The Bear

I had done a bit of research ahead of our trip to Stratford Upon Avon and The Bear, situated in the Swan's Nest Hotel, was one of the pubs that I thought would be worthy of a visit. I was right, it was a great place, well, what's there not to like about a place with eight real ales?!! After much deliberation I went for a pint of Dorothy Goodbody Autumn Sunrise with Shelley (my Juliet) choosing a half of Stowford Press cider.

The Merseyside derby that was showing on the pub's tv's was no match for our alternative of a seat in the autumn sunshine on the banks of the River Avon..

 

 

We amused ourselves watching clueless tourists messing about on the river. Just like bar b q cooking rowing is seemingly a male dominated activity, how we laughed therefore when one masculine specimen almost rowed his girlfriend into a line of moored boats only for her to take over and row them faultlessly into the sunset.

I am trying (not very hard) to avoid filling my Stratford blog updates with Shakespearean references however my food ordering capabilities at The Bear truly were a Comedy of Errors. We decided that a light snack was the order of the day and opted have a roast beef and horseradish sandwich and a bowl of chunky chips, imagine my embarrassment therefore when my hapless food ordering resulting in us ending up with a ham and mustard sandwich with a handful of French fries. Sorry Shelley !!

We stopped for another (pint not sandwich mercifully) and continued to enjoy the setting, the weather and the drink, I had moved onto Purity UBU by this stage. There are few better places in this country, when the weather is nice, for an outdoor drink than Shakespeare's birthplace. To quote the man 'I like the place and willingly could waste my time in it.' (As You Like It Act II Scene IV).

Pen & Parchment

In the prologue to my blog I predicted that my pub total for 2014 would be around the two hundred mark, I will admit to being quite surprised to clock up the milestone (with our visit to the Pen & Parchment) before the end of September. I am not sure if it is an achievement that should be celebrated but I'm pleased that I have met my objective, the plan now, in year end appraisal terminology, is to see if I can not only just meet but exceed my objective !! I'm sure my mum will be very proud !!

Shelley and I were spending the day in Stratford Upon Avon, so, after checking in to our penthouse suite at the Premier Inn (well, if it's good enough for Lenny Henry..) we decided to explore some of the various watering holes in the historic town to see if they were any good or Much Ado About Nothing !!

Our first point of call was the Pen and Parchment, a fine choice by Shelley as there were a couple of Cask Marque accredited ales on offer with me choosing Poet's Ink brewed, I think, by Greene King. Shelley had gone to get us a seat outside while I got the beers in but I resisted the temptation of shouting out 'Wherefore art thou?' when I went back out to find her.

Although we were nearly in October the weather was fabulous and the seating area outside the pub was full, so even though I was looking resplendent in my short sleeved shirt I regretted not bringing my shorts. Given the warm temperature I made sure that I kept my fluid intake up...

The pub seemed to be popular with both locals and tourists many of whom were enjoying a spot of lunch which may explain the odour inside the pub. I can only assume that haddock and chips is the most popular dish as the pla(i)ce stunk of fish, which almost certainly had nothing to do with its proximity to the River Avon.

We relaxed in the fabulous setting and smiled at the tourists queuing to get on the open topped tourist bus dressed in kagools, bum bags etc ready to hear tales of Othello, Hamlet and Henry VI Part III. It was time for us to leave but to quote The Bard of Avon 'Parting is such sweet sorrow'.

Post Office Vaults

As a real ale fan the fact that I have not visited this pub (one I pass every day on my walk to and from work) in all of 2014 is almost criminal. It proudly boasts the fact that it stocks eight real ales, thirteen ciders and a staggering three hundred and thirty different types of foreign bottled beers. Talk about being like a kid in a sweet shop, I was literally spoilt for choice.

I called in after a post work leaving do as I'd got a spare few minutes before my train. Naturally, as I had no drinking buddies, the obligatory selfie was called for..

I can't believe I don't look happier considering I'd got the choice of over three hundred and fifty different drinks !!

