Tonight I decided to take a drive out to Rugby, home of the Atomic Brewery. I had a choice of two pubs. The first is the Alexandra Arms with the brewery to the rear and the second is the Victoria Inn, described as the brewery tap. I chose the latter as I wanted to choose from the full range of Atomic's beers. That plan was thwarted because the pub was holding a Champion Beers of Britain Festival and the fantastic range of handpumps, well in excess of ten, only had one Atomic beer. It was certainly a mouth-watering selection but I was here to try something from Atomic so I chose the Atomic Strike (3.7% ABV). The beer is reasonably well balanced with a nice light brown colour and it has an immediate bitter taste before giving way to a subtle malty aftertaste.
The pub itself is a traditional backstreet Victorian local on the outskirts of town. It was awarded the local CAMRA Pub of the Year 2011 and it is easy to see why it has won this award. The traditional bar is spartan with a pool table and is entered from the street by a separate door. The other entrance led into a comfortable lounge. This room has high ceilings with a traditional decor. There is an excellent display of CAMRA Good Beer Guides to browse and there are two large TV screens to watch a wide variety of sport no doubt.
In summary, the Victoria Inn is a fine traditional pub bustling with locals enjoying the tremendous range of cask ales. It has a couple of bars to suit all types of customer along with a snug containing a real fire and dartboard.
With a couple of excellent pubs being supplied with their own beers to complement the superb range of guest ales, the Atomic Brewery is worth checking out.
Happy drinking.
Thursday, 29 November 2012
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Minimum pricing
I don't often get political but minimum pricing is now officially on the government's agenda and a price of 45p per unit has been suggested. I'm not sure of the exact figures but this will probably mean a can of standard strength lager priced at £1 will probably be unchanged or go up very slightly. A bottle of wine will cost no less than about £4.00. I have absolutely no idea what it will do to the price of spirits but it will probably put the cost of some cheap makes up quite a bit . However, what I am sure about is that the price of alcohol in pubs will be unaffected. A friend of mine told me he was against minimum pricing because he did not want to pay more when he went to the pub. I put him right of course but this is where the government needs to go on the offensive. All I have heard today is how the sensible moderate drinker will be paying more for their alcohol. Really? I buy wine, I buy bottled beers. The prices I pay on everything I buy in supermarkets or off-licenses costs me more than 50p per unit. If something costs less it is not worth drinking or it will simply get you pissed very quickly at a lower price. Is this what we want to encourage?
A large proportion of 18-34 year olds now pre-load before going out for the evening. This is something I never did when I was younger so I fail to understand this mentality. I have always liked avoiding hangovers so I always try to stick within my limits. My parents helped by allowing me to drink at Christmas from the age of 14 and by the time I was 16 I was drinking in pubs. This actually helped me to learn about the danger of over drinking and I learned to respect it. Nowadays we are obsessed with stopping under 18s drinking in pubs and they therefore drink at home and the low cost of doing this means this is what they grow accustomed to. I also do not remember alcohol being substantially cheaper in supermarkets than it was in pubs. That is no longer the case. How can supermarkets justify selling alcohol at cost price? It is grossly irresponsible. It should also be illegal because they are distorting the market. Pubs cannot do the same and so an uneven playing field has been created. Also, if they are making a loss on the alcohol they sell then they are making up for it by selling food at higher prices to make up for it. Pubs cannot compete on alcohol price when these tactics are employed.
I am against government telling us how to behave and it is said that minimum pricing is doing just that. Again I have to disagee. Minimum pricing is a direct result of the irresponsibility of supermarkets. I am a moderate drinker and I am deeply saddened when I see pubs either closing down or struggling to survive. Pubs are massive contributors to the economy. The price disparity between alcohol in pubs and supermarkets has to be addressed and this is the first small step and it is something I will raise a glass to.
Happy drinking.
A large proportion of 18-34 year olds now pre-load before going out for the evening. This is something I never did when I was younger so I fail to understand this mentality. I have always liked avoiding hangovers so I always try to stick within my limits. My parents helped by allowing me to drink at Christmas from the age of 14 and by the time I was 16 I was drinking in pubs. This actually helped me to learn about the danger of over drinking and I learned to respect it. Nowadays we are obsessed with stopping under 18s drinking in pubs and they therefore drink at home and the low cost of doing this means this is what they grow accustomed to. I also do not remember alcohol being substantially cheaper in supermarkets than it was in pubs. That is no longer the case. How can supermarkets justify selling alcohol at cost price? It is grossly irresponsible. It should also be illegal because they are distorting the market. Pubs cannot do the same and so an uneven playing field has been created. Also, if they are making a loss on the alcohol they sell then they are making up for it by selling food at higher prices to make up for it. Pubs cannot compete on alcohol price when these tactics are employed.
I am against government telling us how to behave and it is said that minimum pricing is doing just that. Again I have to disagee. Minimum pricing is a direct result of the irresponsibility of supermarkets. I am a moderate drinker and I am deeply saddened when I see pubs either closing down or struggling to survive. Pubs are massive contributors to the economy. The price disparity between alcohol in pubs and supermarkets has to be addressed and this is the first small step and it is something I will raise a glass to.
Happy drinking.
