Far from the Madding Crowd – Sojourns in Stamford

For any lover of Real Ale there can be few places in the country more attractive than the area around Stamford, Lincolnshire. Over the weekend I had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful, historic town and checking out several of its excellent ale houses; what follows is a far from complete survey – there are many more pubs I’ve yet to get to!

Accompanied by the Beer Monster we kicked off with a swift half in the Toreador, a cellar bar situated on Broad Street, beneath the Stamford Corn Exchange.

This is an odd little place, primarily catering to the younger generation and popular as a pre-club venue from Wednesday night onwards, and a glance at the bar reveals the usual suspects of lagers / ciders / alcopops / spirits - however the bar also sports 4 handpumps dispensing real ale.

Sadly on our visit (a Friday afternoon) only two were in use, offering a choice of Courage Directors or John Smiths Bitter. Needless to say we both opted for the Directors, and found the condition and dispense to be good – despite the fact that we were both served in Kronenbourg 1664 glasses!

For those who enjoy such amenities the Toreador also offers a pool table and fruit machines, and on Friday and Saturday night the venue also boasts dj’s playing a mixture of chart, house and r&b.

This is a bar with a lot of potential – the open plan layout works well, the place is well lit and tastefully furnished with leather seats and tables … it’s just a shame the ale range was so limited!

From the Toreador it was onwards to the Otters Pocket on All Saint’s Street, a slightly more down to earth establishment popular primarily with sports – and particularly rugby – fans.

Aside from the dodgy name (google it for a giggle if you’re not too easily offended!), this really isn’t my kind of venue – the wall sports a large mosaic Union Jack, every conceivable surface is adorned with sport related material and they even have flat screen televisions installed by the urinal in the gents!

Determined not to be put off by the less than congenial surroundings we nevertheless sat down to sample the beer quality, inspired by the six (albeit not overly exciting) real ales available at the bar.

Of the 2 halves we tried I found the Oakham Bishops Farewell to be in reasonable condition, though a little on the tired side. Unfortunately I had opted for Hop Back Summer Lightning which was very much past its prime; as a result well over a quarter pint was chucked away.

I’d have to say, of all the Stamford pubs I’ve been to, the ‘Pocket is by far and away the poorest for atmosphere and beer quality; having said that, the pub does a roaring trade with the sports contingent and probably couldn’t care less what I think.

It’s just a shame that with six real ales on offer they don’t take more care of their cellar…

Feeling the need for a change of scenery we set off for our next destination, the White Swan on Scotgate.

Formerly the Punch Bowl, this place used to have a mixed reputation for its ale quality. The pub has now changed hands, and the current licensee seems to be keeping a good cellar and offering some brews from micros as well as the nationals.

The pub itself is a fairly traditional affair, well lit and comfortable with stripped floors, neutral colour scheme and a general air of tastefulness. The small bar is situated to the front of the building, while the rear is taken up with seating and a separate area with a pool table.

We found 5 handpumps on the bar, of which one was dedicated to Weston’s Old Rosie cider. The remainder comprised Springhead Bitter, Oakham Bishops Farewell, Greene King Abbot Ale and Milestone's North Rock. Sadly the North Rock had just gone, so we both opted for the Springhead which we found to be in excellent condition and well dispensed.

It’s also worth mentioning the very friendly and outgoing chap who served us – the son of the current licensee – who was happy to talk to us about the pub and the changes that they’ve introduced to the place.

I wish the team here every success with the pub, and hope to watch the place go from strength to strength over future visits.

Thanking our host for his time we polished off our ale and made our way to the next port of call, the Tobie Norris on St. Paul’s Street – the real gem at the heart of Stamford’s real ale scene in my opinion.

An Ufford house (one of five in their estate), the Tobie Norris is an excellent example of a restoration project undertaken properly.

From the moment you enter the wonderful stone building you get a real sense of history and would be forgiven for thinking that the pub has been open for centuries - it hasn't, in fact it's just coming up on two years since the doors opened to the public.

Comprising three floors, each historically restored and furnished in keeping with the character of the building, it's easy to see why owner Michael Thurlby has just received the CAMRA award for Best Conversion to Pub Use.

