Blog Tracker
11-02-2024, 09:20
Visit Ed's Beer Site (http://edsbeer.blogspot.com/2024/02/finally-visiting-sarah.html)
I'd waited a long time for this. It was over thirty years ago that I first drank Sarah Hughes Original Dark Ruby Mild. I think they've dropped the "Original" from the name since then, but as I now know the locals simply call it "Ruby".
I have an 1990 programme from Farnham Beerex where I can see as a teenage beer bore I ticked it off:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf2SdpjwCUkgy9KCtBphSC_n6UXlvVNouh3sTsuSKCl cbZ6FvFSTx3kPNlERRYDl22a-VX6jFUaFBMQ3hGdpRruhtESx7myaoZYdYBTdRVCi3cxBm84rvs TFR6f6Zwyl-a1jJ3VaDB2eDZZYWt5jK-tNwcg1lT6fOADq5gZeLVYrCPL5-BcULECnQYEUY/s320/beerex%201990.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf2SdpjwCUkgy9KCtBphSC_n6UXlvVNouh3sTsuSKCl cbZ6FvFSTx3kPNlERRYDl22a-VX6jFUaFBMQ3hGdpRruhtESx7myaoZYdYBTdRVCi3cxBm84rvs TFR6f6Zwyl-a1jJ3VaDB2eDZZYWt5jK-tNwcg1lT6fOADq5gZeLVYrCPL5-BcULECnQYEUY/s2064/beerex%201990.jpg)
I doubt I'd had it before then, and they'd only started brewing it a few years earlier in '87 anyway. I'm still a fan of the beer to this day and if I see it at a beer festival I'll drink it. I'd never actually got round to visiting the pub it's brewed in though. Over the years I have thought about it a few times and even looked in to accommodation but never actually pulled my finger out and made the trip. So when I saw work was taking me to Wolverhampton it was in fact to Sedgley that my thoughts turned. It's not blessed with a lot of accommodation so it's in Dudley that I ended up, a bus ride from my ultimate goal. I had another stop before that though. Pubs have a depressing tendency to close if not "spontaneously" combust so I made sure the route to my hotel took the past Ma Pardoes (https://whatpub.com/pubs/DUD/3215/old-swan-netherton) (The Old Swan) in Netherton. This is one of the few pubs that still brewed its own beer when CAMRA was formed and cask beer was saved. It has had hard times recently (https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/dudley/netherton/2022/10/26/lifeline-for-historic-ma-pardoes-pub-after-landlords-closed-by-christmas-warning/) so really it's the duty of anyone in the area to call in. It's a cracking pub too.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVncVUnlWk4cRJwVL6JT6sPhTlMxFaq-_crMgHqSRmlf8BZzGPYr4LXZvATR8aJnRvtUwnF9o6o-4hd0tYR-2OB9WWoh_M-AfNzc__zDmFjzB2FIYMQeTHKfj5yXQoRmJfW7umqQDEFts3ZAV ccWR8VPp8PAgpHghJ988SPYixWJof1qCePL1zOFECGODQ/s320/DSC04635.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVncVUnlWk4cRJwVL6JT6sPhTlMxFaq-_crMgHqSRmlf8BZzGPYr4LXZvATR8aJnRvtUwnF9o6o-4hd0tYR-2OB9WWoh_M-AfNzc__zDmFjzB2FIYMQeTHKfj5yXQoRmJfW7umqQDEFts3ZAV ccWR8VPp8PAgpHghJ988SPYixWJof1qCePL1zOFECGODQ/s4896/DSC04635.JPG)
