Our last 2 visits during the Staycation period were returns to a couple of contrasting English cities, but both of which are alive with really good beer scenes, and a solid local brewing footprint. I think that the latter is sometimes overlooked when most of us travel to areas away from our own little town, but when we do visit we are quickly won over by the range of pubs available. On a side note, I do wonder if some of these places only fit into certain settings? We see these bars and the vibe they carry through eyes not used to sobriety. "If only we had....." we bemoan. The longing for this brewery, or that brewery, from a town far, far away, setting up its branded taphouse or bar in your backyard is all too prevalent. I, myself, have wished for many years for a Brewdog, Tapped or Head of Steam (among others) to locate one of it's bars here, in North East Lincolnshire, but would the siting of such a bar have the knock on effect of putting pressure on our local Craft brewery, Docks Beers, at the expense of beers brewed outside the area, by moustached folk heroes,(as they all seem to be on the beer labels!) and with no connection to the local community. Tough to answer. It could also cause an upsurge in drinking good craft beers too, and put the towns of Grimsby and Cleethorpes on the beer roundabout. Still, I doubt that there will be a mad rush to locate on the East coast anytime soon.
After all that thinking, we'd better crack on and return to the reality of actual beer drinking. I've always been left with a thirst after too much of that brain exercise.
Norwich
We set off to Norfolk's county city on a warm(ish), sunny September morning, with train changes at Doncaster (about 15 minutes, a little too tight for a drink) and Grantham. We had about an hour to kill here, so popped into The Whistle Stop, located on the platform, to, erm..stop and wet our whistles. Whilst Jane had a coffee, I chose one of the craft ales on offer, a lovely rich and dark roast porter, from local brewers Zest, called Dark Storm. Soon enough, we were back on track, or tracks, heading to Norwich. With plenty of time before we needed to check into our hotel, we headed straight out of the station, and after a little wander, plopped down in the Coach and Horses. Cider for the wife, and a pint of Chalk Hill Brewery Black Anna Milk Stout, 4% were soon being enjoyed in the sunshine. This pub is a very pleasant, and, at times, busy boozer, and has a good selection of beers from Chalk Hill, as well as guest ales and the usual commercial "favourites". We only stayed for the one, unfortunately, because we were already fed up with dragging our luggage around, so we decamped and headed, via The Compleat Angler, to our digs. Not a lot to mention about Greene King's Compleat Angler, other than the service was slow and atrocious, we ordered on the app but after 25 minutes had to go in and get it ourselves, as the order hadn't gone through. On top of that, my beer was cloudy and in poor condition. We left, very disappointed. In the past, we have enjoyed our visits here, but would not rush back in future.
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| Norwich's Red Lion |
After booking into our Travelodge, and freshening ourselves up a bit, we were out, enjoying the sights along Norwich's Yacht Station, enroute to our next pub, Lollard's Pit. Although on a busy road, the beer garden at the rear offers a relaxing area of solitude away from the hum-drum of motorists. I enjoyed a lovely Red Ale in here, which had good toffee caramel notes aplenty, Boudicca Brewing Co The Red Queen, 4.5%. We finished our drinks, cider for the lady, in case you were wondering, and sauntered two minute over the road to The Red Lion. There are 6 cask hand pulls on in here and I decided on 4% Golden Ale from Moongazer Brewery, called Jigfoot, a well balanced fruity, bittersweet brew, that really hit the mark. This was followed by the equally satisfying and tropically fruity No7 IPA by Hammerton, The location of this pub is idyllic, nestled alongside the river, and, with the evening sunshine illuminating our vista, it just feels right to sit there and relax a while.
We left here, after that while, and headed into the city centre, breaking our trip at The Adam & Eve. My beer in here, another tropical IPA, was from Woodforde's, Volt IPA, with an ABV of 4.5%. It was quite fruity, but the finish just lacked a little in bitterness.