I had literally heard of none of the ales that were on offer but helpfully a small measure was placed in front of each pump so at least I was able to avoid the beers that were too light or too dark as I prefer something in between. Hoptopus 8 Hopper was what I eventually settled on and unsurprisingly it was hoppy !!

The fact that some regulars had their own pewter tankards hanging up behind the bar showed that this is a place where customers return to time and time again however I can't believe the following are some of their real names, Veggie, Big Fat Misfit and Sugar T*ts !!

As well as being a great pub, it is obviously one with a sense of humour, three punters had been given 'ASBO's' that were mounted on the wall for all to see. Their crimes were being boring, talking crap and arguing politics. Come to think of it I've probably been accused of all three at sometime in my life, possibly all at the same time !!

I wouldn't say that it's an aesthetically pleasing venue, it is very bright and a little bit soulless but it is a Mecca for beer aficionados so an inside selfie was called for though it captures more of my arm than it does of the pub..

I hope my blog entry about the Post Office Vaults is a first class post !! Sorry, some of my puns wouldn't even make it into a cut price Christmas cracker !!

The Briar Rose

It's hard to believe that I've not been to The Briar Rose this year, if I had to name my most visited Birmingham city centre pub in recent years then it would probably be The Briar Rose. I chose a good night to break my 2014 duck, Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin was making a political point regarding the unfair treatment of pubs, as opposed to supermarkets, in respect of VAT, so had reduced the price of everything in his pubs by 7.5% for one day only. Had I been in the House of Commons I'd have shouted hear hear in agreement !!

I had arranged to meet my mate Neil in The Briar straight from work at 5.45pm so I walked down Broad St looking, with some disdain, at the work that was going on to prepare Birmingham's ICC for the impending T*ry party conference.

I wasn't expecting a celebrity spot on my walk into town but sure enough I spotted Julian Lloyd Webber walking past the new library. Yes I know he's a Z lister but I never promised you Posh and Becks when I started this blog !!

Adnams Broadside was my drink of choice once I got to the Briar with my chum disappointingly going down the Carling route. We managed to secure the last remaining table in the venue and I proposed a toast to Tim's 7.5% reduction...

Please note that although this was a post work beverage, my casual attire is down to the fact that we had a charity dress down day to commemorate the McMillan coffee morning that had been held earlier so my Adnams Broadside was sitting nicely on top of a layer of black banana cake. I can almost picture Mary Berry shaking her head in dismay !!

We were sat by a table of students who may well have been freshers (given the fact that it was freshers week) but in all honesty I have no idea how old anyone is these days !! They were certainly a raucous bunch, and Dom was given a countdown to see off his drink in one, I have no idea what he was drinking but it looked distinctly alcopop to me. Mind you, that's better than one of the other girls in that crowd who I overheard ask for a glass of tap water when I was at the bar. If nothing else let's just hope that she leaves further education with an appreciation of all that is good about alcohol !!

Our visit was a fairly brief one, well it was a school night and Neil and myself are committed professional people. Surely though four pints of 4.7% beer in the week isn't a bad effort?! It certainly put the students to shame !!

Hennessey's

Confession time, I have very little recollection of my first visit to Hennessey's in its new location. I had a reasonable excuse though, I'd spent all day at the Royal London one day cup final between Warwickshire and Durham (first drink consumed at 12.01pm) and after a few more in the pub after the game, we carried on the party to celebrate our three wicket defeat (who knows what sort of state I'd have been in if we'd won?!) on the train back from Marylebone to Moor St with cans of cider, and, to my shame, a shot of neat vodka from a random bloke !!

A drink in Brum before the last train back to Tamworth was probably the last thing I needed but it seemed a great idea at the time so off we (me, Andy, Deb, Dave and Jack) Jonathan Trotted to Hennessey's in Digbeth...

As I said, my memory at this point is a bit sketchy (as were my photography skills judging by the ghost like appearance of Andy and Deb) I definitely had a real ale but can't for the life of me remember what on earth it was. It was something I'd never had before and tasted nice, even on top of a base of ale, cider and vodka !!

