At the end of June me and the other half are heading to Cornwall for a holiday and wonder if anyone has any must haves for pubs down the Penzance way?
Star Inn is already one of the pubs we will end up in after seeing it on Boak and Bailey's blog, but any others?
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Super Injunctions
and how long before someone uses one as part of an advertising campaign.
Let's face it for free publicity it is an amazing resource and many do believe the no publicity is bad publicity nonsense. The Twitter, Facebook and so forth posts that would spring up could be worth it.
Just a thought....
Let's face it for free publicity it is an amazing resource and many do believe the no publicity is bad publicity nonsense. The Twitter, Facebook and so forth posts that would spring up could be worth it.
Just a thought....
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Getting Caught Out
Trouble with having a blog, twitter account and FB is the fact your nearest and dearest know what you are up to without the helpful shield of PR. Not that I'm ever up to anything bad but being allowed to put forward my own version of events is better than someone adding 2 and 2 together and unfortunately coming up with 15.
Thanks to twitter my partner now knows about me trying of arranging a brewery tour for him and our friends to celebrate his birthday. (I drove him to drink you see) He also knows I am designing special invitations for said event, the artful question of 'Are the invites you mentioned on Twitter for your birthday party/drinks?' should have been met with 'No Darling, you techically arrange that one or are you admitting I do all the work?' instead of the sheepish 'No, your one' that I bleeted whilst kicking myself.
Thankfully my Mum doesn't use a computer and can't understand why we have the internet so at least I have that.
Thanks to twitter my partner now knows about me trying of arranging a brewery tour for him and our friends to celebrate his birthday. (I drove him to drink you see) He also knows I am designing special invitations for said event, the artful question of 'Are the invites you mentioned on Twitter for your birthday party/drinks?' should have been met with 'No Darling, you techically arrange that one or are you admitting I do all the work?' instead of the sheepish 'No, your one' that I bleeted whilst kicking myself.
Thankfully my Mum doesn't use a computer and can't understand why we have the internet so at least I have that.
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Darkside of Guest Beers
Normally I am a big fan of guest beers especially in my local area but there is always a dark side to the coin and that is namely when you are away on holiday. The amount of times we have arrived at our destination, unpacked, had a cup of tea and shower then headed out to find a pub for a snack and a pint only to find that they only have guest beers on. The cheerful barperson who exclaims we are lucky they have four guests on this week, and you will easily guess which ones;
London Pride
Youngs Bitter/Winter Warmer (depending on season)
Tribute
And last but not least Broadside
All lovely beers but not usually local to where we are, but in the interest of fairness I guess regulars in that pub/area don’t normally drink them and they are going to keep the pub afloat not us on holiday. LocAle hasn’t spread to other parts of the UK yet it seems, I just wish that with the guests that there would be one pump on with a local brewery’s beer.
Even more ironic was a mini beer festival we happened on, with all London beers in Oxford. Oh well, had to partake otherwise it would be rude!
London Pride
Youngs Bitter/Winter Warmer (depending on season)
Tribute
And last but not least Broadside
All lovely beers but not usually local to where we are, but in the interest of fairness I guess regulars in that pub/area don’t normally drink them and they are going to keep the pub afloat not us on holiday. LocAle hasn’t spread to other parts of the UK yet it seems, I just wish that with the guests that there would be one pump on with a local brewery’s beer.
Even more ironic was a mini beer festival we happened on, with all London beers in Oxford. Oh well, had to partake otherwise it would be rude!
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Free W(h)ine
I really don't understand breweries or pub chains that only do the 'free wine' with a dinner offer. Youngs do it and now I see Nicholsons are doing it too, ironically I saw the Nicholson's offer in the London Drinker of all places.
Surely they would be better off to do the offer as either a pint of beer or glass of wine, unless of course the main aim is to get you buy more wine after the freebie and I'm guessing there may be more mark-up on the wine. However when it is a brewery pub that runs these offers I can't see that. Surely you want to promote your wares not a vineyard?
Come on Guys, if I go to a pub there is a good chance I will be drinking beer rather than wine. So why limit your audience for the deal?
Surely they would be better off to do the offer as either a pint of beer or glass of wine, unless of course the main aim is to get you buy more wine after the freebie and I'm guessing there may be more mark-up on the wine. However when it is a brewery pub that runs these offers I can't see that. Surely you want to promote your wares not a vineyard?
Come on Guys, if I go to a pub there is a good chance I will be drinking beer rather than wine. So why limit your audience for the deal?
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Old Favourites
As much as I like discovering new breweries and beers I do love going back to my old favourites. Maybe not the most ‘fashionable’ of beers but ones I know that when I see them at the bar I will enjoy sitting back with and drinking. They don’t necessarily challenge my taste buds but they always leave a wonderful taste memory after they are gone.
