We can be Heroes

With T'other 'Arf, and I struggling to get weekends off together, and our social circle mostly, seemingly, working Mondays to Fridays, it can be a real bonus when we all “click”. We had been trying for a while to arrange a few drinks out with Dave “Mogsy”, a mate from my taxi driving days, and his lovely, but equally mad and zany wife, Jane but to no avail. Scuppered by our work patterns, Dave's love of Manchester United and prior engagements, we eventually worked out the last weekend in June would be ideal for us all.......almost. I would be at work on Saturday, whilst my “significant other” was at the grindstone on Sunday morning. Nevertheless, we decided on a Sunday afternoon in Cleethorpes would be spot on, fine and dandy. Only after our arrangements did we realise the the local Armed Forces Weekend would be taking place.

I have always been a supporter of our Armed Forces, and their charities, although never serving myself, except for a cameo role in the local Air Training Corps as a spotty teenager (195 Grimsby Sqn ATC, Leading Cadet and Bandsman, if you are that interested!). Work prevented the parades and commemorations being viewed by our good selves on Saturday, along with, what was reported as, a fabulous firework display, but we would, hopefully, catch some of the MAD (Military Air Display) on Sunday. After Jane got home from work, we quickly got ready and nipped to town to catch the next train, only to miss it by 2 minutes. Bugger, I thought , as the realisation of being in Cleethorpes too late for the celebrations dawned.. Keep Calm and Stay Near The Bar ! We popped into The Yarborough Hotel, which was quite busy for a Sunday, and, with 50 minutes to waste, we imbibed. What did you expect us to do ? I chose the Thornbridge “Jaipur”, a 5.9% IPA, which is incredibly easy drinking for a beer of this strength. With a zesty and undeniably citrus punch from first taste, through to a peach and plum roundness, then, a strong, but well balanced, dry finish, with orange and grapefruit tastes very prominent. Make no mistake, this is no Great Pretender, this is an IPA to be reckoned with! T'other 'arf, meanwhile, chose a G & T. Oh well, whatever. With at least another 15 minutes left, and the gin still well above the lime, I quickly opted for a further quick pint. This one was “Dark Knight” , a 4.4% Stout from the ever reliable Milestones brewery. With a good fruitiness, mainly blackcurrant, which slides away to leave a malty chocolate finish, I found this an excellent brew, and one to be sourced again. Alas, it was time to leave, and face the 10 minute journey to the seaside. Entering The Coliseum Picture House on our arrival, we found found our 2 amigos sat in the modern, but somewhat dark, interior of this popular Wetherspoon's pub, and, with a resigned feeling we had missed most of the afternoon's air display,settled in for a couple of beers. I happened upon a beer that was renowned in Grimsby's brewing past. “Hewitt's HBB 1874 Celebration Ale”, an occassional ale now brewed by The Black Horse Brewery in nearby Louth. I have a lot of Family history tied up in Hewitt's Brothers old brewery, so a sentimental pull was inevitable. I am too young to remember the beers from this brewery, it was “absorbed” by Bass Charrington back in the late 60's, with the usual outcome of closure coming soon after, but I have heard, and seen, in the form of many a pub facade, the size and strength of this estate in it's pomp. The beer, itself, was a lovely ale, with the rich maltiness present throughout, and a long bitterness in the finish. I would I have loved to have had the chance to drink a pint of this with my late dad, who worked at the old brewery, in the bottling plant, and bonded stores (when I was younger, much younger!), just to see if it was anything like the old stuff. I will never know. I followed this with Robinson's “Trooper” a 4.7% Premium Bitter, with a smooth, almost caramel malt taste, which gives way to a citrus hint, slightly lemon, in the finish. Not a bad beer. The rest of the two rounds consisted of Tuborg lager, and Greene King's “Abbot Ale”. We departed soon after, but not before “Mogsy” and I had a shot each of the 33% cinnamon flavoured Whiskey liquor, “Fireball” which, I agree, is an acquired taste. I enjoyed it, but Dave ? I'm not sure ! The face showed a different story to the statement of “Ooh, not bad” Next stop was The Nottingham Hotel, which was surrounded by Military hardware, a pleasing sight. We quickly grabbed our beers, mine, an Acorn “Darkness”, which was a fabulous tasting dark ruby coloured Mild of 4.2%. The flavour was distinctly nutty, with caramel and slight fruit. Although served in a plastic glass, H&S !!, this was still a great pint, which I savoured whilst feeling so proud of our aviation heritage, as a Spitfire and Hurricane danced and acrobatically flung themselves around the sky above us. This was followed by the Yak Display Team, and finally 3 Folland Gnat's, from the Heritage Aircraft Trust. Marvellous. We retired to “Willy's Wine Bar”, a bar I have always found a little pretentious, where we, T'other 'Arf and I, had a pint of a Rat Brewery Ale (sorry, name escapes me, but the beer was quite good), and half of the “Portobello Star” from the brewery of the same name. The latter was very biscuity, and not bad, bearing in mind the previous half dispensed in my absence ( call of nature ) was sidelined to another table after I pointed out that it was not supposed to look like something drawn from a ditch ! My preoccupation with “other” matters and had prevented me mentioning something sooner ! We' d had a good afternoon, with Dave & Jane on good form, as usual, one to be repeated soon I hope. We set off back to catch our train, but not before finding the Number 2 pub had a few beers left from the weekend's beer festival, and 1/3 pint tasters were available. It would have been anti-social not to pop in, don't you think ? The selection, as ever, festival or not, was excellent, and eventually I chose a third each of Cottage Brewery's “Thunderbolt”, “Fireball”, and Pheasantry Brewery “Dragonfly” along with a half of “Pale Ale” from the latter brewers. At 4%, and with a fresh and hoppy surge, with a rather citrus finish, “Thunderbolt” certainly hit the mark. The second offering from Cottage, a 5% IPA, was heavily driven by the grapefruit taste, with a slight peppery spiciness in the finish, I liked it, but T'other 'Arf thought it too bitter. The Pheasantry offerings were both enjoyable too, with the 5% Blonde “Dragonfly” having an exotic fruitiness in the background, along with a rounded malt taste which leads to a dry, crisp finish.The “Pale Ale” coming in at 4%, was very floral, almost perfumed, with an equally dry finish to it's stablemate . Our train was now ready, so we contentedly ambled down the platform, boarded and in a few minutes were alighting back in Grimsby. Being of the persuasive type, and Jane didn't take too much prompting, we managed one more back where we started. This last pint and accompanying half was “Green Bullet” from Loddon Brewery. This is a Golden Ale, weighing in at 4.6%. There was quite a lot going on here, with fruit, gooseberries, the tasting notes advised, and a distinctly lemon and lime trait in every mouthful, along with a rather aromatic spiciness overlaying with biscuit, and slight malt, it was hard to concentrate on any particular part of this complex Ale. We thought it was an OK beer, but nothing extra special, there again, it certainly wasn't bland, just elaborate, busy and a little confused in taste, there again, we had had a full day on the pop, so our palates could equally have been in the same mixed up state.

STOP PRESS.......

Good news. Next year's National Armed Forces Weekend has been awarded to North East Lincs (Grimsby and Cleethorpes). This will mean a posse of Leading politicians, high ranking Forces personnel and, hopefully, a member of the Royal Family, will be here to receive the salutes. It will also mean a few more displays, land, sea and air, for all to enjoy. If you have a spare weekend next June, I'm sure you will be made very welcome.

Although not getting out quite as often, I have had one or two little sessions in The Yarborough of late, and, thankfully, managed a few decent brews. Sadler's “Hop Bomb”, sampled on a warm and sultry early evening, was one to enthuse about. A 5% IPA, this beer has the aroma of a fruit basket, a lovely bittersweet maltiness, and a rush of florality. The finish is heavy on the hops, and very dry. An excellent and refreshing drink. Milestones Brewery, from the Newark area, seems to be an ever present at our JDW just lately, and I must confess, they do some bloody good beers. They rarely disappoint. “New World Bitter” was recently on tap. A rich, malty brew, with slight fruit and burnt caramel tones coming through to a quite long, but subtly dry finish, this 4.8% beer was well received, as was the “American Pale Ale”. With a mix of fruits in the initial taste, and a strong but not overpowering hit of bitterness from the hops, I thought this beer of 4.6% was well balanced, although I would say it was not truly like an American Pale Ale at all! Wild Weather “Howlin' Gale” a Co-Ale-ition Ale (with the Monster Raving Loony Party, apparently) was another I stumbled across, 3.9% and labled a dark Old Ale, this beer had a slight choco-coffee taste, along with a hint of dark fruits, and, although initially quite interesting, just like the election, soon forgotten ! I was most surprised at Coach House Brewing Co “Posthorn”, a 5% Premium Ale. I thought it big and malty at first, but after the outset, it did not seem to go anywhere. A touch bland for my liking. Elgood's offering of the newly brewed “Cambridge IPA” was another ale I crossed of my imaginary list (or rather added to my memo notes on my phone, must read them all sometime!). Grapefruit mingles with a wonderfully maltiness, which,in turn, meanders through to a long, tangy and bitter finish. One of the better IPA's being offered at the moment, and at 4.7%, close to a session beer.

Well, that's it for now. I have been tasting a few bottles of late,and with notes made, of which I will try to spew a line or two of next time I post. At the moment, T'other 'Arf, I and our friends, Dee and Steve, are just getting ready for a BIG weekend in Leeds, a place I have not really explored before. I have a list of 20 pubs I would like us to visit over two days. How many we will manage is another thing, but be sure, I will have a report on those (un)lucky enough to have had a visit from The Beermonster !!

