https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/ Keep track of all the other interesting pub activity out there. en Sun, 08 Mar 2026 18:36:46 GMT vBulletin 60 https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/images/misc/rss.png https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/ https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48270-Retired-Martin-BEVERLEY-MINSTER&goto=newpost Sun, 08 Mar 2026 08:11:11 GMT Visit The Retired Martin site

March 2026. Beverley. There’s more to life than pubs. “No there’s not”. My blog, my rules, time for culture. One of the bonuses of parking up in the campervan at Driffield Riverhead (£10 donation to canal conservation), apart from a quiet night (put the handbrake on) and Spoons breakfast in the morning, is a 20… Continue reading BEVERLEY MINSTER

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I've fairly early start. my flight is at 10:40. I rise at 6:45. And am in an Uber by 8:05.

The formalities go pretty fast tanks to pushing in boarding. And after a quick diversion to the duty free, I'm in the lounge by 8:30.

It's the standard brace of whiskies to kick off. Along with some breakfast. It's the best meal of the day in the lounge. The hash browns are pretty nice. Not so keen on the turkey bacon. I prefer the real stuff. Which is full of piggy goodness.

For some reason, I thought the scrambled egg was potato salad on my first visit to the food bar. WTF was I thinking? Next time I get myself a plain omelette. And insert some cheese. Cheese improves anything.

I revisit the bar bar a couple of times for more restorative whiskies. Wouldn’t want to be getting on the plane too sober.

There's no air bridge, for some reason. We have to get a bus. Which is weird for such a large jet. And lots of stairs to walk up. Always a challenge for fat oldies like me.

Boarding is competed pretty early. I’m hoping to get two free seats next to me. But right, just before the doors close, two young blokes take the seats. They're obviously on stand-by. And, judging by the way they interact with the cabin crew, seem to be KLM employees. Probably cabin crew themselves.

That's fucked me trying to surreptitiously drink the miniatures I bought in the duty free. Then, just before take-off, they're moved to premium economy. Phew.

Just before take-off, we're told that there will be a half hour delay due to a "miscommunication". Great. It's more like 40 minutes. Brilliant. Though the pilot claims we'll still arrive on time. I’ll believe that when it happens.

The first meal is meatballs. It's just about edible. Though I can't stomach the mash. It’s good to have low expectations of airplane meals.

I start watching Infinite Vice. Which is sort of like the Big Lebowski. But not quite as good. Half way through, I pause it and doze for a couple of hours. It makes the time go quicker.

I nip to the galley a couple of times to fetch some red wine. I wouldn't want to become dehydrated during the flight, would I?

It's a long walk to immigration again. At least there are moving walkways for most of it. With my oldie priority, I'm through in a jiffy.

My bag pops out quickly. And soon I'm in a taxi bouncing towards Ipanema. Through a darkened Rio, lights glistening on the hillsides. Motorbikes weave scarily through the traffic. We dash through floodlit tunnels. Finally, rumbling into the rumbaing streets of Ipanema. Where shops glow enticingly. Cafés and bars spilling joyously onto the pavement.

God, I love Rio. Especially Ipanema. That could explain why I come here so often.

Same hotel as always. Comfortable enough rooms. Great location. Pretty decent buffet breakfast, which includes bacon. Crispy bacon. Mmmm.

Once checked in, I nip to the supermarket. It isn’t even a block away. (See what I said about the hotel’s location?) For bread rolls, cheese, sliced meat and cola. The latter to mix with my whisky. That’ll be my tea. The rolls and stuff, not the whisky. That’s supper.

The meat section is impressive. Big chunks of lovely beef. I stare longingly at the display for a while. Before moving on to the cheese. A far less impressive display. I’ve been spoilt by living in Holland.

I consider dropping by Mad Brew for a beer or two. Just consider. I don’t actually do it. As it’s getting late. And the pubs are looking pretty crowded. With happy, young people. Pretty much the opposite of me. I don’t want to bring down the tone.

I spend the next couple of hours watching YouTube. And sipping my whisky. Until sleep beckons me from across the void. Hello oblivion.



