ITS BEEN 10 YEARS

Well, it was ten years today that I joined the Campaign For Real Ale. (CAMRA). In that time we have seen the rise of the micropubs, more beer choice and then suddenly - bang a pandemic !

I was going to launch into a review of my last 10 years, but its a nice warm sunny day outside, possibly the last this year ?, so instead I think its time to review my top ten beers. Ive done this in a previous blog but since then a couple more have appeared. One criteria is , if its on in  bar , it will be first choice.

So this is the list, in no particular order, with a few notes.

Theakstons Old Peculier

I first drank this in The Fountain Hotel in Hawes, North Yorkshire and was blown away by the complexities of the flavours. The bottled version is readily available but not a patch on the cask. The last cask of it I had was in 2016 at 11am in the Old Black Swan, Bedale, about 5 miles from the brewery in Masham.  

Jennings Sneck Lifter.

This used to be in Jennings core range but is now an "occasional". Shame is its a great beer to drink. A friend of mine had an afternoon session once and had to be assisted back into his house. Happy days 

Robinsons Old Tom

I first came across this gem at a Great British Beer Festival (GBBF)  about 15 years ago. Three of us looked warily at the description in the programme, " A full bodied dark beer, 8.5%" We saved that one till last . Mostly seen in bottles these days , had it once in  cask a couple of years ago

Marstons Owd Rodger

I used to drink this 7.4% cracker in the Cooperage in Newcastle then go to work for an evening shift. Sadly the Cooperage closed a while ago and only seen Owd Rodger once on cask in a local Marstons a couple of years ago. I get the occassional bottle from B&M's, although during the lock-down the visits increased !  

Maxim Maximus

I cant recall the first time I had this wonderful dark beer, but I do recall a friend, who doesn't do strong beers (this is 6%), ordered a pint by mistake and I had to drink it for him. Shame. Can be found as a house beer in my local Spoons where it goes down a treat !  ( left)

Broughton Old Jock

I first read about this in the book "300 Beers To Try Before You Die" by Roger Protz. As my daughter lives in Glasgow who better to provide some bottles every time she visits us ! Been having these for Xmas, Birthday  and Fathers Day for about five years now. The Sunderland Beer Festival had the beer on cask for the last two years.

Darwin Extinction

This barley wine won CAMRA Champion Beer Gold for Barley Wine and Strong Old Ale category in GBBF 2016 where I first drank this strong (8.3%) ale. Last time I enjoyed this was during lock-down in bottle form.  

Brass Castle Bad Kitty

Ive been to the Brass Castle Tap House in Malton. The Bad Kitty, a 5.5% Vanilla Porter, is available on an occasional basis at the Station House in Durham. During lock-down, I ordered a minicask from the brewery. They make great beer but are crap at packaging. The cask was stuffed in a cardboard box with no padding. It looked like it had been used as a football when I opened the box. 

George Samuel Harvey

This brewery in Spennymoor closed last year and the only beer I had drunk of theirs was called Harvey. This 5.6% porter hit the spot when I first tasted it in The Station House Durham. It made occasional appearances and I had my last ever pint in  February this year. Of so I thought. 

George  Samuel and Harvey are back ! This time in a brewery and cafe in Shildon. I feel a trip out coming on !

 Mount St Bernard Tynt Meadow This is the first monastic beer brewed in the UK for centuries and comes in bottled conditioned form only. Available since 2017 , Ive been to the abbey in Leicestershire twice and was served by a German monk the first time.  I had decided that today I would drink a real ale version of my favourite 10 and this was available in my secret store. It was too hot today to visit a pub anyway so drank this in the garden!     

So there you go ; most are dark beers and the "weakest one" is a mere 5.1%.

 

SOME OBSERVATIONS DURING RECENT PUB VISITS

 Since my first visit to a pub after July 4th I have been to have few more and have observed all pubs have approached the new guidelines differently. Some have erected screens on the bar but most haven't. Most have either a sign in book or an app to register your presence. One in Northumberland wouldnt let us in but more on that later. I have to admit all have been a relaxing experience with great beer and food. .

First the screens. The Washington Arms had one across the entire length of the bar, with a small gap to pay. It looked like a railway ticket office counter. Drinks and food were brought to the table. 

Another, The Engine Room at Eighton Banks has two tills with a three foot gap between. The tills had screens in front of them , but not the gap, which is where you queued and ordered and paid - bizarre. The other bizarre experience was the gents toilets. There was a large sign on the door, "only one in at a time". Fair  enough but inside the middle of the three urinals was covered in a black bin bag, preventing use. So I did a solo social distance, singing to myself so no one would come in. The food at the pub was excellent as usual as was the Double Maxim, which is always kept well.

Some pubs had directional arrows, most of which were how to get to the bar or the toilets, and in some cases, no arrows to follow to get out !.  It reminds me of those Wetherspoons pubs where its a trek up several stairs and along corridors, past numerous doors  , following signs to get there, but crucially , no signs on how to get back to the bar !

All my pub outings so far had been afternoon ones and most have been fairly busy. I drink in Durham every Tuesday night and last week was my first night out since March 17th. Both pubs visited were very quiet. It may be people have got used to staying in. Its a worrying sign when pubs close before 10pm.

