BEER FESTIVAL GLASS

I was having a clear out of one of my cupboards the other day, the one with loads of beer glasses in. Stuck in the back was this one, which I had forgotten all about.

The Great Tyneside Beer Festival 1973

I have to say I haven't a clue how I got it ; Ive been racking my brains over Xmas. It was either given to me as a present  or I visited the festival and got so blotto its wiped from my memory.

A fellow CAMRA mate has thankfully come to my rescue as he has  hazy recollections of the day.  This wasn't a real ale festival, there was precious little of the stuff in those days.  It was held in a large marquee at Gosforth Park -  Newcastle Racecourse. 

He recalls going to see if he could get some Australian beer to welcome a new cricket professional, Australian  Bob Thomas, to the South Shields Cricket Club. At that time - 1973 -  Fosters and Castlemaine 4X were quite rare in this country so the objective was to buy as much of the stuff as he could with what little money he had. 

He has vague memories of the festival being a total cock-up and meeting the organiser who was dressed in a sheepskin coat and looking very flustered ( sounds like Arthur Daley - Ed). He  was at the end of his tether when he met him. Desperate for any amount of money, hence his "How much money have you got to spend?" 

I have a friend who now lives in OZ , he keeps coming back on visits every 5 years or so. One year, as a welcome, one of us bought him a can of Fosters. He rolled his eyes and said " no one drinks Fosters Lager in Australia". They have inflicted it on us but don't drink the stuff themselves ! 

Anyhow, back to the glass. I googled "Great Tyneside Beer Festival 1973" and the results only show memorabilia of the day. So there is what appears to be a beer mat from Federation Brewery ( remember them ?) advertising a  7.3% beer. Some wit - and I'm being generous with that description , has suggested I was drinking that all day, hence the memory loss !

The truth is out there somewhere.

REVIEW OF 2016

Last night the BBC held their Sports Personality of the Year Awards. As usual, I didnt watch it . So to celebrate that fact, here are my own awards,  beer related awards, in no particular order.

Best beer at 11 o clock in the morning goes to Theakstons Old Peculier in The Black Swan Bedale. Some say Old Peculier doesn't travel. Bedale is less than seven miles from Theakstons Brewery and, considering it was pulled 1 minute after opening time, it was perfect. So good in fact that I had 2 pints. This made the rest of the pub crawl I was doing with some mates that day a bit of a blur. Not, however enough to forget our last pub ( see next award)  :

Best Pub to take over and have a private karaoke was Tullulahs. Hidden down an alley off Bedale Market place, the manager spotted the 7 of us lurking outside so let us in. Soon an Elvis karaoke session was in full swing. Captured on video for prosperity ****   

The Smallest Pub visited in 2016 was The Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds. The place was rammed with 15 drinkers. Good pint of Abbott Ale as well.

The Largest Pub visited in 2016 was The Corn Exchange, bizarrely across the street from the Nutshell. a Wetherspoons, the main entrance was up some stone steps , at the top which was a small sign :- " disabled entrance round the side".  It couldn't be seen from the bottom of the steps !  

Best pub building of 2016  This has to be the Philharmonic Dining Rooms in Liverpool. The sheer splendour of the interior just takes your breath away. 

You're not too old to get a bollocking off the landlord award goes to one of my mates, who cant be named for legal reasons ( the case comes up in January ). 

We were doing a pub crawl in Gosforth , Newcastle. On entering our 5th pub(which goes some way towards explaining this), the Gosforth Hotel, we discovered an unused quiet back room with no staff in . The guilty party "accidentally" walked through the bar hatch ( well,  that will be the main case for the defence) and pretended to serve the drinks. 

" You shouldn't be behind there !" this voice shouted out from the main bar. There were 7 of us so he let us stay.

Quietest Pub in 2016 - On our 2nd family visit to Glasgow, planned to coincide with the Glasgow Beer Festival, I arranged to meet a former colleague in the Clutha which was next door to the venue. This was the pub that saw a helicopter crash on its roof in 2013. Eerie.

