It's all happening again, in Tonbridge

There's been a number of interesting developments recently, on the local pub scene, and whilst none of them are connected, or similar in any way, they all concern changes for a number of Tonbridge pubs. Some of these changes have already occurred, some are taking place, even as I write, and two or three are still to happen. Let's get started then with a well-known Tonbridge establishment, the Hilden Manor, that acquired new owners, back in the late summer. 

This Grade II-listed pub and former Beefeater in Hildenborough,  had been a familiar, local fixture for several decades, but after closing its doors in August, this characterful building underwent an extensive renovation. It reopened under new ownership in December and with a new, and quite puzzling name, as well. Now known as the Never Say Never, the pub opened just in time for the all important Christmas trade. Its new owners, are Elite Pubs, a name that is already quite familiar to pub goers across Kent and Sussex. The group pride themselves on running a collection of stylish and character-filled venues across both counties, by expanding slowly, and carefully.

I have already visited a number of Elite Pubs in both Kent and Sussex, and these include the Poacher & Partridge, at nearby Tudeley, the Vineyard, Lamberhurst, the Lazy Fox at Mark Cross, and the Dirty Habit at Hollingbourne. The latter has only recently re-opened after a serious fire, but I remember the pub providing a welcome and much needed break whilst walking the North Down's Way. A couple of days ago I increased my tally of Elite establishments by one, when I popped into Hildenborough's Never Say Never, on the outskirts of Tonbridge.

I was never a frequent visitor to this former Beefeater inn, so there wasn't much for me to compare things with, but the pub seemed pleasant enough, and I quite liked the way that signage in the internal entrance porch directed customers to either the bar - LHS, or the dining area, which is on the right. 

There wasn't much going on, but as my visit took place shortly after 10.30 am, I wasn't expecting a lot. Harvey's Sussex Best and Larkin's Traditional were the two cask beers, but given the early hour, and the fact I had a lot to do at home, I swerved the beer and opted for a flat white instead. Apart from a couple of women, discussing a theatre outing, I was the only customer, although a chap did turn up later. It will be interesting to see how the pub fares, but there is a captive audience next door, in the form of a Premier Inn. The NSN has probably had a lucky escape, seeing as former owners, Whitbread, have announced the closure of all their Beefeater outlets.

Moving swiftly on, we come to the Humphrey Bean, Tonbridge's Wetherspoon's outlet. The pub is scheduled to shut its doors on 26th May and will remain closed until its grand reopening on 7th July. The closure is to allow a major upgrade, what ever that means, but in the meantime, local fans of any early morning pint, with their breakfast, will  have to look elsewhere. 

The 9 o'clock, "shaky-hand" brigade will be a bit stumped, as the nearby Gatehouse, closed at the end of March 2024. The timing of the closure means the Bean will be closed during some of the summer’s biggest sporting events, and football enthusiasts will be especially affected, as the FIFA World Cup runs throughout June. The closure of the Humphrey Bean comes as a bit of a surprise, as the pub has always been well-regarded, amongst local residents and victors alike, and the six-week timescale suggests something major might be at hand. Whatever the outcome though, a fresh new design will definitely be a welcome addition to the High Street, and to one of Tonbridge’s most popular pubs.

The third pub on my list of changes, is the Man of Kent, a lovely old inn located on the Tonbridge Road, at Little Mill, East Peckham. Renowned for its riverside setting along the River Bourne, its rustic, low oak-beamed ceilings, and a large wood-burning inglenook fireplace, the pub was a popular watering hole with locals and visitors alike. Offering excellent food, and scenic outdoor seating, during the summer months, where children could feed the fish in the neighbouring stream, the Man of Kent's sudden closure towards the end of February, came as something of a shock to both visitors and locals. The pub, which dates back to 1588, had been a staple of the East Peckham community for decades, so it closure came as a real blow for a village that once boasted half a dozen pubs.

Locals and visitors alike will therefore be heartened by the news from owning pub company Stonegate, that the Man of Kent should be welcoming customers back next week under new management. Especially heartened by the news will be Mrs PBT's and her group of girlie friends, still known as the "ante-natal" group, three and a half decades on from the off-spring who all arrived, in the autumn on 1991. Over the years, the pub has been their gathering place for at least one of their twice yearly, get-togethers. So some potential good news there, and good luck plus best wishes to the new owners. 