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Organ Grinder, Loughborough
Last night I was back in my home town of Loughborough and I checked out a recently re-opened pub. It is over twenty years since I visited The Old Pack Horse, a small street-corner town centre pub tied to local Nottingham brewer Hardy & Hansons. Since then, Hardy & Hansons has been swallowed up by Greene King (2006) and The Old Pack Horse was sold and it re-opened eleven weeks ago by new Nottingham brewer Blue Monkey. The new name, the Organ Grinder, is the same as their brewery tap, their one other pub, in Nottingham.
Finding a genuine town centre pub dedicated to having a fine selection of real ale is getting harder. It is therefore always a delight to find one that has recently opened up, albeit one that is replacing an existing pub. Loughborough still has a good selection of excellent pubs and the Organ Grinder certainly adds to this list.
Entering the pub you immediately notice the bare floorboards, sparse decor and the sound of many locals chattering away. No other noises and distractions here. Off to the left there was a small seating area with bookshelves offering excellent reading material for the solo drinker. To the right was a similar seating area with the bar at the back serving the entire pub. It is not a large pub at all although it does have an upstairs function room. The array of handpumps is certainly impressive. The full range of Blue Monkey beers are here including the imaginatively named BG Sips, 99 Red Baboons, Ape Ale and Guerilla. The guest beer was Batemans Vintage, a 7.5% ABV seasonal beer I would love to have tried. However, as I was driving, I had to sample something that wasn't going to render me unconscious and I did want to sample my first Blue Monkey beer so I chose the 99 Red Baboons (4.2% ABV). Described as being either a porter or a mild I found it to be definitely leaning on the porter side of the beer spectrum. Dark, malty, slightly sweet but with a subtle bitterness I found it to be a delightful beer.
Blue Monkey have opened up an excellent pub and it is one I will be coming back to when visiting my home town. My sister's boyfriend did point out that the animal adorning the logo and the large central picture in the bar is a chimpanzee but the name actually comes from a nickname for the blue flames that used to rise from the chimneys of the nearby Stanton Ironworks. The chimp is probably more photogenic than the monkey so I can forgive them this. Hopefully, others will too and the pub will become a great success. It will certainly educate the local students as to what a real pub is all about.
Happy drinking.
Finding a genuine town centre pub dedicated to having a fine selection of real ale is getting harder. It is therefore always a delight to find one that has recently opened up, albeit one that is replacing an existing pub. Loughborough still has a good selection of excellent pubs and the Organ Grinder certainly adds to this list.
Entering the pub you immediately notice the bare floorboards, sparse decor and the sound of many locals chattering away. No other noises and distractions here. Off to the left there was a small seating area with bookshelves offering excellent reading material for the solo drinker. To the right was a similar seating area with the bar at the back serving the entire pub. It is not a large pub at all although it does have an upstairs function room. The array of handpumps is certainly impressive. The full range of Blue Monkey beers are here including the imaginatively named BG Sips, 99 Red Baboons, Ape Ale and Guerilla. The guest beer was Batemans Vintage, a 7.5% ABV seasonal beer I would love to have tried. However, as I was driving, I had to sample something that wasn't going to render me unconscious and I did want to sample my first Blue Monkey beer so I chose the 99 Red Baboons (4.2% ABV). Described as being either a porter or a mild I found it to be definitely leaning on the porter side of the beer spectrum. Dark, malty, slightly sweet but with a subtle bitterness I found it to be a delightful beer.
Blue Monkey have opened up an excellent pub and it is one I will be coming back to when visiting my home town. My sister's boyfriend did point out that the animal adorning the logo and the large central picture in the bar is a chimpanzee but the name actually comes from a nickname for the blue flames that used to rise from the chimneys of the nearby Stanton Ironworks. The chimp is probably more photogenic than the monkey so I can forgive them this. Hopefully, others will too and the pub will become a great success. It will certainly educate the local students as to what a real pub is all about.
Happy drinking.
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
VIPs
I have been lucky to have travelled far and wide with my job. Everywhere I go I try and check out as many pubs as possible and I have compiled my own list of VIPs (Very Important Pubs). These are pubs I will always return to when I am in the area. They do not have one common factor that makes them special except that they are all very special to me. It may be well over a decade since I have visited some of them but quality lasts and I believe that the majority of them continue unchanged.
1) The Royal Oak, Great Glen
This pub is special for the simple reason it is where my dad grew up. His father, Alfred, ran the pub during the second world war when it was tied to NBC (Northampton Brewing Company). I imagine that running a pub during the second world war was neither easy nor healthy and my dad lost his parents when he was in his early teens. Many times when I was growing up me and my brothers and sister would sit outside this pub in the car while our parents went for a drink meeting old friends. I last visited the pub about a year ago and I was delighted to see that the pub had been lovingly refurbished. It is situated in the heart of the old village of Great Glen just off the A6 south of Leicester. It is a tiny pub with comfortable red leather sofas at the front (with resident dog stretched out on one of them) and a roaring fire at the back. The beer selection was Fullers London Pride, Greene King IPA and the local Steamin' Billy. I chose the latter and it was served in lovely condition. I would love to see this pub in the Good Beer Guide.
2) Fat Cat, Norwich
I've worked in Norwich for a number of years and my last stint there was in 1998. Norwich was once renowned as the city with a pub for every day of the year. The number had fallen to about 240 when I first worked there but I managed to visit more than half of them. It isn't just quantity here either. There are many quality pubs in the city and this is my favourite. Located outside the inner ring road it is a traditional street corner local that has an amazing array of beers available. Every evening I would have about 20 ales to choose from and the selection was constantly changing. The pub has won CAMRA's National Pub of the Year competition twice and it is easy to see why. This is a pub you must visit if you ever visit Norwich.
