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Pubs Galore Forums - Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/ Keep track of all the other interesting pub activity out there. en Mon, 08 Jun 2026 08:01:18 GMT vBulletin 60 https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/images/misc/rss.png Pubs Galore Forums - Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/ The Beer Nut - Who asked for this? https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48862-The-Beer-Nut-Who-asked-for-this&goto=newpost Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:57:17 GMT *Visit The Beer Nut site (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2026/06/who-asked-for-this.html)* Image:... Visit The Beer Nut site

They've gone all creative at Open Gate for the summer, Lord save us. Classic styles can wait; everything is getting an off kilter ingredient or two. But we shouldn't be too cynical before starting to drink them.

Exhibit A is Cola Radler. It looks like stout: a dark reddish brown with a fine white head. I suspect stout is the beer base and it tastes immediately roasty, plus I think I detect some Guinness tang in the aroma. Cola sits in the middle of the flavour, tasting a little concentrated, conjuring long-dormant sensory memories of the Soda Stream machine in my childhood kitchen. The cola syrup had a particular smell and taste which is echoed here. And that's it. As we saw on Friday, radler is supposed to be quenching and refreshing, and although this is only 3.5% ABV, the lack of citrus means it doesn't work. The cola is overly sticky and clashes unpleasantly with the stout's bitterness and roast. I noticed towards the end a nearby menu board saying that there is lime in the mix here, but there's not nearly enough. You may wince at the very notion of mixing Guinness and Coke, and I'm here to tell you, first hand, that that's an entirely appropriate reaction.

Open Gate becomes the third local brewery, after Rascals and Third Circle, to brew a beer called Dubliner Weisse. Theirs is with hibiscus, blood orange and pomegranate. It's a fun pink colour and 3.8% ABV. I was on the lookout for sourness first and was not very surprised to find it isn't really, hitting dry and crisp but not proceeding beyond that into tartness. The fruit mix is pleasant, though, suggesting cherry, pineapple, raspberry and apricot: all very bright and summery. A twang of yoghurt is the only nod to microflora complexity, but that's OK. It may not be even close to proper Berliner weisse, but this does what it's designed to do. Party on.

Yet another in the recent series of flavoured stouts follows that. With a Coconut Rum Stout it was always going to be tough not to mention Bounty bars, and I'm completely failing at that, because this very much tastes Bounteous: dark chocolate and gooey coconut paste. But wait, there's more. The official description doesn't mention real rum, only "rum spices", suggesting the involvement of Uncle Arthur's housemate, Captain Morgan. That's a big part of the aroma but mild in the flavour, adding hints of vanilla, cinnamon, walnut and smoke without interrupting the headline features. Most pleasingly, the beer is dry not sweet, with a proper bite of roast and a non-sticky texture, even at 5.6% ABV. Excellent work. Yes, it's pure gimmick, but designed and executed in an expert way, paying due care and attention to balance and complexity, while also doing the wacky novelty thing. I'm fully on board for that sort of brewing.

That set was followed swiftly by two further additions, still keeping things weird. I suspect that the Chilli-Mango DIPA didn't hit its intended gravity as it's only 6.9% ABV. It presents a foggy orange colour and smells properly pulpy and tropical, the 45kg of mango in the 10hL batch paying their way. That does mean there's something of a yoghurt kick about the flavour: not sour but creamy with a light layer of vanilla. There wasn't anything I would describe as hop character, but perhaps drinkers of this type of heavy and hazy IPA don't care about the hops. It's not readily obvious that chilli is involved (three types): I didn't get any spice piquancy, which is unfortunate. Instead, I think all the pepper action is in the finish, where it's dry and a little plasticky, not contributing anything positive to the picture. Hey, Open Gate is a self-described experimental brewery, and this strikes me as a very experimental beer; one that doesn't quite do what it's supposed to. They've got the mango right; the other details need tweaking, however.

