Life isn't all cakes and ale, although it still can be beer and skittles

For a brief moment I was wondering whether I was wrong to have completely ditched WordPress, the writing platform I used for my late, but not particularly lamented website, Paulsbeertravels.com. I say that, very much tongue in cheek, because writing sufficient material for a self-hosted website, on top of this current blog, was just that little bit too much effort. I was certainly spending too much time staring at a computer screen, particularly for someone who still does this for a living, (albeit part time), and instead was wanting to get back out exploring the towns and villages of this fair land, especially when it involves visiting the occasional pub or two.

I mentioned WordPress, because on several of his recent posts, prolific blogger, and pub ticker extraordinaire, Retired Martin, has kicked off with quotes that are a feature of WordPress, in that they appear, every time the writer commences a new post. According to Martin, they are “prompts for the blogger with writers block,” and whilst I realise our pub-ticking hero isn’t lacking inspiration for things to write about, I certainly am.

Richard Boston in 1994. Photograph: Frank Martin/The Guardian

My second brush with COVID hasn’t helped, and whilst I have now recovered, I still feel somewhat washed out. Providing I returned a negative lateral flow test on Wednesday morning, which allowed me to return to work, even though it is only for a day. I didn’t enjoy being confined to quarters, and now that the snow has disappeared, and the temperatures are back to normal, I was pleased to reconnect with the outside world.

So, what to write about? Well, how about a book that first appeared in 1976, which was the year I graduated from Salford University. "Beer and Skittles" wasn’t originally written as a book, instead it was a compilation of the authors writings which first appeared in the weekly column that he wrote for a national newspaper. The author is none other than Richard Boston, and the aforementioned newspaper column, was titled "Boston on Beer," which was a feature every Saturday in the Guardian for around three years, during the mid-1970’s.

Boston’s writings told the story of the early days of what became the fight back by drinkers against the bland and nationally promoted keg brands, that were often the only beers available in many of the nation’s pubs. The column also championed the remaining small, independent, and mostly family-owned brewers, that were still producing beers of character and flavour, that were brewed to suit local tastes and palates.

The book is a lot more than that though, as it contains chapters on beer and brewing, along with the factors that make up a decent public house. This chapter takes up a significant number of pages, and is divided up into 11 different sections, all based largely on the authors’ observations drawn from many years of pub-going. You can tell from these descriptions, that Boston is a dedicated pub man. Some of the pub regulars he describes would be recognisable today, and the same applies looking back in time, when the author refers to characters who frequented the Boar’s Head used by Shakespeare as one of the settings in his play, Henry IV Part 1.

Beer of course, forms a major part of the book, and whilst not a member, Boston praises the achievements of CAMRA in persuading brewers to either stick with traditional beers, or resurrect new ones. For example, brewers such as Courage, after ripping out hand-pumps from their tied estates, in favour to keg or top pressure dispense, re-introduced their Directors Ale – a beer that at one point was on the verge of extinction. Numerous smaller brewers, that were just bumping along the bottom, suddenly found their traditional beers back in favour, and much sought after by the drinking public.

CAMRA did come in for a bit of stick in one part of the book, for being too dogmatic and obsessed with methods of dispense, Their fixation on extraneous CO2. rather than what the finished product actually tasted like in the customers glass, attracted both criticism, and a fair bit of ridicule from the author, although he is quick to acknowledge how CAMRA inspired others in the food and hospitality sector, to offer artisan bread, proper butcher’s sausages, and tasty farmhouse cheeses. He describes these essentials as “Good things,” so it is not surprising to see characterful traditional beers included here.

A brief guide to the UK’s breweries, titled, “What’s Where: a pub man’s gazetteer,” brought back more than a few memories, and makes fascinating reading, especially as a significant number of the companies listed, are no longer with us. It’s true to say this is where the majority of the changes have occurred, and whilst the brewing sector is brighter, and significantly larger, especially in terms of the sheer number of breweries, (2,000 +), there are many cherished companies which, for whatever reason, are no longer with us.

Quite a few of these breweries were favourites of the author’s, as well as my own, including, Adnams, Boddington’s, Brakspear’s, Gales, Hartley’s, Hook Norton, King & Barnes, Jennings, Marston’s (the original Marston’s brewery, not the company that emerged from the merger with Wolverhampton & Dudley), Morland’s, Ruddles, Yates & Jackson, and Young’s.

Adnams, and Hook Norton are still with us, but the others are not, and this chapter alone provides an illuminating snapshot of the beer and pub scene from almost half a century ago. The example of Ruddles is particularly poignant, and whilst tacky imitations of this once legendary brewery can be purchased, at discount prices, in equally tacky JDW outlets throughout the land, the Ruddles that Richard Boston describes, and the one I remember with fondness, was one that was held in high esteem by lovers of traditional beer.

“The company (Ruddles) produces some of the best beer in the country, and in the past few years its fortunes have been completely reversed by the new found enthusiasm for real beer. There are nearly 50 tied houses in the immediate area, and a growing free trade. The draught Ruddles County is a powerful 1050 OG, which seems too much to me for midday drinking, when I would stick to the excellent ordinary bitter. They are both outstandingly good, and I would put Ruddle’s beer in the top half dozen in the country.”

How the mighty have fallen, but Ruddles weren’t the only stars of the burgeoning “real ale” scene to make the wrong calls. I won’t bore you with too much history for this one, apart from saying that W.H. Brakspear & Sons, of Henley-on-Thames, were another of Richard Boston’s top breweries, and a favourite of mine as well – even though I didn’t often have the opportunity of drinking their excellent beers.

The author described both their Ordinary and Best Bitters, as amongst the best in the country, even though he was unable to decide which of the two he preferred. He also described the company’s pubs, which were always signed with the words, “Henley Brewery,” as some of the most “outstandingly attractive” country pubs in the UK, and having visited a few myself, over the years, I certainly would not disagree.

Unfortunately, whilst Brakspear’s beers are still available, they are no longer brewed at Henley, but instead are produced at the Wychwood Brewery in Witney, Oxfordshire. The Henley site ceased brewing in 2002, and the old brewery buildings are now a boutique hotel – a sad fate indeed for such a respected and well-loved brewery. In mitigation, some of the original Brakspear’s kit was moved to Witney, including the unique, “double-drop” fermenters, which helped give the beers their characteristic taste. Brakspear’s beers, are now just another brand in the already overcrowded Marston’s portfolio, and they are rarely seen in this part of the country.

Richard Boston died, four years after the closure of the Henley site. He certainly would not have approved of the move, but fortunately his thoughts and the legacy of his writing live on in “Beer and Skittles,” plus a handful of other publications. Somewhat fittingly, the Guardian published an obituary of him, which nicely summarised his life as a wit, raconteur, a bon viveur, and above all a person with an irreverent sense of humour. If you want to know more, particularly about the early days of the campaign for better beer in the nation’s pubs, look for a copy of Beer & Skittles. The book is no longer in print, but a decent, second-hand bookshop will probably be able to help you. Alternatively, a certain well-known online retailer has links to several sellers, who will be pleased to provide you with a copy.