3) The Guildford Arms, Edinburgh
This pub would be worthy of inclusion for the original Victorian architecture complete with revolving door entrance. It has a large standing area around the bar but there is plenty of seating too where you can spend hours supping one or two of the ten real ales including many from small Scottish microbreweries whilst admiring the spectacular high ceiling, ornate cornices and wooden screens. It's now ten years since I visited Edinburgh but this pub is timeless.
4) The Glue Pot, Swindon
Swindon gets a lot of bad press and most of my colleagues thought they had lucked out when they were sent to Swindon. Staying at the central Holiday Inn Express for 3 months I discovered this gem a short walk from the hotel. Located in the centre of Brunel's Railway Village, built in the 1840s, this street corner local, like the surrounding area, is a step back into the past. The full range of Hop Back Brewery beers are available along with local guest beers. It may be a small pub but it packs a big punch. Very friendly, fairly quiet during the week when I was there and always an excellent pint. If you are ever in Swindon and feeling exasperated by the awful 1960s architecture take a short walk to The Glue Pot.
5) The Bow Bar, Edinburgh
I make no excuse for including a second Edinburgh bar in my top ten. The city is awash with fine pubs but I spent many evenings walking between this pub and the Guildford Arms. The Bow Bar is situated near the Scottish Parliament building and it is a tiny one-roomed bar with a fine selection of beers to choose from. If you like whiskey (I don't) then you can choose from around 200 malts here too. It often got busy but by choosing the right times I usually found a seat to relax in. I could then sit and watch as the place filled up with a lively crowd of enthusiastic drinkers.
6) Porterhouse, Dublin
I spent 18 months in Dublin and within the first month one of my colleagues had taken me to 17 different pubs for lunch within a mile of the office alongside the canal. The lunchtime food was always excellent and after a while I opted for Murphys ahead of Guiness to accompany the meal. That was it though. Every pub had the same choice and however delightful most of them were it was not exactly overflowing with choice. Then I discovered the Porterhouse on the outskirts of Temple Bar. It was a good two mile walk for me but for the best part of a year I made the four mile round trip to this excellent brewpub three or four times a week. The beers may have been targeted towards the locals with a stout and a porter and a tradtional Irish Red but they did also produce a couple of fine cask-conditioned bitters.
7) Swan in the Rushes, Loughborough
This pub is situated in the town of my birth and the town where I spent the first 18 years of my life and where I began going into pubs. In the late 1970s Loughborough had plenty of town centre pubs where you could get served if you were under 18. This pub was not one of my locals though. It was a rather depressing pub called The Charnwood and I had left home for the big wide world when it was rescued and reopened under a new name and a new ethos. It immediately became my pub of choice when going home and it serves the full range of Castle Rock beers alongside a large selection of guest ales. It has a traditional bar to the right and a slightly more comfortable lounge to the left with a third room to the rear. It is always busy and it is always a pleasure to visit.
8) Wild Boar,Warwick
This is a recent addition to my top ten. It really is a fantastic pub and towards the end of my stint at Stratford-upon-Avon I began to make the train journey to Warwick in preference to visiting one of the few decent pubs in Statford. The close proximity to the station certainly helped and it was the pub I chose to have some leaving drinks at when my time in Stratford came to an end. It is a friendly locals pub showcasing the excellent beers from the Slaughterhouse Brewery. It also has its own microbrewery which is used to produce house specials. The pub consists of a main front bar with a small wood-panelled snug behind. Further back there is a function room that has regular music nights. The microbrewery can be seen from the snug. In addition to the Slaughterhouse beers they have four or five ever changing guest beers which are always served in perfect condition.
9) Tom Browns, Dorchester
My best friend lives in Dorchester and it was he who educated me into drinking real ale as much as anyone. We met in the final year of university and since then we have met up regularly for the GBBF and Saints games as well as numerous other occasions. When I visit him in his home town, Tom Browns is always a regular stop. It opened up as a brewpub in the late 1980s if my memory serves me right and although it has gone through a change of ownership in recent years following the sad death of the founder, it is now once again my friends local and a pub well worth visiting with an excellent selection of beers and it is largely unchanged from when I first visited twenty or so years ago. It has a strong local following but it is very welcoming too. It is now managed by Dorset Brewing Co and the beers are brewed off-site just outside Dorchester.
10) Maypole, Yapton
I moved to Yapton in 1997 and this quickly became my local. It is also the current venue for the Western Sussex CAMRA meetings every two months so I am now regularly going back to this excellent pub and it is therefore a recent entry to my top ten. It is hard to find down a road that leads to nowhere but it is well worth searching for. Their range of beers is constantly changing so you will always find something new to try. There is a basic public bar with darts and pool and a smaller lounge which has a cosier feel to it. There is a traditional skittle alley that can be hired out and which is also used for our CAMRA meetings. In the Summer months you can enjoy the recently constructed large decked garden area too. It is a totally unpretentious pub and I love it. Read my review of this pub here.
Bubbling under the top ten are the following pubs. Some of these I have visited more recently and could become long-term VIPs once I get to know them more and could even replace some of the current top ten in time. Some of them are favourites from the past that could not quite match the current incumbents. They are all worth visiting though if you find yourselves near one of them.
11) The Windsor Castle, Lye
The Sadlers Ales brewery tap is a tremendous pub with the full range of Sadlers Ales fantastic beers. Even without the brewery it makes a perfect pub with welcoming staff, excellent food and comfortable modern decor.