Next to it is Port Ellen Part II. I assume that Part I was the one released last summer under the name The 200, a collaboration with Diageo's distillery in the Islay town of the same name. My notes on that one said it was served too cold, hence letting this one sit for a bit. A freshly fried bacon aroma starts us off on the right foot, and the flavour continues in that vein, the sweet smoke suggesting Bamberg more than Islay to me. An enquiry about whether smoked malt was used, rather than simply depending on the whisky barrels, revealed that yes, it's peated malt, though the beer is possibly not barrel-aged. That scans. Though 7.1% ABV, it's not hot or spirit-laden. This sort of brightly smoky stout is right up my street: savoury as the day is long but still clean, drinkable and positively refreshing. I carry a torch for the one Messrs Maguire brewed, once, back in 2007, and this brought me right back there. Smokeheads assemble.

Just one (and a half) missteps with these, and it's not a surprise. Mostly, this is ideal fare for the al fresco drinking season, however short and sporadic it may prove to be this year.

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48862-The-Beer-Nut-Who-asked-for-this Shut up about Barclay Perkins - London bottled beers in the late 1930s https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48861-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-London-bottled-beers-in-the-late-1930s&goto=newpost Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:57:17 GMT *Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2026/06/london-bottled-beers-in-late-1930s.html)* Image:... Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

Now we’ve finished with the draught beers, let’s have a look at the bottled ones.

Before we start, you may notice that there are no Strong Ales in the table. Not because they didn’t exist, but because Whitbread and Truman didn’t analyse them. Or just the odd example. Too few, in any case, to be meaningful.

Another note, bottled beers were 1d per pint more expensive than the equivalent draught beer. At least, when sold in pint bottles. A 7d draught beer cost 8d per pint bottle, 15d per quart bottle and 4.5d per half-pint bottle.

Starting at the top, there are three classes of Brown Ale, around half the breweries made a 7d version and half an 8d version. Note that Mann Crossman, the originator of the style, made a beer in the 8d class. Watney had both 7d and 8d beers.

The only beer in the 9d class was Whitbread Double Brown. They also had Forest Brown, a beer in the 7d class. Eventually, after WW II, that would become the only Brown Ale Whitbread brewed.

Pale Ales come in four price classes, 6d, 7d, 8d and 9d. Though the overwhelming majority are 7d beers. With only two 6d beers, and one each of 8d and 9d ones. I’m not sure what this tells us. Though many would be selling a 10d bottled Pale Ale that they didn’t brew themselves. We’ll come to that later.

Interesting that the most popular category of both draught and bottled Pale Ales was the 7d one. Though a bottled 7d Pale Ale was the same strength as a 6d draught one.

The Stouts come in the largest number of price categories, five in total. Though only Whitbread’s Pioneer Stout was in the 6d category. By far the most common was 8d Stout, produced by everyone but Wenlock.

Half the brewers made both a 7d and an 8d Stout. Which is a testament to the popularity of bottled Stout. While Barclay Perkins had Stouts in three different price categories. And Whitbread in four. Though not the same ones.

Whitbread’s Stout in the 9d class was Mackeson Milk Stout. Which obviously sold at a premium as, despite having a gravity in the mid-1050ºs, a pint bottle cost 10d. As we’ll see later, pretty well everyone was selling a bottled Stout that cost 10d per pint. Just not one they brewed themselves.

The one beer in the most expensive class is Imperial Russian Stout.

What does all this tell us? That each brewery had a bottled Brown Ale, a Pale Ale, and a couple of Stouts in their range.

London bottled beers in the late 1930s

type

price per pint

M C

Brown Ale

1036

Brown Ale

1042

Brown Ale

1054

1036

1042

1048

1054

Stout

1036

Stout

1042

Stout

1048

Stout

1054

Stout

>10d

>1070

Sources:

A Whitbread 1934 price list

Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252.

Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.

Young's brewing record held at Battersea Library, document number YO/RE/1/8.

Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/622.

Brewery key:
BP	Barclay Perkins
Ch	Charrington
C	Courage
F	Fullers
M C	Mann Crossman
M	Meux
TW	Taylor Walker
T	Truman
Wa	Watney
We	Wenlock
Wh	Whitbread
Y	Young

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48861-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-London-bottled-beers-in-the-late-1930s <![CDATA[Paul Bailey's Beer Blog - Station House pulls a Crafty pint of Pride - and yes, it w]]> https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48860-Paul-Bailey-s-Beer-Blog-Station-House-pulls-a-Crafty-pint-of-Pride-and-yes-it-w&goto=newpost Sun, 07 Jun 2026 22:19:45 GMT Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site

I mentioned, in the previous post that in my quest to track down a drop of cask Doom Bar, the beer that was the subject matter of the article, I had called in at the one Tonbridge pub where I thought I'd be guaranteed of finding a pint of this once legendary Cornish brew. The pub in question was the Station House, a pub that in its heyday, had been known as the South Eastern, the name coming from the pre-grouping name of the railway company that constructed the original line from the capital, and down to Tonbridge and beyond.