I seem to recall the pub being much bigger than I thought it would be, and the fact that it was dark and dance music was being played meant that it had got a bit of a night club feel to the place, however I think I'd left my dancing shoes in Snobs in around 1996, so shape throwing was not on the agenda.

The few brain cells that were still functioning meant that I knew that if I didn't catch the 22.50hrs train back to Tamworth then, bar sleeping in the street and selling the Big Issue, I hadn't got a plan B, so I hot footed it back to New St. At some point during this journey I must have really given my shin a whack as it was bleeding when I got on the train but I have no recollection of the incident !!

Unlike Warwickshire I'd had a very long day in the field !!

The Volunteer

It was sorrows drowning time after I had just witnessed Warwickshire's three wicket defeat to Durham in the Royal London one day cup final at Lords....that's Lords the home of cricket not Lourdes in France the place where miracles happen, mind you, when Warwickshire were 69 for 5 I was hoping for some divine intervention !!

I had travelled down with fellow Bluenoses Andy, Deb, Dave and his son Jack, and their choice of The Volunteer, a lusty legside glance away from the historic ground, was a good one. As you would expect the pub was full of despondent cricket fans who were dissecting the days events over a few pints, 'It was a bad toss to lose', 'We needed someone to stay in with Chopra', 'Woakes had a nightmare', were some of the opinions I heard at the bar while I was waiting to get served.

There was a great selection of real ales to choose from with me going for a pint of Adnams Ghost Ship which was okay but a bit too citrusy (does such a word exist?!) for my liking.

We spilled out onto the street as there was no room in the pub and we very quickly got over our defeat after a drink..

Pints two and three were different ones, I went onto Sharps Doombar as I didn't fancy another Ghost Ship, and I was forced to go onto Bath Ales Forest Ale as the Doombar lasted about as long as most of the Warwickshire top order !!

Surprisingly the mood was almost celebratory and there was an impromptu sing song outside the pub with a dancing bear orchestrating proceedings..

I was conscious of the fact that we needed to catch the 20.00 hrs train from Marylebone to Moor St so we made our way to the station, stopping on route to stock up on cans of cider for the journey, mind you, it wasn't just cider, it was M & S cider !!

Bohemian

As pub visits go this is certainly one of the shortest I've had since starting this blog. I was on route to Shelley's Mum's in Kings Heath where I was on dog walking duties as Shelley's brother and sister in law had left their dog Bailey there whilst they had a weekend away, and I had signed off Shelley's request for her to have a night out with the girls !!

When I got to the bus stop in Moseley (where I changed buses) the electronic sign in the bus shelter informed me that the next bus was twelve minutes away so, as the Bohemian is literally a few yards from the bus stop, there was just enough time for a very swift pint.

I have been in the Bohemian before under its various previous names, it is quite a decent pub. Although branding itself these days as a 'cocktail bar and kitchen' I was pleased to see a couple of real ales, with me settling for a nice, though slightly too cold, pint of Everards Tiger Bitter...

There was a reggae slant to the music that was being played with Robert Nesta Marley telling me that 'every little thing's gonna be all right'. I hoped he was correct with his prediction as I was off to Lords the next day to see Warwickshire play Durham in the Royal London one day cup final.

The talk at the bar was of the Scottish independence vote result which had been announced a few hours earlier. The partisan English view from the bar at the Bohemian was one of disappointment, apparently we are not 'better together' !!

As good as the pub was I could not stay to have another pint, hear more reggae or listen to further informed political debate as I'd got dog walking duties to perform and my bus was due. So I necked the rest of my pint and walked the ten yards or so from the pub to the bus stop. I've never known a bus wait be so enjoyable !!

Here ends my Bohemian Rhapsody !!

The Red Lion

This was a pub I'd been meaning to visit for ages. Tucked away down a side street in Birmingham's famous Jewellery Quarter, The Red Lion is one of the very few pubs in Brum that serves legendary Black Country brew Bathams Best Bitter, a beer that is definitely one of my favourites.

