Working on one's own

I said in a previous post that I was going to write about how I’d amuse myself if forced to self-isolate, but shutting oneself away behind closed doors and not venturing out of the house is the extreme step, and not one that applies at the moment. It has happened with our Latin neighbours – France, Italy and Spain, and unfortunately it could be the next stage here, if the government’s current measures are not successful in halting the spread of Covid-19.

But let’s not dwell on that for the moment, as I’m sure we’ll cross that bridge if it does come to that. Instead I wanted to describe a period when, through work, my physical contact with much outside the immediate vicinity of West Kent, was pretty limited.

For a period of nearly six years, Mrs PBT’s and I ran our own small, independent off-licence in Tonbridge, called the Cask & Glass. It was an interesting period of our lives, but it did mean we didn’t see much of each other, and that family life was of necessity quite curtailed. Our shop was open seven days a weeks, all day at weekends (10am – 10.30pm Sat & 12-10pm Sun), plus split sessions weekdays (12-3pm & 5-10.30pm).

The two hour, mid-afternoon, weekday break allowed me just enough time to collect son Matthew from school, and then to pick Eileen up from work. It didn’t allow time for family meals, so for most of my time at the off-licence I relied on "ready meals" heated up in a micro-wave. There was a combined kitchen-cum-office at the rear of the shop, and I tried to aim  my evening meal for times when I knew that trade would be quiet.

There was a loud bell which rang every time the door opened, so I could nip out, serve the customer(s) and make sure no-one was robbing the place blind, but I lost count of the number of disturbed meals I had during that six year period. The situation was sometimes made worse with people wanting to stop and chat, and whilst on the whole I welcomed this, there were times when all I wanted was to get back to my dinner which was rapidly becoming cold. The words, “Haven’t you got any homes to go to?” certainly sprang to mind on those occasions.

It wasn’t all bad though, and whilst some might turn their noses up at ready-meals, they are portion-controlled, and in the main contain a correct balance of nutrients. With my calorific intake limited, and the physical work of shifting cases of beer, as well as positioning casks up onto the stillage (we sold cask beer to take-away by the pint – how history is repeating itself!), meant I not only managed to shed those excess pounds, but I was fit and active.

There was a social aspect to the business as well, because many customers became regulars, and one or two even became friends. As mentioned above, people would often stop and chat, and at times the shop resembled a pub; the difference being it was a pub where customers took their purchases home to drink.

But as referred to earlier, running such a full-time business single-handed, took its toll on both home and social life. I did have people say that as the shop didn’t open until midday most of the week, I had my mornings free, but people forget there are tasks such as banking plus trips to the Cash & Carry to factor in, and on top of this, there was the cellar work. I prided myself on the latter and for two years running, back in the early 2000’s, the Cask & Glass achieved a place in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

As might have been guessed from the above, the seven day opening not only put a strain on family life, but also meant that holidays were out of the question. If I wanted time off I had to arrange cover for the shop, and the individual standing in quite naturally wanting to be paid.

This threw up problems of its own, as officially wages should go through the till, with appropriate deductions made for tax and National Insurance.  This was impractical, given the casual nature of the employee, most of whom preferred “cash in hand.” This meant accruing a little extra cash from time to time, to cover such eventualities. I won’t go into too much detail here, for obvious  reasons.

So apart from the odd Saturday for a CAMRA function, when Mrs PBT’s would cover the shop for me, my time off from running the Cask & Glass consisted of two weekends away to Norfolk – visiting my elderly parents, a four night stay in Munich, plus a three night stop over in Salzburg – the latter occurring about six weeks before completing the sale of the business.

As for the sale, that occurred after a customer-friend, offered me a position back in the healthcare industry. I could write a whole chapter about how stressful the sale of the business was, but will spare you the details. All I will say is it involved the transfer of the lease on the premises, as well as valuation, marketing and sale of the business itself. With three sets of solicitors involved, you can imagine just how fraught the process was.

