Pubs Galore Forums - Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/ Keep track of all the other interesting pub activity out there. en Thu, 10 Sep 2026 07:41:43 GMT vBulletin 60 https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/images/misc/rss.png Pubs Galore Forums - Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/ Shut up about Barclay Perkins - Youngs beers in 1943 https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49533-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-Youngs-beers-in-1943&goto=newpost Thu, 10 Sep 2026 07:07:03 GMT *Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2026/09/lets-jump-couple-of-years-forward-and.html)* Image:... Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

Let’s jump a couple of years forward and see what things are like at Youngs in the middle of the war. How, exactly, had their beers changed?

The most obvious change is that three beers have been dropped: Porter, Stout and XXXX. The last isn't much of a surprise. The strongest beers were some of the first to disappear. The first isn't a great shock, either. All London brewers discontinued their Porters in the early war years.

But Stout, that's another matter. At the time, it was still a fairly standard draught beer in London. It's really odd for a London brewery to have no Black Beer in their portfolio. In fact, it was unusual for any English brewery to not brew a Stout.

Let's look at the remaining beers in more detail. Kicking off with the gravities. Which, unsurprisingly, have been reduced since 1940. Though the reduction was very inconsistent across the different beers.

The biggest fall was in PAB and XXX. In both cases around 15%. AX Ale was a little behind with a 12% drop. Interestingly, the smallest reductions were in PA, one of the strongest beers, and A, one of weakest. In the latter case, there's a pretty obvious reason. It didn't have anywhere further to go. Because of the tax system, 1027º was effectively the lowest economic gravity. You could brew a weaker beer, but you'd have to pay the tax for a beer of 1027º.

I'm not quite so sure why PA should have got off so lightly. Interestingly, after falling 1040º in 1942, the gravity was raised again in early 1943 to 1042.7º. Which is weird. The gravities of beers very rarely increased during the war.

The rates of attenuation are pretty similar to in 1940. Around 80% for the Mild Ales, 75% for the Pale Ales, 68% for XXX. Which means that The ABVs have fallen in line with the gravity drop. Though the two strongest - PA and XXX - are still both over 4%. Which was a pretty decent strength for this stage of the war.

There's also been a significant reduction in the hopping rates. In the case of the Mild Ales, it's fallen from 6 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt to 4.5 lbs. For the Pale Ales, the reduction is from 7 lbs per quarter to 5.5 lbs.
Youngs beers in 1943
Beer Style OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation lbs hops/ qtr hops lb/brl
A Mild 1026.8 1005.5 2.81 79.33% 4.41 0.51
X Mild 1029.9 1005.3 3.26 82.40% 4.40 0.57
PAB Pale Ale 1032.9 1008.3 3.25 74.74% 5.56 0.74
PA Pale Ale 1042.7 1011.1 4.18 74.05% 5.56 0.96
XXX Strong Ale 1045.9 1015.5 4.02 66.20% 4.54 0.89
Source:
Young's brewing record held at Battersea Library, document number YO/RE/1/12.


Youngs beers gravity changes 1940 - 1943
Beer Style 1940 1943 % drop
A Mild 1029 1026.8 7.59%
X Mild 1034 1029.9 12.06%
PAB Pale Ale 1039 1032.9 15.64%
PA Pale Ale 1047 1042.7 9.15%
XXX Strong Ale 1055 1045.9 16.55%
Average 12.20%
Sources:
Young's brewing record held at Battersea Library, document number YO/RE/1/9.
Young's brewing record held at Battersea Library, document number YO/RE/1/12.




More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49533-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-Youngs-beers-in-1943 Retired Martin - END OF THE ROAD 2026. SUNDAY – THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49530-Retired-Martin-END-OF-THE-ROAD-2026-SUNDAY-–-THE-ELEPHANT-IN-THE-ROOM&goto=newpost Wed, 09 Sep 2026 21:24:33 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/09/09/end-of-the-road-2026-sunday-the-elephant-in-the-room/)* September 2026. End... Visit The Retired Martin site

September 2026. End of the Road. Dorset. Four days on Cranborne Chase, 1% of my whole year, and again the time flies by, a “festival marking the passing of time“, as James sagely noted last year. I’m here to discover new music, eat too much, and make withering comments about heritage acts (Pulp, Oasis, Sophis… Continue reading END OF THE ROAD 2026. SUNDAY – THE ELEPHANT IN THE*ROOM

