Seasonal Change

 So summer landed with a sizzle this week.  So from huddling in my fleece-lined hoodie to try and keep out the sharp wind to suddenly realising that it was boiling hot outside work (though still blissfully cool inside thanks to a Victorian building with immense thermal mass).

So it seemed fitting when we knocked off work to stroll back to the Gun Brewery Tap at the sports club across the road.

The first beer we tried was a 5% cask beer (can't remember its name but it wasn't one of their regular brews) - brownish, a bit hazy and rather indistinct.  Like the third attempt at making the recipe having gone through tweaks to make it better.  We weren't quite sure what it was supposed to be like - and it felt like the brewer wasn't sure yet either. 

It wasn't awful, by any means, it just wasn't...great.  It unusual for Gun, their brews normal call the style and you can recognise it.

The bar was quiet when we arrived and we opted to sit on the new terrace overlooking the main cricket pitch - sadly no match on, but we were entertained by one of their girls' teams having a training session.

We became aware of more people joining the terrace and how much smarter they were dressed than us (we set a low bar, admittedly, but the contrast was stark).  It was kinda "Ladies who lunch" meets "Off duty estate agent convention" meets "pink flowery shirt with a panama hat" brigade.

We were happy to be outside because the increase in noise would have been difficult were we inside.

Turns out there was a fund raising gala type affair for the local hospice and the great and the good (and the...) had turned out to support it in all their finery.

There was a LOT of lager and local sparkling white being drunk - very little cask beer by the looks.

 It wasn't bothering us one iota, we were happy that the tap room was getting so much custom - and it was nice to see lots of people milling around the sports club.  Sad there wasn't a cricket match to see but you can't have everything. 

Himself fetched the second pint and a half (no 2/3rd here) - having started a little too hard, there was only one place to go: Zanzama at 6.5%

It was so much better than the other one - we enjoyed it and the thronging around us.

We decided a final shared pint would be nice before we strolled home.  So I set off into the bar.

Pandaemonium!  People were about 8 deep at the bar and, clearly, not at all capable of "doing pub" properly.  

Shouted in orders to the bloke being served by people joining at the back.  Blokes gesticulating wildly and nearly punching me in the face (accidentally, obviously because being of Hobbit proportions I was below their eye-line).  "Are you in the queue" shouted at me from behind a couple of times...other guys (it was ONLY blokes buying drinks) aiming to push past (I was having NONE of  it) - and patted on the shoulder more than once (really, WTF!) 

 I've not been in such a quagmire of annoying testosterone at a bar for so long and I nearly ducked out...but then one bloke was especially patronising  and I became determined to dig in.  So I did.  I finally came to get served and asserted my place and the bloke next to me said something facile about what I had just ordered. I shared a sigh with the lass behind the bar, gave him my coldest look whilst I paid for the beer and got out with my beer intact.

When I got back outside the BBB said "you could have given up" and I had to confess it was my stubbornness at fault (again).  

...and yet, I still really enjoyed our time there.  Not really quite sure why, maybe it was being able to sit outside, looking at greenery on the first warm summery evening.  Ach, you get your kicks where you can.

 

 

Back into the Swing of it

 We've been back 6 days now and most of our days have been...busy and a bit weird.

The day we arrived back we were straight into an evening meeting that then took us to "Frontier" for a quick beer and then a meal at the nearby Thai restaurant.

 Wednesday I was in work all day and got caught in the rain afterwards so it was home and sofa and fridge-beer.

Thursday I was in Hastings and St Leonards where I was, as I indicated, delight to go to the Prince of Wales.

Friday we were split between Town Hall and our current HQ and the rain came again when it was home time so we dashed around the corner for a couple of pints of Belgian Cafe beer.

Saturday and Sunday didn't really lend themselves to going out so we called on the Fridgebeer again (note to self:  needs topping up).  This means we haven't really done our usual after work "where shall we go?" calculation since we've been back.

Still.  This afternoon we'll pop around to the Crown.  The beers on aren't the most exciting (appears to be Quiet American by Kent, and APA from Longman, according to the Real Ale Finder app) but we'll go anyway.  Fresh cask in Eastbourne (with the exception of Harveys) is a little bit like Unicorn Droppings.

 

Beer for Good

 One of the (many) things I like about Bristol Beer Factory is their commitment to supporting other local organisations - either via charitable routes or collaboration ones.

I'm not naive enough to think it's 100% altruistic, but the vibe I get from every touch-point I have with them is a good one.  It makes me want to support them more:  from the brilliant barstaff in the Barley Mow who make you feel valued (and who remember that you like a straight glass, even if it's been 6 weeks since you've been there), to the fact that their no-alcohol beer specifically supports a mental health initiative and their commitment to donate a specific % of profits into the community via various forms of support.  

Even better, this Social Value doesn't seem to come at the expence of the quality of their offering, unlike some things I've tried to support in the past (ethical coffee or whatever).  

It feels like a proper win-win-win.

So, naturally, when I found out, a good while ago, that the Hastings Project Brewery was a CIC I was keen to learn more.  The first beer of theirs I tried in Beerarama was OK, but not memorable - this was pretty early on and as I've remarked so many times before, even good brewers who have set up a new venture can take a while to get into their stride.

Hastings is half an hour away from Eastbourne by train (3 per hour), I'm a trustee of a charity there, and I do work with other charities in the town so I do find myself going there reasonably frequently.  

I learned that the brewery were taking on a pub in St Leonards (the western edge of Hastings proper) and it's just around the corner from another couple of nice placess there.  This part of St Leonards still feels a bit scruffy but the steady gentrification from the DfLs is definitely noticeable.

I'd been wanting to try the pub (The Prince of Wales) since it opened about 6 or 7 months ago but I haven't had to be in St Leonards and it still feels like a bit of an indulgence to get on a train, just to go to the pub.

Anyhow - this week I had a meeting with a bunch of colleagues related to poverty-support projects that we all collaborate on and the meeting was in CAB in St Leonards.  All the assembled company are female in the age band 40-something to 60-something - we probably cut a bit of a scary air about us when en masse.

We'd all agreed a swift pint would be in order and I suggest that we go to the Price of Wales which only one (another regular beer fan) had even heard of. We arrived at the pub at 5pm-ish and it was empty.  We were greeted cheerily by the lady behind the bar. I immediately ordered a pint of a 4%ish pale cask for me and one colleague gravitated towards lager (Helles).  Bit by bit we coaxed orders out of the the others (we don't pub together often) and sat down.

Blimey!  The beer was great, the lady behind the bar incredibly knowledgeable and encouraging - helping a couple of women to choose what they wanted. There were two cask guests as well as their own and some beers were offered on both cask and keg.

The layout of the pub is quite traditional for a corner-pub and has lots of small tables and stools to keep things flexible:  this was quite helpful since there were six of us plus a small thing in a pushchair.