Worst Noise of 2016 - for the second year running this accolade goes to the Caledonian Brewery Bagpipe Band at the above beer festival. Even some of the local CAMRA guys were moaning on about it.

Worst drink of 2016 - at the Sunderland Octoberfest I braved a half of Beetroot and Orange Cider. Never again !

Most dedicated punter at a beer festival. Ive been to a few this year , and worked behind the bar at the Sunderland Octoberfest. One guy on arrival headed straight for the left end of the bar , declaring he was working his way along. It was great seeing him come up as I could get ready behind the appropriate beer. As the session wore on , his walk was less direct , until at one point he forgot where he had got up to. I couldn't help him by now as I was still recovering from the beetroot cider . After number 10, never saw him again. 

Surprise of the year - we try and visit Whitby once a year. Great pubs, great beer and steam trains !. There was onepulling into the station as we arrived so walked into the station entrance to catch a glimpse. Immediately screeched to a halt, with Mrs Ken bumping into me. The old waiting room was now a micropub, appropriately called The Waiting Room. Great ales and company. Went back a second time to listen to some folk music.    

 

Best city for a pub crawl 2016 - Given that we visited the place three times, it has to be Glasgow. A lot like Newcastle, there are discreet areas to have a crawl with loads of great people and boozers. 

Best food photo 2016. On our third and last Glasgow trip , drove down to Largs on the Ayrshire coast for the best ice cream ever ( £14.95 in Nardinis)

Best pub of 2016. There have been many good pubs Ive been in this year, some of which are mentioned  above. Now, every Tuesday night we go to a quiz in Durham, and before it starts 2 of us nip into The Station House for a quick half. Its one of those places where you never know which beers are going to be on until you walk in , but one of them will be a dark beer, which suits me. I would present the award when I can find one ! 

Most eagerly awaited drink of 2016 will be Fyne Ales Sublime Stout. Over Easter, on our first trip up north, the car mysteriously found its way up the Clyde coast , along Loch Fyne and up a farm track to the Fyne Ales brewery. Ive been keeping this 750ml bottle for New Years Eve.

So 2016. Some great pubs and pub crawls. 

Added Liverpool to my list of favourite pub crawl cities. Several beer festivals , again !. As usual managed to find some great beer and already looking forward to a busy 2017.  

*** Do a search for "Completely Directionless" then videos if nothing better to do with your life

STATION HOUSE BIRTHDAY BASH

I always look forward to December and the many possible social activities that present themselves during the festivities. The weather may be crap and it gets dark too early but there is nothing like a few seasonal drinking and eating sessions to raise one's spirits.

Such an event happened last night in Durham. I received an invite a few weeks ago ( well it's who you know!) to attend the Station House pub’s first birthday party. I drink there most Tuesday nights, having a quick half before heading over the road for a pub quiz.  

Four real ales and four real ciders are always available and a running total of ale and ciders sold since opening is kept on a blackboard.    
(I wonder where that idea came from ?) 

Although most probably out of date as I type,  410 casks have been sold , with 343 different beers from  114 breweries. 

Among the beers on last night were Gt Heck Black Santa, Orkney Red McGregor, Osset New Generation IPA ( at a cheek sucking 7%) and a mystery beer. Guess the name and win a prize ! I had a go but don't hold out any hope of winning. Didn't recognise the taste at all. Anyhow, the prize was a gift pack of Durham bottle conditioned beers, just like one I had bought two days earlier !

 

As I intended having a few last night I thought I would cross over to the Dark Side and try a cider. I don’t normally drink the stuff, probably because of a bad experience at our recent Sunderland beer festival ; Beetroot and Orange ! Never again, it was bloody awful ; smelt and tasted like a beetroot sarni.  I opted for Rhubarb Cider this time. Not bad at all, fairly sweet and not overpowering, in fact I could hardly taste any rhubarb at all.

