UK Staycation 2021 Part 3 Returning to Norwich and Leeds. Then Oot On The Toon in Newcastle and Gateshead.

 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.

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

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

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

Archies Bar & Kitchen, Leeds.

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).

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. 

Beerhawk Bar.

Atom x McColl's 6% IPA,  Feedback Loops and Magic Rock Psychokinesis NEIPA, 6.5% were my next two beers, once I'd met up again with my intrepid shopper in Tapped, before moving on to Beer Hawk Bar, just a couple of minutes away. On our visit, alongside the various cans and bottles for drinking in, or take-away, 12 draft pumps were dispensing a further variety of craft ales, one cider (Hogan's), Aperol Spritz and Budweiser. I suppose that ticks all the drinking boxes! I started out on
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.

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,

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"

UK Staycation 2021. Part 2. Edinburgh. Auld Reekie.

 As the summer started to relinquish its warmth, and give way to the first cooler breaths of the oncoming autumn months, we were again boarding a train, this time going over the border from England, and into Scotland.  Our destination was to be the beautiful and historically architectural gem of a city, Edinburgh. We were really looking forward to this visit, but, as the pandemic was still ongoing, we weren't quite sure as to how "open" Scotland's capital city would be. Whatever we may face on the restrictions front, we were determined to have a good, and boozy, time! 

Bellfield
Lawless Village.

Day One . We arrived in "Auld Reekie" (which gets its nickname, meaning "Old Smoky", from the days when smoke from open coal and peat fires hung over the the city like fog) just after lunch and, with just less than a couple of hours to wait until we could check in to our hotel, we decided to find a bar and slake our thirst. We initially tried to get into Cask Smugglers, adjacent to Waverley Station,  but, as it was so busy, places were certainly at a premium so we had a wander, found our bearings and looked for another venue. We homed in on a bar across the road and about a 5 minute walk away, namely The Newsroom Bar & Eatery, an easy going and modern looking bar facing the National Records of Scotland building. Keg and bottled beers alongside the usual offerings, are available. In here, I went for Bellfield Brewery Lawless Village IPA, 4.5%, a rather middle of the road brew but still satisfying enough with soft tropical notes nestled on top of easy grapefruit and zest. Jane opted for the cider, which was the dry and crisp Orchard Thieves. It was pleasant sat in the window here, watching the world go by, whilst we refreshed ourselves after our journey. We did, though, have a hotel to find and were soon stepping back out into the warm Scottish sunshine and retracing our steps back towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station, and then beyond there, over the busy North Bridge and into the Old Town area. We were staying at the Travelodge (Edinburgh Central) in St Mary's Street, which on-route gave us our first view of The Royal Mile and, in the distance, the impressive St Giles's Cathedral, which all seemed to be totally enveloped by the atmospheric and haunting music of the bagpipes. You couldn't have been mistaken by being anywhere else! After we had easily found the location of or base, I was aware that there was a highly rated pub just around the corner, namely The Holyrood 9A. There was a nice selection of cask and craft keg beers on here, and I first chose the Campervan Brewery Leith Juice Session IPA, 4.7%, which was, well, juicy and had a nice citrus edge. I followed this up with a schooner of Fallen Brewing Co Local Motive, 3.9%, a traditional English Bitter. This was a bit more hoppy than I expected, but still was very good. Both, as I recall, were craft keg. 

The Black Bull in
Grassmarket Square

After we had checked into our hotel, freshened ourselves up, changed and reviewed Google Maps for any hidden gems we had not already done our homework on , we set out to discover what Grassmarket Square and the surrounding area, stopping in at Greyfriars Kirkyard and discovering not only the monuments to Greyfriars Bobby, but also the final resting place of William McGonagall, known, maybe rather cruelly, as one of Scotland's worst poets. J.K. Rowling was also said to have taken inspiration for her some of her characters names in the "Harry Potter" stories from the headstones sitting in this peaceful graveyard. After this brief intermission, we strolled back out and across the road to Grassmarket, a lovely old marketplace in the shadows of Edinburgh Castle, which originally was the main trading area of the city for centuries, as well as the Executioners place of work until 1784. Its buildings now house a range of artisans, independent traders
and, of course, bars and restaurants. After our stroll, we decided on The Black Bull , a bar under the Cold Town Beer umbrella, to quench our thirst. In here, or rather outside here, whilst Jane had a cider, I opted for Cold Town Beer NEIPA, 5.5%. Tropical fruit come to the fore, with a nice rounded citrus finish. It was so nice I had another. As with all the bars in this area of Edinburgh, the interior of the bar is, seemingly, dripping in history, and the walls display hints of yesteryear. Our next pub was the nearby Fiddler's Arms, which, due to the gradual reopening of leisure premises, only had limited beers on offer. After scanning the counter, fully masked, I went for Williams Bros Joker IPA, 5%, which was ok, but, unfortunately, it was not at its best. The bar itself was welcoming, as were the staff and its patrons, which seems to be the case where ever you choose to stop and have a drink in Edinburgh. Our next venue was just a five minute walk away from here, The Bow Bar, which became a favourite of mine during our visit. There is a good selection of real ales, served by Air Pressure Tall Fonts, a traditional Scottish method of serving cask beers, I was told, which is gradually dying out. Craft keg beers are also available, alongside a bewildering array of whiskies. I decided to go for Tempest The Pale Armadillo, Session IPA, 3.8%, which had a lovely zesty citrus lacing at the back, complimenting the slight candy fruitiness in the main. The cider was Cidersmith's Craft Cider, which was crisp and dry, and apple-y. Seeing that we were in Scotland, I felt it would have been bad manners not to try one or two drops of the local spirit  After talking to the brilliantly knowledgeable staff, and my preferences noted on what I liked, and didn't like (I don't really do those big smoky whiskies) I was steered towards a wonderful Scotch Whisky, Auchentoshun 12 Year Old Single Malt was the bartender's recommendation, and, boy, was it a good one. I could have stayed all night, but we had to start our meander back to the hotel, all fuzzy and warm! What a great start to our stay.