Cheers and keep it “Real”

You Can't Curry Love...

 Some things are good in pairs, and go together, oh, so well. Think of Laurel & Hardy, Morecambe & Wise, cheese and crackers, bacon & eggs, tea & biscuits, Sonny and Ch... OK, OK, most of them! The finest ones, though, especially for us Brits, must be the pairing of Curry & a Pint. A marriage made in Heaven. The only fly in the ointment, usually, is location. Not geographically, I am not saying Devon's curries are any better, or worse than, say, those in Cheshire, No the point I am making is whether to choose between a pub curry, which gives you the beer variety, hopefully real ales, but, most times, only offers a choice of one or two curries, or an Asian restaurant, with it's many, and varied, dishes but much more meagre drinks. In my experiences, most curry houses offer, almost entirely, bottled or keg lagers, with the occasional British keg bitter thrown in for good measure.For those who like a good selection of both the East-West wares, I would recommend a Thursday night visit to your local Wetherspoon's. Not only is the drinks selection as varied as you can usually find on the High Street, they also offer up to seven different curries, plus starters and dips, ranging from the mild Chicken Korma, all the way up to The Flaming Dragon, which is 5 pepper strength on their scoring. I, over the years, have tasted them all. Anyone who likes a hot 'un, you will not be disappointed by The Flaming Dragon, which, like all their curries, is served with a free drink. Not a bad offering for around £6-50 (local prices may differ.) and the offer to trade-up to a large portion for a small increase is available. I know these meals are, in the main, “ding” meals, (after I complimented the “chef” through my local JDW's assistant manager a couple of years ago, I was told how busy the microwave operator had been all night, and this was certainly not a surprise !), but, to be honest, they are still tasty, and good value for money. On our last Thursday Curry Club visit, T'other 'arf opted for the Chicken Balti, a rather flavoursome curry, which packed a punch, with a pint of Exe Valley “Sheppard's Crook”, a full and malty Premium Bitter brewed with a hint of fruit in the main taste &, a nice dry, bittersweet finish. I, meanwhile, chose the Beef Madras. I found the meat slightly on the tough side, but still enjoyed it thoroughly, along with my chosen drink, Grainstore Brewing Company's “Ten Fifty”. I was, originally, told that this was a\ Scottish brewer, but I have since found out that they hail a little closer to home, Oakham in Rutland. This 5% Premium Bitter, is said to be the closest brew to the “old” Ruddle's” County, and they are not far wrong. With a rich malt flavour, and a satisfying, but not overpowering, sweetness leading to the bitterness from the well balanced hops, I found this a fine partner to my meal. I am not suggesting that you should ditch your chosen Curry House in favour of JDW's, as I am well aware that most of these establishments, culinary speaking, are far more superior, but for VFM and choice, on a Thursday, you could do far worse.`

Battle of the Bottles. #1

Recently, I suggested I may start a little extra addition to my blog, namely, The Battle of the Bottles. With such a range of beers now available in the local Supermarkets and similar outlets, I thought I would, where possible, try to pair two like-for-like brews together, for a head to head taste off. I will, as always, try to give a fair assessment of my chosen “competitors”, which, even with T'other 'Arf's input, will be an independent, and personal review.

First up, are:-

The Ilkley Brewery's “Joshua Jane” (3.7%) v The York Brewery “Yorkshire Terrier” (4.2%).

Both billed as Yorkshire Bitters, and both brewed within the White Rose County. On pouring, the first thing we noticed was the difference in colour. Joshua Jane was a rich amber coloured beer, whilst Yorkshire Terrier was a hint lighter, and the head did not stay around as long. Initial aroma of Joshua Jane was of a slight toffeeness, and a hint of grass, whereas York Brewery's beer had a sweet and fruity nose, this was also noticeable in the initial taste. The bottle notes suggested at “a modest salt” taste to the Ilkley beer, which I did not pick up. There was slight sweetness leading to a hint of caramel, and a lovely zesty dry bitterness throughout, and the finish was reasonably long, dry and bitter. I thought it a little over carbonated, but not too much as to distract from the overall balance. The Terrier, on the other hand, is more dominated from the citrus and, well, slight berry fruitiness,with an almost biscuit aftertaste, which leads to a clean, and bright, bitter finish.There is just a little more complexity to this brew, but with an underlying stability. I thought both beers were very good, both displayed similar traits in the bitterness and dryness of the finish, but the fruit and hops driving the Yorkshire Terrier just tipped the balance for me. Joshua Jane is still a “reight good beer”, and would knock many a challenger into a cocked hat, but in this little contest, the more rounded, richer tasting Yorkshire Terrier just growled a little louder.

Cheers and keep it “Real”

Time for a quickie !

 I know, I know. You've been missing my appraisals, occasional diatribes and comic genius that I have offered on here, until just lately (okay, maybe a bit over the top with the comedy reference!), in my reviews of boozers, brews and my life in general. The truth is, and I struggle to see how, all my spare time I used to have seems to have dissipated, vamoosed, buggered off, if you like, leaving my over creative right forefinger little time to tap away, artistically, at my laptop keys. I have very little time to use it for any function at the moment (before you start thinking thoughts, I mean picking my nose !). Never mind, I will valiantly strive onwards.

Celebration Time

So, I am happily settled into my new job, adjusting to a new shift system which, oddly, will seemingly go against what you read my opening paragraph, by giving me an extra day between shift changes than my previous employ (?). We have still been out and about, but somewhat less than we had been before our recent trip “Darn Sarf” to Kent. The usual haunts have been visited, but, sadly, one of them, The Parity, on my last excursion to this, one time, favourite, failed to produce a single pint fit for sampling, from it's four handpumps. This meant a pint of “John Smith's” keg and an early finish to that little session. One pub we re-visited, for the first time in several years, was The Empire. We had just arrived home from Kent, grubbed around on the allotment plot for an hour, before deciding to venture out to The Wheatsheaf for a couple of beers. I relaxed with a pint of Cameron's “150”, a Celebration Ale to commemorate 150 years of brewing by this Hartlepool based brewery. A 5% version of “Stongarm”, with a bitter-sweet taste and well hopped finish, I found this a quite pleasing Ruby coloured Ale, and a fitting tribute to the North East Company's sesquicentennial anniversary. T'other 'Arf chose the 4.1% Daleside Best Bitter, “Old Leg Over”. A rather sweet brew, with fruits coming to the fore, and a pleasing dry finish. As we savoured these, we were quite surprised to see my brother and his family at the bar. After the initial greetings, we were asked if we were going to our niece's 40^th. Unfortunately, we had not received our invitation, so knew nothing of it. That is how 2 near scruffs ended up in The Empire, dressed VERY informally for a birthday bash. Never mind, we were warmly received and enjoyed this family occasion. The pub, in Runswick Road, is a typical 2 room “estate” pub, geared very much to the locals and their tastes. It used to serve “Tetley's” and “Hobgoblin” on cask, I was informed, but these are a rarity now. I had to satisfy myself with “Guinness Extra Cold” , a most bland of stouts, but beggars can't be choosers, as the saying goes. A great night was had by all, which was more important than the wares available. The following week, or so, I managed to get into The Yarborough Hotel on a couple of occasions, and, luckily, experienced some differing beers. I happened to bump into an acquaintance from my taxi driving days on one afternoon. Mick, a fisherman for many years, was a regular fare for the company I worked for, and we had a good yarn about the fishing industry. It is so sad that the industry on which Grimsby was built around, prospered on and has taken so many men to an early, and in most cases, a watery grave, has now, almost, disappeared. From the days of well over 200 deep sea sidewinder trawlers being registered and regularly sailing from the port, less than 10 smaller North Sea boats now bear the famous GY prefix on their number. I shall not go on, but will always feel that certain politicians happily sold us down the river.

Back to those beers. Firstly, Moorhouses “Farmhouse”, this 4.6% Saison style beer has a sweet aroma, rather like damp cardboard. This is followed by a slight berry taste and then a big Grapefruit finish, with plenty of zest. This is beer packed with punch. Over the last few weeks The Kelham Island Brewery, from Sheffield, has had a good representation of it's Ales on at The Yarborough. 2 new ones I have tasted recently are “California Drinking” a 4.8% American style Blonde Ale. The flavour of this dark hued beer is malty, slightly easing towards cinder toffee, followed by a light fruity hint, orange zest comes to the fore, but also a touch of woodiness. Quite a complex brew, which is very easy drinking, as the balance is just right. “Gentleman Death”

Baltic Porter at it;s best.

was another from this excellent brewers. At 6%, this extremely dark Baltic Porter is unbelievably smooth and silky, with a lovely malty taste. The backtaste is a mix of dark chocolate and, almost, a cappuccino coffee. I found it quite irresistible and moreish. I was also fortunate enough to savour “Dark Age” , a 4% Mild from the Celt Experience. The initial taste is quite sweet, with chocolate, caramel and spice combining well and adding a hint of bitterness into the medium finish. One beer I was a little disappointed by was “Posh IPA”, a 5.4% “Goumet fruity IPA” from Yeovil Ales. This beer had a slight fruitiness, medium bitterness, which leads to a bitter-sweet, rather short finish. I wouldn't say it was a bad beer,no, not by any means, it just didn't seem to lift itself from first taste to finish. And that is about it with the cask beer reviews for now, although T'other 'Arf and I have had another couple of sojourns to the local hostelries over the last couple of days, which I shall write about soon, and I also have a bottled beer review to follow, but until then, once again Cheers and keep it “Real”

Kent Touch This

 First of all, those following me on Google + will know that my team, Grimsby Town, the Mighty Mariners, were to face Bristol Rovers at Wembley Stadium for the Non-League Play-off Final. I used to be an avid fan, following the team wherever they played. As a change of job meant Saturday's were no longer certain to be free for football, and, I suppose, growing up a touch, my regular pilgrimages down to Blundell Park, and on the highways and bye-ways, when the Black and White stripes were playing away from home, became less and less. For the final, I was off from work, the first day of my holiday. My intention was to pop to the Club shop to buy my ticket so I could see my beloved team play their most important game for years and travel to Wembley by coach, and then either travel on to Kent, meeting up with T'other 'arf ,who was to travel down the day after, or just face the long trip back up to Lincolnshire, only to go back down South the following day. In the end, after seeing the pricing, and add-ons, just for a ticket, I decided not to be ripped off, and go down the pub,( The County, in town to be precise, which was selling a lovely pint of the zesty and refreshing Pale Ale from Sharp's, namely the 4.2% “Atlantic” )where, come the final result (losing on penalties after a hard fought game) I questioned if a grown man was allowed to cry into his pint ? Oh well, next season might be different. That's the waffling done, now on to the good stuff. Beer, pubs and our little break in Kent.

