BIRMINGHAM AND DERBY REAL ALE CRAWLS – 15.5.07
We went into Birmingham for a crawl for real ale on Tuesday and started at the Anchor in Digbeth where we joined friends before moving on to the Lamp Tavern at Highgate and finishing at the Wellington and Briar Rose in Bennetts Hill.
The Anchor had a Roosters festival the previous weekend, and there were some of the beers still available. We had Outlaw Dead or Alive, and Oak Fermented Pale Ale. Titanic Riveters followed these and Fugelstou Lincolnshire Love Muscle. As a few of us wanted the beer, we had a jug of Neuadd Innstable brought up from the cellar to share. At the Lamp we had Simpson & Simpson Touchstone. On to the Wellington where we had Beowulf Weissbier and West Berks Dr Hexters Healer. Next came Sadlers Seventh Heaven and Newby Wyke Good Ship Leonard. We finished this session with Wear Valley Death by Chocolate and Thornbridge Derby v West Brom? This prediction has proved correct for the playoff final for promotion from the Championship. Ray and I tried the Death by Chocolate when it was being brewed as we visited the brewery in July last year. We called into the Briar Rose and had Hanby Mild Mayhem before going for a curry at the Little Havana in Acocks Green.
On Thursday while Ray was at work I decided to go to Derby to visit the Babbington where a Mild Beer Festival was being held. I called into the Brunswick to buy the tickets for Chesterfield Rail Ale Festival on the Saturday of this week. While there I had Otley OBB. I was in the Babbington in time to get a breakfast, and settled down to drinking and bottling the milds on offer. Those bought were Anglo Dutch Mild Rabarber, Bradfield Masseys Mild, Falstaff Castle & Falcon Mild, Falstaff Tommy Cooper, Full Mash Mambo Mild, Full Mash Ouija, Magpie Dark Secret, North Cotswold Mayfair, Rugby 1823 Dark Mild and Titanic Mild. I also bottled Cottage Mallard IPA.
I thought I might as well look round the other good Derby pubs, and set off for the Flowerpot. Here I had Durham Spring Goddess and bottled Durham Citrus Pale. There were about 12 beers on tap and another 12 from the cellar. On to the Old Silk Works, where I found new landlords had recently taken over and were enthusiastic about real ale. I had Tunnel Sweet Parish Ale here then went on to the Dolphin. Although there were 8 pumps here they were all regular beers so I left and went on to the Smithfield. I sat outside with a Whim Kascade then went on to my final pub, the Alexandra where I had a massive cheese and onion cob while enjoying Burton Bridge Moorish Mild and bottled Bateman Gemini Double Trouble and Castle Rock Hay Rattle. As I passed the Brunswick to get to the station, I decided to pop in and had Brunswick White Feather, and had a quick look down the passage at the brewery.
When I got off the train in Birmingham I decided to see what the Wellington had on, so I had my final beer Hook Norton’s new brew Cotswold Lion before heading off home. I had 10 beers in my bag that we would enjoy on Friday night when we got to Old Brampton where we were staying for the Rail Ale Beer Festival held near Chesterfield
It had been good week for real ales and the trip out had been great.
STUDLEY – HIGHGATE – HEREFORD WEEKEND 10.5.07
We took the caravan down to Elmdale, Studley, a lovely site just south of the village. After setting up the caravan and porch awning we walked up the road to the Jubilee where we were to catch the minibus taking us to Highgate brewery. Just had time for a quick one while waiting, and found Holdens Saints and Sinners May Becknott was on.
When we got to Highgate brewery, we were given complimentary drinks and I chose Davenports Export IPA, a recent addition to their range. It was a lovely beer and I stuck with that one all night. The tour was fantastic and it is a very interesting brewery with a lot of old equipment still in good working order. Back to the bar for more beer and there was a superb buffet laid on. We spent a couple of hours chatting here before going back on the bus for a stop at the Bartons Arms in Aston, Birmingham.