Tranquility on 
the Water of Leith

Day Two. We were up and out at a reasonable time, if 10-00 am fits into that envelope, as we had booked to visit Edinburgh Castle. I won't bore you with the details, but, needless to say, it is awash with Scottish and British history and well worth the trip, even if some parts were still not open, due to the circumstances thrust upon us all by coronavirus. We spent well over two hours in here before heading back out for a spot of lunch. We started by having a quick pint, Stewart's 80/- Scottish Heavy, 4.4%, in the Last Drop Inn, which had a wonderful malty backbone to it, before dropping in at The Beehive Inn. Owned by Greene King, under the Belhaven Pubs banner, our visit coincided with a lack of any cask ales at all, so I opted for a rather poor Belhaven Best, the name seemed ironic. The food was enjoyable enough though, and set us up well for the second outing of the day, a walk to the picturesque idyll of Dean Village, an oasis of peace on the Water of Leith, just 10 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Later on, after a brief rest back at the hotel, we ventured out again, stopping off first at The Jolly Judge. This well reviewed hostelry, which has an ever changing line-up of brews, is situated just off the Lawnmarket area of the Royal Mile, is well worth a visit, although we only stayed for one on our call. Two by Two Mosaic, Amarillo and Ekuanot IPA, 5%, a lovely hazy, fruity brew, was my choice, and very nice too. As it was quite busy, and space being a a bit short, we bade farewell, which allowed another party to wander in and enjoy a beer or two. Next up was The Ensign Ewart, just a short stroll away. It usually carries 4 cask ales, but our visit saw only 2 on. I opted for the local Stewart's Pentland IPA, 3.9%, a lightly fruity brew with a nice hop finish. We popped into The Castle Arms next, just before it closed, it did seem like a quiet night around Castlehill area now, and sampled a pint of the really nice, sweet and malt driven 4.3% Scotch Ale brewed by Stewart's for the pub under the name Castle Arms No. 3. During the day and early evening, a veranda is open at the back, which offers good views over the West Bow whilst one can enjoy a beverage, or two. We must try that next time we come.. One thing definitely worth mentioning too is that so many of the pubs in the area have excellent food menus, and  foodies are very well catered for, with many dishes including quality local ingredients. 

We managed another couple of bars before returning to our hotel, firstly we went back to The Bow Bar,

The drinks choice in
The Bow Bar takes some
beating.

where I had Crossborders Braw, a Tropical Pale Ale of 5.2%, followed by a measure of Arbelour 12 year old Scotch  Whisky, another satisfying drop, expertly chosen for me by the bar team. Our last bar for the night was Brewdog, a stones throw from our hotel. We were the only customers in here, but it was getting late. Jane had been imbibing on G & T's all evening so decided on a soft drink, whilst I chose to start with a 2/3rd's glass of  Brewdog Mallow Lazer Quest, 6%, before concluding the night on another schooner of Brewdog Cosmic Crush Raspberry 4.5%. Both were ok, but I do find some of these drinks a little "gimmicky". 

Day Three. The day started on a slightly damper note, (rain and drizzle in Scotland? Surely unheard of!!) but we had already decided to visit the National Museum of Scotland during the morning, so it didn't impact too much on our plans at all. We spent about 3 hours in here, amongst galleries filled with various antiquities and artefacts. Some I can remember from my childhood and teenage years. Does this make these historically interesting objects seem too new to be in here, or am I getting old?  Anyway, at the end we still had more to see. Not bad for a free entry event. Next, a trip back to Bow Bar, where a Cromarty AKA IPA, 6.7% ( a very good beer that eased our thirst easily) was quickly followed by a 4.2% smooth and crisp Blonde Ale from Fallen Brewing, called Odyssey. Our next stop, after a bit of sightseeing, was back towards the station, in Brewhemia. This is a large, trendy bar, which has a few craft ales on tap, usually the more commercially available ones, alongside International lagers on draught and bottled. In here we chose Goose Island IPA, 5.9%, whilst Jane had Stewart's Brewing Lager, weighing in at 4%. Both were quite standard, and as expected. I finished off in this bar with a pleasing,  medium sweet, bready and thirst quenching Paulaner Munchner Hell, 4.9%. We wandered back towards our hotel, stopping briefly at OX184 where Jane had a soft drink, whilst I had the Stewart's Brewing Edinburgh Gold, 4.8%, before finishing off our afternoon session at Salt Horse Beer Shop & Bar. Jane had the cider in here, I can't remember which one though, whilst I had a Pilot Mochaccino, 5.5%, before doing a bit of shopping onsite and settling down to a Black Isle Blonde, 4.5%. Both were very good.

Hollyrood Pale
from Stewart's 

Our final evening in Edinburgh included a delicious meal at Howies Restaurant, Victoria Street, which saw us starting off with Haggis, Neeps & Tatties before moving on to two wonderful fish dishes, and a sweet (for the lady), washed down with a couple of G&T's (also for Jane), a couple of bottles of Stewart's Hollyrood Pale Ale, 5% and a Whisky Flight. The Craft Whisky selection was made up of Auchentoshan 12 year old, Highland Park 12 year old, and Macallan Gold. I'm getting to like those good whiskies again. The food, the drinks, the service and the  ambience of this restaurant were just perfect, and left us with a wonderful feeling of being spoilt. Although we were stuffed, a little tipsy but more than satisfied with our indulgent evening, we still managed to waddle the small distance back to The Bow Bar for a soft drink (guess who's?) a lovely rich, full bodied Crossborders Heavy, 4.1%, and another well chosen Single Malt, Balvenie Doublewood 12 year old. We would sleep well tonight.

Day Four.  Our final day started just before noon, after checking out of our hotel, and we decided to take things a little steady, as we only had around 4 hours before our train was due to depart, and had to squeeze in a spot of lunch somewhere along the way. After stashing our bags at the bag-drop within Waverley Station, we wandered over to the Rose Street area, which we hadn't really had much time to look at since we arrived. We had had our breakfast in the impressive former bank building in the neighbouring George Street, now a JD Wetherspoon pub called The Standing Order, on the previous morning, and skirted past it on the way to and from Dean Village, but not really stopped and explored what was on offer. Wandering along we soon became aware that some bars were still closed until later in the day, probably down to the ongoing restrictions, but one that was open was Fierce Bar. This

The drinks menu in 
Fierce Bar, Edinburgh

small, compact and sparsely decorated bar has a great selection of beers on the menu, 20 taps are available for dispensing the brews along with a vast selection of bottles and cans from not only from the Fierce Beer brewery, but other craft brewers far and wide too. I had a couple of beers in here, starting with a juicy, hazy and well balanced 6.7% Moonraker 4 NEIPA , from Estonian brewers Pohjala, before easing through the fabulous Fierce Beer F.A.B. Barley Wine, 12.5%, which was full of boozy richness with bourbon barrel notes and complimentary coconut spikes. A great brace of beers in a marvellous pub.