In addition to the beautiful building, the Tobie also has a strong focus on micro beers, and has recently held a very successful beer festival which I was fortunate enough to attend. The condition of the beers available from the bar has always been tip top in my experience.

There has been some criticism of the pricing of the beer here, with some locals feeling that around £3 a pint is too high; all I can say is I have no objection to paying a small premium for the privilege of drinking in such a wonderful environment - especially as it discourages the less salubrious end of the market from frequenting the pub!

Finally a comment about the staff and management; on every visit I have found them to be genuinely friendly, courteous and helpful - always a bonus!

After some discussion (and several halves) we decided that our next target would be the Jolly Brewer, located on Foundry Road.

A fairly basic pub in terms of decor, though nicely light and spacious, with pool and darts facilities, this unassuming establishment has a lot to offer the serious ale drinker; up to 4 draught ales from some great breweries kept in tip top condition and served with a smile by the friendly staff.

I'm informed that the pub is tied to Admiral, which makes the achievement of the current licensees and their dedication to Real Ale all the more admirable (no pun intended!).

On our visit we sampled Black Abbott and Sod, both from Idle, along with Milestone's Classic Dark Mild; condition and dispense were excellent for them all.

The pub also held their first Beer Festival in May, which the Beer Monster reliably informs me proved to be a great success with 15 micro ales on stillage and another 4 on the handpumps.

In addition to the beer, the pub also offers a range of hearty meals which I’m told combine quality food with real value for money.

The current licensees deserve real credit for what they’re doing with the pub, and it is to be hoped they will continue to receive the loyal support of the discerning Stamford drinkers.

As the day was drawing to a close and we were reliant upon public transport we decided that we had time for one more pub. Our choice seemed fairly obvious, the Green Man – by reputation the finest Real Ale pub in Stamford, and a place which I hoped would impress me rather more on this occasion than it had previously.

A traditional boozer, the Man offers up to 8 real ales on handpull, with microbreweries being very much the order of the day. Effectively L-shaped, there is a long narrow bar to the front of the building with additional seating / bar running up the side. To the rear is a large beer garden which also plays host to the regular beer festivals which the pub holds.

Although held in high esteem locally for its range and quality of ales, I have visited this place 3 times now and have yet to be wowed; on my previous visits I have found only limited micro options, with the condition of what has been available at best passable and at worst unfit for sale.

Sadly on this occasion things didn’t go much better; 4 ales were available – Fullers ESB and Summer Ale, Fernandes Triple O and Wentworth XII Challenge. Opting for the Wentworth, I was dismayed to find that the beer had turned and was undrinkable. My dismay only deepened when, having replaced it with an ESB, the barmaid left the beer on with the clear intention of selling it.

As on previous occasions we stayed for one drink and left, disappointed.

Though the Man had proved a let down once more, we boarded the bus home in high spirits and well satisfied with our day - and planning our itinerary for the following afternoon!

All things considered, Stamford is a fantastic place for a real ale odyssey; as I mentioned at the start of this entry, I’ve only begun to scratch the surface of the pubs the town has to offer and I’m looking forward eagerly to my next visit…

Pan-C

Ale’s Well that Ends Well at the Western Festival

As you will know from my previous entry, the 6th – 8th of this month saw the Western hosting what I believe to be its second beer festival. Naturally I took time out to pay a couple of visits and sample some of the ales on offer...

A copy of the beer list I had received less than a week earlier indicated that the event would be kicking off on Thursday the 5th, with 22 beers listed and the promise of an additional 10.

I duly turned up shortly after midday on Thursday, only to be informed upon arrival that there had been a mix up over dates and the festival would not be starting until the following day...

Somewhat nonplussed by this turn of events I headed back home, wondering as I walked just how this rather unfortunate mistake could have been made. Luckily for me I live close by and hadn't travelled any real distance!

Arriving back at the pub the following afternoon I was presented with a revised (and somewhat diminished) beer list – the promise of an additional 10 beers had gone, and the list was now down to 20 ales with 6 of these being kept back until the following day; moreover, some of the beers originally detailed had been replaced at the last minute by stock originally lined up for sale later in the week.