The last time we were in The Garden of England, it was for very different reasons, a family funeral, so, on this occasion, we had plans to enjoy ourselves a little more. After a good journey down, only 4 hours and 40 minutes, in, sometimes, torrential rain !, we arrived in Margate, dropped our bags, and nipped out for a quick couple of beers. With The Wheatsheaf being the nearest pub to us, we popped in there and duly quenched our thirsts with Moreland's Old Speckled Hen. Sometimes, in the pub chains, this can be a very ordinary drink, but our drinks in here were very well served, and, more importantly, in good condition. On leaving here we proceeded to an invite for dinner with Family, Chilli, rice and Garlic bread, followed by a couple of glasses of “Sailor Jerry's” Spiced Rum. Our first day was coming to a close, with yawns and tired eyes eventually making us retire for the day. The following morning, we discussed plans the the coming week and, after shelling out on the very reasonably priced Stagecoach Bus 1 week Mega rider Gold, which, for £20-50 each, entitled us to unlimited trips on any of their buses in Kent and East Sussex, we set off around the area.

Folkestone

Lest we Forget

We decided on a trip to Folkestone, and, after seeing the storm clouds approach from all directions as we were bumping along the country roads of the Kent Downs, we were not surprised to be alighting in the sodden streets of this South coast harbour and resort. Our first call was The Pulman, a nice pub, with a charming beer patio to the rear, situated in Church St. In here, we enjoyed the wonderful Old Dairy Brewery's “Gold Top”, a Golden Pale Ale of 4.3%. This is a refreshing session beer from a local brewer, which, although citrus in the finish, has a slight toffee hint to it. I found this a nicely balanced beer, as did my “half-pinter”. The rain had eased, so we wandered off, up The Bayle,and, eventually down to the harbour, before taking the street lift back up to the Memorial to all those who, after arriving on troop trains, marched down to awaiting ships and sailed, high in spirits, to the abyss' of the trenches of The Great War. I feel so insignificant when my bravery is measured against these patriotic Giants of yesteryear. We followed The Road of Remembrance, bedecked with knitted poppies, back down into the Old Town, and then back to The Bayle, resting as another shower approached, in The Guildhall. I remember this as The Globe, an old fashioned boozer, filled with characters and bric-a-brac style memorabilia, now much “shinier”, but still as welcoming as before. I tried the 4.1% “Cheshire Gold”, a Golden Ale, with a floral aroma, and citrus vein right through to the long, hoppy and satisfying finish, hailing from Coach House Brewing Co, whilst Jane savoured the wonderfully balanced Harvey's “Sussex Best Bitter”, a lovely beer, with an ABV of 4%. The sun was, again, out and we scurried back towards the bus station. Having just missed a bus, we decided to catch the next one, but, until then, a spot of retail therapy (for the Lady), and a trip to JDW's Samuel Peto would have to fill the void. The Samuel Peto, housed in a converted Baptist Church, oozes with character, with many fixtures and fittings from the original building. In here I sampled a “Kentish Reserve ” from The Whitstable Brewery. A surprisingly easy drinking Premium Bitter, at 5%. this malty brew has a taste rather similar to a nice brown bread. It has a slight fruitiness coming through, but this doesn't become too invasive. A good beer indeed. The retail therapy? I haven't a clue ! That was the last port of call in Folkestone, although I am sure more delights are lurking if one digs a little deeper (The British Lion for one, which was closed on our visit, is a cracking pub, just yards from The Guildhall). On arriving back in Canterbury, we had another 45 mins to wait for the Margate bus, so, with the weather getting really bad, we sought refuge in The City Arms. We settled down to 2 beers from the Canterbury Brewery, Foundry Torpedo, a 4.5% Amber Ale, which was crisp, zesty with a light fruit hint, balanced by a grassiness, and “GB” a Pale Ale of 4.2% which was dry, slightly spicy and floral.
Our return “home” was not what you would call welcoming. The wind was blowing, and the rain was, as they say in North Lincolnshire, “heshing it down”. Suffice to say, after we had got off the bus, walked 150 metres to a supermarket, picking up a few supplies, and then hopped on the “loop” bus, we resembled something more akin to shipwreck survivors rather than the beer tourists we are.

Canterbury

No trip to this part of Kent is complete without a visit to the County's capital, Canterbury. Later in the week, we jumped on the No 8 for our journey west to this beautiful city. Stopping on the way to visit more family, we arrived just after lunch. First on the agenda, after a bacon buttie, was The Bell & Crown in Palace St, between The Marlowe Theatre and Canterbury Cathedral, a smashing little pub, which champions Kentish beers. I chose a pint of The Canterbury Ales “Pardoners Ale”, a rather fruity, bitter-sweet 3.8% session beer, with spice, honey and oranges hints tickling the taste buds. T'other 'arf went for the 4.7% Gadd's “She Sells Sea Shells”, a dry,light zesty Summer Ale, displaying a medium bitterness in the finish. With shops nearby, it was decided that I could have time off the leash (only joking, Sweetheart!) and have a wander. I was thinking of walking up to The King's Head in Wincheap, a pub visited, and enjoyed immensely a few years ago, but I then changed my mind, as the traffic around this area was quite busy, and not designed for possible wobbly legs on my return. Instead I dropped in to the sister pub of The Bell & Crown, The Carpenters Arms. This has a more younger person's establishment, but still carries a couple of local ales alongside the keg, and fizzy lagers. In here I chose Old Dairy Brewery's “Red Top”, a 3.8% Best Bitter. A slight haze was apparent in the glass, but the beer was still good besides this. Hints of toffee and coffee give way to spicy fruit and citrus, and it is very well balanced. I wandered back up the street a full 50metres to The Black Griffin, a large and extremely friendly boozer on the corner of the lane of the same lane, and St Peter's St. In here, I enjoyed a wonderful pint of Brains' “On the Fence”, a 4.1% Bitter, with a good malty body and a bitter-sweetness, which has a balanced delicate berry fruit taste, through to the long finish. I really liked this pub,and the well delivered beer here was a delight. We had agreed to meet up for a spot of late lunch at The Foundry, but on my way there, I passed The Cricketers, proclaiming it's wares and decided to try them myself. The first pint that I asked for, “Early Bird” , turned up with less clarity than a Party Political Broadcast, but, incredulously, I was told they had been serving it like that ALL DAY !!! I declined, chose another of the Shepherd Neame Ales, “Master Brew”, which was at least a little less opaque, even if it was not on form. I forced down half of my drink, while I sat out in the sun, without any passion for it, and then proceeded to our last port of call in this fine City.

One of  my favourite Pubs
The Foundry Brew Pub, Canterbury

Jane was just getting the drinks in when I arrived at The Foundry Brew Pub, the home of The Canterbury Brewers, so I chose the well renowned and highly acclaimed “Street Light Porter”, and T'other 'arf went for “Foundrman's Gold”. My 5.8% brew was excellent. Rich, with chocolate and coffee prominent, but not overpowering the, overall, well balanced beer. This ale is, in my opinion, a modern classic. Jane's beer was also well received, with floral hints mingling with peachiness making it very refreshing. The bitterness was quite subtle. This Golden Ale would be a great session beer, weighing in at 4%. We ordered a simple late lunch of sandwiches, with a side portion of chips, and were pleasantly surprised at the HUGE portions which arrived. I accompanied my meal with another different brew, the light, refreshing, early hopped “Foundryman's Dragon”, with an ABV of 3.9%. Malt and berry flavours abound in, yet another, great brew from this brewery. If in Canterbury, visit this brewpub. Have a drink, sample the food, but stay awhile. It is well worth it. After this, we waddled back to the bus station, waited for our transport and gushed over some of the places we had visited.

Thanet's Micropubs.

I just love Micropubs. Their simplicity is quite welcome in our high tech world. Find a premises, usually an old shop or outhouse. Buy some barrels of Real Ale and Cider. Set up some racking. Pour the brew into the awaiting glasses of discerning drinkers. Voilà. No pumps. No gas. Just good beer. Kent has a fair few of these to enjoy. On our latest visit, we managed to re-visit two old favourites, and add another to our list during our week. We popped back in to The Lifeboat, in Margate's Old Town. I enjoyed a 4.5% Whitstable “Oyster Stout” in here. With malt, mocha coffee and a gentle sweetness mixing together, this is yet another good local Ale. T'other 'arf sampled the Tonbridge Brewery “Coppernob” a 3.8% Kentish Ale. With a light maltiness, leading to a dry and fully hopped finish, this is another good session beer.