I wrote in detail about the process here, describing that as soon as the sale of the business was complete, I booked a weeks holiday in the Maldives. After being cooped up in a small shop for the best part of six years, some sun, sea and were just what I needed.

Looking back, that holiday seems a lifetime away, but it became the first of many foreign adventures, made possible by a salaried, management position, rather than the precarious existence of running one’s own business. We had two holidays booked for this coming May, but these will invariably be cancelled.

The cancellation will be small beer if it the shut-down and isolation the whole world is undergoing, leads to the defeat of the Corona virus, and even better if the inevitable death toll from this disease is kept as low as possible, so when people ask me if I fear self-isolation, I can say, hand on heart, “No I don’t.”

Footnote: I changed the title of this post, to one that reflected the situation I was in during the time I was running our off-licence, as whilst it was isolation in a sense, it was nothing like what is occurring now. It was certainly not "social isolation" by any stretch of the imagination.

I don't have any digital photos taken from that time, so the ones featured in the post were taken recently. (You don't think I would have applied those gaudy, stick-on letters defacing the window, do you?)

Down by the riverside

I felt a real need to get out of the house yesterday, especially as I was convinced that the combination of exercise and fresh air would help lift my mood. A little too much research into the science behind the spread of novel Corona virus, and the implications relating to how long this pandemic is going to last, was not the best idea before bedtime, particularly when a good night’s sleep was at stake, but hey, us scientists have a need to know these things

I’m pleased to say my idea worked, and despite a cold easterly wind, the bright spring sunshine helped restore my sanity and brought the way I was feeling back to an even keel. My mood had lifted even before I stepped out of my front door, and with the blossom in full bloom, and people’s gardens looking immaculate, I headed into Tonbridge.

Rather than my normal direct stroll into town, I decided on a circular walk, which took me over the main railway line, past the Royal Mail sorting office and then through the town’s industrial estate. The row of smart, new 20 plate Mercedes, lined up outside one car dealership, looked like they'd remain unsold for some time; people having rather more pressing things on their minds! From there I had a pleasant amble along the banks of the River Medway, towards the Town Lock.

The landscape along the river has changed significantly since the days when I first came to Tonbridge. Back then, part of my walk to work was along the course of the river. Today the rusting hulk of an old gasometer still dominates the southern bank, but new housing developments have sprung up on both sides of the river over the past 15 years, completely altering what was once a very pleasant and semi-rural walk.

I stopped to take a few photos of these developments, with Pete Seeger’s Little Boxes very much on my mind. All that was missing was the hillside, but riverside would be

an appropriate substitution! As an aside, I first became familiar with that song back in the early sixties, after my parents, who were not know for their radicalism, bought a copy of the single. As an eight year old boy, I didn’t quite get the nuances or indeed the message behind the song, but it stuck in my mind and comes back to me when I see unbridled developments scarring the countryside.

These new houses and apartments illustrate the folly of building close to a river that is known to flood, as whilst the accommodation is of

sufficient height, being constructed above the ground level, the communal garage and car parking areas have unsurprisingly, found themselves under water in recent years. In such conditions, your four-wheel, pride and joy can quickly become an expensive write off, as several local residents have found to their cost.

There weren’t many people about, but ironically I bumped into a friend and then, on my way home, a neighbour.  I hadn't seen either of them for a while, so in both cases there was plenty to catch up with and talk about. Being responsible citizens we managed to exchange our news, views and gossip whilst maintaining the recommended 2 metres, social distancing between us.

I made my way to the Nelson Arms - the community local which has just been voted West Kent CAMRA Pub of the Year. The pub closed several days before Johnson’s edict, but is offering a takeaway service for both beer and cooked meals. I treated myself to a 2 pint container of Goacher's Old, which was one of several local cask ales on tap. Should keg take your fancy, Westmalle Dubbel and Paulaner Munchener Hell are also available. Son Matthew will be pleased when I tell him that the latter beer is available.