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49530-Retired-Martin-END-OF-THE-ROAD-2026-SUNDAY-–-THE-ELEPHANT-IN-THE-ROOM Retired Martin - END OF THE ROAD 2026. SATURDAY – FROM ERUPCIA TO SHENANDOAH https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49529-Retired-Martin-END-OF-THE-ROAD-2026-SATURDAY-–-FROM-ERUPCIA-TO-SHENANDOAH&goto=newpost Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:50:51 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/09/09/end-of-the-road-2026-saturday-from-erupcia-to-shenandoah/)* September 2026.... Visit The Retired Martin site

September 2026. End of the Road. Dorset. A dry End of the Road ’26 in every sense. Taking a break from all but the strongest of the craft IPAs, instead hitting the fruit smoothies hard each morning. The winner was, obviously, the Kale, Spinach, Peach and Banana smoothie (NSSS 4), which accompanied me to see… Continue reading END OF THE ROAD 2026. SATURDAY – FROM ERUPCIA TO*SHENANDOAH

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49529-Retired-Martin-END-OF-THE-ROAD-2026-SATURDAY-–-FROM-ERUPCIA-TO-SHENANDOAH Shut up about Barclay Perkins - What is Gold Label? https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49528-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-What-is-Gold-Label&goto=newpost Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:50:51 GMT *Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2026/09/what-is-gold-label.html)* Another one of my little... Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

Another one of my little videos. This time it's about one of my beery obsessions: Gold Label.



More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49528-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-What-is-Gold-Label Real Ale, Real Music - Shot By Both Sides.... https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49527-Real-Ale-Real-Music-Shot-By-Both-Sides&goto=newpost Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:48:58 GMT *Visit Real Ale, Real Music (https://chrisdyson55.blogspot.com/2026/09/shot-by-both-sides.html)* Back on another trip down south, with a change to... Visit Real Ale, Real Music

Back on another trip down south, with a change to our plans leading us to a tour of some posh pubs in London along with a couple of old favourites, and a second visit in 6 months to the town and football ground of Aldershot....
It was an early start on a Friday morning as my brother and I set off from West Yorkshire via the Grand Central. We were due into London about a quarter to twelve. Our plan was to head off from Kings Cross to the other side of London and catch an hour or two of cricket at the Oval, where the final innings of Yorkshire's match with Surrey was interestingly poised. All was going well, the train was pretty quiet, but as we approached Doncaster that all changed. The announcement came over the tannoy that the train would be going no further as there had been an incident on the line at Welwyn that was causing cancellations and delays and for some vague reason this train could not carry on. So abandoned at Donny, we were left amongst chaotic scenes as people scrambled to get on the trains that were still going south. We decided to hang on a bit and let it calm down, and so when we did catch an onward train, it was relatively quiet and we managed to get a seat all the way down.It was still slow progress, as whilst the incident had been resolved, there were still delays as trains were waiting for a berth at King Cross, and so it was around 1.30 when we finally got off the train at Kings Cross. Meanwhile, at the Oval, wickets had been tumbling, and Surrey were 115-7 at lunch chasing a target of 185 on what had been a match dominated by bowlers (an amazing 23 wickets had fallen the day before when for only the second time ever there had been play in all 4 innings on the same day), and so it was questionable given the nature of the game if there would be any play when we got there. So, given the circumstances, we decided to give the cricket a miss.



After our long journey a beer was called for and so it was on to an old favourite that we repaired. About 10 minutes walk away from the station is the King Charles 1, an oasis of quirkiness in an attractive suburban area a world away from the hordes of tourists with their trundling suitcases and confused expressions. It was busy as usual in this one room bar with a mixed crowd of people of all ages surrounded by an assortment of eclectic paraphernalia, and for a while we stood and surveyed it all from a position at the side of the bar. The cask beers, deftly served by the landlord as he dealt with several customers at the same time, consisted of two from Siren and, bizarrely, two from Settle, straying far away from their North Yorkshire home.



We both went for Tempo, a 3.8% easy-drinking pale ale, which was a pleasant way to start the day (Rating 6.5/10), and when we got a seat we decided to get another, this time I tried the other Siren beer,
Memento, described as a modern best bitter with an ABV of 3.8%. This had a bit more body to it and I rated it slightly higher than my first pint (7/10). Another enjoyable visit to this friendly and characterful pub.



