Montgomeryshire CAMRA Mid Wales Tour

Around this time of year, ale enthusiasts under the badge of CAMRA will be diligently collating and cogitating with regards to their recommendations for the tome that is the Good Beer Guide. To be fair, this is oft a year-long process but now we're at the business end of the beer season.

I hopped on board the fun bus with 14 other fine folk from the Montgomeryshire branch of CAMRA. Now this lot are active, proactive even, in their promotion of proper pints in the beautiful heart of rural Wales but their task is a tough one. Entry to the GBG ought to be presented by Willy Wonka in these parts as pubs aplenty procure pints that are pretty close to perfection...

AREA PUB MAP

 I met my convivial host Jon at the branches' HQ, The Sportsman in Newtown and it was plain to see why this boozer is a no-brainer in terms of GBG entry locally. Most pubs in this town are fizz-full but this place is the shiny tap house for Monty's brewery and my MPA was van ideal starter at 11.33 am. Long day of research ahead!

There were too many pubs to write about, and do justice, to individually so here's a list for reference:-

1. The Sportsman, Newtown.
2. The Red Lion, Trefeglwys.
3. The Bluebell, Llangurig.
4. The Black Lion Hotel, Llangurig.
5. The Old Mill, Llanidloes.
6. The Stag Inn Llanidloes.
7. The Mount Inn, Llanidloes.
8. The Red Lion, Llanidloes.
9. The Crown and Anchor, Llanidloes.
10. The Royal Head, Llanidloes.
11. The Angel, Llanidloes.
12. The Railway, Newtown.

Numbers 2, 3 and 4 are quite isolated village boozers that were welcoming and warm whilst the weather whistled by, worsening the further west we went!

Llanidloes, it seemed, was the where the west was won as the task here was a tall one; this market town of less than 2000 people has a plethora of pubs, many being really well worth a visit for any beery visitor.



Who should be in the GBG? Discussion at The Mount

The Stag was fun with an amenable jukebox taken over by top bloke Beeker and some 'mood music' whilst find of the day for me was the Old Mill. Located in the building of the former United Sevices Club, this place is great. It's a cosy, cobbled-together drinking den that is recycled and completely left field. Warm and welcoming, you would never find this artisan gem without a guide and I pushed hard for it to be strongly considered.

Beer scoring cogitation

 Other pubs in Llani tend to be more traditional in terms of layout and beer choice. Welsh ale is often that bit sweeter than that found elsewhere but pleasingly the pints were clearly well kept and mostly locAle. Three Tuns brewery were spotted several times but I preferred the Purple Moose and, best of all, was the Pamplemousse at the Old Mill, one of the beers by Llani's very own Waen Brewery. Crisp, clean, citrussy and moreish, Sue Hayward is rightly receiving acclaim from far afield aswell as having the best pint about when I visited.

The Mount and The Crown are also definitely worth a visit for anyone with an interest in the heritage and historical contribution of our pubs. The latter is fondly known as 'Ruby's' locally and has been lovingly run by the same landlady for 50 years! Half a dozen pubs here all within stumbling distance of one another and all offering very good ale, I'm pleased to report.

 I bobbed back to the Old Mill for another Pamplemousse before boarding the bus back East. A tactical snooze and a final pint of Tiny Rebel's Cwtch back in Newtown were in order along with chairman Ian 'Oz' Austin and co contemplating the day's findings. The Montgomeryshire branch have a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. When's the next trip!?

Thanks to all the pubs we visited and to all the fine people that I chatted with. You are doing a tremendous job supporting and promoting pubs and that is clearly appreciated.

Ale Tales from the Seven Hills #5 - Bars vs. Pubs

Q. When is a pub not a pub? A. When it's a bar.

What is the difference between a pub and a bar? A while back, I put the question out there on Twitter and got some candid responses. I thought I knew the answer , if there really is one but apparently I didn't.

A couple of quips along the lines of " about two quid a pint" were probably quite apt but personally, I thought it was maybe to do with music; bars tend to have music, don't they!? However, that one in that there Cheers with Frasier didn't have tunes did it. And hotel bars just have background music, don't they, or do I sit too close to the elevators....

