The Rear of the Year

[oldboots]

A couple of the best known Blogsters; Boak & Bailey (https://boakandbailey.com/2019/12/our-golden-pints-of-2019/) and The Pub Curmudgeon (http://pubcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2019/12/review-of-2019.html) have done their customary review of what they thought best, so here's mine, following first B&B's categories then Mudgie's.

Best (local) Pub: Harrogate Tap (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/81224/)
Best (non-local) Pub: The Cardinals Hat (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/42409/)
Best Overseas Bar: I haven't been abroad but this is over the sea Stein Inn (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/70546/)
Best Cask Beer: difficult but Harrogate Plum Porter with Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild a close second.
Best Bottled Beer: De Molen Gekken & Dwazen (also the most expensive beer of the year at £15 for 330ml)
Best Keg Beer: Turning Point Thousands of Evils
Best Overall Beer: Turning Point Thousands of Evils
Best Brewery: Turning Point (so glad they've moved closer to me and opened a brewery tap)
Best Blog: Boak & Bailey
Best Twitter: Pub Curmudgeon.

speaking of whom

Best New Pub Visited: Ship Isis (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/5786/)
Best Revisit: Lion Tavern (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/26715/)
Beer of the Year: Turning Point Thousands of Evils
Pub Cat of the Year: Garfield ;)

[Tris39]

A couple of the best known Blogsters; Boak & Bailey (https://boakandbailey.com/2019/12/our-golden-pints-of-2019/) and The Pub Curmudgeon (http://pubcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2019/12/review-of-2019.html) have done their customary review of what they thought best, so here's mine, following first B&B's categories then Mudgie's.

Best (local) Pub: Harrogate Tap (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/81224/)
Best (non-local) Pub: The Cardinals Hat (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/42409/)
Best Overseas Bar: I haven't been abroad but this is over the sea Stein Inn (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/70546/)
Best Cask Beer: difficult but Harrogate Plum Porter with Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild a close second.
Best Bottled Beer: De Molen Gekken & Dwazen (also the most expensive beer of the year at £15 for 330ml)
Best Keg Beer: Turning Point Thousands of Evils
Best Overall Beer: Turning Point Thousands of Evils
Best Brewery: Turning Point (so glad they've moved closer to me and opened a brewery tap)
Best Blog: Boak & Bailey
Best Twitter: Pub Curmudgeon.

speaking of whom

Best New Pub Visited: Ship Isis (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/5786/)
Best Revisit: Lion Tavern (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/26715/)
Beer of the Year: Turning Point Thousands of Evils
Pub Cat of the Year: Garfield ;)

Best (local) Pub: The Cock & Bottle (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/24863/)
Best (reasonably local) Pub: The Prince Alfred (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/22729/) or The Windsor Castle (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/22728/)
Best (non-local) Pub: Shakespeares (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/43362/)
Best Overseas Bar: Les Deux Magots (https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-restaurant/100254/Cafe-des-Deux-Magots)
Best Cask Beer: Marble's Manchester Bitter at The Kings Arms (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/24952/)
Best Bottled Beer: I don't drink the stuff
Best Keg Beer: I don't drink the stuff and when forced to do so, rarely note it
Best Overall Beer: Marble's Manchester Bitter
Best Brewery: Oakham
Best Blog: A London Inheritance
Best Twitter: I don't acknowledge social media

Best New Pub Visited: Shakespeares (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/43362/)
Best Revisit: Old Fountain (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/23350/)
Beer of the Year: Marble's Manchester Bitter
Pub Cat of the Year: The long suffering moggie at The Ladbroke Arms (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/24877/)

[Aqualung]

There's only a few categoried that I can think of an answer for :-

Best Local Pub :
Rose & Crown (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/25241/).
Ye Olde moniker is a recent addition that I've never heard anyone using. They recently broke free from the influence of the ee-aw group on the beer choice and have extended the keg range a bit. I went there this week and tried all six cask options, only two of which I recognised. They have also committed to having one pump devoted to the local ELB which will include any seasonal or experimental brews. I also had (of all things) a pint of keg Old Tom which was excellent. Cask prices are around the £4.00 mark and the Old Tom was £5.15.