I learned that they offer all their beers in 2/3rds and also learned that 2/3rds glassware is relatively expensive so might go some way to explaining why not everyone wants to sell that way.

I had to go and get a train (station about 200 yds away) but I could have sat there for much longer and tried more of their lovely beers.  I immediately felt at home and really want to engineer a chance to go back.  All the others agreed it was a great place and everyone enjoyed the beer - vowing to make this the default venue in future.

I really want to take the BBB there - I'm pretty sure he'll like it much better than Heist and Collected Fictions which we visited the last time we had to pass through.  It feels very "us".

Even better?  Being a CIC all their profits are used for community good.

Another great example of Social Value from brewing where the product doesn't appear to be a compromise.   

 

Good Chemistry

 On Friday we'd popped to Unwins.  We'd not seen the lass on bar before but soon got onto the obvious "were you working the EBBT?" question.

She was, and was staggered by how busy it had been -  she'd never seen so many people.  She was, apparently, also slightly horrified to learn there was also an "autumn" event. 

They had very little beer of their own - it all having been drunk the previous weekend (the best possible reason to be out of beer) but their cask 4% bitter (were I a pedant, I might call it a pale ale) was absolutely knockout.

I have to say the collaboration beer with Full Court Press (coffee roasters and cafe who I think are probably setting up in another arch nearby???) which was a Strawberry and coffee sour was really not our bag at all.  

Thankfully they still have the wonderful dark mild with which we finish.

Yesterday was warm and sunny so I suggested we pop round the new incarnation of Good Chemistry brewery which now has regular weekend opening times.

GC has never been a go-to brewery for us - the beers have always been restrained and "fine" but not something we've sought out.  I was curious whether the takeover by an organisation who, on the face of it, seem to have a less understated personality, might change our opinion. 

Again, this brewery is about a 7 or 8 minute walk from us (if you're counting, that means 4 breweries within 10 minutes on foot from our flat).

The main thing that seems to have changed at the brewery is their house graphic style - from precise, scientific-looking diagrammatic livery to bright, whimsical characters. 

After the "obligatory" exchange with engaging chap behind the bar (they were very busy last weekend, unsurprisingly) we settled on two 4% pale beers - me:  Kokomo Weekday, him something else (can't remember the name).  KW was a good, decent keg beer, his had more of a lager characteristic - nice, but not quite what we expected.

There were about a dozen people there when we arrived and the numbers ebbed and flowed - there was a nice hubbub on the whole.

Our second beers were in the 5.5 - 6% range (me a Canadian IPA, whatever that is, him Vienna Lager which was a colab with Little Martha) and both were really good.

Because it's a standard industrial estate unit, it's very much an "open fronted" affair and most seating is in the line of the open frontage. Not a place for inclement weather and, like a lot of taprooms like this - quite homespun in nature.  People stood in the street outside, people sat inside and I would guess we saw 30 or people during our visit.

Lasties was always going to be Kokomo weekend which I loved in the brewery's old incarnation.  It's lost nothing - hefty 7% but very drinkable.

We'll be back, I have no doubt.  The BBB, initially sceptical at the suggestion, was really pleased I'd suggested it and we both really enjoyed the session.

Only downside would be (like Unwins) the lack of 2/3rds measures but it's a small gripe, isn't it.

It's made me want to make the effort to find their other pubs (or maybe to give the Collie a second go).  But that's for next visit.

 

 

 

LHG

 On Wednesday we went for a bus/walk visit in the, aptly named, Magpie Bottom.  It's part of the city (sort of East Bristol towards the old suburbs) I don't really know at all.

It was a bit painful getting there because the roads were thoroughly rammed with traffic on all the main roads.  The bus was also very full at 2.30pm - I guess that shows that a lot of people move around the city at all times of day.

Still, after 25 minutes or so, we arrived at this quiet little green area and the sound of traffic receded almost immediately, to be replaced by birdsong.

We saw, well, magpies (obviously) but also wrens, robins and a greater spotted woodpecker and we heard blackbirds, chiffchaffs, tits and some sort of warbler, maybe.  It was quite the tonic.

The nice thing about the walk was that we could go the length of the greenspace, pop out at the other end and walk for less than 10 minutes through a quiet neighboourhood to Two Mile Hill which is a key bus route. We didn't have to wait very long until a suitable bus arrived to convey us back into town.

We decided to give the Old Castle Green another go.

We were greeted effusively and there were about 5 keg beers to choose from.  Most of them local.

We ordered a couple of pints and settled in.  It's a really good, inclusive, space and whilst not exactly understated, we didn't feel out of place at all.  Good trick to pull off.

We weren't inclined to try any of the other beers as they didn't appear to offer any contrast or progression from our first ones so we decided to head home.  It's a bit like the Old Market Assembly in terms of beer offering for us:  OK but we'd need a pressing reason to go there.

Yesterday I had to pick up an Amazon parcel so, naturally, we decided to pop into LHG's brewpub.  We rarely venture there on a Thursday and, sure enough, but 4.30pm when we approached it sounded pretty busy.

The usual groups of undecideds were lurking in the space between the door and the bar and, although the staff were effcient, quite a lot of customers weren't.  

On the bar was a choice of 4 different casks beers:  4% Bitter, LHG;  5% pale, LHG, 5.5% Porter LHG, Old Ale - Tileys.  I love this development - time was, there weren't casks at all and then it was Shroedingers cask now there are always casks.

Before too long we had two pints of a 5% pale cask beer in straight glasses and a pleasant seat.  Fresh as a daisy, clear as a Penzance beer and delicious. 

There was a small period of excess local noise when a couple of new mums loudly shared infant tips but that didn't last too long.  We were then joined by a couple of folk who were jolly but with better volume control.

Second pints were LHG Porter (Casks) for him and something pale and keggy for me.  I never remember their keg beer names since they're always new/different with only fairly subtle diffences between different brews.  That's not derogatory, exactly, since I will always choose one of the IPAs by strength but there's no point learning the name.  It was, however very nice indeed with a lovely bitterness and little obvious sweetness.  He adored the Porter and said "that's the sort of beer I would have really enjoyed 35 years ago, and still really enjoying it now" - that's high praise indeed.

Lasties were two shared drinks - 2/3rds of something pale and 6% as a collab between LHG and Verdant and something 1/3 and 8% LHG's own.  Both lovely, and shared nicely.

It was interesting watching the ebb and flow of people:  5.05pm huge groups in and then off to find a place to sit or stand.  Staff prioritise efficiency over engagement (fine by me) and the place swallows up more and more people.   Then you look up and realise that equilibrium has been attained.

Obviously there's nothing cosy about what amounts to a gigantic industrial building housing a brewery and a 100 or so seater venue but its very capacity is one of its virtues - it swallows up vast swathes of people and its atmosphere doesn't really change.  

