Howard Town Brewery

I have been having a quiet week, but called in to the Angel after picking E up from the train. I was immediately advised by the bar staff to have Hope which was just on. It was pale and hoppy and nicely balanced. It's by Howard Town Brewery of Glossop, who brew some decent beers by and large.

I didn't take a photo of the pump clip and the HT web site hasn't been updated since 2007. What's that all about?

Glossop is in the Peak District. "Ale in Peak Condition". Geddit?

Talk About Hoppy

At our CAMRA meeting last night I started on Phoenix White Monk, keeping a very special beer in reserve for my last pint. The beer? "Let There Be Hops."

Mallinsons - me - a big fan - has brewed this for Dave Szwejkowski (a renowned ticker also known as Dave Unpronounceable) in celebration of his 30th birthday. Described on the Mallinson's web site as "Dark blonde colour. Strong hop aroma, with a slightly sweet malt and balanced hop taste, with a long intense hop finish. Very moreish for its 5.3% ABV."

The description didn't do it justice. It was a hop monster of the first order. Some of our lot couldn't finish their pint. It grew on you, though one and a half was enough.

Lees Buy Punch Pubs

I predicted way back in March that Lees would buy more pubs.To prove the point they have bought a parcel of ten from the debt laden Punch Group. All are in the North West and are as yet un-named.

They will have been bought for cash too I suspect.

Characters

Pubs are full of them. If you go to the right pubs that is and know that character in this sense means someone different and worth knowing. Someone who is different and not worth knowing is usually the pub equivalent of the "nutter on the bus". Sadly there are plenty of the latter too, but get out and about a bit and there is usually someone worthy of note if you keep your eyes (and ears) peeled. It's yet another thing that makes pubs interesting places.

My other "local" when not supping Lees in the THT is the Old(e) Boar's Head (Page 338 of the GBG) and there's one or two characters in there in the tea time crowd. One such is Wayne. So much so, there is a plaque on the wall at his usual spot. It's in the picture. Sorry about the photo quality.

I had my first session on Lees Coronation St Ale on Sunday. It was good.

Mild in May

An early start on Saturday. Our Mild Campaign kicks off today. Report at Lees Brewery promptly for a 10.30 a.m. start. Pints of Brewer's Dark followed by the dry hopped (Goldings) version (Hopping Mad) didn't suck at all. It was interesting to compare and contrast. Both assuredly have their place. I was reminded that beer can be an excellent breakfast drink.

An hour at Lees, a quick thanks to the two lads who had got up early to look after us and off on the short coach journey to Heywood. Two more milds awaited us, plus for the unconvinced, the wheaty and hoppy White Tornado. Most of us stuck to mild and with Black Shadow and Monkeytown Mild on offer, it would have been bad form not to. Both were simply superb with the Monkeytown just edging it for me. And the thing is about mild, when it is in form, it slips down all too easily and don't believe it can't make you pissed. It can.

While some of the more hardy had another two pubs to go at in the afternoon, I opted out to keep sober for the presentation later that day of our Pub of the Year - The Baum in Rochdale. Kindly E drove me there, arriving as the bus disgorged a motley collection of - well - drunks. Continuing the mild theme I had that most rare of experiences. Yes I had a Mallinson's beer I wasn't so keen on. Marina Mild was dark and very intense. It was chewy, bitter, chocolatey with vine fruits and much more. It was just a little busy. I resisted the temptation for Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild too and after the presentation, joined Tyson for a wonderful occurrence of Phoenix Hopsack. I've never had a better sample of this wonderful hoppy beer. All too soon for me it was over. E, being the driver wouldn't join sundry drunks on a further Rochdale pub crawl. It was home and grub for us. After tea, a phone call from some vociferous and noisily pissed people reminded me that I was a wuss. I think Tyson was involved.

ROB CAMRA has a mild passport scheme where you can win a wonderful prize. Full details on the web site

Brauerei Witzgall

I received this rather nice photo from my mate Nick who lives in Franconia. It is of the bier keller in Schlammersdorf on the opening day of its new outdoor drinking year. The beer says Nick, is bitter, hoppy and one of the best in Germany.

He should know. He likes an hour out.

Click on the photo to enlarge.

Punch Drunk

Worried about your pub? Well if it is owned by Punch Taverns, maybe you ought to be. The Punch Group owes its bankers £4.6 billion pounds, secured against its estate of 8,300 pubs. Now when it gets to huge amounts of zeros, I get a bit confused, but it seems to me that is an average debt of £554,000 per pub. No wonder they are screwing their publicans and selling pubs as fast as they can. Not that it will do them any good. As the London Evening Standard remarked the other day "The group has bought back £318 million of debt for a bargain £200 million in the past six months. At 60p in the pound, that either shows investors think the company is doomed, or that they are so strapped for cash they are happy to take what they can get."