A trip to Norwich to me means a pit stop at The Ribs of Beef. There is always a good selection of local brews on in here, and Woodforde's West Coast Wherry, a 4.5% Amber Ale, was my choice. This is big on malt at the start, before a good back bitterness takes over at the end. We then popped over the bridge to The Mischief for a swift one. By this point, the beer memory was struggling, so suffice to say my beer in here goes unlogged.
Our next stop was to be a cocktail bar (one has to pander to the needs of one's "Better 'Arf" sometimes!), but luckily, amongst all the glitz, glamour, artisan gins and niche mixers found in Mr Postle's Apothecary, there was also a supply of the bar's own contract keg IPA, weighing in at 4%. This was ok, no great shakes, but refreshing enough. "The wife's drink....?" I hear you ask. Well, that was some sort of a glitzy, glamorous artisan gin cocktail, with some niche stuff in it.
Our last port of call, as we headed back to our hotel, was the Last Pub Standing, a chilled out "local's" local which hosts bands, comedy nights and also has some good beers on tap which can be enjoyed either inside or outside in the covered patio area. I had a stout in here, but failed to note it down, but Jane did say I kept saying how nice it was, and are we having a kebab !! So that was our first day over. Plenty of beer (other drinks were enjoyed by my long suffering Missus), a number of pubs visited and revisited, and a takeaway to look forward to. Marvellous.
Our second day started with a stroll to the nearby railway station. We had decided to take the train to Cromer, take the sea air, and, hopefully, help blow away a few cobwebs from last nights imbibing. After a good long walk, bacon sarnie and (drum roll........) a cup of coffee, we headed to The Gangway Cafe Bar, which is located on the main road through the town. In here, I went for the 6.5% dank, fruity The End Is Always Near, on tap, which has a nice bitter and citrus finish, which is brewed by Verdant. There is a good selection of craft ales on offer, on tap and in the fridge, and plenty of pastries, cakes and savouries to be had. Next up was a trip across the road, about 2 minutes walk away, and The Red Lion Hotel. The bar here has a really good selection of local ales, and a lovely outside area which has slate tables which you can chalk on, if you get bored. We didn't need the chalk, as the beers on offer were more than interesting. I had a couple of pints in here, Woodforde's Head Cracker Strong Ale, 7% and full of flavour, followed by a lighter IPA from Green Jack, Mahseer. Both were very good. We finished off our diversion to Norfolk's north coast at the Albion. the selections in here were not extensive, but cask was available in the form of Doom Bar and Adnams Ghost ship. I opted for the latter and very nice it was too. Resisting candy floss, novelty rock and doughnuts, we walked back to the station, albeit via a chippy ("A man cannot live by beer alone" : Anon), boarded our train, and were soon on our way back to Norwich, ready to prepare ourselves for another session, and, possibly, a bit of pub grub later that evening.
We stepped out later, retracing our route to the station, and then beyond, down Thorpe Road, until we
arrived at The Fat Cat & Canary. For some reason, I've never had the pleasure of visiting this highly acclaimed boozer, nor it's sister pub on the other side of the city, on Dereham Road. We sat outside here, after ordering our drinks inside. There are eight cask ales usually available, some from the Fat Cat brewery, alongside craft keg, world lagers and a good selection of ciders. This quirky pub is filled with pub memorabilia too. Jane had one, or rather 2 halves, of the ciders on offer, whilst I endulged in a Fat Cat Lockdown IPA, 5.7%, before sampling ½ a pint of Fat Cat Tom Cat, a 4.1% session IPA. Both were solid enough, with the former being fruitier and a little more crisp than the slightly dank character of the other. Sufficiently refreshed, and refuelled by our halfway pit stop, we pressed on to a wonderful and picturesque spot along the River Yare, near Whittingham Great Broad, where there is a channel that forms a loop and houses a small, but sufficient, collection of pubs and eateries. Our first stop on arriving was The Rushcutters Arms, a cosy and quaint river side inn serving a selection of cask ales alongside an ample food menu. We had a drink in here, a G & T for the lady, and a Moon Gazer Pintail Norfolk Pale, 3.9%, with a crisp, aromatic finish, which were spot on. We then strolled down to The Rivergarden, which also shared the same beautiful vista of The Broadlands as The Rushcutters, and we were certainly indulging in, especially as the sun was setting. We ordered some food, along with more G's and T's, and a Wolf Golden Jackal, a 3.7% , refreshing and light Bitter, followed by another of Moon Gazer's brews, Jigfoot 4% Golden Ale. Lovely. As full as eggs, we strolled the nearly 2 miles back to our bed. Tomorrow would be our last full day of our Norfolk break, and we were keenly looking forward to it.