The original idea was from an article I read listing Sheffield's best bars. Virtually all of them were in a small area of Division Street and West Street; How convenient. You'd probably guess most of them. Anyhows, referring to the list we can deduce that our favourite 'bars' are the Old House and The Forum. The Wick and the Great Gatsby are decent too mind. All these usually have some acceptable cask ale on too, disapproving the assertion that bars equal bottles as one Twitterer offered. This fab four are also thankfully a metaphoric world away from the likes of Vodka Revolution BAR.

The layout is possibly a big factor too. Bars are usually kind of open plan, aren't they? So are some pubs though. Bars surely don't have snugs though.

Sheff`s smallest snug? @Fagan`s

The best suggestion was that pubs are 'community living rooms'. Spot on and we must never forget that. It's not about the layout, loudness or the lager, it's about people. Pubs are assets of community value in the materialistic and historical sense but also in the social sense.

The article, who ever wrote it concluded that Sheffield's best bar was...... Picture House Social. To be fair, bearing in mind our pontificating regarding criteria, we agree. Nice place. Pizza and ping pong. Cocktails. Open plan. Snazzy sofas and soft lighting. Bottles. And ale, real ale. Usually there are three cask offerings and excellent bottles supplied by near neighbours Hop Hideout. Recently though we`ve also been impressed by noobs at The Tramshed, definitely a bar but already feels like a part of the Heeley / Meersbrook community and we only recently sampled the bar in Hop Hideout, bottled beauties plus keg gems.

 That #dryanuary nonsense ought to be well and truly done and dusted now so, get out there and support your local pub, or bar!

Previous review of Picture House Social HERE.

The Continental, Preston

So, it's now three years since we started this blog bit. We only focus on positive stuff rather than offer a critique of beers, breweries and bars around Sheffield; There's plenty to write about. Loads of good stuff and lots of good people: Sheffield! However, other towns and cities are not as fortunate.

Occasionally, I have err, occasion to err, occasionally visit Preston in that there Red-Rosed Lancashire, and there is only one place to visit to my mind......

 The Continental is quite centrally situated on South Meadow Lane adjacent to the lovely Avenham Park. This place offers ale, food and entertainment to a nicely-varied clientele. It has been the best pub in Preston for a good few years for me and it is getting better, ah tell thee. Granted, this is not a food blog but, if it was, the Conti food would be five star and the best pub snap we've had (me and OH) for a l o n g while. Lush crab and parmesan risotto, generous salmon and dill gravalax, and perfectly cooked salmon on a sumptuous bed of samphire. Not a food blog though. Not, not. ...beer, beer.

 No more OT,.... OTB here you'll always get the Continental bitter as a house regular and that's made by Manc marvels Marble plus there's also a Pictish offering too and both Lancs and so pretty local. And so we approve. I noted the nice range of styles too (pale, IPA, gose, stout, amber) plus an improved bottled range.

 First for me was a Baby Ghost, all day IPA, from NE Derbyshire royalty Raw. Well-kept and a tidy starter. The Conti bitter at £2.80 is great value and represents what this place is all about; quality but at a considered cost. Sours in the form of Magic Rock's Salty Kiss, keg and well under £5 a pint (Sheffield tek note now, no names mentioned...) then a bottle of grenadine sour from scousers Mad Hatter were great but foody types would mebbe not approve of pairing them there sours with salmon. Or would they?

 Anyways, Dark Star's Creme Brulee was ideal foody fodder as a pud pint and most of our party were happy to try it. A very sweet sup as the snow fell outside. Idyllic. Great pub this. Content. Conti class.

The Imperial Strikes Back

Or `Strikes Black` if you want to take the pun up (down?) to the next level.

Three Imperial Stouts from a trio of terrific breweries duking it out in the ring. A festive heavyweight battle with all three weighing in at 10% dead but who would be king of the ring, the master of malt?
Ding, ding.