Next, we wandered down to The Auld Hundred for something to eat, where I reacquainted myself with another Cold Town Beer NEIPA. With lunch finished, we shot back to The Bow Bar for one last pint, Stewart's 80/-,  and a dram, Loch Lomond Inchmurrin Madeira Wood Finish. We had our last drinks in Edinburgh back at The Newsroom Bar & Eatery, the ubiquitous cider and a Caledonian  Brewing Co Coast To Coast, which was a smooth and rounded brew with a citrus kick at the end. This had been a lovely few days away, which had shot by all too soon. The bars we had dropped into were all pretty central, and didn't tell half the story of the real ale and craft beer revolution of this city. There are so many more venues waiting to be discovered by the Beer Tourist, and we would love to revisit Auld Reekie again. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our little trip, and until next time..

Cheers, and keep it Real.

UK Staycation 2021 Part 1. Chester And A Return To Lincoln.

 I've been really trying to finish a blog post I started about our last visit to foreign shores, namely Lassi on the Greek island of Kefalonia. We visited there back in September 2020! I don't know if it was the mental implications of the pandemic or the fact that Covid-19 had robbed not only this island, but many more holiday resorts across the world, of a great number of avid tourists, it just lacked the sparkle we were expecting. A taxi driver in Lassi told us that the numbers of travellers to Kefalonia was down by around 90%, a fact that was noticeable by the number of hotels, restaurants and bars that had remained closed during our stay. It was enjoyable, though, with sunshine on our backs, the locals showing excellent hospitality towards their guests, and, on the beer front, finding a few reasonable brews that were not just Greek Euro-lagers. I won't mention the earthquake we felt on one evening, which was like a train rumbling past our apartment, or Medicane Ionas (a rare Mediterranean cyclone with torrential rain and winds gusts of 99 mph) which kept us bunkered down in our temporary home for nearly 36 hours. On the whole, the experience was nice but tinged with a touch of guilt that we were able to escape in such dire circumstances, alongside the strange feelings that the near emptiness of most venues can have on you.

Last year, as more coronavirus uncertainties, lockdowns and travel restrictions were foisted upon us, we decided early on to jettison any aspirations of an international vacation, and we decided to stay here in the UK and sample a little more of the domestic warm-heartedness that we often hear about. We made a list of were we would like to visit, or re-visit and trusted to the railway companies to get us there. I hope that I can share some of our experiences with you. In the first part, I will cover our trips to Chester, in June, and Lincoln in August. I hope you enjoy it.

Chester.

Our first breakaway , which should have coincided with the easing of restrictions, was in June, to the fine historical city of Chester. Although the Covid restrictions, including check-ins at venues and table service only, were to be kept mostly in place for another few weeks, we did have sufficient wriggle room to allow us to go and try to have a good time. Arriving mid afternoon, we headed for our first port of call in the city, which was conveniently situated directly across from the railway station, The Town Crier. Part of the Stonegate pubs estate, this is a large, but quite friendly, hostelry, nicely decorated and serving real ale. There were two beers on during our visit and, whilst Jane plumped for a cider, I quickly decided upon Town Crier Ale, the house PaleAle, 4% brewed by

The Old Harker's
Arms

Mobberley Brewhouse.  No surprises really, it was solid enough, and very welcome after our trip. Next on the agenda, as we made
our way to our hotel, was a visit to Old Harker's Arms, a big and formidable old warehouse nestled alongside the canal. After a few minutes, we were shown to our table, and took a moment or two to survey the reasonable display of cask beers on tap. The pub has up to 9 real ales on the hand-pulls, and after another side order of cider for the wife, I eventually went for Wild Horse Brewing Co Nokota, a fruity session IPA of 3.8%. We sensed that this was probably more of a food establishment at this time of the day, and, as we were taking up a large table, we decided to move on after our drinks, although we were not pressured to do so by the staff. Next up, and our last stop before the hotel, was The Cornerhouse. This quite cosy L-shaped  bar, located in a mock Tudor building offers 4 cask beers alongside quite a surprisingly good range of craft ales in cans and bottles. As it was to be our last stop of the afternoon, I had two of the cask beers in here. Firstly Merlin Brewing Co Castle Black Stout, 4.4%, which had a roasted malt and slight fruit character with a nice bittersweet finish. This was followed by a Mobberley Single Hop Pale Ale-Chinook, a light, refreshingly bitter pale ale.

We bade farewell and headed to our base for the next three nights, checked in and, after a quick freshen up, we were out to explore the Bridge St area of the city. The first pub of the evening, a mere 10 minute walk away, and just over the old River Dee bridge, was The Ship Inn. This was more of a restaurant but they did allow us a table for a while and luckily they had a couple of cask beers on, although that number is increased when in "normal".times. Thwaites IPA, 4% was my drink in here, which was fruity, with a sweet citrus edge and a good hoppy backtaste. We walked back over the bridge after our drinks, hoping to drop into The Bear & Billet but, unfortunately, due to the circumstances forced upon by the pandemic, it had remained closed, whilst the neighbouring The Cross Keys Inn, it appeared, was only open on reduced hours. A real shame, but I believe both venues have now returned to normal service. We did have another pub firmly pencilled onto the list, and this one, The Brewery Tap, was

Spitting Feathers at
The Brewery Tap.

most definitely still open. The beers on offer are mainly from the Spitting Feathers Brewery, and are available to buy by the 3 glass flight, which is very handy when you're "beer ticking". Jane had swapped to G & T's by this point, so I ordered my first selection. Spitting Feathers Wavertonian Stout, 4.4%, a nice roast and choco-coffee brew, Spitting Feathers Empire IPA, 5.2%, a big hop fuelled beer with a nice drying finish, and the 3.9% Thirst Quencher, from the same brewer which did exactly what it's name stated on the pump clip. My next flight, all from the same brewery, were Honey Trap, 4.1%, alongside Session Beer, weighing in at 3.6% and Special Ale, an English Bitter of 4.2%. All were pretty solid and well received by my good self. My final drink in here was Twisted Wheel Brew Co Hoodoo Voodoo, a 6.5% IPA. This one had a good fruity back before a long resinous finish. All in all, these were all good beers covering a reasonable range of styles and in the very elegant and sympathetically restored surroundings of a 17th century great hall. By now, we were getting a little peckish and decided to grab one last pint (and, of course, a large G & T) before seeking out a takeaway and heading back to our hotel. We dropped into Ye Olde Kings Head where I finished off with a pint of Facer's Clwyd Gold, 3.5%, a Ruby Red Ale that displayed a big and robust malt backbone. 

