Oak-smoked seasonal beer picks up 5-point Untappd rating

I’m fairly sure that I’ve never awarded a beer on Untappd before, with a rating of 5.0. I know that there has to be a first time for everything, so going by the law of averages, it has to happen sometime, but the beer in question was so good, there was no way that I wasn’t going to award it with the highest rating possible.

I’ll come onto the beer in a minute, after a few paragraphs about Untappd, and my experience of the world’s best known electronic beer ticking app. American in origin, but popular on this side of the Atlantic as well, Un-tapping” beers has become a favourite pastime for many drinkers. The App initially found favour amongst the craft-beer faction, but with the passage of time has found increasing popularity amongst cask drinkers as well.

I wrote a post about Untappd, back in 2015, in which I claimed that the world of beer-ticking had moved on from the days of scruffy, barely legible lists, maintained in tatty old exercise books. I stated that with the advent of the Smart Phone, and the growth in associated Apps, electronic versions of “ticking” were now available, bringing the “delights” of this hobby/obsession to a completely new audience.

I first tried Untappd back in 2013-2014, but gave it up after a short while, primarily for phone-related issues. There were other, more mundane reasons too, such as I forgot to use it or sometimes, I just couldn’t be bothered. I picked up with the App at the start of 2020, after buying a new Smartphone over the Christmas period. My trusty old Galaxy J5 was out of space on its hard-drive, in fact, it was so clogged up that I couldn’t install updates, or even run certain apps.

As well as updating my phone, I took out a new, SIM-only phone contract which came with an enormous (for me) amount of free data, which means I don’t have to worry any more about poor Wi-Fi. Not being able to connect to Untappd in real time, when the pub or bar hadn’t got Wi-Fi, or if it did, the quality and connectivity was poor, was the main reason for me ditching the App, but that’s no longer a problem.

I re-installed Untappd, and found, to my delight, that after all that time, my old account was still there, fully operational and enabling me to pick up from where I’d left off. It’s currently listing 438 beers that I’ve tapped, and whilst I’ve obviously ticked far more over a lifetime of beer drinking, that number is a good starting point – as long as I remember to “tap” them!

So, what about this beer with the five-point rating?  Well it’s Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche –  an 8.0% abv Doppelbock, brewed by Bamberg’s famous,  Schlenkerla "Heller-Bräu" Trum Brauerei. I purchased the bottle at Fuggles Bottle Shop, in Tunbridge Wells, and opened it the other evening. Dark mahogany in colour, this stunning beer is packed with the flavours of intense, chewy, toffee malt, set against a background of oak smoke, and it is oak that is the key here. The majority of Franconian Rauchbiers (smoke beers), are brewed from malt that has been dried in a kiln that is fired with beech wood. Smoke from the latter, imparts an intense smokiness to the dried malt which carries through into the finished beer.

Eiche, is the German word for oak, and the malt for this Doppelbock beer, is kilned with oak wood, rather than beech. This imparts a much more subtle flavour, which allows the toffee and caramel notes from the malt, to shine through. The result, an absolute stunner of a beer that is well worthy of that rare 5-point, rating.

Looking back over past blog posts, this wasn’t actually my first taste of this beer, as during December 2010, I enjoyed a glass of it on its home turf, in the atmospheric surroundings of Heller-Trum’s, world-famous, Aecht Schlenkerla tavern, in the heart of Bamberg’s old town.  I wrote at the time, how I’d popped into Schlenkerla where I was able to sample the strong Christmas Doppelbock called Eiche. I described this stunning dark beer as very moreish, but at 8.0% abv, I thought it unwise to have more than one!

That particular year, Bamberg was blanketed with a thick carpet of snow, which added to the Christmas feel of the town and the surrounding villages. December was also an apt time to visit, as Eiche Doppelbock is only available during the festive season, and thus is a true Christmas beer. I’m not sure how Fuggles got hold of their stock, but I'm glad that I did, although I imagine that it’s all sold out by now.

My most recent visit to Bamberg, took place four years ago, in May 2018. On that visit I was able to buy a couple of bottles of the brewery’s Fasten Bier, or Lent beer.  This seasonal Ur Bock weighs in at 6.5% and is like a stronger version of the brewery's normal strength beer but is sufficiently well-hopped to balance the additional body supplied by the malt. I wasn’t using Untappd back then, so it’s hard to know how I would have scored the beer, but given Schlenkerla’s pedigree and heritage, I imagine it would have been a high rating.