Landlord Matt said that beer sales had been buoyant the day before, but Sunday had been very good for takeaway food, with the roast dinners proving extremely popular. The pub offers free delivery for food in south Tonbridge, and having eaten several times at the pub in happier times, the meals come highly recommended.

As with my previous encounters, social distancing was the order of the day, and in addition to keeping ones distance the pub has hand sanitizer and wipes to hand. Also, like many other establishments at the moment, payment is by card, rather than cash.

Several other pubs in the town, are also offering a similar, take-out service, and I will give then a mention in due course. Like many of my CAMRA friends and colleagues, I am keen to support these local businesses, especially as we need them to be there for us, once this pandemic is over.

So the message is follow the new government guidelines – issued less than an hour ago. You should stay at home as much as possible, although you will be allowed out to buy food or pick up medicines. You can also go out to exercise, preferably on your own, or with one other member of your household.  Avoid gatherings of more than two people, and only go to your place of employment if you are unable to work from home.

Presumably it is still permitted to buy take-away beer from a local pub that is offering the service, although this may become clearer over the coming days and weeks. Whatever you do, maintain that strict 2 metre separation between yourself and other people, and above all, stay safe and do all you can to stay well.

Time ladies and gentlemen, please!

Well things came to a head yesterday evening, shortly before I could put the finishing touches to a post I was writing. The post was an attempt to summarise what pubs were doing in Tonbridge, to comply with government guidelines on social distancing, as a means of slowing the spread of Covid-19.

That’s all gone out the window now, but at least the decision whether to stay open or not has now been taken out of pub owners and licensee’s hand, because from last night, pubs, bar, restaurants and other places where people gather to socialise, will be obliged to shut their doors for a period that is yet to be determined.

The Prime Minister has said that this, and other decisions, will be reviewed on a monthly basis, but don’t expect any joyous reopening soon, as the scientific evidence points to the battle to contain and ultimately control Corona virus to be a lenghty one.

It is just over a fortnight since I last set foot in a public house; that honour falling to the Roebuck Inn at Burton-on-Trent, but little did I think that evening, when I bid farewell to members of the Beer & Pubs Forum and set off on my journey home, that it would be my last drink in a pub for quite some time.

We have moved into uncharted waters, and today’s decision is probably the first time in almost two millennia that the drinking houses of these islands have been forcibly shut. The demands of two world wars may have lead to reduced opening times, and a quite drastic reduction in the strength of beer, but through it all, including the darkest days of the Blitz, the nation's pubs remained open, acting as places where people could meet and take solace in the company of others.

Today we are fighting a completely different war against a silent and unseen enemy, so the decision taken by HM Government, brings us into line with most other countries around the world. Needs must, and given the scientific evidence, it is obviously the right and sensible thing to do in order to stop the spread of this insidious virus, despite what JDW boss, Tim Martin might say.

The man has gone from being a self-proclaimed expert on international trade, to being one on pandemics and virology, and whilst I appreciate his obvious concerns about the fate of the hugely successful business he has built up over the years, Wetherspoon's are probably in a better position than most to weather the storm; certainly better than many small, independent operators.

In many ways today’s situation is history repeating itself, as it is just over 100 years since the so-called Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-20, which killed an estimated 50 million people world-wide. Towards the end of the Great War, this particularly virulent strain of flu spread like wildfire through the overcrowded army camps and hospitals of the Western Front, ravaging much of Europe, before spreading to the rest of the world.

With no modern resuscitation techniques to assist sufferers ,and no antibiotics to treat complications caused by the disease, it is little wonder the death toll from this pandemic was so high. On the other hand, with air travel still in its infancy, and global travel extremely rare, the spread of Spanish flu around the world was much slower, compared to Covid-19, which has taken just 3 months from first surfacing in central China, to infect every continent except Antarctica, and virtually every country.