We retraced our steps to Kings Cross, headed Underground, and took the Circle Line to Temple, which is just across the River Thames from Waterloo, from where we were catching our train to Aldershot later in the day. But first, an investigation of the three pubs in the Good Beer Guide that were all within a few minutes' walk of the tube station. We emerged in to a completely different scene to that around Kings Cross, a calmer atmosphere with quieter streets and solid buildings fashioned out of white Portland stone as used in many of the posh buildings in the capital (as well as Barnsley Town Hall). We walked past Globe House, the HQ of British American Tobacco, were passed by besuited gents heading home for the weekend, and encountered the usual assortment of bemused tourists with cameras snapping in to space. We did, though, soon came to our first pub in the Temple area.


The Edgar Wallace (opening image) is an attractive pub bedecked with an attractive exterior floral display situated on a quiet cul-de-sac. There has been a pub on the site here for around 250 years that was originally known as the Essex Head Tavern. It was given its current name in 1975 to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the famous crime writer, who was originally a reporter for the Daily Mail based on nearby Fleet Street. It is a quiet one-room pub, and in a similar approach to Sam Smiths, this free house shuns background music, phones, and laptops, although whether this is as strictly enforced is not clear, as several people around the room were on their phones. As we were, checking the score from The Oval where Surrey seemed to staging something of a rally with the 8th wicket partnership adding runs. There were two beers available on cask, with two casks currently in use, Landlord (of course), and Harveys Sussex Bitter, which we both went for (Rating: 6.5/10), the beer pulled by one of two mature ladies who were looking after the bar. The pub, whilst smartly-decorated and comfortably furnished, was rather soulless, the clientele a mix of business types discussing tax breaks and tobacco in cultured tones and smart, curious tourists.


The next pub was only a matter of yards away. The Devereux is situated in another attractive building in a quiet courtyard, and is Grade II-listed, and was built in 1844. It carried on for years in various guises. but when then was closed for a period. It reopened in March 2019 in what is Middle Temple, which is the heart of London's legal district. The pub is deceptively larger inside than its exterior suggests, with wood panelling, booths, partitions and historical prints on the walls. We walked in, central bar, friendly staff, Fullers London Pride the only beer available beer on cask. We sat at the bar, I enjoyed the vibe here more than the Edgar Wallace as it was more relaxed, whilst my brother preferred the earlier. But it is all relative: my Pride was ok (6.5/10), but like the Edgar Wallace, it is not a pub I will be actively seeking out in the future unless I find myself in Temple again.


Devereux, London

We finished our drinks and walked up on to Fleet Street where our next pub was waiting. We were on Fleet Street, a location synonymous with journalism which in the daily missives these days is a shadow of what it used to be. We saw the spectacular Royal Courts of Justice and a few minutes later we arrived at another spectacular building on the same side of the road. The Old Bank of England, which with its stunning interior is a Grade II listed building which was, until 1975, the Law Courts branch of the Bank of England, and then a Bristol & West Building Society office. It then became a Fullers pub, but the lease was actually owned by Hertfordshire brewers McMullen, and they then took it over in 2019 and gave a makeover to this historic building. Spectacular it certainly is, but the beer I had, Rivertown Isle, the 3.9% Exotic Blonde, was pretty insipid, not in bad nick, but just very bland (5.5/10). Rivertown, it seems, is McMullen's craft arm, but as with so many traditional family brewers who have arrived very late to this party, they don't quite get it. A cool name, a few different hops, no filter, but it needs some passion from the brewer to make it work. Meanwhile, at the Oval, Yorkshire had managed to capture a couple of wickets to leave them with one wicket to take. Surrey needed a few runs to win. It was close, but in the end Surrey prevailed and once again Yorkshire had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Meanwhile, we ordered food here, which was just what we needed and was well received by both of us, my burger and chips very good. In summary: come for a look, try the food, but don't expect anything great from the beer!