That’s it for the time being, but if you are a fan of smoke beers, keep an eye out for Heller-Trum’s excellent versions, as the brewery is now exporting its beers all over the world.

Let's get this party started

After stating in my previous post that Mrs PBT’s and I were going to be keeping low profile, on Sunday afternoon we broke our purdah and headed out, to the bottom of our road for the local street party. There have been quite a few of these events during the 28 years we have lived in our road. Most have celebrated royal events – Jubilees and weddings in the main, but one memorable street party was held in honour of the Tour de France, cycle, endurance race, which that particular year (2007), came through Tonbridge.

That particular party had a very Gallic theme to it, with plenty of French cheeses, bread, and wine, plus the odd stereotyped French onion seller stand-in, but it was a good do, nevertheless. The other parties have also been enjoyable, and irrespective of one’s views concerning the Queen and the Royal Family, they have provided the perfect opportunity to meet up and reconnect with one’s neighbours.

Tonbridge is a commuter town, with many residents making the 40-minute rail journey to London and back. In the wake of the pandemic, a growing number have ditched the commute, and are now working locally. The pay might not be quite so good, but when traded off against high rail fares, the misery of crowded trains plus time spent travelling, the local option comes out on top.

This year was especially poignant as there were many families up and down the road who we hadn’t seen since before the pandemic. There have also been a number of new families who have moved in, since the last party (2019). Having lived in the road, for the best part of thirty years, Eileen and I know the organisers of these events, and like others were glad to contribute food and drink. Residents were contacted prior to the party and asked to indicate the type of food they would be bringing, primarily to ensure the event wouldn’t be swamped by dozens of sausage rolls, and very little else!

As far as the beer was concerned, I popped along to the Beer Seller in Tonbridge, arriving shortly after the midday opening. There was already a handful of customers in the pub, and I couldn’t help noticing a line of trellis tables running the length of the pub, laden down with buffet type food, in preparation for the Beer Seller’s own party. I’d already made up my mind which beer to go for, but I bought myself a swift half, just to make sure. Goacher’s Gold Star is a regular beer at the Beer Seller, and it was certainly in fine form last Sunday. So, after enjoying my half, I treated myself to a 4-pint Karry-keg of the beer.

Our road runs down a hill to a “T” junction, where it joins a road called Royal Avenue. To the right, the road runs round in a loop to allow vehicle access to the rest of Tonbridge, but to the left, Royal Avenue ends in a cul-de sac. It is in this section that the various street parties have been held over the years.  Sunday’s bash was no exception, and despite a chilly start and grey, overcast skies the party got off to a swinging start.

Mrs PBT’s and I arrived just before 1pm, having brought a couple of garden chairs plus a cheese platter, to the gathering. The cheese was our contribution to the party, but it’s safe to say there was no shortage of food. Star food offering, was a large bowl of chicken biryani, prepared by an Asian family who have recently moved in. Staying with the international theme for a moment, we were introduced to a Japanese lady, who moved in, along with her family, several doors up from us.

We had watched with interest, the construction work that had gone on, both before and during the pandemic, that added an extra storey to their bungalow, but the common interest was both her and me working for Japanese companies. We were also introduced to a chap from the other end of the road, who is a close friend of Eileen’s nephew. He had initially approached me, as he recognised me from my blog, so the power of beer blogging does work, at least sometimes, and here is a shout-out, in case he is reading this post. It was good to meet you, Evan!

We left at around 6pm, shortly before the rain that had been holding off all afternoon, finally had its way. It was good to meet up with our neighbours, both old and new, and good to see that the community spirit, last witnessed in action during 2020’s "Clapping for NHS workers," is alive and well.

 

 

 

Keeping a low profile

Despite the extended Bank Holiday weekend, in honour of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Mrs PBT’s and I have been keeping a low profile. It’s not that we’re anti-royalist, as neither of us have particularly strong views on the monarchy, and anyway that is an argument I don’t wish to get into at this stage.

Instead, the reasons for our purdah, and for us shunning the beer festivals and other special events being held this weekend, are those of self-preservation – shielding, if you like, and as I’m about to explain common sense. The pair of us are booked on a 12-night cruise, which departs from Southampton in a week's time, and then cruises up along the coat of Norway and back. We will calling in at Hamburg on both the outward and homeward bound voyages, no doubt to pick up, and then drop off, some wealthy German passengers, but Norway, and some of the spectacular fjords along its western coast, is the primary destination.