Now some nights when I go into the Station House ,  there is a dog belonging to one of the punters lying around looking bored. So when I was handed the invite , on the bottom  it said, “ Nibbles will also be available”  Naturally you assume it’s the name of the dog, but no!  A fine spread was put on as part of the celebration. 

Usually at local beer festivals you spot some local brewers. For the first time that I can recall this was the first pub event;  with at least 3 local brewers ( Arcane Bridge, Errant and Durham). That and the fact several CAMRA members from three local branches were there meant a good night was had by all.  

Fantastic beer ( & cider) and food.  Already looking forward to same time next year 👍👎?

CAMRA ANGLE WINTER 2016

The Winter edition of CAMRA Angle , the quarterly magazine of the Sunderland and South Tyneside branch of CAMRA, has  just been published. Copies will soon be distributed to real ale pubs throughout the area , and beyond. 

As usual , this is another  packed issue and well worth a read.  

This edition looks back on the Sunderland Octoberfest with  a belated award presentation to Darwin Brewery and charity cheque presentation to the local RNLI. Another award presentation goes to The Steamboat as Regional Pub of the Year.

A regular section is a news update on pubs and breweries in the branch as well as Locale pubs and those that offer discounts. There is a feature article about the Society for the Preservation of Beer from the Wood.

There are articles from our roving reporters in Barcelona ( again) , Liverpool, Alnwick, London and York.Once again  CAMRA Angle travels the world.  

There is no pub walk this issue, based on the fact no one would be mad enough to walk it this weather. However, the feature will return in the spring.

This issue features the Biddick Inn in Washington and  some local anonymous writer shows us the boot of his car 

Issue 45 is rounded off by a  pub quiz and where am I.

Oh and not forgetting the Shetland Dragon !!

If you cant find a copy, follow this link to download your own,  and for more branch news. .http://sst.camra.org.uk/

 

And remember, accept no imitations.  

FANCY DRESS AS FIDEL CASTRO

The announcement of the death of Fidel Castro reminded me of a time way back in the 70s when a group of us attended a fancy dress party.  I think I went dressed as a court jester but unsure on that one ( so it must have been a good night !) but most of us were assembled in the Cross Keys Washington when in walks a tallish guy dressed as Fidel Castro.

He wore an army uniform with cap, and a long beard. Most of us ignored him as we didnt know who he was.

Some of us asked, " so wheres Davy then ?" The lone figure then proceeded to remove his hat to reveal a familiar ginger mop, then pulled out the beard on its elastic. It was Davy ! The disguise was so good none recognised him. We still talk about it to this day.

At the same do my mate and his girl friend came dressed as mice ( I know, just use your imagination !) We left the Cross Keys and headed along Washington Village Green to the Washington Arms. Bursting for a pee, Mr Mouse headed for the gents. He was standing there at the urinal relieving himself when in walked someone who wasn't in our group. He just stopped and stared at my mate, who turned to him and said

" Whats the matter, have you never seen a mouse have a piss before ?"

True story.

 

SAMUEL ADAMS

Samuel Adams Boston Lager was launched by the Boston Beer Company, USA in 1985 and was an instant success in the states. It is often said that this event kick started the country's microbrewery explosion that continues to this day. 

A recent birthday present reminded me of the time I first drank this excellent beer.

Happy Birthday to me

We were on a family holiday in Florida in 1993. The hotel we were staying in sold Budweiser and Miller Lite, hardly inspiring stuff. Across the street was a Seven Eleven,  so I had a look around around, desperate for something different. I spotted these bottles of Samuel Adams Boston Lager, with the words, "Best Beer in America" on the label. Intrigued, I bought a couple. They were absolutely gorgeous.This is an amber beer which has a nice malty taste which is quite distinctive.

