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