More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48269-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-Flying-down-to-Rio https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48268-Paul-Bailey-s-Beer-Blog-In-search-of-Ambience-beyond-the-Arctic-Circle&goto=newpost Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:21:14 GMT Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site

In this fast moving, ever changing and increasingly manicworld it’s sometimes hard to remain grounded and focus on the things thatreally matter in life. I write thesewords whilst just four days away from setting sail on another cruise and providingI can steer my Tele-addict wife away from the likes of Sky News, our voyageshould be a welcome escape from the madness that’s occurring in the world atlarge.

You see that after nine voyages on Cunard – all “Queen”ships, we’ve decided to cut loose and try something completely different. Indoing so, we’ve moved away from Carnival’s flagship brand – thereby savingourselves a tidy packet. Only time and experience will tell whether we’ve madethe right decision, as we’ve booked a 16-night voyage on Ambience, one of threecruise ships operated by Ambassador, Britain’s newest cruise line.

Ambassador sail from seven regional UK ports to a widevariety of different destinations, and the company prides itself by offeringaffordable quality at a price that offers some of the best value on the highseas. They claim to offer excellent service coupled with outstanding cuisineand all served with the warmest of welcomes. According to the company’spromotional literature, “you’ll get a decent cuppa, as well as a traditionalafternoon tea, coupled with some great entertainment - all at an affordableprice.” What is it about the Brits and their cups of tea?

The regional port that we’re sailing from is Tilbury, just45 minutes’ drive from Bailey Towers, via the M25 and the Dartford Crossing. Ourdestination is Norway, and nowhere else, and our cruise will see us sailingright up the coast of the country, visiting various towns and cities on theway. These settlements include Alesund, Trondheim, Tromso, and Narvik. After crossingthe Arctic Circle, we’ll have an overnight stop at Alta, a settlement close tothe northern tip of Norway, and uncomfortably close to the Russian Federation.

We can expect some spectacular scenery, and if we’re lucky aglimpse of the Northern Lights, or the aurora borealis, but as long as theaccommodation is of a high standard, and the food equally good, we don’t reallymind. Ambience, which is a refurbished former P&O Australia ship looks wellpresented, and with just 1,400 passengers, is considerably smaller than theCunard vessels we’ve become used to. After running into IT issues on our last cruise, I’ve decidedagainst taking a laptop, although I shall be taking a notebook. This does meanthat postings, whilst away, will be few and far between.

From a personal pointof view, it will just be nice to escape from all the bad stuff that’s going onin the world at the moment. I shall be taking a nice thick book as well as a pairof binoculars. As for clothing, temperatures are likely to be just above freezingduring the day, and slightly below that figure after sunset. I’ve got a thermallylined coat, that is still unworn, but with a high TOG rating it should be warmenough to wear whilst ashore. I will also be taking my Meindl hiking bootswhich, when worn with a pair of thermal socks, should be sufficient to keep myfeet warm, as well as providing sufficient grip on potentially slippery surfaces.

This forthcoming cruise is not our first visit to Norway andits famous fjords, because in June 2022, Eileen and I took a cruise to the aforementionedfjords. That voyage was made onboard Cunard Queen Mary 2 and included two visitsto Hamburg – one on the outward sailing, and the other on the return journey.The reasoning behind this was one of simple economics, because by making twocalls to Hamburg, was to pick up and then drop off parties of rich Germanpassengers eager to combine a visit to the fjords with a trans-Atlantic crossingto New York.

On that voyage, Alesund was the most northerly settlementthat we called at, whereas on the forthcoming one, this attractive Norwegian townwill be the most southerly port. So, apart from Alesund, all other anchorages onthis cruise will be new destinations as far as Mrs PBT’s and I are concerned. And this is where we must say farewell to Norway for thetime being, apart from revealing that the photos used to illustrate this post, datefrom that 2022 cruise to Norway.
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More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48268-Paul-Bailey-s-Beer-Blog-In-search-of-Ambience-beyond-the-Arctic-Circle https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48267-Tandleman-s-Beer-Blog-Off-Piste-in-Limehouse&goto=newpost Sat, 07 Mar 2026 17:30:33 GMT Visit the Tandleman's Beer Blog site

Leaving the delightful Wilton's Music Hall, we set off along Cable Street towards Commercial Road and our planned stop at the Clement Attlee in Limehouse.