12) The Victoria Works, Studley
Another excellent brewery tap. Brewery taps are always worth visiting and the Weatheroak Brewery tap is one I am constantly raving about.
After a short spell working in Bristol last year this pub moves straight into my top twenty. This pub is perfect and you can click here to read my review of it.
Stratford-on-Avon is sparse when it comes to good pubs so I was delighted to discover this excellent pub within the Swan's Nest Hotel. Enter through the revolving door and the door to your immediate left takes you into the pub. The bar has fine array of 8 handpumps, 4 of which showcase local microbreweries.
A rural brewery tap and I never tire of walking in and seeing the complete range of Woodforde's magnificent beers. Situated in the tiny village of Woodbastwick in the Norfolk Broads this beautiful thatched pub is well worth seeking out.
16) The Sole Bay Inn, Southwold
More upmarket than when I first visited this fine Adnams pub, it is still worth locating and it is probably the most photographed pub in the UK as it is dwarfed by the towering lighthouse across the road.
17) The Rockstone, Southampton
For many years The Alexandra was my chosen destination for a pint or two before a Saints game. This has now been replaced by the Rockstone and so this is a new entry in my top twenty. A city pub with the feel of a village local serving an excellent range of beers from local microbreweries as well as a house beer brewed by Sadlers Ales. A superb pub reviewed here.
Micropubs are opening up all over the place and this is my favourite one of those I have visited so far. It is the perfect place to enjoy a quiet pint of one of their constantly changing beers. Every town should have a micropub. Read my review of it here.
A home from home when I worked there in 1989. Over 300 bottled beers from all around the world as well as many beers from American micros on tap. My name still appears on the board listing the members of their '101 Club'.
20) The Griffin, Loughborough
My first local when I was 'under 18'. It was an excellent town centre Marstons pub and it probably still is although it has been smartened up.
I have been to many more wonderful pubs but the ones listed are special and always will be. If you ever visit one of them I hope you have a good time and enjoy an excellent pint.
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Pubs of Stratford-on-Avon
I constantly praise three pubs in Stratford-on-Avon but there are quite a few I have not even visited yet. I thought I would right those wrongs tonight and see what they have to offer. My first stop was to be the Lamplighter Inn. I have visited this pub a couple of times many years ago and at the time they sold Jennings Cumberland Ale and Banks's Mild. So what could they offer me tonight? Nothing. That was a quick visit then.
My second port of call was the recently refurbished White Swan Hotel. This Fullers pub is somewhere I have never visited so I was looking forward to seeing what it was like. It was lovely. Both to the left and right were comfortable drinking areas with leather sofas and chairs with plenty of privacy for many of the tables. The dining areas were hidden away and one of these to the far right was within a room with gorgeous wood panels. As a pub to visit for a quiet relaxing pint it was perfect. Could the beer match the surroundings? The choice was the usual Fullers selection. ESB, Gales Seafarers and London Pride were all available and Bengal Lancer was 'coming soon'. I chose the ESB, one of my favourite beers over the past 30 years. I was delighted to see it served in the ESB glass but the quality was not brilliant. It wasn't off but it was not what I would expect either. At £3.75 a pint it was reasonably expensive too. Despite this, I will probably give the pub another chance at some point to see if the beer quality improves.
The next stop was going to be No.7 Windsor Street. However, the sign outside said the pub was 'To Let' and the signs inside told me why. The place was empty. Onwards we go.
Next stop was The One Elm. This pub was always popular with my work colleagues when I originally worked in Stratford-on-Avon many years ago. It is quite a trendy bar which isn't normally my kind of establishment but I was pleasantly surprised by it. To the right was a colourful lounge and on the bar there was a choice of Doom Bar, Greene King Abbot, Purity Pure Gold and Purity UBU. I chose the Pure Gold (3.8% ABV) as I had never tried it before and it was served in the correct glass and in perfect condition. It was a delightfully refreshing hoppy session bitter. No complaints then about the beer or the pub.
Three pints was going to be my limit tonight so my next stop, The Pen and Parchment, would be my final port of call. This former GBG pub had a reasonable beer selection in the past but now it is limited to Greene King. I am assuming that the beer labelled Poet's Ink was from this brewery. They are becoming pretty good at hiding the origin of some of their beers and my past experience kept me away from it. The pub itself is nothing special anyway. The food has always been good when I've eaten there but it is not a pub for relaxing in. I did not wish to try anything on offer so I left.
I crossed the road to go in The Encore. The large corner pub (a former Beefeater if my memory is correct) had Purity UBU and Pure Gold available. I was looking for something a little different as I could find a decent pint of this back at the hotel so I moved on. The pub itself though had much more appeal than the Pen and Parchment and it is Cask Marque accredited so I will go back there at some point.
My final stop was The Garrick Inn. Reputedly the oldest pub in Stratford-on-Avon it is owned by the same pub company as The Pen and Parchment and the beers avalable were also from the Greene King stable. The pub was small, cosy and welcoming but, once again, I am on a downer where Greene King are concerned so I did not stay for a drink.
Will any of these pubs become regular haunts for me? The Bear remains my top choice as it has everything. Comfortable surroundings, friendly staff and a fantastic rotating beer selection from local micro breweries. For me this is the perfect ingredient for a regular pub. However, The One Elm turned out to be an excellent bar with well-kept beer including two from the local Purity Brewing Company. What I did find disappointing though is in a county full of thriving micro breweries I did not find any other local ales available, and in the case of one pub, no ales at all.