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| The Fat Cat & Canary |
arrived at The Fat Cat & Canary. For some reason, I've never had the pleasure of visiting this highly acclaimed boozer, nor it's sister pub on the other side of the city, on Dereham Road. We sat outside here, after ordering our drinks inside. There are eight cask ales usually available, some from the Fat Cat brewery, alongside craft keg, world lagers and a good selection of ciders. This quirky pub is filled with pub memorabilia too. Jane had one, or rather 2 halves, of the ciders on offer, whilst I endulged in a Fat Cat Lockdown IPA, 5.7%, before sampling ½ a pint of Fat Cat Tom Cat, a 4.1% session IPA. Both were solid enough, with the former being fruitier and a little more crisp than the slightly dank character of the other. Sufficiently refreshed, and refuelled by our halfway pit stop, we pressed on to a wonderful and picturesque spot along the River Yare, near Whittingham Great Broad, where there is a channel that forms a loop and houses a small, but sufficient, collection of pubs and eateries. Our first stop on arriving was The Rushcutters Arms, a cosy and quaint river side inn serving a selection of cask ales alongside an ample food menu. We had a drink in here, a G & T for the lady, and a Moon Gazer Pintail Norfolk Pale, 3.9%, with a crisp, aromatic finish, which were spot on. We then strolled down to The Rivergarden, which also shared the same beautiful vista of The Broadlands as The Rushcutters, and we were certainly indulging in, especially as the sun was setting. We ordered some food, along with more G's and T's, and a Wolf Golden Jackal, a 3.7% , refreshing and light Bitter, followed by another of Moon Gazer's brews, Jigfoot 4% Golden Ale. Lovely. As full as eggs, we strolled the nearly 2 miles back to our bed. Tomorrow would be our last full day of our Norfolk break, and we were keenly looking forward to it.
The morning had been decided. Jane wanted to do some of that window peering, looking at, picking up, putting down and going back to later stuff, shopping I think is the technical term for it, whilst I wanted to ogle at old buildings a while, before finding the shortest route to what would be our next pub stop. A midday rendezvous was prepared, and, duly, we ended up in the 17th century Coachmakers Arms. It was quite busy, mainly locals, but it still is very welcoming of tourists and travellers, and carries a varied selection of ales. We were soon enjoying a Woodforde's Bure Gold, 4.3%, light and bitter-sweet throughout (and served by gravity straight from the barrel) and a cider, in the quiet beer garden.