The Old Bank of England

We re-traced our steps back along Fleet Street to where it becomes the Strand. Opposite the spectacular Royal Courts of Justice we came to the George, with its attractive black and white facade which I had noticed through the window when we'd walked past it after leaving the Devereux earlier had several hand pumps on the bar. So we nipped into what is a lovely interior with dark wooden floors a panelled bar, with some partitioned seating areas opposite what is a rather low bar counter with a further area of tables and chairs at the back. There was a range of 7 beers on hand pump including several from independent brewers including Southwark and Vocation. Somewhat surprisingly given the pubs in the immediate vicinity, the George was not in the 2026 Good Beer Guide, but I much preferred this Greene King-run pub to the others we had just visited. My pint of Mayflower from the Southwark Brewing Co was certainly the best beer I had while we were in Temple (7/10), a 4.2% Session Pale Ale described as thus by the brewery: "Lightly coloured easy drinking pale ale with a hit of hops... a true session ale. Brewed to commemorate the voyage of the Mayflower with the Pilgrim Fathers to America in 1620, a journey that started in Rotherhithe, not Plymouth!"

The George

We then headed back towards the Embankment with its views across the Thames, climbed the steps up to Waterloo Bridge and had splendid views up and down river from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in one direction and the towers of Docklands in the other, with various riverboats and pleasure craft acting out a scene on the river below. We got to the other side, and passing the sign saying we were now entering the London Borough of Lambeth, my mind turned to the Lambeth Walk, a song from the 1937 musical Me and My Girl, which takes its name from a local street, Lambeth Walk, once notable for its street market and Cockney working-class culture. The tune gave its name to a walking dance made popular by Lupino Lane, which was performed in a jaunty strutting style, based on exaggerated idea of how a Cockney struts.


We soon arrived at Waterloo Station from where our train to Aldershot was leaving shortly. Our journey into this corner of North East Hampshire took about an hour through the south west London suburbs and in to Surrey, as the skies darkened as the evening approached, we went through woodlands and heathland before arriving at Aldershot. We took a taxi to our hotel, although it turned out not to be too far away. We were staying at the Queen, one of the town's two Good Beer Guide entries, which is a Wetherlodge. We got checked in, dropped our bags off in what was a very comfortable room, and then headed out to visit, the town's other GBG-listed pub.


It was about 10 minutes walk to the Garden Gate, a friendly local pub situated in a quiet residential area, although it isn't far from the railway station. It wasn't too busy when we walked in to what is essentially a small single bar serving two distinct drinking areas, with a few people sat at tables in both areas. There is also a separate back room leading to a small partially covered patio and smoking area to the side. Two beers were on hand pump, one of them a house beer, Wobbly Gate, the brewery behind it which is a closely guarded secret, with Ranmore from Surrey Hills Brewery in Dorking on the other. We went for pints of Ranmore, a straw coloured extremely moreish session beer that has a surprisingly full flavour for its ABV of 3.8%. A pleasant and distinctive aroma is followed by a moderate hop bitterness. It was the best beer of the day (7.5/10), and we had no hesitation in going for another. We its friendly welcome and the relaxing atmosphere with the gentle hubbub of conversation in the background, the Garden Gate was just what was required after the bustle of the city earlier in the day.


The Garden Gate

We walked back through the quiet suburban streets to our hotel, passing a couple of Nepalese restaurants, testament to the fact that Aldershot and the borough in which it sits, Rushmoor, is home to the largest Nepalese community in the country. In part this is due to the Gurkha connection to the British Army, whose garrison between Aldershot and Farnborough is the largest in the country. The growth of the garrison in the mid 19th century at the time of the Crimean War transformed Aldershot from a village to a town. The population of the town proper today is around 40,000, but taking in neighbouring settlements like Farnborough, Camberley, and the garrison it is over 240,000.


We went to the bar when we got back to the Queen, which was busy in what is not a particularly pub-rich town. I went for a pint of Moondance from the Triple fff Brewery who started brewing in 1997 in nearby Alton. My beer was one of the brewery's original beers, an award-winning Pale Ale brewed with American Cascade hops. An aromatic floral nose was balanced by a gentle bitterness with a sweetness and a note of hoppy elderflower. It was a little sweet for my taste, and served without a sparkler of course, but it was ok (6/10). The pub itself, which has 7 letting rooms, is a landmark building of historic importance, first licensed in 1857 and is Grade II-listed. The hotel had fallenon hard times before it was rescued, restored and reopened by Wetherspoon in April 2014. The bar area has a light and airy feel; slightly café bar in style with a long single marble topped bar and an open plan area with exposed beams. Pictures of old Aldershot are to be seen on the walls, and with our breakfast visit here in the morning, is certainly of the better Spoons I have been to recently.