Happy drinking.
My second port of call was the recently refurbished White Swan Hotel. This Fullers pub is somewhere I have never visited so I was looking forward to seeing what it was like. It was lovely. Both to the left and right were comfortable drinking areas with leather sofas and chairs with plenty of privacy for many of the tables. The dining areas were hidden away and one of these to the far right was within a room with gorgeous wood panels. As a pub to visit for a quiet relaxing pint it was perfect. Could the beer match the surroundings? The choice was the usual Fullers selection. ESB, Gales Seafarers and London Pride were all available and Bengal Lancer was 'coming soon'. I chose the ESB, one of my favourite beers over the past 30 years. I was delighted to see it served in the ESB glass but the quality was not brilliant. It wasn't off but it was not what I would expect either. At £3.75 a pint it was reasonably expensive too. Despite this, I will probably give the pub another chance at some point to see if the beer quality improves.
The next stop was going to be No.7 Windsor Street. However, the sign outside said the pub was 'To Let' and the signs inside told me why. The place was empty. Onwards we go.
Next stop was The One Elm. This pub was always popular with my work colleagues when I originally worked in Stratford-on-Avon many years ago. It is quite a trendy bar which isn't normally my kind of establishment but I was pleasantly surprised by it. To the right was a colourful lounge and on the bar there was a choice of Doom Bar, Greene King Abbot, Purity Pure Gold and Purity UBU. I chose the Pure Gold (3.8% ABV) as I had never tried it before and it was served in the correct glass and in perfect condition. It was a delightfully refreshing hoppy session bitter. No complaints then about the beer or the pub.
Three pints was going to be my limit tonight so my next stop, The Pen and Parchment, would be my final port of call. This former GBG pub had a reasonable beer selection in the past but now it is limited to Greene King. I am assuming that the beer labelled Poet's Ink was from this brewery. They are becoming pretty good at hiding the origin of some of their beers and my past experience kept me away from it. The pub itself is nothing special anyway. The food has always been good when I've eaten there but it is not a pub for relaxing in. I did not wish to try anything on offer so I left.
I crossed the road to go in The Encore. The large corner pub (a former Beefeater if my memory is correct) had Purity UBU and Pure Gold available. I was looking for something a little different as I could find a decent pint of this back at the hotel so I moved on. The pub itself though had much more appeal than the Pen and Parchment and it is Cask Marque accredited so I will go back there at some point.
My final stop was The Garrick Inn. Reputedly the oldest pub in Stratford-on-Avon it is owned by the same pub company as The Pen and Parchment and the beers avalable were also from the Greene King stable. The pub was small, cosy and welcoming but, once again, I am on a downer where Greene King are concerned so I did not stay for a drink.
Will any of these pubs become regular haunts for me? The Bear remains my top choice as it has everything. Comfortable surroundings, friendly staff and a fantastic rotating beer selection from local micro breweries. For me this is the perfect ingredient for a regular pub. However, The One Elm turned out to be an excellent bar with well-kept beer including two from the local Purity Brewing Company. What I did find disappointing though is in a county full of thriving micro breweries I did not find any other local ales available, and in the case of one pub, no ales at all.
Happy drinking.
Saturday, 20 October 2012
In praise of beer shops
Where I live in West Sussex it is difficult to find unusual bottled beers. There was a specialist beer shop in Chichester a few years ago and it really was awful. This was extremely disappointing because I love browsing in shops dedicated to beer. I do not like to buy beer online. I'd much rather go to a specialist shop and spend time reading the labels and picking out new beers to try. It's like my 7 yr old boy and his love of Lego. He gets little pleasure from receiving a parcel from Amazon but every month his eyes light up when we take him to the Lego Shop in Brighton.
To find a good beer shop I have to travel quite a distance. The Southwick Brewhouse near Fareham has a decent selection of UK bottled beers as well as draught beers. The shop is sited in a former brewhouse (brewing ceased in 1956) and it is worth visiting as it also serves as a museum as the brewhouse remains intact. Even further afield, there is the Good Beer Guide listed Bitter Virtue in Southampton. This shop has a good selection of draught ales as well as a varied selection of beers from all around the world.
Travelling north, close to where I normally work, is the beer shop attached to the Hogs Back Brewery in Surrey. As well as their own beers on draught, in bottles and within gift packs, they have a good selection of bottled beers from all over the UK as well as others from around the world. This is my usual port of call when I'm looking to stock up for Christmas and at other times.
Moving back into Sussex there is Beer Essentials in Horsham. In 2000 I was working and living in Horsham and to me, Hall and Woodhouse took on the role of the devil when they took over and closed down this much loved brewery. Former King and Barnes retail sales manager Gareth Jones found himself out of work and the following year he started up this excellent business filling the beer glasses of many of his former customers. They usually sell four draught ales from local brewers as well as a fine selection of bottled beers from around the UK.
When travelling around England I have always found there to be many more beer shops to choose from than there are in the south. Last week I ventured into the suburbs of Birmingham to visit Cotteridge Wines. The owner has been running what was essentially a local off-license for 18 years before deciding to specialise in bottled beers from all around the world. He has a genuine passion for what he is trying to do and it was like walking into beer heaven. A long aisle was dedicated to beer and many of them were from breweries I had never even heard of. I had no idea where to start so he helped me out before letting me browse on my own. He has a massive selection of craft beers from America as well as many from Scandinavia, Belgium and Germany. He is constantly looking for new products and he is already stocking over 700 different bottles. In terms of choice this is by far the best shop I have visited and the friendliness and enthusiasm of the owner made it even more pleasurable.