Given the pub's proximity to the town's station, it was no surprise for it to have been given a railway themed name. When I first moved to Tonbridge, initially for work, but later as a place to live, the South Eastern was a bustling and busy, multi-roomed town boozer, owned and operated by Whitbread Fremlin's. In those pre-"Beer Orders" days, that company owned the majority of pubs in the area, followed in terms of number of pubs, by Courage, Ind Coope & Charrington's.

The South Eastern was an obvious favourite for train crew and other rail workers, clocking off at the end of a shift. However, given changing practices and cultures within the rail industry, the pub witnessed a drop off in demand from that sector of the working community. Some time in the nineties', the multi-roomed interior of the South Eastern, was knocked through into one, creating in the process a much more uniform and utilitarian interior, at the expense of losing a great deal of the pub's character. It was around this this time that the change of name to the Station House, occurred. It's a pub I'd largely forgotten about, even though for as while, it was one of three local pubs managed by legendary Irish landlord, Colm Powell.

Fast forward to the 21st century, and the re-vamped Station House is now a Craft Union House. Now I don't know a lot about this company, but Google (NOT AI!!), tells me that "Craft Union operate over 650 community pubs right at the heart of High Streets and neighbourhoods across the country. We believe the pub should be the beating heart of its community – a place where strangers become locals, and locals feel right at home". Now you know, and so do I, and from the moment I stepped inside the Station House, I could tell that the company have got it right. I should have known as the evidence was already there, because a couple of month's ago, the pub's exterior was obscured by scaffolding, allowing the rendering to be painted in a contrasting colour scheme of cream and pale blue.

The other thing that surprised me was how much space there is inside the pub, and how far back the interior extends. Of course, back in the pub's 1980's heyday, when it was a multi-room establishment, the amount of space would not have been so obvious, but it has to be said that the pub's new owners, have made sensible use of the extensive interior. The bar, is situated along the right hand wall, so is not immediately obvious on entering the pub.

There are a number of alcoves with a mixture of bench seating and stools, and these help divide up the interior, and help add a sense of intimacy. The pub seemed busy for a Thursday lunchtime, and I couldn't help wondering whether the current, six week closure of the Humphrey Bean - Tonbridge's JDW outlet, was providing the Station House with a welcome influx of new customers. The Bean is undergoing a major refit, that whilst probably overdue, is happening at a strange time, given the sporting events happening, both globally, and at home.

The one thing I wasn't expecting was the non-availability of Doom Bar, but in its place was London Pride, and yes, before anyone trots out the tired old cliché, yes the Pride certainly was drinking well. It was keenly priced, too, at just over £3 a pint, which was another welcome surprise! There was a friendly barmaid behind the bar, who told me, when asked, that she was from Dublin. Without sounding too patronising, she was an obvious asset to the pub, with just the right amount of welcoming cheeriness, mixed in with a pinch of banter. So, despite the failure of my mission to track down a pint of cask Doom Bar, and compare it to the bottled version I'd recently enjoyed, of the same beer (Ed. they're NOT the same beer, at all), I had the joy of experiencing an unexpected gem of a pub, and one that I shall certainly return to.

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More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48860-Paul-Bailey-s-Beer-Blog-Station-House-pulls-a-Crafty-pint-of-Pride-and-yes-it-w Shut up about Barclay Perkins - What is Milk Stout? https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48857-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-What-is-Milk-Stout&goto=newpost Sun, 07 Jun 2026 09:33:20 GMT Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

I'm not letting up with these videos. This new one is about Milk Stout. A really weird style that somehow has come back to life. I never expected that.