I had a pint of the Original, a beer of modest strength, which was for the best really as I was driving and was on a mission for the rest of the evening.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCgWSSFsOeTmk6LiFf4QGVYaTtioHm3mCdphh6j3lUW enw2sgAkeI37Q1gAWqSnvIDSo1vyDca4XfjeXSL13bR41cihBq 6JhGtTcrcWiVLbaVsoPQztGTCdKPUX6b_cclSh2rwo6qFcEl_1 t1hgwX644Sig7Tar2rpxHwwIcqD_vebVkYgNaz0ijDzZRa/s320/IMG_20240205_172423692.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCgWSSFsOeTmk6LiFf4QGVYaTtioHm3mCdphh6j3lUW enw2sgAkeI37Q1gAWqSnvIDSo1vyDca4XfjeXSL13bR41cihBq 6JhGtTcrcWiVLbaVsoPQztGTCdKPUX6b_cclSh2rwo6qFcEl_1 t1hgwX644Sig7Tar2rpxHwwIcqD_vebVkYgNaz0ijDzZRa/s4080/IMG_20240205_172423692.jpg)
Once I got to my hotel room I checked the bus times and was off out in minutes as one was on its way. This did mean I got to the Beacon Hotel (https://sarahhughesbrewery.co.uk/) without eating but did that stop me charging in for a pint? Oh no!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_MCOf6wXd6M5xrHlXm5OfsboJhd9MF9JyFcSy34aPA MESptBUQC2u7UH5n11AwxzwVt6KzcX9sCm0JW4_1SHgvjr0WPn 6SqZJZC06Ulytb8fh4YXlx2ke5xHdcuNDx6aLjK8trCNtso-QCl46NiArs0Rxcpt0pJvxq7DfovYtrUjgeoIovLhTriedO12/s320/DSC04638.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_MCOf6wXd6M5xrHlXm5OfsboJhd9MF9JyFcSy34aPA MESptBUQC2u7UH5n11AwxzwVt6KzcX9sCm0JW4_1SHgvjr0WPn 6SqZJZC06Ulytb8fh4YXlx2ke5xHdcuNDx6aLjK8trCNtso-QCl46NiArs0Rxcpt0pJvxq7DfovYtrUjgeoIovLhTriedO12/s4896/DSC04638.JPG)
The building is quite unassuming from the front and advertises wines and spirits. Wonderful interior though, with a little serving hatch in the room I ended was in.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEq1rbZOEmINAkKFipAwov-hNgmKpah9zSxr8xFn-jmAOcEZn4APEAHBQCOnWRx7g5wNVd5WKMDFmLNUmgbKgAIg9s0 hGRMCo7l0dW2p5qnxrBGXhi6HHcfYyUI8XyxKVxtftojnVrtdR 71sVuhsTqtxfEKLR02SV1EP039eiDWwcfLqK_pC-5eop3iQZ5/s320/IMG_20240205_185248258.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEq1rbZOEmINAkKFipAwov-hNgmKpah9zSxr8xFn-jmAOcEZn4APEAHBQCOnWRx7g5wNVd5WKMDFmLNUmgbKgAIg9s0 hGRMCo7l0dW2p5qnxrBGXhi6HHcfYyUI8XyxKVxtftojnVrtdR 71sVuhsTqtxfEKLR02SV1EP039eiDWwcfLqK_pC-5eop3iQZ5/s4080/IMG_20240205_185248258.jpg)
After my first pint of Ruby I nipped across the road to the chippy. The beer is 6% so best not drunk on an empty stomach. Then it was back for more. After finally getting there I wasn't stopping at one! It's great pub with great beer. More people were drinking Ruby than anything else as well despite the strength.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlJ_wV6aASWGgG4eTTr8aJ5u231IggwSCHUwmeCiQK3 rmmd1ggeuLOaTF-64gzGzNaq1khc259vIgeqnzCkxJZ1Wl1AuszXaBDAD8QDDtfZc RPNUXBe6wKAf32V5d5TnJAerWwBGUIFxIbQa06RMn9TnPN8kdH 1RqeNqiVfJZypLyAD9K2w9JASiXJSnX/s320/IMG_20240205_192802723.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlJ_wV6aASWGgG4eTTr8aJ5u231IggwSCHUwmeCiQK3 rmmd1ggeuLOaTF-64gzGzNaq1khc259vIgeqnzCkxJZ1Wl1AuszXaBDAD8QDDtfZc RPNUXBe6wKAf32V5d5TnJAerWwBGUIFxIbQa06RMn9TnPN8kdH 1RqeNqiVfJZypLyAD9K2w9JASiXJSnX/s4080/IMG_20240205_192802723.jpg)
The closest I got the brewery was the brew house door so I really need to get planning another visit, and not wait so long next time!