The Champion, a Bateman's pub, is only a minute away, so we popped in there too. An XB was swiftly poured, as was an Aspall's Cider. Unfortunately, the XB didn't seem on top form, but still drinkable. We walked back to the hotel, via the Adnams shop, dropped off our shopping (5 take home beers for me and whatever Jane bought), and out we went again. We fancied a bit of sophistication with our grog, which saw us sat atop of the Norwich Union building, in The Rooftop bar. The views across the city, and beyond, are beautiful, the drinks? Well, we didn't find out. After being shown to our table we waited for service, and waited, and waited, and waited and......Nah, we weren't gonna waste our time here. We left, not even receiving an apology from the staff, just a shrug of the shoulders. To insist on table service only, and then to ignore your clientele is not good, especially as the place was not even half full. So, we decamped to The Last Pub Standing where I enjoyed a lovely pint of Tindall Ales Liberator Pale Ale, 3.8%, and Jane, a cold cider. This was a much nicer, and friendlier, experience. Our next stop was St Andrew's Brew House, a lovely pub with a modern cafe bar vibe. I perused the hand pulls and eventually decided to try the St Andrew's Cork Cutters IPA, which was swiftly followed by a second pint of the same. At 4.3%, and displaying all the characteristics of a solid IPA, this was quite a good session Ale. We a stroll down the riverside next before settling down a stone's throw away from the River Wensum at The Wig and Pen. Aspall's Cider was on here, and being eagerly enjoyed by my Better 'Arf, which gave me the opportunity to sample Moon Gazer Hare Today Bitter , a malty and very refreshing ale of 4%, before moving on to Moon Gazer Jumper, which was quite sweet and malty at the opening, and had nice big back hoppy notes ( ah, hops, very hoppy, that's why it's called jumper. Thank you brain for only just catching up). Sat outside in the UK, in the all too infrequent sun and warmth, even in September, with a nice pint, or so, of locally brewed ale is, sometimes, as good as it gets. It's a shame we overlook it, or rather, never fully appreciate it.
Later, that evening, we were out again, this time visiting The Murderer's, which on this Friday was a very busy pub. We were going to eat in here, but was told it would be a while for service, due to the numbers waiting for food. Not to worry, we'd somewhere else later, but for now, a quick pint would suffice. I opted for Wolf Brewery's Edith Cavell, 3.7%, with its nice blackcurrant edge to the bittersweet main body. I can see why this beer is an award winner. Apparently, from the quickly devoured contents of the wife's glass, the G&T wasn't too shabby either. I did want to visit The Belgian Monk before leaving Norwich, so we walked in that direction, stopping off on the way for a shared
Italian pizza, and a continental lager each. The Belgian Monk has a large patio area at the back, bedecked with plenty of big, table covering umbrellas, which, I imagine, transforms into a suntrap during the summer daylight hours. It also has an impressive array of Belgian beers. Jane stayed on the G&T's whilst I eased myself through a couple of rich, fruity and complex beers. Although spoilt for choice, I eventually plumped for two beers from the Brasserie Caullier range, firstly, the 8% Bon Secours Ambree, which is a sweet and wickedly drying brew, following this up with the wonderfully flavoursome Paix Dieu, a Tripel with an ABV of 10%. What a satisfying finish to another good day. Our final few hours, the following day, were spent back in, or rather outside, the Red Lion, where we reflected on our lovely time that we had spent back in Norfolk. The cider was still going down well opposite me whilst I ended our trip with a pint each of Mr Winters Chevalier Bitter at 4.5% , Lacon's Ruska 4.2% Pale Ale and a 4.5% creamy Milk Stout from Nene Valley, which was also 4.5%. All were very nice, and sustained me well on our journey back to North East Lincolnshire. Our next trip would be Leeds, the following week.
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| The Belgian Monk |
Italian pizza, and a continental lager each. The Belgian Monk has a large patio area at the back, bedecked with plenty of big, table covering umbrellas, which, I imagine, transforms into a suntrap during the summer daylight hours. It also has an impressive array of Belgian beers. Jane stayed on the G&T's whilst I eased myself through a couple of rich, fruity and complex beers. Although spoilt for choice, I eventually plumped for two beers from the Brasserie Caullier range, firstly, the 8% Bon Secours Ambree, which is a sweet and wickedly drying brew, following this up with the wonderfully flavoursome Paix Dieu, a Tripel with an ABV of 10%. What a satisfying finish to another good day. Our final few hours, the following day, were spent back in, or rather outside, the Red Lion, where we reflected on our lovely time that we had spent back in Norfolk. The cider was still going down well opposite me whilst I ended our trip with a pint each of Mr Winters Chevalier Bitter at 4.5% , Lacon's Ruska 4.2% Pale Ale and a 4.5% creamy Milk Stout from Nene Valley, which was also 4.5%. All were very nice, and sustained me well on our journey back to North East Lincolnshire. Our next trip would be Leeds, the following week.
