NEW BEER , FREE BEER, NO BEER, CRAP BEER

Well this past week has been interesting, with social activities, a new pub to visit and a wedding ( not mine)

Tuesday - New Beer.

When we visited the 2015 Great British Beer Festival at Olympia in London, the Supreme Champion had been announced the day before. It was called Cwtch, brewed by Tiny Rebel, from Newport, South Wales. None of us had heard of the brewery or the beer ; we weren't even sure how to pronounce Cwtch !. Needless to say, the beer had run out on the Thursday of our visit , and when they had added a new cask, the queue was horrendous. We collectively said "bollocks to that" and tried something else.

However, at our branch meeting last week in  The Ship Isis , Sunderland it was on ! The first time I had seen the beer in 18 months. A great beer and a worthy winner. Mind you, the pub knows how to keep its beers !

Anyhow, the pub has several social activities on throughout the week and Tuesday was no exception. As well as our meeting in the snug, upstairs there was a video games night and a local Pagan Society "moot" ( see picture as proof). It seemed entirely appropriate that a pub that is reputedly haunted should have a Pagan meeting ( whatever that entails ) going on upstairs.  

Thursday - Free Beer.

Having the urge for trip out on the bus and metro, headed for Jarrow and McConnell's Gin & Ale House ( as you do). I had not been there since the days of Jarrow Brewery and was immediately made to feel welcome. Although there was only 4 of us perched on bar stools like a scene from Cheers, it was good to see we were all drinking real ale. Arbier Brewery own the pub and they had their Jarrow Stout on ( and Swedish Blonde ). Absolutely spot on, in perfect condition. 

Gave the staff some CAMRA magazines and soon I was chatting to the manager. He was happy to discuss the brewery and the beers. Suddenly he said, we do bottle beer now, do you want some ?. He gave me two bottles of their Renaissance Golden Ale as a pressie. 

 

Note to self - go back again soon.

After McConnell's  it was 2 Metro stops to Simonside and Florence's Bar and Grill. This had just reopened before Xmas and had two handpulls, Allendale Golden Plover and Camerons Strongarm. Again, beer spot on and friendly bar staff. There was a couple of guys in black ties round the corner in the comfortable bar, knocking back the Plover. Headed for the loo and looked right. There was all this leftover scran on. I had walked in on the end of a wake !.

Dilemma - do I help myself, as I was hungry,, or just leave. Thinking it a bit cheeky, went to loo then left, bloody starving. I still lie awake at night about passing up on a free feed.

Saturday  Part 1 No Beer.

For most of Saturday we were at a family wedding in a local hotel. During the evening disco I got a text from a fellow CAMRA member , who was in the Florence Bar and Grill, based on a recommendation email I had sent out on Thursday night. The text read " No Real Ale on a Saturday night!"

Now I sometimes wonder about some pubs. No real ale means aficionados like me will be reluctant to go back , which means less beer could get drunk and they end up  taking it off, because no bugger is drinking it. There is a pub about 10 minutes drive from me, the Copt Hill, has been visited by two of us separately in the past 3 weeks, each time 3 empty handpulls, Going back on March 25th for a pub crawl , so we shall see.

Saturday Part 2 - Crap Beer.

As the do was in a hotel, I guessed that the beer would be shite, and I was right, so volunteered to drive . At night, had half of Super Cold Guinness , then pint of tap water with lemon and ice ( free) then another half of Guinness. Guess which one had the better taste...correct , the water.

Whats that all about ?  I can imagine someone from John Smiths, Guinness, Fosters ( delete where applicable) trying to sound enthusiastic when out for a few beers and drinking the own stuff. I can also imagine someone from Theakston or Maxim ( etc etc) drinking Old Peculier or Maximus and being equally enthusiastic, this time with justification.

Back on the proper stuff tonight, treating myself to my last bottle of Sam Adams.

Note to self number 2 - get some more Sam Adams !

 

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FAMOUS PEOPLE IN PUBS

I recently spotted on Facebook a photograph of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, with their wives,  sitting in a pub holding pint glasses. It was 1952 and they are in the Bull Inn at Bottesford in Leicestershire, the landlady of which was Stan's sister Olga. Can you imagine walking into a pub and seeing two famous people drinking there?!. Well...............

Back in the early seventies I used to work at the North East Electricity Board in Newcastle. The nearest pub was the Adlephi in Shakespeare Street. ( now called The Lady Grey). The pub happened to be opposite the stage door of the Theatre Royal. 

As I used to work shifts,   we could be found their most evenings for a break, or after the shift finished ( or both). In those days there was no real ale, I mostly drank McEwans Best Scotch. The method of dispense was a measured half pint in a glass cylinder, so it was easy to pull a pint, flick a handle across for one half, then back again to fill the glass. Dead easy. We used to get wrong off the barmaid, Betty, if we wanted a pint shandy as this would involve doing the half , then having to open a lemonade bottle. Thinking about it, she used to encourage drink driving as you were scared to order anything other than a pint.

Anyhow, one week when there was a comedy play on called Big Bad Mouse at the Theatre Royal and , some of the cast used to pop for a quick drink. One night I walked in, and there propping up the bar, were the shows stars, Jimmy Edwards and Eric Sykes. Now I am not a one for pestering people like this, they've just come out to relax like me after all. . So I walked up the bar and said to Betty, " A pint of Scotch please Betty "

Straightaway, Jimmy Edwards ears pricked up. " Bloody Hell, hes drinking a pint of Whisky !". I think my reply was, " well we are tough round here Jimmy".  

Later that week soon to be Mrs Ken and I went to see the play, which was bloody funny. There was a lot of ad libbing and at one point Eric Sykes came on the stage and stated that the Turks Head Hotel opposite ( where they were staying) was on fire. We all thought it was part of the act but it was true, although only with minor damage. 