Finally, The Ship Inn, Low Newton Northumberland ( above) . As the pub is small, they have taken the novel approach of outside eating and drinking only.  You order and pay at one hatch and collect at another. If you need the loo, go round the back to the public ones. Read more about my trip in the next edition of CAMRA Angle Online next month ! 

Below is the link to previous issues

https://sst.camra.org.uk/wordpress/?tag=newsletter 

At no time over the last few weeks have I felt uncomfortable or threatened , if that's the right word, by other people being there.  So I'm already looking forward to my next pub visit., which will be part of the Government drive against obesity by partaking in the Eat Out To Help Out initiative. 

   

  

        

I'VE BEEN TO A PUB !

March 17th 2020 - The Station House & The Bridge Hotel - Durham.
Last pubs visited before lock-down

July 14th 2020 - The Stables, West Herrington Sunderland. First pub visited after lock-down.

During the week Mrs Ken and I went for a walk in Herrington Country Park as it was a nice day. I thought it was time to for a pint on a pub so I casually suggested a route that would lead to The Stables

This pub, as the name suggests used  to be stables. It is long and stone built with stone floors and low lit lighting. From the road it doesnt look like a pub as there is no pub sign. Its on an outside wall facing the cobbled car park.

I was expecting a load of signs and instructions  with the dos and dont's, but there wasn't  much. A sign in the car park said "queue here", but no queue. A sign at the entrance saying "please use hand sanitiser", but no hand sanitiser - it was empty. Good start.  

I wear reactor light glasses and every time I go into this place, my eyes take a while to react to the gloom, so I literally nearly walked into the bar.

" You're not allowed at the bar" came the voice of the manageress from the darkness.

" Cant see the bar, what beer have you got ?"

There was White Rat and Landlord but the former was off so Landlord it was. Table service I was told , which I could get used to. It didnt take long for the drinks to arrive ( Mrs Ken had a coffee)  Half way through the beer I realised they hadn't taken any contact details. Hmm.

Anyhow, the lack of signs about the rules got me thinking.........

By coincidence, earlier that day I was reminded of the fact that it was nine years ago to the day a group of us were on a pub  crawl in Berwick. The best pub we visited was The Barrels Ale House, famous locally for having a old dentist chair at the bar. Around the walls were plastered old signs and notices, including this "Rules of the Inn" dated 1786.

So I can imagine in 200 years time a poster dated 2020 is unearthed with pub rules relating to Covid 19.What would the drinkers make of it all ?

" Look, they weren't allowed to stand ! How did they go to the loo then?"
" No shouting so no music!"
" Contactless only no cash. What's cash ?"

Perhaps they would ask the robot barperson ? "Computer says no".

So back to the Landlord. During lock-down Ive been drinking plenty of beers, mostly Maxim bottle beers and minicasks all of which I have enjoyed. However this was my first pub pint in about 4 months. I listened to a podcast the other week featuring beer writer Roger Protz on which he was asked " whats your favourite beer?"

" Well if its pored right and kept right - Timothy Taylors Landlord." he said.

He would have liked this then! Spot on.

 

LOCKDOWN JUNE 2020

So what happened last month ? Well it was Fathers Day and although my daughter lives and works in Glasgow she managed to have shipped down a box of Isle of Skye Brewery beers. Ive had some before such as Skye Red and Skye Black but the rest are very good. I have always preferred strong dark beers but the first on I opened, Young Pretender was a mere 3.8% but on a summers day it was quite refreshing. Last night I had the strong one the 7% , Cuillin Beast. Cracking beer.

On the subject of cracking beers, Maxim launched a new beer, Maxim Pils. Now I don't normally go for Pilsner type ales but I thought, something new, something different. Spot on, well  worth the investment. I was looking forward to sitting in the garden sipping some, but as I was about, it started pissing down (and it is as I type this ) so not had the al fresco pleasure yet.

As I type this, its pub opening eve. Ive done some research of some pubs websites and Facebook pages and to be honest, its not worth the hassle. Its not so much the health aspect but the rules. Table service, no standing at the bar, limits to how many go to the loo, having your temperature taken. No thanks. 

One of the rules if having to leave your contact details. The first thing I thought of was there will be a lot of M.Mouses out there !
One of my daughters ex school mates was called Lisa Simpson. She may well still be called that. I used to work with a guy called Neil Armstrong. Imaging either of those two being confronted by a bouncer . 

"Name ?"

 " Neil Armstrong"   

" Yeah right pal, now bugger off back to the moon"

As well as being a CAMRA volunteer I also volunteer for the National Trust, and the following is true. This guy works at Washington Old Hall and he signs in as Bart Simpson. Its not his real name but hes been doing ot for years and no one has noticed !!

Respect. 

I do a Zoom quiz with 7 of my mates every Tuesday and none of us are interested in going to a pub anytime soon. Should be interesting to see how many do tomorrow. Me,  Ive got plenty of beer in.

CAMRA ANGLE 60 SUMMER 2020 ?

