16-17/09/17 - Finishing off the St Albans Good Beer Guide Pubs

Three months have passed since I started ticking off the Good Beer Guide pubs of that most pubby of all cities, St Albans.

In that time, a new version of the bible has been released.  2018 says farewell to the Farriers Arms and a hello to two newbies that will be visited over my latest two day visit.

Still, there is slightly less work to do than in 1884.

Pub City

Monday night sees me in the back streets of Holywell Hill.  The pub count is exceptionally high, with three ticks all lined up next to each other and several other pubs within a stone's throw.

The While Lion, Sopwell Lane, Oakham JHB

White Lion and their Barrel Storage

I'm in a bit a rush tonight.  I have an hour to get fed and find a pub (GBG or otherwise) that has the Albion vs Leicester game on.  I find it tricky to sleep in strange hotel beds, but Tony Pulis is a non pharmaceutical answer to that problem.

The White Lion provides one solution, recommended for its good food and exceptional service.  A steak and kidney pie should set me up nicely.

Beer wise, I found the Oakham range in several pubs.  Must be an easy drive from Peterborough to St Albans.  The JHB was a perfect pint.

Oakham JHB

In case you want a food review too - the pie was wonderful, even if all the steak was on one side and all the kidneys on the other.

My barman provided some advice as to where the football might be on.  This sent me on chase that would please a wild goose.  First, the Goat (Book Club on Mondays, no Football), sent me to the Garibaldi (only BT Sports) who sent me to the Beehive.

No real issue.  I'd walked a grand total of 150 yards.

The Beehive provided me with my own TV but won't be troubling the Good Beer Guide any time soon.

White Hart Tap, Keyfield Terrace, Timothy Taylor Landlord

Post Monday Night Football

The landlord (person, not pint) is emerging from the cellar with a foul looking concoction for the only other punter in tonight.  I have to ask what an opaque, gloopy looking brew is just to confirm that Mango Cider is not for me.

Instead, I go traditional for the other Landlord.  £4.40 a pint.

And I am not even in London.

The Garibaldi, Albert Street, Fuller's ESB

Final Tick for Monday Night

This is a Fullers house, where the outside posters proudly proclaim their "Fullers Cellarmanship of the Year Award".

I have to agree - I'm quite a fan of London Pride and ESB but this is the best example I have found.  An exceptional pint.  I've read the WhatPub scoring criteria and would give it a 5.

5. Perfect. Probably the best you are ever likely to find. A seasoned drinker will award this score very rarely.

Five Star

A hook is required to get punters out on a Monday.  The Garibaldi lures people in with free cheese.

Not sure the chalk board needs to describe Fosters though.  Maybe this was ironic.

Ever wondered on the virtues of Fosters?

A 24 hour hiatus, where work got in the away of exploration.

The Mermaid, Hatfield Road, Wantsum Imperium

No problems with sleep.  In fact, I no longer like football and couldn't be bothered to get out early enough for what would be a far more exciting proposition of Spurs in the Bernabeu.

The Mermaid is a new Good Beer Guide Entry (and indeed CAMRA Local pub of the Year), heading east towards Hatfield.  Just be very careful you don't walk too far.

It is also the blokiest pub I've ever been in.  You either need to be chucking arrows or getting real excited about Harry Kane's near misses.

Six real ales on, three on the front bar and three around the side, where a miss negotiation of the sloping wooden floor, nearly puts me in the lap of the nearest football fan.

And I hadn't even taken a sip of my Wantsum.

Love the Glassware

The Robin Hood, Victoria Street, Black Sheep Rye Mild

Another new entry and with this last tick, St Albans can join Lichfield and be declared fully ticked off.

Meter running wild

Not sure whether the outside bulb had gone or it was meant to be flashing on and off to lure the punters in.  No disguising the internal lighting affect though.... the Robin Hood wins the prize for brightest lit pub of all time.  I could reduce their outgoings by 20% by fitting dimmer switches and create an environment where the drunken students could slam jagermeister with a higher degree of anonymity.

And they were missing out on some fine beer.  Normally, I would not have passed up on Harvey's Sussex Best but I was intrigued by a previously unseen member of the Black Sheep family.

Rye Mild - A lovely colour

A top quality pint and a fitting end to St Albans for this year.

They just need to make a bit of space in the library for 2019.

The thesaurus must surely go

07/10/17 - Lichfield Good Beer Guide Ticks

Stage 6 of the Heart of England Way delivers me into Lichfield.  10.4 Miles of walking deserves serious refreshment.

I know the 2018 Bible has four places of interest but what treasures will they hold within?