Leeds
The weather had cooled a little for our trip to West Yorkshire, but still kept comfortable enough to ensure the thermal underwear remained packed away at home. Our train journey was uneventful enough, and we were soon looking, easily, for our first pub, en route to our hotel. Sounds familiar!! The industrially chic inspired Tapped was our opening venue. As we had about 2½ hours before we could check-in at our hotel, a mini session could be indulged in. I started off with a Tapped Brew Co Mojo, a 3.6% session Pale Ale, before moving up to a ⅓ of Newbarns Brewery's 11% Plain Dark Beer. The Mojo was ok for an opening beer, if a little bland, whereas the Plain Dark Beer was a firecracker of a brew. Stowford's Cider was the Jane's tipple. We finished our drinks and edged a little further towards our digs, dropping in at Whitelock's Ale and Cider House on the way. To accompany another Stowford's, I went for a light, refreshingly fruity Sea Of Dreams by the Neptune Brewery, which was 4.2%.
North Brewing Co's North Bar followed, and yielded a lovely pint of 4.8% Fruit Lupe (Galaxy & Passion Fruit) from Brass Castle, alongside a Hogan's Cider. That concluded the afternoon's drinking session, and, as planned, our last pub was just a couple of minutes walk away from the hotel.
After settling in to our room, gnawing through some crisps and a kit kat each, we were soon replenished and ready for adventuring out again. Luckily, just a few yards, across Vicar Lane, was the Templar Hotel, where I managed a swift pint of Kirkstall Three Swords, an aromatic and crisp Extra Pale Ale of 4.5%. This pub is busy, bustling and is a good place to catch up on the daily sports without the coverage drowning out one's conversations. Our next stop was Brew York, in Brignall, which saw us enjoying a cider and, for me, It's This Way Tony, an APA of 5.2% from the Brew York stable (surprise, surprise), which was floral and resinous, but so easy to drink. The Brotherhood of Pusuits and Pastimes welcomed us next, but with a lack of craft and cask, Budweiser Budvar had to suffice. We decided to visit one more bar before finding somewhere to eat, and agreed on the nearby Wrens. The bar had 3 of its hand pulls dispensing and I chose to have a pint of local microbrewery Sunbeam Ales Rain Stops Play, a creamy and fruity Pale Ale of 4.5%. With our glasses once again drained, we strolled back down to Whitelock's Ale and Cider House, for a fry of fish and chips each, washed down by another cider, for Jane, and, for me, a 4% Left Handed Giant Dark Mild, which had a nice earthy edge to it.
After this, although it was only 9-30 in the evening, we were done. We'd been up reasonably early, had a couple of "train beers", supped quite a few brews in a selection of the city's bars, and finished up with full bellies from our lovely pub "chippie" supper, so it was time to waddle back to our Travelodge, barely a 10 minute walk, but 20 minutes waddling away.
