tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post6697779139577151451..comments2024-03-29T10:53:19.170+00:00Comments on Paul's Beer & Travel Blog: Three out of fivePaul Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-4727440952017998792017-09-20T10:25:25.048+01:002017-09-20T10:25:25.048+01:00It’s rather like tradesmen, when they slag-off wor...It’s rather like tradesmen, when they slag-off work carried out previously, by other members of their profession. “Who carried out this awful wiring?”, or “Which numpty installed this?”<br /><br />The age-old human condition, I suppose!<br />Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-67262464169186100162017-09-19T22:19:35.508+01:002017-09-19T22:19:35.508+01:00The news may have come too late to exclude it from...The news may have come too late to exclude it from the book, of course. Or the new licensee may have been considered to have sufficient prior track record. In any case, on last night's evidence he seemed to know what he was doing.<br /><br />Interesting that we had two examples of the classic new licensee statement "you won't believe the mess this place was in when I took it over!"Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-75385543218415263442017-09-19T20:36:47.596+01:002017-09-19T20:36:47.596+01:00It was good to meet up with you too Mudge, and I t...It was good to meet up with you too Mudge, and I trust you enjoyed our mini-tour of Tunbridge Wells.<br /><br />You mentioned the Royal Oak and its inclusion in the Guide, despite its recent change of landlord. As I am no longer involved with the selection process, I cannot enlighten you further, although I do know that the previous licensee had been in the Guide before and did keep a decent drop of beer.Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-15285241973630495032017-09-19T09:49:32.849+01:002017-09-19T09:49:32.849+01:00Yes, good to meet you and your colleagues last nig...Yes, good to meet you and your colleagues last night :-)<br /><br />As we discussed, I was quite wrong about the Rose & Crown being in the GBG. I think what I'd done was to write down a list of pubs that included some from the GBG and some from WhatPub, and then looked at it later and concluded that all were in the GBG.<br /><br />The same issue applies to the Royal Oak, though. The landlord said he'd only been in there since April, so presumably it's included on the efforts of his predecessor, who he didn't think much of!Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-63216442228895763032017-09-18T15:29:16.803+01:002017-09-18T15:29:16.803+01:00Thanks for the updates, Mudge. I look forward to m...Thanks for the updates, Mudge. I look forward to meeting you this evening.Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-32645293069531561412017-09-18T07:07:11.874+01:002017-09-18T07:07:11.874+01:00It should be pointed out that the Queen's Head...It should be pointed out that the Queen's Head is not in Cambridge itself, but in the village of Newton about five miles to the south. I called in there for the first time last year. It's one of those pubs that initially doesn't strike you as *that* special, but then steadily grows on you. Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-35103939463397070002017-09-17T22:51:06.253+01:002017-09-17T22:51:06.253+01:00I recall the Rose & Crown as a nice, if quirky...I recall the Rose & Crown as a nice, if quirky, old-fashioned local back in 2003. It had, rather bizarrely, a curtain dividing the front and back halves. I walked past Fuggles Beer Cafe which had a lot more customers!Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-77027802723774522272017-09-17T22:44:28.285+01:002017-09-17T22:44:28.285+01:00It does sound as though the Rose & Crown's...It does sound as though the Rose & Crown's status will have to be reviewed. Despite not having bought the Guide for several years, and no longer being involved with the selection process, I am still surprised by the inclusion of this pub in the guide, especially as it seems to change ownership on a regular basis.<br /><br />I must admit I haven't visited the place probably since 2003, as I never liked it nor rated it as somewhere I wished to drink. Tunbridge Wells has far better pubs, as should be demonstrated tomorrow evening.<br /><br />Going back to the so-called "famous five", it's a pity that all subsequent entries have been skewed by that first GBG, and it would be interesting to have started the clock ticking from say 1975 or even 1976.<br /><br />As you point out there were quite a few odd, or even totally incorrect entries in that original guide, and one which sticks in my memory, because I was living in the area at the time, was a Wilson's pub in Manchester City Centre, called the York. Described in the guide as "A new pub with busy atmosphere", it was an out and out keg palace.Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6722137562852954269.post-20391610022966333852017-09-17T22:06:10.731+01:002017-09-17T22:06:10.731+01:00A couple of reasons why there are only five surviv...A couple of reasons why there are only five survivors from the first GBG:<br /><br />1. The coverage in the first edition was very patchy and often poorly researched. For example, there was only one entry in Stockport, which was a very ordinary estate pub that has long since closed. But there would have been plenty of excellent pubs they didn't find.<br /><br />2. Quite rightly, for many years most branches have followed a policy of only including pubs if the licensee has been there for long enough to give confidence that the beer is kept in good nick. Therefore many pubs will have dropped out due to change of licensee.<br /><br />On the second point, the Rose & Crown in Tunbridge Wells has re-entered the GBG for 2018, but I spotted tonight a sign saying "Under New Management". Does this mean its status will need to be reviewed? Quite a drastic internal transformation from how it was in 2003.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.com