Determined to make the best of the situation I set aside my growing concerns about the organisation of the festival and got down to the serious task of supping. Despite the reduced selection there were still a few beers I was keen to try, plus a couple of brews I’d sampled previously but needed notes for.

Unfortunately, much as I would have liked to rip through everything I was after in one sitting, I had work commitments and sadly had to leave after a relatively short time. Accordingly I returned on the Saturday for a little mopping up...

During my 2 sessions I sampled Clark's – Red Rag Mild and No Angel (both 4.0%), Full Mash – Ouija (3.7%), Funfair – Brandy Snap (4.7%), Houston – Big Lusty May (4.3%), Shugborough [Titanic] – Mi Lady's Fancy and Lordship's Own (4.6% and 5.0% respectively), Rudgate – Battleaxe (4.2%) and Steamin’ Billy – Grand Prix Mild (3.6%)

All of these were dispensed on gravity, and I found the condition to be generally very good; the only notable exception to this was the Houston, which was still very green.

Overall then a slightly shambolic affair, but the ale that was ultimately available pretty much made up for it.

Here's hoping next time they organise things a little more effectively!

Pan-C

Leicester Missions - Four Hours, Six Pubs

I'd been looking forward to the Dark Star tour myself until recently, however a change in the date of the visit meant that I was sadly unable to attend thanks to the very inconvenient timing of my sister's wedding - seriously, some people just have no consideration!

Finding myself thus encumbered with the role of Usher while my cohorts were merrily quaffing it off, I set to work planning some small personal compensation in the form of a mini crawl around my native Leicester. Fortunately I had the Beer Monster with me, so quality company was not going to be an issue...

Having made it through the pre-wedding dinner on Friday night, the wedding and subsequent reception on Saturday - a delightful affair despite the fact that the hotel had run out of their only ale (Theakston's Best Bitter) and no one had been down to the cellar to replace it, with the result that we ended up consuming a truly vast quantity of Hardy's Stamp Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon - and the post-wedding barbeque the following day, we returned to Leicester late on the Sunday afternoon and decided that, realistically, any attempt at hitting the town that night was likely to result in two people falling asleep in their beer. Accordingly we decided to get some solid shut eye and gird ourselves for the following day.

As it transpired, the weekend's emotional and physical excesses had drained the pair of us more than we'd realised. As a result a large chunk of Monday had elapsed before we roused ourselves from our slumber and we ventured out, bleary eyed, to greet the rather grey and overcast world...

After lining our stomachs with burgers from my local TJ's Burgers & Kebabs (damn fine chilli sauce!) we finally reached our first pub, the Black Horse on Braunstone Gate at approximately 6pm - rather unfortunate since we needed to back home for 10.45 and the start of the Apprentice special!

This Everards pub is a classic victorian boozer, divided by the bar into two seperate drinking areas; from the front door you enter the lounge area, with comfortable seating and tables. This area is also used for live bands at weekends, the pub being a haven for blues-based bands. The rear bar, which is much more of a traditional drinking area, can be accessed from the lounge or directly from the street via a side entrance. This bar is popular with the older regulars, is much smaller than the lounge and generally has more of an atmosphere.

Although a managed house, the licensee has a strong commitment to real ale and offers up to four guest ales on handpump selected from the Everard's Old English Ale Club in addition to the usual Everards range, plus guests sourced from Brunswick Brewery, which was bought out by Everards in 2002. The pub also offers Carling and Kronenbourg 1664 for the lager massive and Westons Old Rosie from handpump for the battery acid heads.

On our visit we found Gold from the Purity brewery alongside Marston's Merrie Monk and Brunswick Gaffer's Gold on offer; all three were sampled, and the condition was found to be good but let down slightly by temperature. Both the Monk and the Gaffer's were rather warmer than one would hope, while the Gold suffered the reverse and was rather to cold - evidently there are some problems with the ambient temperature in the cellar here.

Nevertheless, the Black Horse is well worth a visit; the commitment of the landlord to real ale can only be applauded, and temperature issues aside you are always guaranteed a decent pint of something worth drinking in here. The bar maid is very friendly and helpful, and this is now the only traditional pub in an area overrun by soulless modern bars.