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48857-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-What-is-Milk-Stout Retired Martin - CONGLETON MARKET QUARTER https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48856-Retired-Martin-CONGLETON-MARKET-QUARTER&goto=newpost Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:11:28 GMT Visit The Retired Martin site

May 2026. Congleton. I’d walked east from Congleton station, along the canal, west along the disused railway line, and now after Bass in the Throstle’s Nest it was a walk past the cemetery into town. I must stop reading gravestones; to have all three children predecease you is unimaginable. Congleton is a quaint Cheshire working… Continue reading CONGLETON MARKET QUARTER

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48856-Retired-Martin-CONGLETON-MARKET-QUARTER Shut up about Barclay Perkins - My next book https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48855-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-My-next-book&goto=newpost Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:11:28 GMT *Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2026/06/my-next-book.html)* Image:... Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

I carefully reviewed all your opinions on which book I should complete first. And completely ignored them. You wanted "Free!". Which, if I'm honest, is the book I would have voted for. I've gone for "Youngs!"Why? Don't ask me why. You bastard. I'm old and grumpy. I can do what the fuck I want. What are going to do? Get me sacked?
If you insist, it's mostly a case of I've started so I'll finish. I'm working my way through the Young's records and want to put them to use. If I don't press on now, I won't really make use of the material. Does that make sense? Probably not.
Turning to the book itself, there are currently 41,000 words and 150 pages. Only 60 recipes at the moment. That will grow. Considerably.
"Free!" remains a sort of priority. Once "Youngs!" is out of the way, I'll be back on that full time.

The next book I actually release will probably be "Tour! vol VI" or "Shut up, Dad!". Or maybe I should finally release "America!". So many decisions.

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48855-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-My-next-book <![CDATA[Ed's Beer Site - A visit to Warminster maltings]]> https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48854-Ed-s-Beer-Site-A-visit-to-Warminster-maltings&goto=newpost Sat, 06 Jun 2026 21:01:59 GMT Visit Ed's Beer Site

Disturbingly it's over ten years ago that I last visited Warminster Maltings. This time with the CIBD it was considerably less rushed. Which is just as well, as owner Robin Appel, now in his 63rd year as a corn merchant, talked to us at great length about the place. I'm sure he could have gone on a lot longer if we'd had the time.

Robin Appel

He says there's only two floor maltings left in England, and eight in Scotland. Though he then cast aspersions that probably only one of the Scottish ones does much more than look good for tourists. I have to say it does sound quite likely though. Britain stuck to floor more than many other countries. The tax on malt meant we couldn't even consider using the then new pneumatic malting until the so called 'Free Mash Tun' act of 1880. Pneumatic malting arrived here in the early 20th century but floor maltings were still built until 1953. From 1960 large pneumatic malting took off, it's a cheaper way of making malt.

Guinness leased Warminster Maltings and it supplied Park Royal brewery. Guinness did have plans to build a much larger maltings nearby but the take over of The Distillers Company and associated scandal gave put paid to that. There was a management buyout of Warminster in 1984 but the company failed to thrive and in 2001 their largest supplier, Robin Appel, bought the company. And as luck would have it Progressive Beer Duty was brought in in 2002, which was a shot in the arm for small breweries and a certain small maltings.

The best soil for malting barley is light loam over chalk. It can be worked easily and the chalk soaks up water so retains moisture. Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset are the best places. Plumage Archer, the world's first barley variety bred by crossing, rather than a landrace, was bred at Warminster in 1905. Plumage was from Sweden and Archer was an English landrace. It was launched commercially in 1914. Guinness produced Spratt Archer soon after. Then Proctor followed by Maris Otter were bred.

Steeping tank

When tax was paid on malt it would be measured in the steep, in the couch and on the germination floor. An average of the three was then taken. Steeps had to be flat bottomed for the measuring. Barley at 14% moisture starts to germinate at 32% and will get to 45%. A typical Warminster steeping cycle is:

6 hours wet (moisture rises to 21%)
18 hours air rest
10 hours wet (moisture passes 32%, reaching 33-34%)
14 hours dry
12 hours wet, then to the germination floor. No couching nowadays.

Plumage Archer can take longer and Rye is quicker (a day and half in total). There is no aeration of the steep water.

