Missions for 2012

[trainman]

Who has got what beer-related stuff going on, or planned for this year?

I've got York in the calendar for 28Jan (£10 e/w on East Coast offer) and would really like to crawl Shrewsbury, probably as an overnighter (I wonder if London Midland will repeat their offer, or maybe a megatrain cheapy for the Lon-Brum leg if during the week).

Also, I would very much like to find some beer from Old Dairy brewery, which has been well praised by those in these pages who have been lucky enough to find it. I thought Maidstone may have been the answer, but it proved not to be the case, and that crawl was largely forgettable.

Must also keep an eye/ear open for Cambridge Tap opening - there are several reasons for a re-visit to Cambridge but the Tap will add another fine venue.

Oh, and maybe Liverpool, of course...

[Real Ale Ray]

On a mission to Leicester this Wed for a couple of days, hope to get to Melton Mowbray to the Anne of Cleeves and also try a couple of pork pies. Have decided to bail out from visiting the Winter Ales Fest, as me and my secretary, Mrs Ale, are heading to the Pendle Fest in Colne 2nd to 4th Feb.

Also looking forward to the L,pool crawl!

Happy New Year everyone

[gillhalfpint]

Our jaunts start with a travelodge one 19 Jan for Manchester Winter Ales, 4 Feb another Podge tour to Belgium, caravan trip for 4 nights to do Fleetwood 8 Feb, Derby Winter Ales 16 Feb as I want to see how they are going to organise a lot of beers for their National Winter Ales do in 2013. 2 Mar Travelodge for the PuG meet up in Liverpool.

March is manic with caravan to Sileby for Leics fest, moves up to York for a week for Tap and crawl, and home via Durham 5 nights and Barnard Castle 3 nights to check the pubs around Durham.

[Al 10000]

My mission for 2012 is to visit as many new pubs as i can, 2011 was a dissapointment as i only managed to visit 161 new pubs to me, but i dont hold out

much hope of going in that many new pubs.

[Strongers]

I'm very busy up to summer but will get out whenever the other distractions allow. I'm moving to Kent in June or July and am looking forward to hacking through the garden of England's pubs. It's just a shame I'm not a fan of Shepherd Neame.

[Bucking Fastard]

Over the years I have navigated along most of the inland waterways in England and Wales ,but the rarely used Yorkshire Derwent (up to the "real" Stamford Bridge) and the Pocklington Canal are two that remain unticked together with the Liverpool end of the Leeds and Liverpool,so thats my mission for 2012.

Needless to say that will include multiple visits to canal and riverside hosteleries on the way,so the second challenge is to locate the best ale possible on the route.

While in Yorkshire ,I would really like to find more Magic Rock and on the way back from Liverpool there will be a mandatory stop in The Marble Arch,Manchester ,to quaff their fabulous ale.

So the PuG Liverpool meet up will be much anticipated and a useful recce before getting there by boat,and I am look forward to catching up with our Yorkshire correspondents when in the Leeds area,a city unvisited by me since the late 80's.

Lots to aim for and I will keep chipping away at the reviews ,but still a very long way to go to reach the exhalted heights of the 1,000 club.It may take many years.

Well done to all who have indeed reached that milestone

[Wittenden]

I'm very busy up to summer but will get out whenever the other distractions allow. I'm moving to Kent in June or July and am looking forward to hacking through the garden of England's pubs. It's just a shame I'm not a fan of Shepherd Neame.

Welcome to Kent, though we might be gone by then! Sheps have some cracking pubs, especially in country areas, and their seasonals are usually pretty OK. Kent pubs seem fairly parochial, inasmuch as we don't see many interesting beers from up country.

[Wittenden]

Who has got what beer-related stuff going on, or planned for this year?



Also, I would very much like to find some beer from Old Dairy brewery, which has been well praised by those in these pages who have been lucky enough to find it. I thought Maidstone may have been the answer, but it proved not to be the case, and that crawl was largely forgettable.

Old Dairy's website has a pub finder tool,thuogh I haven't had much luck with it!

[oldboots]

Over the years I have navigated along most of the inland waterways in England and Wales ,but the rarely used Yorkshire Derwent (up to the "real" Stamford Bridge) and the Pocklington Canal are two that remain unticked together with the Liverpool end of the Leeds and Liverpool,so thats my mission for 2012.
So the PuG Liverpool meet up will be much anticipated and a useful recce before getting there by boat,and I am look forward to catching up with our Yorkshire correspondents when in the Leeds area,a city unvisited by me since the late 80's.
:

Sadly Pocklington is a poor drinking town in my limited experience and a fair way way off the end of the canal. The Liverpool end of the L&L is even worse pub-wise, regardless of the charms of the city centre. However Leeds is a gem and us lot oop here will be glad to show you and the "crew" the best that Leeds has to offer.



My mission remains, as always, to keep the British Brewing and pub industry afloat - single handed if necessary while my liver floats serenely out of view.

[Bucking Fastard]

[QUOTE=oldboots;40199]Sadly Pocklington is a poor drinking town in my limited experience and a fair way way off the end of the canal. The Liverpool end of the L&L is even worse pub-wise, regardless of the charms of the city centre. However Leeds is a gem and us lot oop here will be glad to show you and the "crew" the best that Leeds has to offer.

Leeds does sound like a great drinking city ,and we would all be grateful to be shown the best on offer.My trusty Nicholson Guides to the Waterways already gave me the impression that apart from some riverside pubs on the Derwent,that slice of East Yorkshire is not overflowing with great real ale pubs.
The suburbs of Liverpool are not well covered by PUG reviews,and we have to wait overnight in either Maghull or at the edge of Aintree for an "escorted passage" early the next morning through the rest of the swingbridges into the City Centre before the pranksters are awake.There is a lot of scally action,so it could be an interesting evening and voyage all round.