The Queen, Aldershot

After a surprisingly comfortable night's sleep, as we breakfasted at the Queen we were joined by several fellow Town supporters who had set off early for the lunchtime kick-off at Aldershot's EBB Stadium. It was then just over 10 minutes' walk to the ground through what is a somewhat scruffy town centre. We walked past the Crimea Tavern where we had called before the game here last season, but with tickets still to buy we had no time to buy. It was a beautiful sunny day, and it was hot in the sun, but our part of the ground was shaded by trees. The teams came out and the game kicked off. It was quite intense at first, with both teams pressing forward, Aldershot a little niggly in the early stages. Then Town conceded a penalty, which was promptly saved by our keeper. Town were pressing forward but despite some promising build ups just couldn't score. And as the game progressed, with Aldershot getting more and more niggly, and the officials missing more and more, it was the home team who broke the deadlock, and with Town unable to get their act together, the final whistle blew on what had been at times a frustrating game to watch. It finished Aldershot Town 1, FC Halifax Town 0.



We headed back quickly to the station to begin our journey back up North. It had been an enjoyable trip, but it was disappointing that both teams that we had intended to watch had managed to lose their games by very narrow margins. But it's nothing new, of course, and a consolatory pint will always ease the disappointment, which on this occasion had to wait until we got back to London where we repaired to the Euston Tap before heading back to Kings Cross to catch the train home....


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More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49527-Real-Ale-Real-Music-Shot-By-Both-Sides The Beer Nut - September pairs 4: Lough Gill https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49525-The-Beer-Nut-September-pairs-4-Lough-Gill&goto=newpost Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:58:30 GMT *Visit The Beer Nut site (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2026/09/september-pairs-4-lough-gill.html)* Image:... Visit The Beer Nut site

At the outset of this series, I hadn't realised that each pair would include one pale ale and one something else. I suppose it shouldn't be surprising, statistically speaking. For the penultimate couple, we look north-westwards, to Lough Gill.

Bright Eyed alleges it's a "bright IPA" but I don't know what it means by that, because it's far from clear: a hazy pale yellow colour. Bright rather than dark, maybe? Anyway, it's 6.6% ABV and uses Citra, Southern Cross and Dulcita hops. I don't know the other two very well, but the Citra is out in force, blasting lemon and lime in the aroma and bringing a softer lemonade tang to the flavour. The texture is light and the carbonation low making for a very easy drinker, and I had to consciously slow down to appreciate the hops properly. On balance it's bitter, but there's a shaft of sunlight shining through it as well, bringing zest and even a hint of tropicality. That could be what they mean by "bright". All told, it's another excellent hop-forward Lough Gill beer, and I'm sure is best enjoyed fresh, so snap it up if you see it.

And for pudding, a Peachy Sundae. I had forgotten how good Lough Gill is at this sort of thing too. Yes, it's fruit flavoured and 7% ABV, and it contains lactose and invokes a vanilla-ish dessert, but it's actually sour. In the glass it's a dark carrot-orange colour, but it doesn't gloop, and the head crackles briefly before disappearing. The body is thin, without being watery, and there's very little sign of the alcohol. There's very little sign of the peach, for that matter, only a very broad icepop-esque summer-fruit tang. I'll note here that no fruit or flavouring is listed on the ingredients but I assume that's an oversight. The main act is a deliciously hard and acidic sourness, scouring the palate and tickling the salivary glands, the way proper mixed-fermentation beer does. This may even be one. I'm guessing the sizeable strength is created by voracious yeast, rather than simply loading up the wort with excessive amounts of sugar. I had no choice but to take it slowly, and as it warmed I began to detect a hint of sweeter, creamier vanilla lactose, but it never came close to matching the main tart tang. This is a beaut, and I commend it to anyone who might be put off by thinking from the name that it isn't proper beer.

Any guesses as to the last brewery of the sequence? We're not moving far.

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49525-The-Beer-Nut-September-pairs-4-Lough-Gill <![CDATA[Shut up about Barclay Perkins - Let's Brew Wednesday - 1941 Youngs Ale]]> https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49524-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-Let-s-Brew-Wednesday-1941-Youngs-Ale&goto=newpost Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:58:30 GMT *Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2026/09/lets-brew-wednesday-1941-youngs-ale.html)* Image:... Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

If you know anything in the UK tax system, you’ll understand why the gravity of Ale hadn’t fallen very much. A gravity of under 1027º wasn’t economically sensible.