Before I start this blog I need to point out that the letter E on my laptop keyboard is loose so every so often that letter will not com out, so apologies in advance. Its very frustrating, being the most common letter in the alphabt. In no way is this an excuse for my crap typing - I totally refute any accusations

Anyhow back to the subject in hand. It would have been this time of year when the Summer edition of CAMRA Angle would have been published and hitting the streets. Sadly, this wont happen so Issue 60 will have to wait till later in the year ( fingers crossed).

In the meantime Ive been keeping busy, in between painting the garden fence , producing a monthly newsletter. Surprisingly there is a lot of news out there. I am going to resist mentioning all the crap that is being reported about what pubs will look like if and when they open. Waste of time till it happens.

So, since CAMRA Angle 59 three  months ago there have been three newsletters, which I hope covers most CAMRA news, and also where local takeaway beer can be sought from local breweries and pubs   ( other than supermarkets). CAMRA HQ have set up a dropbox for magazine editors to post their own articles to share with other branches, so Ive been tapping that source, with three more to use !

In the latest one there is uniquely I think, two articles about films. One is a review of a DVD put together about pubs in South Shields. Hopefully this will be available for sale in the town when things return to normal. The other is about the British Film Institute free archive of short information films. There is a fascinating film by Dr David Bellamy giving a tour of Camerons Brewery.

Recntly branch members were asked to partake in a survey about the affect that pub closures was having including the question "have you been drinking more?"  My last pint in a pub was on March 17th, and since the closure date I thought I would keep a record of what Ive been drinking. Mistake. Ive  gone through five minicasks and 35 bottles, mostly from Maxim. So that's more minicasks in a couple of months than I get through in two years !   


Anyhow, without more ado, this is a link to the last three newsletter, the most recent of which has the survey results and the articles mentioned above. You can also see under "Publications" previous issues of CAMRA Angles

https://sst.camra.org.uk/wordpress/?tag=newsletter
 
Enjoy the read, off now for a beer stock check.................
 




         

LOCKDOWN MAY 2020

Despite the fact there are no pubs to visit, or pub crawls or beer festivals to enjoy, there is still a lot going on. 

Everywhere I look online, there are breweries selling mini casks. Ive got four empties as garden decorations. So I got to thinking , whoever is making these to sell to the breweries must be raking it in. All of my empties say made in Germany but one says Huber packaging. 

https://www.huber-packaging.com/english/ 

Anyhow, while doing my research I ended up on the Adnams Brewery website ( dont ask how). On it are  detailed instructions on how to open a mini cask and dispense the beer. 

The first step, according to them, is to pull out the tap from the base on the cask, turn the tap anti clockwise to pour 20ml of beer into a glass then discard.  I could read no further for a while. Discard ? What planet are they from!.

Recovering from this, I kept reading. Step 2 is to left the top tab and turn from 0 to 1. Fair enough Then step three..there it is again. Turn the tap clockwise to pour out the beer, if the first 20ml has sediment and is cloudy......discard !   Sorry Adnams, I can't read anymore.

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A couple of weeks ago one of our local,brewers, Darwin started selling bottled beers again. Brewed in small batches, they are bottled on site and they have a click and collect service, offering a free delivery for SR postcode customers. One of the beers, Extinction caught my eye, Its an 8.3% barley wine so I ordered 3 bottles. Not living in SR I drove the next day to collect, and came home.

The next day , while Mrs Ken was out shopping, I unpacked the beers and had just finished stashing them in my secret  cupboard when she returned. " Ive got you a couple of pressies"

A bottle of zero alcohol German beer and a bottle of low alcohol Old Specked Hen ( 0.5%) WTF ?

"Its if we go out anywhere you can drink and drive" I was told. So think about it, five minutes ago I had held an 8.3% barley wine, now I'm holding a 0.5 % Speckled Hen.

Ive drank  then both...nothing special. Will stick with the proper stuff. 

The barley wine ? Wonderful.

 
   

 

LOCKDOWN - APRIL 2020

The last time I was in a pub was on March 17th for a regular Tuesday night quiz. There are usually six of us. Now of course, for now this is not possible so it was suggested having a video conferencing quiz, One of us volunteered to set the questions. 

Unfortunately said question master is not used to drinking strong beers and for some unexplained reason had bought some bottles of St Austell Proper Job. This is a 5.5% bottled conditioned beer as it clearly states on the back of the bottle. Not really being a real ale expert he didnt have a clue what this meant.

At the start of the quiz he showed the bottle to the rest of us. I pointed out the fact that it would contain sediment and was just about to say it should be poured carefully when he proceeded to down it straight from the bottle

During the second bottle he lost the plot as to who's question it was in the quiz, which was in danger of descending into chaos.

By the way, I was drinking bottled Maximus, which I wouldn't recommend when trying to come up with answers towards the end of the evening.

On the subject of Maximus, on the same night elsewhere in our branch a local band were having a virtual jamming session with one guy drinking Maximus from a minicask. Reflecting on this the next day he was not sure it was a good idea. He ended up singing a Russian folk song called Stenka Razin (no me neither). - a very sad tale and he really hammed  it up. It has been performed by Red Army Choir and can be heard at. Fantastic !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44wzqWQxHpQ