15 years of writing about beer - a potted history of Paul's Beer & Travel Blog

I've been writing this beer blog for the best part of 15 years, with the first post appearing on the 23rd of November 2008. Apart from a lull during 2011 when, due to illness not much appeared online, I've managed to keep up a steady output, and for the past decade or so I've striven, and mainly succeeded to write a minimum of 10 posts per month.

I was tempted to take the plunge and start my own blog, by an excellent fellow
called Paul Garrard, who at the time lived in Norwich. Paul produced an excellent blog, titled the RealAleBlog, as well as a couple of other blogs, including one which reflected his general outlook on life, and his slightly left-leaning politics. Paul had a similar background to my own, even to the extent of running his own beer shop. I'm not quite sure when this business ceased trading, and despite talking to him about his shop, I’m not sure what his reasons were for winding it up.

I met up with him, in 2009, for a few pints of Goacher’s, at the unspoiled Rifle Volunteers pub in Maidstone – a town which Paul and his wife were visiting at the time. We enjoyed a good session on the Goacher’s, and you can read about it here. Paul encouraged other writers, or in my case aspiring bloggers, to write a guest post on his blog, and I can remember writing at least one such piece. From memory, my post was generally well receive and this encouraged me to take the plunge and start my own blog, using Google’s Blogger as the platform to host it.

Looking back, my initial choice of Paul Bailey’s Beer Blog for the title wasn't very imaginative, especially as there are some far wittier, and less personal titles floating around, than my own. I'm stuck with the name now, and despite my early reservations, the name I chose has, generally speaking, served me well over the years. I took a look back at those early years, and it seems that the last entry on Paul’s RealAleBlog was made in 2014. As with the beer shop, I'm not quite sure what happened, whether Paul just lost interest, or whether something more profound took place, but the beauty of Blogger, as opposed to self-hosted blogs and websites, is that the information is still out there. So today, 9 years on from the last entry, the pages of Paul’s RealAleBlog are there, and with a little bit of searching, they can still be accessed.

What people may not know is I have been writing about beer and pubs for much longer than the past 15 years, although strangely enough it was a complete accident as to how and why I became a writer in the first place. I described the reasons here, in this post written in November 2016, so I won’t repeat them again, but for several years, back in the mid-1980’s, I was editor, and chief copy-writer of Draught Copy – the newsletter of the Maidstone & Mid-Kent Branch of CAMRA.

Draught Copy is still going strong today, but instead of a couple of folded A3 sheets, it has evolved into an enlarged and much more professional looking branch magazine, which is published on a quarterly basis, and distributed free to local pubs and clubs.  As well as covering the Maidstone & Mid-Kent branch area, Draught Copy now takes in pubs served by the Gravesend & Darent Valley, Bexley, Medway, and West Kent branches of CAMRA, as well.

In 1985, for business and personal reasons, I moved to Tonbridge, some 15 miles from Maidstone, but in a different CAMRA branch area. After a few months, I was approached by the CAMRA area organiser for Kent, and asked to help resurrect what was then the Tunbridge Wells branch of CAMRA. The branch had become moribund, but with the able assistance of three other CAMRA enthusiasts, all of whom lived in Tonbridge, we were able to get the branch going again, hold regular meetings, and start surveying pubs once again for the Good Beer Guide.

Several years later, the revived branch which by this time was known as West Kent CAMRA, started its own branch magazine, called Inn View, and once again, your truly was editor, chief copy writer and this time around advertising manager as well. Although I was never much of a salesman, I can still remember hawking Inn View around local pubs, plus the odd brewery as well, trying to sell advertising space in order to finance the magazine.

This wasn’t quite as hard as it sounds, because quite a few pubs, especially those that made a thing of offering a good selection of cask ales, were only too happy to splash out for a half, or sometimes even a full page. Some were even business minded enough to supply their own camera-ready artwork.

In 1991, I stepped down from my role as magazine editor, and also from the branch committee, as with the birth of our son, I’d acquired the responsibility of being a full-time parent. I didn’t stop writing though, as for many years I wrote articles relating to beer and pubs, with the plan of eventually publishing my own book. With the working title of “Memories of a Beer Drinking Man,” my magnum opus was going to be a semi-autobiographical look back at a quarter of a century of enjoying pubs and beer.

