Following the crowd

“Is it some kind of strange “herd instinct” which makes certain people gravitate to where others are sitting, even when there’s acres of empty space elsewhere?”

The above is lifted straight from my recent post about a “Hungry Horse” breakfast. It describes a situation which I’m sure strikes a chord with many people, as it is something which many of us can relate to.

Regular correspondent Etu describes a similar situation in a large and almost deserted car-park, where his desire for a spot of shut-eye, and some fresh air, was disturbed by the hooting of another motorist who wished to park right next to him, despite there being acres of space either side.

This herding instinct isn’t just prevalent in car-parks; a work colleague told me of a similar situation where him and his wife, desiring both peace and a bit of space, parked their campervan at the furthermost extremity of a virtually empty campsite. After setting up camp, they went off for an exploratory walk, finding to their horror, when they returned to their vehicle, that a family had set up camp right next to them.

The “family” came complete with several noisy and energetic children – nothing that untoward there, except for the fact that my colleague’s wife hates kids! What made the situation worse,  especially for her, was there were no other tents or vans within  that particular field.

So what is it that makes some people want to get as close to others as humanly possible? What is it that makes them want to stick like glue to their fellow human beings?

“Herd mentality” (also known as mob mentality) describes a behaviour in which people act in the same way, or adopt similar behaviours as the people around them — often ignoring their own feelings in the process. Think of a sheep blindly following the flock no matter where they go "just because that’s what the herd is doing."

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Leeds found that humans flock like sheep and birds, subconsciously following a minority of individuals. The study showed that it takes a minority of just five per cent to influence a crowd's direction - and that the other 95 per cent follow without even realising it.

I don’t want to go into too much depth regarding the reasons behind this type of behaviour, as there are a host of psychological and perhaps survival factors at play here. However, whilst I can understand it in crowds situations, where there are strong parallels between animal grouping behaviour and human crowds, it doesn’t really explain why, when you’re sitting in a virtually empty pub enjoying a quiet drink, either on your own, or as a couple, other member of the human race will come along and plonk themselves down, right next to you!

Several years ago, my wife and I attended a performance by the legendary Kaiser Chiefs at Bedgebury Forest. Dressed in our warmest concert-going gear (it can be quite cold during the evening in the Great British outdoors – even in June), we took our picnic chairs, and picnic along and staked out a nice little spot with a good view of the stage, but not too close. We left, what we thought was a reasonable amount of space between ourselves and the people in front of us.

As might be expected, people were gradually occupying the space behind us, but this apparently, was not good enough for two families and their assorted off-spring who squeezed themselves into the space in front of us whilst behaving like prats for the duration of the concert – on the phone talking loudly to their mates, taking “selfies” of themselves against the backdrop of the Kaiser Chiefs performance.

This is a nightmarish scenario for many people, especially where there is no escape. For some time now, Mrs PBT’s and I have been contemplating a cruise, but for my good lady wife having our space invaded by the proverbial “couple from hell”, is a prime factor in convincing herself that cruising is not for her. This is despite my assurances that a cruise-liner is sufficiently large to be able to escape, and indeed hide, from such boorish individuals.

So next time you are out enjoying a quiet drink, or perhaps admiring the view from a local beauty spot, keep an eye out, as you may well find you are not alone!

Something lacking

Well for Dave’s benefit, here is my summary, and my thoughts, on  the five bottles of Kölsch I brought back from Cologne the other month. Before launching into the full-blown descriptive narrative, it’s worth noting that all five bottles were brands of  Kölsch I’d not come across before and, as you may recall, I picked them all up at a supermarket close to our hotel.

So, without further ado, here are the five beers listed in the order I drank them in.

 

Reissdorf Kölsch 4.8%. Packaged in a 500ml bottle - sufficient for two and a half Stangen (Kölsch glasses), and adorned with an attractive label. This Kölsch is quite a soft, gentle and pleasant beer, with notes of malt on the nose. It is quite sweet in taste, with a slight hint of fruit.

According to the label Reissdorf is a Privat-Brauerei, so I presume it is family-owned. Like most of the other beers below, this is one which I haven’t come across before on visits to Cologne.

Richmodis Kölsch 4.8%. At first I thought that this is another independently owned Kölsch brewer, but it turns out that Richmodis was bought out by Gaffel who are one of the larger independent brewers in Cologne, in 1998. The brand is now produced exclusively for the REWE supermarket chain which, surprise-surprise, is where I bought this bottle.

