Tyson rants on about his JDW in Bury being bad. He obviously knows too little about Middleton's Harbord Harbord, which can be guaranteed to plumb the considerable Wetherspoon depths. I gave up on it, more or less, a long time ago, but there is a beer festival on, so maybe, just maybe? The usual scrotes were there when I arrived, but cunningly, I called just at the time when the all day losers were going home and the night time losers hadn't yet arrived. That's the way to beat the system here. You have around an hour, between seven and eight!
Glory Be! Seven beers from the festival list were on, so thirds were in order. First up was Bateman's Spring Goddess which had good body and hop with the typical Bateman's house yeast taste. Dry, satisfying and moreish. Then Namyslow Original Plum Beer. This had a nose like Lees Plum Pudding, but there the similarity ended. It was sweet, sweet, sweet, with some Ribena like sweetness. No balancing bitterness. A big yeugh! Next another disappointment. Cain's Bock Beer was smoothly full bodied with no discernible taste or character, other than some caramel in the finish. WTF? I eyed the last three uneasily. Shep's Early Bird, Ringwood 49er - not the publicised new one - and Sharps Eden Ale. The Eden Ale had a strange earthy taste, but good bitterness and malt. Lose the earthiness and it would have been fine, but unexciting. The Shep's was typical. Harsh edged, with a slightly sweet, floral taste to a harsh, flowery finish. At least the beer was improved by decent conditioning and presentation, but it wasn't good. This left the ghastly Ringwood. It had a plasticine nose, vague fruitiness with an odd palate numbing bitterness. A pointless beer in every way. Time was against me, so I finished by having a half each of Lees Brewer's Dark and Theakston's Old Peculier. It would have been Thwaites Mild, but it had just "gone". Both were rather good I thought.
So the HH came up with seven. OK most weren't to my liking, but all were in excellent condition. I walked home in plenty of time for my tea and Ashes to Ashes. Now why are there no pubs in this?
I think they're trying to represent the 80s wine bar boom.
ReplyDeleteThere was a really nice pub in the episode set in Docklands.
"The usual scrotes were there when I arrived, but cunningly, I called just at the time when the all day losers were going home and the night time losers hadn't yet arrived." It is a downside to JDW. Perhaps they should put up Basil Fawlty style posters, "No Riff-Raff!". Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteShow off! Yesterday all Bury had to offer was dried vomit. Interesting you found Spring Goddess ok-it was definitely dodgy in Mncr last night.
ReplyDeleteSurprised you didn't like the Cains. I know I'm a Champion of their beers and so obviously biased, but I really like the Bock.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you have to drink it in Liverpool. BTW Cains creamy stout is well worth a sample if that comes on
I'm a Cains fan too. The Bock was bland, not bad, I think the Raisin Beer is crap and the Creamy Stout too sweet. I love the mild, bitter and FA. They seem to lose it after those.
ReplyDeleteRaisin beer crap? WTF! Again, maybe it doesn't travel well, but, wow, for my money the Raisin Beer is superb.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness to myself, I only said the bock was bland, a comment Nigel also made in response to my earlier JDW post. Maybe it is a bland batch?
ReplyDeleteI think every pint of Raisin Beer I have had, more or less has been drunk in Liverpool. I'm there next Friday, so I'll give it another go, I'll report back here! I repeat though I have rarely been impressed by Cains seasonals or whatever they call them.
Don't know how well you know Liverpool, but if you don't know about it, the Ship and Mitre on Dale Street should be your mecca
ReplyDeleteLike the back of me 'and la'. It is there (the Ship and Mitre)I am going to a leaving "do" of an old Trade Union colleague from my union days in Liverpool.
ReplyDeleteOops I should have added my old mate is from Southport. I'll make a guess you know him!
ReplyDeleteHave to agree with Tandleman about Raisin Beer. Never seemed anything special. Ditto their seasonals. Will be sampling some Cains in Croston in two weeks and then we can compare notes.
ReplyDeleteI'll be in Croston that day too. Spooky or what?
ReplyDeleteFrightening, more like:)
ReplyDeleteI wish I was in Croston every day. So many brilliant pubs in such a small place. Just BTW, are you talking about Raisin Beer in bottle or cask?
ReplyDeleteI think Tandleman and I are both referring to cask Raisin Beer. We'll be visiting the Black Horse in Croston which has several Cains beers on-I'm hoping that might be one of them.
ReplyDeleteSD - I am astonished that you would even think I was talking about anything other than cask! Is it not clear this Tandleman is a cask Tandleman?
ReplyDeleteForgive me!! It must be all this confusion about clocks going forward
ReplyDeleteI love everything I've had by Cain's, and that's only been in bottles. I think the cask version of the raisin beer would blow my mind.
ReplyDeleteBoak: I hope to write good things about Cain's Raisin Beer when I go to Liverpool later this week. We'll see.
ReplyDelete