The next morning we were out and about just after 10 o' clock and took a stroll around Leeds
Waterfront, which allowed a few cobwebs to be dislodged from our fuzzy heads. We ended up at the adjoining bars of The Hop and Archies Bar and Kitchen. Archies primarily serves draft craft ales, mostly SALT, whilst Ossett cask beers are the mainstay of The Hop, although both brands are, just like the pubs, a joint venture. Guest beers are also available, and I started off with a lovely draft pint of Thornbridge Allott, a Pink Lemonade Sour
of 4.8%, which really awakened my palate, before moving on to SALT Citra, a sessionable 4.5% Juicy NEIPA, and finishing with a wander next door to try a 3.8% cask bitter, Ossett Butterley, and I wasn't disappointed. We left here, after Jane had finished her couple of coffees, quite refreshed, headed back underneath the station, but over the canal (you'll know what I mean if you've ever been to this area of Leeds) and dropped in at The Head of Steam. Whilst my beloved got back on the cider, I went "retro" with an old school 4.3% Camerons Strongarm, with its tight creamy head and characteristic malty main body, which went down very well indeed. The Banker's Cat, a Thornbridge owned boozer, where I enjoyed three different brews by the host brewery, Astryd was the first, a Juicy Pale Ale of 3.8%, Lukas a refreshing 4.2% Helles, ending up with, seemingly, everyone's favourite Thornbridge brew, Jaipur. This 5.9% IPA is just so solid, and always a pleasure to indulge in. Our next, and final, port of call for the afternoon was Assembly Underground, a brilliant multi tap craft ale and street food hub, located, well, underground, in a basement. This is a great place to experience, and has something for most people to enjoy, whether it's one of the many draft beers on tap, or the plethora of food styles on offer. Jane had her usual offering of cider, on this occasion it was Hogan's, whilst I had Verdant's Shipping Forecast, a wonderful full flavoured Imperial Porter of 10.3% as a starter, followed by Deya's Steady Rolling Man. This 5.3% Pale Ale was enjoyed with a Shawarma, one of the spicy street food offerings, and combined very well (looks like I'm doing food pairings now).
Waterfront, which allowed a few cobwebs to be dislodged from our fuzzy heads. We ended up at the adjoining bars of The Hop and Archies Bar and Kitchen. Archies primarily serves draft craft ales, mostly SALT, whilst Ossett cask beers are the mainstay of The Hop, although both brands are, just like the pubs, a joint venture. Guest beers are also available, and I started off with a lovely draft pint of Thornbridge Allott, a Pink Lemonade Sour
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| Archies Bar & Kitchen, Leeds. |
For the evening, we had booked into the Mowgli Street Food Restaurant, more spice in our lives, so decided to take it easy. We left our digs about 7-30, strolled down to the Boar Lane area, and then dropped in at The Leeds Tap. I had Leeds Pale Ale in here, which was good, followed by Midnight Bell, which I thought wasn't quite on song. We then went to enjoy some excellent Indian food in Mowgli's. We really enjoy the experience of these restaurants, and this visit did not disappoint at all. After the meal, we went for our last drinks of the evening, around at Friends of Ham. A large Bailey's for the wife, and a 8% big, fruity, almost dessert like, Overtone Chufft, DIPA was my treat. A comfortable way to finish our second day.
Friday morning was taken up by a visit to The Armouries, a spot of brunch and a bit of window shopping. We then went our own ways for a couple of hours, I don't really care for looking in fashion outlets, and Jane likes to have a break from pub-hunting and beer swilling. So, after finding my bearings, doubting myself and then re-plotting my route to align with exactly where I thought I was heading in the first place (something I find I have to do more and more as I get older), I found myself supping a wondrous half pint of SALT The Hexagon Project #08 Imperial IPA, weighing in at 8%, in SALT, East Parade, following this up with a Huckaback NEIPA, 5.5%. Both were very good, but the IIPA particularly so.
We'd arranged to meet back at Tapped, but being a few minutes earlier than I'd expected, I dropped into The West Riding Hotel Bar and had a quite decent pint of Leeds Pale Ale.
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| Beerhawk Bar. |
Phantom Brewery's Huge Pitch Project Pineapple, Mango and Orange Sour, 7.1%, which was no surprise to be fruity and sour, following up with a Beerhawk x Brew York Barrack Oklava Baklava, a big hitting 9.5% Imperial Stout which was, almost, chewable in its mouthfeel. I liked it in here, a really good "vibe" abounds, but we only stayed for a couple, as we had decided to go for some food before enjoying our last night in Leeds. We decided on Pie Minister for, obviously, a pie and mash teatime treat, it was very good too, and they do their own ( brewed by Bath Ales) Pie PA, which was an ok, no thrills beer that was a good pairing with the food.