We’d originally booked a slightly longer, 16-night cruise, around the Baltic, calling at various countries along a roughly circular route (Germany, Sweden, Poland, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Lithuania, and Denmark), but that voyage was cancelled (due to technical issues with the ship), even before crazed, tin-pot dictator, Putin embarked on his illegal, barbaric and totally unwarranted “Special Operation" in Ukraine, but with a late April sailing, ports on that cruise would have at least been modified, prior to embarkation.

So, unfortunately whilst we will not be able now to enjoy the splendours of St Petersburg, we can swap them for the spectacular scenery of the Norwegian coast line. I’ve previously visited Copenhagen, Tallin and Helsinki, but whilst it would have been nice to have experienced Gdansk, Gothenburg, and Klaipeda (Lithuania), there’s always another time.

So, what does the cruise have to do with keeping a low profile? The answer lies with our old friend Covid, and the pre-embarkation testing that cruise operator Cunard, is insisting on. Last September, when we embarked on a 4-day mini cruise to Liverpool and back, we were required to take a lateral flow test (LFT), prior to embarking. This was provided by the cruise line and was foc. There were also protocols about wearing masks in public areas of the ship.

When booking the current cruise, it looked as though the only Covid-related requirements, were a health declaration along with proof of vaccination (two shots, plus a booster). I was somewhat surprised then to have received an email, in mid-April, advising that all passengers need to demonstrate a negative antigen lateral flow, or negative rapid antigen test.

There had been problems with outbreaks of Covid on board cruise liners, affecting both passengers and crew, but these were down to Omicron, and by the time the email arrived, cases were already in steep decline. To me, this seemed a classic case of shutting the stable door, after the horse has bolted, but rules being rules (yes, Prime Minister!) we had to comply. In some respects, I can see where the cruise line is coming from.

In order to rule out people “fixing” their results, home testing has been ruled out. Instead, the test needs to be conducted by a government approved laboratory, and at the passenger’s own expense, and It also needs to be conducted on the day before departure. This effectively rules out the allegedly more accurate PCR test. The trouble is, with Covid cases continuing to decline, there are fewer places in which to take a test, but fortunately one of my colleagues came to the rescue.

Our Sales Manager is no stranger to international travel and its various protocols and has undertaken several overseas trips since restrictions were eased. He had used a drive-thru facility at Gatwick Airport, a couple of months ago, so after looking online we discovered the site was still operational. I booked a drive-thru test for Mrs PBT’s and me for Saturday, which is quite handy as we are staying overnight in Southampton, before sailing the following afternoon. We can therefore call in at Gatwick, on our way. The results will be emailed to us after 40 minutes, so fingers crossed they will come back negative. 

You can perhaps now understand my reluctance to mix and socialise with other people too much, prior to taking the test. This is despite having received all three doses of vaccine, and having contracted Covid, back in February. A friend who is a qualified virologist, has told me that that combination should offer sufficient protection, but the last bit, doesn’t apply to Mrs PBT’s as she managed to avoid becoming infected, during the period that I succumbed to the virus.

It's now a question of keeping our heads down, waiting until Saturday afternoon, and banking on a negative result, but what a performance! The paperwork doesn’t stop there though, as if we wish to disembark from the boat in Hamburg, we need to submit one of those Passenger Locator Forms. Germany is one of the few European countries that still require this documentation, which seems a bit of overkill, for two night’s stay, that are nine days apart!

As I said to Mrs PBT’s the other day, “Whatever happened to wash and go?” Now I will let you in on a domestic secret, as my dear lady wife has never been one for travelling light, and just because there are no onboard restrictions for baggage on our cruise, is planning on taking everything apart from the proverbial kitchen sink.

I, on the other hand, am the complete opposite, and looking back on the last solo, overseas trip I made, discovered that I flew to Krakow, with hand-baggage only. I have done the same several times before, including a business trip to Scotland, shortly before lock-down, where I flew there and back wearing my suit. The latter will be required in the cruise, especially if we want to attend any of the formal dinners. The lady of the house is keen on this and has purchased several outfits for just such a purpose, but one smart suit, along with a selection of comfortable casual clothes, will be sufficient for me. 

