, we were too soon to drink the cask ale but there was plenty of keg choice from Abyss and another localish brewery so we got our drinks and nestled up to the heater to warm up.  Bit by bit other people drifted in.  With a 5pm opening time on Weds/Thurs it always feels eversoslightly late for our habits but it's definitely our sort of place:  BBB likened the atmosphere to Marthas and I think that pretty much nails it.

The clientele are a partial crossover with Beerarama but not quite as much as I expected.  It'll be interesting to see how that unfolds.

On Thursday and Friday I was out with work and I got variously soaked to the skin and blown about by artic winds so I was in no mood to hang out in the pub.

So Saturday was gardening weather (albeit still chilly) and after that we ambled down to the Crown who had Plateau in perfect condition and Project Babylon spanking fresh - that suited us.  Mind you, the customers there can be a but tiresome and I had to do the full, stern, looking over the top of my glasses warning to one bloke (Gobby the Pub Elf) before leaving.  Sigh.

Still, it's nice to be back. 

Unplanned loveliness

We had Saturday and Sunday pub visits to deal with and, after the sojourn to the far end of the harbour on Friday, we wanted to stick close to home.

We knew Martha's wasn't open on Sunday for the usual "games afternoon" so it was a matter of which day we went to the BM.

Then we got a message from a friend, also briefly in Bristol, suggesting meeting in a pub (she's knows us very well) but didn't want to come into town.  She was around Westbury on Trym so I asked her whether Redland was acceptable - it was.

We grabbed a train up to Clifton Down and then ambled around Redland/Cotham (god, I remember the hills from when I lived in that area) and finally landed at The Good Measure which we'd enjoyed the couple of times we'd been,but hadn't visited for ages.

I was worried it would be really busy -but at 4pm it wasn't. So we grabbed a pint and a seat.  

Friend and her dog arrived - accompanied by other friends so it was  like a proper reunion since, back in the day, we'd all been neighbours - then gradually moved out!

It was a grand way to spend the afternoon and after the buddies had to leave, we had around 45mins until we had to leave for a train.  Something rather nice by Sureshot went down a treat and then we strolled down the road to Redland Station in the dark and cold...and, of course, we were rather early.

We must remember to go back (perhaps when it's not quite so cold) before too long because the getting there, and getting home was easy and pleasant and the pub itself, and the staff therein all lovely and right up our street.

Monday was "travelling back to Sussex" day.  There was a little beer left in the fridge and we'd pre-warmed the house a little.

We lit a fire, defrosted some bolognaise sauce and relaxed.

I'd ordered beer in the hope it would arrive today but I think the weather has caused problems (it's frozen solid down here) because I've had notifications from both couriers saying there have been problems.  Best laid plans, eh?

 Never mind - I'm out and about for the rest of this week so there will probably be pub opportunities... 

Floating Harbour Pub Crawl.

 Whilst I was thinking about the Harbour it was impossible not to consider all the great pubs you could visit in the 3 mile (or so) circuit.  Also, you could get to any of the pubs, really easily from a ferry stop (but they don't run into the evenings).

Starting at Temple Quay (very close to the station, with the the far "other" end of the floating harbour appearing very much like a canal.):

Little Martha's

Unwins

Barley Mow 

Bridge Inn

Left Handed Giant Brewpub

King Street pubs if you're so inclined.

Arnolfini cafe

Lime Kiln (ok, it's a bit of a walk from the water but absolutely worth it)

Three Tuns

Bag of Nails/Cats

Grain Barge

Pump House

Nova Scotia (not my thing just on available beer, but may be yours)

Orchard (not to be missed)

The Junction (with a chance to sample the different Wapping Wharf food offerings)

Golden Guinea

Seven Stars

Cornubia

Kings Head

If after all that your thirst remains unslaked - there's always the 'spoons less than 5min away from Temple Meads station. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bristol Floating Harbour

 In our neverending quest (aka 'obsession') with vintage cameras we'd planned to go out to somewhere sunny and scenic, suitable for a weird little old camera (Ensign Full Vue II).  We already have one of these, best described as a box camera with a little chuztpah.  Its main feature is the stunningly bright viewfinder which shows an imagine far better than the very basic lens can deliver.

Anyhoo...it's one of three old cameras we're yet to test so we brought it to Bristol with us.

The weather was supposed to be quite good on Friday so we got on the ferry and went to the far end of the harbour to see if we could get a decent couple of images of "The Bridge" and Clifton with the sun on them.  Taking the ferry is such a brilliant way to get there (but actually, not really much quicker than walking) and on the way I mused about what this part of the city was like in my teens (70's/80's, since you didn't ask).  I remember how unloved and unlovable it was.  Now it's thriving and lively, mixing old and new fairly comfortably whilst still retaining bits of urban grot amongst authentic heritage and shiny aspirational housing.

The second part of our mission was to go and try The Pumphouse now it's been taken over by BBF.

We took 11 of our allotted 12 pictures (square format 120 film, if you were wondering), started to feel the cold a bit and headed to the Pumphouse.  The last time we were here it was sunny and warm and the previous iteration of the place definitely emphasised the very good food but had lost its sense of pub, to be honest.  Mind you, it was a useful refuelling spot for brunch with friends and the beer offering was pretty good, considering.

