Whilst the fabled 53 bus route pub crawl is pretty much
unbeatable (Sheaf View, Tap, Harlequin, Gardener`s, et al), the 43 is tidy too
and its major merit is that it stops right on the doorstep of The Rutland Arms
on Brown Street.
This place is a real dichotomy; the off-hand bar-staff do
their best to put you off the place but the beer keeps getting better. Swerving
the Marston`s and the Blue Bee bumblings, you are usually left with tidy tackle
from the likes of Hudds` heroes SWB and Magic Rock plus they maintain a crafty connection
with Steel City Brewing and South Walian offshoot Hop Craft. Prices are premium
to be sure but the quality is evident, usually. Unholy Trinity is a 6.66% stout
that represents a collaboration between Shakespeare`s, Raw and, of course,
Sheffield stalwarts, Steel City. With this one, think breakfast beer with a bitter
bite and a tan top. The ABV is the devil`s own work (probably good that my subsequent bus wor
late because it gave me time to freeze my proverbials off and to sober up) and
it is possessed by the hoppy hallmark of Steel City. Unholy Trinity is bitter.
Yep, we have posh sugar in there somewhere and coffee, but the caffeine kick is
certainly a bitter one amongst the obligatory hops, hops and hops that we so love.
And beer bus types needs to know that, in addition, the 43 also stops about 17 yards, give or take, from The Coach and Horses (btw on the 53 you end up at Sammy Smith`s Mother Redcap in Bradway, eek!). However, this place was Thornbridge`s original (and best) Tap and, although it is located a good half mile, give or take, out of the RePUBlic and into the woolly pit shaft that is North-East Derbyshire, it has been responsibly adopted by civilised Sheffield and is conveniently adjacent to the World`s first football club. Here we found hearty fare. Cimmerian is a breakfast stout weighing in at a hefty 6.2%. Although it kind of tastes like a pimped-up Pollards (no bad thing), this one relies on French Coffee for its `je ne sais quoi`, apparently, and it sure hits the spot.
Cimmerian is named after a gothy 90`s track by Rosetta
Stone I am reliably informed (thanks Carlton Town fans!) and it`s certainly dark but is creamier and sweeter (so
maybe McConnells maxed?) than the Trinity tipple and consequently is easier to
sup but still surely a big breakfast. For the record, the Arbor ale here was
nice to see (the C & H doesn`t do many / enough) guest beers although it
was not one of their best but Kipling at the Coach is one of the very best ales
you can imagine, on any bus route!
Oh Yeah, Match report? 0-0!
Other
Scores
Unholy
Trinity 7.5 / 10
Cimmerian
8 / 10
No comments:
Post a Comment