A reasonable degree of attenuation leaves it at just a touch under 3% ABV. So just about intoxicating. And stronger than the beer in most of Europe at the time.

Have there been any changes to the grist? Well, a few. The base malt is now all mild malt, rather than a mixture of pale and mild malt. There’s rather more crystal malt. Possibly, to compensate for the quantity of No. 3 invert being halved.

There were two types of hops: Sussex from 1940 and spent hops. The latter are always fun in a recipe. How do I take them into account? With great difficulty is the answer.
1941 Youngs Ale
mild malt 5.00 lb 82.37%
crystal malt 120 L 0.67 lb 11.04%
malt extract 0.175 lb 2.88%
No. 3 invert sugar 0.175 lb 2.88%
caramel 1000 SRM 0.05 lb 0.82%
Fuggles 120 min 0.50 oz
Fuggles 30 min 0.50 oz
OG 1028
FG 1006
ABV 2.91
Apparent attenuation 78.57%
IBU 14
SRM 14
Mash at 152º F
Sparge at 170º F
Boil time 120 minutes
pitching temp 59º F
Yeast WLP002 English Ale



More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49524-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-Let-s-Brew-Wednesday-1941-Youngs-Ale Retired Martin - END OF THE ROAD 2026. FRIDAY – MICROTONAL MATH ROCK https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49523-Retired-Martin-END-OF-THE-ROAD-2026-FRIDAY-–-MICROTONAL-MATH-ROCK&goto=newpost Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:52:01 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/09/09/end-of-the-road-2026-friday-microtonal-math-rock/)* September 2026. End of... Visit The Retired Martin site

September 2026. End of the Road Festival. Dorset. 2025 saw a biblical deluge at End of the Road; this year we had the last heatwave of the year and a campervan turned into a sauna as I returned for my daily snooze mid-afternoon. Still, it gets cold on Cranborne Chase overnight. Mrs RM had packed… Continue reading END OF THE ROAD 2026. FRIDAY – MICROTONAL MATH*ROCK

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49523-Retired-Martin-END-OF-THE-ROAD-2026-FRIDAY-–-MICROTONAL-MATH-ROCK Retired Martin - END OF THE ROAD 2026. THURSDAY – GETTING OUR GEESE IN A ROW https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49521-Retired-Martin-END-OF-THE-ROAD-2026-THURSDAY-–-GETTING-OUR-GEESE-IN-A-ROW&goto=newpost Tue, 08 Sep 2026 19:12:22 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/09/08/end-of-the-road-2026-thursday-getting-our-geese-in-a-row/)* September 2026.... Visit The Retired Martin site

September 2026. Cranborne Chase. Dorset. Pubs and football and Chinese takeaways are all well and good, but it’s people who really interest me. Take the people Mrs RM and I brought into the world. What explains Matthew’s musical taste compared to mine (or James’s) ? Why’s he wearing a Townes Van Zandt t-shirt in 2026… Continue reading END OF THE ROAD 2026. THURSDAY – GETTING OUR GEESE IN A*ROW

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49521-Retired-Martin-END-OF-THE-ROAD-2026-THURSDAY-–-GETTING-OUR-GEESE-IN-A-ROW <![CDATA[Retired Martin - DUSTON, DONE & DUSTED]]> https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49518-Retired-Martin-DUSTON-DONE-amp-DUSTED&goto=newpost Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:17:06 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/09/08/duston-done-dusted/)* September 2026. Duston. Northampton. You left me in the... Visit The Retired Martin site

September 2026. Duston. Northampton. You left me in the Squirrels in Duston, having volunteered to leave the pub (kitchen closed by 8) in search of food for James, Matt and Emma. And they thought Oates was a hero in 1912. Five steps across the road lies the quaintly named “Duston Village Chippy“, whose stock is… Continue reading DUSTON, DONE &#38;*DUSTED

More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49518-Retired-Martin-DUSTON-DONE-amp-DUSTED Shut up about Barclay Perkins - War in brewing records https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49517-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-War-in-brewing-records&goto=newpost Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:14:30 GMT *Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2026/09/war-in-brewing-records.html)* For the most part, brewing... Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

For the most part, brewing records note the details of a specific brew. With, perhaps, details of the weather that day. But, occasionally, the outside world intrudes on the cosy industrial documentation.