First challenger was the neatly named and highly (beer)rated Cocoa Psycho, a Russian Imperial, by those mass-producing miscreants at Brewdog. I`d expected a fair old fizz (by stout standards) when opening this but, out of the three contestants, this one presented as the least carbonated. Average aromatics too. Despite following the Brewdog bottle-pouring tutorials on YouTube (they are there, honestly), the head on this lacked somewhat and disappeared as quick as a Blades` promotion bid. However, Cocoa Psycho tasted better as it was allowed to breathe and warm up a bit but the chocolate elements were more distant than hoped. In the mix though.

Next was the Barrel-Aged Shattered Dream by Siren and this one seems to fill in the gaps left by the previous beer. A better head here, caramel beige in colour crowning a black beauty of a beer. Vanilla and chocolate aromas, sweet taste with chocolate, creamy sweetness and a warming imperious bourbon aftertaste. Very drinkable, deftly disguising the ABV as if 10% was just a dream. Big hitter.

Finally was the Imperial Raspberry Stout from Thornbridge in cahoots with S:t Eriks. Now then, we have blogged this one before a couple of years back and it was excellent but now it has bottle-aged in effect and was therefore a few months past its best before date. However, this did not deter as we had really enjoyed it a few months earlier at a Beer Central bottle share and it has evolved. Sure some of the hop freshness (Bramling Cross here) may have faded but the fruity berry elements have become super sour. You still get an invigorating invite on the nose with a raspberry waft and a beautiful dark berry-tinged body. The taste is a neat mix of sweet maltiness and sour berries with a dollop of molasses and liquorice for good measure. Complex and quite different from the taste of 2013.

 

King of the Ring?

Cocoa Psycho - a surprisingly sensible      7    (3rd.)
[From Brewdog Sheffield]

 

Imperial Raspberry - sour runner-up?           9       (2nd.)
[From Coach & Horses, Dronfield]

 

BA Shattered Dream - Siren ring the bell   9.5     (1st.)
[From Beer Stop, Dronfield]

In Imperials we trust. Godspeed.

twobeergeeks` Pub of the Year 2015

A swift one, and another surprise....

OK, so previous blogbits testify our fondness and allegiance to excellent pubs in Shakespeares (consistently our favourite, we both agree), The Sheaf View and The Coach & Horses. Our recent Top Ten was one of our most viewed bits and gives our definitive list for the year although this is dynamic and subject to change, ever evolving, etc. .

Anyhows, our Pub of the Year we decided is The Beer Engine! New kid on the block off of London Road this place is great.

 

The location is spot on where a new decent boozer was needed; it`s close to town and near the eateries on London Road. Formerly Delaney`s, the reincarnation of this Cemetery Road hostelry is a splendid one. Light and airy yet cosy enough to survive the winter the Beer Engine is welcoming. This is largely due to landlord Baz`s belief in customer service and quality. Case in point is the ale: Bar staff are friendly and helpful providing tasters if required. The range is wide from some offerings locals like new boys Neepsend (see last post) to heavyweight superstars Siren, Salopian, Bad Seed and Northern Alchemy. Cask, keg and bottled offerings are available whilst the food (tapas treats) is deservedly lauded. Punters will come in and order the whole menu!

Comically, the concern regarding the light-coloured tables (they are varnished y`know) is worth a read on Sheffield Forum.  Early opening for football fans and the odd music event have also been offered recently too. Further refinements are being considered with the likes of more artwork displayed which could be cool (Coloquix please!).

The Beer Engine seems to improve every time we bob in and it is evolving nicely. We`re sure that awards from CAMRA and whatnot will follow once the place has been up and running a bit longer but we`ll jump in first and flag this place as twobeergeeks` Pub of the Year 2015! Nice one.

Our previous / first visit? - HERE

twobeergeeks` Brewery of the Year 2015

Brewery of the year? Now then, this might be a bit of a surprise.

 Previous winners have been crafty heavyweights from the North and South, Magic Rock and Siren (who`ve both had solid years btw) but for this year we have gone back to basics and back to proper local.