Next on the list is Tonbridge's Rose & Crown Hotel, an old English former coaching inn, set in the heart of the town. Located towards the top end of Tonbridge High Street, and opposite the town's 12th century castle and Tonbridge Public School, the Rose & Crown is an impressive Tudor building with an 18th century brick facade, that was once a busy posting and coaching house. Refurbished to modern standards, with many parts of the hotel retaining its original character, with oak beams and Jacobean panelling.

This Best Western hotel, changed hands last year, after being on the market for five years. Boasting 56 bedrooms, plus two function rooms, the Rose & Crown remains as Tonbridge's most prestigious hotel. For many years it was the favourite overnight stop for members of the company's Japanese board of directors, who liked its old world charms, but in recent years, seems to have fallen out of favour. 

The hotel has also fallen from grace with several local residents, due to the state of the large porch, which stretches out across the pavement. Traditionally, this was the place from where election results were announced, but in recent years the portico has started to exhibit signs of wear tear, which has caused the local council to step in. Their building control team has issued a seven-day deadline to the hotel owners, requiring immediate safety works to the building’s portico to address risks identified in a recent structural report. 

Work is now under way, to restore the building to a satisfactory standard. I called in to the Rose & Crown, shortly before Christmas. It was mid-morning, so the place was relatively quiet. I was pleased to notice that the new owners had restored the many exposed beams to their former glory, removing the white wash that a previous owner had obviously thought was trendy, but to my mind it just looked a mess. It's still early days, but I feel confident that despite the recent issues with the porch, the Rose & Crown is in good hands with its new owners. 

I was going to end the piece here, but there's one final development that I'd like to share with you, and it concerns Fuggle's. I'm talking here about their Tunbridge Wells outlet, so strictly speaking it doesn't fall under Tonbridge. It's still worth noting though as Fuggles has officially revealed plans to expand its Tunbridge Wells venue later this year, to include more seating, plus a bigger kitchen. This will be achieved by taking over the neighbouring former mobility shop next door, significantly increasing the venue’s footprint and creating a brighter, more spacious experience for customers. Again, it's early days, but you can find more details here. 

Chipstead fails me again!

I mentioned recently, in comments made on another blog, that I hadn't been getting out as much as I would have liked to, and there are a variety of different reasons behind why this should be true.  Fortunately, this all changed last weekend, when I took a ride out on a bus service that only runs on Sundays. This enabled me to visit three  different pubs, but the strange thing about the trip was that none of the pubs I ended up visiting, were on my original list, as I shall explain shortly.

Before going any further, you probably know that I'm a huge fan of travelling to the pub by bus, even if they're often found to be running late, or sometimes not at all. Unlike trains, which operate along dedicated tracks, buses operate on public roads, and have to take their chance alongside all the other road users, such as cars, lorries, coaches, farm vehicles, and even the occasional mad cyclist, all intent on snarling up our increasingly overcrowded, public highways.

Despite these drawbacks, buses still represent the best means of reaching those isolated and hard to get to country inns, without having to get behind the wheel of a private car. I have of course, written quite a few posts about days out by bus, all released under the generic title of "Pub Friday", but last weekend I embarked on a "Pub Sunday", same theme, but different day. 

My plan was to take the Go Coach 401 service, which operates between Tonbridge and Westerham, solely on Sundays. I specifically wanted to visit the Bricklayers Arms, a rather good  Harvey's pub, on the edge of Chipstead village and overlooking Chipstead Lakes. The latter are man-made structures, rather than natural lakes, that started life as gravel pits. Today, they are home to a wide variety of wildlife, and are popular with both anglers and amateur yachtsmen. 

I attempted to visit the Bricklayers, back in November 2021, only to find the pub inexplicitly shut, due to "unforeseen circumstances"! Surely this time things would work out alright? Looking back at the post I wrote at the time, I noticed that failed attempt also took place on a Sunday, and I had cited the exact same reasons for taking that 401 bus, although the service was operated by Arriva, back then. 