So yes, governments and health agencies around the world are doing the right thing by attempting to slow down the spread of Covid-19; in effect buying time until an effective vaccine can be developed, as well as easing the burden on over-stretched health resources and hospital beds.

It is likely to take some time to achieve this, and the 12 weeks suggested by Prime Minister Johnson might be wildly over-optimistic, but given the global resources and scientific knowledge at our disposal, there is little doubt that this troublesome little string of RNA will eventually be defeated.

In the meantime, stay strong, stay safe and try and help others less fortunate or more vulnerable than yourselves, wherever you can. Support those local pubs and restaurants offering take-out drinks and meals, as they deserve our help more than ever in the current economic climate.

By doing so, we will be working together and helping much cherished local businesses and institutions to survive, so that eventually we can slowly resume normal daily activities, and ultimately really appreciate what we have got when we get to enjoy that well-earned, and richly deserved, first pint of the day.

Keeping things in perspective

In common with virtually the entire population of the UK, plus most of the inhabitants of planet Earth, I’m well and truly Corona’d out. Obviously this mischievous little piece of RNA (ribonucleic acid) is something to take extremely seriously, with a potentially devastating effect on both public health and global economies, but the popular press and “social meejah” have been having a real field day over Covid-19, and it’s become much harder to escape the hype surrounding the global pandemic, than it is from the actual virus itself.

Stories of  death and disaster help to sell newspapers, and as rags like the Daily Excess know only too well, there’s nothing like a good scare story, aimed at the poorly educated, or mis-informed.  when it comes to increasing readership and circulation figures.

If you’ll pardon the pun, many people were already sick to death of the endless statistics and doom and gloom already circulating around Corona, and that’s before it really started getting serious, here in the UK.

Now, we’ve got to somehow avoid social contact and interaction with our fellow human beings, as much as possible over an unspecified period of time. This is not going to be easy for a species that is naturally a social one, with behaviour patterns that have evolved over many thousands of years.

Not surprisingly, I’ve been thinking about this a lot over recent days and wondering quite how I will manage any self-imposed isolation from the rest of society. For the time being, at least, the company I work for will continue to operate normally; or as normal as possible under straightened conditions. This makes sense, particularly as we have a full order-book.

We are a manufacturing company which means we make things, so my management colleagues and I took the decision yesterday, to carry on as we are, but with prudent and sensible precautions in place to protect the health of our workforce, and that of the area in which we work.

We employ just over 30 people, and we are situated in a rural area, but that doesn’t mean we are immune. So appropriate measures, such as regular hand washing and strategically placed hand sanitizer, are the order of the day.  Best of all, as was decided today, no meetings involving more than five people – YES!!

This does mean that for me that, unless circumstances change and more draconian measures are imposed, there will be sufficient social interaction between Monday and Friday, so I shan’t go completely stir-crazy.

There is still the opportunity to go for walks at lunchtime, and with the weather cheering up, and conditions underfoot slowly drying out, this does make being outdoors much more pleasurable. The snowdrops, hidden on the edge of woodland areas have given way to displays of primroses, especially on south-facing grassy banks, and lambs born just a few weeks ago have achieved impressive spurts in their growth; although they still go running after mum when approached.

All this is a reminder that the natural world carries on, caring nothing about Corona virus, complex supply chains or the effect on the FTE 100, and does put the current cares and concerns of us humans, into perspective. We are but a small part of the natural world, and if we want to be really pedantic, so is Covid-19.

So I’ll leave it there for now. Next time I’ll describe how I plan to occupy myself, should I be forced to self-isolate, and there’s a bit of pub news as well. Keep safe and stay well.

Splitting makes a difference

I’ve written before about just how much I enjoy train travel, so the trip I made to Burton-on-Trent the other Friday, was the perfect excuse to put this enjoyment into practice. I’d taken the train once before to Burton, but that was 22 years ago, and things have changed a lot since then.

