Pubs of 2014

Right, here we go...... The purpose of this blog is to log all the pubs that I have visited and consumed an alcoholic beverage in during 2014. The rules are quite simple, the establishment needs to be a public house, it sounds straightforward but it may get complicated for example things that wouldn't count are a visit to the bar at the cricket, a pre gig drink in a concert venue, a drink at the Birmingham German market etc. As judge and jury my decision is final, and if I'm in any doubt I won't count it.



My prediction as at the start of the year is that the final number will be somewhere around the 200 mark though I won't go to pubs just to get the numbers up, it will be a true reflection of my pub visting year.



My posts will include information about the pub, the ambience of the surroundings, the choice and quality of the beer, any interesting or amusing anecdotes about my visit and, where possible, photographic evidence.



I will try and keep the information as accurate as possible noting that alcohol consumption means that at times this may prove difficult !!



The format of the posts is simple, the first visit to the pub will be the blog entry and that post will be updated for any subsequent visit.



Hope you enjoy it...



Cheers

UPDATE January 2015

Right, that's it, it's finally finished, some 259 pubs later !! It's been hard work but it's nice being able to look back and relive the drinking experiences of 2014.

I am pleased with the final result and whilst I've been reviewing it, I have actually laughed a few times at my own jokes !!

A word of warning, it does start off a bit slow (some of my posts from Bath are a bit dull) but stick with it. In hindsight the format of posting repeat visits to a pub on the original post at times doesn't work very well when reading the blog in its' entirety but on the whole I'm pleased with it and I hope that you enjoy it.

I have stated this in the blog but I will say it again, thanks to anyone that I have had a beer with in 2014 and special thanks to Shelley for her patience !!







Wednesday, 26 March 2014

Wetherspoons

I took the wise decision that the 20.03 train home was the one for us, well seven and a half hours drinking is more than enough for most people especially seeing as we'd spent all day on the beer at the Cheltenham Festival the day before.

Unsurprisingly we still managed to squeeze in one for the road after leaving The Flapper at Wetherspoons in Paradise Forum.

I must admit I find this pub a bit soulless not helped by the fact it is engulfed by the hideous eyesore of the Central Library. The person that named this place Paradise Forum was surely being ironic.

The only good thing that this place has got going for it is its location as it is an ideal stopping off point to and from Broad Street / Brindley Place but it is most definitely not a place where you would choose to spend the night. I must confess that, although the sign says that they are for patrons only, I am a regular user of the somewhat cramped loos in this venue when I am caught short particularly when the Frankfurt Christmas Market is in town.

Given the fact that we'd all had a few by this stage it was hardly a surprise that there were logistical difficulties getting to the pub from previous pub The Flapper. Gray, Jule, Val and Paul were heading for The Shakespeare before a call from Andrea pointed them in the right direction.

Erdinger Dunkel was available on draught which, although nowhere near as nice as Erdinger Weissebeer, made a nice change from my usual option.



I'm afraid I have little recollection of the girls' drink of choice as things were getting a bit hazy by this stage




Actually looking at the photo it was a large glass of rose for Shelley and a half a cider of some description for Andrea. Thank goodness I took the camera along.

It wasn't long before our missing in action chums turned up though we couldn't hang around long as there was a train back to Tamworth with our name on it.

The question was would I be able to resist the temptation of one for the road back at the Bolebridge in Tamworth?...

EDIT - Unsurprisingly the answer was no !!!

UPDATE 27th May

We called into Wetherspoons on our way back to the station at the end of our post holiday all dayer. We had just eaten at Pizza Express and needed to have a cheap drink having being stung for drinks with our meal, a 660ml bottle of Peroni and a 330ml bottle of Aspall were an outrageous £10.50 !! Mamma Mia !!.

I went for my customary bottle of Erdinger Weissebeer..



..while Shelley had a glass of wine I think though my memory was getting a bit sketchy by this point.

This was very much a whistle stop visit as the 21.03 back to Tamworth was the train with our name on it and I note from the time on the photo that I had only begun pouring my drink at 20.33 with the station a ten minute walk away !!

We necked our drinks, paid a visit to the conveniences, and hot footed it down to the station with me promising Shelley that we would not visit The Bolebridge back in Tamworth for one for the road. A promise I amazingly kept !!

UPDATE 30th October

I had just been to see Airbourne and Black Stone Cherry both play blistering sets at the LG Arena with work mate Bill. Our plan was a simple one, have a drink in the first pub that was open when we off the train at Birmingham New St. Disappointingly we had to walk to the fairly soulless, and soon to be demolished, Wetherspoons in Paradise Forum but at least it was open and cheap, which wasn't a bad thing seen as we had just paid £4.50 for a pint of Stella 4% in a plastic glass at the arena.

Bill being Bill was on the full strength Stella whilst I went a bit more school night friendly with a pint of Greene King IPA. At 3.8% ABV Bill (who believes that drinking beer below 5% is 'pointless') more than likely disapproved !!

We dissected the gig in some detail and both agreed that we had witnessed something special. Bill is a big rock fan and once famously turned up very late to an important meeting stating, very proudly, to the meeting's attendees 'I've got Led Zep tickets' !! Most were pretty unimpressed whilst I felt like high fiving him !!

Neither of us had eaten and we were running out of options as the night got later, I almost heard Bill sigh with disappointment as he forlornly stated that McDonalds had just shut !!

Pie and chips was my post gig food of choice once I'd drunk up and captured the pub visit for posterity.



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