It was then time for a bit of nosh before retiring, and planning for the next day's visits.

The following day we decided to have a stroll around the city, taking in the City Walls, Chester Racecourse, Cathedral area and the banks of the River Dee. This allowed us not only to fully stretch our legs, but also blow a few cobwebs off from the previous evening's dalliances. Afterwards, coffee and lunch was taken before striding out again around the pubs. Our hotel was quite close to The Rows, the historic first floor shopping galleries in the city centre. Hidden within this medieval maze was a craft beer bar, which boasted a good selection of Belgian, and UK, craft ales, The Cavern of the Curious Gnome. We tried to find the entrance but, sadly, couldn't. We asked the locals were the way in was but they couldn't help us. This would not be the last time we tried to find a way in. It would remain curious for the length of our stay. We had also intended to go to Telford's Warehouse, a well reviewed hostelry along the canal, but this was thwarted by an outbreak of covid-19 amongst the staff, so we were told. This wasn't an isolated case, there were a few bars and restaurants having to rethink strategies due to the prevailing virus problems. So, we headed to The Lock Keeper instead. It was nice to watch the boats on the canal toing and froing, and with a decent pint of Timothy Taylor's Landlord in hand. We had a couple in here before moving on to the Chester Taphouse and Kitchen. Two flights, and a couple of ciders for the wife, were devoured, and, to be fair, all the beers were reasonably good. The beers sampled were all from the onsite microbrewery and were as follows:-

Chester Brewhouse and
Kitchen.

Chester Brewhouse & Kitchen (CBK) Golden Boy,Blonde Ale 4%, grainy and slightly earthy.

CBK Delaware, Pale 4.8% Sweet fruity start with caramel and a slight bitter finish.

CBK Forest House Best Bitter, 3.6%, a big malty brew with toffee and a syrupy mouthfeel.

CBK Deva Viltrix American IPA, 4.4%, Stone fruits in the fore with a sweetly bitter finish.

CBK Caracala Porter, 5.6%, light nuttiness over berries with coffee in the background

CBK Sunset Curfew IPA, 5.5%, really light fruit in the main and some pine resin in the finish.

One thing I must mention about this venue, the bar staff, especially the young lady who waited on us,were fantastically friendly, informative and knowledgeable. Thank you for your time and patience.

As this was a holiday, the Better 'Alf decided she wanted to reconoiter the local retailers, whilst I, after a bit of reconnaissance of my own, settled into a Samuel Smith's pub within the Chester Rows, The Old Boot. Although a friendly boozer, because of the brewery's zero tolerance on social media, I found myself slightly like a naughty schoolchild as I tried to send and receive text messages from the wife. The end result was a quick supping up of my very average Samuel Smith's Nitro Keg Extra Stout, and a rather quick exit to back the 21st century!!

Reunited, we made our way to Ye Olde Custom House, and a quite welcome pint of Wainwrights Golden Ale, alongside another cider for The Boss. Our last drinks out in the city, at least for this day, were at Chester Bar Lounge. Whilst I opted for the house IPA, of which I knew little of in way of brewery or ABV, Jane went for a a vivid green thing that, to be honest, tasted quite passable, even for a dedicated beer drinker. The strange concoction was called A Dill-igent Lady, and had a big splosh of gin in it and some dill. In a very controlled tasting, I found it not bad, but beyond that, I'm not sure.

As that night was a big England football evening, and the national team were to meet the Czech Republic in the 2020 Euro Championships, we decided to stay in the hotel and not risk the rules on close contact by visiting one of the sports bars, especially as the virus seemed to be growing again in this neck of the woods. Tomorrow would definitely be another day.

Our last full day in Chester started with another walk around the walls before adjourning to another local beer outlet. This one was a small bar and bistro known as Moules A Go-Go. Although mainly a food establishment, it does carry one cask ale, usually, I was told, from the Weetwood Brewery. The beer on offer on our visit was Weetwood Best Bitter, 3.8% which seemed a little flat and hazy to me, and a little lacking in taste, but was still drinkable. A walk back towards the shopping area was next, dropping in at The Music Hall Tap. Craft beers, International Lager and cocktails are the base drinks here, and cask ales are not available at all. Never mind, they had Aspall's Cider and I decided on an opening pint of Beavertown Gamma Ray, 5.4%, before moving on to the fruity and sour Thornbridge I Love You Will U Marry Me, 4.5%. With Jane now away to the shops I decided to decamp to the nearby Chester Indoor Market, or rather That Beer Place, a beer stall and bar within the building. The list of bottles and cans for takeaway is immense, but you can also drink in, and it boasts 8 taps as well. I picked up 3 different beers to take home as well as a pint of Fallen Acorn Sith Faced Oatmeal Stout, 5.8%

The bar in the 
Pied Bull

. Unfortunately, on my visit, the stall was closing early, so I could only stay for the one drink before moving on to my next port of call, The Pied Bull. This is not only a top class hotel, restaurant and pub of some repute, it is also the home to the only microbrewery within Chester's city
walls. My opening pint in here was Pied Bull Pied Eyed, an English Bitter of 4% with some berry notes, plenty of caramel and a rising end bitterness. The Shopper joined me in here for our last beer/cider of the afternoon, which was nice, and I went for the another pub brewed Bitter, Sensibull, a 3.8% beer with a more resinous backing than the previous brew. Both were very solid, and really enjoyable. 