The first part of the walk passes through a mix of housing, some old and some much newer. On the way we passed several long-closed pubs. First we passed the Crown and Dolphin, which had been a pub since 1850. It finally closed in 1992 after a fire and has since been converted into flats. It is also connected to a famous murder, but you can look this up should you be interested. Not far away stands the former Cable Street Inn, once a Meux house, now operating as a rather smart bed and breakfast. Just a few steps further along, the Ship has also made the transition to residential life and is now flats.It’s a slightly melancholy little stretch for pub spotters, but at least these buildings are still standing — which is more than can be said for many of their counterparts elsewhere in the East End.
On a cheerier note the Clement Atlee is not only still trading, but is thriving if that Saturday afternoon was anything to go by. Externally it looks fantastically old school, but inside it is much more modern. CAMRA describes it as "pleasant and inoffensive" which does sum it up. Operated by the Craft Beer Company, it offered four cask ales on this visit and a huge bank of 21 keg taps selling a variety of beers and lagers. Service was routine. No great welcome and our fellow customers were happily engrossed in their own business which is fair enough. My beer - a house beer from Kent Brewery was excellent, so I had two. E enjoyed Flensburger Pils. Again the stereotype of unfriendly Londoners was trumped when we were engaged by another couple and advised not to miss the nearby Old Ship though we would be too early for the Drag-Act Cabaret. Who could pass that kind of tip up? Not us for sure.
Set on a backstreet beside a pleasant square just off Commercial Road, the Old Ship is a classic street-corner local. There are still traces of its former Watney's ownership in the external signage giving it a slightly time-capsule feel. Inside it was absolutely packed, almost entirely with men in their fifties to seventies who, almost without exception, were enthusiastically knocking back pints of Foster’s. Clearly everyone knew everyone else. Nobody paid us much attention - but in a friendly, unbothered sort of way - and within minutes we felt part of the scene. We even found a seat in the bar area. The old-school barmaid gamely tried the handpump for Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, but without success. Clearly nobody had asked for it all afternoon. Following the Foster’s trend though was a step too far, so we settled on Camden Hells instead, which actually was pretty good.
On leaving we noticed the Queen's Head across the square, so being in that frame of mind we headed there. Alas on peering though the window, it was utterly empty, so we swerved it in favour of the Prince Regent which proved a good call. This is another corner street local. It wasn't that busy, but the landlord greeted us very warmly and a local, sitting at the bar immediately started chatting. We discussed football for a bit then got talking to two old boys seated by the door. On hearing my accent they immediately made it clear they were Still Game* lovers, and we spent ten or fifteen minutes recalling favourite bits of the show. It turned out they had gone to school together 40 odd years ago. One now lived in Derby and one in Kent, but they still meet up every month or so for a catch-up and pub crawl. A lovely tale and two very nice gents.
There was a cask beer on offer, Shep's Spitfire, but we settled on genuine Spanish lager from Victoria Malaga. A bonus was the offer of a discount, offered by the landlord showing us a board which read "Discount for Students or Over 65's.". " Do you qualify under either of these?" he asked with a grin. We stayed for two drinks at a bargain £8.78 for a pint and a half.
We headed back to Aldgate on the 15 bus. Very handy for us. It had been an interesting day out, and we learned that some great little boozers still lurkin the backstreets of the East End. More exploring is clearly required.
Having read up a little, perhaps we were a bit hasty in missing the Queen's Head. We will try it again and give it a fair chance. The photo below on the left shows what we missed in the Old Ship. Next time for sure. Sorry too for the formatting. The limits of Blogger.
* If you don't know about Still Game, you really ought to give your head a wobble.