The Lifeboat's Wall of Cider.

Cider lovers also have a great selection to choose from, and, on our visit, the “wall of cider” had over a dozen different types. We also re-visited The Harbour Arms in Margate, or, to be precise, visited the new one. Since our last visit here, they have moved to bigger, more practical premises, right next door. It still has a great atmosphere, and the beer is still good. On our visit, we sampled the 4.8% Russian Porter “Black Pig” and “Turbulent Priest” a 4.4% Bitter, both from The Wantsum Brewery. The Porter was smooth and has a smoky choco-coffee back taste, but remains quite floral too, whilst the Bitter had a nice fruit aroma which balanced perfectly with the chocolate, coffee and malt body. Take a wander to this little pub on Margate's harbour arm, not only for the satisfying beers, but to, possibly, the vantage point of the best view of the resort. Our final evening was spent in a new micropub to me, The Four Candles” in Sowel Street, St Peter's, just near Broadstairs. I'd wanted to visit this place on our last couple of trips down South, but had not quite got there. We were glad that we, T'other, arf, Darren, her step-brother ,and his partner, Wendy, and I, did this time. It is small, tight,friendly and full of character. The owner makes you feel like you have been a regular for years and the clientele very embracing of strangers. We partook of the excellent “Robin's Target Ale” brewed on site, a 4.8% Pale Ale with a refreshing zesty bitterness to it, with hints of grapefruit and a long dry finish, and Wendy plumped for a glass of one of the Biddenden Cider Brewery's offerings.I finished the evening on “Orme” from the “Great Orme Brewery”, a 4.3% Best Bitter, which was malty, with a hint of sweetness, tempered by a wonderful dry, bitter aftertaste. From here, it is only a 10 walk to another brilliant micropub, The Yard of Ale, unfortunately, an early start, driving back to Grimsby, thwarted us popping in there this time.

Well that is that. We have one or two little trips planned over the Summer, which I hope to share with you, but until the next time, Cheers and keep it “Real”

Sorry I've Been Away So Long

Today, Sunday, I am sat here, tapping away at my laptop, looking for some literal inspirations to flow along the communicative strands, which invisibly join the grey matter to my fingertips. Why am I finding this so hard ? Well, today is the second leg of the Vanarama Conference Premier Play-off Semi Finals. I am keeping a close eye on Bristol Rovers' attempts to reach the Wembley final, against Forest Green Rovers. Later, my beloved Grimsby Town will kick off against Eastleigh in the second of today's matches. Already short in the fingernails department, I might have to resort to alcohol to help steady the nerves before the end. I may interject this post with various “Oohs” and “Ahhs” and maybe more random sounds, but don't worry. Sanity will prevail. Well here goes then, with my latest mutterings, musings and mumbles about beery stuff and boozers, I hope you enjoy. As you may, possibly, have read in my previous post, the last few weeks have been very up and down for T'other 'arf and I. I have now finished an intensive 2 weeks off training for my new job, which followed immediately on the back of a trip to Kent to attend the funeral of Jane's father. We have both been very wrapped up in other matters of late, but, thankfully, a little normality is now steadily resuming. During this period, we still got a chance to sample a brew or two, which I am hoping to review for you now.

(It's all over at The Memorial Ground. Bristol Rovers 1-0 v Forest Green. 2-0 on aggregate.)

We started the month off with a couple, or so, beers at home. On offer were Shepherd Neame's “Master Brew”, Belhaven “Black Scottish Stout”, Master Brewers Choice (part of the Shepherd Neame brewery) “IPA” and a bottle of Weston's “Scrumpy” Cloudy Cider. The “Master Brew”, a solid tasting 4% Kentish Ale, has initial maltiness, which gives in to a slight toffeeness, with fruit and nutty undertones rising to the fore. After so many years in the game, (after all, they are Britain's Oldest Brewery) it comes as no surprise that this beer is so consistently good. Belhaven, at 4.2%, I found, was quite thin. It was full of hints and slight undertones, but never really championed any of them. Coffee, chocolate, malt and an overall sweetness are detectable, but soon seem to dissipate, leaving one a little disappointed. It was an OK beer, but nothing special.

  (Yeeeeeesss !! Palmer scores for Grimsby. 1-0 up, 3-1 on agg)

The

The 7.4% cider, I was advised, went down well. Quite sweet, but with a dry finish. Staring at the empty glass, I can definitely vouch for that ! The following week, I picked up a selection of beers from our local corner shop, 3 for a fiver, I think. These were............

(2-0, Lennell John Lewis aka “The Shop” slots it away.)

Sorry, distracted there. Where was I. Oh, yes, I picked up Hook Norton “Hooky Gold”, a 4.2% Golden Bitter, which, although, light tasting, carries a wonderful crisp and zesty punch throughout. This was followed by Titanic “Stout”, a 4.5% brew with a good, roasted malt taste with a good hop finish. A beer that has won many awards, and that is clearly evident. Last up was “Combined Harvest”, a 4.7% Premium Bitter, which is quite sweet, but gives in to an underlying Nutty hint towards the end. Another very reasonable beer from Bateman's.

(Whoo-Hoo 3-0, Palmer again.)

Overall, not a bad selection of beers. I am finding more and more better beers available on the shelves nowadays, not just the bog standard offerings which once graced most outlets all of the time.

(That's it. Wembley now beckons and, ultimately, a place back in the Football League)

Back in Thanet.

We travelled back down to Margate for more sombre events in the middle of April, to bid farewell to Tony, Jane's father. A character who enjoyed life, who had a wicked sense of humour, was, sometimes, blunt and forthright in his opinions, but always, I found, a man who it was a pleasure to “have a yarn” with, and whom we will sadly miss. After a lovely Humanist ceremony, and celebration of his life, we raised a glass in his memory at the Salmestone Grange, a 14th century building, in Margate. No hand-pulled beers, but bottles of Shepherd Neame's beers were available. We didn't venture anywhere on the night-time, just those places our minds wanted to wander, unchecked.

The next afternoon, we wandered into town, and re-visited The Lifeboat Inn. Always a favourite place of mine, you are never disappointed with the range and quality of the local ales, or the charismatic owner, who welcomes all and sundry in his own gregarious way. I started with a wonderful Ale called “Coalman's Porter” from a new brewery based in St Nicholas at Wade, by the name of Attwell's. This was a lovely beer of 3.9%, which had a good choco-coffee taste right through to the end. It was not one of those thin, wishy-washy stouts that pales into insignificance after the first gulp, nor one of those which you need a knife and fork to get through it. This was superbly balanced and a real joy to sample. T'other 'arf chose the 3.5% Wantsum Brewery's “More's Head”. I am a big fan of this brewers beers, and this was another fine Ale. Initial malt gives way to a roasted nut hint, which is followed by a floral, citrus trace in the finish. The last beer sampled was in The Lifeboat was the Ramsgate based Gadd's “East Kent IPA”. This was a full-on 6.5% IPA with a heavy fruitiness in the body, and aroma. The hoppy finish is huge, but the end note is more bitter-sweet than dry. Wow, this is a well crafted beer. We wandered back to “home” picking up a range of local ales from the supermarket, rang for a Chinese take-away, and reflected on our last couple of days

On Saturday, we decided to spread our wings a touch, and, shortly after jumping on the Thanet Loop bus, dayrider in hand, we arrived in sunny Ramsgate.We strolled around the harbour, looked at the various arty shops and, eventually, came to The Hovelling Boat Inn, another of Thanet's great micro-pubs. We walked in, or rather through, looking for the bar, only to be advised that there wasn't one ! “ Just look at the board, order what you want, sit down and I will fetch it to you” And the young lady did. I ordered a brew from a Buckinghamshire brewery called “XT10 Stout”, a 4.5% brew with an excellent full bodied, roated flavour, which is not too overpowering of the delicate hoppiness. Jane chose “Abducation” from the Dancing Duck Brewery. A 5.5% IPA, with a full malted flavour, which sits comfortably with hints of tropical fruits.We followed these with Butcombe “Rare Breed” a 3.5% bitter-sweet Pale Ale, which was extremely refreshing with citrus and floral notes, and a half of Bowman's “Wallop's Wood”. This was another good beer. It is more malt than hopped in flavour and at 4%, a session beer of some note. Very well balanced from the first sip to the lingering finish. We then jumped back on the “Loop”, and ended up in Broadstairs, hunting down the sickly sweet Gipsy Tart, famous in these parts ( I had a sausage roll instead!) before re-acquanting ourselves with “The Thirty-Nine Steps”. We grabbed a swift beer in here, namely Wantsum's “Imperium” a smooth 4% Bitter, which had a lovely biscuit taste to it. Another good beer by this Thanet brewery. With delicacies in hand, we, again, boarded our transport for the return trip to Margate. We, later, popped back out meeting up with family members, as it was our last evening in Margate, and visited the quirky Yard of Ale in nearby St Peter's. Set in the yard of a local funeral directors, this encapsulates what the micro-pub phenomenon is all about. Local beers served excellently in surroundings which would usually be overlooked. We, the customers, don't need acres of bar space, or more chrome finishings than a Harley Davison factory. We just want well kept beer and good company. We certainly got that here. I had a pint of The Canterbury Ales “Merchant's Ale” a 4% Kentish Mild Stout. It was smooth, dark and quite fruity, with malts and a slight hoppy nose. I failed to notice which beer was the chosen half, but I can report that Rhubarb and Strawberry Cider was sampled by our collective. After these we popped our heads into the nearby Red Lion, a lively, but friendly, “local”, We chose the Sharp's “Atlantic” a pleasantly bitter and zesty IPA of 4.2%, before jumping back on the “Loop” into Margate for an Indian meal. With a 5 hour journey awaiting us the next day, that was where the evening ended. The circumstances of our visit were not those we would have chosen, but we are back in Kent later this month when we can, maybe, enjoy the gems this County always offers visitors a little more.