For the evening, we had decided on visiting the Deva Tap, a highly reviewed and top rated boozer just near the station. Our visit, though, left a bit to be desired. We were left waiting at the entrance quite a while, eventually shown to a table underneath a TV, which was almost deafening and, after a couple of requests to the staff, was eventually turned down. Table service was very slow in our area of the venue, but seemed more regular elsewhere in the bar, but when we eventually managed to get an order in, it was fetched to us quite quickly. We had a pizza in here which we thought was very good, washed down with a cider and  Seven Brothers Juicy IPA, 6%, which was solid enough with plenty of tropical fruitiness at the fore. We decided to leave straight after our food and drinks, service, or lack of it, was our main concern, which was a shame as the beer board contained a good and varied selection. We did drop into the City Tavern on the way back to the hotel and although the beer offering wasn't great, the service was good, the welcome friendly and my pint of Brains Rev. James Bitter 4.5%, with a nice malty body and a refreshingly crisp finish. We wandered back to the hotel for one last time, as the following day we were checking out and catching the train back to Grimsby.

On our walk back to the station the following day, we popped into a small cafe near The Rows where I had a last beer in the city, a 5% Pilsner from Wrexham Brewing Co, Bootlegger 1974, a reasonably light lager with a deceptive bite in the finish, which was quite welcome on such a warm late morning. We sat and reflected on our visit. It had been good to get out again, but with so many bars either closed or still not open fully, it left a slightly negativity to our trip. Would we come back? Yes, but it wouldn't be in a hurry, I'm afraid, or maybe not for a full 3 night stay. 

Lincoln-Revisited

With things a little easier on the regulatory front, regarding the pandemic, Jane, and I, along with our friends, Dee & Steve, felt confident enough to take the short train ride to Lincoln for a couple of nights. Lincoln has always pleased me on the pub front. Traditional real ale and the growing craft keg seem to sit cheek by jowl across the main areas, with the swanky cocktail scene offering taking the middle ground. Most places I have visited before, and documented on this blog (Here) , (Also here) (and here) , but there always seems to be another bar that has appeared on the horizon, or an existing bar that as either changed its name or re-branded the drinks menu, so we were all looking forward to our experience.  The first port of call for us, after getting off our chosen mode of transport, was The Treaty of Commerce, which was good pub to start out on our expedition. Bateman's beers on tap, all in good order, and, as always, a friendly welcome. I opted for Bateman's Gold, 3.9%, whilst Steve and Dee sampled the XB Pale Ale, Bateman's 3.7% Pale Ale. Both drinks were as they should be, spot on. (The cider was ok too, apparently). The Cosy Club was our next bar, just off the High Street and another visited previously. I had two drinks in here, a lovely smooth and moreish Milk Stout of 4.6% from The Bristol Beer Factory, followed by the crisp and sharp Brewdog Elvis Juice bottled Grapefruit IPA, 6.5%. Both were very nice. Next was the first of the new bars to me, The Botanist. More of a cocktail and eatery than a pub, this bar still has a few craft ales on offer. Again I savoured two brews on offer here, starting with the 2.5% peach flavoured Lindemans Pecheresse, what more can you say about this excellent Lambic, and followed by Magic Rock Murk Life Balance, a lovely, fruity Hazy Pale Ale of 5%.

Big Paddles in the 
Tiny Tavern.

It was now approaching late afternoon, so we decided on one more bar before checking in at our hotel, and we headed for another bar we hadn't been to before, The Tiny Tavern. Not the biggest bar in the world, but quite friendly (unless you are a proud Grimsby Town Supporter in a Lincoln City heartland...). This is a pub that is a magnet for beer enthusiasts, and I mean enthusiasts!!The beer selection is good, and paddles are available to allow you to sample 3 beers of the selection on offer. We ordered ordered 2 paddles between us, plus a half each for our wonderfully supportive wives. Steve and I did sample each other's drinks, so I'll tell which beers were on which paddle, and our brief thoughts.

Paddle 1

Wilde Childe Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz, Pale Ale, 3.99% Light, some subtle fruitiness with a floral finish.

Wilde Childe Tsar Bomba Russian Imperial Stout, 9%. Big, boozy but also very easy to drink.

King's Clipstone Brewery Squire's Desire, 4.5% Bitter. Lovely malt, toffee & caramel drive this one.

Paddle 2

Pheasantry Dark Ale, 4.2% Smooth malt with a soft bitter-sweetness at the back.

Pheasantry Dancing Dragonfly, Golden Ale, 5%. Refreshing with fruit and citrus notes.

Heritage Brewing Cliffhanger, Golden Ale, 4.8% Rather bland and plain, but still drinkable.

What an end to a satisfying afternoon. We would regroup in another couple of hours, and try to do it all again.

 The Cardinal's Hat-full of beers.

Early evening saw us stepping back out and making our way towards the area around the Cathedral, "up the bail", but our first stop would be The Cardinal's Hat at the bottom of the lung busting hill facing us. Another must visit venue, and again, we opted for two paddles. This time, though, by the time Steve had sat down with his, he'd already forgotten what he had ordered! My paddle consisted of 4 excellent cask ales. This is what I made of them. Zest Brewery Off The Radar, Dark Ale, 4.6%, lightly smokey with burnt toffee, Britt Brewery Working Mon's Dark, 5%, a subtle choco-coffee mix which is very smooth. Salopian Lemon Dream, 4.5%. Speaks for itself, really. Like a Radler. Animal XT Firefly. Golden Ale, 4.6%. Oaty with balanced bitterness at the back. After these we slowly made our way up Steep Hill and to the next venue, Bearheadz. Another bar I love to visit. They only have one guest cask ale on, but the keg beers are plentiful. In here my first drink was keg Pohjala Kosmos, a lovely 5.5% IPA. My next drink was another keg beer, a superbly smooth DIPA of 8.2% with a kick at the back, Abbeydale Double Deception. Steve doubled up on Brass Castle Sunshine, a 5.7% West Coast IPA, followed by Utopian Other World, Rich Ruby ESB, 5.4%. Very nice. Next, we headed for another cocktail bar, Citadel, that has a lovely roof terrace, and which also had a couple of craft ales on too. As the ladies settled into cocktails, Steve and I went for the Beavertown Gamma Ray. By now we were getting a little full of alcohol, but also a bit peckish, so we decided on one last beer before trying to get some food. The beer was Horncastle Ales Lucifer's Desire, 4.8%, Golden Ale, the venue was the Strugglers Arms. Because of the restrictions on numbers indoors, we couldn't book into our chosen Indian restaurant, so we would have to make alternative arrangements. Oh, well.