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48267-Tandleman-s-Beer-Blog-Off-Piste-in-Limehouse https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48266-Retired-Martin-EAST-YORKSHIRE-HAS-FALLEN&goto=newpost Sat, 07 Mar 2026 13:40:51 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/03/07/east-yorkshire-has-fallen/)* March 2026. Wansford. East Yorkshire. A mile... Visit The Retired Martin site

March 2026. Wansford. East Yorkshire. A mile south of delightful Driffield, our final Humberside + tick, and once again not a classic, but plenty good enough. Always best to leave your final East Yorkshire pub to Hull. Not much to say about Wansford (pop. 142), canal barge apart, but it is in the same parish… Continue reading EAST YORKSHIRE HAS*FALLEN

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48266-Retired-Martin-EAST-YORKSHIRE-HAS-FALLEN https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48265-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-Rio-by-the-sea-o&goto=newpost Sat, 07 Mar 2026 13:40:51 GMT *Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2026/03/rio-by-sea-o.html)* A short video report of my time in... Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

A short video report of my time in Rio de Janeiro recently.


More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48265-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-Rio-by-the-sea-o https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48264-Retired-Martin-HORNSEA-SPRINGS-TO-LIFE&goto=newpost Sat, 07 Mar 2026 11:35:35 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/03/07/hornsea-springs-to-life/)* March 2026. Hornsea. East Yorkshire. Saturday at... Visit The Retired Martin site

March 2026. Hornsea. East Yorkshire. Saturday at home in Sheffield means tearing at the leash to get out Sunday, despite, you know, weeds to pull and all that. Two hours later I’m in Hornsea for my penultimate East Yorkshire tick, which given there’s only three (3) newbies to begin with isn’t that impressive. Whereas Hornsea… Continue reading HORNSEA SPRINGS TO*LIFE

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The stronger of the Black Beers was, naturally enough, Stout.

With an OG in the low 1050ºs, it fits nicely into the strongest category of beer in the last set of price controls from just after WW I. These were generally the strongest draught beers in London during the interwar period. And included most Stouts.

As you’ve probably guessed, this was parti-gyled with Porter. All the London brewers did that. The quantities of Porter being brewed by this point didn’t merit being single-gyle.

The presence of oats convinces me that there was a bottled version. Oatmeal Stout wasn’t usually a draught beer. Even though, in many cases, draught Stout also contained oats. Brewers just didn’t tell anyone.

Pretty sure this wasn’t aged to any great degree. Maybe a few weeks in trade casks.

1932 Youngs Stout
mild malt	6.00 lb	53.55%
black malt	1.00 lb	8.92%
amber malt	1.125 lb	10.04%
crystal malt 60 L	0.75 lb	6.69%
flaked oats	1.00 lb	8.92%
No. 3 invert sugar	0.625 lb	5.58%
No. 2 invert sugar	0.625 lb	5.58%
caramel 2000 SRM	0.08 lb	0.71%
Fuggles 120 min	2.00 oz
Fuggles 30 min	2.00 oz
OG	1052
FG	1016
ABV	4.76
Apparent attenuation	69.23%
IBU	46
SRM	39
Mash at	152º F
Sparge at	170º F
Boil time	120 minutes
pitching temp	59º F
Yeast	WLP002 English Ale

Learn more about brewing at Youngs from former brewer John Hatch.



More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48263-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-Let-s-Brew-1932-Youngs-Stout https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48262-Retired-Martin-NOBODY-SAID-SOUTH-KESTEVEN-WOULD-BE-FUN&goto=newpost Sat, 07 Mar 2026 01:00:04 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/03/06/nobody-said-south-kesteven-would-be-fun/)* February 2026. Edenham.... Visit The Retired Martin site

February 2026. Edenham. Lincolnshire. Not quite Greater Grantham, more Bigger Bourne. Have any of you ever been to Bourne ? I knew nothing about little Edenham, 15 minutes off the A1 and Newton’s house, just past that Corby Glen I wrote so pointlessly about on New Years Day. But I know everything about Edenham now.… Continue reading NOBODY SAID SOUTH KESTEVEN WOULD BE*FUN