Back in 1998, it was a simple case of getting myself to London St Pancras, and then taking the Midland Railway train to Derby. From Derby, a Cross-Country service took me to Burton. From memory, that journey was undertaken using

an Advanced Ticket, which brought the price of the return trip down to a reasonable amount, but today there are a lot more options and different routes available. I discovered this when I began looking at what was available for my recent trip.

Being the wrong side of 60 entitles me to a Senior Railcard, otherwise known as an "Old-Git’s Railcard." The card gives me a one third discount on the price of off-peak rail travel, and what’s more you can use it when purchasing a range of different rail tickets.

This time around, I decided to give “Split ticketing” a go, particularly as it claims to knock a significant amount off the price of even an Advanced Return. “Split Ticket” train travel is where instead of having one train ticket to take you from your departure point to your destination, the journey is broken down into two or more parts, with a separate rail ticket for each section.

Because of the over-complicated pricing structure on Britain’s railways, it is often cheaper to split the journey like this, as the sum of the different parts, is often considerably less than the price of a single ticket for the whole route. If you’re a train buff, you can do this for yourself, but it is far easier to take advantage of one of the on-line companies offering “Split ticketing.”

The software these companies use compares prices across several different routes, and then splits the journey into smaller legs, whilst working out the cheapest price for each stage. There are several companies who offer this service; the one I chose was un-surprisingly called “Split Ticketing.”

As is usual now for tickets purchased on-line, I collected mine from my local station. Rather than use one of the machines (you insert the card used to pay for your booking, and then punch in a unique booking reference), I went to the window and asked the booking clerk to print them off for me. With eight tickets – covering each “split section” of the journey, I wanted to make certain that they all printed correctly.

My journey took me from Tonbridge to London Charing Cross, using Southeastern Trains - the usual route into from where I live. My ticket then covered the cost of travel by London Underground, to London Marylebone. From there, I took a Chiltern Line service to Birmingham Moor Street.

I then alighted at Moor Street (don’t you just love the term alight?), and walked the short distance along to Birmingham New Street. From there I boarded a Cross Country train to Burton. I had two tickets for this section of the journey; one covering me as far as Tamworth, whilst the second taking me on to Burton. The split ticketing rules stipulate that the service you catch just has to stop at the intermediate station, and there is no need to leave, or re-board the train.

The return journey was much simpler, involving a Cross Country service to Tamworth, a West Midlands service to London Euston, Underground to Charing Cross and then a Southeastern train home to Tonbridge.

The conditions attached to these types of  booking are quite strict, as the discount rate is based on passengers using specific timed trains. For some reason this covers even the normal commuter services between Tonbridge and London; trains which run quite frequently and where it is not possible to book a seat.

I could have come unstuck here as both the outward 07.42 and the homebound 21.40 services were cancelled. According to the terms & conditions, if your train is cancelled, you are allowed to take the next available train. I thought this over nd decided that it risked me missing my onward connections, particularly on the outward journey so, as I’d arrived at the station in plenty of time, I caught an earlier service.

Technically this broke the rules, but my argument was that as the train operator had cancelled my booked train, why should I have to rush, or even risk missing my connections, by taking a later one; especially when the option of an earlier service was available. Fortunately, no member of staff checked my tickets on these Kentish stages of the journey.

Apart from these two hiccups, both outward and return journeys ran smoothly, and I was able to sit back and enjoy the journeys. Travelling on unfamiliar sections of the network was also a bonus and a real pleasure, as it afforded the opportunity of seeing different parts of the countryside from a new perspective.

For example, the section to Birmingham represented my first trip along the Chiltern Line, and only my second journey ever out of London Marylebone. Marylebone, by the way was the last of London's main line termini to be built and is one of the smallest, opening with just half of the platforms originally planned. The station opened in 1899 as the London terminus of the Great Central Main Line, the last major railway to open in Britain, linking the capital to the cities of Leicester, Sheffield and Manchester.