The beer comes in a 330ml bottle, is extremely pale in colour and is rather sweet in taste. It is still quite quaffable though, and reminds me quite a lot of Gaffel.

Sester Kölsch 4.8%. Another Kölsch packaged in a 500ml bottle. Less sweet than the other bottles sampled so far, but equally less hoppy.

The beer has a deep golden colour, with a sweet malty nose and pours with a light, fluffy head. A pleasant and easy drinking  Kölsch, but nothing to get overly excited about.

Gilden Kölsch 4.8%. “Traditionally brewed, with a fine hop aroma”, if I have correctly translated the text on the back of the bottle.

This Kölsch is a bit more like it, being hoppier and less sweet, than some of the others. Pale golden and pours with a rather thin head, which soon dissipates in the glass. Nice and refreshing. A “big brand” Kölsch, brewed by the Kölner Verbund Brauereien.

Schreckenskammer Kölsch 5.0 %.  I’m mightily relieved that the last of the five  has turned out to be the best and most enjoyable, as I was starting to get more than a little fed-up with the style.

Schreckenskammer has a deep golden colour and has quite a bit more body than the other Kölsches sampled. It’s also marginally stronger at 5.0%, although I don’t think that an extra 0.25% alcohol is going to make much difference.

Situated opposite the church of St. Ursula, and first documented in 1442, Schreckenskammer was the oldest brewery in Cologne, until it was destroyed by a bombing raid in 1943. Production didn’t re-start until 1960 at the modern-looking,  Zur Schreckenskammer brew-pub.

What I find surprising is that I have not only missed this particular brew-house, but have been completely unaware of its existence, despite all the times I’ve been going to Cologne. What is even more annoying is it is situated just the other side of the rail tracks, virtually opposite the hotel we normally stay at, whilst attending the biennial dental exhibition which takes place in the city.

Back to the main point of the exercise which was a comparison between drinking Kölsch at home and enjoying a few in one of Cologne’s atmospheric beer halls.

Unsurprisingly the two don’t compare favourably, which is no reflection on the beers themselves, but more a case of missing the fast-drinking and social interaction associated with enjoying Kölsch on its home turf.

As stated before, Kölsch is a beer designed to be drunk fresh. Leaving a newly poured glass standing for any length of time allows the beer’s condition to dissipate, and is not conducive to enjoying it at its best. This is why it is usually served in small, plain cylindrical glasses known as Stangen, which typically hold just 20 cl of beer.

This isn’t very practical at home – I don’t have any Stangen for a start, and neither do I have a waiter bringing me a fresh glass of beer for as long as I wish to continue drinking. So, for the ultimate Kölsch experience, it really is necessary to take a trip to the Rhineland, and to Köln itself.

Getting (friar) tucked-in!

After a busy weekend there’s a lot more than usual to post about, so let’s get straight on with a quick post about yet another local breakfast venue, and a pub one at that.

The Robin Hood is a large estate pub on the edge of Tunbridge Wells,  close to the area known as High Brooms. The pub was built at the end of the Edwardian era and started life as a private residence. It became a public house in 1971, primarily to cater for the residents of the adjacent Sherwood housing estate, and was named the Robin Hood because of the Sherwood Forest connection.

For much of its existence the pub belonged to Whitbread and, despite me not being a fan of estate pubs, I became quite well acquainted with the Robin Hood during the late 1980’s, when I worked on the nearby North Farm Industrial Estate.

After Whitbread ceased being a brewer, and started running hotels and coffee shops instead, the Robin Hood passed into the hands of Enterprise Inns, and in 2007 a major refurbishment was carried out. It was somewhat surprising then when, just six years later, Enterprise closed the pub and put it up for sale. 

Fortunately, Greene King stepped in and rescued the pub, converting it into a Hungry Horse in the process. The Suffolk brewer seems to have made a good job of the conversion, as the Robin Hood usually seems busy, attracting customers from both the local estate and slightly further afield.

Son Matthew and I fitted into the latter category on Sunday, when we called in after a visit to the nearby “waste transfer station”, otherwise known as Tunbridge Wells tip. 

We arrived a few minutes after the 11 o’clock opening, so were surprised to see a few hardened drinkers already there, getting stuck into their pints. No beer for us though, but rather a mug of tea each to accompany our £2.99 full English breakfast. Actually the bill came to slightly more, as with the drink option, plus a round of toast each, breakfast worked out at just over a fiver each.

