O.T.B.T.&THANKS TO THE DEVIL &APOLOGIES

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O.T.B.T.  York Pride-3.7%-Acorn                                                                                                            Littlemoor Citra-4.1%-Ashover                                                                                                  Ruby Mild-4.4%-Rudgate                                                                                                                   She Sells Seashells-4.7%-Gadds’ (that’ll be interesting after a couple)

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, having had BARNSLEY BITTER 3.8% brewed by ACORN BREWERY on the bar and what a cracking old style Yorkshire bitter it is. Many, many  years ago, when I first  discovered the joys of beer it was Barnsley  Bitter in The Royal Hotel and The Britannia (now closed) in my home town of Scunthorpe.                          Both of these houses were owned by The Barnsley Beer Co and the beer brewed at The Oakhill Brewery, just next to Barnsley Football ground. Now it seems to me in the beer/pub world there are predators and victims.In this situation the victim was The Barnsley Beer Co. and the predator was John Smiths henceforth referred to as The      Devil. Well overnight my beloved Barnsley Bitter disappeared to be replaced with Johns Smiths hand pull. UMmm I thought this is ok but nowhere near as good as the recently  deceased (or at least so I thought). Barnsley Bitter then had a rather chequered story to tell, at one time even being brewed in Lancashire, not a happy Yorkshireman to be found. Eventually Dave Hughes founded Acorn and brought it back to Barnsley. With justified success and awards.                                                                                                                                      Why be thankful to the Devil you may wonder, well it set me off on a voyage of discovery, leaving no beer untasted, otherwise had things been different I would still be in Scunny drinking Barnsley Bitter, but may have kept The Britannia open. My  Top 10 Beers is like my Top 10 Tracks continually in a very pleasant state of flux.                              Then the Devil was devoured by Scottish and Newcastle, which in turn was consumed by Heineken. In yesteryear each town had it’s own brewery or two or three, some to go on to be Regional Brewers, some to go on to be National Brewers, and then this is where it starts getting scary, International Brewers which have in turn spawned, very very frightenly, Global Brewers.AB Inbev + SAB Miller which owns 50% of the brewing of Planet Earth. Consumer choice would be dictated by shareholders but for the Micro’s, who need all the support we can give them. Hic.

MUSIC NIGHT Monday 6th March. Carole and Jamie Robb et al, Traditional Northumbrian Music, a bit of folk and a bit of all sorts. All are welcome with there instrument of choice to join in.

MUSIC NIGHT Tuesday 7th March. An alternative night of  Traditional Music-a critique to follow next week.

APOLOGIES  This may appear to have been typed by a dyslectic  retard, but it is WordPress, honestly. What you see here bears no or very little resemblance to what I wrote.

O.T.B .T. CORRECTION, &THE VISITATION

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O.T.B.T.

Thistledown-3.4%-Five Towns

Seasider-4.3%-Gadd’s

Barn Owl-4.5%-Cotleigh

Stars & Stripes-5.2%-Rudgate

CORRECTION (if you are into that sort of thing)

At least one person reads this as she spotted the not so deliberate mistake, from last weeks blurb The Mason’s Arm’s is in Norham not Arnham. Not sure if it was my reading or writing or more than likely the beer.

THE VISITATION

On Sunday on the Fifth Day of March  Malcolm Cometh (AKA Malcolm Bastow  of Five Towns Brewery, Wakefield) with a selection of his beers,some also from North Riding and Black Jack Breweries-oh happy days.

SHROVE TUESDAY FOOTBALL

On 28th February February the annual, medieval, no rules(as I can see) Shrove Tuesday Football Match takes place 2.15pm at The Pastures between the two  Parishes of Alnwick

That’s over and out from me.

Back Again to mention as well as our every other Monday Music Night as of  March the first Tuesday will see another gathering of Traditional/ Folk Musicians.

IN THE PAST AND IN THE FUTURE

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Starting with in the future  BEERS ON THE BAR FRI 17/02/17 will be:-

Tawny  Owl 3.8%- Cotleigh after

El Dorado 4.0%- North Riding

Sea Hawk 4.2%- Cotleigh

Honey Buzzard 4.5%- Cotleigh

No 3, 5.0%- Gadd’s

SAT   18/02/17 Fish and chip supper cancelled due to lack of interest

Mon 20/02/17 MUSIC NIGHT

Now the past, Sat 28/01/17 saw me hitching a lift, on a CAMRA  reccy of the North           Northumberland Coast up to Berwick and the hinterland  at Beadnell on a usual back  end of January day, overcast and damp. However it is a beautiful coast to see whatever the prevailing weather,usually overcast and damp. The day was more enjoyable with good company and numerous stop overs at various hostelries more of which later.                A couple of observations of the day, the beer quality varied as much as the cost,  why  do foody pubs charge so much for  a pint when they are making a scandalous mark-up on food? Anyone that knows me, knows I have no great love of Alnwick  Ales firstly for there lack of provenance, it is brewed anywhere and everywhere other than Northumberland never-mind Alnwick. I am told even theAlnwick Rum is blended in Holland. Secondly I find their beers bland at best, however we had rather long stopover at the Castle Inn Bamburgh. A foody pub with vastly overpriced beer and my heart fell when I saw they had two Alnwick Ales on, Amber and Gold, the weather was too inclement to venture forth so a pint of Amber which lived up to my expectations. The weather had not improved any and still time to spare, I had a pint of the Gold and was most pleasantly surprised, probably the best pint of the day.                                                  Pubs of the day were The Ship at Seahouses foodie  but can be forgiven for the selection of beers and the wonderful bar, cluttered with nautical bric-a-brac. The  Pilot at Berwick, hidden away in the back streets,as if forgotten about in the scheme of things,loved but untouched for years and no food unless you asked nicely for a Growler.  The third pub  highlight was the Masons Arms at Arnham nice comfortable busy old pub, lost a few points for a TV though. To be continued.