The train passed through some rather pleasant and attractive countryside, including the Chiltern Hills, before arriving at Birmingham Moor Street, just over an hour and 40 minutes later. Moor Street was a new station for me It is one of three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, and is a combination of the original station, opened in 1909, and a newer facility with through platforms, which opened in 1987, a short distance from the original.

The two stations were combined into one in 2002, when the original was reopened and restored, and the newer station rebuilt in matching style. Moor Street has become more important in recent years, and the station is now the terminus of many Chiltern Railways services from London Marylebone.  It is now the second busiest railway station in Birmingham.

I certainly found the station attractive, but I couldn’t hang about for too long, as I only had a short time to make my way on foot to Birmingham New Street, the city’s principal train station, in order to catch my connecting train to Burton.

The walk didn’t take as long as I first anticipated, and after passing through a wide and lengthy underpass I found the mirrored exterior of Birmingham’s Bull Ring & Grand Central Shopping Centre gleaming at me from the opposite side of the road.

More railway facts and figures now, New Street is the fifth busiest railway station in the UK and the busiest interchange station outside London, with just over 7 million passengers changing trains at the station annually. In the 1960s, the station was completely rebuilt, with buildings constructed over most of its span.

With passenger numbers more than twice those it was designed for, the replacement was not popular with its users. I have vivid memories of  how restricted it was, and how I once nearly missed my train, just trying to get across and down to the correct platform.  Between 2010 and 2015 a £550m redevelopment of the station took place, and today the concourse shares space with a number of retail outlets, including some well known department stores.

It is certainly has a bright and airy feel to it, compared to the cramped and dingy 1960’s station it replaced. The other Friday was the first time I had seen the station from above track level. I had to change trains at New Street back in November, when I was en route to Shifnal, and my first “Proper Day Out” with the Beer & Pubs Forum group, but the change was literally a short hop across the platform, so I never got to view the re-vamped upstairs concourse.

Whilst on the subject of railway stations Tamworth, where I had to change trains on my way home, is also worthy of a mention. It is an interchange between two main lines; the Cross Country Route and the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line (WCML), and is subsequently constructed on two levels. Two low-level platforms (1 and 2) are on the WCML, and two high level platforms (3 and 4) serve  the Cross Country Route.

I didn’t notice this on my journey into Burton, and it was only when I alighted there that evening, to connect with the West Midlands service to Euston, that I discovered this. I thought it strange having to descend a series of concrete steps, and it wasn’t until a member of staff explained that WCML and the Cross Country Route actually cross over each other here, that I realised Tamworth was a much larger station than I originally envisaged. It is possible, of course that the beer I’d consumed that day may well have played a role in my confusion!

That’s probably more than enough railway talk, but for me the history and practicalities of the lines and the stations I have covered, all added to the interest of the day’s travel. Split ticketing though, certainly worked, but I might try another site next time, as I thought the £8.90 fee (share of saving), charged by Split-Ticketing, was on the dear side

I’m not at all certain when the next Proper Day Out will take place, given the evolving situation regarding Covid-19. Unlike most of Western Europe, the UK government has stopped short of an outright closure of pubs, bars and restaurant, but all non-essential social interaction is to be discouraged, as is all non-essential travel.

Another day out and another long- distance train journey may therefore  be sometime off.

"Proper Day Out" No. 2 - Burton-on-Trent

Last Friday’s “Proper Day Out” couldn’t have come at a better time. It is no exaggeration to say that that the trip to Burton really cheered me up, coming as it did after weeks of incessant rain, which saw journeys to and from work turned into something of an endurance test.

So the fact that the sun shone virtually all day was, for me, another huge plus on a day where everything went to plan, and everyone had a good time. It started with my rather convoluted “Split-Ticket” train journey, from Tonbridge to Birmingham, via the scenic, Chiltern Line, and ended with a speedy and problem free return journey via Tamworth.