The following day we decided to have a wander round some of the pubs away from the tourist heart of the city. But first we started with a walk long walk, taking in Brayford Pool, sourcing some breakfast at The Square Sail and also ticking off some of the Lincoln Imp art installations that were dotted all around.We eventually made our way out to The Morning Star and had our first drinks of the day. Timothy Taylor' Boltmaker and Pheasantry Dancing Dragonfly, (and, of course, the ubiquitous offering of cider,) were the choices between us, and were all in top condition. Another stroll, this time up to the area around the City Arboretum was followed by a visit to The Adam & Eve, a lovely old boozer under the Greene King stewardship. The beer we had in here was Castle Rock Harvest Rock Blonde Ale, a beautifully crisp brew of 3.8%. Next up was The Dog & Bone. This Bateman's pub, tucked away down John Street, is a real gem, as are the couple who run it. The beers are well looked after and our Bateman's XB and the Triple XB (XXXB) went down very well, especially when sat in the sun in the beer garden.

We also dropped into The Birdcage for a quick pint, (Azzaca Gold from Milestones Brewery was my choice and very enjoyable) and The Jolly Brewer (Welbeck Henrietta) before heading back towards the city centre and a bit of food at Huckleberry's Bar and Grill ( formerly Ye Olde Crown Inn) I think this bar usually carries at least one cask ale, but on our visit none were on. There were a few craft beers available though, and the one I chose was Guinness West Indies Porter, which went down very well with  a Beef Slider, and sweet potato chips. It was, though, soon time to getting back to our hotel, and getting ourselves ready for the evening. We had booked into the Indian restaurant we'd missed out on previously, so would only be visiting a couple of bars on the way up to the castle area. We stepped out around 7 pm and headed to the first bar of the evening, The Horse and Groom. The beers on offer on our visit included Timothy Taylor's Landlord and Ferry Ales Mosquito, so we sampled them both, and we weren't disappointed in either of them. Leaving here, we decided on a visit to The Dandy Lion, another bar that didn't have any cask ales on during our visit. It did have draft Beavertown Neck Oil available though, so we lubricated ourselves with this. Suitably refreshed, we dragged ourselves up the hill and round to Castle View Indian restaurant, where we enjoyed a fabulous meal and a few glasses of Lal Toofan, with a great view of, oh, well, you can guess! We also managed a nightcap in the neighbouring Victoria  before waddling back to down to our hotel. 

Our last day was rather easy, check out, grab some late breakfast and wandering not too far, because we had a train to catch later that afternoon, and our luggage. The girls wanted to do a spot of shopping, or maybe just escape us, for a couple of hours, so Steve and I had a wander around before dropping into The Curiosity Shop, situated at the bottom of The Strait, which allows you to people watch as the myriad of visitors and locals alike prepare themselves for the imminent hill climb. Innis and Gunn Session IPA, 4.2% was Steve's choice I here, whilst I opted for the 5.5% Defender IPA from

Defender from 
the Myriad.

Brooklyn Brewery. Both were very refreshing and a much needed hair of the dog!.  Next stop was The  Mailbox, (a pub I hadn't visited for ages. In fact, the last time I was in here, it was called Varsity) and this venue had plenty of space, indoors and out, where you could settle down, watch music or sport on the numerous TV's and enjoy one of the reasonable selection of beers on offer. There are usually 3 cask ales on, I believe, but there was only one available on our visit, Adnams Ghost Ship Pale Ale, 4.5%, which we both started on and savoured its nice citrus flavours. We then moved on to the craft cans on offer, choosing Tiny Rebel Clwb Tropica and Brewdog Hazy Jane. We re-united with our wives in here, finishing off with one more for the road (or in our case, rail). Once again, Lincoln had come up trumps for bars, beers and food. 

Jane and I had already got a few more trips lined up for September. The first one would see us heading to Edinburgh, and I will tell you more about that in my next blogpost.

Until then Cheers, and keep it real.

You Can Gdansk If You Want To.

The last few months have been extremely challenging for us all. Lives have been lost across the globe, our health services have been stretched to their limits and we have had to re-educate ourselves in the art of social distancing. Jobs at risk, workers being put on "furlough". Economies have ended up left on the brink of collapse and life has changed immeasurably for the foreseeable future. All this from an invisible interloper called Covid-19, a coronavirus which is indiscriminate. It has. though, been very interesting during these strange times  to see how innovative some people have become. Where politicians have failed in in keeping our spirits up, every social media platform has been full of  silly video clips, animations and little humorous anecdotes which has kept us all entertained. Some TV producers have also come up trumps with some excellent "isolation" programmes. Another thing that has been noticeable has been the way, at least in the UK, that independent brewers and craft beer suppliers have rallied round and kept the beer flowing. Online deliveries, click and collect and even personal drop offs have all been available, keeping the morale of the nation, or at least the beer drinking section of our society, on the up. My regular monthly beer clubs, Beer52, and Flavourly have been delivering quite normally, as have as have my orders from, among others, Beerwulf, so I haven't run dry. Locally, I doff my hat to Docks Beers, and Message In A Bottle, who have also helped keep my beer fridge well stocked. The supermarkets have also had reasonable stocks of craft ales to dip into too. 

Pubs and restaurants have now eased open again, sensibly, in most cases but not all, regrettably, keeping to social distancing and table service. Unfortunately this may not be altogether possible soon again due to more case rises. The dreaded second spike has started to take a grip. Let's hope we can guide ourselves through this phase. It's enough to turn one to drink.

Thanks to all those out there that have strived to combat this disease, and also those just trying to keep some normality in our unprecedented times. I, myself, worked for the first three months of the crisis, which at times was quite trying, before going on to a "flexi furlough" work programme. Although I have had a little more time on my hands, I seemed to gallop through any downtime I have had. For some reason, I don't know why, I have let my social media posts on MeWe and Twitter almost dry up. The blog too has not been updated in a while. Now, perhaps, that we are gradually easing out of this nightmare, and before we face the full blast of a second wave, I can get an appetite back for slinging a few words together. To start with I would like to tell you about our last beer trip, which was back in February and saw us flying out to Poland. After our delightful trip a couple of years ago to Poznan, HERE we decided this time on the Baltic city of Gdansk, which is part of the Tricity area which also includes Gdynia and Sopot. I hope you enjoy my review of our little break.