For us it delivers a consistent offer, a range of beers and now, with the cask range, a great choice.  It's also nice and close to home - and that goes a long way too.

Nicely done. 

  

  

...and a Third

We wanted to make up for not being able to go to Martha's for boardgames on Sunday.

So we went yesterday instead.

We were greeted cheerily by the folk there and we spent a little while catching up with them to find out how their weekend had gone.

They'd sold 30% more beer this time than last which they said was a surprise since two arches is Unwins' taproom, also selling beer and, halfway through Saturday the heavens opened whereas last year it was sunny all the time.  They declared themselves really happy.

They're part of a campaign to make this row of railway arches more of a destination, I really hope they're successful because it would pay better respect to the quirky, rough around the edges history of this bit of town than the retail units in all the new shiny buildings that have been going up over the last 10 years or so (most of them empty, by the way).  I definitely prefer my urban development to be organic.

After catching up with the guys, we settled into a booth.  A large group (probably off the train colleagues for a conference or meeting or whatever tomorrow) came in and very noisily hung around for about 30 minutes - it was hard to resent them too hard because it was nice to see the place with a few people in on a Tuesday after a bank holiday.

We played our new birdy game, now starting to get the measure of it so it didn't feel like such hard work - he won.

The beer?  Oh, yeah - we had their house beers:  Halo Orbit, Mysterious intergalatic object and Neighbour we left behind - plus the newer pale one.  Nothing novel (they probably sold it all over the weekend) but beers we know and like.  It worked well

 

Two in a row

 Bank Holiday Monday - but still a Monday, right?

In this house (flat) that means Barley Mow.

We wondered whether it would be open because of a hectic weekend.  We needn't have worried.

We popped round around 4.15pm

The chap behind the bar looked...broken...

 "busy weekend?..."

He nodded wearily, but with a warm smile.

"We broke all our records"

We chatted a bit about it and he chuckled when I said we'd been avoiding the whole thing and had been worried about the rain for the success of the event.  It seems a lot of people took refuge in the BM.  

Still the pictures I've seen from a few of the venues look like it was probably chalked up as a success across the board.  I'm genuinely delighted.  

We settled down with our beers - I had Notorious, he had a 3.8% pale by Ashley Down - both were great.

The pub was perfectly peopled - folk were at "our" table but that didn't dent our spirits one bit.

Second beer was a 5% Red Willow pale, slightly hazy cask.  Cracking! He had a second one of those whilst I jumped ship to a 5% keg beer (brewery not remembered) - however, he liked mine more than I did so we swapped after a couple of mouthfuls (greater love hath no man, an' that).

We'd necked our beers quite fast, despite playing Regicide to slow us down,  so there was scope for a 4th - so we had halves of a Weekend Project 6% keg beer (again, name forgotten but) it, too, was great!

Great selection of beer and the busy weekend clearly meant a thorough turnaround of beers from the day we arrived so it was really nice to have a completely different selection to choose from.

Another reason we both like BBF venues is their glass selection.  They have standard 1pt conic glasses, but their 2/3rds, halves and thirds are the same style and there's something incredibly satisfying about that when one of you is drinking a pint and the other 2/3rds (or other variations).  Their enthusiasm to serve cask in all the different volumes make me order the amount I actually want according to strength and appetite - I think that may be an underrated thing (or, we may just be odd...).

So, that's two consecutive days in a pub with everything (even the things they can't control) perfect.  That's a hard act to follow... 

 

 

 

 

Goldilocks

 No place, no beer, no activity is ever ALWAYS perfect.

Most places, beers and activties can have instances of perfection.

So it was at the Kings Head yesterday.

Frequently too crowded, or too noisy because after-workers don't know how to use their indoor voices, the Kings Head hits highs and lows for us.  Never had a bad pint in there since it was reopened, mind.

In the pursuit of avoiding the EBBT (which does look as though it was pretty well attended, thank goodnees) we walked in the other direction and wondered how busy the Kings Head would be.

When we arrived there were no folk sitting at the bar or in the little bench inside the door.  So we grabbed a couple of (absolutely delicious) pints and headed into the Tramcar Snug.  There were about 10 people in there but a nice little space was available for us.  

Initially the larger group were a little noisy but they finished their drinks quickly and the noise level dropped to a perfect gently hubbub.

We looked up where our beers had come from (Abbeydale, Sheffield and the other was from Mallinsons, Huddersfield) and chatted about...actually I'm not sure, but it was that kind of relaxed chat that flows and then goes away.

Second beers were hazy and keggy:  me Burning Sky - Quench, him Deya.  Both hit the spot nicely.

Other punters came and went, no one imposed themselves too much on the space:  a couple of couples, a few blokes with a dog...all very convivial.

Last beer was always going to be the Black IPA they had on offer (still a style I absolutely love and what a treat to have it on cask).  It was Pangoltergeist (the troubled spirit of a mischevious pangolin, maybe?) by Tartarus (Leeds).  This is not a brewery I've seen in Bristol before but there's frequently a keg of theirs on at Beerarama. Blimey it was lovely - roasty, chocolatey, deep and bitter...but not too much.  It being cask (Kings Head don't do 2/3rds for cask beers) we shared a pint and a half.

Then it was time to leave.  I picked up the glasses and started to walk up the passageway towards the door to find one of the dog-owning blokes heading towards me with a couple of pints so (obviously) I stepped aside to let him pass easily.  "Thanks, my luvver", he said.

Like I said, sometimes it all comes together and it's perfect. 

It's not that I'm anti-social, but...

 Being in Bristol when the East Bristol Brewery Trail is scheduled you'd think we'd be keen to get involved.

As several bar staff hereabouts we've spoken to in the last few days would be able to tell you - "..god, no...".

I hasten to say that I think it's a great event, and it's really nice this year that Moor have rejoined, along with the new incarnation of Good Chemistry together with Unwins so the trail is 7-breweries strong.

Since the furthest from here is a tiny bit over a mile, you have to be impressed that in one corner of a city which isn't huge there are that many small breweries (Little Martha, Unwins, Moor, Good Chemistry, Left-Handed Giant, Arbor, Wiper & True).

You also wouln't have to stray too far off the trail to also take in Fierce and Noble, New Bristol Brewery and Basement Beer.  Actually, I've just measured it.  A circle of 1km radius, centred roughly on Wiper & True's new brewery & taproom would encompass 10 breweries with open taprooms.  All of the eminently walkable from Temple Meads station.

So why aren't we flocking along with everyone else?

Mostly because they'll be horribly busy which both of us find quite stressful.  But also because all of these taprooms have regular (usually weekend) operating hours.  

We have attended in the past mostly so we could go to Arbor, which at the time wasn't open very often.  The place was rammed - everyone was jolly and we made the best of it, but the walk back along the cycle track was a blessed, peaceful relief.