This one on of the few occasions when I can remember when and where I was when I drank a particular beer. Needless to say, I was a regular in that Seven Eleven for the rest of the holiday.

Fast forward about 8 years. We booked a holiday in Cape Cod, Massachusetts and started our trip in Boston, staying a few nights in the Lenox Hotel which, by a remarkable coincidence was the city's brewery tap for the Sam Adams Brewery. 

Some quick research revealed that the brewery was a short subway ride from the city centre to the suburb of Stonybrook. So, leaving the family to some shopping, I set off. I remember walking through deserted back streets to get to the brewery in south east Boston ; wouldn't have done it in the dark !

 
Now Sam Adams beers are sold all over the US and I quickly learned that most are not brewed in Boston, but contract brewed throughout the US. The Boston site is used as an experimental brewery to create new brews. 

Still, the tour was excellent and we were treated to several brews served in jugs.  I was sitting at a table with some student types who looked barely 21 ( the legal  drinking age  in the US). They were sipping their beers , me I was knocking it back !.

" If you don't want the rest I'll have it"

I bought several souvenirs including a T shirt which I still have, albeit with more holes in it than when I acquired it.

 
It was a hot day so when the tour finished I headed back to the hotel and straight down to the basement bar. My Sam Adams drink barely touched the sides.

No photos exist of this occasion ( pre-digital era) so luckily , a few years ago my daughter visited the brewery and sent me some photos which brought back many memories. ( see above)

Now Sam Adams Boston Lager is common in many supermarkets and pubs but at the time it was a novelty in the UK. For some years now it has been brewed under license at Shepherd Neames brewery in Kent and doesn't quite taste it did in the US.

As recent as July this year I enjoyed a few pints of Blonde Ambition in The Steps Washington , brewed for American Independence Day.

When I had that first drink of the Boston Lager over 25 years ago little did I know that this was just at the start in the rise of  micro breweries in the USA to challenge the dominant position of the dreaded Bud.

        

    

A MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR OR BRAHMS AND LISZT IN LIVERPOOL

For some time now I have always wanted to visit The Philharmonic Dining Rooms in Liverpool. This fantastic show pub features in the book , Britain's Best Real Heritage Pubs. Since I read the book about 2 years ago this visit has been on my bucket list. 

Recently Transpennine had their annual Club 55 offer on , to travel anywhere on their network in England for £29 return. So a trip with Mrs Ken was booked from the North East to Liverpool, with an overnighter near the World Heritage Site, Albert Dock. By a sheer coincidence (honest) our hotel was 2 minutes walk from Liverpool's only micro pub- The Baltic Fleet.
 
Now those that read the Good Beer Guide (GBG) regularly will know that there are only 5 pubs in the UK that have featured in every issue of the guide. Two are in London, one near Cambridge, one in Dorset and one in Liverpool - The Roscoe Head. By chance , you walk past the Roscoe to get to the Philly. So that forms the basis of a pub crawl.

But first food. The Lime Kiln, a Wetherspoons, is a regular entry in the GBG. It was on the way and was a good choice with ten handpulls and, more importantly, 2 stouts available. I reckon Scousers must like their dark beers. Respect.  So after a hot curry and a couple of well kept stouts, it was off to the Philly.

Took this picture the next morning on way to train

By this time it was dark but the pub is huge and not difficult to miss. The place is actually jaw dropping. You are confronted by ornate plasterwork, stained glass, engraved copper panels and mosaics. 


Two small snugs are called Brahms and Liszt

Entrance to the Grande Lounge

in between the splendid Grande Lounge. Sitting in this room on a Chesterfield sofa, I imagined it to be a gentleman's club, sitting reading the Times and supping a port. I was half expecting Sherlock Holmes to walk in, until Mrs Ken reminded me he was not a real person. Doh !

