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 !!