In between, there were some excellent pubs, including a few real classics. There was also some equally good Draught Bass; a beer which quite rightly was widely available in its home town. It’s people that make such outings though, and when everyone clicks, as we all did last Friday, then it makes for a really special day out.

So with Stafford Paul (SP), Pub Curmudgeon (PC), Sheffield Hatter (SH), Pete’s Quizz (PQ), the Wickingman (WM) and his friend Chris as guides for the day, along with Britain Beer Mat (BBM), who joined us for last knockings, I was in the company of some real beer and pub legends, as we made our way around a hand-picked selection of Burton’s finest pubs. The only person missing was GBG-ticker extraordinaire, Retired Martin, who was looking after wife whilst she convalesced from the effects of a bug picked up in Kent of all places!

Despite having been to Burton by train before, it still took me a little while to get my bearings when I exited the station. A friendly local pointed me in the right direction, and as I headed towards the town centre, I soon noticed on my right, the first and last of the pubs on our itinerary. These were the Devonshire Arms and the Roebuck Inn..

I walked passed them both as I wanted first to find the local branch of my building society, which I discovered right in the heart of Burton. Re-tracing my foot steps gave me time to photograph the aforementioned pubs, along with a third hostelry. This was the Coopers Tavern, a real Burton classic and a pub with an interior of national importance, according to CAMRA’s Pub Heritage Index. The midday timing meant I was able to capture all three pubs in their best light.

I arrived at the Devonshire a few minutes after SP, SH and WM had departed for the Derby Inn; a pub reputed to sell the best pint of Bass in Burton, but an establishment that was a fair distance away on foot. Pub Curmudgeon and Pete were still present though, so I joined them after ordering a quick half of Bass, mindful of the fact they were keen to move on.

The Devonshire is an attractive and solid looking two-bar pub, set back from the road. It apparently belonged to Burton Bridge Brewery for a while. It was very pleasant inside, with a wide range of beer, beside the Bass. It would have been nice to have lingered a little longer, but having arrived 20 minutes behind schedule, I was hardly in a position to dictate the pace to the rest of the group.

We set off towards the National Brewery Centre and its Brewery Tap. This had been our planned lunchtime stop although, as mentioned above, some of the group were set on enjoying a liquid lunch instead at the Derby Inn. I covered the Brewery Tap in my previous post, so I won’t repeat myself here, but it’s worth mentioning that this was my second visit to what had once been the Bass Museum; the first having been back in 1998. Then, as now, the Tap offered a range of beers brewed at the adjoining Heritage Brewery which, as its name suggests, was set up to replicate old Bass and other former group company recipes.

The next two pubs – the Bridge Inn and the Elms Inn, were also described in the previous article. Both were excellent, but quite different establishments in their own right. What I didn’t mention was that four of us took a taxi from the Elms, back into the town centre, in order to save ourselves a substantial walk.

The taxi dropped us outside the Dog Inn; an attractive half-timbered, two-storey, 19^th Century terrace pub with something of a chequered history. The Dog is owned by Black Country Ales, who bought the pub in 2015. BCA were established in 1992, and were originally a pub company, but ten years later, after buying the Old Bulls Head in Dudley, branched out into brewing, following the discovery of a moth-balled brewery at the rear of the pub.

A substantial amount of work was necessary to restore the old Victorian brewery to its original condition, coupled with a considerable amount of investment. This involved the installation of new, state of the art equipment, to complement the original plant. Brewing recommenced in 2004, and the company went on to build up a small chain  pubs, largely within the confines of the West Midlands and the Black Country.

Today, the Dog Inn is one of 35 pubs belonging to Black Country Ales, and as well as offering the full range of  their beers, serves a revolving range of other cask ales. There were eleven on tap last Friday, rather too many in my view and, had he been with us, far too many for Retired Martin!