It was freshly cooked and pretty decent, my only gripe being the lack of hot plates. We could perhaps done

without having to listen to the chavvy couple who came and sat just across from where we were sitting – is it some kind of strange “herd instinct” which makes certain people gravitate to where others are sitting, even when there’s acres of empty space elsewhere?

Such is life, but the bottom line is yet another place for a decent start to the day, without breaking the bank; or indeed having to steal from the rich!

Down by the riverside

I found myself in that there London place last Thursday. I was there on company business, with the express purpose of obtaining a visa for a forthcoming trip to foreign parts. I won’t say where yet, but you will probably get a clue from one of the photos.

Now no visit to London, for business or for pleasure, is complete without at least one visit to a classic pub and Thursday was no exception, but that obviously had to wait until after my business was concluded. I had a pre-booked appointment for my visa submission, and not wanting to be late I arrived in the big city with plenty of time to spare.

I actually had a little too much time to spare, but after a brief wander around found myself standing opposite the medieval splendour of the Guildhall. This might sound a little strange, especially coming from someone who is a frequent visitor to the capital, but Thursday’s visit was my first glimpse of the Guildhall.

To come across this survivor from the middle ages surrounded by a sea of modernity, was not something I’d been expecting, and I couldn’t help being impressed. Directly opposite the Guildhall is the church of St Lawrence Jewry next Guildhall; one of the many fine churches designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren to replace those consumed in the Great Fire of London.

There were some benches outside the  church, looking directly across to the Guildhall, and this seemed a suitable spot in which to sit and eat my lunch – the sandwiches I normally make and pack up each day. It was a nice sheltered spot, away from the unseasonably cold wind which was blowing - whatever happened to spring?

I still had some time to kill, so I popped in for a brief look at  the Guildhall Art Gallery. Entrance was free, and as well as some stunning paintings, plus a section in the basement where the remains of a Roman amphitheatre can be viewed, there were also some rather well-appointed toilet facilities.

I took full advantage of the latter, before heading off for my pre-booked appointment. The whole process took around 70 minutes,  and involved three separate queues, but because it was necessary to leave my passport at the agency, for the visa to be affixed,  I will have to return to collect it, next week.

So there will be a further opportunity for a “wet” in the big city, next week. (Incidentally, I first heard the expression “wet,” from a former boss of mine, when I was a young and rather naïve, twenty-something in his first professional role).

Back to last week,  as soon as I’d concluded my business, I took the Underground, in a westerly direction, changing lines a couple of times, before arriving at Ravenscourt Park, where I alighted from the train, and headed due south at a brisk pace, towards the River Thames.

In case you haven’t guessed by now, I was making for was the Dove; a famous grade II listed riverside tavern, which is one of London's Real Heritage Pubs. The building dates back to the late 18^th Century, and having started life as the Doves Coffee House, was bought by Fuller’s Brewery in 1796.

I almost walked straight passed the narrow alleyway which leads to the pub, but after noticing my error, and pausing to take a few photos, I found myself being questioned about the antiquity of the building, by a couple of American tourists who’d come up behind me.

I answered the question of “Is this the oldest pub?”, by asking where exactly were they referring to? Not wishing to appear rude, or unhelpful, I quickly followed up by saying the Dove was almost certainly the oldest pub in that particular part of London, but not the oldest in the capital.

I needn’t have worried about causing an offence, as the couple were clearly on a mission, and without really waiting for my reply, marched straight to the door, where one of them read aloud from the sign by the door, that the song Rule Britannia had been composed there.

I wasn’t taking much notice by then, as I was just glad when they entered the pub and got out of camera shot. There must have been an American convention going on that afternoon, as I encountered several more visitors from across the Atlantic as I attempted a few more photo shots from the other side of the pub. Strangely enough, I didn’t see, or indeed hear, any Americans once I’d stepped inside the Dove.

This was probably my first visit to the pub in a couple of decades, so it’s hard to say whether or not it had changed much, but I strongly suspect it hadn’t, apart from perhaps the bank of keg pumps on the bar – although even those were fairly discreet.

The pub was busy and not just with tourists like me, as there were several parties of diners ensconced at the tables which occupy most parts of the main bar. Upon entering, I’d taken a quick peak at the tiny public bar at the front of the pub. It is claimed to be one of  the smallest in the country. It was also empty, so whilst I could have had the place to myself, I really wanted to sit out on the terrace which overlooks the River Thames, at the rear of the pub.