One time we made the mistake of thinking the Barley Mow would, as a result, be quite quiet - it was most definitely not. 

So when asked we enthuse about the event and tell the questioner we'll be going to the places when it's quieter.

Sadly, after what was a warmish, brightish start to the day it's turned really quite wet which will probably dampen the mood a little.  I know the two breweries nearest here had contingency plans in putting tables under cover so let's hope that it's not a complete bust for the breweries with limited inside space.

As it turns out, we've hunkered down in the flat as we don't fancy going to the nearest "will certainly be quiet" place.  

Tomorrow is another day... 

 

Games in the Pub

 I strongly suggest that there may be quite a big overlap in the Venn diagram circles of "likes interesting beer" and "likes playing boardgames".

I've always loved board games but my siblings, being much older than me, didn't really indulge me when I was growing up.  Consequently it was mainly Scrabble for me - Sunday afternoons.

In my twenties - me and the boy from Lancashire were given a couple of modern games:  Settlers of Catan and Fluxx.

The BfL could take games or leave them and these two games weren't great for only two players.

Fast forward 30 years.  When I met the BBB, I was delighted to learn that, not only was he a beer enthiast, but also a boardgame one.  Like me, his older siblings had no interest, really, so he also had limited opportunities to play.

He likes a co-operative game, particularly. I'm happy with co-operative or competitive though I find co-operative ones a tiny bit stressful since my gaming strategy is not always up to snuff so I sometimes feel I'm not really pulling my weight.

On the other hand, I really don't mind losing - even though I do try to win.

So...best games in the pub?

Currently:

- Regicide - just a pack of cards but an app helps with the scoring (co-op)

- Jaipur - me more than him but involves a marketplace and camels.  Takes very little room (comp)

- Crew - trick-winning.  Takes a bit more room but playable on a smallish table (co-op)

- Sky Team - wayyyy better than it sounds.  Unique game play and there's a genuine sense of achievement when you win it (co-op)

- Sail - cute, lovely box and graphics small enough to have room in most bags and the game board is narrow (co-op)

and now, we've added Wingspan to the mix.  It's unwieldy in its heaviness, it takes quite a lot of juggling and concentration and it takes up a lot of table space.  But it's truly a lovely game. (comp).  

 We took this to Martha's yesterday and it just fit on a booth table with two of us and a couple of pints of beer.  But that's all we played for the duration of our visit, it's absorbing and tricksy and there's a lot of mileage in it.

Oh - Martha's cask Ruby Mild was really nice along with it too! 

Out and About

 The last couple of weeks have been very intense at work.  We've had meetings with other organisations and chats with proto-organisations, and discussions with network engineers and premises staff.  Our work to set up our new space continues and culminated in me spending a couple of days removing RAM from old (and very grubby) donated laptops, updating our laptop records and heaving piles of the darned things around to get things tidy.

Wednesday allowed us the opportunity to make a long overdue return to the Belgian Cafe - I realised I'd really missed it. 

On Thursday we went to Wolf and accidentally participated in a creative gathering and ended up chatting with folk all evening. I can't even remember the beer precisely, but Brewing Brothers from Hastings figured heavily and to great effect.

Then Friday I did some internet safety training in the community in some retirement housing - I got home at lunchtime, picked up some electronic work tasks and when we got to beer o'clock I just wanted to remain on the sofa, and drink fridge beer (Arbor and Drop Project offerings).

We'd been attempting to get to Bristol but my work, the arrival (or lack) of postal votes for local elections and then a Tube strike curveball meant travelling on Saturday was the most practical option.

Reduced trains from Eastbourne and Paddington meant that booking seats on the 2.30pm from Paddington made sense -  and then, when we looked at trains on Saturday morning even more trains from Eastbourne had been cancelled.

So we left home a little earlier than planned, fully expecting to have to wait a while at Paddington for our 2.30 train.

The people travelling on Saturdays are sooooo different from those travelling during the week. the whole journey was noisier, more crowded and with people being much more thoughtless travellers.   

Still, we got to Paddington with around 45 mins to wait for our train.  I was just about to suggest a cheeky half in the Mad Bear and Bishop (assuming it's still there) when we noticed a train that went via Bristol Parkway much sooner - so we legged it across to the platform.  The journey was less noisy than the first leg (maybe it's just that people from the South East are noisier).

The flat was very hot when we arrived so it wasn't long until we'd opened windows and abandoned ship to leave it to cool down a bit.  "Where will be peaceful?" he said - well, nowhere on a Saturday was a sure bet so, obviously, we went to the Barley Mow.  It was delightful inside, most people having carved out a spot outside.  There was a great array of cask and keg on offer and, because we were there a little earlier than usual, we drank a little more whilst watching for football results and properly chilling.

Castle Rock "go with the flow",a Scotch Brown Ale,  a BBF 5% beer, plus Notorious were all in great condition on Cask and we checked out a couple of keg offerings -  Azacca Triangle from Mysterious Brewing (who I've not heard of) and a 6% BBF one I can't remember the name of.  

We wondered whether our Eastbourne Local, the Crown, without the constraints of an uber pub co brand would  be able to match the BM for us?  Maybe.

A lot of "unspecified" lager was ordered yesterday - and I particularly love that what they get is either BBF or other locally brewed lager rather than something from an uberbrand.  Everyone also seems to be happy with what they get - given that they go back for seconds.  Another reason to adore this pub - a full range of choice, but a real sense of being an independent trader in all senses - a Free House (even though it's owned by the brewery) but even more so.

 The BM and its staff never fail to deliver for us. 

 

 

 

Permeability

 Had to be down at our new base yesterday.  It's a large civic building and is right next to a sports ground.

County cricket games were played here - though not often now - but it has a thriving cricket club which attracts all sorts of players.  There is (or maybe was) a croquet club, of course there's a bowls club and there's now a large Padel "tent", one of the Town's non-league football teams plays there along with a lively hockey scene.

It's fairly recently become home to a Gun Brewery taproom which we visited once last summer - and enjoyed watching some young women's cricket. 

Yesterday we didn't really want to go back to Wolf (the other closest bar of choice) so I suggested the taproom.

The sports ground is literally right across the road from our building and there have historically been numerous entrances.  How hard do you think it would be for us to find a quick route to the taproom?

Sigh.

We went to the nearest gate to find it padlocked and a note to suggest walking round to the next entrance -which is/was the football turnstile entrance - also locked. So we had walk about a quarter of a mile round to the next entrance, then walk round a quarter of the cricket ground perimeter then cross to the centre of the whole complex to gain entry to the bar.

Once in we were a bit confused by what was available on the bar - the keg labels were small and behind the bar (and so unreadable) and the beer list did list all the beers but it was a really confused jumble of information.  Only after we'd settled on a 4% Vermont Pale (very nice) did we realise that the two cask pumps we'd seen (Best Bitter and lovely, but stupid strong Zanzama) were only 50% of the cask offering.