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February 2026. Islington. 20 minutes walk from Bombay Corner to my gig at Islington Assembly Hall over Regent’s Canal. Walking London is a joy, questionable football clubs apart. Not the most, or best, pubbed part of London, but great to see young folk (discuss “young“) filling the trad pubs early evening. While the youth (my… Continue reading THE WENLOCK

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48261-Retired-Martin-THE-WENLOCK https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48260-Tandleman-s-Beer-Blog-Wilton-s-Music-Hall&goto=newpost Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:51:28 GMT Visit the Tandleman's Beer Blog site

Wilton's Music Hall in Graces Alley, E1, is less than a five-minute walk from our London flat. It’s the oldest surviving music hall in the world and has stood in its current form since 1859. There’s also a bar selling cask beer that’s open to the public during performances.

We’ve owned our flat for 29 years and, despite always meaning to visit, we never quite got round to it. We hadn’t even walked past it. Last Saturday we finally corrected that oversight.Just off Cable Street — where the East End fought Mosley’s fascists in the 1930s — you turn a corner and step straight into the past. it’s all a bit run-down outside, and even more so once inside: bare plaster walls, the odd bit of stone carving, and plenty of wood. It looks a relic of the past in every way, but it is fascinating. Much as we both enjoy a bit of Gilbert and Sullivan, we decided a full dose of Iolanthe wasn’t quite what we wanted that afternoon, so we popped in for a drink on our way further east. To the left of the impressive entrance doors is a sort of exhibition room cum box office and to the right the bar. It’s impressive in a slightly ramshackle, rather charming sort of way. All wooden floorboards, rickety non-matching tables and chairs with some church pew like seating round two walls. The bar itself is an ornate affair, and it serves, on this occasion at least, two Adnams beers on cask with another for a guest beer, not in use.
The clientele was quite something. As former season ticket holders at the Oldham Coliseum, they were of a type we sort of recognised; young women and men, in adventurous clothing looking as though they'd smeared themselves with superglue and dashed through a wardrobe; older, slightly unworldly types clutching paper plates of chips in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, searching fruitlessly for a seat. There wasn’t one. It was a refuge for people who appeared to have wandered in from slightly different realities.

On the beer front my Adnams Ghost Ship(in an Adnams glass) was just fine, while E appreciated her over measure Bitburger. We found a precarious spot against a wall to watch proceedings. This was about forty minutes before the performance started, and the place was busy, though mostly with wine drinkers. Then came the usual countdown, delivered by a very sultry East-European-sounding voice for the start of the performance. The room quickly emptied until we were, suddenly the last customers. As we emptied our drinks, the Front of House manager anxiously inquired if we'd missed the warning calls and seemed relieved that we hadn't. We left, leaving the bar staff to clear up chip plates, glasses and sundry debris ready for the interval and the returning patrons.We enjoyed it a lot, though next time we’ll arrive when the doors open — if only to secure a seat. The rest was pretty well perfect.

The prices were decent too, I think around £5.50 for the Adnams and £6 something for the Bitburger. The bar staff were obliging and cheerful, happily giving me a real glass, not plastic when I mentioned I wasn't here for the performance.
Next up. Lost Pubs and Off piste in Limehouse


More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48260-Tandleman-s-Beer-Blog-Wilton-s-Music-Hall https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48259-Retired-Martin-THURSDAY-IS-THE-NEW-FRIDAY&goto=newpost Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:13:13 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/03/06/thursday-is-the-new-friday/)* February 2026. London. From Charlton the train... Visit The Retired Martin site

February 2026. London. From Charlton the train takes you back over the Thames, then stops abruptly at Cannon Street. It’s a quarter to six in the City of London; let’s have a look. Not many suits or bowler hats or folded copies of the Financial Times, but young workers pack the pubs. Plenty of pubs,… Continue reading THURSDAY IS THE NEW*FRIDAY

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48259-Retired-Martin-THURSDAY-IS-THE-NEW-FRIDAY https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?48258-Tandleman-s-Beer-Blog-A-Trip-to-Poshley&goto=newpost Fri, 06 Mar 2026 12:13:13 GMT Visit the Tandleman's Beer Blog site