First though, I needed a pint, particularly as I was feeling rather parched after my earlier endeavours. The beer choices were  London Pride, ESB plus another from the Fuller’s range. I opted for the Pride and was glad I did. It was served to me in a branded, dimple mug and was on cracking form I scored it at 4.0 NBSS, but it may actually have deserved 4.5.

Refreshingly cool and well-conditioned, it was everything Pride is capable of being, and possibly a little bit more. I took my pint and made my way outside, glad of some fresh air after being cooped up in a crowded and bustling office building earlier in the day.

I found a vacant table and plonked myself down. The sun was shining and it was quite warm out  of the wind. Looking across at the river, I could see several crews of oarsman practising their rowing, possibly in readiness for the next Varsity Boat Race, or perhaps even the Olympics?

It was all very pleasant, and I was very tempted to stay for a second pint – possibly trying the ESB. However, I’d promised Mrs PBT’s that I’d not only be home in time for dinner, but would also be available to accompany her to the poling station, to cast our votes in the local government elections. I therefore finished my pint and made my way back to the underground station, but not before stopping to take some photos of the pub’s interior.

The Dove was a little less crowded by then, as several of the large  groups of diners had left. Before I too joined them, I reflected on the pub’s heritage and some of its more illustrious past visitors. These include literary giants Graham Greene, Dylan Thomas and Ernest Hemingway. Charles II is also rumoured to have romanced and dined his mistress Nell Gwynne there.

On a more personal level, I’d been talking with one of my friends just a couple of weeks previously about the Dove. We’d both agreed that a visit to the pub was long overdue. I’m not sure if he’s managed to squeeze one in yet, but I’m certainly pleased that I made the effort.

Has the craft beer "bubble" finally burst?

Several beer pundits have been saying it for years, but now, following an unprecedented rise in the number of breweries in the UK, it looks as though their dire  predictions about unsustainable growth have at last come to pass. 

New figures from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, make sober reading, as they show that just eight new breweries opened in Britain in 2018-19, compared to  the 390 that launched just a year earlier. This huge drop in the number of openings marks a five-year low and suggests that Britain’s "craft-beer boom" is running out of steam.

This massive fall was bound to happen, and for many the only surprise is that it didn’t happen a lot sooner. The accountancy firm suggests that the industry’s “gold rush” phase has come to an end, with greater competition making it harder for start-ups to break into an already crowded market. A major component in this fall has been the reaction of some of the larger established brewing firms, with several of them investing in, or taking over promising craft beer start-ups. 

Many of us recall the howls of outrageous indignation from the "craft glitterati" over Heineken acquiring a major slice of both Beavertown and Brixton breweries, which followed on the heels of AB Inbev’s take-over Camden Town Brewery. Cask-ale devotees were equally appalled by the acquisition of Fuller’s brewing division, by Japanese mega-brewer, Asahi; especially as it included the purchase of the historic Griffin Brewery, in Chiswick.

Probably the most disconcerting aspect of this has been the perception that many well-known craft beers are brewed by small, independent companies. To back this up, recent research by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), found many drinkers were unaware that many popular craft beer brands were produced by large companies.

SIBA’s survey of 2,000 people, found that 43% of drinkers thought craft beer could only be made by small brewers, blissfully unaware there are no restrictions on use of the term. When challenged over this, only 2% of respondents said beer made by multinationals merited the craft beer label.

A partner at UHY Hacker Young  said: “We’re not saying that the market is shrinking, just the number of players is consolidating and sales growth is going to be harder to come by".

“Craft breweries need to ensure their business model is sustainable and profitable at an earlier stage and not just rely on the idea they’ll constantly be able to grow their way out of trouble.” 

However, despite the dramatic decline in new start-ups, the number of British breweries remains high, with 2,274 last year compared to 1,352 just five years ago. The challenge remains to see how many of them are sustainable in an increasingly competitive market.

It is already becoming clear that starting your own brewery, is no longer an automatic way of making money (not that it ever was in my eyes).  Don’t be surprised either to see more  breweries starting to fall by the wayside, and not just those producing truly awful beer. 

It is an unfortunate fact that some of those producing high quality beers are at equal risk of failing as those producing over-hopped and over-hyped murk, especially if their business acumen is not all it should be.

This whole shake-up process was always inevitable, given the number of players in the field, and it looks likely to continue for quite some time to come.