The time table had also been revised, and I noticed that the bus would drop me off in Chipstead at 11.15, which was a tad too early for the Bricklayer's. Fortunately, the CAMRA website came to my rescue, as I discovered that the Bullfinch in nearby Riverhead opened its doors at 11.30, so if I alighted from the bus on the edge of Chipstead, and then walked back towards the nearby Tesco superstore, I would be rattling the door of the Bullfinch, dead on opening time.

The Bullfinch is a tied pub that belongs to the Hertford brewer, McMullen's. It is Mac's only pub south of the Thames, and has been owned by the company since 2009.  In short, this stylish pub is a lone outpost, for the brewery, but is none the worst for that. The Bullfinch is home to a modern, spacious restaurant with a roaring log fire during the winter months, and is ideal for meeting up with friends and family. 

The pub also hosts a cosy bar lounge and a luscious, spacious green beer garden. McMullen's beers attract a mixed response amongst drinkers, and many in CAMRA are quite dismissal of the brewery and its brands. 

I remember well, the late chairman of my local branch (West Kent CAMRA), being less than complimentary when it came to McMullen's, a stance I believe he developed whilst living in Hertfordshire. Strangely enough, Iain was Scottish, so why there should be this antithesis towards  Mac's beers, is anybody's guess. There was a choice of two McMullen beers at the Bullfinch that day, IPA or Country Best Bitter, with the former being the stronger of the two, although not by much.

Now this is where I should have headed back into Chipstead, and found my way to the Bricklayer's, but deciding to be clever, I reckoned there was sufficient time for a pint in the Miner's Arms, first. The latter is in Dunton Green, and was originally built to quench the first of navvies, working on the nearby railway. The Miner's is now a local  family-friendly village pub with a strong sense of community. During refurbishment work, several years ago, the landlord uncovered and restored the 100 year old signage at the front of the pub, advertising the long now defunct brewery of Kidd and Son's Brewery, who were based in Dartford. As you can see from the photo, the sign provides an attractive feature on entering the pub. 

I received the strangest of welcomes from the landlady, who greeted me with the words, "Oh, you've had your haircut." As it happened I did have a trim, a couple of day's previously, but despite being tempted to play along with this case of mistaken identity, I gently reminded the good lady that neither of us had met, previously. It took a bit of gentle ribbing from a couple of local characters, to make her realise her mistake, but both parties accepted the error, in good grace. By way of compensation, I enjoyed a well-kept pint of Tonbridge Easy Street Pale. This visit was probably only my third or fourth visit to the Miner's, but on each occasion the pub has always delivered in terms of good beer, conviviality and a great atmosphere.

Onwards and upwards, but still with plenty of time on my hands (or so I thought), I retraced my steps back towards the Bullfinch, and then up a lane of rather expensive-looking houses, towards the edge of Chipstead. It was here that I took my eye off the ball, because on arriving at the village green, I took a wrong turning. I'm tempted to blame Google Maps here, as the App has an unfortunate trait of realigning itself (on screen), with every change of direction encountered, but blindly following the on-screen map, I reached the busy A25 main road. It was only then that I realised my error, and once again retraced my steps, back towards the village green. En route, I meticulously checked the various bus stops I encountered along the way, but information regarding  the 401 Sunday service seemed to be missing from most of them. Puzzled, I continued along a downhill road which I was sure would lead me down to the lakes, and my eventual goal of the Bricklayer's.

The beer that I'd already consumed, had worked its way down to my bladder, leaving me bursting for a pee, a situation which led me into the nearby George & Dragon. The latter is still very much a "food-led” pub, although the welcome I received was much more friendly than that which I faced, nearly four years ago. I therefore wasn't shoved out into the garden (it was bitterly cold, that November), and I wasn't made to feel like a pariah, either. Instead, I managed to engage with the two friendly girls behind the bar, even though their knowledge of the local buses, and the village bus stops, was unsurprisingly rather limited. There were two Westerham beers on sale, Grasshopper plus, in a nod to Roald Dahl, a "house" offering, called "George's Marvellous Medicine", also brewed by Westerham. 

I'm not normally a fan of so-called "house" beers, as they are invariably just one of the brewery's standard beers, re-badged, and sold at inflated price. The Grasshopper was good, and added extra weight to the fact that after over 25 years in the business, Westerham must be doing something right. However, the rather biased thinking of a former branch chairman, who had dismissed Westerham Ales out of hand, fuelled a lengthy,but period of distrust between CAMRA and Westerham's owner, and founder.Fortunately, the biased complainant is no longer actively involved with the local branch, but damage of that sort takes a long time to repair, and to my way of thinking it didn't help CAMRA's reputation, locally. For the record, this character was a different individual to the one who didn't like McMullen's.  