Cheers and keep it “Real”

(Sorry for the interuptions !)

Winds of Change.

 A few weeks ago, T'other 'arf and I had an afternoon back in Cleethorpes, part of Lincolnshire's holiday Riviera. Taking advantage of the awaiting train from Grimsby to the East Coast resort, a mere 8 minutes later, we alighted at our destination. As is typical, it was peeing it down, which, along with the strong North-Easterly wind (we call these winds “lazy winds. They'd sooner blow through you than go round you), did not suggest anything like a warm welcome. Talking of the weather, I once had a long conversation with an old boy, ex-trawlerman he was, with a face as red and craggy as a mountainside sunset, and a wealth of tales and superstitions from a life at sea. “You know what's the best thing for forecasting the weather, you kid ?” he said, with hardly a mere flicker detectable in those dark, thought filled eyes. “ Pine cone ? “ I chipped in, “....or the clouds, you know cirrus and all them ?” I offered as an aside. “Nah !Bloody pine cones, hah” came his stinging rebuke, “ I'll tell you what. A piece of rope “ I was now to enter in to a nautical secret, I thought, one probably passed down over the years from Man to boy. “You nail it to the fence at the bottom of the garden” was this Sage's priceless information. “Oh, How's that work then ? Is it the strands ? Do they react differently in different weathers?” Here, the vital part of my meteorological education was due to arrive. “No ! You nail it there, then you look out on it every morning. If it's wet, it's raining, if it's dry, it's not, if it's swinging it's windy, and if you can't see it, it's foggy !” Sometimes my tolerance of our previous generation does wear rather thin. Anyway, where was I ? Oh yes, cold and wet, on Cleethorpes seafront. We buttoned up our coats, tightened the scarves and headed on to The Nottingham House. The Notts, as I have reviewed before, is a cracking, traditional old boozer, which is always quite busy. Today was no exception. With a pretty full bar, rugby was on, and the lounge also nearing it's seating capacity, we opted for the snug, at the back, with it's log burner, helping us forget the bracing climate outside. I quickly ordered Marston's “Help For Heroes “ a 4.2% Blonde Ale. This light coloured beer has a slight biscuit taste, which gives to a creamy, but quite tangy, fruitiness. The finish is a little zesty with a slight floral hint. I found that a faint sulphur aroma persisted throughout, which was, rather, off-putting. It was an OK beer, but not great. Next up, we tried York Brewery's “Centurion's Ghost” , a 5.4% Mild. With big hits of caramel, chocolate and fruit, which last all the way to the long and slight bitter finish, this is an excellent beer. The taste is full, but not overpowering. A very well balanced, and easy drinking Ale. The upcoming Beer Festival was well advertised, and noted, which I promised to visit the following week, but that is another story! We had another of the same in here before heading down the road, a full 50 yards, or so, to the former Fisherman's Arms, now, apparently, re-named as Dexter's Ale House.

A Coalition that works !

The choice of beers in here was, again, quite good, and we opted for a pint, and a half of “DNA New World IPA” from Charles Wells, which is brewed by using a reduction of Dogfish Head's “60 Minute IPA”. How that works, I am not sure, but the resulting 5.4 % Ale is worth the effort. A rich biscuit taste gives to a bitter citrus kick, which makes for a very refreshing Ale to savour. A lovely peach taste is also evident. Next, we had a pint of the 3.7% “First Dawn”, a Ruby coloured ale from Caledonian, which was zesty, citrus and fresh tasting, with a good grapefruit taste dancing on the palate, and a half of Bateman's “Spring Goddess”. This Blonde Ale of 4.2% was crisp, dry and very floral. It was extremely refreshing, and a good thirst quencher.

We left here to wander down to the local Wetherspoon, chasing a Festival beer, or two, of which I have already posted about, and then back to Grimsby, and home.

I did manage an early evening at The Notts Beer Festival the following week, which boasted a good selection of beers both on the pump and gravity drawn, although I had tasted quite a few of them before.(I always strive to experience a new beer when possible) Jane was down South, in Kent, visiting her father and I had just finished my early shifts, which prevented me having the time off to drive down there myself. My first beer was from Totally Brewed, a 4% Blond Ale called “Slap in the Face”. This extremely fruity brew, with orange and grapefruit prominent was an excellent starter, and the flavours lasted through to the long finish, leaving one's palate feeling quite refreshed. I followed this with a half each of the dark 4.5% “Sherwood Reserve” from Castle Rock, and Dark Star “American Pale Ale”. The first one was quite malty and heavy tasting, with a strong bitterness to the rich taste. It was not unpleasant, but it did take a couple of good mouthfuls to get used to it, whereas the APA, with it's fruity sweetness, driven by an almost apricot jam-like taste, was very easy to drink, even though it was the stronger of the two beers, weighing in at 4.7% . I was intrigued, and invited to try, the Big Puncher of this festival, namely Burton Bridge Brewery's “Thomas Sykes”. The cake like aroma, followed by a cascade of fruit and caramel tastes, is very evident, with a big fruit packed and syrupy finish. The most noticeable thing about this brew was how easy drinking it was, even at 10 % ABV ! What a good beer this was. I finished on “Cherry Porter”, a 5.5% beer from Firebrand. Another good beer to try, with liquorice and chocolate eventually pushing this ale to the long and bitter-sweet finish. My only complaint of this beer was it seemed a little thin, and this seemed to hold back the flavours at the start, but still a good beer. At this point I dropped my pen on the floor, bent to pick it up, knocking over my bar stool in the process. I picked up the stool, in turn, unable to halt my mobile phone slipping out of my top pocket. I stooped back down, to pick up the phone, again, almost spilling the bar stool. Amidst raised eyebrows and chuckles from around the bar, Mr Bean decided that it was probably time to catch the bus home. Although it was uttered “Good beer, that 10% stuff” and “You don't want many o' them”, I firmly believe the beer wasn't to blame, I think I am just clumsy. Any other comments on a postcard, please! Unfortunately, this was my only visit to this Festival. Maybe next time I will experience a couple or more sessions to this event.

The events of the next few weeks at home were to take us both by surprise, with very different emotions being experienced. Firstly, I applied for, and was accepted in, a new job, which I start very soon. Not long after this, just before Easter, Jane's dad, in Kent, fell ill, and, unfortunately, passed away. With other, more important, matters coming to the fore, you will understand that, over the next few weeks, I may be posting and blogging a little less. We will raise a glass to Tony after the funeral, and celebrate his life.

Cheers and keep it “Real”

A Third in the Hand is worth a pint in the Snug !

 Well, they think it's all over. “Slurp” It is now. The Wetherspoon International Real Ale Festival is, anyway. So, how did it go ? To be honest, I thought the beers on offer in our local JDW's were OK, with some really worth tracking down, whereas others all seemed to be much of a muchness. One noticeable thing about the Festival was that our local selections, and we do "boast" 3 JDW outlets in this conurbation, seemed quite sparse and repetitive at times, but never mind. Luckily with the beers available in "Festival Thirds", I did not have to crawl home once, on all fours,after several pints, singing songs of yesteryear. I'll leave that for another Festival !! Of the 50 brews on offer, T'other 'arf and I managed to taste 35 in all, slightly down on the last festival's total of 47, due to a slight downturn in pub visits, due to work.  In compiling these notes, I decided to include them in order in which they were displayed in the “tasting notes” leaflet.