This is an old pub with many special features like snob screens, and the tiling has to be seen to be believed. I chose Cains Creamy Stout, Ossett Black Bull Bitter and Fyne Vital Spark to drink. The group was given a treat of a tour round the massive cellar area and the beautiful upstairs function rooms. It was a late night by the time the bus got us back to Studley but what an enjoyable day it had been.
Friday I spent a quiet day in the caravan while Ray was at work, and when he got back and cleaned up we had a walk to the Jubilee for a meal and Olde Swan something for the weekend.
Saturday we had to take the caravan back to storage as we were off to a Silver Wedding Anniversary do in Hereford. When we got to our garden room in the Three Counties, we decided to explore the Good Beer Guide pubs in Hereford, as we did not expect to get real ale in the hotel that night. First we called at the Barrels, which stocks Wye Valley beers. It was full and seemed very popular and I walked round the rooms linked to the central bar. The football was on in one room and a pool table in another. It will be interesting to visit after the smoking ban, as it was very smoky. We had Great Oakley Harpers and Wye Valley Tippling Philosopher. A short walk took us to the Victory, home of Spinning Dog Brewery and I had their Mutleys Revenge and Top Dog. This pub was very quiet, almost empty. I was able to look round the bar shaped like a galleon and the long room with skittle alley also has a nautical theme. The brewery can be seen from the bottom of this room. Next we went to the local Wetherspoons, Kings Fee, a non smoking venue. Titanic Steerage had past its best and was returned, but the other two beers Rhymni General Picton and Rhymni Bitter were fine.
Back to the hotel to get ready for the party and a bus took us into town to TGS Function Room. We were right, no real ale. I had a couple of red wines and Ray was on Guinness, but when we got back to our hotel, we found the bar had Brains Rev James on so we had one before retiring for the night.
Sunday the party went to a restaurant for a carvery before leaving for home, and again there were no real ales on so we settled for water with the meal.
It had been a rather long hectic weekend, but a very enjoyable one.
May Bank Holiday in Wales – 4.5.07
When Ray finished work Friday we took the caravan to a National Trust run site for the Caravan Club in Pumsaint in Wales. It was a horrendous journey with road works and bottlenecks, and took us 4 hours to get there, so by the time we got pitched we decided to stay in. It was l smashing pitch, a corner site so we had 2 sides of bluebells, and were able to put the bird feeders up. Over the weekend we had plenty of birds including coal tits and a pair of nuthatches.
Saturday we decided to go to the Red Kite feeding centre and were told when we rang them to be there for 3pm. We went to New Quay where there was a Good Beer Guide pub and had a wander down to the beach. It was crowded with people enjoying the fine bank holiday weather. As we couldn’t find the pub we were looking for we went into the Black Lion for lunch and had it in the large garden while enjoying Camerons Trophy Special. Having obtained directions, we found our way to the Cambrian Hotel and had to double park in the small crowded car park. The pub itself was friendly and there was a Black Country beer on – home from home. We had the Welsh Felinfoel Double Dragon though.
We drove back to the red kite feeding station and found it was a farm where a hide and seats had been set up so that when the meat was thrown over the fence into the field, around 50 or more red kites swooped down and picked it up. It was a superb display and we stayed for 2 hours watching them. We were so close to the birds, and were able to spot the tags on them that displayed where they had been found and in what year. It was a brilliant afternoon.
That evening we decided to walk over the hill to the Brunant Arms – 1 mile it says on the notice but it seemed a long mile as we climbed over the hill. It was a delightful village local though and worth the effort when we saw that it was serving three of the local Jacobi beers. We enjoyed these, and it looked as though everyone else enjoyed the food being served too.
On Sunday we went down the Gold Mine that was situated beside the site, and spent some time panning for gold too although there was only fool’s gold found. It was an interesting visit though. We then went to Llanfihangel-ar-Arth to the Cross Inn for lunch and that was superb. A brilliant veg soup with hot roll and butter, then Roast Beef or Lamb dinner with a massive dish of vegetables, and a choice of deserts to die for. All for £6.95 and real ale too. A great way to finish our weekend.