The beer list didn't indicate the dispense method of the beers so we'd missed them entirely until we got our beer and sat down.  Only then did we see the ENORMOUS lit beer list on a wall you couldn't see from the bar (but it was almost as confusing as the written list - and still didn't indicate dispense method) and realise there were the other two cask pumps we'd missed at the far other end of the bar.

Still the beers we had were great, if a little on the pricey side, and we ended up with 2 good cask beers as well as the initial keg one.

Being inside the taproom (ie sports bar) was OK - you wouldn't expect it to be cosy but some slightly better furniture would be nice (they have the obligatory taproom folding tables and benches and then high tables and stools plus just a few more comfy seats which were taken).  They had the golf on (which made the BBB happy, but apologetic) and there were a few people there who'd clearly played padel or hockey or whatever.  It felt like an upmarket leisure centre bar and it made me remember very fondly the bar at a Filton leisure centre (in Bristol) back in the 90's where I used to play squash with an old school friend and then have a really good pint of, probably, Bass.  The bar being run by a beer fanatic and used by anyone who wanted decent beer.

Anyhow, when we left we headed out the other side of the sports ground which is across uneven paths and circuitous route out to the road.  It was about 7pm when we left and the bar had maybe 8 or 10 people in it even though it was Friday evening.

Maybe it was because it was the last weekday of the school holidays, maybe the season for the bar hasn't really taken of yet...or maybe it was something else.  I can't help feeling that a bit more permeability of the access gates would make it easier for people to find when they're passing.  Also, a bit clearer signage/menus for the drinks would make choosing your drinks a bit more straightforward.

Definitely a work in progress, I would say.

I am looking forward to going there on a warm evening when there's a cricket match on, or similar - definitely better than watching golf on the TV! 

 

 

Barely Touched the Ground

 The time since we returned from Bristol has been hectic, to say the least.  Work, houseguest, meetings, etc, etc.

 We found time to squeeze in a visit to our local's beer festival.

It didn't get a huge lead time for advertising and still by the time we arrived on Saturday (it had been running since Thursday) a few beers had already sold out - and by the time we went back on Easter Monday, there was really only one "guest" left on that we wanted to try.  It was by Thornbridge so two pints of it was definitely not a problem.

On Saturday my favourite pint had been a modestly alcoholled (4% or so) hazy beer from Fourman based in Glynde's Trevor Arms. I found it absolutely gorgeous and our houseguest shared my enthusiasm.  The BBB was a little less convinced, I think, but there were other beers to choose from, obviously.

We've also been to Wolf and Beerarama but on Tuesday this week we took the opportunity of having to go on a train trip for work (Etchingham...in VERY rural Sussex) which means travelling through St Leonards.

By the time we'd returned to St Leonards, we were hungry and it was around 2.30pm so we legged it to Heist to find some street food and some Three Legs beer.  A pint of cask pale at 3.8% was good to start on an empty stomach.  Of course, we don't actually tend to drink at lunchtime so rather than dig in for a session we made the most of the sun and strolled along the seafront.  We checked out "real ale finder" and learned that there was a St Leonards pub we hadn't been to very nearby - The Horse & Groom.  It was up a hugely steep set of steps (common in Hastings and St Leonards) but once we'd climbed the steps, the pub was just around the corner.

Nothing to scare the horses in here but Gun Project Babylon went down very nicely (there was a 3 Legs Pale, Harveys - of course and Timmy Taylor).  Proper old pub it was too with a handful of customers most of whom seemed to be regulars/locals which is nice.  Would definitely go back. 

After that what should we do?  We strolled in the general direction of the station noting the very fancy/poncey/overpriced shops which probably are a product of a lot of DFLs or FILTH folk moving in.  It seemed quite rude not to stop at Collected Fictions so we did.  It's a really odd place - half winebar, half taproom with about a 50/50 split of punters in each camp. Unfailingly friendly staff but weird (and very litte of) seating arrangements. We perched on high stools at the window.

To be honest I can't remember exactly what we drank but we finished with a really weird strong sour stout by Earth Ale - I'll admit I rolled my eyes a bit at the website homepage.  The beer was definitely interesting - but the combination of the sour and strength meant that I couldn't finish mine and the BBB obligingly helped out.  I'm not sure I'd rush back to beers by this brewery...but I'm glad we got to try it, I guess.

On Wednesday we went to Wolf again as they're just round the corner from our new work building - they don't open until 5pm on Weds and Thursdays which we find...annoying (it's their prerogative,  obviously).  Still we had a nice couple of beers/ciders which rounds the day off nicely after "peopling" (me) and "shelfbuilding" (him) all day.

Today - once business plans have been written and paperwork sent to accountants, there may be beers...who can say?

 

 

Winding Down

 We're at the end of this Bristol visit.

As usual I'm now really looking forward to getting back to our house with its garden (and its attendant chores) but also our day job will be hard but engaging so it's another thing to look forward to.

I've been working solidly on a pivotal funding application which requires a LOT of words and because of impending travel and work obligations we took the decision to knuckle down and grind through it over the weekend.

By the time I'd had enough yesterday, neither of us wanted to go far or take beer or ambiance risks.  We were a little concerned the Barley Mow might be too busy but because it was nice and sunny we thought there was a reasonable chance that the punters would be concentrated outside.

We needn't have worried - our risk paid off, handsomely.

The changing BBF cask beer (NZ hops, 4.0%) was so good that both of us wanted a second pint.  We took cards with us but had no inclination to use them, we chilled (there was a bit of work chat) and just enjoyed being there.  It was a perfect way to wind down.

The second pint went down almost embarrassingly quickly so we were wondering whether we'd end up having 4 drinks but, getting a couple of hefty 2/3rds (him:  Axe Edge, me: Paulaner Salvator) put paid to that, crikey they packed a punch.

Today, we've finished reviewing the bid and I've read the damned thing so many times that I decided that rather than dither, it was time to submit it.  So it's gone.  It'll be about 3 months until I know the outcome - the fund will be oversubscribed by a huge margin so it depends whether it really speaks to them in terms of the priorities.  Oh - nothing I can do now.

Sooooo -our final pub trip, probably in a about 10 minutes will be Marthas.  We'll take a couple of games (probably the one that is about landing a plane), and muse over what still has to be done before we leave tomorrow mid-morning.

(Oh poo, that reminds me, there's not much beer in the house in Sussex..better do that before I leave) 

  

Thwarted

 Turns out we didn't get to Martha's on Saturday - I spent most of the day (and the days since) nursing an uncharacteristically bad migraine attack.

Yesterday I hadn't made enough progress with a funding bid to take it to the pub for review so we just tootled around to the Barley Mow anyway to chill a bit.