HAPPY BELATED

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New Year  both English and Chinese. Sat 28/01/17 joined a Camra survey of coastal       Northumberland  and hinterland,  more later

BEERS ON THE BAR  Friday  3/02/17        SCRUMPY CIDER& PERRY  ON THE BAR

U.S. IPA 5.5%- North Riding                         Old Rosie   7.3%

White Star 4.5% Titanic                                   Moonshine 7.5%                                                      Dark   Cherry 4.4%  Titanic                             Original Perry 7.5%

Colchester No1 4.1% Colchester

BEERS IN THE CELLAR   o/s means “on stillage” ready to rock and roll

RUDGATE                                                          COTLEIGH

Jorvik Blonde 3.8 (o/s)                                  Tawny Owl 3.8% (o/s)

Cry Wolf 4.0% (o/s)                                       Commando 4.0%

NORTH RIDING                                              Cotleigh 25 4.0%

El Dorado 4.0% (o/s)                                      Sea Hawk 4.2%

Jester 4.3% (o/s)                                               Honey  Buzzard 4.5%

Aussie Pale 4.5%                                              Barn Owl 4.5%

ASHOVER                                                          Old Buzzard 4.8%                                                        Poets Tipple 4.0%

Little Moor Citra 4.1%

The Fabrick 4.5%

BEERS COMING SOON

Gadds Brewery

Vale Brewery

Rudgate Brewery

More off than on

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My internet connection that is.

SAT 15th MARCH

 Well much has happened in my absence, as you will see by the poster. I am Gob-smacked, Overwhelmed,. Overawed and reet  Chuffed. Not only North Northumberland Pub of the Year, but overall Tyneside and Northumberland Pub of the Year. That surely calls for a beer (reason no.2342)

Whilst off-line and unable to get a pass out from the asylum, I filled my time and bladder, testing, checking and re-testing the beers, in the cellar and on the bar (it’s hellish but someone has to do it).

The beers that stood out to me were Sledging 5.1% by Five Towns, a naturally cloudy wheat beer, very off putting to anyone seeing it on the bar, it being quite murky looking. But the complex taste more than made up for that, prominent banana, some orange and  raspberry,along with a good wheat beer spiciness, so for supper it was toast with jam, mushed up banana a good sprinkling of sugar and under the grill to caramelize-Lush. Also from Five Towns, Ashes 4.3% a very  tasty pale copper hoppy (mosaic and perles)  brew. Now this brew has changed my mindset it was a great joy and pleasure to drink this, it ticked all the boxes. Looking forward to Outwood Gold 5.0% this weekend. I am now going to waffle on many years ago I had a beer in the cellar that was clear and bright and I did not like the taste of so I would not put it on, push came to shove as I needed a replacement at that ABV ,so I put it on. It sold like hot-cakes. So beer is a personal   thing”one man’s meat is another man’s poison.” Again so or so again I  will give give the brewers tasting notes or if unavailable my own along with my own personal rating. 0-1 Nondescript 5 Peculiar Blue, Jaipur, Stallion, Summer Lighting,Yankee, Brugges Triple, Chimmay Blue Cap.   Another brew that stood out was from the ex porn cinema The Usual 4.4% by Milk  Wood

BEERS ON THE BAR TONIGHT

 FIVE TOWNS-Outwood Gold 5.0%

MARSTON MOOR-Merrie Maker 4.5%

SONNET43 Bourbon Milk  Stout  4.3%

NOOK Baby Blond 3.8%

FORTHCOMING BEERS

B&T-Shefford, Beds

Golden Fox 4.1%

Dragon Slayer 4.5%

CULLERCOATS-Cullercoats, Tyne & Wear

Shuggy Boat 3.8%

FIVE TOWNS-Wakefield, W. Yorks

Baby Blue 4.5%

Monster Mash 5.1%

HIGH HOUSE FARM-Matfen, Northumberland

Lily Brewster 4.5%

NOOK-Holmfirth,

Yorks 3.7%

OSSETT-Ossett, W Yorks

York Blonde 3.9%

Silver King 4.3%

RAW-Staveley, Derbs

Summit Pale 4.1%

Try Ale 4.1%

JR Best Bitter 4.2%

Dark Peak Stout 4.5%

RUDGATE-Tockwith, York

Perles of Wisdom 4.0%

Odins Horn 4.1%

SONNET43-Durham

Steam Beer 3.8%

 I.P.A. 4.4%

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