That evening we headed out just after 7pm, and, with it being a Friday, it was definitely noticeable that more people were out in the city, but it was still quite comfortable, and not rammed, in most pubs. we started off in Crowd of Favours, enjoying the patio area, out at the back, with a Turning Point x Almasty Unnatural Selection IPA, 6%, a fruity brew with a slick back bittersweetness, and a cider for Jane. Hop was revisited next, and cask Ossett Excelsius, a light, refreshing, easy drinking fruity Pale Ale of 5.2% was soon ordered, as was a G&T. Once these were downed, we wandered a little further along the Quays, and dropping in at Craft Asylum, a modern looking bar, also under the SALT umbrella. I managed another couple of craft beers in here, both from the host brewery, and both very good.Hessian, a Coffee Porter, 6.2%, which had a nice vanilla edge to temper the coffee, and the 5% Crash APA, a fruit bomb of a beer. After these, and the G&T's, I took Jane to SALT East Parade, where I'd started out my drinking journey earlier today. This morning it had been quiet, reserved, as I was the first visitor of the day, tonight, it was a full, lively music bar, and the music was good. A bit of 80's, 90's and Dance favourites, a bit of something for most, including us, the old dinosaurs. I repeated the drinks I'd enjoyed earlier in here, and we reflected on our time back in Leeds. It is evolving all the time. Where cask was king, the newer craft beers now have a foothold. It is a place that welcomes visitors well, and looks after them with good old fashioned Northern friendliness, and offers eclectic choices in its hospitality. The following morning, as we waited for our train, we popped back for a last couple of beers in Archie's and further concluded that another trip to Leeds needs to be planned.
Our only other major drinking trip of 2021 was to Newcastle, in November. We only had 2 nights here, but still managed a fair few bars, and supped a few beers. Our first drink was at The Centurion, on the station. This former first class waiting room has a wonderful interior, which has been painstakingly restored. The tiles adorning the inside of the bar are valued at nearly £4 million alone. The Great North Eastern Brewing Rivet Catcher, 4% was my starter, and a fine pint it was too. A good start to our mini break. Next up was a paddle of beers in the nearby Town Wall. My paddle consisted of two
beers from Fell Brewery, a Brown Ale of 4.8% called Sepia, and Atlantic Crossings Transatlantic Blonde, 4.2%. Atom's 4.5% Decibel Pale Ale and Toon Waal Ale, 4.1% and brewed by Errant made up the quartet.All were very enjoyable. Our next port of call was Gunner Tavern where the dark, sweet and malty Firebrick Toon Broon, 4.6% was swiftly put away. As it was nearly time for us to check into our hotel, we only managed one more drink, this time in the Newcastle Tap. Jane ordered the drinks whilst I "paid a visit", so I have no idea what was ordered, other than a fruity IPA/NEIPA.
beers from Fell Brewery, a Brown Ale of 4.8% called Sepia, and Atlantic Crossings Transatlantic Blonde, 4.2%. Atom's 4.5% Decibel Pale Ale and Toon Waal Ale, 4.1% and brewed by Errant made up the quartet.All were very enjoyable. Our next port of call was Gunner Tavern where the dark, sweet and malty Firebrick Toon Broon, 4.6% was swiftly put away. As it was nearly time for us to check into our hotel, we only managed one more drink, this time in the Newcastle Tap. Jane ordered the drinks whilst I "paid a visit", so I have no idea what was ordered, other than a fruity IPA/NEIPA.