Sadly, no room in the ad lib for the lad with the pint of whisky

   

 More on The Bull Inn

A LONG FORGOTTEN BOTTLE

Having a recent cupboard clear out lately, mainly the non beer cupboard. Hidden behind the various bottles of Martini,Ouzo, Sherry and Poncha was this bottle of Pink Pussy from Australia. We are assuming its a pink Babycham type drink, but the label doesn't say the strength ; its probably flat and pink vinegar by now.

We visited Australia for the first time in 1984, and one highlight of the trip was staying with Mrs Kens relatives and having a tour of the Barossa Valley wine region of South Australia. We must have staggered in and out of about 6 wineries, mainly for the discount booze. Of the 2 " novelty bottles" we came back with one, called Panthers Piss, has been drunk. The second, has been hidden away for over 32 years. I suppose we shall have to open it sometime !.

This set my mind wandering about a couple of incidents while we were there. We flew into Melbourne first , staying with friends in a small township called Melton. After we got over the jet lag they let us loose by ourselves wandering round the town. We inevitably ended up in a pub. 

Now in those days the beer was all piss, Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, all fizzy and most yellow.Due to a communication breakdown we ended up with a jug full of this yellow stuff. There must have been nearly 3 pints of it and I was really struggling to get it down.  Ended up leaving  half of it, which is not like me. Made the mistake of telling this to mine hosts later , who's catch phrase for the rest of our stay, became " Ken Likes Jugs" 

Over in Adelaide, South Australia, Mrs Kens brother took me to a local bar. Drinking some local shite, the barman but this EP on ( that would be vinyl - ed) of this local comedian called George Similovici - an Aussie version of Billy Connolly. The language was disgusting and this record was booming out over the speakers. I quickly realised that women did not frequent this bar., like a lot of pubs -  mainly men. Brought the EP back with me, listen to it occasionally. ( CD copy available ? Ed)  Google him on YouTube.

The state of beer in Australia now is far different to what it was in the 80s. There is a much greater choice. Even Fosters have got in on the act, making a wonderful Sheaf Stout.  Beers such as Coopers Sparkling Ale and Little Creatures Pale can sometimes be found in the UK.

 

BEER BOTTLES WITH STRING LABELS

I always get beer for Xmas, I'm easy to buy for ! This year, amongst  the ten I got were three called Hammond XXXX Old Tom, from Darwin Brewery in Sunderland.

Not heard of Hammond XXXX so did some research, but first bottles with string labels.

I first came across these in 2015 in the form of Three Kings Tyneside Tommy. It was reported at the time that 1200 bottles were brewed at the end of 2014, in memory of the thousands of Tynesiders who fought in the First World War. I acquired two. 

The beer turned up again  at the Woodhorn Mining Museum  Ashington,  when they had the giant poppy display on. I was given for 3 for Xmas, which makes 5. I am guessing they brewed more than 1200 then, or I'm very lucky.

Anyhow, fast forward to Xmas and the Hammonds XXXX. Hammonds were a brewery in Bradford, now defunct. Darwin, who's beers include Flag Porter & Extinction Ale, seem to specialise in digging up old recipes. The Old Tom, not to be confused with Robinsons Old Tom, was a strong old ale coming in at 7.45%.****

I tasted one the other day. It has the look and the body of an old ale, a bit like Owd Roger $$$. The initial taste was nice and fruity, but here's the strange thing ; after swallowing, the taste disappeared ! It wasn't till I got to near the bottom of the glass that the strong taste lingered.  Obviously, being 7.45% there was the inevitable euphoric warm feeling one gets when drinking  a strong beer such as this, but the delayed aftertaste sensation was weird. 

I have 2 more bottles to get through, so more vital research is needed.

****page 166 from the book Amber Gold and Black.

$$$ Sad news, my local B&M's doesn't stock Owd Roger anymore. Distraught !!

TAKING THE WATER

At around the time of my birthday in November I am asked what I want for birthday and Xmas. The usual response is  

"Beer".

" OK what beer ?"

 "Well get me some of that Innis & Gunn you usually get me."

 And so it is I will drink some of their beers around this time of year, and then that's it till the cycle starts again in November. I never see their beers in pubs or at beer festivals, only ever in bottles in supermarkets. Some even come in a special box. There must be some in  pubs somewhere, probably up in Scotland where it is brewed.

So where is it brewed ? That used to be a mystery. Although they are registered in Edinburgh it has always been the case that their stuff was brewed by "an unnamed brewery". Doing it a bit of digging this time round the beer is brewed by Tennants in Glasgow.

So what do they sell. Perhaps the most iconic is their Oak Aged Beer, which as the name suggests is brewed in oak casks. A one I got in a box is Hopped Bourbon Cask Ale. I haven't opened it yet but the tasting notes say there should be an aroma of Turkish Delight (?)

 

Anyhow, to get to the point of all this, I was looking in a supermarket to see what other Innis & Gunn beers were available and found some in cardboard boxes (  see photo). It appears that last year they launched a crowdfunding scheme to raise some cash. This was after they had bought the Inveralmond Brewery in Perth in April 2016.

When I Googled the crowdfunding story my mind was completely blown by another story  - that they had been catching rainwater to brew a new beer !  It was how they did it that got me checking the calendar to make sure it wasn't April 1st. 

Apparently four people travelled to The Devils Beef Tub, near Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway and collected 500 pints of cloud water. ( which by my crude maths is over 1/4 of a ton!!).  The resultant product is called Sky IPA.

see link in case you don't believe me :- RAINING BEER

At first I thought they were taking the piss but no, they were taking the water !

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