1. Elgood's Spring Challenge 3.7% Did not Sample
2. Hawkshead Jester 3.7% Did not Sample
3. Robinson's Mojo 3.7% Quite rich and malty, to start, with a fruity flavour cutting through. The finish was crisp, dry and bitter. A good session ale.
4. Bank's & Taylor's Bedfordshire Clanger 3.8% Did not Sample
5. Bath Cobblestone 3.8% This Golden Ale was light and very fruity, with peach and, possibly, summer fruits leading one towards a gentle, dry, bitter finish. A good beer, but I felt that this ale just held back on the flavours a touch, which I found unusual, as Bath Ales are usually more “punchy”.
6. Bank's Archer 4% A very floral aroma is immediately noticeable from this Amber Ale, which has a very citric taste through to the finish. A lovely bitter-sweetness is in the medium finish. A very well balanced beer.
7. Black Sheep Monty Python's Holy Grail 4% This Golden Ale is filled with fruity flavours and is very distinctive to the taste. Biscuit is there, alongside peach and zesty undertones. We found this extremely refreshing, crisp and dry in the finish, which was quite long.
8. Devil's Backbone Spider Bite 4% Rather dark in colour, but not a heavy beer. There is a woody taste at first, which is followed by sweet caramel and “bubble-gum” traces, leading through to a spicy kick at the end. I enjoyed this one, but thought the finish was a little on the short side, although still satisfying.
9. Everard's Ascalon 4% This Brown Ale had a lot going on. Malt, orange zest and a hint of chocolate all create a lovely rounded ale, with an almost perfect finish, which was well balanced.
10. Purity Rivet 4% Did not Sample.
11. Mauldons Bronze Adder 4.1% Medium malt taste, but not much else comes to the fore. The finish was short and, well, rather lacking in anything mentionable.
12. Hyde's Paddock Wood 4.2% This fruity Chestnut Brown Ale is full bodied, wonderfully balanced and a pleasure to sample. The sweetness of the fruit is well complimented by the bitterness in the finish.
13. Jennings Golden Host 4.2% This Golden Ale was very delicately balanced and had a light refreshing crispness and zesty flavour mixing well with the bitter-sweetness of the barley, throughout. A grassy aroma was also evident. Although light in colour, this was quite a full bodied beer. The dryness of finish made it extremely moreish
14. Rudgate Brew No 11 Milk Stout. 4.2% A rich, creamy, full flavoured stout. I really looked forward to tasting this one, and was not disappointed. With its lovely creamy head prominent to the end and a nice roasted malt taste to the body, this is one of THE beers of the Festival. A typical, but very good, stout.
15. Brains' Pocket Full of Rye 4.3% Did Not Sample
16. Phoenix Play It Again, Sam 4.3% This pale coloured Golden Ale has a light base of biscuit and citrus, which is followed by hints of blackcurrant. The finish is medium sweet. A very pleasing beer, and one to savour.
17. Celt Experience A False Dawn 4.4% Did Not Sample
18. Hanlon's New Moon 4.4% T'other 'arf and I tried this a couple of times, at different locations. It seemed to offer so much, as an IPA styled beer, but the over-riding flavour was, well, very woody and resinous. As one guy at the bar advised me, after receiving the 2^nd of our tastings, “Had that 'un last week, and it reminded me of when I was in hospital. It tastes like them places smell” Maybe a little over-egging of the pudding by my advisor, but I did think that the taste was too complex and hard to explain. I would not have rushed back for another, even a third !
19. Morland Tanner's Jack 4.4% Fruit, biscuit and nutty malt flavours abound in this amber coloured Ale. The aroma is floral. A good, but not outstanding, beer. No nonsense to this one. It is certainly not pretentious in any way !
20. Otter Otter's Progress 4.4% Another Ale which has a touch of woodiness in the aroma. This beer, though, leads you to a lovely bitter sweet taste in the main and the finish is tantalisingly pleasing with grassy notes noticeable.
21. Dungarvan Irish Stout 4.5% A typically good Irish Stout, brewed in conjunction with Wadworth's. This was smooth, full in flavour, with roast malt and hints of chocolate coming to the fore. Vanilla was there at the long, satisfying finish. Not quite as creamy as some stouts, but nonetheless a good beer.
22. Lancaster Albion Connection 4.5% This reddish hued Ale was rich, fruity and left a spiciness in the long, bitter finish. Quite well balanced and one of the Festival's better beers.
23. Mountain Goat Hightail Ale 4.5% The first of 2 Antipodean Ales on offer at the Festival, this one brewed at Hook Norton's Brewery. The initial taste of this amber coloured is roast malt and caramel, but, very quickly, citrus and bitterness join in to ensure a well balanced flavour, which ends with an enjoyable dry finish. A marvellous beer.
24. Nottingham Salsa 4.5% Light and fruity, with a pleasing hoppy flavour throughout, this Amber Ale was a beer that made one sit back and dream of the upcoming Summer months.
25. Orkney Puffin Ale 4.5% A Golden Ale with punch. With nut flavours, from the malt, and a sweetness which works well with woodiness and spicy fruitiness, this complex tasting beer offers so much, and, thankfully, delivered it all in a well balanced way.
26. Wharfebank Othelia Gold 4.5% Did not Sample
27. Daleside New Dawn 4.6% Did not Sample
28. Hook Norton Inspired 4.7% Did not Sample
29. Wolf Lazy Dog 4.7% Did not Sample
30. Adnams' Jester 4.8% Did not Sample
31. Caledonian Merman XXX 4.8% Did not Sample
32. Golden Road California Breakfast Ale 4.8% Another Stateside offering, in conjunction with Adnams', this light coloured beer had a floral aroma, big hit of fruitiness, slight coffee hints and a rich spicy vein running throughout, finishing with a rather smoky taste, just like a barbecue sauce. We found this a very intriguing mix of flavours. I loved it, but T'other 'arf was not that keen on it. Everyone's someone's favourite.
33. Hilden Nansen Street 4.8% Dark in colour, malty and a big hopped bitterness is the only way to describe this. It is just a good old fashioned Old Ale style of beer.
34. Acorn Sovereign 5% This was not the best Acorn brewed beer I have ever tasted, but in the context of this Festival, not a bad one by far.It is golden in colour, delicate in taste, with grassiness, and a slight herbal hint, but when the dry finish has run its course, it does not inspire you to order more. It is certainly not a bad beer, no, no way, it's just much of a muchness in taste, and is not that outstanding from many others, or individual.
35. Bateman's Lincolnshire Red 5% Bateman's many and varied seasonal, or special Ales have always been in the marketplace, and never fail, in my opinion, to please. This particular brew, with a fruitiness, citrus and lime hinted taste was very refreshing, with a tart bitterness in the uplifting finish. Another fine beer from my home County brewers.
36. Cameron's Vermillion 5% Did not Sample.
37. Shepherd Neame Boadicea IPA This golden IPA was light in colour, initially, mellow in taste, before a mix of citrus and maltiness washes, refreshingly, over your palate. There is a sharp zest in the finish. A really good beer.
38. Titanic Wit Stout 5% Rich, black and biscuity, this was a good stout.The finish was dry and smooth. The head clung all the way down to the bottom of the glass. I enjoyed this beer, but that was because it was so simple in flavours and taste. Less is definitely more in this case.
39. Vale SPS 5% Did not Sample.
40. Wdaworth Ye Ole Admiral 5% Pale and amber in colour, this Ale is full of taste. A well rounded bitterness at first leads to zest and hints of fruit, with orange hints in the satisfyingly dry and bitter finish.
41. Barley Brown's ESA 5.1% With Marston's, Tyler Brown offered this Golden Ale. Full, but not heavy, like some American beers, the pleasing biscuit taste, leading on from the initial bitterness, and citrus hints in the finish, make this a complex, but easy drinking Ale.
42. RCH Boadicea 5.3% This Golden Ale was slightly resinous, but with a light maltiness and a spicy back taste, it all sat together well to produce a refreshing beer. The aroma was distinctly floral and fresh.
43. Salopian Indigenous 5.5 I was intrigued by this, near black, IPA. The fruit flavours, blackcurrant and berries, sit next to a heavy spice kick, but none seem to demand more than a courtesy mention. A balance that lasts into the zesty,refreshing, but equally understated, finish.
44. Townshend's JCIPA 5.5% The second of the Antipodean beers offered a full malty aroma, with spice and citrus leading to a sweet, spicy and medium bitter, and dry, finish.
45. Inveralmond Rascal London Porter 5.6% A very mellow tasting Porter, which, although having an intense spiced aroma, was very smooth and velvety on the tongue. A chocolate, maybe slightly coffee, flavour is evident, and made it quite moreish.
46. Shongweni Durban Pale Ale 5.7% All the way from South Africa, via Wainfleet (Bateman's), this light, hoppy beer, with hints of caramel, marmalade and spice, was quite a mouthfull. I enjoyed trying to piece together the flavours, but it was not overly distacting from the overall taste. The complexities of this ale really worked well.
47. Cerveceria Fort English Style IPA 5.8% This Spanish brewers' representation, brewed in Kent at Shepherd Neame's brewery had a full bodied taste, which gave way to a noticeable fruity, mostly raisin, hint. It had an aftertaste of a fortified wine, or port, and the finish was long, dry and extremely refreshing.
48. Bodebrown Wee Heavy 6% A beer from Brazil, prepared in Scotland at the Caledonian brewery, this dark ruby beer was rich, malty and reasonably sweet. We found it quite easy drinking, even at the ABV strength. Another good beer.
49. Lighthouse Shipwreck IPA 6.5% We found this Canadian beer, brewed at the Whychwood brewery, quite sweet, fruity, but with pleasant bitterness running through it. The finish was long and dry. Personally, a little too sweet for me, but still a reasonable brew.
50. Welton's Churchillian 6.6% Did not Sample.

Overall, not a bad line up of beers, with 10 from overseas. I thought that there were quite a few of them a little too similar, but, there again, that is probably inevitable. I recently visited the Nottingham House Beer Festival, which I will write up next time, which, although offering the same number of beers, had many I had tasted many times before. I suppose getting the balance right at these events is a nightmare at times. My favourites ? I suppose that Rudgate's Brew no 11 Milk Stout was, arguably the best stout/porter at this season's bash, but I really enjoyed the other 4 of this style too, and the  Titanic Wit Stout came very, very near. The Lancaster Brewery, Mountain Goat and Boadicea IPA from Shepherd Neame all need a mention, as does JCIPA. The Wee Heavy and Durban Pale Ale both hit the mark,though. Hmm decisions, decisions. My top 3, and in no particular order, therefore were  Shongweni Durban Pale Ale, Rudgate's No11 Milk Stout and Mountain Goat Hightail Ale. A special mention must go to Golden Road California Breakfast Ale, which was certainly an intriguing taste, and, although very complex, worked well.