How did all this arise I hear you ask, when at the beer orders, most pubs were owned by brewers and more or less debt free? Well, when the pub companies were set up, each pub was mortgaged to pay the breweries for the pubs they had to divest. When pub companies subsequently merged or were taken over, a little bit more was added to the mortgage, with the surplus being trousered by those that sold them. Repeat quite a few times, until we get where we are today. A massive bloody debt that is being paid by the PubCos tenants - and, of course, by their customers. This couldn't go on for ever. Something would happen to stop it. Well a few things have. All at once. They are running out of mugs to take their leases, people aren't visiting pubs and the estate isn't worth what it used to be.

If Punch goes bust, there will be a fire sale of pubs at realistic prices. These pubs then, unburdened by huge debt, might just start to make money again.

The market says the group is worth £237 million. Latest figures indicate they "only" own 7371 pubs, so the debt per pub is actually worse.

Micro Bar

The Food Court of Manchester's massive and eponymous Arndale Centre is a little haven from the lookalike chain stores that infest such places. Among stalls selling Chinese, Lebanese, Indian and other foods, facing the tramlines on Church St, is that most blessed and rare of beasts, a beer stall.

For some years it meandered along in a haphazard fashion selling mediocre beer from a Welsh micro in plastic glasses. Recently the lease was taken over by ambitious Manchester Micro Brewer, Boggart. Now Boggart beers aren't to everyone's taste, so is there cause for celebration? An emphatic yes. While Boggart beers do feature, it is the other arm of their operation that provides the real interest. Boggart factors beer for other brewers. It is a major supplier of cask beer to the free trade and to beer festivals. The fruits of this labour feature as guests on the stall. Despite its typical market size, it sports three handpumps for beer, plus Kupper's Koelsch on draught, as well as a handpumped cask cider. It sells a decent range of bottled beers too, including more or less, the full Brew Dog Range.

Yesterday it had a new guest. Thornbridge Cocoa Dance, a chocolate and mandarin mild. This 3.5% dark beer was correctly conditioned, cool and sparkled. Served in glass now - what an improvement - the beer was full bodied and luscious, with just the merest hint of Terry's Chocolate Orange running through it. A very good and interesting beer indeed, served by a charming and chatty barmaid, who made a change from her grumpy and monosyllabic predecessors.


Spot the error in the price list?

The Villiers

When I lived in Liverpool I often used to frequent the Villiers when in town. A street corner Higsons pub, it was cosy and welcoming with good beer. My old mate RedNev and I, among many others, stopped a lot of Higgies going sour in there.

There was a fearsomely steep set of stairs down to the toilet, so much so, that after a few pints, it looked like a ladder. You needed these pints to have the courage to tackle it.

Like Higsons, I wish it was still there, but it made way for a shopping centre over 20 years ago.

I am grateful to RedNev for the photo and the memories.

Glasses

Yesterday we took a short stroll to the Highway to watch some of the marathon. Huge crowds greeted the red faced and clearly knackered section of runners we observed - the elite having finished hours ago were probably on a training run by then. We had to walk a fair way east before an underpass allowed us to cross the road and head down to Wapping High St. The Prospect of Whitby was straight ahead, so we popped in. The guest beer wasn't brown. It was golden. Hooray. It was also off, as in not available. Boo. GKIPA, Abbot or London Pride? I had the LP which tasted of little, but wasn't as sweet as it sometimes is. It was though in very good condition and at a cool temperature. No cellar skill problems here.

Our next stop was the keg only Captain Kydd. Sam Smith owned, with fine views across the river. I quite like it here and drink the wheat beer, while E drinks Pure Brewed Lager. Only problem - the glasses. I asked for a proper wheat beer glass, but was told they'd mostly been stolen. Hmm. The nonic pints and halves did nothing for either beer.

Maybe they could do a deposit system like Germany for the nice glasses, or, like some Dutch pubs, make the purchaser hand over one of their shoes? Given the fact the customers are a pretty affluent (though thieving) lot, I'd guess their footwear is worth more than a glass? It would certainly be a talking point and maybe give me a decent glass to drink out of.

Good Stuff

My last couple of days in London have been taken up with meeting fellow bloggers. The good news is that I won't bore you with the details, but I will meet Woolpack Dave's recommendation to say nice things about pubs.

I didn't get a bad pint or go to a pub I didn't like in the last two days. OK some of the beer was a bit brown and some I liked a lot less than others, but I suppose it makes a change. Happily though it was interspersed with one or two pale and hoppy beauties. Step forward Dark Star Hophead and Oakham Hareflick, the latter in particular being responsible for me overdoing it slightly last night. I did make my usual pilgrimage to Covent Garden's Porterhouse to sample my favourite Wrassler's Stout. I also tried Clotworthy Dobbin, which was a lot darker than I'd anticipated and rather sweet and fruity, though to my taste, completely over carbonated.