I will also be packing a couple of good books, to while away hours out at sea, plus an old laptop, which belonged to my late mother. It still works, and whilst I have no intention of going online, I can type out a few blog articles, ready for posting, prior to my return. So, with three days left at work, and two at home, it’s off to Southampton, via Gatwick, for the final hurdle and, providing we pass muster, heading off to the land of the Vikings.

Central Manchester Pubs

Disclosure: I don’t want readers to start thinking that I’m doing this for a living, but a few weeks ago I was contacted by Amberley Publishing, the people responsible for “The Story of Bass,” the book I reviewed a couple of months ago. The publishers had a new title coming out and were looking for people to review it. I was reluctant at first, until I discovered the book was titled - “Central Manchester Pubs,” and it was the subject matter, as well as the author’s credentials, that prompted me into saying, “Yes.”

Now you might be thinking this is just other pub guide, but it isn’t anything of the sort, because Deborah Woodman, who wrote the book, is Research Development Officer at the University of Salford, the seat of learning where I obtained my degree, back in the mid 1970’s. She has also taught history at the same university, as well as the University of Huddersfield and Manchester Metropolitan University.

The latter establishment was formerly known as Manchester Polytechnic, which was where I did a one-year, post-grad course. This was after spending three years at Salford University, studying for my BSc Honours Degree in Biology. If this shared commonality was not enough, I am familiar with many of the pubs listed in Deborah’s book, having spent four and a half years living in the Greater Manchester area.

So, what of the book itself? Well, its 96 pages describe 59 pubs, and if my memory is correct, I have been in around 20 of them, and can recognise a similar number of the other entries. Each pub is illustrated by at least one photo, and as one would expect from a historian, Ms Woodman has meticulously researched the history of each pubs featured. Many have colourful stories behind them, especially those run by equally colourful licensees – both male and female, and for those of us interested in brewery history there is often information regarding the former owning breweries.

Upon receiving my review copy of the book, my intention was to just dip in and out of the various entries, but after turning I few pages, I realised I had to read it from cover to cover. And for those wondering which parts of the city constitutes Central Manchester, the book encompasses the Northern Quarter, the Cathedral Gates to Albert Square, Piccadilly to St Peters Square, Castlefield to All Saints, with a chapter devoted to each area.

For review purposes, I have concentrated on those pubs I am familiar with, even though it might be over 40 years since I last set foot in most of them, so let’s start with a few examples.  First, the three pubs in Portland Street, two of which qualify as the smallest pubs in the city. The Circus Tavern, a former Tetley’s pub, takes first prize in that contest, whilst the Grey Horse Inn, just a few doors away, takes second place. The latter is a Hyde’s pub and is one of the few pubs in the city centre belonging to the smallest of Manchester’s surviving family brewers. Completing the trio, is the Old Monkey, a relatively recent new-build pub, owned by Holt’s Brewery, on the corner of Portland Street and Princess Street.

Fairly close by, in Kennedy Street, are another trio of pubs, this time all next door to each other. The City Arms and the Vine Inn are survivors from the 19^th Century, and both are now free houses. The pub at the end of the row, is a Wetherspoon’s outlet – called the Waterhouse, and is a conversion of three 18^th Century townhouses. The main entrance to the Waterhouse is in Princess Street, but the pub extends right through the block to neighbouring Kennedy Street. Being a relatively new business, I haven’t set foot inside this pub, but I have good memories of the other two.

We then move on to a couple of pubs with attractive and rather striking, tiled exteriors. The Peveril of the Peak, in Great Bridgewater Street, has an unusual triangular shape, alongside its green-tiled frontage, which has managed to survive despite the redevelopment work going on all around. It has been run by the same family for the past 50 years and is well worth a visit.

The other pub, with an equally striking tiled exterior, is the Lass O’ Gowrie, situated just off Oxford Road in the middle of Manchester’s university district. When I lived in the city, the BBC had their offices and studios nearby, but these have since moved out to Salford’s Media City.  For a while, the pub had its own micro-brewery in the cellar, but I understand this is no longer there. It may have been removed when the pub was refurbished in 2014, or possibly before, but the Lass is still well worth a visit.

Whilst on the subject of tiled exteriors, when I first went up to Manchester, the city centre was a gigantic building site, with the construction of the Arndale Shopping Centre. Clad in hideous yellow tiles which, as many Mancunians claimed, gave the centre the appearance of a giant public toilet, construction of the Arndale only came to an end towards the end of my residence in the area. The Arndale was substantially rebuilt, following the devastating IRA bomb in 1996, and now has an appearance that is much more pleasing to the eye.