Thank you for reading my ramblings, and remember, not ALL the 50 were tasted by T'other 'Arf and I, so YOU may have sampled THE Ale of the Festival which may not have been on offer in our neck of the woods.Until the next time.

Cheers and keep it "Real". 

Everything Counts in Small Amounts....

Promise, Promises ! 

After declaring, demonstratively, that, I, The Berrmonster, would be saving myself, almost virginal, for the up-coming Wetherspoon World's Biggest Real-Ale Festival, it may appear that I have succumbed to the temptation of an Ale or two during the interceding period. Why ? Well, the Great British weather, true to form, has been typically shocking, with days of wind, hail and snow making appearances most days, with frost biting at one's appendages during the very late and extremely early passages of the day, both periods very familiar to me.This prevented any worthwhile journeys down to our allotment. On top of this, I was on my late shifts for the first 3 days of March's opening week, which, with a lunchtime start and a 10-30 pm finish, doesn't encourage one to rush out to the pub, especially as, on my arrival home, T'other 'arf, my loving Partner, has, usually, slipped a couple of hot water bottles under the duvet, in a bid to expel the cold out of my joints and half-frozen lower limbs. By the time Thursday arrived, and cabin fever set in, we, Jane and I, had finally managed to get a day off together. A foray into the newly re-opened Lidl store, which, incidentally was offering several Shepherd Neame beers, was on the agenda. I procured a trio of these bottles for the coming weekend's F.A. Cup matches. Such stress. I was ready for a pint after that, so, with T'other meeting “The Girls” from work for a pre-arranged Curry Night meal a Wetherspoon, I decided to keep her company until the Tribe arrived. I had an important meeting to attend the following morning, so over indulgence was never on the menu (although several fine curries were!!). Scanning the pumps in The Yarborough Hotel, just a shade after 5pm, we decided on a pint of Burton Bridge's “Golden Delicious”, (GD), a Golden Bitter of 3.8%, and a half of Acorn “Bullseye” The “GD” was a mildly citrus beer, with a slight sweetness at the back, gently pushing it to a lingering dry and bitter finish, whereas the “Bullseye”

Bully for you.

at 4.5% was a Best Bitter with a floral and spiced aroma, which combined with a malty, sweet caramel base, giving way to a medium hoppy finish. Both very good. As “The Girls” arrived , I said a cheery “Hi”, then bade them “Farewell”. Although I was aware I could have stayed, I left the Coven to Yap, Yap, and Yap, infinitum, as I popped over to the Ice Barque. The visit was brief, due to diminished Real-Ale stocks (again). I struggled through a half of “London Pride”, before moving on again to The Hope and Anchor to test their wares. With Tom Woods “Bomber County” on tap, and at only £2-60 a pint, I decided to indulge in a measure of this rich, dark beer. As usual, a really good glass of this Tom Woods favourite was dispensed, and was quickly devoured by my good self. It was now the wrong side of 6-30pm, but the right side of 7pm. I sensibly set off home for a bite to eat, slipping into the bath a little later, before settling down to some rubbish TV.

After Friday morning's appointment, I set off for a couple of hours work down the allotment. The rest of the day was spent lazily watching more rubbish on Catch-up TV, whilst my erstwhile beloved one flogged her guts out at work (or so She said !) Mind you, I ensured dinner was served on her arrival home, along with a glass of wine, whilst I chose one of my Shepherd Neame bottled beers to relax (further) with. The bottle of choice? “Up and Under”, A Hoppy Ale of 3.8%. I found this Bitter quite fresh, with the hops strongly prominent in this medium dark coloured beer. The aroma is sweet and a nuttiness seems to appear in the finish. Quite a pleasing beer, from a bottle. I then settled down to watch the “Soaps”, whilst my own were bubbling in the slowly filling bath I was drawing, to help ease away my backache. Work tomorrow at 04-30.

While we endured a freezing cold weekend at work, the only thing to cheer me was the thoughts of the F.A. Cup games, on TV, and trying my remaining 2 bottles of Shepherd Neame beers. The first I tried, as I watched Aston Villa's 2-0 win over local rivals West Brom was the “Double Stout”. This 5.2% beer was a classic Double Stout, with a smoothness throughout, with burnt caramel, toffee, cocoa easing you through to a dry, but bitter finish. A beer to savour as you relax in front of a roaring fire ( or, as I did, with the central heating nipped up a bit) Sunday's offering, for the Liverpool v Blackburn match, an average 0-0 encounter at times, was SN's “India Pale Ale”, a 6.1% version of their 4.5% cask beer. This is a strongly hopped beer, with fruit, citrus and a touch of caramel coming through from, seemingly, all angles. There is also a spiced bitterness that arrives towards the end. I liked it, but others may find it a little too complex, maybe. And that was that. It was all over. There were no-one imitating sick parrots No people were on the pitch but the celebrations of these three ales was no less excitedly accepted than any winning goal.

Monday's weather was atrocious, which swayed me to meet T'other 'arf, after we had both finished our toils, for a spot of lunch, and to wind down after those thankless early starts. We walked up to The Parity where we ordered our food, Chicken Melts, and washed it down with Tom Woods' “Old Codger”. The 4% ruby coloured Bitter was well balanced, with the bitter-sweet taste balanced with a nutty, maybe even biscuit, aftertaste. Both the food and Ale were well received. Predictably, we then wandered to The Yarborough, where we relaxed, gazing out on to the wet streets, and sodden pedestrians, squelching past Lowry-esque, to and from imaginary Satanic mills (more likely the local offices and shops.), as we enjoyed a Bath Ales “Cobblestones” and a half of Milestone's “Magna Carta”. The “Cobblestones”, a 3.8% Golden Ale, was light and very fruity, with peach and, possibly, summer berries leading towards a gentle dry bitter finish. This was one of the Festival Ales. The “Magna Carta”, a Bitter of 5%, on the other hand was also quite golden, but with a more sweet taste, with a burnt toffee flavour cutting through. We finished in here with another from the upcoming Festival, an Ale from New Zealand's Townshend's Brewery, “JCIPA”. At 5.5%, this beer had a full malty aroma, with citrus and spiciness leading the drinker to a sweet, spicy and medium bitter, dry finish.

With Jane having a bit of shopping to do, and my thirst not yet fully quenched (my last early shift has that effect), we went our seperate ways, for an hour or so. I ventured, I don't know why, to the Ice Barque. Encouraged by the sight of one of the Festival brews, namely “Dungarven's Irish Stout”, on the bar, and thought drifting towards the Cheltenham Festival, Ireland's horse racing Enclave during March, I felt a sort of “coming together” was in hand. No such luck. “Available Soon” was the nearest I got. With very little else, I opted for the “Ruddle's”, which , well, was just “Ruddle's” Very average all the way round. Bitter-sweet, with no suprises expected, or received. Quite predictable and almost boring, but not as bad as some of these bog standard brews. A beer to drink, not savour, I find, but not in huge amounts. I voted on the selrections with my feet, and left, to end my early evening in The Hope and Anchor, with a pint of Bateman's “Black and White” before me. This Mild, of 3.4%, is rich, creamy and contains a wonderful mix of nutty, fruity and slight cocoa flavours. This is a good beer, in my opinion, and a beer to really relax with. Being content and half asleep, I was away, to catch the last Quarter-Final of The Cup at home....which....yawn.....I didn't quite.....zzzz zzzzz. What was the score?

We managed another 2 or 3 hours digging on the plot on Wednesday, before a spot of shopping, and, as T'other 'arf was visiting a friend later that day, I shot home, put our groceries away, and nipped into Town, grabbing 4 beers I had not sampled previously. I tried a brace of halves from the Festival brews, still not started though, and another 2 halves besides.The first was the non-Festival  Hanlon's 4.8% “Port Stout”. This was dark and smooth with the taste more coffee than chocolate. The finish was long and rounded, but the Port flavour was not that obvious to me. Next up was Nils Oscar, a Norwegian India Ale, from a brewer, the identity of which was sadly a blur, due to small print and the wrong spectacles. Doh ! That was a shame. The beer, on the other hands was a very well rounded ale with sweetness to start but leading quickly to a lovely bitter taste. It had slightl blackcurrant hints and a long, bitter-sweet finish. Hmm nice.The 2 Festival halves were “Spider Bite” from the Devil's Backbone Brewery, and Lighthouse “Shipwreck IPA” The first offering, a 4% Ale, was sweet caramel and quite malty at the onset, with a “bubblegum” taste peeping through, but not enough to imbalance the bitter finish, which was not too long, but very satisfying. The Lighthouse IPA, weighing in at 6.5% I found quite sweet, fruity with pleasant bitter undertones. A little too sweet for me, and I found the finish long and dry. Not a bad beer, but I maybe expected more.

Well, I shall try to ease a Festival third (or 3!) down my neck over the next couple of weeks, but work may prevent my attempts to get the full house at the JDW's bash. We will see. Until the next time. Cheers and keep it “Real”

Get Set For The Weekend...

Well, here we are again, inked quill in hand, hovering over the parchment, hoping to spew a paragraph or two out before my tip runs dry, as it forms new categories to the Rorschach test, spilling, drip by drip, away. Hang on. I am using Open Office. Where did this feather come from, and worse still, what are those stains, and who the bloody hell is Hermann Rorschach ?? You can tell I have had a quiet week or so, with very little to stimulate my grey matter. Even the Daily Mail and Daily Express did very little in their respective cryptic crosswords to tease me. Since my last rambling tome of beery expeditions, I have not had too many excursions of pleasure to report on, but The Hermitage is not yet ready for us.