I had read about the gents so paid a visit  , which did not disappoint ( see picture). Must be the best gents loo in the country,

Unfortunately the beer quality did not match the quality of the pub. My first pint (Stewart's 80/-) was on the turn and my alternative was not chilled.  So after 1 pint, and having to prise the wife off the chesterfield, it was down the street to the Roscoe Head.

It was reported ** about two years ago that this local had an uncertain future, having being sold to another pubco, which was threatening it with closure and conversion. A campaign and petition has so far kept the place open but for how long ? I asked the barmaid about this who confirmed the threat was still there. 

She was very impressed that we were interested." Have you come all the way from Newcastle just to visit us ?"
"Er Sunderland, do you mind ?" 

The Bell Push !!

Again a great pub with 6 handpulls and a bell push. I pointed this out to the wife, who said with female logic " why have one when its next to the bar servery ?" Good point. Anyone, a cosy warm  pub where everyone seemed to be drinking real ale. A nice comfortable atmosphere.

By now it was getting on and I was interested in finding the Baltic before we crashed out. So it was a lengthy walk through back streets down to Albert Dock and our last pub. I have never seen a pub  with so many doors. I lost count after four. Needless to say the entrance would be the fourth one we tried. 

A fairly quiet place that has a micro brewery ( Wapping Brewery) in the cellar. They used to brew 5 beers but are now down to 1, called Summer Ale and available all year round. Given that it didnt have far to travel, this was a very well kept drink to finish off the evening with.

Reflecting on the four pubs I have reached the following conclusion.

Best pub in order of beer quality  - Lime Kiln, Baltic Fleet, Roscoe Head, Philharmonic
Best pub in order of interior - Philharmonic, Roscoe Head, Baltic Fleet, Lime Kiln.

As you would expect in a large city, there are many boozers to chose from. If you haven't been, I would thoroughly recommend it but do your research. 

This goes in my book as a great drinking city, alongside Glasgow, Newcastle,  Manchester and Durham. 

To read more about the Philly, follow this link :-

Philharmonic Dining Rooms 

**This is from the Liverpool Echo about the Roscoe Head

Roscoe Head Campaign       

ON THE SUBJECT OF SPILLING A PINT.

A couple of nights ago we attended our regular Tuesday night quiz in the Bridge Hotel Durham. Before proceedings began  3 of us ordered 3 pints of Holt's 2 Hoots ( 6 Hoots?). Sitting down with about 10 minutes to the start of the quiz one of the guys tapped his nearly full pint with his fingernail ( or so he claimed). 

I didnt see the actual event as was looking the other way , but suddenly the glass just exploded into multiple fragments. The entire contents flooded across the table like a mini tsunami. None of us got our clothes wet but the floor was a mini lake. The 2 barmaids swiftly and professionally swung into action and soon order was restored. It seemed just like a sniper had taken a potshot from one of the houses opposite. or indeed a reenactment of a scene from Poltergeist or Ghostbusters. Bizarre.

Now everyone usually manages to knock a drink over. I remember last year, again at the quiz night in the same pub , knocking a nearly full glass over and soaking my mate sitting next to me. Unfortunately he was wearing light coloured pants and it looked just like he had pissed himself.

A few years ago at the Great British Beer Festival I was meeting up, as usual, with a group of ex work mates and as I was first there, at around noon, I thought I would treat myself to a bottle of American bottled stout. Called Rogue Shakespeare Stout I would ordinarily have said it was absolutely gorgeous. Sadly not to be. 

I accidentally knocked my glass over and the contents went all over the bar, soaking beer mats, leaflets and a bit of me. The CAMRA volunteer behind just looked at me with some sympathy but never said a word. He must have thought I was pissed but it was to have been the first drink of the day ( honest). The bottle was too expensive to buy another one.

Even Mrs Ken has got in on the act. Returning to USA beers, my favourite is Samuel Adams Boston Lager ** . I had bought 2 bottles in one supermarket and , coming through the checkouts of another supermarket, she took them out of the trolley as we weren't paying for them. The bag slipped through her hand and crashed to the floor. There was no mess, it was all contained in the shopping bag. She has since been banned from carrying my beer.