The best local Spoons is the George (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/55963/) at Wanstead. I went here on a Saturday a few months ago and was surprised to find the bar area filling up with football types from Oop North. I had checked West Ham and Orient who were both away. When they had left I asked at the bar if they knew who they were and it turned out that one group was from Yorkshire (Leeds?) on the way to Millwall, and a second from Lancashire (Blackburn?) on the way to QPR. I was impressed as neither venues are anywhere near Wanstead but presumably the tube station across the road helps.
I would advise against coming here on a Friday or Saturday night. The only other thing is that some idiot keeps ordering Marston beers.

Best Pub:
The Great Western/ (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/39188/) remains my favourite. The three rotating guests rarely disappoint and even if they do I always have one or more of the Holden's Mild, Bitter and Special. It's worth avoiding in the run up to Xmas when the back room usually gets booked. It also gets rammed when Wolves are at home despite being nowhere near the ground.

Best Brewery:
It's still Salopian but there are others that run it close. There are so many I've never tried (Turning Point for one!).

[Mobyduck]

A few of my highlights plus one lowlight, can be found here. (https://thepubexplorer.wordpress.com/2019/12/21/top-stuff-of-the-year/)

[Tris39]

There's only a few categoried that I can think of an answer for :-

Best Local Pub :
Rose & Crown (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/25241/).
Ye Olde moniker is a recent addition ...

Yup - applied around 2008, it sure is. In more ways than just this one (https://io9.gizmodo.com/ye-olde-is-fake-old-english-and-youre-mispronouncing-1679780566).

[Aqualung]

Yup - applied around 2008, it sure is. In more ways than just this one (https://io9.gizmodo.com/ye-olde-is-fake-old-english-and-youre-mispronouncing-1679780566).

I went to it in the 1970s when it was a keg only Truman's pub. I don't remember the layout but it had a thick red carpet and was awful. I've quite taken to it in its modern guise as it's quiet on weekday afternoons and the beer choice is improving.

[Quinno]

My level of note-keeping is obviously a little less thorough than some of you lot, so I will content myself to the following;

Best new pubs of 2019
The Bridge End Inn (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/61960/) (10)
Olde Cottage (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/3385/) (9.5)
Black Bear (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/68472/) (9)
The Bicton Inn (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/7998/) (9)

Worst new pubs of 2019 (all scored 2!)
Twynersh (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/66794/)
Prague (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/67021/) (in retrospect, this was the worst of the lot)
Royal Exchange (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/59553/)

Best cask beer - Bathams! First time drunk for a couple of years and by god it was fantastic.

Best bottled UK beer - Hook Norton Double Stout remains a fabulous drop in both cask and bottle, the former being very hard to find, sadly.

[NickDavies]

I'm never going to tick off as many pubs as some of you lot, but this year my occassional meaderings around the West Midlands and Cotswolds reveal:

Best New Pub

The Bull and Bladder (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/38031/)

Worst New Pub

Ye Olde Saracens Head (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/38263/)

Best cask/bottled beer

I expect flack for this from some quarters but Purity Mad Goose is in most decent pubs round our way, and bottles in the shops, and it suits me fine. But I agree with Q above: if Batham's ever made it over here I'd be in clover.

[Al Bundy]

A couple of the best known Blogsters; Boak & Bailey (https://boakandbailey.com/2019/12/our-golden-pints-of-2019/) and The Pub Curmudgeon (http://pubcurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2019/12/review-of-2019.html) have done their customary review of what they thought best, so here's mine, following first B&B's categories then Mudgie's.