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| The Town Wall Paddle. |
After we'd found our hotel, along The Quayside, we decided to take a short stroll over Swing Bridge, which is a swing bridge, to Gateshead, starting of at By The River Brew Co. The selection in here was quite good, and included By The River Big Trouble In Little Gateshead Imperial Stout, a heavyweight, at 14%. Now this was a good brew. Heavy on dark fruit cake notes, coffee, some back tobacco, but too easy to drink. Our next stop, also in Gateshead, was The Central, a boozer with a homely "local" feel about it, and with the facade reminiscent of a miniature Flatiron Building, and I do mean miniature. I chose Errant Change Is Gonna Come IPA, 5.3%, from the range of about a dozen cask and keg lines, and very nice it was too. It was now getting on a bit, and the yawns were suggesting an early night, but we did manage another couple of drinks before bedtime, after walking back over the river, this time utilising the iconic structure of The Tyne Bridge. We eventually dropped in at The Bridge Hotel. Another local pale ale was on offer at the bar, among the cask range, the name of which has now evaded me, but I was soon enjoying a swift pint of this before finishing off with a pint of Hadrian Border Brewery Farne Island, in JDW's The Quayside, which was a stone's throw from our Travelodge.
We didn't rush out the following day, it was cold, drizzly, miserable and certainly not a morning for exploration (I can't remember any stories of my ancestors being on voyages of discovery on cold and miserable Novembers in years past), but the clouds were due to stop yielding the wet stuff by lunchtime, so our next voyage around the city was on. Starting in The Newcastle Tap, with a pint of Tapped Haze, 5%, before moving on to the The Bridge Tavern, then the Akenside Tavern, both of which had good beer selections, before moving back down to Quayside, and, after a spot of "touristy stuff", having a drink at Brewdog's Urban Garden, an open, outdoor bar which is definitely a bit airish, to say the least, in November. The Head of Steam, and a pint of Errant Loose Cannon Equanot Pale, 4.4%, was next, followed by Wylam's Writers' Block, a 4.3% Pale Ale, enjoyed in The Broad Chare. We curtailed our afternoon here, returning to our hotel, before popping out later in the evening, for a bite to eat. We'd decided on some food, and a couple of drinks, back in the Head of Steam, but on the way we dropped into the bar at Chart House Restaurant, and I wasn't disappointed in my pint of Three Brothers Trilogy Blonde, a refreshing 3.9% brew, on cask.
Our final day in Newcastle was spent just around the station area, starting at The Delta Lounge, taproom for the Alpha Delta brewery, where the brewer's own Apollo Citra IPA, 6%, and Big Blue Birthday Blue Double IPA, 8.5%, were greatly enjoyed. I picked up some beers for home in here,
prior to Jane nipping to do a bit of shopping whilst I was visiting The Split Chimp (Beartown Polar Eclipse, Black Treacle and Burnt Toffee Stout, and also a half pint of Three Kings Clever Chimp Session Blonde), collecting another couple of "home" beers on the way out. We met up again in Beer Street Micropub and Bottle Shop, where Art Cars, from Dig Brew and S43 Brewery's Duck Duck Juice, both 5.5%, were my chosen beers, before moving on to the station for our train home.
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| Big Blue's Birthday |
prior to Jane nipping to do a bit of shopping whilst I was visiting The Split Chimp (Beartown Polar Eclipse, Black Treacle and Burnt Toffee Stout, and also a half pint of Three Kings Clever Chimp Session Blonde), collecting another couple of "home" beers on the way out. We met up again in Beer Street Micropub and Bottle Shop, where Art Cars, from Dig Brew and S43 Brewery's Duck Duck Juice, both 5.5%, were my chosen beers, before moving on to the station for our train home.
What did we make of Newcastle? Well, it's not lacking in pubs, Independent brewers or taprooms. Our visit wasn't long enough to allow us to visit the Byker area, which houses another good selection of boozers and breweries and taprooms. We have agreed to revisit Newcastle again, and try and dig out a few more jewels from this North Eastern hotspot.
Cheers, and keep it "Real"