So what did I choose to put in my basket? I began in Burlington, Vermont with some Magic Hat No.9 (5.1% ABV). I visited this brewery in the late 1990s and this beer will bring back happy memories. More memories come flooding back with my second choice, a Celis White (5.0% ABV) from Austin, Texas. In 1989 I was lucky enough to work in Austin and I made myself very popular with my American colleagues by organising a trip around this brewery (so popular they forced me to organise a second trip before I left). I could write a whole article on Pierre Celis, one of the great names in Belgian brewing, who sadly passed away last year and perhaps I will one day. However, for now I will move on to my next choice, a Sierra Nevada Stout (5.8% ABV), another great name in American craft brewing. My last American choice was Black Jack Porter, a 6.8% ABV beer from Colorado, another great American state for craft brewing.
For my next choice I moved to Norway. When I worked in Copenhagen a few years ago I was delighted to find some wonderful stouts and porters and one of these was Nogne O. There was no hesitation in adding this to my basket of goodies.
For the remaining choices I stuck to the UK. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout (5.0% ABV) has long been a favourite and frustratingly hard to find in my part of the world. Brodies Smoked Rye Porter (7.3% ABV) from London is totally new to me as is Celebration Ale 60 (4.5% ABV) from the Red Rock Brewery, Devon, Winter Dunkel (4.6% ABV) from the Allendale Brewery, Northumberland and Bearskinful (4.2% ABV) from Beartown Brewery, Cheshire.
My last two bottles I picked out came from the Durham Brewery. I was able to purchase their beers some years back at the Hogs Back Brewery and they instantly became a favourite. Redemption (10.0% ABV) and Bede's Chalice (9.0% ABV) are both fantastic and were both enjoyed over Christmas a few years ago. I have not found their beers available anywhere since so I was delighted to find them here. I chose Redemption, my earlier favourite, and a new one to me, Bombay 106, a 7.6% IPA.
So a tasty dozen to enjoy over the next few weeks when I am home at weekends. I thought the prices were excellent and Cotteridge Wines will be my port of call when stocking up for Christmas.
Finally, may I urge all you beer lovers out there to visit your local beer shop. If they are like the shops I have mentioned here then the owners all love their product and will provide you with great service and knowledge about what you are buying. It really is the adult equivalent of the Lego Shop. You will always find something new.
Happy drinking.
To find a good beer shop I have to travel quite a distance. The Southwick Brewhouse near Fareham has a decent selection of UK bottled beers as well as draught beers. The shop is sited in a former brewhouse (brewing ceased in 1956) and it is worth visiting as it also serves as a museum as the brewhouse remains intact. Even further afield, there is the Good Beer Guide listed Bitter Virtue in Southampton. This shop has a good selection of draught ales as well as a varied selection of beers from all around the world.
Travelling north, close to where I normally work, is the beer shop attached to the Hogs Back Brewery in Surrey. As well as their own beers on draught, in bottles and within gift packs, they have a good selection of bottled beers from all over the UK as well as others from around the world. This is my usual port of call when I'm looking to stock up for Christmas and at other times.
Moving back into Sussex there is Beer Essentials in Horsham. In 2000 I was working and living in Horsham and to me, Hall and Woodhouse took on the role of the devil when they took over and closed down this much loved brewery. Former King and Barnes retail sales manager Gareth Jones found himself out of work and the following year he started up this excellent business filling the beer glasses of many of his former customers. They usually sell four draught ales from local brewers as well as a fine selection of bottled beers from around the UK.
When travelling around England I have always found there to be many more beer shops to choose from than there are in the south. Last week I ventured into the suburbs of Birmingham to visit Cotteridge Wines. The owner has been running what was essentially a local off-license for 18 years before deciding to specialise in bottled beers from all around the world. He has a genuine passion for what he is trying to do and it was like walking into beer heaven. A long aisle was dedicated to beer and many of them were from breweries I had never even heard of. I had no idea where to start so he helped me out before letting me browse on my own. He has a massive selection of craft beers from America as well as many from Scandinavia, Belgium and Germany. He is constantly looking for new products and he is already stocking over 700 different bottles. In terms of choice this is by far the best shop I have visited and the friendliness and enthusiasm of the owner made it even more pleasurable.
So what did I choose to put in my basket? I began in Burlington, Vermont with some Magic Hat No.9 (5.1% ABV). I visited this brewery in the late 1990s and this beer will bring back happy memories. More memories come flooding back with my second choice, a Celis White (5.0% ABV) from Austin, Texas. In 1989 I was lucky enough to work in Austin and I made myself very popular with my American colleagues by organising a trip around this brewery (so popular they forced me to organise a second trip before I left). I could write a whole article on Pierre Celis, one of the great names in Belgian brewing, who sadly passed away last year and perhaps I will one day. However, for now I will move on to my next choice, a Sierra Nevada Stout (5.8% ABV), another great name in American craft brewing. My last American choice was Black Jack Porter, a 6.8% ABV beer from Colorado, another great American state for craft brewing.
For my next choice I moved to Norway. When I worked in Copenhagen a few years ago I was delighted to find some wonderful stouts and porters and one of these was Nogne O. There was no hesitation in adding this to my basket of goodies.