I'm a bit of a fan of the Tweedy Pubs channel on YouTube. If you haven't come across it, Tweedy is something of a pub historian, wandering around London (and occasionally further afield) exploring pub history, architecture and stories. His videos have introduced me to corners of London I'd barely thought about before, and I've quietly built up a mental list of places I'd like to visit.
Last Friday after breakfast we had a little bit of business to deal with at the nearby Nationwide Building Society, and then had planned to wander towards town. As we dithered, a bit undecided, E suggested something better why not do a Tweedy Pubs area?" Maida Vale had caught my eye in one of the videos, so that quickly became the plan. Being just opposite Aldgate station, it was easy enough to hop on the Tube. We travelled down to Baker Street and changed onto the Bakerloo Line — wonderfully rattly and gloriously old-fashioned, running the oldest trains on the network, the 1972 stock. I’ve always had a soft spot for that sort of thing, having grown up in a railway family.

Maida Vale station lies deep underground and currently has only one escalator in service. We drifted slowly upwards while watching the opposite escalator, closed for renovation, where the brave were gingerly picking their way down the steep incline to the platform. We joked about attempting the same later with a full cargo of beer aboard — though as it turned out, that particular challenge never arose. Emerging into the daylight on rather a posh road and with a handy roadside map giving us our bearings, we set off down Elgin Avenue, along a very grand road to the proposed first stop, the Warrington Hotel. What a beauty! Grade 2 listed, with a portico entrance with imposing marble columns, the word "opulent" is the right one. I suggest you to have a look at what CAMRA says. It does it more justice than I could.
The outside of the pub had given us a foretaste and inside was even more grand. A pub though, no matter how ornate or humble, is only as good as its offering and here we were not disappointed. The landlady herself greeted us. Sharon was welcoming, friendly and happy to chat. Two cask beers were available, and I chose Twickenham Naked Ladies which was well-kept in this Good Beer Guide entry. Sharon also showed us a recently published book that mentioned the pub and outlined a suggested crawl around the local area. Most importantly, she gave us a firm recommendation: whatever we did, we shouldn't miss The Prince Alfred, just five minutes away down an even grander street than Elgin Avenue.

The walk didn't disappoint and took us in no time to the Prince Alfred, a Young's pub and again, a Grade 2 listed Victorian building. Once more I will turn to CAMRA for a full description which you can read here. The pub was fairly quiet, but we settled into one of the snugs, both of us ducking under the low "pot boys" service doors mentioned by CAMRA. Sadly, the welcome here was less than wholehearted and the beer, Young's Special in my case - Bitter was also available - was rather flat and over-vented, though the underlying taste wasn't too bad. Nonetheless, the whole experience of such an unspoilt pub was worthwhile and it may well have appealed more on a busier session. Across the road was Real Drinks a off-licence selling wine on one side and beer on the other. You can have a drink here, either on four keg lines or from the bottle with a reasonable corkage fee. We were warmly welcomed from the barman/ shop assistant, and settled on Augustiner Edelstoff for me and Helles for E. The little space soon filled up and so jolly it was we stayed for two. Despite the location, the prices were very reasonable indeed, and the barman happily took E outside to point out some of the houses occupied by the famous. Not that the names meant much to me. All popular culture passes me by.
We decided to call it a day for the area. Our nearest tube had become Warwick Road, a few hundred yards away, thus avoiding the precipitous stairs at Maida Vale. But we weren't quite finished and it was off back to Charing Cross for some Czech beer in the highly recommended Stranded on the Strand in cental London. If you like Czech beer, offered either in UK or Czech style, this is for you. I enjoyed a couple of glasses of dark, while E had a glass of ordinary Budvar. The place was busy which was gratifying as some had forecasted it wouldn't do so well. Next was the 15 bus and back to ours for a well deserved curry on Leman Street.
So Maida Vale? We enjoyed it. The Warrington Hotel and Real Drinks offered totally different drinking experiences, but were extremely enjoyable. We missed out on others, so we'll be back. You can't say fairer than that. Recommended.
The curry was a touch confusing, as I had thought we'd agreed on a takeaway, but E thought we were eating in. We ate in! At least the flat didn't smell of curry, though our clothes did.
The Czech beer is way better in the actual Czech presentation. Don't make the mistake of ordering British style just to get a pint. Two thirds Czech is the way to go.