I was keeping my beer consumption as modest as possible (I know that no beer at all is the most modest choice - but come on!) so I made unusual choices for me.  

My first was 2/3rd of Rudgate golden beer:  traditional and tasty.

Second I went proper off-piste and had 2/3rd of Floris framboise (3.8%). It was way better than I had anticipated:  my memory of another Floris fruit beer in Brussels was that it was cloyingly sweet and I half expected this to be that.  It was sweet, but it was also tart and refreshing and had a good, dry finish. The BBB and I agreed that it did a good job. Half made me want to try their kriek.

I finished with half of the lovely Hastings Project/Burning Sky collab (I'll bet I don't get to see it when we're back in Sussex next week).  

Anyhow, half of the pleasure in the Barleymow was overheard conversations from a group who appeared to be from St Austell Brewery, showing a couple of US brewers around (this is mostly conjecture).  Their enthusiasm for their subject was lovely to hear.

The pub was buzzing but not rammed, and it was lovely to be out of the house. It was interesting seeing people use the pub as dining room, after work wind-down, entertain business visitors, meet friends, quiet time with significant others - and all this is happening in one place, at the same time.  Awesome, indeed

 

Themes

 I must admit I'd never considered that some of my (and the BBB's) weirdnesses are shared by other folk.

When I was a young person I felt out of place:  academic and nerdy, preferring Star Trek and reading books to  going out with other people, never really fitting into the social sphere at work and then when I tried always saying or doing something wrong.

Now that I'm of ... errrr ... more mature years (I was only just of drinking age when CAMRA was formed), I've finally forgiven myself for my "shortcomings".  My job needs me to "adult" on a regular basis so I need to keep the pretense going with people I don't really know well, especially when on duty or "in charge" but those people who know me reasonably well - including my young team of workers - know full well what's going on behind the scenes.  They share some of the traits with me and it was the privilege of working alongside them which finally allowed me to understand myself better.

So, when I saw an update from Boak and Bailey about an old post they'd recently ported to their blog (before I followed them) I couldn't help but hard agree.  It's something I'd wittered about a couple of days earlier (and they very kindly linked to that in their weekly subscriber update) and it's an observation that the BBB and I had muttered to ourselves about before (the BBB also shares some of the traits).

We used to go to a few football away matches (Brighton and Hove Albion, since you ask) - especially when BHAFC were in League 1 and the Championship (League divisions 3 and 2 in old money).  We went to (in no particular order) Charlton, Millwall, Wolverhampton, Liverpool,  Watford, Peterborough, Ashton Gate, The Mem, Cardiff, Newcastle and Middlesborough - and there may be others, I can't remember.  First order was always to find a decent pre-match pub with food and post-match pub - the chaps usually knew the decent pubs if they'd done away games before but just sometimes it was new to them.  Because I was never "on duty" for finding the pubs, I never found it particularly stressful going to a new place:  there was an expectation of it being busy and seats being at a premium but it was still a predictable kind of unknown.

Going to football introduced me to some of my favourite pubs but if you really didn't already know the pub scene, whether a particular place didn't welcome away fans (even those not in club colours) then we might well go to a "'spoons".  We knew the drill, we knew the beer was good enough and, crucially - we knew how they worked.  You can substitute Costa Coffee, Starbucks and Pizza Express: if you just need to get "a job done" - like having something to eat, going to the loo, sitting down after a long walk - they fit the bill.  I frequently have to remind myself of that when I look at the Knights Templar (which I can nearly see from our flat), or the "London and County" in Eastbourne.

As someone really quite prone to overload (is it getting worse as I get older or is it that I'm less prepared to mask to cope with it...? ) it's important for me to remember that as I realise now, I'm not as much of an outlier as I thought I was 40 years ago.  There are lots of people heading to the 'spoons right now because it provides them with certainty and confidence to enter - maybe in a strange town.

For me pubs are a vital part of my way of winding down after some of the stresses of my work -  the place does more of the heavy lifting than the beer, per se.  When I'm feeling unstressed and up for a challenge, I'm more likely to try something new (I'm hoping to get to the Trevor Arms in Glynde, the Hastings Project pub in St Leonards when we get back to Sussex) but I won't be going on days when my head's too busy.

There are reasons we're heading to Martha's again this afternoon:  There's rugby to be watched and neither of us want to be in too loud and busy a space today so we're taking a tablet and finding a corner to hunker down in with the sound turned off (we're not animals).

 

That Elusive Something

 There are lots of reasons the Barley Mow is our absolutely favourite pub, anywhere (the beer, the staff, the atmosphere, the consistency and our history with the place).

No week in Bristol is really complete without at least one visit there.  It's the first place we go when we arrive, and we always make sure we've done "one last visit" before we leave.

On Friday when we wanted somewhere more relaxing than our hectic day in Bath on Thursday it would have been the natural choice but...Friday.  If there's any day in the BM potentially a little overwhelming, it would be Friday.  In the summer it's not too bad since everyone mostly uses the outside space but when it's cool and damp, seats inside can be at a premium and table-hogging can feel more irking than normal.

No - I'm not complaining about a pub being too busy, I absolutely love how successful any pub can be.

Anyhow, when we were heading out for beer on Friday the BBB said "nearby" and I said "relaxing".

We agreed that on a Friday Martha > BM in terms of relaxation.

We were greeted enthusiastically - although with a bit of "but it's Friday!" When I said that we'd wanted somewhere we found relaxing, she said "that's the nicest thing anyone can say".

We took a couple of small games and made sure we didn't take up too much space - it was already pretty busy with after-workers. 

We were so comfortable nattering about nothing much, chatting to the staff and watching the technical gubbins of running a bar unfold that we didn't feel the need to play a game to take minds of other things - or stop us just talking about work.  

So what makes it relaxing?  It's difficult to tell, to be honest - there's lots about a taproom in a railway arch which doesn't lend itself to cosy and intimate...

It's not a pub, it's a little bit cavernous and echoey and there isn't a choice of cask beer - for me this means all the other things clearly work harder:

- the seating is great:   two lovely snug booths (the BEST pub anywhere to play boardgames);  the high seats on shallow tables near the bar are well designed so the hobbits like me can comfortably rest my feet and allow me to sit opposite someone and not be too far away for conversation;  good areas of seating for larger groups but still flexible; a modest outside area which catches the sun if you want to do "beer garden". 

- beer range is solid.   Quite often there's a guest (cask or keg) and sometimes there's something stupidly strong as good last beer. The brewery beers are definitely getting more consistent and confident. (Black IPA is a cracker).

- The staff are engaging and fun - even the person who is clearly much more reserved and shy gives it a good go. They all run the bar with a level of professionalism and efficiency which is reminiscent of The Basket Makers (this truly is a god-tier compliment). 