Departing from the Black Horse we made our way a short distance up the road to the Western on Western Boulevard - formerly one of the more rough and ready inclusions within the Everards portfolio, recently bought up by the Steamin' Billy Brewing Co. and now a fully renovated and refurbished up market establishment.

Situated on the corner of Western Boulevard, this imposing red brick pub is divided into two large rooms, both accessible from the front door. Turning right takes you into the main bar, which itself comprises two distinct areas. This area is furnished with comfortable seating and tables, and is light, airy and spacious.

Turning left through the front door takes you into the larger of the two rooms, comprising a bar and dining area furnished with dark wood tables and chairs. The pub offers a tempting menu of bar snacks, light bites and pub grub along with traditional Italian style pizzas, although we didn't dine there on this occasion.

Both rooms are decorated with eye catching breweriana, though for my taste the layout is a little too clinical - I like things a little more organic in their arrangement, but that's just nit-picking really!

We decided to do our drinking in the front bar, and were pleased with the selection of four ales on offer - two Steamin' Billys, a Leeds Brewery and a Leatherbritches; after brief deliberation we opted to sample the Leatherbritches Dr. Johnson's and the Steamin' Billy Billy Porter. Both were found to be in very good condition, although the dispense was a litlle on the cold side.

The transformation which the Steamin' Billy team have worked on this place is quite remarkable - in its former days it was very much a pub of ill reputation, and it is quite unrecognisable now; the hilariously ghetto car on the other side of the street gives a fairly good idea of the kind of area it is!

I was delighted to learn that there will be a beer festival taking place at the pub over the weekend, commencing Thursday and ending on Sunday ... needless to say, I will be there and will post on it shortly afterwards.

After finishing our drinks at the Western we made our way up through the DeMontfort University to the Leicester Gateway, part of the Castle Rock estate situated on Gateway Street.

If you can get past the less than inspiring exterior the inside of the pub is quite pleasant; formerly a hosiery factory, this single room, open plan drinking establishment with its pool table, jukebox, low cost food and range of draught continental lagers now caters primarily to the student market. Luckily for us though this was a Monday night and, as a reult, we were able to enjoy the place in relative peace and quiet.

An impressively long bar offers nine handpumps, of which one is dedicated to Westons Old Rosie; of the remaining eight we found the ale range a little limited on our visit, though I'm given to understand that there are usually more micro brews on offer.

Faced with a choice of seven nationals inluding Banks's Bitter, Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Shepherd Neame Spitfire and Marston's Pedigree with one micro option in the form of Overture from Spire Brewery it wasn't a difficult choice - we bought in the Spire and took a seat.

As we were feeling a little peckish by this point we opted for a £2 bowl of chips, which I have to say were very good and a generous portion to boot. It being a rather quiet evening the bar man charged up the jukebox and then informed us there were fifteen free plays and to help ourselves - he may have come to regret this given that I found a tasty selection of early 90's Old Skool to get my teeth into!

Although we spent only a short time in here, and despite the lack of excitement ale-wise, I still found myself pleasantly surprised by the Gateway; the ale was well kept and the dispense good - the bar man had no qualms about removing the sparkler, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.

I'd certainly recommend a stop here for anyone doing a real ale crawl around the city - and if you can time it when the students aren't around so much the better!

From the Gateway it was a short stroll around the corner to the Swan & Rushes on the corner of Infirmary Square, and a pub for which I have a great deal of admiration.

Divided into two distinct rooms, the Swan comprises a main 'L' shaped bar area and smaller lounge, with both rooms served from the same central bar. The lounge is used to host live music

on Saturday nights (usually blues-based) and is also frequented by the Leicester Ultimate Frisbee team. To the rear of the building is a small courtyard / beer garden which also houses the stillage and external bar at the beer festivals which the pub regularly holds.