Oh yes, nice things about pubs. Well I found without exception cheerful and pleasant bar staff, clean and welcoming pubs and most were very busy indeed despite the recession. I couldn't even fight my way in to the Harp, as it was overwhelmed with office workers supping madly. I know the Nag's Head in Covent Garden is a pricey tourist trap and that McMullen's beers aren't outstanding, but the pub itself is rather fine, with great views through large windows. I liked the Castle in Furnival St too, where Tyson and I had a pleasant chat with the manager in mid pub crawl and subsequent pubs were no less enjoyable. I even liked the massive JDW we supped in last night - I reckon that for sheer grandeur the Crosse Keys takes some beating and it was going like a fair as most inner London pubs seem to be. One thing really does make a pub buzz and that's a throng of customers and there seemed to be no shortage of them anywhere we went.

So yes, London really does have great pubs with great atmosphere and if you put aside that life doesn't always need to be one big beer festival, you can really have a good time in them.

BBPA Slams Fair Pint

The big brewer and PubCo dominated British Beer and Pub Association has laid into the Fair Pint Campaign over its assertion that it is high rents and the beer tie that is causing pub closures. It counters that it is increases in tax that is doing the dirty - a somewhat diametrically opposite view. Further it blames Fair Pint for letting the government off the hook on tax in yesterday's budget.

A number of bloggers have commented on the dastardly deeds of the PubCos. The knives are out for them and they know it, hence this water muddying exercise. In their present unequal format they are sucking the lifeblood out of pubs and have been doing so ever since the Beer Orders. Now they recognise they've been rumbled.

PubCos and their apologists can huff and puff, but they are on the retreat and not a moment too soon.

Maybe It's because I'm a Northerner

My trip to the Goodman's Field was everything it shouldn't have been. The place is crap. The beer was crap, with the condition of the beer being pitiful. I only had the Finnish Porter. It was flat, tired and a pale shadow of the beer I had tried in Rochdale. I left most of it.

So then a ten minute walk to the Liberty Bounds, a JDW right by the Tower of London. Funnily, despite the location, this is quite a good JDW. It has decent staff, is well laid out and is not at all cavernous and has a reasonable selection of beer in good condition. The list today wasn't inspiring, but I rather liked the Hook Norton Jackpot, which was so old fashioned I half expected to look out of the window and see a Hurricane doing a victory roll over the Thames, as a Bf 109 splashed in a heap. I'd then be joined by Bader and Co saying "Rotten luck Old Boy" as they had a farewell drink with Jerry before carting him off to the pokey. This was, in case you don't get it, a bloody old fashioned beer. An anachronism, so treasure it while you can.

I also quite liked Titanic Velvet Curtain, though the vanilla is a little overwhelming. Last for here, I tried the Czech Lager, Lucan. Umm, yes. It was may be a good beer and had quite a lot of freshness in the nose, but it was so super saturated with CO2, it was hard to discern how it really tasted. It must have been served with at least at three atmospheres of CO2 - probably more. Not a great way to present it at its best.

So two more on this little crawl. The Princess of Prussia is a great old East End pub, but it is a Shepherd Neame tied house with all the inherent problems that brings. The seasonal was - well I can't remember the name - but it tasted exactly like all SN beers. That's a skill in itself, unless you believe as I do, that all the beers from Shepherd Neame are party gyled from a shitty recipe in the first place. If you disagree, keep on supping Shep's beers. It'll mean all the less for me, which is a very good thing.

My last call was a pub a mere 300 yards from my flat, but one which I haven't been in since - oh - ten years ago - a few years after we bought the flat anyway. Main reason being that it was closed for a lot of the time. The Scarborough Arms is in the middle of a small council estate. I enjoyed the real East End atmosphere very much. The pub has a true local following, friendly bar staff and a real community feeling. I liked it enormously. What about the beer though I hear you scream? Well it wasn't great. Fullers LP and GKIPA in very ordinary condition. Bad enough selling bad beer, but bad beer in bad nick? Oh No.

So there we have it for today at least. My thoughts are usually boringly repetitious when it comes to London. As a generalisation, London has such good pubs, but such awful beer. Sort the beer out and London could shine. It won't though, but I do detect a slight trend upwards.

More of which soon!

PS - Tyson is joining me for a slurpo tomorrow. That'll be interesting!

PPS - I love the East End and am so glad our flat is in E1

The Bree Louise

I was given a recommendation to visit this free house near Euston Station by a reader. Cheers Andy. Many years ago when I spent some time working in the not far away Euston Tower, a few us used to pop in there on the way back to civilisation, when I am sure it was called something else. Mind you, normally we went round the corner to the Exmouth Arms - I think it was called that anyway. Is it still there?

So I had a look today. Firstly I was nearly knocked over by the smell of cooking fat and vinegar and secondly, what a gloomy dump. I couldn't get near the small bar for a number of suits blocking the way and the stillage showed a distinct Marston's bias which didn't appeal. I wasn't chancing it. I fled.

Stonch condemned it roundly here. He was pretty tough on it. Rightly so - it is truly awful.

London

I'm off to my London flat for a few days later today. Do any of my readers have any up to date tips for me pub and beer wise?

It'd be nice to go somewhere new to me, with good beer and a decent range. My blog has my usual haunts in it somewhere .