A quick search on Google maps indicated that the pub was 1.7 miles from where I work so I decided to call in on route to a night at The Old Contemptibles with mates Neil and Ken (not Barbie and Ken !!)

The most direct route is via Ladywood, an area that is certainly not one of Birmingham's most salubrious. Even the welcome sign was a bit scary...

I arrived at the pub relatively unscathed and noted that from the outside the pub is fairly non descript...

Mercifully Bathams was being served in the pub however at £3.80 a pint in a back street boozer it was at a price that would not be described as bostin' by Black Country folk !!

The pub is a traditional one with a bar at the front, lounge at the rear and a fabulous heated covered courtyard at the back which was where I headed for..

The Red Lion is an Urban Art Bar and, as is indicated by the name, is a place adorned with modern street art. The walls in the courtyard feature a couple of art works painted by my mate/school friend/fellow Blue nose/former postman Roy. Roy is a great bloke, a real character and a talented artist. He left school with a single qualification (Art), however his talent goes along way in dispelling the myth of the lyric in Rat Race by The Specials 'I've got one art O level, it did nothing for me'. Check these out...

 

 

As well as the art the courtyard featured artefacts from a bygone Midlands drinking era. Remember these?

Unfortunately my visit to The Red Lion could only be a brief one but my 1.7 mile walk through the bad lands of Ladywood was well worth it.

The Bulls Head

This blog is now moving into it's ninth month, so it's not a bad time to reflect on what has happened so far. Firstly I hadn't realised what a mammoth task this would be, there have been times where I have fallen badly behind (generally after a weekend away) with the worst time being when I'd got twenty five pub visits to write up. Thankfully I am currently pretty much up to date but its taken a fair bit of time and effort.

The reason it is such a mammoth project is due in no small part to the number of times I have visited the public house. The figure currently stands at 192 different pubs with this pub (The Bulls Head in Polesworth being number 193) it should also be noted that in addition to this figure there are a number of pubs that I have visited on numerous occasions, The Gate (26 visits) and The Bolebridge (18 visits) to name but two.

Right, let's crack on.....Shelley and I are keen walkers so as it was a nice early September evening we had an hours stroll along the Coventry canal into Polesworth and what can be better when you are halfway through a walk than a nice pint? The Bulls Head is situated next to the canal bridge in Polesworth so we called in.

The Bulls Head is listed in The Good Beer Guide so I knew that I'd get a decent pint however, initial impressions of the place weren't great, it is definitely a local pub for local people, and we got a 'You're not from round here are you' stare from the regulars as we walked in. The pub was surprisingly full for a Wednesday night though we soon realised that Wednesday night is dominoes night and The Bulls Head had got a home fixture.

We ordered our beers (Sharps Doombar for me and Strongbow for Shelley) and took our seats. The seats we chose had got a prime view of the tv, it was a hardly a surprise that they were empty, the friendly between England and Norway was just about to start. Obviously another English World Cup failure was still fresh in people's memories.

I will admit that despite the fairly frosty reception that we received the beer was fabulous, I would go as far as to say that my pint of Sharps Doombar was probably the finest pint of Doombar I have ever tasted. I was conscious of the fact that our visit to the pub was only due to be a brief one so I necked my first pint to guarantee I'd have another while Shelley was working her way down her pint of Strongbow.

Another thing I didn't like about the pub was that it was full of v*lla fans. V*lla's home win against Hull City had seemingly excited them all, and they spoke optimistically about how they were now going to do this, that and the other. One old boy, dressed very attractively in a sock/sandal combo was particularly bullish stating (as if it was something to be proud of) 'I'm v*lla through and through'. I've never been a fan of the government's Care in the Community policy !!

One great thing about our seats was that they were positioned against the bar, so when Shelley agreed to my request for a third pint I literally didn't have to move out of my seat to order it !!

Unsurprisingly the quality of the England game didn't match the quality of the beer so we made our way back after a dreary goalless first half just before the domino match started. The fact that we'd stayed longer than anticipated meant that we needed head torches for our walk home !!