Best foot forward "Casketeers"

And now, without further ado, the last of the increasingly tedious links to WhatsApp, but fortunately, this is the humorous one.

The message which came up on the Beer Socials group was “Glad to report Real Ale Twats back in Viz”. Cue much appreciation and general all round approval, along with comments about picking up a copy.

I found the latest edition on sale in Tesco’s whilst Mrs PBT’s was engaged in pushing the trolley round. I waited until we arrived back home and unpacked the shopping, before taking a look. The comments were indeed correct, and what’s more the comic strip was a whole page worth.

 Without giving too much of the script away, the Twats, as usual, end up making fools of themselves, after this time being belittled by a group of hipsters in a Craft Beer Bar. This was after tying to do the same in their local JDW – called in this instance, "Bletherforks".

We could probably all recognise traits of the Real Ale Twats amongst people we know from CAMRA, or indeed from the caricatures depicted, but it is all done in a light-hearted and non-offensive way. And now, the craft hipsters, with their beards, man-buns and artisan ales, help bring the strip right up to date.

I hadn’t realised that the first Real Ale Twats first appeared in 2001, and whilst by no means appearing in every issue of Viz, the “casketeers” and “tavern-o-philes”, have been a fairly regular feature in the adult comic.

Just under a year ago, beer writers Boak & Bailey, published an interview with the Real Ale Twats’ creator, artist Davey Jones, in which he reveals what led to him coming up with the strip. He also details some of the behaviour and stereotypes observed amongst pub-goers, which often provides the basis of an idea for the next strip.

You can read the full interview here, and learn more about the man behind the UK’s finest and best-loved real-ale bores.

Britain's champion pub goer lists his favourite 50 pubs

In the previous post I wrote about benefits for groups such as CAMRA branches, of the cross-platform messaging and information sharing application WhatsApp. But alongside helping to keep CAMRA groups connected and up to date with what’s occurring, there’s a lighter side to the App as well. This can, at times, provide topics for more general discussion, or even as a source of mild amusement.

More of the latter on another occasion, as I haven’t finished with this thread yet, but an example of the first was a recent Twitter feed which appeared on one of the West Kent CAMRA groups. The feed linked to a news story about Bruce Masters, the holder of the Guinness World Record for the "Most pubs visited in a lifetime".
 

Bruce is 74 and lives in Flitwick, Bedfordshire. He started keeping notes of the different pubs he visited when he was just 15.  Since retiring he tries to visit pubs in two different towns or cities every week, and has now clocked up an impressive 51,695. Followers of statistics will note that Bruce has visited more pubs in his lifetime than the number still open in the UK; currently around the 39,000 mark!

That’s an impressive achievement in anyone’s eyes, and Bruce has no intention of slowing down, despite his daughters urging him to take it easy.  But what caught the attention of us local CAMRA members was Bruce’s list of his Top 50 British Pubs. The list is quite an eclectic one, because as well as listing some classic, traditional pubs, it also includes a few  more modern examples, including several micro pubs.

Some of us felt inspired to total up how many of Bruce’s top 50 pubs we had been in, but without fail none of made it into double figures. I actually topped the list of those who responded, but even then I came in with a pitiful six!

For the record my six pubs are: Oxford Bar – Edinburgh; Railway Hotel – Faversham; Royal Oak – Hooksway, Sussex; Butt & Oyster – Pin Mill; Cock Inn – Brent Eleigh; King’s Head – Laxfield. The last three entries are all in Suffolk, whilst Faversham of course is in my home county of Kent. 

There are three other Kentish entries, two of which are micros; the Papermakers – Sittingbourne, plus the Butcher’s Arms – Herne, (the original micro-pub). The other outlet is the Thomas Tallis Alehouse, in Canterbury; a pub which despite its olde worlde appearance has only been open for three years. I walked past it a couple of years ago, but the place didn't really take my fancy.

If you fancy having a go yourselves, just click on the link, and it will take you to the Sun “newspaper” site. If, like me, you are not a fan of Rupert Murdoch be warned, but despite the paper’s unsavoury owner, Bruce’s list of his top 50 pubs is illustrated with some rather attractive and high-definition photos, so is well worth a look.

Such lists are always going to be highly subjective, and when you’ve visited getting on for 52,000 pubs, whittling that number down to just 50 is never going to be easy or even realistic. Having said that, whilst most serious pub goers will have their own list of favourites, it’s always good looking at someone else’s,  especially when it’s been compiled by the UK’s self-styled, champion pub-goer.