My favourites (in no real order) are;
Fuller’s London Porter – I was grimly waiting for the taste of other black pint which I tried this at a pub the first time and was knocked over by how different it was. This beer did also inspire me to try other stouts and porters but it remains a firm favourite whenever I see it.
McMullen’s Cask – My local brewery and this is probably the beer I drink the most of. Lovely subtle pint which can be warming on a cold day or refreshing on a hot one. Perfect in nearly any occasion.
Timothy Taylor’s Ram Tam – Yes, I know this is Landlord with caramel but it is a gorgeous pint.
Fuller’s ESB – Remains my favourite bitter despite numerous other attempts to the title by others. Gorgeous marmalade flavours mingling with the bitter depths.
Those are mine, so what are yours?
My favourites (in no real order) are;
Fuller’s London Porter – I was grimly waiting for the taste of other black pint which I tried this at a pub the first time and was knocked over by how different it was. This beer did also inspire me to try other stouts and porters but it remains a firm favourite whenever I see it.
McMullen’s Cask – My local brewery and this is probably the beer I drink the most of. Lovely subtle pint which can be warming on a cold day or refreshing on a hot one. Perfect in nearly any occasion.
Timothy Taylor’s Ram Tam – Yes, I know this is Landlord with caramel but it is a gorgeous pint.
Fuller’s ESB – Remains my favourite bitter despite numerous other attempts to the title by others. Gorgeous marmalade flavours mingling with the bitter depths.
Those are mine, so what are yours?
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
The Week Drags ON!
It's doesn't take long for you to get used to short working weeks does it?
This week looked like a long one at the start of the week but now seems even longer this Wednesday lunchtime, we have another 2.5 days to go until the weekend. To think on Sunday I was sitting in a warm pub garden overlooking the Thames with a half in my hand and watching the world pass by, just makes me want to weep now I'm stuck at this desk.
Nothing is better in my mind than sitting in a nice pub either on my own with a book or with my partner or friends. Last weekend's visit to Kingston upon Thames was great, we went to Boaters for lunch, which was the pub on the river. Lovely food and beer was consumed, fat chips with a massive lump of fish and freshly made tartre sauce all washed down with some good beers from the Dorking Brewery and Twickenham Brewery.
One thing I enjoy from pubs is the people watching you can do, and if you are anything like me that will involve making up background stories for them. Perhaps I should have gone into script writing rather than accounts? However the weekend is a short fleeting thing and now I'm at work again. Not only I'm at work but at work for five days rather than the lovely four I was too quickly getting used to!
Still, at least I can look forward to my holiday in June and the lovely things I will be doing, none of which involve accounts or spreadsheets or annoying colleagues.
This week looked like a long one at the start of the week but now seems even longer this Wednesday lunchtime, we have another 2.5 days to go until the weekend. To think on Sunday I was sitting in a warm pub garden overlooking the Thames with a half in my hand and watching the world pass by, just makes me want to weep now I'm stuck at this desk.
Nothing is better in my mind than sitting in a nice pub either on my own with a book or with my partner or friends. Last weekend's visit to Kingston upon Thames was great, we went to Boaters for lunch, which was the pub on the river. Lovely food and beer was consumed, fat chips with a massive lump of fish and freshly made tartre sauce all washed down with some good beers from the Dorking Brewery and Twickenham Brewery.
One thing I enjoy from pubs is the people watching you can do, and if you are anything like me that will involve making up background stories for them. Perhaps I should have gone into script writing rather than accounts? However the weekend is a short fleeting thing and now I'm at work again. Not only I'm at work but at work for five days rather than the lovely four I was too quickly getting used to!
Still, at least I can look forward to my holiday in June and the lovely things I will be doing, none of which involve accounts or spreadsheets or annoying colleagues.
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
More a Cask than a Bottle
At the moment anyways.
A bit tongue in cheek really, I was thinking about all the folks that run in costumes for various marathons. Many friends who watched the Virgin London Marathon commented that it was amusing to see the Fuller's bottle sprint ahead of the Lucozade bottle. Unfortunately my googling skills have deserted me this morning so I still don't know what times either of them got.
It was nice to go out running in the Dorset countryside last week knowing as I sat down to a delish pub lunch that I had burnt off most of it by running. Other pluses included running with wonderful scenery rather than the views I currently have locally which are groups of feral children smoking in the local park nor was I treated to people who think it funny to blow smoke into my face as I run past. Folks in Dorset seem more adult about running and just let you past without comment. The smell of the countryside some mornings was a bit much but who can control a herd of cows who wish to trumpet in the dawn?
I only managed a couple of runs though due to a achy knee but it's getting better now for next week when the running resumes, not before time either, the smell of Deep Heat is getting to me.