Before I became a father, I also dipped my toes into the world of self-publishing, with a book called “Country Pubs of the Kent Weald.” The book described 50 unspoilt, rural pubs, scattered across the Weald of Kent, all selling cask ale of course, and most of them with a history dating back several centuries. The book was illustrated, either with photos I took myself, or with line drawings sketched out by a local artist.

The book was printed by a neighbour, who had his own small printing works. He was the same individual who printed Inn View on behalf of West Kent CAMRA. Copies were supplied, on a sale or return basis, to all featured pubs that wished to take them. I can’t remember the size of the print run, but we sold virtually all the copies. Starting a family, and later running our own specialist beer shop, largely put paid to my writing activities, and it wasn’t until we sold the business, and I moved back to a career in healthcare products, that I began to write again. Writing articles and hosting them on my own blog seemed the logical way to go, and 15 years on, I am still doing it!

Footnote: I tried, unsuccessfully as it happens, to find any images for either "Inn View", or its successor "Inn View News,"  the latter being the title of the resurrected magazine, which appeared for several editions, following my departure. I probably have the odd copy, laying around somewhere at home, but none have surfaced so far. The copy of WK CAMRA's former webpage, will have to suffice in their absence.

I do remember someone bringing a few old copies along to a West Kent CAMRA social, about five years ago, and the branch secretary asking to borrow them. I shall have to chase up on that, as it would be nice to have a small reminder of my efforts. 

 

A rare mid-week, evening out

Just a quick post, but an overdue one as well. Being "semi-retired" was supposed to mean taking things easy, but the expansion project at work I got roped in to helping with developed a life of its own, and whilst not strictly Health & Safety related, there have been contractors to deal with, safe working practices, permits to be issued etc. The good news is the project is nearing completion, and once I’ve managed to get the fire and intruder alarm systems bundled together, and handled by just one service provider I shall not only breathe a sigh of relief, but I can cut back on my involvement and concentrate on what I’m supposed to be doing.

Since returning from our all too brief visit to Yorkshire, I’ve also been pre-occupied with finally sorting out our summerhouse, garden shed, and the garden itself, and last weekend I had one of those moments where everything seemed to come together. This afforded the rare opportunity (for me), of an evening out, with friends and acquaintances from West Kent CAMRA, even though I arrived rather late to the party.

A son, who had a late finish at work last night, meant an equally late evening meal, so whilst the CAMRA crowd were engaged on a three-pub walkabout in Tonbridge, I only manged to catch up with them at the final watering hole. Mind you Fuggles was a good place for me to both start and finish on, and when I did catch up with my friends, I discovered there was a good crowd, plus an excellent atmosphere in the Forester’s, but the beer (Shep’s), was nowhere near as good.

The Chequers had Harvey’s Best, plus St Austell Tribute on, and the report from the CAMRA party was the Harvey’s was in fine form. Ye Olde Chequers, to give the pub its proper name, is one of the oldest buildings in Tonbridge, and one of the most attractive as well, but in my view at least, it never quite delivers in terms of that full pub experience. This might have something to do with it being a Courage house, when I first moved to the town, but it’s probably more to do with a succession of managers playing it safe, by opting for a safe,“middle of the road” approach.

I don’t mean that disparagingly, although it might sound like it, but what I do mean is that this historic and attractive building really is crying out for its spot on the tourist trail. It does seem as though no licensee to date has managed to exploit the true potential of this picturesque old pub. All is not lost, as walking past the Chequers earlier today, I noticed the pub’s menu, displayed outside, and it did show a real determined effort was being made, to go after the lunchtime trade.

 And so, to Fuggles, my second visit in three days, as I called in for a quick one last Sunday afternoon, following a visit to the opticians. The CAMRA crowd were only a few minutes ahead of me, and were standing at the bar, perusing the pump clips and chalk board whilst deciding what to drink. It was a no-brainer, as far as I was concerned, as Lagonda, a 5.0% pale ale from Manchester brewers, Marble Beers was the beer with the most appeal. My second beer of the evening was Best Bitter from Brighton-based, UnBarred Brewery. This was much more traditional in style, than the first beer, and if I’m honest, much more middle of the road.

Fuggles was quite busy when we first arrived, but people were sloping off gradually, and by the time last orders were called, there was just ourselves plus a couple sitting nearby, left. So, a quick snapshot of the mid-week pub trade, in a provincial English town, that just happens to be the one I have lived in for the past 40 years.