Fortunately, no one was killed by the bomb’s massive blast, but 200 people were injured, many by flying glass. The reconstruction that followed, allowed for two historic pubs that had previously been incorporated into the Arndale development, to be move to a more appropriate location. The Wellington Inn and Sinclair’s Oyster Bar now overlook Shambles Square, in the shadow of Manchester Cathedral, with the Wellington dating back to the late 16^th Century and Sinclair’s to the early 1700’s.

I visited the Wellington in its previous location, shortly after the Arndale Centre opened, but from the photos I have seen of Shambles Square, its new home, along with that of the adjacent Sinclair’s, looks much more appropriate. I am looking forward to visiting both establishments, when I make a long overdue visit to Manchester, as I haven’t been back to the city since the early 90’s, and in anticipation of a return visit, I have been logging onto Google Street View to see just how much the city centre has changed in the past 40 plus years.

Despite all the re-development Central Manchester had managed to retain a surprising number of historic pubs, and these have been joined in recent years by the conversion of former retail or office buildings into licensed premises. During the early 19^th Century, Manchester was known as "Cottonopolis," due to its position as the epicentre of the UK’s cotton industry. The city was also a noted centre of radicalism, and many pubs acted as venues for trades unions, friendly societies plus some of the emerging building societies.

This zeal for reform, against the intransigence of the government of the time, came to a head with the infamous Peterloo Massacre of 16^th August 1819. The Britons Protection pub, in Great Bridgewater Street, was the unfortunate witness to this horrific event, which took place just yards from the pub, in St Peter’s Field. Fifteen people were killed, and hundreds more were injured, some seriously, when cavalry, armed with swords, charged into a crowd of around 60,000 people.

The crowd had gathered for a peaceful demonstration, in support of parliamentary reform, and occurred at a time when less than 2% of the population had the right to vote. The term “Peterloo,” was intended to mock the soldiers who attacked unarmed civilians by echoing the battle of “Waterloo,” where their action had been viewed as heroic. A series of murals, inside the pub, depicts the horrific scenes that occurred that day. It is somewhat ironic then that the Britons Protection should have stated life as a recruiting centre for locals wanting to sign up and fight Napoleon a couple of decades previously.

On a much more cheerful note, Manchester has plenty of other pubs to enjoy, and a few more from the list that I’ve visited, include the Sawyers Arms, on the corner of Deansgate and Bridge Street, the Rising Sun on Queen Street, and the Hare & Hounds, on Shudehill.  When I lived in the area, the Sawyers was a Schooner Inn (remember them?), but under its current owners - Nicholson’s, has been tastefully restored. The Rising Sun remains a charming little back-street pub, with front and rear entrances on two different streets. The Wilson’s beers may have gone, but the Rising Sun continues to serve a fine pint from a number of different breweries.

The Hare & Hounds has an interior that features on CAMRA’s National Heritage List, and now has the Shudehill transport interchange nearby. It was a little more tucked away, when I knew it, and also served a fine pint of Tetley’s. Today, it is thriving free house. Other former favourites listed, include the Castle on Oldham Street, which remains a Robinson’s house, plus the Unicorn, on Church Street, which always served the best pint of Draught Bass in the city!

As mentioned earlier, I have only been back to Manchester a few times, since my departure in the spring of 1978, but Deborah Woodman’s book is sufficient to entice me back. For those who don’t know Manchester that well, “Central Manchester Pubs” is the perfect introduction to the city’s pubs, whilst for a returning former inhabitant, such as me, it will act as the perfect guide.

Background and disclosure:

Central Manchester Pubs, by Deborah Woodman, is available from Amberley Publishing, priced at £15.99. The book consists of 96 pages and contains 100 colour and black & white illustrations. The publishers have kindly allowed me to use a selection of the photos, to illustrate this review. https://www.amberley-books.com/central-manchester-pubs.html

I received a complimentary copy of the book, in respect of providing a review, and the thoughts and observations contained therein, are my own, and to the best of my knowledge remain unbiased and uninfluenced by my receipt of the review copy.

 

Bing makes a thing of distance walking in Sheffield

This post is a bit of a filler, whilst I work on a couple of longer ones, but as it contains an amusing tale, which centres on a case of misinterpretation, it is worth including for its entertainment value.