Despite the wide range I was pleased to see the legendary Worthington White Shield on tap. Originally a bottle-conditioned beer, White Shield is brewed by the Heritage Brewery (see NBC above), and is rarely available on draught. After seeing the pump there on bar, I just had to try a pint, and was pleased that I did. Certainly that instantly recognisable Burton taste was there, including that hard to define “nuttiness” that is so characteristic of White Shield.

After the delights of the Dog Inn, it was time to move on to the penultimate pub of the day, and this was somewhere I had been looking forward to visiting all day. The Coopers Tavern is a pub that all visitors to Burton should experience; especially anyone setting foot in the town for the first time.

It is an unspoilt, traditional-looking, red-brick, 19^th Century, ale house, with five linked rooms. It started life as a store for speciality malts and then as a repository for Bass Imperial Stout. It then became a sampling room and unofficial “brewery tap” before acquiring a license in 1858. It remained as the Bass Brewery tap until sold to Nottingham brewers, Hardys & Hansons in 1991.

Today it belongs to Joule's Brewery, who are the successors of the original John Joule’s Brewery of Stone, Staffordshire. The new company were established in 2010, and are based in the Shropshire town of Market Drayton, and today run 40 pubs, along highly traditional lines. You can read more about the history of the original company, and how the new one came into being, here on the Joules website. Whilst some might not agree, for me it makes fascinating reading, especially as the march in 1974 through Stone town centre, in protest against the closure of Joules Brewery, was one of the first high-profile campaigns organised by the fledgling Campaign  for Real Ale.

The front entrance of the Coopers leads into the main lounge, beyond which a short corridor leads to the intimate Tap Room at the rear. This is where the beer is served from a small counter, next to the cask stillage, using a mixture of gravity and hand-pumps. There are two smaller rooms leading off from the lounge; one of which is a meeting room, whist the other is a small snug bar. The walls are adorned with lots of brewery and beer related memorabilia, but much of it is repro – especially the Joules’ related posters and mirrors.

I noticed two Joule’s beers on sale, and had I not been tempted by the gravity-drawn Bass, I would have given these a try. I perhaps should have opted for the Joules, as I found the Bass rather flat and lacking in condition. I was certainly pleased to have at last visited the Coopers, as with its maze of small rooms, open fireplaces, memorabilia and locally brewed and gravity-served beer, the pub has a real intimacy about it. Next time though, I would like to spend a much longer session there.

Onwards and upwards, and after a brief walk in the direction of the station, we reached the Roebuck Inn, the last pub on our itinerary. This three-storey, corner terrace, pub was once the Ind Coope Brewery tap, being situated opposite the former brewery. The proximity to the brewery meant the Roebuck was chosen for the launch of the classic Ind Coope Draught Burton Ale, back in 1976.

The interior comprises a fairly smart, long narrow single room with the bar counter down one side. It was very much a locals pub, but they seemed a friendly bunch, and one woman we got talking to informed us that she once worked at the Ind Coope brewery across the road.

A varied selection of beers were available, but for some reason I opted for a half of  Hop Back Summer Lightning to round off the day. We were joined by Midlands-based blogger, Britain Beer Mat (BBM), who had arrived more or less straight from work. As with the other bloggers I met for the first time that Friday, it was good to put a face to the name, but unfortunately I couldn’t stay long. My train departed at 18:51, and I wanted to ensure I was at the station in plenty of time.

I had a good journey back, but that’s a story for another day. As far as Friday was concerned it was an excellent and very enjoyable day out. There’s another excursion penned in for the third week in April, this time to Chester, but given the current health concerns, it might be a little premature to book tickets. We shall see!!

For a broadly similar, two-part account of our "Proper Day Out," interspersed with some interesting observations on pub and local history, fellow blogger and Burton pub-stagger participant Pub Curmudgeon, has written about the day here and here.