 

The Airedale Heifer

Here’s a short post about a pub that impressed on my first visit to the Bingley area of West Yorkshire, back in 2018, and which impressed again, this time around. I mentioned the Airedale Heifer at least twice in recent blog posts, but for the record the pub is an impressive stone-built, former barn, which once formed part of the nearby East Riddlesden Hall Estate. Furthermore, it is just 15 minutes’ walk from the Premier Inn we were staying at.

The pub is named after the famous Airedale Heifer which was kept on the estate during early 1800s. The animal is still on record as the heaviest cow in the UK, and it was said to have been 3.5 metres (over 11 feet) long and weighing more than a ton. It became a much-visited local animal celebrity until it had to be slaughtered following a serious injury in 1830. This information comes from the pub’s website, although it doesn’t give details of the injury the beast sustained, or how many cuts of meat, and pies, were obtained as a result of the unfortunate animal’s demise!

Evidence of the pub’s former use as a barn, can be seen from its L-shaped footprint, its substantial stone walls, and the heavy wooden beams which support the ceiling. It’s not clear when the building became a pub, but in 2015, the Bridgehouse Brewery took over the establishment from its previous owners and built their new 15bl Brew House in the beer garden, at the rear of the property. Following a substantial investment, and a total refurbishment, the Airedale Heifer was brought back to its former glory and has remained popular with local residents and businesses ever since.

The first thing that visitors will notice, is the life-size wire sculpture of the famous heifer, crafted by Whitby-based artist Emma Stothard, standing outside the front entrance. Inside, the pub is furnished informally for relaxed eating or drinking, with the open-plan layout set out around a single L-shaped bar, which offers up to six Bridgehouse Brewery beers. The food is of a high standard, and after enjoying a family meal on our previous visit to the pub, I can personally vouch for its quality.

There is a sizeable, south-facing garden between the rear of the pub and the brewery, and I took full advantage of this when I called in late last Thursday afternoon. As well as casual drinkers like me, there was a good mix of people who had either just finished work, or were local residents enjoying a welcome drink, in the early June sunshine. My pint of Bridgehouse Aired Ale 4.1% (get it?) was on top form, as was the pint of Blonde 4.0%, from the same brewery, when I called in with Matthew, the night before.

We sat inside, on that occasion, and although the pub seemed relatively quiet, it was quite late in the evening. The bar staff were friendly though, and eager to chat, something which is always the mark of a good pub, and I’m pleased to report that Heifer remains as good as it was five years ago. With good beer, and with six house-brewed beers to choose from, including a porter, what was not to like? I am sure we shall be calling in again on subsequent visits to Eileen’s’ cousin, especially as there is a bus service running between the Heifer and the Premier Inn.

I’d like to end with a few words about the Bingley Premier Inn, or "Bradford North," to give its official title. Mrs PBT’s is a big fan of the Premier Inn chain, as she says you know what you are getting when you book a stay with them. I find their hotels pleasant enough, but being more adventurous than my good lady wife, I like to try different places, and especially independently owned establishments. Such places, of course, are becoming few and far between, and you occasionally run the risk of finding a duffer.

Fortunately, proprietors from the Basil Fawlty school of hotel management are increasingly rare, so given the preference, I prefer sticking my neck out by giving family, or independently owned establishments a go. It’s something about them having more character, I suppose. I also don’t g along with my wife’s argument, as she knows full well that the Premier Inns, we stayed at in both Ross-on-Wye and Southampton West, didn’t quite deliver, although both occasions were four years ago.

The Bingley Premier Inn didn’t have air-conditioning – not that I minded, as it did have windows that opened. The reception staff on duty, during our stay, were extremely pleasant and helpful, a task which wasn’t made easier by a problem with the hotel’s television antenna. This occurred just before our arrival and wasn’t resolved until the following afternoon. It didn’t bother me, although my tele-addict wife was going slightly crazy from missing her daily TV fix. The reception staff apparently received quite a few complaints from other guests, which does make me wonder what people do when they are away from home.

With a fine pub, just down the road, and several others in nearby Crossflatts, what more can people want? If they don’t fancy going out, the attached Beefeater restaurant offers a reasonable selection of food and drink, and when they get back to their rooms they can always read a book or, shock-horror, perhaps talk to one another!