The Swan is held in high regard by local ale afficionados on two counts, firstly for it's consistently excellent quality of real ale and secondly for its extensive range of bottled foreign beers, which includes german kolsches, bocks, dunkels, rauchbieres and the occasional altbiere alongside Belgian Abbaye and Trappiste brews and a good range of lambics. The pub also stocks a selection of American bottled craft beers, Czech Budvar, Polish Tyskie and Thatchers single varietal bottled ciders.

Those with an eye for breweriana will notice that the emphasis here is on Belgian material, particularly lambic and Orval, for which the owner is one of the UK ambassadors - there's certainly a lot in here to take in!

Complementing the extensive bottled range the Swan also offers twelve handpumps dedicated to real ale, although some of these share the same barrel. In addition to pub stalwarts JHB and Bishops Farewell from Oakham Ales you will usually find either Bateman's XB or Samuel Smiths Old Brewery Bitter and up to six guest ales - strictly no nationals.

For those with a taste for draught lager there is a choice of Amstel or Heineken Export or, for those of a more adventurous palate Het Anker's Margriet and a choice of Lefebvre's Blanche de Bruxelles or Babar is also available from the tap. Draught cider lovers have a choice too with either Samuel Smiths Cider Reserve or a 6-8% battery acid option available from the cellar.

During our visit we sampled Newton's Drop from Oldershaw and Inclined Plane from the Langton Brewery. As anticipated both were in tip top condition and served at optimum temperature.

Unlike most city pubs, the Swan & Rushes has no jukebox, fruit machines or pool table - although there is a much loved and well used bar billiards table. It's a measure of the care and attention given to the beer that vinegar is not used or permitted in the pub!

Finishing our ales we left the Swan and walked the short distance up the road to her former sister pub the Criterion, situated on the corner of Millstone Lane.

You might be forgiven for thinking, based on outside appearance, that this is a rather rough and ready pub; the reality however could not be further from the truth, and a trip inside is well worth the effort.

Divided into two rooms, each with its own bar, the Cretin as it's affectionately known draws a broad mix of people from all walks of life. The basic, wooden floored front bar contains a dart board, hosts regular live (and quite heavy) music and is often closed to the public for private bookings, monthly CAMRA meetings and suchlike.

The carpeted and more comfortable lounge bar is popular with students and professionals alike and houses the pub's jukebox; a tendency towards rock and alternative within the playlist reflects the establishments strong ties to this demographic - the pub is just around the corner from Leicester's leading alternative venue The Charlotte and is a popular pre-gig venue. In terms of decor and fittings, the pub offers traditional dark wood tables, cushioned pew-type seats and stools and is pleasantly decked out with a similar range of breweriana to the Swan - a legacy of the former owner.

On our visit we found a selection of seven real ales on offer - two from the Rugby Brewing Co. who now own the pub, two from Oakham Ales and one apiece from Dark Star, Rudgate and Coastal. In addition to the real ales there are ever changing draught german and belgian beers, a draught cider and usually a real cider to boot - plus a solid selection of bottled foreign beers which almost rivals that of the Swan & Rushes.

The Criterion also hosts regular, themed beer festivals which are usually well worth a visit.

We decided to stay for a couple here, sampling Rugby Cement, Dark Star Mild for May and Oakham Inferno. All were found to be in good form and served at the correct temperature, which I was pleased to find; there have been some problems with conditioning here recently, however it looks as though these may have been resolved.

Food is served at the Criterion, however the pub is best known for its stonebaked Italian style pizzas; sadly these are not available on Monday evenings, but from previous experience they're certainly well worth trying and are exceedingly well priced.

Having finished our beers off we decided there was just enough time remaining for us to hit one more pub, so it was up and off again, this time roughly twenty five yards down the road to the Rutland & Derby - one the new school of Everards pubs.

Until a couple of years ago the Rutland was a very seedy boozer, catering to the less salubrious town centre drinkers; a massive refit and refurbishment has transformed the place into a very trendy drinking establishment. The large, heated courtyard to the rear has seating for a sizeable number of people and makes the pub a popular destination in winter and summer alike.

As a rule this is a venue I tend to avoid, catering as it does primarily to the younger crowd of Up Fer It types - a fact reflected by the strong range of chilled continental lagers and fruit beers available on draught (including krieks and frambozens). There's also a very impressive selection of spirits on the backbar counter - the pub offers cocktails, shooters and all those blended concoctions the kids go crazy for, and as a result is usually heaving from Wednesday night onwards.