- It's close to the flat.  When you're ready to head home, it's a lovely feeling knowing that the journey is a short one.

But even with these things all listed out - it doesn't really cover it.

Bravo, Team Martha and thank you for making my Friday evening a proper "wind down at the end of the week".

We'll be heading there again today - games. Natch. 

Not with a bang...

So, after circling the reputational drain for a while, they've gone.

I guess no one is really that surprised: pretty much as soon as they sold a stake in their business to a venture capital (or whatever they are now) company it was pretty clear what the founders wanted from the brewery.  It wasn't about staying "independent".

I have two very good memories of their flagship beer: 

Punk IPA on cask at least once (maybe more, can't remember) at the Bristol and District Beer Festival where its punch, style and strength really opened my eyes to a different sort of beer.

Being able to buy 8 cans of Punk in a supermarket in Poole when we were staying on Brownsea Island where there's no pub (or shop) and where the last boat of the day leaves around 5pm leaving you with your own company, and that of the red squirrels.  Having decent beer, lighter to carry than bottles, and sitting drinking it outside our cottage looking out at the sea, watching terns and turnstones was the very definition of contentment.

When the first bar opened in Bristol I was keen to try it.  It was underwhelming - not bad, just not really worth returning to.

As time went on the marketing came across as more and more smug and it was grating.  I completely lost interest in them but I really didn't expect the revelations of their corporate MO.

For the last several years I've noticed the effort that breweries and beer places in Bristol and Sussex appear to go to to feel welcoming and inclusive - they might be lying, but it feels genuine.  As a woman who loves beer, I assume I'll be welcomed and treated with respect by those running the place- and I haven't been disappointed for many years.  

Is that effort specifically aimed as a "we're not them" backlash?  I dunno.

Turns out they were all mouth and trousers after all and, to be honest the new owners don't appear to be any better, based on the way the closure of sites and redundancies seems to have been handled.  

The individual investors and the staff have been royally screwed.

There is an extent to which the "don't gamble/invest with money you can't afford to lose" is applied to everyone who puts money into things - but it is easy to be pulled along by the excitement and I can understand why you'd do it.

Ultimately, though, it's low-paid bar staff and lower-level jobholders at the brewery who I reserve my sympathies for.  It's a tough world out there - hopefully in some places there will be other hospitality opportunities, it appears many staff were well trained and most should benefit any other bar.

Running a company is a serious business and needs to be taken seriously by all those in charge - and that must extend to their staff to whom they had a duty of care. It turns out they didn't deserve all the accolades they got for their beer because of their total disregard for their responsibilities...it can't start and end with the product.

The new owners will undoubtedly asset-strip what they've bought, cut the range, brew cheaper but continue to sell through pub companies and supermarkets -  who knows, maybe some cross-pollination of the organisations other business interests will mean that Mary Jane might have a new flavouring.  Many people will still buy it not knowing the backstory or not caring.

It doesn't feel like the end of an era to me - just the inevitable whimper of an organisation who lost the plot. 

 

 

 

 

Return to the Shire

 After a few busy, busy, busy weeks in Sussex and three incredibly packed and stressful days,  I was absolutely gagging to slow down a bit.

I weakened and suggested delaying our departure by a day or so just to regroup but we agreed it was probably best just to get on with it.  So, after a long, frustrating day starting to set up our new building we repaired to Wolf where we initially grumped that they didn't have precisely the line up of beers we would have liked.

Dear me -  we need to have a word with ourselves.  It had been a looooooonnnnnggggg week (on a Wednesday).

Thursday we did our usual schlep to station and the journey to Bristol was as simple as it can be - although we do still do a bit of "remember when the Victoria/Paddington journeys dovetailed?" nostalgia.  None of the trains or stations were busy.  We had about 25 minutes to wait at Paddington, but there were available seats on the concourse...unheard of.

 Obviously we tootled around the corner to the Barley Mow (there is no other first stop for us), our corner seat was vacant although there was some debris on the table.  As I slid into the seat, one of the blokes on the adjoining table shamefacedly removed the debris and apologized for leaving it there.  It made me smile, and immediately the last few days stresses started to melt.

BBF beers on cask are very grounding and 10 minutes into the first pint I definitely knew that travelling on Thursday was the right decision.  Highlight of this visit, though was a keg beer - collaboration between Hastings Project and Burning Sky (the irony, right?) to support Little Gate Farm in Sussex.  I'm looking forward to going to Hastings Project's new pub in St Leonards when we go back down south -  but that's for April and we were still in Bristol in February.

Friday saw us in Unwins and it's already starting to feel a bit less austere - and much more peopled.  A strong ruby mild was the absolute star of this visit.  The door being open was a bit of a buzzkill but as people started coming in from outside I asked Tom if it was OK for me to close the doors and then things cosied up a little bit.

Saturday I learned that Moor was back open when gigs were on, and there was a gig on.  It seemed rude not to and it was lovely to see a fair few people there well before gig-time.  The beer offering was solid enough (no cask reinstated yet) but we were delighted to see that proper "Hoppiness" was being offered - delicious.  New staff took over the bar after the first drink and we had a bit of a struggle with the concept of 2/3rds (they only have pint glasses) but we got there in the end and all was well.

Sunday - obviously Martha for games.  It was lovely to see Bryony and catch up with her.  Again the place was a little busier than we expected - but we loved the fact that it was.  Io, their cask beer is lovely and I think I then made the leap to a strong Black IPA and that was followed by a very strong guest beer.  Nice!

Monday is "review this document" day so the external "office" (aka the Barley Mow) was invoked.  There'd been a change of several beers so that went down well.

First "let's go somewhere different" venue was on Tuesday - we went The Bridge. QPA has become a solid beer I'm happy to drink, having previously been a bit of a Quantock "m'eh"ist.  Only pints/halves here - so we only had two - my second was a keg IPA which had a definite smoked barley taste.  Took a bit of getting used to but when it had warmed up a bit it definitely tasted better balanced - maybe a cask dispense might work better.  Himself had a dark porter - tasted a bit thinner than I'd have liked for 5% or so but pleasant, nonetheless.  We declared it a good visit with excellent use of the space by other punters (not always a given).  I also particularly enjoyed an overheard conversation relating to "Hardingtons" brewery and its relationship to "The Swan with Two Necks" back in the day.  If the conversation had been closer I may have chipped in with the TSWTN/Hardingtons/Bath Ales/St Austell connections - but I just reveled in the nostalgia a bit and realised how long I've been aware of the beer background scene in Bristol.

Wednesday it was sunny but quite cool.  We had hopes that the Cornubia's garden might offer a sunny patch for a short while - but it didn't.  So we grabbed a couple of pints and settled down at the corner of the biggest table in the place, sharing with a chap in the corner and then with another couple who came in later.  The beer here was much more exciting than we expected - with two cracking pints.