Best (local) Pub: Harrogate Tap (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/81224/)
Best (non-local) Pub: The Cardinals Hat (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/42409/)
Best Overseas Bar: I haven't been abroad but this is over the sea Stein Inn (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/70546/)
Best Cask Beer: difficult but Harrogate Plum Porter with Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild a close second.
Best Bottled Beer: De Molen Gekken & Dwazen (also the most expensive beer of the year at £15 for 330ml)
Best Keg Beer: Turning Point Thousands of Evils
Best Overall Beer: Turning Point Thousands of Evils
Best Brewery: Turning Point (so glad they've moved closer to me and opened a brewery tap)
Best Blog: Boak & Bailey
Best Twitter: Pub Curmudgeon.

speaking of whom

Best New Pub Visited: Ship Isis (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/5786/)
Best Revisit: Lion Tavern (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/26715/)
Beer of the Year: Turning Point Thousands of Evils
Pub Cat of the Year: Garfield ;)

Best (local) Pub: Tie between The Grapes and The Ship And Mitre - Liverpool.
Best (non-local) Pub: The Wellington - Birmingham.
Best cask beer: Crème Bearlee - Beartown.
Best Brewery: Salopian.
Best new pub visited: Burnt Pig - Ilkeston.

Don't go abroad, don't do keg, don't do social media

[Wittenden]

Best local (Kent) pubs:Larkins' Alehouse (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/85780/) and/or The Black Dog (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/81509/)
Best (rest of the country) pubs:Kings Arms Hotel (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/29264/) and/or Surrey Oaks (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/35618/)
Best new pub visited:The Wheel Inn (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/21321/)
Best cask beer:Cellar Head -West Kent IPA
Brewery that has given most joy:Brewery of Angels and Demons.

I havn't had a keg beer that has been better than its cask equivalent, and I am not attracted to weird beers with fruit additions. I don't go abroad, and I go to the pub to get away from the Cat.

[london calling]

Here are some of my choices
best local-Express Tavern
best new pub/bottleshop-A Pint of Hops Acton
best revisit -Dog and Bell Deptford
best cask-hard to remember but it was from New Bristol brewery
best bottle/can -easy one this Goose Island -bourbon barrel brand stout 15.2
best brewery -New Bristol
best keg -Siren -carribean Christmas cake
best blog -boak and bailey
cats are only for Christmas
cheers and a happy new year to all

[Brainypool]

Best local - The Masons Arms, Billinge (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/20238/)
Best non-local - The Herdwick, Lancaster (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/86334/)
Best overseas pub - Long Hall in Dublin

I have enjoyed a lot of beer from a lot of breweries and do not analyse them against each other. I rarely take notes, and when I do they're crap. Can't answer the other questions!

Happy new year all!

[Aqualung]

I have enjoyed a lot of beer from a lot of breweries and do not analyse them against each other. I rarely take notes, and when I do they're crap. Can't answer the other questions!

Welcome to my world! Or alternatively am I welcome in your world?

[Tris39]

Don't go abroad, don't do keg, don't do social media...

...and never, never ever feed him after midnight! :)

[Al Bundy]

...and never, never ever feed him after midnight! :)

Oh that's easy. I'm in bed by then.

[Pubsignman]

Best (local) Pub: Claret & Ale, Addiscombe
Best (non-local) Pub: Compasses, Littley Green
Best Overseas Bar: Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee
Best Overall Beer: 40ft Brewery Eccles Stout
Best Brewery: Burning Sky
Best Revisit: Phoenix, Southsea

[Bucking Fastard]

Best (local) Pub -- Old Cross Tavern (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/55450/)
Best (non local) Pub -- Great Western (http://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/39188/) Two visits in 2019:)
Best Overseas Bar -- Brovania,Gdansk.
Best Cask Beer -- Oakham Green Devil IPA
Best Bottled Beer -- BrewDog Elvis Juice (4 for £6 in Tesco =supervalue)
Best Keg Beer -- Siren Juicy Grapefruit IPA
Best Overall Beer -- Oakham Green Devil IPA
Best Brewery -- Thornbridge (most consistently high NBSS marks from me)

Lets hope 2020 maintains this standard.