On my previous visits I've found the range of real ale rather limited - the usual Everards brews and a selection of nationals such as Greene King IPA and Old Speckled Hen; on this occassion however there were two offerings from the Titanic brewery available and a special, one off ale, brewed by the licensee himself (I'm assuming this was brewed at the Brunswick brewery, though I can't be sure).

Time was very much against us by this point, however we stayed long enough to try this interesting little find (David's Coppernob, 4.5%) and found the beer to be in surprisingly good condition - in my previous experience line cleanliness and beer conditioning has left a fair bit to be desired, however it seems that the current licensee knows how to run a cellar.

I'll certainly be popping back in here again, though as with the Gateway, serious real ale fans may find it better to visit during the day or early in the week.

All in all then a successful mission ... and we made it back in time for the Apprentice!

Pan-C

Dark Star Brewery Tour

When Garrett Phipps - the ever-jovial landlord of the marvellous Bull* pub in Horton Kirby, Kent - mentioned that he was planning a coach trip to Sussex in order to tour the Dark Star Brewing Co., we simply had to be involved. Garrett is the only person I know to be more fanatical about Dark Star beers than we are. Over the last three years he has cemented a solid relationship with the brewery’s bosses and regularly serves their best seller Hophead on gravity, often alongside a variety of other ales from the wide-ranging Dark Star stable.

Dark Star started out in 1994 in the modest surroundings of the cellar of the scooper’s paradise, the Evening Star in Brighton. The lucky locals were given the task of testing out the brewery’s early concoctions. As its reputation grew in Brighton and beyond, Dark Star soon outgrew their humble abode. In 2001 the operation moved fifteen miles north to a purpose built 15-barrel brewery on Moonhill Farm in Ansty, near Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Now under the direction of head brewers Mark Tranter and Rob Jones, cask ales and keg beers are still supplied to the Evening Star and the other pubs in the Dark Star estate (the Duke of Wellington in Shoreham and the Stand Up Inn in Lindfield) as well as to beer festivals and discerning free houses nationwide.

Having set off from the pub shortly after 10am, we had built up quite a thirst during the hour it took the non-air-conditioned trundling minibus to reach its destination. The sweaty atmosphere tested the mettle of those in the group nursing hangovers from the night before. On arrival we were greeted by Paul Reed, very much the businessman behind the operation and very keen to stress that he didn’t know too much about brewing. His first action was to lead our 24-strong party towards an outhouse containing large aluminium brewing vessels and casually invited us to help ourselves to two full polypins, one of Hophead, one of Festival. Both were obviously wonderfully fresh. A man who knows how to make an impression!

Whilst keenly supping we listened intently as Paul gave us a run down of Dark Star’s history and guided us through the various stages of the brewing process. I was particularly interested to learn that they have suffered more than most with last year’s hop shortages, their characteristic punchy finish being achieved by a big helping of late hopping in the ‘copper’. A sizable stash of hops from the UK and abroad (especially US Cascade, the principal ingredient of Hophead) had been secured in 2007 at some considerable cost. I was, however, pleased to hear that they continued to make a profit despite feeling the pinch. I also discovered the extent to which Dark Star and many other microbreweries swap beers, in order to reach new markets and provide variety in their own tied pubs. Rather than transporting empty casks around the country, the breweries will fill each others' empties with their own beer and so the ingenious cycle continues.

With just a 15-barrel plant run by nine staff, they are unsurprisingly producing at full capacity and there are plans in the pipeline to expand again on the current site, which could see production tripled. When questioned, Paul was confident that such growth would not lead to an inevitable slip in quality, although I remain unconvinced. There was, however, a positive indication that the brewers would not entertain such a compromise. Paul told us that he had recently mentioned in passing to his colleagues an article where one of the larger breweries had admitted to leaving used hops in the wort, as they retained some of their flavour beyond the first mash. Although he hadn’t suggested that they should follow suit, he was still given the cold shoulder for some time!