Gdansk

We, that's Jane and I, along with our friends Steve and Dee, had decided on having a bit of a drinking holiday. Planned for the end of February, we opted for a the cold northerly winds of The Baltic, as opposed to the gentle warm breezes of The Mediterranean, or sunning ourselves on one of a cluster of islands off the west coast of Africa. Why? Why not. Our choice was the city of Gdansk. As I said, this was a drinking holiday, the Polish do brew some very good craft beers, and it was only £200 per couple for return flights and 3 nights in a lovely hotel, which certainly made it so easier to agree on.

We flew out with Wizz Air from Doncaster Sheffield (or Robin Hood) Airport late on a Sunday evening, touching down in Gdansk shortly after 00-30 on Monday morning. Our hotel, Celestin Residence, was only a 10 minute taxi ride away, so we were soon sorted and arranged to have a wander around the  city once we'd had a sleep, and after breakfast.

Monday.

The following morning, after a good night's kip, and a bit of solid fuel, we ventured out. The morning was crisp, but not too uncomfortable when wrapped up. We all wandered down to the waterfront, a lovely area with bars and restaurants aplenty, and feasted our eyes on the historical buildings which housed them. After a good walk, taking in both sides of the Motlawa river and pausing for a ride on the AmberSky Ferris Wheel, our first beer was beckoning.

Shwarzbier in
Brovarnia Gdansk

I suggested we try Brovarnia Gdansk, a boutique hotel with a very nice cafe-bar which serves its beers brewed on site. Whilst the girls sampled the Lagerbier, Steve and I sampled the Schwarzbier, and very nice it was too, with treacle notes at the back and a freshness on the palate at the start. This was a good beginning to our break. We retraced our steps partly and then headed to our second port of call, Polskie Kino. This bar showcases the Polish film industry, with plenty of old film posters adorning the walls. It also serves a good selection of Polish beers too. The beers we sampled in here were, Reden Milkolak Milk Stout, 5.6%, Amber Brewery APA, 5.2%, Rowing Jack IPA, 5.7% and Amber Brewery Pszeniczniak, 5.2%. All were quite solid in their styles and went down very well. After these we headed to The Long Market (Dlugi Targ) area for a another couple of beers, and a bite to eat. We decided upon Jack's Bar, situated pretty centrally along the street. It is a quite roomy and spacious bar, with friendly staff, although the beer offerings are limited. We ordered a pizzas and opted for the Browary Książęce (Asahi) Złote Pszeniczne (Golden Wheat Beer), 4.9%, which complimented our meal well.

After this visit, Jane and Dee decided to go and take a look at the bargains on offer at the local shops and cordially enquired "would we like to join them?", "Erm??..." I was already for practising a form of social distancing after this invitation, then steered my drinking partner, Steve,  in the direction of the nearby Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa, a bar chain that is themed in the 1960's style subsidised milk bars. Just 3 or 4 beers are on offer, alongside vodka and basic food, but the prices are unbelievably cheap. Some other spirits are also available but this isn't a swish wine or cocktail bar, so don't expect row upon row of different liquers from all over the world.. We started on the beers, Steve opted for the Warka, whilst I went for the Brackie, both were, well, as expected, then it was on to the Soplica, flavoured vodka. We sampled hazlenut and cherry, then sampled them again, and again! What a place. 

2 of the Piwnica 
Rajcow beers

We were reunited with the girls and headed off to our last bar of the afternoon, Piwnica Rajców Browar Restauracja, which houses a multi-tap micro brewery in the cellar under Artus Court. The range of beers in here is very good and also features a self service "Beer Wall", which is available by purchasing a pre payment card at the bar. As we were only having the one, we chose the bar selection. Between us we sampled two of the beers on offer, Piwnica Rajcow Marcowe, 5.5%, a nice balance of sweet malt and hop bitterness with slight honey notes at the back, and a 6% Piwnica Rajcow Black IPA, which was typical of the style with moderate caramel hints over a good, but tempered hoppy bite. We enjoyed our beers and then decided to return to our hotel for a breather and to get changed for the evening session, but not before having popping into the Wisniewski Shop for a glass of warm Wisniewski Cherry Liquour, 16%, on the way back. It had to be done, don't you agree?

That evening, after a walk along the aesthetically illuminated Gdansk waterfront, taking quite a few snaps along the way, we stopped just to have a drink in one of the many fish restaurants, choosing the nearest to us, Ryka na Wartkiej. Whilst the others went for Książęce Złote Pszeniczne, I opted for the dark 4.1% Dunkel, Książęce Ciemne Lagodne. Both were very refreshing. After assessing our position and that of our next hostelry on Google Maps, we decided to saunter to Lawendowa 8, a 12 tap bar only 5-10 minutes away. The selection of beers on in this small, but very welcoming bar, is quite large, and equally varied. The seating is also rather quirky with different styles of chairs and sofas adorning the each seating area. As we were beside the Baltic, I had made my mind up I was going to have a Baltic Porter this evening, so this lead me to having the strongest beer I have ever sampled.

Lawendowa 8
The big one!!

Weighing in at 22%, my beer of choice was Podgorz Imperialny 652 m n.p.m. z Malinami (with raspberries) Wymrazany. I found it incredibly smooth with berry fruit teasing the palate and masking the alcohol superbly. This was definitely a sipper, not a supper. As you may imagine, by this stage I was not really keeping tabs on what my drinking partners were enjoying, but they were enjoying something! The second, and last, beer in here was Holy Moly West Coast IPA, a beer of 6.6% from Brewery Hills. My notes on this were, by this stage, rather sparse and almost unreadable, but I did write down "gd crisp, back long", so it couldn't have been too bad. 

By now, we had had our quota and Steve was hankering for a kebab ( not a typical Polish late night snack, granted, but never mind) which saw us wandering a few blocks further out from our current location, finding an outlet, scoffing our kebabs with an accompaniment of Tyskie, before heading our way back towards our hotel, then taking the wrong turn several times causing us to be not lost but misplaced. Not to worry, our first day had gone well.

Tuesday.