For the remaining choices I stuck to the UK. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout (5.0% ABV) has long been a favourite and frustratingly hard to find in my part of the world. Brodies Smoked Rye Porter (7.3% ABV) from London is totally new to me as is Celebration Ale 60 (4.5% ABV) from the Red Rock Brewery, Devon, Winter Dunkel (4.6% ABV) from the Allendale Brewery, Northumberland and Bearskinful (4.2% ABV) from Beartown Brewery, Cheshire.
My last two bottles I picked out came from the Durham Brewery. I was able to purchase their beers some years back at the Hogs Back Brewery and they instantly became a favourite. Redemption (10.0% ABV) and Bede's Chalice (9.0% ABV) are both fantastic and were both enjoyed over Christmas a few years ago. I have not found their beers available anywhere since so I was delighted to find them here. I chose Redemption, my earlier favourite, and a new one to me, Bombay 106, a 7.6% IPA.
So a tasty dozen to enjoy over the next few weeks when I am home at weekends. I thought the prices were excellent and Cotteridge Wines will be my port of call when stocking up for Christmas.
Finally, may I urge all you beer lovers out there to visit your local beer shop. If they are like the shops I have mentioned here then the owners all love their product and will provide you with great service and knowledge about what you are buying. It really is the adult equivalent of the Lego Shop. You will always find something new.
Happy drinking.
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Warwick Pub Crawl
Last night I decided to catch a train from Stratford-on-Avon and make the short journey to Warwick. I had no particular plan or list of pubs to visit except for the first two stops. The first stop was always going to be The Wild Boar which is very close to the station. The Wild Boar is a magnificent pub that houses a microbrewery which can be viewed through a window at the back. It is a collaboration between local brewer, Slaughterhouse, and the large regional brewer Everards of Leicester. From the latter, Tiger Best (4.1% ABV) and Sunchaser (4.0% ABV) were available. From the former I could choose from Saddleback (3.8% ABV), Rare Breed (4.2% ABV), Wild Boar (5.2% ABV) and Alt Bier Extra (5.5% ABV). If that wasn't enough there were three guest beers from Arkells, Box Steam Brewery and Weatheroak. I figured I'd find a Slaughterhouse beer elsewhere tonight on my travels so I chose Arkells Wiltshire Gold (4.0% ABV). This pale golden bitter was quite hoppy with a pleasant bitter aftertaste. It was served in perfect condition and it made a good start to the evening.
Leaving the Wild Boar I turned right towards the town. After passing underneath the trainline I veered off to the left passing a pub called The Railway on the corner. I came to The Coten and turned left where I came across the Millwright Arms. It is a lovely looking building and reputedly one of the oldest buildings in Warwick. The bar was quiet and central. To the right was a small room lavishly decorated and to the far left was a more formal area. Apparently there is a fabulous large garden to the rear and there is also outside seating at the front of the pub but you will have traffic fumes to contend with here. The beers available were St Austell Tribute (4.2% ABV), Sharps Doom Bar (4.0% ABV) and Wye Valley HPA (4.0% ABV). I love the latter but amazingly I have never tried Tribute before so I decided to put that beer to bed. As for Doom Bar, I have never understood the popularity of this very ordinary beer and I am always dismayed to see it with such regularity. The Tribute surprised me. It was a pleasantly smooth golden bitter with citrus notes but quite a sweet finish that wasn't to my particular taste. It certainly does not compare to the magnificent Hicks Special Draught which has always been one of my favourite beers but frustratingly difficult to find outside the South West.
I headed back towards town and it wasn't far to my next stop, The Oak. This tiny pub had an excellent beer selection which is good because it is a real drinkers pub with limited seating, a pool table and dartboard to the rear and a function room at the back. I could choose from Oakham JHB (3.8% ABV), Brains Rev James (4.5% ABV), two beers from Lincolnshire micro Newby Wyke, Banquo (3.8% ABV) and White Squall (4.8% ABV) and the house beer Oak Ale (4.0% ABV). The barmaid could not tell me where the house beer was brewed but she did offer me a sample of White Squall. It had a powerful hoppy taste but I opted for the weaker Banquo. This was also a pale, floral hoppy beer with a pleasant bitter aftertaste. I liked this pub. It was great to see that not only did the pub have a dartboard but it was also being used.
It was now time to head into the centre of this beautiful historic town. I passed a couple of lovely looking hotels and a few upmarket bars before finding myself in the old market square. I had a choice of the local Wetherspoons or a similarly large establishment called The Tilted Wig. I had no desire to see another Spoons so I chose the latter. Bad choice!! It started off well when I chose a pint of Jewellery Porter from Birmingham micro Two Towers for just £1.99. It was then downhill all the way. The pub had large comfortable seating areas to both sides. It was busy with plenty of people eating. I wanted a packet of salted peanuts and I was informed they served them in small pots. This is something I have become used to at a number of pubs in Stratford-on-Avon where they serve a variety of snacks in small dishes. These can cost up to a pound so how much was it going to be here? £2.50. Sorry did you say £2.50? That's more than the cost of the pint. The ridiculousness of this pub did not stop there. At both ends of the pub was wallpaper resembling bookshelves. I had just come from The Oak which had real books on real bookshelves for the benefit of customers. This was just hideous. Special mention must go to the barmaid who was last seen ignoring all and sundry whilst studying her mobile phone with intense concentration. This was in stark contrast to the friendly host in the Millwright Arms who was chatting to one and all. Finally, the beer was very poor quality. The slight sweetness hinted it was well passed its best which was very disappointing. I hope to find this beer served in peak condition in the near future at a proper pub so I can find out what it really tastes like.