Apart from the chance of meeting up with a couple of pub-going legends, one of the main draws that took me to Sheffield, was of course the pubs. Like several other prominent towns and cities throughout the land, I was aware that Sheffield possessed a number of legendary boozers

I’d also been looking at the map for locations that were relatively easily doable - i.e., it was possible to travel here and back within a day. Having visited Stockport and Bath, since the end of the pandemic, I knew that three hours train travel each way was perfectly achievable, but four hours would be pushing it. This meant cities such as Manchester, Bristol, Salisbury, and Birmingham were within the scope of a day’s travel, but locations such as Newcastle, Truro, and Swansea, were not.

Sheffield fitted into the three-hour time frame, and I knew it was a city with some classic pubs, so I started researching train fares. That was when the reduced-price ticket offer, appeared on my radar. I managed to pick up two single tickets (outward and return) for £15.50 each, and whilst this restricted me to timed trains (including those between Tonbridge and London), the tickets represented an absolute bargain.

Before confirming my booking, I contacted GBG pub-ticking legend, Retired Martin, who now lives in Sheffield,  to see if he was available on the day that I’d earmarked for the trip. Given his wanderlust and goal of completing the GBG this year, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he would be free on my chosen day. Not only that, he kindly emailed me a map, along with a suggested itinerary. The latter fitted in with my desire to visit the Kelham Island area of the city, and its two outstanding pubs - the Fat Cat and the Kelham Island Tavern.

So, on the allotted day I boarded the 09.09 train to London Bridge, a connecting service to St Pancras, and then the 10.32 train to Sheffield. This was my first journey on East Midland Railway (EMR), since privatisation, of what had been British Rail’s Midland Mainline. The train was sleek, fast, and comfortable, although selling me a window seat where most of the view was obscured by the framework of the carriage, was pushing the envelope, somewhat. I was also surprised to discover that this important stretch of railway had still not been electrified and relied instead on dirty and polluting diesel power cars.

The train pulled into Sheffield at 12.42, which was right on time, but on exiting the station I became a little disoriented. It should have been obvious that I need to turn right, and proceed up the hill, rather than turning in the opposite direction and heading downhill. The map Martin had sent me showed this, but the part which confused the hell out of me and nearly proved my downfall, was the mileage stated in the bottom left-hand corner. This stated 2.4 miles, but as the map only allowed 46 minutes for me to walk to our agreed meeting place at the Fat Cat, I was panicking slightly about being late.

The stated distance was not particularly daunting for a regular rambler like me, but at my relatively slow walking pace, covering 2.4 miles in 46 minutes would have been pushing it. Martin’s map came courtesy of Bing, and I should have known never to trust a Bing map. Three years ago, a work colleague became embroiled in an argument with his boss, over a work-related mileage claim. He had claimed the mileage indicated by his car’s odometer, whereas his penny-pinching boss had looked at the same journey on Bing maps and found it was around three miles shorter than my colleague had claimed. Could Martin’s map have been equally inaccurate?

After finally getting my bearings, I thought of getting a bus, after all I had my OAP bus pass, so after asking a lady waiting at the nearest bus stop, how to get to Kelham Island, I was at least pointed in the right direction. I carried on walking, and after passing Sheffield’s landmark Crucible Theatre, I knew at least I was on course. Soon after, I spotted a sign for Kelham Island, indicating a distance of just three-quarters of a mile. Surely, I hadn’t covered a mile and a half already? It was all downhill after that, and I arrived at the Fat Cat with time to spare, and ahead of Martin. So how could this have happened?

It was only after Martin had pointed out that the mileage on the map was cumulative, and represented both the outward and alternative return routes, that the penny dropped. I felt a fool but after my colleague’s experience carried on blaming Bing maps, and not without some justification. Bing, who are Microsoft’s search engine, are notorious for providing misleading information, as according to Google, "Bing returns disinformation and misinformation at a significantly higher rate than Google does."

You could argue that Google would make such a claim about a major rival, but it suits the story and my continuing narrative to stick with this accusation, although this doesn’t mean I am ungrateful towards Martin, for providing the map. We had a good laugh about it, once I realised, I’d mis-interpreted it, but the story does perhaps underline the unquestioning reliance we place on technology today.