There were lots of people out in the sun so maybe not too surprising that it was reasonably busy at 3.30pm. It's clearly early days and the transformation to "proper pub" promised feels like a work in progress.  But, as I'd entirely expect, the beer range was very respectable and the cask beer we had (Dragon something or other) was excellent.  We were asked if we were "OK" with mugs - which was an odd way to phrase it, I guess, but it gave us the easy option of asking for straights -  supplied with a smile.

I hunted around for a cosy corner which was a bit tricky but eventually found a small table which I thought just had two chairs but then proved to have a cushioned "bench" too.  As I sat down I realised that it was atop a radiator (by design) so it was gorgeously warm.  The BBB congratulated me on finding me the best seat available (he was very much chilled by the walk around the end of the harbour).

When I went for a second, I decided it was too early for kegged Wiper and True IPA so he had Independence and I had Joy of Sesh (NBB).  Sadly no 2/3rd glasses were available but the lady behind the bar gamely offered to measure with their 1/3rd glasses which I feared would be a pain in the arse so I went for pints, whilst thanking her for the offer.  It's a BBF outlet so, no doubt, 2/3rd glasses will become available in time.

All in all, it was a nice place to go but it's not proper pubby just yet.  We assumed that this is just a time/cost factor.  We'll definitely be happy to come back...hopefully it'll have some snug corners by then.

We thought it would be a good idea to stroll back the couple of miles in more than one stage so we carried on along the northish side of the harbour thinking to look in the Three Tuns.  We passed it but it also didn't look particularly cosy, either (something we've felt before with the place) so we cut down to the Limekiln.

Now, this is definitely a proper little old pub run by a man (Paul) who definitely knows and loves his beer and makes sure there's something for everyone.  We settled in (sadly the places by the fire were already taken) with "Afghan IPA" (by a brewery I can't remember) which, at 5.4% was just about perfect strength.  I'd also whether 2/3rd was a available and the chap behind the bar had a game look for a 2/3rds glass but came up empty - so I stuck with a pint.  Very lovely it was too.

There were about 7 other folk in the pub and it felt perfectly "peopled".  We reckon that this would be a place that some of our "traditional cask" pals who remain surprised at how readily we'll enthuse about hazy keg beer would be fully approving of.  Must remember to bring them next time they come and stay.

Walking back mostly via backstreets we're reminded how walkable this city is - another reason to love it.

We're heading back to Sussex on Monday, we're excited to be going "home" (or, more correctly "other home") but in about 6 weeks we'll be gagging to be back.

 

 

Resolutions?

 Nope.  Too many other things to concentrate on.

I'm at that part of a period in Bristol when I'm looking forward to going back to Sussex.  I've heard "Your Girl" by Man, Woman, Chainsaw quite enough now, thanks.  I really only listen to Radio6 when I'm here because we share the space we're working in and R6 is a resonable compromise after lunch. 

It's lovely not having an untidy garden to feel guilty about when we're here - what we can see is a fab cityscape and water and all of it is someone else's responsibility.

But actually, I'm missing our scruffy garden and positively looking forward to some winter pruning and tree TLC (oh and ridding the pond of the excessive oyxgenators to ensure that froggies can see it's an actual pond, not some sort of weird astroturf).

The prospect of our organisation's move to a new, bigger space in the next couple of weeks is both headache (funding-wise) and project manager's delight.  We'll have a lot of short-term activity that me and the BBB will share in the new space whilst the rest of our team keep things going on a day to day basis.  We'll feel pretty justified in retiring to the pub after work and we'll soon sort out a new beery routine with Wolf, Frontier, Gun and maybe Ninkasi - whilst trying hard not to neglect current favourites.

So, there's some stuff in prospect that will keep me on my toes.

Talking to Tom Unwin in his brewery yesterday, we're looking forward to seeing what develops with his space.  His beer is really accomplished and we've liked it instantly - the taproom space will catch up and it'll become part of our regular venue list.

I really hope that Moor can find a way through the changes it's been forced to undergo - I hope, also, that it keeps its identity and doesn't become Left-Handed Giant MkII (I love LHG but we don't need another).

Having things to look forward to in both homes is probably why we've never seriously considered letting the flat go yet (I only really needed it whilst elderly parent was in a nearby carehome) but the draw of the beer city is still strong too.  Eastbourne is slowly upping its beer game (not quite as much as some of the neighbouring towns) and hopefully that'll continue.

Beer or pub of the year, though?

Beer:  no, not really.  I've continued to drink really well this year.  Maybe Star of Eastbourne in Wolf on the Corner is the most memorable conjunction of time in the "pub" and beer I wanted to drink more of.

Pub:  Well, Barleymow is perpetual favourite but the newcomer is "Blind Jack's" in Knaresborough.

As we baulk a little at the rising price of beer, we need to remember how much we value our time in the pub, mulling over our day, or planning new stuff, or playing board games or just talking sh*te.  I genuinely don't think I could do the job I do without that time at the end of the day.