By now, I'd given up on reaching the Bricklayer's, primarily because I was uncertain where the return bus stop was located. I didn't want to miss the 14.15 bus, because it was the final one continuing on to Tonbridge. So, somewhat reluctantly, I walked back to Riverhead, through a very posh Chipstead, keeping an eye out for strategically placed trees or hedges, where I could once again empty my bladder - spoiler alert, there weren't any! 

The Bullfinch came to the rescue, although there wasn't time for a beer, in exchange for the use of the pub's facilities. I waited at the Tesco stop for the 401, which arrived early, which was bonus, as I was glad to take the weight off my feet. So, after two failed attempts, will it be third time lucky for me and the Bricklayer's? I'm in no great hurry to return to Chipstead, at the moment, and I might even contemplate driving there, next time, despite my reluctance to use the car. Watch this space then, although at the same time, don't hold your breath! 

The Holy Goat is coming along nicely

After my preliminary visit to the Holy Goat, almost a month ago now, I thought it was high time that I gave this latest addition to Tonbridge's drinking scene a further try. The recent May Day holiday seemed as good as any for another look, although if I'm honest, I managed to squeeze in a visit a couple of weeks previously. The slightly chaotic scenes described in my initial piece, had fortunately disappeared, and a responsible and more mature crowd seems to have taken over. Even better is the appearance on the bar of a handpump, dispensing Harvey's Best Bitter - what else?

The Holy Goat describes itself as a friendly neighbourhood pub. Situated  roughly halfway along  Pembury Rd in Tonbridge, the pub serves good food and offers a warm and friendly welcome to regular and casual customers alike. As the Goat's website says, the new management have given a fresh start to a much-loved old pub, and have achieved this by keeping much of the original character. They have added some great food, that includes the renowned Saint John’s Yard burgers, complete with filthy sides (whatever that might entail) because, if you haven't already guessed, the Goat is owned and managed by the same people who run the slightly off-beat Saint John’s Yard, in Tunbridge Wells.

As its name might suggest SJY is situated in the St John's area of the town, which lies between Southborough and the top end of Tunbridge Wells. To my great shame, I have never set foot in SJY in either its current incarnation, or under its older, and far more traditional name of the Red Lion. Eighteen months ago, I attended my firm's Christmas bash, at the next-door Shuffle House, although my understanding is this establishment too is currently closed, awaiting a further make-over. Perhaps it will revert to being a traditional pub, or it that too unusual, and too much to ask? Whilst on the subject of Shuffle Board, it's worth pointing out that Molo Brew, a cavernous craft beer establishment, close to the cruise terminal in the lovely Norwegian town of Ǻlesund, had a couple of shuffle board tables.

I realised that I haven't written anything, so far, about Ǻlesund, but that will have to wait, and returning to the Holy Goat, the pub seems to be doing well. The amended pub sign is still missing though, an issue the Goat's manager isn't very happy about, because, as he told me, some people still haven't caught onto the pub being open. He has chased the sign writer on several occasions, and each evening, as I drive past, I look - so far in vain, for the appearance of the new pub sign

There is a secluded and well-laid out garden at the rear of the Goat, which is set at a slightly lower level. During the recent, but now annoyingly vanished, hot spells the garden with its wooden pods along the edges, has proved extremely popular, particularly with family groups. No photos then, for the time being and at least until the weather changes, or the garden is empty. The garden does seem a popular meeting place for catching up with friends, popping in for a quiet pint or settling in for a long warm, summer evening. The pub itself is developing into a friendly local, and is a welcome addition to the .  Tonbridge pub scene.

MS Ambience - a few thoughts and observations

A month or so after returning from our Norwegian adventure, and its heavy seas, I realised that I hadn't written much about Ambience, the cruise ship we sailed on, or the cruise line, Ambassador, behind our voyage. Choosing this particular operation wasn't quite a spur of the moment decision, but it was strongly influenced by Mrs PBT's and I looking for a holiday that would provide a welcome break between Christmas and Easter, a period where it seems as though winter is never going to disappear and spring is never going come along. 