We made sure to stock up on cases of Espresso Stout, Sunburst and a few bottles of the fantastic 10.5% Imperial Stout before bidding Paul and the brewery a fond farewell.

Before heading home, we took time to visit the Stand Up Inn in nearby Lindfield, a small commuter town which happened to be in the throws of a ‘village fate’. A hearty platter of pizza, garlic bread and Greek salad was provided to absorb the six ales and three real ciders on offer. We of course sampled the Dark Star Hophead, Best Bitter and the 6.2% IPA. Also on sale were Ramsgate Storm Warming and another local beer Custom Ales Smooth Mild, brewed on another farm just three miles from Dark Star, it was full-bodied and coffee-roasted and certainly got the thumbs up from everybody. The condition of the beers was very good, as was the company. This really is a pub that you wish you could have on your doorstep.

And so it was in high spirits that we limped back up the motorway to The Bull for a buffet dinner and yet more fine ale, including a first try of New-k-ham Puffin. A thoroughly enjoyable day out – it was great to see where the magic happens.

Dubbel

• *The Bull’s website is currently offline but should be up and running again very soon. Garrett keeps a regularly updated list of the ales currently on sale, as well as a list of those 'coming soon’. Lynne’s locally sourced, home-cooked food is also a huge attraction in itself. The pub scooped the CAMRA Gravesend & South Darent Pub of the Year 2008 award in April.
  
  
• Brewery tours can be arranged in advance through Dark Star. Email info@darkstarbrewing.co.uk or call 01444 412311 for futher details.
  
  
• New-k-ham is a collaboration of Newby Wyke Brewery of Grantham and Oakham Ales of Peterborough. Beers are produced onsite at Newby Wyke.

The Grand(ish) Old Duke of York

As the lucky ones were enjoying their Dark Star brewery tour, I was travelling to Spalding for my brother in law's birthday. For the past 7 years I have driven past an intriguing looking place - a Bateman’s affiliated pub named the Duke of York in the village of Gosberton Reisgate near Spalding, Lincolnshire - and wondered if it was any good. I was about to find out…

The place had been given mixed reviews when had I enquired about it over the years. Some said the beer was fantastic, while others warned of the odd atmosphere. I would definitely agree with both of these observations. My wonderful wife kindly dropped us off (after first driving round the back to confirm it was definitely open) under instruction to pick us up an hour later. And we bravely stepped inside.

Two locals at the bar seemed to engage in conversation with us without appearing to have noticed we were there, which was a remarkable achievement in itself, although we couldn’t quite work out what they were on about. Welcome to Lincolnshire. As with all good village pubs there was a resident canine, albeit a rather sleepy poodle. This was going to be fun!

The beer choice was okay – Bateman’s XB (not a patch on XXXB but still nice), Black Sheep’s Best Bitter and Archers Roadhog. As I had not tried the latter before, we got ourselves a couple of pints and took them outside. The pint was well conditioned, and went down very well, so we popped back in for number two, this time discovering the games room. This room made the pub in my opinion. The pool table was only 40p which is something of a surprise these days. The landlord actually informs me it should have been 30p but the mechanism broke, and there were no more available in the region. I was happy to stump up the extra 10p on this occasion. The room was also home to a dart board, several very comfy leather seats, and perhaps the world’s oldest jukebox. Here we remained until picking up time (with the exception of a short excursion to the bar for pint number three). I could have happily stayed all day.

We got chatting to the landlord about the ales he keeps. He says he usually likes to have four or five available but business has been a bit slow of late, hence he was only serving the three. The number of posters around the pub informing us of how much tax the government takes per pint etc. shows this publican’s views on Brown and Darling. We were informed that his next barrel was Tydd Steam of Wisbech Mother In Law, with a pump clip paying homage to Reginald Perrin. Unfortunately this was not going to be on until later that night.

If any readers happen to be in or near Spalding soon, or perhaps find themselves thirsty on their way to Skegness/King’s Lynn, then I would definitely recommend stopping in for a pint or two. Pubs like this are increasingly rare these days and we should do everything in our power to help support these smaller places. I know where I’ll be going next time I’m in the region.

Stan