Thursday we were meeting family in Bath and I'd suggested The Raven. It remains a lovely pub although I would liked to have been able to have a less substantial lunch.  Just a couple of nice session pints although I believe there are indie craft beers - that wasn't the main aim of the visit.  Catching up with brother and wife was - and that was great.  They loved the pub (they'd not been before despite being regular Bath visitors). It was reasonably sunny when we left around 2.30pm and I'd promised the BBB that we could wander and test one of our old cameras which has been given some tlc around the light seal.  We hacked up to the Circus, round and down to Pultney Bridge and weir - then taking in the Abbey.  BBB was most impressed with the weir and we stood and just watched it for a bit.  

After that we took the opportunity to seek out Electric Bear's little taproom in Shire's Yard.  It has to be said, despite seeing entrances to the yard several times on our perambulations, we had a bugger of a job finding it again and when we got inside from the Milsom Street entrance - we had to do battle with the labyrinth to actually find the place.  Having their beers on keg rather than from cans was a nice luxury and also allowed us to recover both from the perambulations and the socialising.  On the way back, BBB was delighted to be able to track the incoming train from the platform's "staff information" board.  Once a geek..

We were both absolutely knackered by Thursday's antics so today has been a little quieter and I predict we'll be seeking out a quiet corner in a nearby place to end the week. 

 

Mild for the Time of Year

 Actually, it isn't really.

 Today and yesterday bright and clear...and fecking cold!  Even the frogs who have been doing a lot of practice nocturnal cavorting in the pond for a week or more seem to have taken refuge at the bottom for the time being.  Probably wise, frozen spawn doesn't have a good time of it.

After work on Friday we ambled, in the biting cold wind, towards Wolf without really discussing where we wanted to go...a pattern emerging, it seems.

We arrived maybe 20 minutes after opening time to find it pleasantly peopled.

The cask was Abyss Mild -  it's not style I drink much of these days and at 3.4% maybe not a first choice if there had been another style/strength of cask on offer.  All that said - it was absolutely gorgeous and we were both so pleased to have it.  The two pints disappeared quickly.

There's not always a vast range of things we want to try but there's always enough.  Second up decided that Lindemans Kriek (on keg) had to be tried but that we probably didn't want too much, so we shared 2/3rds of it along with a Downlands 4% pale.

Neither of us can ever remember which of the various krieks are very sweet and which have a more pronounced guezeness. Lindemans is very much the former, 3.8% (I think) but loads of body which probably comes from the sweetness.  It was like drinking very nice cherry pop, properly fruity and with a really nice acidic tang. 
 

The 4% Downlands beer, though really nice, balanced and well-made felt a tad thin when contrasting with the kriek.

To finish I had a stronger Downlands (Fire up the lasers...?) pale and himself went with Ascension Cider (Mothership) which he greatly likes.

 This place continues to bring it for us.  Friendly staff, other punters not too annoying, a little bit chilly perhaps but a solid addition to the beer scene in Eastbourne (thank goodness).  When we work closer to this part of town, we'll probably start going on other days of the week. 

 

  

So it's not just me...

 ...I was reading a preview blog post from the splendid Boak and Bailey (it'll arrive on their main blog later in the week).

It's really great to see that they, like us, are not seeing the usual January lull.

OK, maybe it will just defer, but even so - in a very seasonal place, like Eastbourne, deferring of a "locals" lull a bit, will help until visitors help pick up some slack.

This week we've had 

Beak, Track and Pomona Island at Beerarama

Beerme IPA at the Belgian Cafe with a little taste of a silly-strong chestnut ale

Something from Burnt Mill, in Wolf, which I thought was glorious but incredibly grapefruity and I think would probably divide the crowd (BBB didn't love it) - loved it enough that I had two.

Yesterday, we decided to watch the rugby in the Crown where they had three guest beers on (in addition to Harveys Best and Landlord) - certainly enough to make decisions really hard. Three Acre single hop, Burning Sky stout and Kent Prohibition.

It was incredibly busy (OK, Six Nations, Saturday...) and a really enjoyable few hours - supported by lovely gravity-served (I know, I know, but I like it on gravity) fresh cask ale: perfect! 

When I went to get our second beers, I was served by the boss, Andy - "planning for the rugby, then?" - "yeah", he said "thought there might be a fair bit drunk.  He wasn't wrong.  We have a couple of weeks ahead of weekend rugby - I wonder what he'll have next?

The Excitement of Anticipation

 I've noticed a definite uptick in pubs and bars I like (more in Bristol than Eastbourne, but still a couple of our local faves) doing Insta posts showing what beer they have on.

Not sure whether this is just a new person on their socials, whether it's around concerns that in January people might not remember to go there for beer or something else entirely.

But I love it. 

I downloaded and use the absolutely dire "Real Ale Finder" app which almost no one is on (but two of our local haunts and the local 'spoons are)  - it crashes more than it runs but, crucially did drive a last minute change of venue last Friday when The Crown had two (count 'em) guest casks on.  Still - a pseudo useful resource to ensure we're not too disappointed...

In craft places the cadence of keg changes is quite slow so if they don't have loads on we want to try, it's useful to know that.

Knowing what beers a place has on is definitely a way to make me go there, even if my plans have to change.  But does it lose the element of surprise?

Well, maybe but then there's also the hour or so before when I already know what my first drink will be when the anticipation itself is a good feeling.

After 40 years of drinking beer - it still has the ability to excite (and disappoint) but it's never "just a beer". 

The First Pint

 Yesterday was overcast but still.  Today was forecast to be horribly wet all day (a forecast proving to be accurate at the moment).

We were working from home (more bloody charitable funding bids, since you didn't ask), the same today.

It seemed sensible to get out of the house before we'd need an ark so we strolled down to the oldest bit of Old Town.

We'd been to the Crown on Friday and had excellent Bessemer Blonde (Blue Bee) and  Independence (BBF) but, according to Real Ale Finder nothing new on.  So, instead we went to The Lamb, undoubtedly the oldest pub/inn in Eastbourne - and currently the most reliable Harveys house in the town.

I've said before that, despite it's near legendary status, Harveys isn't my favourite brewery but I completely understand the appeal (much Cantillon).  Anyhow, when in The Lamb, you drink Harveys.

We tend to avoid Best these days, even though the BBB's early drinking was dominated by it so we had Armada.  We settled into a cosy seat and caught up on the day.

Within 35mins his first pint had all but disappeared and even mine had a hefty dent in it: given our usual drinking rate this it quite unusual - and especially so with Harveys.  Clearly it was VERY good.

Actually, this morning, I can't remember what it was about the Armada that was so good - maybe it was just so perfectly balanced that it slipped down - much like a really good cup of tea (Darjeeling, black, hot).

The follow up print of Old was more memorably glorious, as it happens but that first pint... 

 

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.