Two layers of germination floors

The malt goes via an auger to the top floor and half of it is dropped to the lower floor. It has to be half and half so the depth of malt is even and malting progresses at the same time. They have there own well. There are four sets of double floors at Warminster. There used to be four steeps and four kilns too, but there's only one kiln now. The buildings are built in a slight V shape with a courtyard between them, which forces air in the windows. The Victorian builders and maltsters might have thought they were clever doing this, but to be honest they're not a patch on the people who planned Woking town centre.

To prevent matting, cool the malt and release CO2 the malt is turned with a Robinson turner:

And a malt plough:

There's also a big fan! Germination continues until the grain has reached a stage that you can squash it flat and smear the white contents: "maltster's chalk"! Maris Otter takes five days to reach this stage, Plumage Archer can take six.

We didn't see the kiln, but they had a new one installed in 2017-2018. With the new kiln they can make malts paler and darker than before. We did however go into one of the old kilns which has been turned into a mini-malting museum.

Traditional kiln floor tiles

From ten tonnes of barley they get eight tonnes of malt. We were told floor malted barley had better flavour and extract. It can be controlled better than in 350 tonne modern maltings and on germination floors, but not large vessels, bacterial growth creates lactic acid.

In the mini malt museum

After the museum we moved on to a distillery.

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48854-Ed-s-Beer-Site-A-visit-to-Warminster-maltings Retired Martin - TOP 100 PUBS – THE THROSTLE’S NEST, CONGLETON https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48852-Retired-Martin-TOP-100-PUBS-–-THE-THROSTLE’S-NEST-CONGLETON&goto=newpost Sat, 06 Jun 2026 18:56:33 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/06/06/top-100-pubs-the-throstles-nest-congleton/)* May 2026. Congleton. A first... Visit The Retired Martin site

May 2026. Congleton. A first visit to Congleton in, ooh, four years. That was for a short-lived Brewhouse Tap north of town, and so is the Guide newbie. Excitingly, the Beer Guide describes an exciting “alternative” route to the Throstle’s Nest. Well, that sounds fun, and two miles takes me to opening time at 2.… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE THROSTLE’S NEST,*CONGLETON

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48852-Retired-Martin-TOP-100-PUBS-–-THE-THROSTLE’S-NEST-CONGLETON Retired Martin - A DASH FOR THE BASS https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48851-Retired-Martin-A-DASH-FOR-THE-BASS&goto=newpost Sat, 06 Jun 2026 12:30:07 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/06/06/a-dash-for-the-bass/)* May 2025. Stockport. All journeys lead to Stockport,... Visit The Retired Martin site

May 2025. Stockport. All journeys lead to Stockport, or at least involve a change from Platform 1 to 3. As you’ll know, the timetables for Cross Country and Northern Rail are curated so that a fit #PubMan can fit in a pint before the next train to Congleton for an ultra-rare GBG tick. I arrive… Continue reading A DASH FOR THE*BASS

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Samuel Pepys wouldn’t have skipped writing up visits to the local Wetherspoons for a burger and beer, so why should I ? Spoons remains divisive. I still read a fair few comments on Blue Moon that insist the beer is cheap because it’s nearly out-of-date, always swiftly debunked nowadays. In truth, JDW’s cask is in… Continue reading HOW DO SPOONS DO IT*?

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48850-Retired-Martin-HOW-DO-SPOONS-DO-IT <![CDATA[Paul Bailey's Beer Blog - Never saying never, to Doom Bar]]> https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48849-Paul-Bailey-s-Beer-Blog-Never-saying-never-to-Doom-Bar&goto=newpost Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:26:38 GMT Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site

"Never say never", no, this is not another article about the former Hilden Manor, Beefeater restaurant, that recently reopened under the above title, instead it's more of a post in which yours truly ends up eating a rather large slice of humble pie! To cut a long story short, the article boils down to a beer that many drinkers are familiar with, and a brand that had been the best-selling cask ale in the UK for 11 consecutive years, holding the top spot by both volume and value from 2013 until late 2024, when it was overtaken in sales value by Timothy Taylor's Landlord.The beer in question is Sharp's Doom Bar, a beer that had been produced in Rock, Cornwall, since 1994, before being acquired by multi-national brewing behemoth, Molson Coors in 2011. Before the takeover, and before its meteoric rise to fame, Doom Bar had been a well respected, and much sought after beer, and one I'd been really impressed with. My infatuation with the brand began after sampling it, for the first time at a drink's industry trade show, in London. That would have been in the early 2000's, when Mrs PBT's and I had our off-licence, in Priory Street, Tonbridge. That initial taste of Doom Bar was as a bottled beer, and I don't know (or can't remember) when it became available in cask form. For all, I know the brand might have started life as a cask beer, but whatever the case, these details aren't really relevant to the narrative. What is relevant, is that Doom Bar's reputation was such that not only did the brand continue to increase its availability, but it also grew in terms of brand loyalty, so as to eventually attract the attention of a large, brewing group, in the form of Molson Coors. I liked the beer and enjoyed it, whenever I saw it on sale, although by this time it must have become widely available in cask form.