TELFORD BEER FESTIVAL – 3.5.07
I caught the train to Wolverhampton and went to the Wetherspoons for breakfast before catching the connecting train to Oakengates to visit the Crown for the Telford beer festival. I hadn’t done this festival before, but this pub has an impressive 34 handpumps for its festival, and also does a cellar run.
There were a lot of recognisable faces getting off the train, so this looked like being a popular festival. As we were early, a few of us called into the Station Hotel and I found there were 6 beers available here. I had not had 3 of these before, but chose Wentworth Brimstone to drink while waiting for the Crown over the road to open.
Most of the seats were taken inside the Crown when I got there. They had been queuing at the back door! I decided to base myself outside in the sunshine and made a start on the list. Over the next few hours I selected 15 beers. I drank 7 of them and bottled 8 to take back to share with Ray on our trip into Wales on Friday. I selected the following 15 beers, Archers Shank’s Pony, Archers Perfect Guest, Bateman Taurus, Blackwater Kenyan Sunset, Blindmans Parched, Bushys Star of India Manx Pale Ale, Caledonian Top Banana, Full Mash Cancan, Full Mash Milk Stout, Leyden Chameleon, Leyden Rammy Rocket, Northumberland Legend of the Tyne No 6, Titanic High Seas, Hoskins Brigadier Bitter, Uley Gilt Edged and I enjoyed all the ones sampled.
Around 3pm they called the first beer for the cellar run and that was Stonehouse Wheeltappers Wheat Beer. They sold numbered tickets, and brought the beer up in jugs to serve half pints to those with the tickets. I had never seen cellar runs like this before. Also from the cellar I had Acorn Goldings IPA, Thornbridge Silverdale, and Kelham Island Vanilla Sky.
A few of us decided to catch the train back into Birmingham, and I went into the Anchor with a friend to see what was on there. I had Empire Gods Country, Pictish Black Diamond and Rodhams Dark Wheat before making my way home.
It had been a different beer festival and very enjoyable. One to watch out for next year.
O
n Monday, while in Kings Heath in Birmingham, I decided to pop into the Pear Tree, a Wetherspoons pub, as they were having a beer festival. I had an old favourite Ringwood Old Thumper, and a new one Thwaites Double Century. The beers were fine, but I don’t really like this pub as it is so dark inside – it’s depressing.
On Tuesday Ray and I went into Birmingham centre and called at the Anchor in Digbeth where we had old favourite Skinners Cornish Blonde and new one Taunton Taunton Ale. We walked up to the Wellington where we joined friends. First we went for Church End T-Reg and Boggart Light Side, then St George’s Shakes Beer. These were the only beers on that we had not had before. We had 4 more at the Wellington as we were enjoying the pleasant company we were in, they were Burton Bridge Spring Ale, Crown HPA, Ufford Setting Sun and Purity UBU. We walked down to the Briar Rose before going home, and had two of their beers that we had had before, Shepherd Neame Early Bird and Everards Sly Fox.
Slimbridge 27.4.07
On Friday 27.4.07 we took our caravan to Slimbridge in Gloucestershire. This is a lovely site behind the Tudor Arms pub, and this is a good one for real ale. After a good journey down, we joined our friends on the rally field. We had no electric hook up and used the solar panel to boost the battery. While setting up, we enjoyed some of the beer that I had brought back from Sheffield on Thursday.
We decided to try the pub for food, and had a lovely meal. There were some good beers on offer and we had Cottage Win on the Dogs, Moles Mole Slayer, Wickwar Premium Spring and Dorset Gold. Our friends joined us, and we spend a good night in the pub before heading back to our friend’s caravan for a nightcap whisky.
On Saturday we walked down to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Site with our friends and had a lovely 7 hours wandering round the enclosures and pens seeing the ducks, geese and flamingos. Parts of the site look over the estuary, and there are hides where all sorts of wild birds can be seen from the various hides. We had lunch sitting outside in the sun halfway through our wanderings. A lot of work has been done at the centre in the years since we were last there, and is still being done to make pens for otters and beavers.