A voyage to the Norwegian Fjords seemed like a good idea, so we looked at cruises heading in that direction, with particular reference to our cruise-line of choice (up until that time at least), on Cunard. Unfortunately, the Cunard voyage to the Fjords that was our cruise of choice, was already fully booked - or at least with regard to the class of accommodation we wanted. That was when we decided to give Ambassador a try. 

A couple who we'd met on a previous cruise, and who Eileen had kept in touch with, had given a glowing report on this cruise line, so with nothing to lose I picked up the phone, and managed to book a 16 night cruise to the Norwegian Fjords. We secured a good deal, largely due to an early booking, and for allowing the cruise line to allocate our room, whilst remaining within a certain band of cabins. What was even better, was Ambience sailing from Tilbury, a port that is just 45 minute's drive from home, as opposed to two hours, plus to Southampton - home port for the majority of the major cruise lines.

So, what are Ambassador like to sail with? Well, they're obviously different from the likes of Cunard, but as far as service and food is concerned, both Eileen and I enjoyed the experience. What was particularly refreshing was the absence of the snobbery that is sometimes quite evident on board Cunard. In addition rooms are referred to as cabins, rather than the  pretentious "State Room" moniker, used by Cunard. The staff are friendly and hard working, a trait that applies to the vast majority of cruise ships. 

We discovered that on Ambience, our room steward worked as a waiter in the buffet, for the evening shift. This meant there was no evening "Turn Down", as found on Cunard, where the top sheet, your already made-up bed, is turned down in readiness for you to slide into, and there are no chocolates laid out on your pillow. The latter touch, in particular, is an unnecessary extravagance, and one that the customer ultimately ends up paying for. Cunard are almost certainly thinking along the same lines, and are rumoured to be dropping this practice.

I personally think that the cabins on Ambience are laid out far better than those on Cunard ships, with what in effect is a "walk-in" wardrobe area, that separates the bathroom area from the rest of the room. In addition, thanks to strategically-sited magnets, the cabin doors can be held open, when necessary, thereby making any deliveries to the room, much easier. A small point, perhaps, but when you witness the waiting staff on Cunard, struggling to hold the spring-loaded doors open with their feet, or even their backsides, whilst manoeuvring into the room with a tray loaded with your morning breakfast, this simple little trick makes life a lot easier for all concerned.

I'm going to gloss over the onboard entertainment, as this applies equally to Ambassador as well as Cunard, but basically I've never been a fan of "West End" style shows. Mrs PBT's is rather more ambivalent towards such presentations, but as she has an irrational fear of contracting something nasty in a crowded theatre - and that applies to being on dry land, as well as at sea, she is unlikely to drag me off to one of these shows. 

Lectures, and similar style presentations are a different beast, and we have both seen, and listened to some really good talks. Cunard have the edge over Ambassador, probably before they've got a lot more financial clout, and they also have the advantage of the talk/presentation being streamed, directly into passengers cabins. Guests can then either watch live, or play catch-up, at their leisure, later on. There is also live music, but many of the covers bands engaged to "entertain" passengers, leave much to be desired when it comes to raw talent.

Ambassador Cruise Line was established in 2021 by Christian Verhounig, who was the former CEO of Cruise & Maritime Voyages, a company which went into administration in 2020. Ambassador are a British cruise line, with their headquarters in Purfleet. The company launched with the purchase of its flagship MS Ambience in May 2021 and commenced sales to the public in the following month. Ambassador tailors towards premium-value no fly cruises which target the adult market, including over 50s. Ambience is one of the oldest cruise ships still operating, having started life as the Regal Princess, operated by Princess Cruises. The vessel was constructed at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, and the elegant Italian design, is still evident in the ship today.

Despite the choppy seas, and stormy weather experienced on our recent voyage along the coast of northern Norway, Eileen and I enjoyed our time aboard the Ambience, so much so that we have booked a further cruise, but one that will be sailing much closer to home. The "Treasures of the British Isles", sets sail on the last day of August, and as its name suggests will be taking in ports right around these islands of ours. 