I don't recall stocking either the cask or bottled version of Doom Bar at our off-licence, although we largely relied on wholesalers such as the Beer Seller, or East-West Ales for our cask supplies, with just a small amount delivered directly by brewers, such as Harvey's, Larkin's, Goacher's, or Badger. Somewhere along the line, Doom Bar changed in both taste, and appeal. The two of course are related, although both seemed to coincide with the enormous growth in the brand's availability and appeal. I found, particularly with the cask version that the beer had become increasingly bland in taste, and had lost its earlier appeal, and it wasn't just me that had noticed this change.

Things reached the stage that whereas I would once have ordered a pint of Doom Bar, without hesitation I was now actively avoiding the beer. It became slightly embarrassing in the early days when friends, relations and even casual acquaintances who, knowing that I enjoyed a beer or two, seemed puzzled when I refused their offer of a Doom Bar. My increasing, active dislike of the brand became something of a standing joke, especially with people who knew me through this blog. One fellow blogger, who shall remain nameless, went to the extent of offering bottles of the stuff as a sort of trophy or prize. He was joking of course, or perhaps not, but the example illustrates just how low Doom Bar's reputation had fallen amongst fellow beer enthusiasts.

Fast forward to the other night, when supplies in Paul's beer stash, cupboard were running low. There, lurking at the back of the cupboard was a 500 ml bottle of Sharp's Doom Bar, just ripe for the taking, so guided by the thought of nothing ventured, nothing gained, I cracked open the bottle, after chilling it slightly in the fridge. Now humble pie, and all that, but after raising the glass to my lips, there is no way I can describe the beer as bland.

It isn't particularly hoppy, but there is a firm malt base that immediately shone through, so much so that I found myself actively enjoying the beer. The maltiness, goes hand in glove with Sharp's description of the beer as an "Amber Ale", a term I've never really understood, and one chosen by the late, lamented West Midlands, Bank's Brewery, who used the term for their mild ale ("mild" having been deemed, to have bad connotations, especially amongst younger drinkers - "Gen whatever", the current term might be).

So will this "Road to Damascus" conversion inspire me to order Doom Bar in a pub? The answer remains unclear, as despite both bottled and cask variants carrying the same name and iconic branding, the two versions of Sharp's Doom Bar are entirely different products. They posses different alcohol contents, are brewed hundreds of miles apart, and undergo completely separate production processes, so the jury is still out on that one. I did attempt to find an outlet stocking the cask version, but it wasn't easy. I would probably have been successful at Wetherspoons, but our local Spoons is currently undergoing a major refit and is closed until the start of next month.

Instead, I headed for another Tonbridge pub which, according to the CAMRA website, was listed as stocking Doom Bar. It didn't, although the Station House served me a very acceptable, and keenly priced, pint of London Pride. This Craft Union establishment was the sole remaining Tonbridge pub that I had not set foot in, since commencing my quest, at the start of last year, to visit every pub in the town. I was pleasantly surprised, at what I found, but that's a story for another day. My taste comparison between bottled and cask Doom Bar, remains incomplete, awaiting another attempt, in a different pub, but what this experience has demonstrated, is the importance of keeping an open mind about things.

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More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48849-Paul-Bailey-s-Beer-Blog-Never-saying-never-to-Doom-Bar <![CDATA[Shut up about Barclay Perkins - Let's Brew - 1939 Youngs Porter]]> https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48848-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-Let-s-Brew-1939-Youngs-Porter&goto=newpost Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:26:38 GMT *Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2026/06/lets-brew-1939-youngs-porter.html)* Image:... Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

The biggest surprise about this beer is that it exists at all. These were the very final days of London Porter. In a couple of years, it would have totally disappeared from London pubs.