We spent some time relaxing at the caravan when we got back, then went to the Tudor Arms and enjoyed Uley Pigs Ear and Severn Vale Dance.
Sunday morning after relaxing round the vans, we went to coffee morning held by the Gwent DA who were running the weekend, and won one of the raffle prizes. It had been a lovely weekend. When we took the caravan back to storage we went to The White Swan at Wythall for a carvery – on fruit juice as NO REAL ALE – then went to the Peacock at Forhill to see what ales they had on. I had Adnams Explorer and we had a look round this basically food pub that had once been a real ale mecca. The ale was fine but the service was very bad as they were staffing the restaurant bar and leaving customers waiting in the main bar area.
Pub Crawls week commencing 23.4.07
My week started as usual with my husband and I paying a visit to the Wellington in Birmingham – a good specialist real ale pub with 15 handpumps. The board showed plenty of beers I had not tried before, and we started with Hanby Dragon Heart and Heart of Wales Aur Cymru. I need to check whether Heart of Wales is a new brewery or a new name for an old one. Next came E & S Elland St George’s Anger and Blackwater Venom. We were joined by friends and discussed a visit to Sheffield on Thursday, and also whether I would be going to a festival at the Crown in Oakengates at Telford the following week.
Wentworth St George, Tower Gone for a Burton and St George’s Dragons Blood followed and there were no more new beers for me after that. The next round was therefore a couple of beers I had had before, Crouch Vale Essex Boys Bitter and Cottage Windsor Castle. The empty pumps got their beers on but I had a taste of Kinver Over the ?. It was a strong beer at 7.6 and as this was the same ABV as Over the Edge I was unsure as to whether it was a new beer or not. Two more beers had come on so we finished in the Welly with Mitchell Eastwood Brew 500 and Downton Apple Blossom.
We called in to the Briar Rose to see what they had on, and had one new beer, White Horse Saracen IPA and a couple of repeats O’Hanlons Port Stout and Mauldon’s Cuckoo.
We all went to the Anchor in Digbeth to see what was on there and had the following 4 beers before getting transport back home: Milestone Sup-porter, Hoggleys Pump Fiction, Milestone North Rock and E & S Elland St George’s Bitter.
As I was going to Sheffield Thursday, I went to Cannon Hill Park to visit the MAC – Midlands Art Centre – and see what was on in their bar. It was a lovely day so I took my Black Sheep Bitter outside to drink. The beer was fine but I didn’t like the fact that it was served in plastic glasses if it was being taken out.
Thursday I was on the train with friends to Sheffield followed by a tram to Shalesmoor to visit the Cask and Cutler. While waiting for it to open at 12 it was noticeable how it had been smartened up since being taken over. I had 2 beers here: Carm Brea Beeches and West Berks Mash Tun. They were both lovely beers, so I bought 2 more and bottled them along with Glentworth Amarillo Light to take home to share with my poor working husband. We walked down to the Fat Cat another first class pub, where I had Kelham Island Because the Night and Rudgate Simcoe. This pub also had a good selection of food available, and I was tempted with one of their excellent meals. We then had a short walk round to the popular Kelham Island Tavern where I had Rudgate Ioun’s Ale and 2 Acorn beers Darkness and St George’s Best. We were sat in a lovely room looking out to a very colourful garden. Our next stop was the excellent Gardners Rest and I couldn’t believe the selection here as there were 11 beers on that I had never had before. I bottled the following 5 to take back with me: Station House Slain, Sheffield Seven Hills, Sheffield Blanco Blonde, Bullmastiff Old Snarler and Boggart Bigun. I enjoyed the following: Sheffield Crucible Best, Bridestone St George, Sheffield Five Rivers, Wentworth Admiral Keppel, Wentworth Imperial Ale and Bradfield Ye Old English Ale. There is a sunny outside seating area overlooking the river here, and a lovely coracle on the wall. I would have loved a go in that! It had been a lovely day, and we caught a tram back up to the station then the train home.