More... (http://edsbeer.blogspot.com/2024/02/finally-visiting-sarah.html)
I'd waited a long time for this. It was over thirty years ago that I first drank Sarah Hughes Original Dark Ruby Mild. I think they've dropped the "Original" from the name since then, but as I now know the locals simply call it "Ruby".
I have an 1990 programme from Farnham Beerex where I can see as a teenage beer bore I ticked it off:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf2SdpjwCUkgy9KCtBphSC_n6UXlvVNouh3sTsuSKCl cbZ6FvFSTx3kPNlERRYDl22a-VX6jFUaFBMQ3hGdpRruhtESx7myaoZYdYBTdRVCi3cxBm84rvs TFR6f6Zwyl-a1jJ3VaDB2eDZZYWt5jK-tNwcg1lT6fOADq5gZeLVYrCPL5-BcULECnQYEUY/s320/beerex%201990.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdf2SdpjwCUkgy9KCtBphSC_n6UXlvVNouh3sTsuSKCl cbZ6FvFSTx3kPNlERRYDl22a-VX6jFUaFBMQ3hGdpRruhtESx7myaoZYdYBTdRVCi3cxBm84rvs TFR6f6Zwyl-a1jJ3VaDB2eDZZYWt5jK-tNwcg1lT6fOADq5gZeLVYrCPL5-BcULECnQYEUY/s2064/beerex%201990.jpg)
I doubt I'd had it before then, and they'd only started brewing it a few years earlier in '87 anyway. I'm still a fan of the beer to this day and if I see it at a beer festival I'll drink it. I'd never actually got round to visiting the pub it's brewed in though. Over the years I have thought about it a few times and even looked in to accommodation but never actually pulled my finger out and made the trip. So when I saw work was taking me to Wolverhampton it was in fact to Sedgley that my thoughts turned. It's not blessed with a lot of accommodation so it's in Dudley that I ended up, a bus ride from my ultimate goal. I had another stop before that though. Pubs have a depressing tendency to close if not "spontaneously" combust so I made sure the route to my hotel took the past Ma Pardoes (https://whatpub.com/pubs/DUD/3215/old-swan-netherton) (The Old Swan) in Netherton. This is one of the few pubs that still brewed its own beer when CAMRA was formed and cask beer was saved. It has had hard times recently (https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/dudley/netherton/2022/10/26/lifeline-for-historic-ma-pardoes-pub-after-landlords-closed-by-christmas-warning/) so really it's the duty of anyone in the area to call in. It's a cracking pub too.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVncVUnlWk4cRJwVL6JT6sPhTlMxFaq-_crMgHqSRmlf8BZzGPYr4LXZvATR8aJnRvtUwnF9o6o-4hd0tYR-2OB9WWoh_M-AfNzc__zDmFjzB2FIYMQeTHKfj5yXQoRmJfW7umqQDEFts3ZAV ccWR8VPp8PAgpHghJ988SPYixWJof1qCePL1zOFECGODQ/s320/DSC04635.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVncVUnlWk4cRJwVL6JT6sPhTlMxFaq-_crMgHqSRmlf8BZzGPYr4LXZvATR8aJnRvtUwnF9o6o-4hd0tYR-2OB9WWoh_M-AfNzc__zDmFjzB2FIYMQeTHKfj5yXQoRmJfW7umqQDEFts3ZAV ccWR8VPp8PAgpHghJ988SPYixWJof1qCePL1zOFECGODQ/s4896/DSC04635.JPG)