And finally, for those with a nervous disposition, look away now. Many years ago, when I was a medium  T Shirt size, we were drinking with friends in the Biddick in Washington and I spilled a pint over my mates missus.  A week later we had a small get together at our house , and to stop her moaning on about it , let her pour a pint of my home brew over my head as an act of revenge.

 

   ** To be featured in future posting

A DAY IN ALNWICK

About 4 times a year a group of us, under duress, travel to a local town and partake of a pub crawl. We had been discussing Alnwick, Northumberland for some time. It was always about the getting there. The nearest station is Alnmouth, which is not in Alnmouth and 15 minutes from Alnwick. The trouble was the connection times between train and bus were never coordinated. An executive decision was made to get the bus, a 1 hour 20 minute ride. 

So after a customary breakfast in a Newcastle Wetherspoons ( Five Swans), we all piled onto the bus and sat upstairs at the back like a group of schoolkids.

Now, most of the pubs in Alnwick open at noon. One exception is The Fleece which opens half an hour before the rest. There was a bus stop nearby so it seemed logical to start there. Encouraged by the Cask Marque sign on the wall outside, the pub didn’t disappoint. I had a great pint of Credance Pale  Ale  from  one of the many microbreweries that keep springing up in Northumberland. 

So after a pint and a chat it was round the corner and up a slight hill to the Tanners Arms. This would turn out to be my favourite pub of the day, if only for its sheer quirkiness.

From a distance the pub looked like a large corner house and inside you are met with a small bar counter on the left looking out into a single room. Each table had gold plated legs and in the centre of the room was this strange plant sculpture . 

The toilets are worth a mention. They are entered through two green sliding doors,  for gents and ladies. The gent’s door has a weight attached which returns the door automatically once you are in. Unfortunately there is another door that opens the wrong way into the tiny space behind ; anyone of XL or above struggled.  Once inside there are 3 urinals, with a tight space behind when you are standing doing the business. I would strongly advise if visiting to carry out a risk assessment before entering.

While we were there  one of the beers ran out. Now you have to imagine, behind the bar to the left was a dark opening covered in a black plastic curtain flap. To the right was a long curtain presumably covering a doorway? The barmaid disappeared through the left hand opening into the blackness behind . It looked all the world like she had just entered a ghost train. We were waiting for her to appear, covered in cobwebs,  through the other curtain.

You had to be there.

After some more cracking beers, some from the Scottish Borders ( eg Tempest) it was off to our next on the list,  the John Bull. This award winning pub is a typical back street local with fine beers and a large blackboard listing many international ales . The listed closing time of the pub was 3pm but mine host was not going to throw us thirsty 8 punters out, especially as a couple started on the G&T’s .

I think we left at 4 (?)
 

Taking a shortcut pointed out by a friendly local, we homed in on the Market Tavern.  Despite being family run they play safe with the beers; namely two from Black Sheep and Old Golden Hen. Nothing wrong with the beer quality mind.

One of the discussions we had before the day was getting back. As I have stated , the journey back by bus would be 1 hour 20 minutes. Some concern was expressed about holding it in for that length of time after 6 plus pints. I played safe and took an empty jar, but didn’t need it. Just as well as too many CCTV cameras on the upper deck. So, conscious of the time and the fact there were only 2 more direct buses back to Newcastle that evening , and we were hungry , we adjourned across the market place and ordered  8 ( eight) fish and chips in a sit down café.

Suitably stuffed we, weaved our way over the cobbles to the bus station and our ride back to Newcastle. 

Now  In Newcastle there is a pub called The Junction next to the bus station. Never drank in it , but have used their gents many times. A couple of us stayed back and had another pint. Only after I had paid I noticed the 10% discount sign for CAMRA members. Bastard, it happens to me every time.