I came across this one yesterday. In a Young's brewing record. (PA, it you're interested. Which was 4.5% ABV. I doubt that there was anywhere else in Europe you could have found a beer that strong on that date.)
VE Day was a big deal. Especially in London, which had been under attack for virtually the whole of the war. VE Day represented a return to normality. Even though the war ewith Japan continued. AT least there was no longer a need for the blackout.

Going back a couple of years, on 9th September 1940, a brew of Porter and several Stouts noted:
Air Raid Warnings:_
5:15 p.m. to 6:25 p.m.
AND 8:40 p.m. to 5:45 a.m.
This was the fag end of the Battle of Britain and the start of the Blitz. Look at how long those warnings were. Around ten hours in total. That must have been both disruptive and scary.

A few months later, things were even worse for Boddington in Manchester. Their brewery suffered sever damage

"BIG AIR RAID ON MANCHESTER
ON NIGHTS OF DEC 23RD & 24TH
BREWERY BADLY DAMAGED
BY FIRE & EXPLOSIVES
ALL BEER IN F.V.S & R.S.S
SPOILT
RAN AWAY"
The damage was so bad, that the next brew was around 9 months later, on 25th August 1941.


More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49517-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-War-in-brewing-records Retired Martin - TO THE END OF THE ROAD. VIA DUSTON https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49516-Retired-Martin-TO-THE-END-OF-THE-ROAD-VIA-DUSTON&goto=newpost Mon, 07 Sep 2026 19:48:23 GMT *Visit The Retired Martin site (https://retiredmartin.com/2026/09/07/to-the-end-of-the-road-via-duston/)* September 2026. Sheffield to... Visit The Retired Martin site

September 2026. Sheffield to Northampton. Yes ! I’m alive, just back from four (4) days without internet (unless you stand in a field of sheep in Cranborne Chase). Lots of exciting music reviews from End of the Road ’26 to come, but first, and most excitingly, a night in the western suburbs of Northampton. Calm… Continue reading TO THE END OF THE ROAD. VIA*DUSTON

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More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49512-Appellation-Beer-One-link-one-paragraph-34 Shut up about Barclay Perkins - What is Table Beer? https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49511-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-What-is-Table-Beer&goto=newpost Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:29:43 GMT *Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2026/09/what-is-table-beer.html)* Another of my little videos.... Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

Another of my little videos. This one is about the most watery type of UK beer: Table Beer.



More... ]]> Blog Tracker Blog Tracker https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49511-Shut-up-about-Barclay-Perkins-What-is-Table-Beer The Beer Nut - September pairs 3: Third Barrel https://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/showthread.php?49508-The-Beer-Nut-September-pairs-3-Third-Barrel&goto=newpost Mon, 07 Sep 2026 07:12:52 GMT *Visit The Beer Nut site (https://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2026/09/september-pairs-3-third-barrel.html)* Image:... Visit The Beer Nut site

I'm happy to observe that The Christchurch, Third Barrel Brewing's new pub, is performing its required role exceptionally well, as the hangout of preference for Dublin's zytherati.

The line of Third Barrel beers themed around it continues with The Chimes, a hoppy lager. I was a little apprehensive since the recent Eight Degrees one wasn't to my taste, but this goes hoppier. There's a soft peachy flavour on top of the crispness, and a late bitter poke, more cheeky than assertive. It's only 4.3% ABV, so as a draught-only house beer it's very well adapted. Their Czech-style Hello, Yes is better, but I can see myself switching between the two on the regular.

The lack of a tap badge on the day I came in means you're spared the woeful AI graphic of Two Sides's The Pursuit of Hoppiness. It was nice not to have the distraction because this is an excellent beer. It's an IPA of 5.4% ABV and brewed in collaboration with fellow Third Barrel client brewer, Hopsicle. And although it's doubtless designed for pub drinking -- now that all three companies involved are in the on-trade -- it's not short on complexity for considered drinking. That slightly high-for-the-pub strength gives it a satisfying weight and density, which is used to great effect by the hops. The result is wonderfully dank and oily, starting on a bright note of lime zest before turning to a more serious pine resin. A counter-melody of juicy cantaloupe plays alongside. It's a fun beer: session-drinkable, just about, while showcasing multiple attributes of the marvellous hop. The name is well chosen.

Whether we'll be seeing much by way of new beers from guest breweries at The Christchurch remains to be seen. As an outlet for new Third Barrel product alone, however, it's a welcome addition to our city's beer scene.

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