Principal ports of call will be Kirkwall in the Orkneys, Stornoway, in the Outer Hebrides, Belfast, Cobh (the port for Cork), and St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly. In some ways, the cruise mimics the voyage we undertook on Cunard's Queen Anne, just over a year ago, and it will be nice to revisit places like Stornoway and Cobh, that we visited on that voyage. But we'll be sailing on a smaller, and more personal ship, and a vessel that is more suited to berthing at some of the smaller ports around Britain and Ireland. 

Footnote: I received news today that our travel insurance will be compensating us financially, for being unable to call at Narvik,  the port we missed on the last leg of our recent Norwegian cruise. Whilst we were obviously disappointed at missing our stop at this important town, with its memories from World War II of resistance by Norwegian and British forces, against the German invaders, the money received will help erase those five days of being buffeted by some of the stormiest seas we have encountered over the past six nautical years afloat.

Mid afternoon in Birmingham, but where on earth is that pub?

You left me at the end of the last post, heading towards the first pub of a day, that had so far proven rather pointless. Chasing around for a pub that might or might not be opened, had wasted the best part of an hour, and after already having traipsed around a busy, and at times packed exhibition hall, I just wanted to take the weight off my feet and get stuck into a pint or two. 

Frustrated, is the word that best describes how I was feeling, but this was mitigated by the benign, warm weather and the general sense of bonhomie, that seemed to exude from the crowds walking around central Birmingham. It wasn't even a Friday, but the combination of sunshine, a sprinkling of stunning looking new buildings, plus the aforementioned populace at large, was sufficient to lift my spirits, following the earlier disappointment.

I'd already decided that the Wellington would be my next stop, and for those not in the know, this specialist cask ale pub situated in the heart of the city's business district, is something of a local legend in Birmingham. Opened in 2004, and occupying the ground floor and cellar of a solid-looking Victorian building, the Wellington has enjoyed continued success, expanding a decade later into the former offices on the two floors above. I visited the pub, three years after opening, when it was already establishing itself as one of the city's premier alehouses in terms of its beer offering alone. Coincidentally, that visit was on the back of a previously business trip to Birmingham where, once again, I was just passing through! 

The Wellington has undergone a considerable expansion since that 2007 visit, adding an upstairs bar, function room plus a roof terrace, but the ground floor bar appeared to have changed little, apart from a dramatic increase in the number of handpumps. The bar seemed surprisingly quiet, which left me guessing that most of the punters were in the upstairs bar and roof terrace, taking advantage of the glorious spring weather. Perhaps I should have joined them, but after the hustle and bustle of the Health & Safety Exhibition, and the time spent trudging the streets, looking for the Waterside Tap, I was just glad of a place where I could take the weight off my feet, enjoy the peace and quiet, alongside the comfort of a very welcoming pint of beer. 

Oxwich IPA, from the Gower Brewery, was my beer of choice, and I remember enjoying this particular offering on a visit to the Gower peninsular in late February 2020. That was just a few weeks before the start of the COVID pandemic, when Mrs PBT's and I were staying in the area, after travelling across to Wales, for the funeral, of a favourite aunt. The Gower itself had brought back happy memories, of childhood holidays, in a caravan, at Oxwich Bay, with my parents, and two sisters, and whilst it was an obviously much more solemn occasion had brought me back to the area, it was still a delight to be back. Eileen and I had stopped for lunch, at the atmospheric Worms Head Hotel, overlooking Rhossili Bay, with its miles of golden stands, pounded by enormous waves breaking over  everything in their path, a few hundred feet below us. It was the distinctive Gower Ales, pump clip, that brought those more recent memories back, along with the taste of this refreshingly hoppy, golden ale.

Despite being tempted to stay for another - there was nearly two dozen other beers to choose from, I decided to move on and head towards the Prince of Wales, a beautifully restored pub in the heart of the city's theatre district. Owned and operated by local legends, Black Country Ales, the POW seemed an excellent choice for the second pub on my mini-crawl around central Birmingham. It almost certainly have proven so, had I not walked past the imposing frontage of Albert's Schloss, a Bavarian-style restaurant and Bier Hall. Having read about a similarly-named establishment in central Manchester, I was intrigued, and couldn't resist calling in, despite this meaning a change in my plans. 