After finding a drinking establishment of such poor quality the simple solution is to stick with what you know. I had time for one more beer so I headed back to the station and revisited the Wild Boar. I wanted a beer brewed in Warwick and two new beers had arrived on the menu which were missing earlier. Both were from Slaughterhouse - Space Trotter (4.3% ABV) and Starboard Porter (4.8% ABV). After my disappointing porter at The Tilted Wig I thought I'd try my luck again. This was totally different and was everything I look for in a porter. Very smooth with a chocolate malt bitterness it was absolutely divine. An excellent beer to end the evening with. Whilst enjoying this I picked up a copy of The Beer and Ragged Staff, the local CAMRA newsletter from the Heart of Warwickshire branch. An excellent read that gave me plenty of ideas for pubs to visit next time I come to Warwick. It was such an easy journey it is certainly a place I will come back to before Christmas and next time I would like to find more pubs serving local beers. As for The Tilted Wig. That's one pub I will never set foot in again!!
Happy drinking.
Leaving the Wild Boar I turned right towards the town. After passing underneath the trainline I veered off to the left passing a pub called The Railway on the corner. I came to The Coten and turned left where I came across the Millwright Arms. It is a lovely looking building and reputedly one of the oldest buildings in Warwick. The bar was quiet and central. To the right was a small room lavishly decorated and to the far left was a more formal area. Apparently there is a fabulous large garden to the rear and there is also outside seating at the front of the pub but you will have traffic fumes to contend with here. The beers available were St Austell Tribute (4.2% ABV), Sharps Doom Bar (4.0% ABV) and Wye Valley HPA (4.0% ABV). I love the latter but amazingly I have never tried Tribute before so I decided to put that beer to bed. As for Doom Bar, I have never understood the popularity of this very ordinary beer and I am always dismayed to see it with such regularity. The Tribute surprised me. It was a pleasantly smooth golden bitter with citrus notes but quite a sweet finish that wasn't to my particular taste. It certainly does not compare to the magnificent Hicks Special Draught which has always been one of my favourite beers but frustratingly difficult to find outside the South West.
I headed back towards town and it wasn't far to my next stop, The Oak. This tiny pub had an excellent beer selection which is good because it is a real drinkers pub with limited seating, a pool table and dartboard to the rear and a function room at the back. I could choose from Oakham JHB (3.8% ABV), Brains Rev James (4.5% ABV), two beers from Lincolnshire micro Newby Wyke, Banquo (3.8% ABV) and White Squall (4.8% ABV) and the house beer Oak Ale (4.0% ABV). The barmaid could not tell me where the house beer was brewed but she did offer me a sample of White Squall. It had a powerful hoppy taste but I opted for the weaker Banquo. This was also a pale, floral hoppy beer with a pleasant bitter aftertaste. I liked this pub. It was great to see that not only did the pub have a dartboard but it was also being used.
It was now time to head into the centre of this beautiful historic town. I passed a couple of lovely looking hotels and a few upmarket bars before finding myself in the old market square. I had a choice of the local Wetherspoons or a similarly large establishment called The Tilted Wig. I had no desire to see another Spoons so I chose the latter. Bad choice!! It started off well when I chose a pint of Jewellery Porter from Birmingham micro Two Towers for just £1.99. It was then downhill all the way. The pub had large comfortable seating areas to both sides. It was busy with plenty of people eating. I wanted a packet of salted peanuts and I was informed they served them in small pots. This is something I have become used to at a number of pubs in Stratford-on-Avon where they serve a variety of snacks in small dishes. These can cost up to a pound so how much was it going to be here? £2.50. Sorry did you say £2.50? That's more than the cost of the pint. The ridiculousness of this pub did not stop there. At both ends of the pub was wallpaper resembling bookshelves. I had just come from The Oak which had real books on real bookshelves for the benefit of customers. This was just hideous. Special mention must go to the barmaid who was last seen ignoring all and sundry whilst studying her mobile phone with intense concentration. This was in stark contrast to the friendly host in the Millwright Arms who was chatting to one and all. Finally, the beer was very poor quality. The slight sweetness hinted it was well passed its best which was very disappointing. I hope to find this beer served in peak condition in the near future at a proper pub so I can find out what it really tastes like.
After finding a drinking establishment of such poor quality the simple solution is to stick with what you know. I had time for one more beer so I headed back to the station and revisited the Wild Boar. I wanted a beer brewed in Warwick and two new beers had arrived on the menu which were missing earlier. Both were from Slaughterhouse - Space Trotter (4.3% ABV) and Starboard Porter (4.8% ABV). After my disappointing porter at The Tilted Wig I thought I'd try my luck again. This was totally different and was everything I look for in a porter. Very smooth with a chocolate malt bitterness it was absolutely divine. An excellent beer to end the evening with. Whilst enjoying this I picked up a copy of The Beer and Ragged Staff, the local CAMRA newsletter from the Heart of Warwickshire branch. An excellent read that gave me plenty of ideas for pubs to visit next time I come to Warwick. It was such an easy journey it is certainly a place I will come back to before Christmas and next time I would like to find more pubs serving local beers. As for The Tilted Wig. That's one pub I will never set foot in again!!
Happy drinking.
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