Thinking ahead though I did manage to enter the ballot for a place in next years VLM, but I won't know if I am successful until October. Sadly even though I am losing weight I don't think a bottle costume would work, if any brewer has a cask costume then I could currently be more suitable for that. Obviously the aim is to be in a dinky 330ml can of beer costume by the end of the year.
A bit tongue in cheek really, I was thinking about all the folks that run in costumes for various marathons. Many friends who watched the Virgin London Marathon commented that it was amusing to see the Fuller's bottle sprint ahead of the Lucozade bottle. Unfortunately my googling skills have deserted me this morning so I still don't know what times either of them got.
It was nice to go out running in the Dorset countryside last week knowing as I sat down to a delish pub lunch that I had burnt off most of it by running. Other pluses included running with wonderful scenery rather than the views I currently have locally which are groups of feral children smoking in the local park nor was I treated to people who think it funny to blow smoke into my face as I run past. Folks in Dorset seem more adult about running and just let you past without comment. The smell of the countryside some mornings was a bit much but who can control a herd of cows who wish to trumpet in the dawn?
I only managed a couple of runs though due to a achy knee but it's getting better now for next week when the running resumes, not before time either, the smell of Deep Heat is getting to me.
Thinking ahead though I did manage to enter the ballot for a place in next years VLM, but I won't know if I am successful until October. Sadly even though I am losing weight I don't think a bottle costume would work, if any brewer has a cask costume then I could currently be more suitable for that. Obviously the aim is to be in a dinky 330ml can of beer costume by the end of the year.
Monday, 2 May 2011
Brodie's Bunny Basher Festival
I meant to write about this yesterday but due to dodgy internet connection (damn you BT) I am posting today instead. We went on the Saturday, for me this meant just a couple of buses but my other half who was staying in South West London had a longer journey so I waited for him in the pub with a pint of Mild (3.6% ABV). It was a good way to sit back and enjoy my first moments of the festival as I arrived as they were opening and I could watch the first few beer tickers at the bar, good natured toshing about the lack of new beers on and buying a new beer magazine to read whilst I waited.
The beers turned over fast on the day, as soon as one beer was gone another was quickly brought on. I realised halfway though that the good natured beer tickers had disappeared early on and came back in the late afternoon to try the newer beers. Sneaky! :)
From my notes here are a few of the highlights for me of this brilliant festival;
Mild 3.6% ABV, lovely flavoursome mild with a smoky aftetaste.
Cherry popper 4.0% ABV, interesting take on fruit beer almost a cherry lager in taste than a cherry beer.
Old Ardour 5.0% ABV, iron-tanged bitter, very smooth.
Romanov 12.1% ABV, I have had this in bottle form and on cask it is just as gorgeous, I love stouts like this.
Triple 13.3% ABV, strawberry tasting belgium style beer, surprisingly I really liked it as it is not my normal style of beer.
Elizabethan 22.0% ABV, this is gorgeous, smells of sherry and coffee which follow though on the mouth as you drink it. This is rather special indeed.
Summer Berry 3.5% ABV, one of my partner's favourites from this festival, soft berry flavour with a nice tang to it at the end to lift the sweetness.
The festival was very busy and also a very friendly festival too, I would use this festival to introduce newer drinkers to beer. The food was good too, didn't have the bunny burgers but we did try the other options which were rather good indeed. We had a lovely day and we can't wait to go back again.
The beers turned over fast on the day, as soon as one beer was gone another was quickly brought on. I realised halfway though that the good natured beer tickers had disappeared early on and came back in the late afternoon to try the newer beers. Sneaky! :)
From my notes here are a few of the highlights for me of this brilliant festival;
Mild 3.6% ABV, lovely flavoursome mild with a smoky aftetaste.
Cherry popper 4.0% ABV, interesting take on fruit beer almost a cherry lager in taste than a cherry beer.
Old Ardour 5.0% ABV, iron-tanged bitter, very smooth.
Romanov 12.1% ABV, I have had this in bottle form and on cask it is just as gorgeous, I love stouts like this.
Triple 13.3% ABV, strawberry tasting belgium style beer, surprisingly I really liked it as it is not my normal style of beer.
Elizabethan 22.0% ABV, this is gorgeous, smells of sherry and coffee which follow though on the mouth as you drink it. This is rather special indeed.
Summer Berry 3.5% ABV, one of my partner's favourites from this festival, soft berry flavour with a nice tang to it at the end to lift the sweetness.
The festival was very busy and also a very friendly festival too, I would use this festival to introduce newer drinkers to beer. The food was good too, didn't have the bunny burgers but we did try the other options which were rather good indeed. We had a lovely day and we can't wait to go back again.
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