Turns out to be a bit of a day of firsts.

The Duke of York, Greenhill, Bass Pale Ale

Before we get onto the Ale, lets talk about the pub.  The oldest in Lichfield, with an interior little changed since its naming in 1644 after the man who would eventually become King James II.

Living history is of the reasons I love my pub visits.

Duke of York - Lichfield

Claim to Fame

Been like this since 1644

The other, of course, is the beer.  This is a Joules Brewery House.  I'm not familiar with their range but on reaching the bar I spot a Red Triangle that would have a well known Cambridgeshire based Beer Blogger wishing he hadn't gone traipsing around unopened Birmingham boozers.

You were so close, Martin.

Losing my Bass Virginity

I've been in a lot of pubs.  I've sat under their branded mirrors, seen the signs but never once actually found a place selling it.

It didn't disappoint and taken in front of a huge log burner in such ancient surroundings, I cannot help but wonder if I have peaked too early.

The Whippet Inn, Tamworth Street. Miner's Best Bitter

From 1664 to 2014 and another first for my blog... A micro pub.  I know there's lots of them in the Good Beer Guide, but somehow, they have passed me by.

Bunting out for Mappiman's 1st Micro

Summed Up Nicely

Its tiny.  Its brightly lit. The only nod to decoration is a coat hook, a clock and a Good Beer Guide 2018 Poster.  There's near silence, broken only by the occasional beery comment like "Look at the Lacing on that!" and "Tiny Rebel is the best brewery in the British Isles!"

As you'd expect, the beer was exceptional.  Micro Pub and Microbrewery, with an excellent LocALE Miner's Best Bitter enjoyed.

On departure, I'm met with a cheery farewell.  They all know where I am going.

Next door.

Beerbohm, Tamworth Street, Thornbridge Jaipur

You go all your life without blogging about a Micropub and then you do 2 two in 10 minutes.  These two places must be the answer to a future CAMRA Quiz question "Where are the two nearest Good Beer Guide Entries?".

Elegant

This could be described more as a Beer Cafe.

And its wonderful - a possible blue print for the future of public boozing?  The people of Lichfield agree - its packed solid and encouragingly, by a high proportion of discerning twenty-somethings.

I probably should have thrown myself to fate and asked the most genial and knowledgeable landlady (are they called that in Beer Cafes?) to recommend one of the many Belgian brews on offer.

However, after considering the lesser spotted Hook Norton Mild on the handpull, I noticed another much discussed but never sampled brew.

Lichfield, you provided my first pint of Thornbridge Jaipur.

This is what a Beer Cafe Looks Like

I loved this place so much, I am considering exporting the concept to Worcestershire.

I would have stayed, but there is one more to tick.

The Horse and Jocky, Sandford Street, Timothy Taylor Landlord

I always knew this day would come.  The day I had to pick between an Otter and a Landlord.

Both are old favourites.  Both are on offer at this excellent boozer that take their trade seriously.

Another great pub

Landlord Won

And what a find the Horse and Jockey is.  Five real ales on the front and an old boy, suitably proud of his local, tells me there two more around the side.

We get into quite a chat about the thriving Lichfield Scene.  He likes the Whippet Inn but is in for a long session today and finds their beers too strong.

If I hadn't been catching the 3:15pm train, I would have joined him.   The landlord was in exceptional condition - possibly the best I have ever had.

And I've been to Yorkshire.

I hit the train with 2 minutes to spare and have a journey back to reflect on how lucky the boozers of Lichfield are.   The Bible has helped me sniff out their finest establishments and each one was a joy.

Can't wait for the 2019 Guide to come out so I can go back.

07/10/17 - Heart of England Way Stage 6 - Leaving Lichfield

Distance - 10.4 Miles
Geocaches - 19
Pubs - Separate Blog
Previous Stages - Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5

After a September that was too busy to fit in my monthly HOEW walk, I am back in October.  A relatively easy train journey means that I can double up on pleasures big time.   There are four Good Beer Guide Ticks to be had in Lichfield.

First the walking.  This is a fine circular trail, heading southwards out of the City.  A couple of miles of street/back alleys and canal restoration projects.  New pavement mounted signage shows the way.

HOEW Gets new Signage

I'm out in the countryside, on good bridle ways with fine views over Staffordshire.

Easy Walking in the Sunshine

Views over the Pig Farm to Knox's Grave Lane

High proportion of Geocaches on route - including a taster of the Lichfield Extreme Caching Organisation (L.E.G.O) hides.  Their motif is a sinisterly nailed lego figure at GZ.

Knowing I was at GZ made for easier finds.  Tricky cache returned to rightful location.

