ON THE SUBJECT OF HANGOVER RESEARCH.

There was report in the media over the weekend about a group of scientists with nothing else to do, who had surveyed over 800 subjects and came up with the result that a hangover is caused by too much alcohol. The conclusion was reached, no alcohol, no hangover !  They could have saved their money and rang me up, I could have told them that.

Several cures for a hangover were dismissed as a waste of time. One was drinking a lot of water. Now I've tried this one. Taking a pint of water to bed after a few doesn't work for me for the following reasons :-

1. I fall asleep after having two gulps.

2. I wake up during the night bursting for a pee as a result of item 1.

3. As a result of 2, I reach out to grab my specs and knock the remains of the glass of water over, thus spending the next ten minutes , under muttered oaths,wiping up the mess and praying I didnt wake Mrs Ken, and that the mobile didn't take a hit.

Now because I drink mostly real ale , I usually don't wake up with a headache these days  just a bit tired after items 2 and 3 above. 

NOSTALGIA AT TAN HILL INN

We recently had a day out in Wensleydale in North Yorkshire, spending a couple of hours at the scenic Aysgarth Falls.  Rather than have a drink in one of the local pubs we decided to drive up  onto the moors and call in  to the Tan Hill Inn some 22 miles away.

 
Now this 17th century inn is  famous for being the highest pub in the UK. It is literally in the middle of nowhere. It has also featured in a national double glazing advertisement campaign, and was snowed in a couple of winters ago causing , I imagine, one hell of a lock in !

What isn't widely known is an event that happened in 1973 that I will always remember. 

Back then I used to go fell walking about once a month with some mates. Typically, we would drive to a point about 2 hours from a pub, park up, walk to the pub, have a few beers then stagger back to the car. On this fateful day we decided to walk part of the Pennine Way, covering about 8 miles from Bowes in County Durham  to the Tan Hill Inn.

Now you have to appreciate in those days, there  was no internet, social media, mobile phones and only three TV channels with limited news output. These were also the days of restricted opening hours, with pubs generally closing at 3pm and reopening at 6pm.

We timed it to get to the pub for about noon, and had the foresight to pack sandwiches. There is always a sense of anticipation when nearing a pub, something that stays with me to this day. So following the map, we trudged over the moors towards Tan Hill. The nearer we got the more alarmed we became as we couldn't see it anywhere. Then we rounded a rocky outcrop and the truth dawned. The bloody thing had BURNT DOWN !!.

We flopped down against a dry stone wall , utterly despondent and swearing profusely. We had no choice but to eat our sarnies and headed back to the car, sober !!

Fast forward to the present. Driving up from Wensleydale you cross the wild moors of Buttertubs Pass and Stonesdale till the pub comes into view on the horizon. Although sunny and warm, nothing prepared us for the howling gale when we opened the car doors.The Inn sign was swinging and creaking like a scene from Jamaica Inn or Poldark. 

There are several rooms inside either side of the central bar. Six handpulls are normally in use, mostly serving beers from Theakstons    ( Lightfoot and Old Peculier ) and Black Sheep ( Riggwelter and Black Sheep Special ). I went straight for the Old Peculier.

There is something deeply satisfying about sitting in an old comfortable armchair in this old inn, drinking this famous old ale.

Several photographs adorn the walls, mostly about the pub's links to the mining days, and the snow drifts. Actually on the latter, the pub has its own snow mobile, with the words Old Peculier emblazoned across the front. I noticed there was no reference to the 1973 fire. The guy behind the bar was too busy to ask and besides,  too young to remember.

After trying some Black Sheep Special Ale , we reluctantly got up to leave.    " Mind the step" said Mrs Ken , so I immediately  banged my head on the low doorway.

When we arrived home I checked the fire event on the pub' s website....nothing. There is only a brief mention in an old Yorkshire Post article which can be seen by scrolling halfway down the attached article.

 http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/yorkshire-living/health-family/pub-that-set-the-bar-high-1-6066255

The pub has a customer feedback form so that's getting filled in after I've posted this.

One final thing. The pub were pushing a new beer by Theakstons called Peculier IPA. I quickly discovered it was keg so didn't bother. Have just checked , its a dark pale ale. Work that one out.

 

THE CARLISLE STATE MANAGEMENT SCHEME

Mrs Ken and myself had a recent day trip to Carlisle. We parked up in a large car park located between the Castle and the West Coast Main Line. Glancing across to the line in the hope of spotting a train going passed, I noticed a long two story brick building with the words THE CARLISLE OLD BREWERY COMPANY LIMITED displayed on it. 

"Look at that " I exclaimed, "its the old Theakstons brewery". Blank look from Mrs Ken. " You know, the Carlisle State Management Scheme ?"   This time a look like I had grown a second head. 

Never mind,  it was time to refresh my memory as to when and how this scheme started and ended. So this is a brief history.

During the first World War there were large munitions factories in Gretna just over the Scottish border  As beer for Gretna was brewed in Carlisle, to discourage the workers there from drinking too much, in 1916 the UK Government took over the brewing, distribution and sale of all booze in the Carlisle area. Two other parts of the UK were affected, Enfield and Cromarty Firth. Carlisle was the largest and is the most well known.

Included in the scheme was restricted opening hours, the forbidding of buying a round of drinks and the refurbishment ( and sometimes demolition) of pubs in the area. There was even a style of pub designed which affected the design of pubs in UK.

In 1971 the then Government decided to privatise the scheme, with Theakstons buying the brewery. This lasted until 1987 when the it closed due to financial reasons, with production being transferred to Newcastle.

The Old Carlisle Brewery complex is now student accommodation.

Every pub still open in Carlisle that is over 30 years old was in the scheme. In fact the first I ever visited in the city, back in the 90's,  was a former state management pub, the Milbourne Arms.

A few years ago, on a pub crawl, we enjoyed the beer and the surroundings of  the Kings Head in the centre  and The Boardroom next to the cathedral.  

Now, a splendid initiative called THE STATE MANAGEMENT STORY has been launched , the link of which can be found here. http://thestatemanagementstory.org/ 

As well as a comprehensive history, there are details of  a pub trail, the impact the scheme had on the rest of the UK,  and other useful information. They are asking if anyone has more information to contact them via the website.