With a gravity in the mid-1030ºs, it’s a typical 5d per pint beer. Which is the price class that was usual for London Porter in its final days.

Moving onto the grist, it’s much the same as in 1932. With four malts: mild, amber, black and crystal. A slightly odd combination for a London brewer. Where mild/pale, brown and black malts were more usual. The lack of brown malt is notable, as that was the signature flavour of London Black Beers.

The sugars are a bit of a problem, as there’s a proprietary sugar described as “OM”. I’m guessing that this is a sugar specifically designed for Oatmeal Stout. As a substitute, I’ve upped the No. 3 invert and flaked oats.

There were two types of Kent hops, one from the 1938 and one from the 1939 harvest.

1939 Youngs Porter
mild malt	4.75 lb	61.29%
black malt	0.50 lb	6.45%
amber malt	0.75 lb	9.68%
crystal malt 120 L	0.50 lb	6.45%
flaked oats	0.75 lb	9.68%
No. 3 invert sugar	0.50 lb	6.45%
Fuggles 120 min	1.125 oz
Fuggles 30 min	1.125 oz
OG	1035
FG	1011
ABV	3.18
Apparent attenuation	68.57%
IBU	29
SRM	23
Mash at	152º F
Sparge at	170º F
Boil time	120 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	WLP002 English Ale

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48848-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-Let-s-Brew-1939-Youngs-Porter Retired Martin - FOLLOW THE SIGN OF THE DRIPPING PUMP https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48847-Retired-Martin-FOLLOW-THE-SIGN-OF-THE-DRIPPING-PUMP&goto=newpost Fri, 05 Jun 2026 21:25:44 GMT Visit The Retired Martin site

May 2026. Elsecar. Barnsley. There’s a lot more to Elsecar than an industrial heritage site, a chippy and a classic pub. “The village now attracts over 500,000 visitors each year, to its heritage centre, historic sites and award-winning park.[according to whom?] ” notes Wikipedia, which at the end seems to express half a million visitor… Continue reading FOLLOW THE SIGN OF THE DRIPPING*PUMP

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May 2026. Elsecar. Barnsley. An aimless lunchtime in rural Barnsley, but now with a tummy full of fish, chips and curry sauce; what to do ? Elsecar is a pretty village, exemplified by the Long Row of late 18th century* miners cottages commissioned by the Earls Fitzwilliam, whose name dominates the area. 20 years ago… Continue reading HEAVEN IS A PUB IN*ELSECAR

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48845-Retired-Martin-HEAVEN-IS-A-PUB-IN-ELSECAR Shut up about Barclay Perkins - More price list fun https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48844-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-More-price-list-fun&goto=newpost Fri, 05 Jun 2026 09:17:44 GMT *Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2026/06/more-price-list-fun.html)* To follow on from my post... Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

To follow on from my post about London draught beers in the 1930s, here's Whitbread's price list from 1934.

As it includes the prices for various cask sizes, it must be a trade list, That is, for publicans. Though it does include the public bar price per pint. In the posher rooms, such as the saloon or lounge, 1d more per pint would have been charged.

To put the cask into context, in 1914, a 36-gallon barrel of X Ale cost 36/- That was for a beer of 1050º. While 1934 X Ale was 1036º. That's about 2.5 times more expensive and 28% weaker. Quite a change. The reason? Extra tax piled on as a result of WW I.

What else can I spin out of this scrap of source material? The final line. Where XXX is crossed out, replaced by 33. A more expensive beer.

Why is the new beer call '33? Because that's when the disastrous tax increase of 1931 was reversed. To celebrate. Whitbread bumped up the gravity of their Burton Ale from 1045º to 1061º*. While also bumping up the price by 1d per pint. I think I would have been able to live with that. But I'm a pisshwead, as Mikey keeps reminding me.
Interesting that Porter and Stout come first on the list. That must be a hangover of Whitbread's time as an early Porter brewer. And one of the largest.

Oh, the Light Ale. That was dark. A piss-weak Dark Mild. Slightly confusing, the name.

* Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers LMA/4453/D/01/099 and LMA/4453/D/01/100.

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