LOCAL REAL ALE GUIDES

When I was at school my favourite subject was Geography, and maps in particular. In fact I was a bit of a nerd, and still am. So no surprise I've got maps all over the place. The first thing to do when going off on non-local pub crawl is print off a map. Mrs Ken has given up rolling her eyes now. Besides, when I'm driving, she's a skilled map reader and the navigator. 

( don't go any further - ed)  

Anyhow, with my interest in pubs and beer it seemed natural to combine town maps and pubs. So here are 3 recently produced Real Ale Guides - for South Shields, Sunderland & Washington which I hope may be useful

Click here to access guides and download from the Sunderland & Sth Tyneside CAMRA website.

 

THREE HANDPULLS ALL THE SAME

Yesterday afternoon as it got out sunny I decided to go for a walk. Now this wasnt intentional but I ended up veering towards a pub I hardly go in, A Toby Carvery. I thought , why not , lets see what they've got !

Three handpulls - good sign. All three - Sharps Doom Bar. Hmm  So after careful consideration I ordered a half  - no need to go overboard, as had to try the other 2 next !. I asked the barman why 3 ?

"Because we dont sell that much and we only put one keg on at a time"

While I stood trying to decipher this cryptic message, he then said " but it is becoming more popular". The he added, as if running out of anything to say - " not my decision mate"

I sat down and mulled over the inexorable rise of Doom Bar. It is everywhere and is apparently the top selling cask in the UK. Now I remember trying it for the first time over ten years ago in a pub beer festival near where I live when it wasnt very well known. Most people at the festival, including me,   raved about it.  This is new , this is different. 

These days I always try new beers when I can , so I tend not to drink Doom Bar, this one was just OK. We are off to Cornwall ( where it is brewed). May be difficult to avoid.

Back to the three handpulls concept. Some pubs, usually Spoons with a long bar , duplicate beers at each end. I remember a few years another pub, The Burn , had 3 Hobgoblin handpulls - again spoilt for choice !

Maybe it was the same landlord !!

 

IN SEARCH OF OLD JOCK

PART ONE 

One of life's pleasures is drinking strong beer. A pox on dry January and 1 unit a day ( or whatever it is now). 

One of my beer books is "300 beers To Try Before You Die". In the Old Ales, Barley Wines and Vintage Ales chapter is Broughton Old Jock. This is a magnificent 6.7% wee heavy and brewed near Peebles.

Now my daughter works in Glasgow so about 3 years ago when visiting I spotted a bottle of the aforesaid beer in  Asda. So brought a couple home with me. This has a rich ruby red colour with strong fruity taste. ( very much like Owd Rodger)  Since then I invariably get some for birthday/fathers day/Xmas.

But I have never seen it in draught ; until now

PART TWO 

So its a dark Sunday night at the end of January. Heading up the bus stop when most folks are settling down to watch Call the Midwife or Vera. A 30 minute bus journey finds me on New Road Boldon, with a fifteen minute walk ahead of me uphill to East Boldon. 

I had arranged a rendezvous in the Mid Boldon Club with a fellow CAMRA member. He had ordered Old Jock and other Broughton ales before Xmas and the one I wanted was on and ready !! 

Being early, I decided on a pint in the Grey Horse nearby. Would have gone into the Black Bull which was nearer but two empty handpulls ; no chance !!

Spotted a couple of other CAMRA mates in the Grey Horse chatting so sat and had a natter. Turns out they were going my way. One had a heavy Asda shopping bag.

"Whats in the bag then ?"  " food" was the reply.

Seemed reasonable, food in a Asda shopping bag, but at 8 o clock at Sunday night ? 

Anyhow we set off for the club and a welcome sight, an Old Jock handpull, at £2.50 a pint !

Plonking our selves down the contents of the Asda bag were revealed and placed on the table ; some mini pork pies, a pack of mini sausages, a pack of pickle and some dodgy looking orange spicy cheese. 

"Ive just had my tea before I left the house, I'm stuffed"

"Well we do this every Sunday night"

Then the guy I was due to meet turned up with more food and soon the table was covered with cheeses, crackers, mustard etc. A right feast ensued as other CAMRA members turned up for this weekly Sunday night ritual. Do you not get fed at home guys ?

Anyhow, after the Old Jock a pint of Broughton Blonde was enjoyed. I say enjoyed, but the strong 6.7% beer had tainted my taste buds so lost the taste of the Blonde. Never mind, and conscious of the time, had a half of Old Jock then set off to get my bus.  Walking past the Black Bull and its empty handpulls, couldn't help noticing the near emptiness of the pub, stark contrast to the popularity of the Grey Horse. 

Good real ale gets bums on seats.

  

A CAMRA MEETING WITH A HEALTH WARNING

Last week we held our first CAMRA branch meeting of the year in Ship Isis in Sunderland. Now this is a great pub and sells excellent real ales and ciders. As you walk in the  bar is on the right, a staircase in front and a snug to the left. 

Normally we have had meetings in the snug, and you can see the room ( this shows a third of it) is fairly large and comfortable for meetings. However, on this occasion we were directed upstairs to a smaller sitting room. ( and I mean smaller- ie what you can see in the photo). I was one of the first ones in so managed to get a comfy chair. There was a fire burning away warming the room up nicely. The meeting started with a full room, no spare seats.

After 10 minutes , in comes another member, who had to grab a stool from another room. He perched near the door. After another 10 minutes, someone else arrived. He had to sit on the marble surround of the fireplace.

Halfway through we were starting to sweat. One guy took of his Christmas present jumper and soon we were gagging for another pint.

The guy on the stool opened the door and we all hurriedly left onto the landing. It reminded me of the crowded cabin  scene from the Marx Brothers film, A Night at the Opera, when a steward opened the door and everyone spilled out. 

During this mini heatwave no one could figure out how to turn the fire off. A busker had started singing in the bar downstairs which was drowning us out with the door open. Soon the manager arrived to turn the fire down.

Towards the end of the meeting someone remarked, quite prophetically...." this room is a breeding ground for colds"

Where is that tissue box.

   

BEER BEST BEFORE END DATES

My birthday is exactly 5 weeks before Christmas Day. So for my birthday I always get several bottles of beer from family and friends. Then 5 weeks later  , I get a lot more from the family so at the moment I have 30 bottles stashed away in various cupboards. A lot of them have been brought down from Glasgow, which is no bad thing !

Now I don't have trouble drinking these beers , what I do have trouble with is sometimes trying to read the best before end dates. It really is an eye straining exercise these days as I get older - I am very shorted sighted !   The number of times I have to hold a bottle up to the light, or even open the back door and stand in the garden to see the bloody thing.

Some beers thankfully print the end date on the label. Most say " Best Before End - See Neck " or "See bottle top". Its the See Neck ones that invariably do my head in . Usually the printing is so tiny, faded or badly printed I have to remove my specs and peer with one eye shut  about an inch from the bottle, slowly turning it round in the light. 

If some brewers manage to get the date on the label, why can't they all. So here are my awards for the best and worst for dates that are not printed on the label. .

Worst - Inveralmond Brewery Edinburgh Pale Ale. On the label it says " best before see shoulder" 

No it doesn't !  I  cannot find the bloody date anywhere !

Confusing - Fullers 1845 . the date appears to be printed in Klingon just below the bar code. Although if I narrow my eyes sufficiently enough it could be 1st  Dec 2019 ?? 

And the winner is - Robinsons Old Tom   I can actually see this one without squinting or taking it outside ( its under the  M of TOM). Well done.

End of first rant of 2018. Getting eye strain; time for a beer. Happy new year !

    😡