This cavernous establishment was ticking over quite nicely, as I stepped inside. Checking a couple of the photos on my phone, indicated the time was 4.30 pm, and my assumptions that it would soon start filling up, with the afterwork crowd, proved correct. The thing that had drawn initially drawn me in, was the availability of draught Pilsner Urquell, stored in and drawn from a shiny and well-polished, refrigerated copper tank. The brewery have a name for this type of storage/dispense, that I think is called Tankovna. 

I've come across this system in other European destinations, although mainly in Prague, but I do remember the brewery shipping over a whole tank of the stuff, and then presenting it at one of the European Beer Writers' Conferences I attended, back in 2016-17. The venue for that year's was Brussels, but then in a move that to me looked like bad planning on behalf of the organisers, there was a pub-crawl of the city, planned for the same evening. I'm fairly certain that a substantial proportion of that tank, remained undrunk, and ended up being poured down the drain, but such wasteful extravagances don't seem uncommon in the corporate world. I digress, but can confirm that the fresh, and un-pasteurised Pilsner Urquell was every bit as good as what I've previously enjoyed, in the Czech Republic. 

As predicted, Albert's Schloss soon started filling up, and not just with the usual, after-work office brigade. I'd already twigged that this area was close to the university, and other academically inclined institutions, so there were quite a few students present, enjoying the selection of mainly Bavarian beers on offer. The cavernous, open-plan interior was divided up with various tall tables, and equally tall stools, none of which are my favourite, but there was also a number of long wooden tables and benches that I thought were much more in keeping with what you find in Bavaria and Czechia. The food offerings looked good, but I wasn't particularly hungry.   

I had planned on continuing along to the Prince of Wales - the pub that had been my original destination, but I'm sorry to say I cried off. I've been feeling quite tired recently, a condition that is probably a sign of advancing years, so I decided to head back to New Street, and take the first available, London-bound train. I could enjoy a pint or two there, and seeing as I'd purchased (or rather the firm had purchased) an Open Return ticket, I wasn't tied to a particular train. 

I called in at Greggs, before my intended train, and grabbed a ham and cheese roll, along with the proverbial flat white, just to satisfy the inner man. Greggs though, have gone right down in my estimation, ever since they stopped serving pasties - and before anyone says it, a steak bake (slice), is a very poor substitute for a pasty (Cornish or otherwise). This regression is a nationwide decision, as confirmed by the manager of their Tonbridge outlet, and for me plus, I imagine quite a few other customers, an extremely poor one. Having seen off the competition (there are no other bakeries of this type in Tonbridge), a pasty, hot or cold is no longer available in the town, so thanks for nothing Greggs!! I'm almost wishing for a branch of Gail's to open locally, despite their higher prices, thereby breaking Greggs monopoly.

My train back to Euston was less than two-thirds full, so there was plenty of room to stretch out. The journey was uneventful, but before heading off and finding a pub, I responded to a text message from son Matthew, offering to pick me up from Tonbridge station. I was glad of this kind and, it must be said, rare offer, but it did entail my not going too far off the beaten track, when searching for a suitable pub. Whilst never my favourite (too noisy and too echoey as well), the Euston Tap, probably fitted the bill, but it wasn't until I cut through a passageway, at the northern end of the station, that I noticed the Doric Arch, tucked away, and accessible via an internal staircase, just behind the door.

The place looked familiar, and with a reasonable range of beers on offer, it looked ideal. I could have chosen Sambrook's or Stroud, but with a couple of Fuller's offerings also available, I opted for the ESB. Always a good choice, especially in the capital, and as I watched my pint being pulled, I suddenly remembered that I had been there before. "Didn't this pub used to called The Head of Steam?" I asked as the friendly barmaid finished pouring my pint. "Why yes", she replied and the conversation then turned to cask beer and the Campaign for Real Ale. 

The girl asked if I was a CAMRA member, so I truthfully told her that I wasn't anymore, having cancelled my membership after 40 years. I explained a few of the reasons that caused me to leave "Europe's Most Successful Consumer Organisation", and she understood where I was coming from. She still offered me a CAMRA discount on my pint, which was a nice gesture, but I won't try that approach again, as pubs, rather than entitled CAMRA members need all the help they can get.

So, not quite the lengthy stagger around Birmingham I originally had in mind, but still an enjoyable and useful day out - especially from the company's point of view.