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Even more DDR fun. Sort of. The source is from the DDR, at least.

This time with a more high-tech brewhouse. A two-vessel system. Which, if you paid attention to my post on a four-vessel brewhouse, meant that meant the vessels had dual functions. With the mash tun doubling as lauter tun and the mash kettle doubling up as the wort kettle. As in the system illustrated here.*

It's automatic. Or at least, that's what's claimed. With a brewer only needed to keep an eye on it. Sounds dead groovy. Like the decade that spawned it.

As this was a system developed by a firm, Steinecker of Freising, Bavaria, I doubt very much one was ever installed in the DDR. It would have cost way too much hard currency. Unless the Czechs produced a knock-off back in the communist days. (Or the Good Old Days, as I call them. Much to the annoyance of Dolores.)

Hydroautomatic Brewhouse (Steinecker)

(1) Malt Steeping Vessel
(2) Twin-Roll Mill for Wet Milling
(3) Mash and Lauter Tun
(4) Mash and Wort Kettle
(5) Hop Filter
(0) Control Panel
(7) Sight Window with Liquid Level Indicator
(8) Cutting Unit
(9) Propeller
(10) Hop Feeding Device
(11) Exhaust with Fan
"Technologie Brauer und Mälzer" by Wolfgang Kunze, VEB Fachbuchverlag Leipzig, 2nd edition, 1967, page 265.

* "Technologie Brauer und Mälzer" by Wolfgang Kunze, VEB Fachbuchverlag Leipzig, 2nd edition, 1967, page 264.



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It's lager time! This pair was selected from the bottles at Redmonds of Ranelagh. That, their ABV, and their general Bavarianness is about all they have in common.

I've had a Doppelbock from Kloster Scheyern before, but this is my first time with the more modest Kloster-Gold Hell. I'm assuming a very ordinary sort of Helles (Tucher brews it), though the strength is on the high side, at 5.4% ABV. It's a flawless gold in the glass, pale with a hint of aquamarine. Its fine white head crackles audibly, like a TV ad for breakfast cereal. The aroma indicates that it's going to be sweet, adding a sliver of ripe pear to spongecake malt. That high-ish ABV doesn't add much to the body, and it's light. Coupled with the soft sparkle, this is very easy drinking. The somewhat muted flavour also contributes. There's no fancy fruit, just quite a plain base of fresh white bread. Noble hopping is evident in the finish, where there's a rasp of bitterness; leafy like lettuce or raw spinach. I'm not a big fan of that, but it doesn't disturb the beer's equilibrium, in fact it adds to it. This is no superstar, but it's well-made and characterful, providing the fuss-free easy-going comfort-drinking for which I look to Helles.

Hasen Original claims to be a naturally cloudy Kellerbier, though there wasn't much haze in evidence when I poured it, even after giving the bottle a proper jiggle, merely a token skein of sediment. This is a degree darker than the previous, more amber than golden. Still, the head is properly fine and generous, in the Bavarian way, and it's another relatively light beer, gently conditioned to accommodate big satisfying gulps. The Keller side of the offer gets busy right from the start, adding a dry and crisp cracker snap. That doesn't mean it isn't cuddly: a softer layer of bready malt, brown this time, follows the husk, adding a different sort of rustic wholesomeness. Hops don't feature, but I don't mind. The malt-driven flavour is restrained enough to not require balance, and I don't really miss noble hops when they're not present. This is exactly the simple, sessionable, rustic lager that it's presented as. Again, it's not going to blow anyone away with an awesome riot of anything, but it's very nicely done, in a way that you really need to go to Bavarian beer to find.

Neither of these deserves picking apart on some English-speaker's beer blog. They are normal, standard, well-made German beers of the sort one takes for granted over there. I'm sure the price I paid for them in Ranelagh would give a fit of the vapours to any drinker from their locality, but I'm glad to have the option without needing to catch a plane.

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