Your favourite......

[Soup Dragon]

Ok. An appeal to the users of this site. Please answer this, and that includes the chaps in the PG office, just to get a little life in the chit chat forum and hopefully show that people are not just using it to get a map with the pub locations - which to be fair is what i used it for - until i thought i should give something back!

Your favourite........

Bitter, lager, MILD, cider.
Pub - the last one you would visit if the Grim Reaper allowed you a pint worth
Pub town - where would you go for a crawl if he was generous and gave you a night's drinking

So here is mine;-

MILD - my favourite drink, but Holdens comes out tops for me.
Bitter - tough one this, but i think Bathams edges it, so good, its nearly a MILD!
Cider - I dont mind a cider, especially in summer (that is a season we have, apparently) but no strong favourite - dont laugh, but Woodpecker is probably it.
Lager - would rather have my teeth pulled.

Pub - The Railwayman's Arms in Bridgnorth. Sheer quality for an archivist, which is what i do. Read my report. Customer service, environment, beer choice and quality - all spot on

Crawl - Only one day, so it would be Bridgnorth again, ahead of Whitby. If i was extra-lucky and was granted a few days, then York - either way i would be in heaven before the GR got his scythe on me!

Will i get a reply, or will the tumbleweed blow???

[Conrad]

Hi Historian,

Well I definitely use the site for more than maps and pub locations, and am very glad that you are giving something back, hopefully we can gradually crank this place to life.

Sadly your line of questioning is going to end up completely outing me, I have never been much of a drinker, and after a prolonged hospital stay a couple of years back for Leukaemia I had until the last month or so given up apart from the odd pint. So my rather poor answers are:

Bitter: Recently been drinking mainly Sharps Doombar which seems to now be in every pub in Bristol: either they are storing it differently or brewing it differently now though as it seems to be becoming less tasty. Happily coming into Bath Ales Festivity season so that should compensate a little.

Lager: Will grab a Stella when I just need to politely down a drink in the local ACME chain pub.

Mild: Look I live in the South, you are just making up these drinks now.

Cider: Oh great - not satisfied with ostracizing me from PG you want to get me banned from my Football Club (Bristol City). Thats that stuff I used to drink when I was 16 in large bottles isn't it, I am most definitely not a Cider drinker, no matter what the song lyrics say.

Pub: Goodness, long time since I have really cared about a pub, my current regular is the Bunch of Grapes, nice for an after work Friday drink, or Seamus O'Donnells a tiny but friendly pub in the city center. If I were allowed to give the Grim Reaper a quick game though it would have to be pool at The Sportsman.

Crawl: Well I cut my teeth going on Crawls round Bath, so would have to say there for the pub Crawls, too many to name and so many of them changed now, but it used to be so easy to fall out of the door of one pub straight into the next. Never really got the hang of pub crawls in Bristol despite the oft quoted at university 'cresta run' down Whiteladies Road and Park Street (too expensive and Lager laden for me).

And with that insight I shall now hang my head in shame and go back to the coding which is my true love .

Conrad

[Soup Dragon]

Hi Conrad

Soory to hear about your health issues and hope things are all on the way up now.

Doombar is never a poor answer, Squire. I only managed to get it in the White Lion in Walsall for ages - majestic stuff. It was everywhere in Devon, which contributed to the success of the holiday - as did the St Austell Tribute and Otter Ales.

Stella - are you still doing joke comments from Father Ted - if not, watch your language. Lager is the devil's seed (is that from Blackadder?)

MILD - you heathens down there, one day you will grow up and find a real drink!

Cider - yes, it does have memories of my first drink related puking session! i tend to treat it with respect these days. Been a few years since i saw Bristol City play (Villa here of course) Went to Ashton Gate once, as i do the footy grounds slowly. Also the Gas. Song lyrics - that would be Goodnight Irene you lot sing wouldnt it?

Pub - Bunch of Grapes looks ok - been a few years since i was in Bristol 'researching'. I want to do the Seven Stars and Cornucopia, heard good stuff about them - may ask you for a few ideas then when i head to Temple Meads. Clearly though you need to look beyond Bristol and Bath - where do you holiday, Portishead?

Crawl - Only done a few places in Bath and before rating days at that. Always a nice place to go for a guy like me, so will look at it for future. Get yourself and the PG team up to York, for a team building weekend of course!