It rained quite heavily overnight, but by the time we were ready to emerge from our base, some blue skies were already showing. The girls wanted to do some "proper" shopping today, so after walking with them towards the taxi rank, Steve and I decided on a bit of a walk around the town, clearing the previous nights excesses from our heads prior to taking to the local brews again. Shortly after midday, we entered the first bar of the day, Restauracja Barbados, home to Mini Browar Trojmieski (Tri-City) Lubrow. Only two of their brews were available, due to the brewery in the middle of a relocation, and both of these were duly sampled. First up was Lubrow SKM Pils, 5.1%, an easy drinking pils, followed by the slightly sweet and grainy Lubrow Piwniczne Kellerbier, 5.3%.

Our next port of call was just over the busy main road, or rather under it, and situated at the railway station, the Browar Gdansk Craft Beer Hotel, which also housed it's own brewery, PG-4. The pumps had 6 of the brewery's beers on, and as paddles of 4 beers were available, we managed to try all that were on tap.

The PG4 Paddles

These were PG-4 Starogdanskie, 5.2%, PG-4 Pils, 4.9%, PG-4 Irish Red Ale, 5.1%, PG-4 Gdanskie Mocne, 7.3%, PG-4 Dry Stout 4.4% and PG-4 Pszeniczne, 5.2%. We couldn't fault any of them, all solid examples of their styles. My favourite though was the Dry Stout, whereas Steve preferred Pszeniczne (wheat beer) which we further enjoyed in 500ml form. After being joined by our intrepid shoppers, we had some lovely food in this quite modern and stylish bar, with another beer, of course, before retracing our steps back to Restauracje Barbados. one more in here and we were off again, this time to Labeerynt, a bar situated underneath the Polskie Kino bar. Steve and Dee carried on back to the hotel while Jane and I popped in here, before finding a place to eat for later that evening. In this basement bar, which carries  a good selection of mainly Polish beers, I enjoyed a Pinta Bawarka Weizen, 6.1%, following it up with Tre Kumpli Pia, New Zealand session IPA, which was 4.4%. Another good session over, and not a bad beer to be had. Marvelous. 

That evening we went out for some authentic Polish cuisine, and the venue we chose was Gdanski Bowke, a restaurant that has an old maritime theme running through it, and which has been trading directly on the waterfront, not far from The Long Market, for over 200 years. Gdanski Bowke's products are all freshly prepared from quality ingredients. They also have a local brewery to supply the house beers, which are unpasteurised. Steve and I started on the mixed paddle, showcasing their three house brews, Lager, Wheat and Dark. All three were spot on, and were worthy companions to our excellent food.

The Vodka paddle in
Gdanski Bowke.

After this, whilst Steve had another paddle, I opted to go for the Vodka selection, 5 different shots of the local spirit. The selections were Wheat, Rye, Potato, Barley and Clear and the difference between them was clearly noted, as was the smoothness. With bellies full and an earlier night beckoning, we left the banks of the Motlawa river and after dropping back in at Pijalnia Wódki i Piwa for a couple of Soplicas, we headed for one last beer at Pub Red Light, just a couple of streets away, but on the way back towards our hotel. This is a very busy night time pub, but we managed to squeeze in, and were served reasonably quickly. There is a large interior to this boozer and we did manage to be seated with not a lot of trouble. My beer of choice in here was a bottle of AleBrowar Sweet Cow Milk Stout, 4.4%. No surprises to this one, sweet, tempered white coffee at the fore and a smooth sweetly bitter finish. Not bad, to be fair, just a touch on the thin side. Over the hustle and bustle in here I couldn't hear what my partners in drink had chosen, but there didn't seem to be any pulled faces or grimaces, so I assume they were happy with their drinks.

Wednesday

Our last day in Gdansk was a bit cooler. After we packed and stored our cases, we set out to grab a spot of late breakfast. There was plenty of choice around the Long Market. Zapiekanka was my preference, the open pizza style sandwich which has been popular since the 1970's in Poland. I wasn't disappointed, and it soon filled a void in my stomach. Our flight was due out at 8pm,so an easy session was planned.

The S.S. Soldek
seen from Cala Naprzod.

To this end, we had a reasonable walk around the waterfront again, one last look at the sights we had started to grow accustomed to, before dropping in at Cala Naprzod, on an upper floor of Osrodek Kultury Morskiej (Centre of Marine Culture) at the Dlugi Pobrzeze. This restaurant and bar offers a wonderful view of the Motlawa Riverfront, and across to the S.S. Soldek museum ship, and was a great vantage point to reflect on our last few days here. We did this over a quartet of Polish beverages. What other way could it have been done? Jane's drink was Sopocki Cydr, 4.5%, cider from neighbouring Sopot, Dee had a Browar Gosciszewo Lager, 5.7%, whilst Steve and I opted for Ksiazece IPA, 5.4% and Komtur Piwo Ciemne, 6.5%, also from Gosciszewo, respectively. Suffice to say all of them were very pleasing, especially with that vista stretching out before and below us. 

Our next port of call was Cafe Lamus, situated behind Lawendowa 8 and seems to share the same taste in furniture. There is an adequate selection of beers available and we were soon settled at the back of this friendly bar with a selection of drinks, among them Maty Rohozec Skalak Tmave Black Lager, 5.9% and a 6% AIPA from Browar Podgorz called Siostra Bozenka. We doubled back to Polskie Kino, and whilst the rest of the party had the same as our first visit, I sampled the local Browar Amber Grand Imperial Porter, 7.8%, which was sweet an rich at the front, with some lovely plum notes punching through at the finish. As Steve hadn't visited the bar downstairs, Labeerynt, we popped down for a quick pint while the girls chattered away upstairs. We had a glass each of the Hazy Disco Original DDH IPA, 6.7%, which imparted lovely zest and grapefruit notes over soft fruits, very nice indeed.

The time had come to visit our last venue and to enjoy the hospitality of this inviting city for one last time this trip. Pulapka, a modern, stylish bar with several taps and a huge selection of craft bottles. The girls opted for soft drinks in here, Steve forgot what he'd ordered soon after sitting down but I opted for a memorable Harpagan Skowyrna Wyderka Farmhouse Polish Pale Ale, 5.6%, a very light and refreshing beer with a wheat beer character. Another good beer in another good pub in a lovely city. 

So that was it. Gdansk, pre-pandemic, was certainly a place that offered the craft beer drinker plenty of options. There are quite a few local and regional beers to be had. Poland seems to have some super craft brewers in general and, when the chance arises, I would certainly not hesitate in going back.

Until the next time, stay safe and:-

Cheers, and Keep It "Real"