Knox Grave Lane marks the turning off point from the HOEW and a bit of Internet research tells the story.  Knox was a highwayman operating in the area and reputedly living in Hopwas Hays Wood.  He would lie in wait in the country lanes for the solitary traveler returning home late at night from a local inn and hit him from behind with a heavy cudgel.  After capture and execution, his family buried him in an unmarked grave along this lane.

No danger of being cudgeled today but there are other threats.  Hopwas Hays wood is now a military firing range.  I could have phone in advance to see if they were on operations, but decided Saturdays should be fine.

I was right... the red light wasn't flashing

Footpath goes across the actual firing range

A super walk, in unseasonal no jacket required sunshine.  The route brings me back into the City.

Let the pub ticking commence.

04/10/17 - CAMRA Good Beer Guide Pubs of Reading - Part 3

A new edition of the Bible has been published since I started my quest to knock off the Good Beer Guide Pubs of Reading (Part 1, Part 2).  The total number in the 2018 Guide has increased from 8 to 11, with 4 new entries and a farewell to the Eldon Arms.

Bus journeys give you time to reflect.  Just when I start to think my ticking quest is a folly of Sisyphean proportions, I spy this from the Emerald 6 window.  Our pub culture needs to be recorded for posterity.

Plus, I like a pint.

Developers - don't rub it in and start demolition with the sign

The Allied Arms, St Mary's Butts, Sherfield Village Brewery TBA

Allied Arms

Town centre pub that I've managed to previously find without a Good Beer Guide Recommendation.  Small main bar, with a nice beer garden around the back for when it's not October.  Free bar seating for me to peruse the options but without by glasses I mistakenly feel that my beer choice is from Sheffield and may be "To Be Announced".

Sitting at the bar may annoy other punters, but its the best place for gossip.  An old guy and his wife, neither of whom understand the concept of personal space, come in and spend an age making up their mind.  Its ends in confusion when he asks for his previously selected half to be poured into a pint glass and topped up. 

The lady behind the bar calls for management.

Glass Confusion

In Mrs M's absence, I decide to be naughty and order a packet of scratchings, immediately felling lower than a snake's belly for my lack of self control.  I'll never do this again.

They were £2 a pack.

The Foresters Arms, Brunswick Street, Timothy Taylor Bolt Maker

A longish walk to the wild back streets of West Reading.  A three way tear up ends with a man scarpering from the screeches of a wronged woman walking up the street using a Smart Phone's torch to locate a missing object.  She may have thrown her wedding ring at him and regretted it but I didn't get involved.

Instead, I wonder how many times the locals have spotted a stranger bursting through the door of their local and gone "Here comes another CAMRA Ticker".

The eerie Glow of BT Sport through an estate pub window.

This is the very definition of a back street pub.   Service is provided by someone's nan, whilst someone's granddad is enticed to leave the pub with the promise of a chicken dinner.

In addition to having "an interior of historical importance", the Bible also states that "staff are enthusiastic about cask and happy to advice on beer choice".

None needed - the only ale on was Timothy Taylor Boltmaker.

Sitting under the Sports Entertainment, I failed to notice anything too special about the interior but can report they have a lovely real fire, nice external tiling and outside loos.

The Butler, Chatham Street, Hogs Back Bitter

The gauntlet of the back streets of Reading is again negotiated.  No more marital strife but next door to the Butler is The Face Bar.  In word that bring horror to any parent, the Face are holding a kids disco.

Cue hoards of teenagers with alco pops and no respect for a pub explorer trying to capture the blade runner feel of a boozer nestled in the glow of a multi story car park.

Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion

Despite having the worst pub sign in the history of the world, this was Pub of the Night.

A classic pub interior, with a large central bar offering plenty of seating.  The Hogs Back Bitter was in absolutely perfect nick.

Disturbing Pub Sign recreated on the Beer Mat. 

Once the interior had stopped being illuminated by the blue flashing lights, I knew it was time to complete tonight's journey.

The Greyfriar, Greyfriars Road, Wantsum Brewery Ravening Wolf

For some unknown reason, the last time I was in this part of town, I went to the Gateway next door.  Dear Reader, if you take one thing from this blog, do not make that mistake.

The Greyfriar is a real find and staffed by the right sort of people.  Those that love their job.

The Greyfriar

Another chance to sit at the bar and pass on the benefit I gained by being provided with tasters of all the beers to incoming punters.

All new brews to me

I did warn that this dark IPA came in at a Stellatastic 5.9%.

My third Reading outing in as many months leaves just two more ticks to gain.

At least until the 2019 guide is produced.