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pubs

Snow and stout in York

Last time we went to York, in the early days of this blog, Maieb (now Tweeting instead of blogging) told us in no uncertain terms that we really ought to make it to the Maltings. So, a couple of weeks back, finding ourselves nearby, in a heavy snowstorm, frostbite beginning to affect our extremities, we decided finally to take his advice.

It’s a very cosy pub — a place where the bark of passive-aggressive signs is definitely worse than the bite. There is a tongue-in-cheek tone to some of it (“Our staff are not highly trained — please treat them accordingly”) and the service was very friendly. It was standing room only, no doubt in part because of the roaring fire and huge portions of basic, tasty, piping hot old-school pub grub.

On the beer front, the highlight for us was Sawbridgeworth Stout — so thick and chocolatey we wanted churros to dip in it. As well as several cask ales, there was also a really well thought out selection of bottles and, in honour of the season, hot Gluhkriek, perfect for supping while the snow falls outside.

Yes, we are southern softies. It wasn’t really that cold. And this is yet another pub which we are the very last people in Britain to visit…

Categories
beer reviews

A Few More Quick Reviews

Carlow Brewing Company Stout (for Marks and Spencer)

This is a very satisfying stout, with a thick, creamy body, treacly malt taste and soft coffee notes at the end. There are even some slightly grassy, green-tasting hops evident. It’s 4.5% but packs a lot of depth for the strength. Definitely one to sit by the fire (radiator) with as the snow (drizzle) falls outside.

Meantime London Porter (for Marks and Spencer)

Something of a contrast to the Carlow stout — buttery, plasticky — altogether nasty, we’re afraid to report. We tried two bottles and they were both the same. The Fuller’s London Porter with which we washed away the taste was infinitely better.

Viven Imperial Ale

From a Belgian brewing in the American style. Tasty. As you might expect, in-your-face amounts of hops, with a good, balancing syrupy sweetness. What at first seemed to be a hint of Belgian spiciness was actually just from the hops and dissipated a little too quickly. A pinch of spice would have made this really special.

Dogfish Head Festina Peche

A Berliner Weiss fermented with peach juice. Tastes like you might expect — tart, a little thin, hints of peach, but not like drinking cordial, thank God. A lack of aftertaste lets it down, but we suspect it would be pleasant ice cold.

Categories
pubs

Great landlord skills

Yes, cellar-keeping and all that is vitally important, but a good landlord should also be able to handle difficulty punters with aplomb.

We were recently in a country pub on a Saturday night and saw a masterful display of the latter when a party of very young people came into the pub and tried to get served.

The landlord engaged with them, made cheery conversation, but made clear that he thought they were underage and wasn’t comfortable serving them without ID. They had some excellent banter.

PUNTER

I always get this — I’ve got a very young face, but I’m actually at University.

LANDLORD

So, you’ve got a baby face, and it’s a constant problem, but you’ve come out without any ID? You need to get your shit together!

PUNTER

We weren’t planning to come to the pub — we just popped in on impulse.

LANDLORD

Ah, I see — you were just wandering through this tiny village in Somerset on foot, on your way somewhere else, and thought you’d pop into the only pub in the whole place? What year were you born?

PUNTER

[immediately] 1992! We all went to _________ School, and now we’re all at Exeter University, so we’re having a reunion.

LANDLORD

Wow. You’ve really rehearsed that. Er… if you’re all at Exeter University, why do you need to have a reunion? And isn’t it the middle of term?

Pragmatically, he let them stay, serving alcoholic drinks to the two members of the group who could provide ID, and keeping a fairly close eye on them for the rest of the evening.

The whole thing was entirely good natured, when it could easily have been confrontational. Good job, landlord!

Categories
beer reviews bottled beer Germany

Quick review: Schneider Tap 4 ("Mein Grünes")

This wonderful strong wheat beer convinced even Boak, who is not usually a fan of the style.

We were expecting it to be a bit like the Brooklyn/Schneider collaboration but, in fact, this was more Belgian in flavour and aroma, with a  powerful hit of candied orange-peel. Intriguing, that, as it is claims to comply with the purity law.  A skillful use of hops, we think, and we wondered whether it might even be dry-hopped. Of course, it’s just possible that there’s some bending of the ‘law’ going on here.

Even at 6.2%, it’s not heavy going. In fact, we can imagine this being dangerously easy to down on a hot summer’s evening. It’s what more German wheat beers could be with a bit of imagination, without being ‘wacky’ or ‘extreme’.

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Uncategorized

Quick review: Traquair House Ale

This is a beautiful-looking dark brown beer, with an intriguing Christmas-spice, gingerbread aroma. However, for 7.2%, it was really thin — certainly refreshing, but that’s not what we look for in something billed as a big beer.