I have already chronicled the excellent pubs we visited on that sunny day in Sheffield, a fortnight ago, so I won’t repeat myself here. The journey home was uneventful, but I am pleased to report that I had a window seat on the train. There is something relaxing about just sitting there next to a window, watching the countryside passing outside, as the train speeds towards its final destination.

I’m looking at possibilities for further days out, or even weekends away, with Manchester looking a strong contender. That decision is influenced by a book I’ve recently read and also reviewed, although the city was already high up on my list. All will be revealed later.

Farewell to the Caledonian

Like many other beer lovers, I was saddened to discover that the Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh, is to be closed by its current owners – Heineken UK. The closure will mark the end of large-scale brewing in the Scottish capital, and the final chapter for a brewery that opened its doors for the very first time in 1869.

The reasons for the closure are the usual corporate nonsense one might expect from a huge multi-national group, but centre on the inefficiencies of the Victorian brewery, and the cost of bringing the infrastructure and facilities up to date. This is despite a statement from UK supply chain director, Matt Callan, that they were acutely aware of what the brewery represents in Edinburgh, and its role in the history and heritage of brewing in Scotland. He ended by saying, “This is something we’re incredibly proud of.”

So proud in fact that they are going to close the brewery, using their own alleged “green credentials” and sustainability commitments as an excuse. Heineken has struck a deal with Greene King, to continue producing Caledonian's main brands - Deuchars, Coast to Coast and Maltsmiths - at their Belhaven brewery in nearby Dunbar, but that is little comfort to the 30 workers at the Edinburgh plant.

The Caledonian Brewery was established by George Lorimer and Robert Clark, in a location next to the newly opened Caledonian Railway Line in Edinburgh’s Slateford Road. The brewery was bought by Scottish & Newcastle in 2008, becoming part of Heineken later that year when Heineken acquired S&N. Ironically, this is not the first time the brewery has faced closure, as former owners Vaux of Sunderland, who acquired the company in 1947, announced plans for it to cease production, in 1986. This followed their decision to withdraw from the Scottish market and concentrate their operations south of the border. 

The brewery was saved, a year later, when head brewer Russell Sharp and managing director Dan Kane led a buy-out and relaunched the business as the Caledonian Brewery Company.  A modern twist on an Indian Pale Ale, Deuchars IPA ushered in a new era of brewing, in 1981, allowing lager drinkers to finally discover the joy of cask ales. For several decades, Deuchars IPA was a “must stock” beer in many of the nation’s free houses, including the JD Wetherspoon chain, but now it seems to have been eclipsed by other beers.

In 1994, the brewery survived a fire which caused extensive damage, although fortunately the historic original brewhouse survived, largely intact. The site was out of action for almost two years, with re-building costs of around £3 million. In 2004, Scottish & Newcastle bought a 30% share in Caledonian to enable the company to continue brewing within Edinburgh, following the closure of their own Fountainbridge site.

Four years later, the brewing giant purchased the remaining 70% of Caledonian, shortly before being bought themselves by Dutch multi-national brewers, Heineken. Now the latter are pushing ahead with the closure of this tenacious survivor from late Victorian times, despite Edinburgh’s proud history of brewing and the stream of highly qualified graduates from the city’s Herriot-Watt's Centre for Brewing and Distilling.

In 1984, I was fortunate to visit the Caledonian Brewery, whilst attending CAMRA’s National AGM, which was held that year, in Edinburgh. Myself and a group of friends had been privileged to enjoy an impromptu tour around the brewery, after turning up on the off chance. Our guide for the occasion had been none other than the late Dan Kane, who was one of the pioneers of CAMRA in Scotland, at a time when cask ale was very thin on the ground. As mentioned above, he was later instrumental in helping save the Caledonian Brewery when it was earmarked for closure by Vaux of Sunderland.

Three years later, I visited the Caledonian Brewery again; this time as part of a day trip to Edinburgh. The visit was arranged by a friend who worked for British Rail, and somehow, he had managed to get me a complimentary return ticket from Tonbridge to Edinburgh.  That return journey involved an early start, catching the 06:20 train to London Bridge, and then the 08:00 service to Edinburgh, from London’s Kings Cross.