I was back to the paid vocation on Monday (16th), (believe it or not, I do this serious reporting of liquor for free!!!) and after the following days toils, I had my 2 rest days to take off. What to do? Too cold and wet to go fishing or digging on my allotment, too warm to build snowmen in the garden, and so we, T'other 'arf and I, managed a spot of lunch in the local JDW's ( Yarborough Hotel) where we also sampled a couple of glasses of Real Ale. We started off with an offering from the Tring Brewery, by the name of “Redshank”. This medium dark bitter, of 4.2% ABV, is smooth and rounded, with the sweet maltiness giving way to the slight hop bitterness, with neither becoming too prominent. The complimenting of this is very pleasing with a long and satisfying finish. An extremely good brew, which went down well with our light lunch of Paninis. Whilst my Half Pint expert stayed on Redshank,

Watch your nuts !

I espied an Isle of Wight brew on the bar pump. Goddard's “Wight Squirrel”, to be precise. A very dark and quite bitter beer at first ,this leads to a caramel sweetness and malty taste towards the end.. This Best Bitter, of 4.3%, is quite moreish, but just a touch too sweet , in my humble opinion. With food and ale in our bellies, comforting feelings abounded as we left 'Spoons and wandered home. I was back to work on Thursday, working on late shifts, until my next rest day on Monday. Sounds OK, but (there is always a but) I was back to work on Tuesday morning at 04-30, so we decided, as usual, to forsake any liquid imbibing from our Licensees, until the coming weekend. I may have hinted that I was disciplined!!

Friday arrived. I cocked an eye at the offending alarm at our bedside. Yippee. 03-20, time to get up and get ready for work. Peeping out into the street, hiding behind the drawn curtains, frost was apparent. Oh well, a freezing awakening awaits, as I dangle in a cherry picker, de-icing our first aircraft out a little while from now. I did have a couple of beers waiting, expectantly, at home, for me, after finishing work, to help get the circulation going.

I have started that Twitter lark recently, but not having an all singing, all dancing phone, my tweets are more afterthoughts than hot off the press news items, as I have to wait until I can get on my laptop at home. I did find out, though, through this medium, a brewery from 30 odd miles down the road, Axholme Brewing Co, would be dropping off a barrel at The Nottingham, in Cleethorpes. Not having tasted their brews before, I had decided to give The Notts, and Axholme a coat of looking at.

But first, the bottles. I started on the lighter “Dr Thirsty's No 4 Blonde” 4.1% from Wychwood.

A lovely fresh tasting Ale, bordering, almost, into the realms of a Continental lager, but with a more bitter taste in the finish. I really enjoyed this, and would love to sample this again, especially in my shorts and flip-flops. The 2  ^nd offering was Morrison's Marston's brewed Stout, from their “Specially Selected “ range. A good, velvety Stout, at 4.5%. This is just a re-packaged Marston's “Oyster Stout”, but a good beer all the same. It is not too adventurous, or bland, just a bog standard Stout. The roasted taste gives way to a slight coffee/chocolate finish, with none of the flavours being too pronounced. It is just what you expect, really. No shocks or surprises. Bathed and ready to go, I jumped on the bus up to Cleethorpes, and The Nottingham. As I entered, the board proclaimed several ales, but not, unfortunately, the Axholme brew I had come in search of. Oh bugger ! Never mind. I ordered a brew I had recently reviewed Rudgate's “Snow Wonder” which was hoppy and fresh tasting on the palate, and was enjoyed just as much as my last experience of this Ale. I followed up with Theakston's “Old Peculiar”, an old favourite of many. 5.6% and having a rich, fruity but not too sweet a taste, a beer to be heralded. This is a true British brewing classic. Great beers served in an equally great pub. What more do you need to encourage you to enjoy the first afternoon of your weekend off. I jumped on the bus back to Grimsby, to meet T'other 'arf in The Hope and Anchor. On entering, Jane was in the company of Big Gaz, an acquaintance of ours since our quiz nights in the nearby Royal Oak, sadly now a solicitors office. We swapped stories of nonsense, cringed, but still laughed at Gaz's earthy humour (aided and abetted by Gaz's workmate, Alan, whose humour was almost as dry as mine !!),passed judgements on various news stories, but, strangely, we mostly discussed that sodding dress. Who cares (well obviously we did, for at least half an hour!) All this discussion was carried out with a pint of “Bomber County”, and a half of “Lincoln Gold” (or was it blue??) from the Tom Woods' Brewery.

I am sure it isn't Black and
White stripes, I think??

Both of these beers are well known, well liked and well reviewed, not only by myself, but many others as well. Suffice it to say, there were plenty enjoying both these brews in here today. We wandered on to our last port of call, The Yarborough, which was quite busy, as usual for Friday evenings. I opted for Elland “1872” a Porter of 6.5% and T'other 'arf fancied the “Welsh Dragons” from Milestones' Brewery, a Golden Ale of4%. The award winning “1872” was smooth, dark and very nice, with a wonderful aroma of aromatic fruits and the coffee and chocolate undertones ever tempting you further into the complexities of this beer, but still remaining balanced, all the way through to the bitter-sweet finish, it is no surprise that this carries a gong or two. The Golden Ale, on the other hand, was clear, extremely zesty, but not outstanding. It was pleasant, without being memorable and that is as poetic one could describe this average Ale. To finish, and to prepare ourselves for Good Ol' Grimsby Fish and Chips, open with scraps, of course, my beer was Warwickshire's Whale Ale Brewery's “Ruby Moby”, a 4% ruby coloured beer which imparted a strong caramel taste from the off, which gave way to a wonderful hop finish. A good old fashioned tasting beer, I thought. Great for a session, or just before Fish and Chips ! Jane decided on the 3.7% “Ruddles Best” , JDW's staple on the pumps. I used to quite like this beers years ago, when it was the only oasis in the desert of kegs and lagers, but tend to overlook it now. I don't know why ? Sweet, nutty and hints of toffee being cut through by a florality, make this Ale nice, not outstanding, but definitely nice. Along with it's Big Brother, the 4.3% “County” which is very similar with just a hint of refinement in the smoother finish, these brews seem stand strong and proud, where others, better beers, shall we say, often fade away when the next fad comes along. Now, where's that chippy?, I hope it's still open !

Saturday was very much taken up with other pursuits, with T'other 'arf and I rising early, (stop making your own sordid details up !) We decided on the suffrage of allotment digging and then baby-sitting. Let's just say it was a blessed relief flopping back onto our own sofa after a hard day tweaking forgotten muscles on our plot, and a rather noisy, hectic and tantrum tinged evening with 3 grandchildren. It was then decided that we may, after shopping and housey bits and bobs, wander out on Sunday for a couple. As the howling wind of the Sabbath greeted us, any lingering thoughts of outside work subsided, so Aldi's became our main focus. To gloss over the myriad of food bargains here, there are quite a few bottled treats here, most at a good price. We chose 4 bottles to share over dinner. It ain't SO bad shopping, is it ? On arriving home, we got on with a couple of little chores, before relaxing with a bit of “catch-up” TV and sharing a bottle of Aldi's “Sainte Eienne” lager (Yes, Lager! ) I found it quite refreshing, if I am honest. Sweet and malty with a hint of biscuit, this 4.8% golden coloured lager certainly surprised me. We followed that by sharing a bottle of Williams Bros. “Chieftain Pale Ale” along with “Bob Servant” on TV. The beer was medium sweet, quite hoppy with citrus flavours noticeable throughout. A very refreshing Ale. The TV? Extremely funny. I know people like Bob Servant, and, sadly, Frank too. I have only just started watching this Neil Forsyth comedy, starring Brian Cox, so I will be chasing up the first series ASAP. I wonder if Broughty Ferry has any Real Ales? “Stewpot !” We finished off at home with half each of Jennings Bitter, enjoyed along with our meal. Dark, nutty and a lovely malt taste greets you, encouraging you further down the glass. The finish is long and satisfying with a slight hoppiness tickling the taste buds towards the end.. What a way to waste an afternoon. After a laze in the bath, we decided on The Wheatsheaf, a good 15 minute walk away, to walk off our dinner, and to finish off the weekend. The “Sheaf” is a reasonable boozer, attracting a varied clientele. Part of the Ember Inns group, there are always a selection of guests' on offer, but not a huge array. This allows you to sample all the wares without falling on your back, gurgling! On offer this evening were, “Rivet Catcher” a 4% Golden Ale from Jarrow,which was fruity with citrus, almost grapefruit, flavours giving it a pleasing kick. Bitter, but not too sharp this beer was very nice and the dry finish, just long enough to enjoy and savour. Next on the list was the standard, it seems, of Ember Inns, Abbeydale's “Moonshine”, a Pale Ale of distinction. It is unashamedly citrus in the main, with a floral nose. A slight candy sweetness comes through towards the end. A damn good beer. We finished off the evening, and our weekend away from work, with Brakspear's Bitter

Reliable as ever.

. A comforting malty bitter, of medium sweetness and slight bitterness, this is just so typical of an old fashioned English style beer. Others have differing tastes and deep complexities, some are wrapped in fancy packs and are suggestive of hidden flavours and tinges, alien to some, but this pint, like the aforementioned Ruddle's, is a reliable beer in a, sometimes, confusing Ale marketplace.

I shall not be partaking again until JDW's International Real Ale Festival, later this month, so until then, as always,

Cheers and keep it “Real”