I had a pint of the Original, a beer of modest strength, which was for the best really as I was driving and was on a mission for the rest of the evening.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCgWSSFsOeTmk6LiFf4QGVYaTtioHm3mCdphh6j3lUW enw2sgAkeI37Q1gAWqSnvIDSo1vyDca4XfjeXSL13bR41cihBq 6JhGtTcrcWiVLbaVsoPQztGTCdKPUX6b_cclSh2rwo6qFcEl_1 t1hgwX644Sig7Tar2rpxHwwIcqD_vebVkYgNaz0ijDzZRa/s320/IMG_20240205_172423692.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCgWSSFsOeTmk6LiFf4QGVYaTtioHm3mCdphh6j3lUW enw2sgAkeI37Q1gAWqSnvIDSo1vyDca4XfjeXSL13bR41cihBq 6JhGtTcrcWiVLbaVsoPQztGTCdKPUX6b_cclSh2rwo6qFcEl_1 t1hgwX644Sig7Tar2rpxHwwIcqD_vebVkYgNaz0ijDzZRa/s4080/IMG_20240205_172423692.jpg)
Once I got to my hotel room I checked the bus times and was off out in minutes as one was on its way. This did mean I got to the Beacon Hotel (https://sarahhughesbrewery.co.uk/) without eating but did that stop me charging in for a pint? Oh no!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_MCOf6wXd6M5xrHlXm5OfsboJhd9MF9JyFcSy34aPA MESptBUQC2u7UH5n11AwxzwVt6KzcX9sCm0JW4_1SHgvjr0WPn 6SqZJZC06Ulytb8fh4YXlx2ke5xHdcuNDx6aLjK8trCNtso-QCl46NiArs0Rxcpt0pJvxq7DfovYtrUjgeoIovLhTriedO12/s320/DSC04638.JPG (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_MCOf6wXd6M5xrHlXm5OfsboJhd9MF9JyFcSy34aPA MESptBUQC2u7UH5n11AwxzwVt6KzcX9sCm0JW4_1SHgvjr0WPn 6SqZJZC06Ulytb8fh4YXlx2ke5xHdcuNDx6aLjK8trCNtso-QCl46NiArs0Rxcpt0pJvxq7DfovYtrUjgeoIovLhTriedO12/s4896/DSC04638.JPG)
The building is quite unassuming from the front and advertises wines and spirits. Wonderful interior though, with a little serving hatch in the room I ended was in.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEq1rbZOEmINAkKFipAwov-hNgmKpah9zSxr8xFn-jmAOcEZn4APEAHBQCOnWRx7g5wNVd5WKMDFmLNUmgbKgAIg9s0 hGRMCo7l0dW2p5qnxrBGXhi6HHcfYyUI8XyxKVxtftojnVrtdR 71sVuhsTqtxfEKLR02SV1EP039eiDWwcfLqK_pC-5eop3iQZ5/s320/IMG_20240205_185248258.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEq1rbZOEmINAkKFipAwov-hNgmKpah9zSxr8xFn-jmAOcEZn4APEAHBQCOnWRx7g5wNVd5WKMDFmLNUmgbKgAIg9s0 hGRMCo7l0dW2p5qnxrBGXhi6HHcfYyUI8XyxKVxtftojnVrtdR 71sVuhsTqtxfEKLR02SV1EP039eiDWwcfLqK_pC-5eop3iQZ5/s4080/IMG_20240205_185248258.jpg)
After my first pint of Ruby I nipped across the road to the chippy. The beer is 6% so best not drunk on an empty stomach. Then it was back for more. After finally getting there I wasn't stopping at one! It's great pub with great beer. More people were drinking Ruby than anything else as well despite the strength.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlJ_wV6aASWGgG4eTTr8aJ5u231IggwSCHUwmeCiQK3 rmmd1ggeuLOaTF-64gzGzNaq1khc259vIgeqnzCkxJZ1Wl1AuszXaBDAD8QDDtfZc RPNUXBe6wKAf32V5d5TnJAerWwBGUIFxIbQa06RMn9TnPN8kdH 1RqeNqiVfJZypLyAD9K2w9JASiXJSnX/s320/IMG_20240205_192802723.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAlJ_wV6aASWGgG4eTTr8aJ5u231IggwSCHUwmeCiQK3 rmmd1ggeuLOaTF-64gzGzNaq1khc259vIgeqnzCkxJZ1Wl1AuszXaBDAD8QDDtfZc RPNUXBe6wKAf32V5d5TnJAerWwBGUIFxIbQa06RMn9TnPN8kdH 1RqeNqiVfJZypLyAD9K2w9JASiXJSnX/s4080/IMG_20240205_192802723.jpg)
The closest I got the brewery was the brew house door so I really need to get planning another visit, and not wait so long next time!
More... (http://edsbeer.blogspot.com/2024/02/finally-visiting-sarah.html)