:cheers:
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:cheers:
Saw a few good new pubs this month, the vote goes to The Wyndham Arms, good pub ,good beer and good prices.
Not a great month pubwise for me but POTM goes to Howl at the Moon where I had a very long and enjoyable session sampling some interesting beer and trying to blend in with the hipsters ( and failing:p )
My pub for August is a choice between two I returned to after a gap of over thirty years, this one and this one. Both are owned by breweries with less than 20 tied houses, Taylor's have 17 and Batham's have 11. The Batham's total includes one they bought in the middle of a North Wales peat bog that has been up for sale since last year.
The fundamental difference between the two brewers is that Taylor's have allowed their Landlord to become a national brand whereas Batham's are very cautious about who gets hold of their beer. Apart from their own pubs and a few Holden's pubs I've only ever seen Batham's at a Free House in Shifnal near Telford and a Free House near Farnham where years ago the owner used to travel to the Black Country to pick up the Holden's and Batham's.
I wonder if Batham's would be quite so revered as it still seems to be if they had done the same as Taylors? After all, Landlord and Batham's Best are fairly similar in strength and character, neither of them would appeal to the new breed of Hop Heads as they are not obviously that bitter.
As for the pubs, the Royal Exchange is a small town boozer that hardly seemed to have changed and it looked very familiar. The Hare & Hounds on the other hand had clearly been modernised to make it more attractive to families and diners. Having said that the emphasis was still on beer as they had the full Taylor's range of beers to chose from. There's no way it's a gastro-pub as they do a limited menu of straightforward freshly cooked pub grub. The lamb shank I saw had generous helpings of cauliflower, carrots and mash served on a rectangular white plate (as seen in Spoons) rather than a stupid piece of slate.
As a building I definitely prefer the Royal Exchange but the Hare and Hounds is perched 900 feet up on the moors above Hebden Bridge apparently in the middle of nowhere. I'm a sucker for places like that so it just edges it over the Royal Exchange.
POTM The Hare and Hounds
POTM The Stuart House Hotel in Kings Lynn for their superb hosting of the Kings Lynn beer festival.
I'll go with King Charles II, visited yesterday during a mini de-brief crawl with Maldenman, after an old schoolfriend got married nearby on Saturday.
Good beer line-up and 'giant scratchings' (like long strips of crackling) served in a conical serviette-lined jar, 90p.
I couldn't decipher the story depicted on the excellent wood carved feature above the front fireplace, but the promise that Charles 'escaped' from here in 1653 may have influenced it? Hopefully Mm will post a photo.
A few great contenders for August, all in Northumberland. This Fitzgeralds pub The Ridley Arms is very good, a big pub with 8 ales on all the time, all local.
These two also deserve a mention Beresford Arms and Tankerville Arms both excellent.
It was brilliant to visit this heritage pub and meet Vera, the longstanding landlady there Star Inn
Very difficult to choose, as there were so many good pubs - but POTM goes to this one:
Greys Inn
This is the sort of pub you could stay all day, the beer choice was top notch and the landlord was so knowledgeable and passionate about ale, the locals were also very friendly - brilliant place.
The Old Gate
A massive refurbishment has changed this place from a dive to a class act.
It won't be to everyone's taste as it's very modern, but the beer selection & quality is very good.
POTM simply for a good job, well done. :cheers:
My pub of the month for August was pretty hard to decide,as i have been in over 60 new pubs.
I finally decided on this one Crown Inn a really nice looking pub,comfortable inside and decemt beer on the bar.