This was my fourth visit to the Scottish capital, but as previous visits had either been at night or had involved starting my journey from places such as Manchester or Sheffield, it represented my first train journey from London during daylight hours. Several of my friend’s railway colleagues joined the train at Stevenage, and we then settled down to enjoy the journey and admire the scenery. This was especially true with the section of line which runs along the spectacular Northumbrian coast. The castle at Bamburgh looked splendid against the backdrop of the sea, and as we crossed over the border into Scotland at Berwick, with its three bridges over the river Tweed, our spirits rose in anticipation of the brewery visit that awaited at the end of our journey.

We arrived at Waverley station, just after one o'clock, and immediately hailed a couple of taxis to take us to Lorimer & Clarks Caledonian Brewery. I recognised the brewery facade as soon as we arrived, after my visit, three years previously. We were offered a drink as soon as we arrived, which was most welcome following our lengthy journey. Caledonian 80/- was the order of the day, and every nice it tasted too. It tasted even better with the sparkler removed from the beer pump, something that caused considerable amusement to our guides, but from our point of view, something which added to our enjoyment of this excellent beer.

The tour was every bit as good as the one I had enjoyed three years previously. The last direct fired coppers in the country were especially interesting, and of particular interest to my railway companions were the sidings and associated loading dock. In days gone by raw materials were brought to the brewery, by rail, and the finished product was also dispatched by the same means. Before being led back to the sampling room, we were shown the old maltings, where the Edinburgh Real Ale Festival took place.

After drinking our fill of 80/- Ale it was time to thank our hosts and say farewell. We headed by taxi back into the city centre in order to catch the 17:00 train home. Our journey back was enlivened by my friend describing various points of interest along the route. We crossed the border back in to England, at Berwick travelling once more through the spectacular scenery of the Northumbrian country side. The sea was on our left this time, and we could see across to Holy Island and Lindisfarne Priory. Shortly after, we were rewarded by the view of picturesque Alnmouth.

Upon leaving Newcastle, we took our seats in the dining car for an evening meal, this being back in the day when it was still possible to enjoy a decent sit-down meal on a train in the UK. We remained there for most of the journey watching as the countryside became progressively flatter as we travelled south. Arriving back at Kings Cross we re-traced our morning's journey back to London Bridge.

We arrived back in Tonbridge, shortly after eleven o'clock; some 17 hours or so since leaving that morning. It had been a long and somewhat tiring day, but a most enjoyable one too. If the closure of the Caledonian Brewery has done nothing else, it reminds me of that epic, return rail journey, but it also brings a real feeling of sadness when one considers how hard people fought to keep this piece of Edinburgh’s brewing heritage, open.

Footnote: as the brewery visits referred to, took place before the advent of Smart Phones, or even digital cameras, I am unable to illustrate the post with any photos from that time. I don’t even think I have anything taken on film from the time, either!

 Photo attributes: 

Caledonian Brewery: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Vaux vintage dray lorry: Creative Commons

Waverley Station: By G-13114 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50407568

Caledonian Brewery Gate: Anne Burgess Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

 

I call that a bargain!

I picked up a couple of these bad boys at our local Sainsbury’s, the other weekend.  On sale at the heavily discounted price of just 80p each, the beers were too good a bargain to miss. Somewhat predictably, there were none left on the shelves when I popped in yesterday to grab a few groceries, but why were these bottles so ridiculously cheap, and what was the beer itself actually like?

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Winter Warmer Ale weighs in at a respectable strength of 5.3%. It is brewed at the Eagle Brewery, which I suspect is the old Charles Wells plant in Bedford. The beer is described as “Rich, fruity and malty,” which is not an unreasonable description for a “Winter warmer” and the taste did actually match the description.

I originally tried this beer, last December when it was on sale alongside another beer from the Eagle Brewery.  This Christmas Porter was brewed to the same strength as the Winter Warmer, and looking back at my notes on Untappd, I gave it an appropriately higher score.

I wrote at the time that I could certainly discern the dark fruit, sweet plum, and chocolate, described on the label, so perhaps members of the beer-buying public, felt the same? The Winter Warmer Ale is still quite drinkable, and given the recent fall in temperatures, drinking the beer didn’t exactly feel out of place.

None of this explains why Sainsbury’s are so keen to shift this beer unless their buyers caught a cold and over-ordered. There is still six months’ shelf life remaining on this particular batch, admittedly not quite sufficient to see them past this coming December, but should you come across these 80p bottles, the buyers’ extravagance becomes the consumers’ late-spring bonus.

See if you can spot any of this heavily discounted winter beer at your local Sainsbury’s, because at 80p a pop, you can’t really go wrong!