Sheffield is now awash with breweries; new ones popping up monthly but some of them are now actually getting pretty good. The shackles of traditionally tasteless twiggy brews are gradually being shed; Saturation point must be close mind. Whereas Huddersfield has a clutch of quality, boundary-pushing brewers most of Sheff's stay safe, small and simple. However, more and more drinkers are looking for quality not quantity even in the penny pinching city of steel. A business model that can offer quality but at an austerity-respecting price is the brew pub model: Make ales locally, for your own pubs, that are decent yet affordable. Quality hops at a quaffable cost. If the brews go down well, make more of them, produce more prototype practices and maybe then even flog them beyond the republic.

 The Sheaf View seems to have seen so many quality bar staff go on to great things, they must be doing something right. And they are about to become a chain if we hear right adding another to the Sheaf and Blake duo.

 Starting the Neepsend Brewery was nevertheless a brave step. Breweries are going bust in 2015. Previously the Sheaf View had been a top-selling Farmers Blonde pub but then a possible penny pinching plunge to Acorn Blonde helped keep the tills ringing. Selling so much of their house beers allowed managers to balance books and then buy better beer for the discerning drinkers to the point where there are now even dedicated craft keg lines offered alongside the occasional real craft treat and still at Heeley prices.

 Neepsend Blonde now fills the substantial shoes left by its famed predecessors whilst making budgetary room for bigger players under the salary cap, so to speak. However, head brewer Gavin has already nailed a solid Stout and his hop head orientated brews are coming along nicely. Hokaiddo is very good as is High Force whilst the IPAs have been spot on so far. And value.
Gavin is keen to tweak, test and perfect the Neepsend portfolio (including the branding) and they've already been spotted as far afield as London, and London Road (the Beer Engine sagely always has a Neepsend offering nowadays).  And Dronfield!

Sure, Neepsend Brewery Compnay are a work in progress but we reckon this brewery are one to watch. We like quality. We like local. We love local quality. If Neepsend build on this solid start then who knows! Cheers!

Beer of the Year 2015

Ridiculous thing to do: Choosing one favourite beer from the whole year? Beer is situational, of the moment, subjective, art. Which is the `best art`?! Plain daft, eh.?! We have tried though.....

Three up and two are pretty local.

Of the weird and wonderful, I opted for Northern Alchemy`s Marmalade and Assam Tea IPA. This was strong and expensive and, bearing those two facts in mind, I could only manage a half of it at the ever-improving Beer Engine after a memorable match at Bramall Lane. (It was either have another half and walk home or have enough cash for bus fare. Close call but it was a Tuesday).

The complexity in this beer had my palate doing somersaults and these guys really do make `Flavour Led Crafty Beer`. Orange aromas and initial marmalade hit lead to a floral tea aftertaste. I don`t care for marmalade nor assam tea particularly but this Newcastle brewery managed to get the bitter-sweet properties to hit all the right notes that you want from a strong IPA (7.4%). Not yet had this in bottle but I shall track it down. Keg of the year perhaps.  If Michelin did do stars for beer......

One we both heartily agreed on was Fruit Machine by Steel City in cahoots with Beer Central`s Sean Clarke. Danny supped most of this whilst it was (briefly) on at Shakespeares and we`ve both had plenty in bottles.  Hazy orange amber, massive citrus aroma, super-fruity mouth with a long-lasting aftertaste, the fresher the better. Thick and pulpy tasting nothing like 7%. One of Steel City`s very best.

Last but not least, maybe best `til last. I met North Riding`s Red Citra at the CAMRA Steel City Beer Festival betwixt judging sessions and it was stand-out even then. (Ultimately it was SCBF second overall too).

 Further quality control took place at the lovely Three Tuns on Silver Street where it tasted fantastic and also at the Broadfield a day or two later. Since it appeared in bottles, we`ve both really enjoyed it. Many purchased and several given away to nice people. This is better than the pale version as the grapefruit, mango and lemon punch is still there in droves but with a beautiful red body. Balanced superbly and mega-drinkable at 5%. Right up our street.

A trio of superb beers. Hats off and here`s to more from these brilliant breweries in 2016. Cheers!