[Conrad]

Health is fine now, was luckily one of those cancers where if they get it with the chemo, it is gone. And it has been gone for a couple of years now, so looks likely it is gone for good.

Blackadder hmmmmm, the only devils reference I can remember is to the Devil's Dumplings in the episode Beer. Dave will be along in a minute to give his favourites and I am guessing that with regards to Lager he will suggest it is the work of Beezlebub and that in his house they only drink Bitter. Although he may not suggest that 2 bitters is a luxury.

I am stunned that you could refer to our blue counterparts, I may be forced to return with vengeful retorts if I could think of any. Been a while since we have had a good excuse to play Villa, but I live in hope of us playing them within the next couple of years.

Seven Stars & Cornubia are both excellent pubs, although following the chat on a another sites forum they would appear to be having a little 'friendly' banter between the 2, almost like visiting Craggy and Rugged Islands.

Holiday in Portishead - far to luxurious. I chuck my bags in the back of my Cortina and race off down to Weston me. Alternatively I may be hopping off to Tenby for a weekend in a couple of weeks, never know they may do Milds there.

Bath is a lovely place to visit, pub life does seem to have gone downhill in recent years though, although that just means that some excellent new ones have appeared for people to find (I hope).

[Dave M]

Hi Historian,

I'm the other half of the PG team.

Mild - I can't honestly think of any mild that I've sampled around Bristol. I have just been looking through the Cumbrian breweries to see what I was drinking on my last visit to the Lakes. Sadly it looks like I stuck mainly to pale ales, can't see any milds at all.

Bitter - I'm with Conrad on the Doom Bar, first had it on a visit to Cornwall 3 years ago and then within a year it seemed to have taken over the South West. When I was in Devon last year I enjoyed a few rather nice brews from South Hams Brewery, I had a particularly nice Wild Blonde at the nearby Tradesmans Arms.

Cider - My dad used to let me drink Woodpecker in pubs from the time I was about 13, then I progressed onto Blackthorn. One particularly heavy night on that when I was 22 put me off cider for good (well for 11 years so far anyway). I do regret never really getting into all the more interesting scrumpy we have round these parts.

Lager - I can't recall the name, but one of the major German brands that is served everywhere in Northern Italy is rather nice. Lager should clearly only be consumed in countries where they don't know what real beer is.

Last pub - The Warren House Inn (I'm sure I have taken a photo of it, must look for that later and get it on the site!) on the middle of Dartmoor, it is a rather bleak area and there is nothing really remarkable about the pub but it serves decent beer was a friendly place and is in surroundings that I rather enjoy. Just everything that a pub should be for me.

Last crawl - Think I would aim to finally get round to trying all the pubs in Ambleside.

Dave

[Soup Dragon]

Hi chaps,

Please call me Paul in posts if you want, otherwise it feels a bit formal

I believe the was a phrase..... the devil fa*ts in my face once again... but good to hear all is clear on the health front. Drive to Weston for hols do you - You have a woman's Cortina so Dave has just PM'd me - and talking of pirates, it must have been hell for you when the Gas played at Twerton Park for a while, if you are a Bath boy.

Yes, i noticed the banter in 'the other place', still, will head down to Bristol at some point. I will bring a 4-pack of Banks's MILD to educate you unfortunates in the art of imbibing MILD. Like Saul on the road to Damascus, you will be converted.

A pal of mine has just returned from Tenby and they did Banks's in a pub there, but the barman refused to acknowledge Original as MILD! Brains should be around to.

hello Dave - i had high hopes for your carrer at PG, until the 4th line, when you hadnt tried MILD. I will get the Bishop of Bath and Wells to heat a spike for you! You ralied when you mention Doombar as a cracking pint, that it be - i once heard a wise woman say and i agree too.

continental lagers are still awful, though i have become partial to a leffe - but that isnt a lager.

Dont want to worry you, but that deserted, remote place you mention in Dartmoor, is a prison.

I will have a look at Ambleside pubs and see if i have done any in the past, i am sure i have, but in the days when i didnt make notes.

[Galore Admin]

Hi Paul,

The Devil fa*ts in my face was another quote from the same episode (just in case anyone is really scared of my trivia here I am cheating and using the imdb's quotes page).

As other people are also reading I should probably remove some of the crypticness as well the other place is BITE, and to get our policies out of the way we allow any linking as long as it is in context. I just don't mention them as I am not a fan of the way they are run.

Wasn't Saul struck blind on the road to Damascus? This mild stuff sounds a little strong to me. I will definitely be keeping my eye out now though.

As to Rovers I seem cursed to have them follow me, they did indeed play in Twerton whilst I lived there, you could always tell match days by the vast amount of Police vans that suddenly appeared (as they do at every league match, nothing against Rovers there). Then when I went to University in Bristol they followed me there and occupied the Mem less than a mile away from where I rented. I actually only came to football after my University years though and strangely chose the other side of the City to follow.

Conrad

Edit: OOOOOooooopsy, posted as Admin, should have posted as me, too confusing to change now though.

[Soup Dragon]

Hi Paul,

The Devil fa*ts in my face was another quote from the same episode (just in case anyone is really scared of my trivia here I am cheating and using the imdb's quotes page).

As other people are also reading I should probably remove some of the crypticness as well the other place is BITE, and to get our policies out of the way we allow any linking as long as it is in context. I just don't mention them as I am not a fan of the way they are run.

Wasn't Saul struck blind on the road to Damascus? This mild stuff sounds a little strong to me. I will definitely be keeping my eye out now though.

As to Rovers I seem cursed to have them follow me, they did indeed play in Twerton whilst I lived there, you could always tell match days by the vast amount of Police vans that suddenly appeared (as they do at every league match, nothing against Rovers there). Then when I went to University in Bristol they followed me there and occupied the Mem less than a mile away from where I rented. I actually only came to football after my University years though and strangely chose the other side of the City to follow.

Conrad

Edit: OOOOOooooopsy, posted as Admin, should have posted as me, too confusing to change now though.

First of all, you are a bloomin' cheat using a quote thingy..... you should be savaged by a huge turbot.

As far as BITE is concerned, i use it a lot. It has its issues, like PG. As i am a user i guess i can say what i feel about both, i have on BITE as well. I wont be offended if it is cut out! BITE suffers from a lack of administration, this site from lack of active users. If BITE carries on the way its going, i will leave reviews of pubs, but not bother with the forum. Its sad, as there are a lot of decent people that chat on the forum, but a few are spoiling it. There is no chat here to spoil, but you may notice that i do not leave rating scores here, just comments, as BITE shows how the rating system can be corrupted. You guys have shown in one thread that you are happy to get involved in chat etc, to the point that i can already abuse your lack of beer knowledge!

Saul was struck blind - but that wasnt the power of the Lord, but the meths he was drinking. It led to his conversion, to MILD, oh! and to Christianity, to the point that he changed his name to Paul (Norwich Union were not the first to do it - Aviva - i thought that was a 70s Vauxhall).


MILD is not an 'incredibly strong ale', Banks's 3.5, Holdens 3.7.


I went to see the Gas at the Mem - even got their 3rd strip top for a tenner at the time - orange! why did i do it? they played Kidderminster. I remembered the City match i went to. It was against Blackpool some years back. It wasnt a play-off, but last game of the season and i think if QPR or Sheff Wed lost and you won, you got into play offs or something. A bit hazy now.

Do you not drink down the docks, i hear there is good money to be made down there?

[Conrad]

Hi Paul,

If I can't cheat how can I work out your savaged by a huge turbot reference? Without the internet I have about as much talent as a cluster of colour-blind hedgehogs in a bag.

As to other sites we welcome all comments, but I have taken advantage of the opportunity to start another thread.

Have you ever considered taking a role in religous education? I would have remembered far more of it with your clearly more honest interpretation of the texts. If he was drinking meths though he was clearly a cider drinker.

If we are going to talk Rovers strips then it would not be complete without mention of their lovely pink strip from a few years back (which if I am honest I only discovered was an April Fool when I went looking for a picture). I don't remember the match you mention but I was there, part of our 'defeat is not a failure' season that saw Danny Wilson get ousted, which was a pity, the season before that had what was probably our most attacking side I have watched. That said we have gone up under Johnson so shant complain.

We may have to get a Work Experience student in to do our dock pub research. Actually having written that I suddenly remember that when I was at school (in Bristol) the tradition was to drink at a certain cluster of pubs by the dock as they would serve you on the basis you sat outside so no one knew where you had bought the drink from, given all the pubs are still there I probably best let that memory lie though.

[Soup Dragon]

I noticed the new thread, and i will give a little more detailed account later on it, after the England game, unless i have had a MILD too many!

The closest i got to religious education was to study brewing in Medieval Monastries!