The first pub of the evening was the Hereford Beer House, where we also met Des and Clare. It’s a micropub that opened in 2015 in what was formerly a bookshop called Hooked on Books (and before that it was a video rental shop) and it has an open and welcoming feel. It’s no secret to my two loyal readers that I’m strongly in favour of micropubs and so I was excited to see that Hereford had one.
The beer and cider board, and a strong focus on cider, with some interesting options on it. The pricing was clear, although it’s a little unusual not to see anything priced by the pint.
The beer fridge with some tempting cans in it, although I had already opted for the Breezy from Ideal Day brewery. The interior of the micropub was bright and it was moderately busy when we arrived.
And there’s the Breezy, in front of Des’s feet. It was a gentle and herby sour, but not quite as decadent as I had hoped in terms of the richness of taste.
I liked this micropub and its inviting and laid-back atmosphere. The service was prompt and polite, with the ordering process being clear. The on-line reviews for the venue are positive, with over 300 beers and ciders available in cans and bottles so there’s no shortage of drinks to choose from. All really rather lovely and I like that their beer list is available on Untappd, it makes forward planning that bit easier.
Wooo, a new project for me! I’m aware I haven’t finished some of the other little endeavours that I’ve started, but I will get there eventually. My new riveting project for my two loyal readers involves me noting the best, or indeed just interesting (to me), pubs at every stop along the Hammersmith & City line. All 29 of them….. I will be doing this using a combination of Untappd, the Good Beer Guide and also my own endeavours.
I’ve never been to Peterborough Beer Festival before and it’s been an event that I’ve been excited to try and visit. It’s an annual event operated by CAMRA and held on the week running up to the August Bank Holiday and takes place in marquees on the Peterborough Embankment.
Emma, the owner of Boudicca Brewery, escorted me to the event as it’s important that there’s a supervisory adult when I attend these things. There are two large marquees, one with music and this one with all the beer. I paid an entrance fee of £1, which is the reduced amount for CAMRA members. Like a child, I was genuinely excited at this stage and was scouring the free programme to see what beers would excite and delight me.
The second stage and I was privately quite pleased there was no lunchtime music. I like a bit of peace…..
Inevitably my first port of call.
I don’t keep festival glasses any more as I can’t cope with any more of the things, but it’s a clean design.
They think that they have the longest continuous bar of any beer festival in the country, with this one coming in at 105 metres. There’s not a huge amount of seating available outside, but they do their best and there’s of course plenty of grass to sit on outside.
Some of the beers racked up.
I was pleased to get a behind the scenes invite and that’s how they’re cooling the beers, lots of ice bags. It always add something to any event to be able to see how they’re running things and everything seemed organised and in control.
They then pull the barrels forwards when one runs out. That’s the end of my technical explanation of how they look after the beer, but I will say everything was all well kept and at the appropriate temperature.
This was all whetting my appetite for the Norwich Beer Festival at the end of October, where I’m volunteering all week.
There was a lovely atmosphere at the festival with a large amount of outdoor space. There’s the beautiful Peterborough Cathedral in the background.
I spent some considerable time working out the food options and in the end, Emma and I went for the same food stall. She went for beef in black bean sauce, I went for the old reliable chicken in black bean sauce. It cost £10, but the rice element was filling and the chicken was tender and flavoursome, so I was happy with the whole arrangement. It was also rather lovely to catch up with some of the CAMRA members from Norwich, some of whom were attending all week.
Back on the customer side of the bar. Excluding Boudicca, which is obviously the best brewery at the beer festival, my favourite beers of the day were Tonkoko (Brew York), Bakewell Tart Stout (North Riding Brewery), Blood Orange Pale (Three Acre Brewery), BlaX Forest Stout (Xtreme Ales), 1837 Double Brown Stout (Ridgeside Brewery), Haast’s Eagle (Brew York) and the best of the lot was the Chocolate Old Peculier from Theakston. As can be guessed from how many beers I’ve just listed, I certainly had a good attempt at trying a range of different styles from numerous breweries. I was impressed at how far some of these beers had come from, it’s not just a festival for local brewers.
There are a number of rides which are just ideal for those who have had too much to drink….
Emma looking excitedly at a dog.
Look at how much space they have for their glasses! I’m jealous, as we’re rather more restricted at Norwich Beer Festival. Although, we are in the historic St. Andrew’s Hall which is hardly a hardship. It won’t be a surprise to anyone for me to write this, but the volunteers were all helpful and enthusiastic. There were plenty of suggestions for different beers, lots of conversation and all the hard work that the volunteers put in was very much appreciated. The prices for the beers were also reasonable, with customers being able to pay at the bar using either cash or card.
All told, I had a rather lovely day, with Emma and I having some time to visit some pubs in the town and there was even an run for the last train (that’s a long story but Emma will calm down soon about the amount of running she had to do). I was hoping to be able to go a second time in the week, but couldn’t tempt anyone else to go, as there were some beers I left untried and some pubs I didn’t get chance to visit in Peterborough. But there’s always next year!
Well, this is a marvellous idea (not least as some of my favourite venues are taking part) as 11 Norwich pubs in the NR3 postcode have come together to organise a beer mile. The excitement will be taking place between Thursday 10 August to Sunday 13 August, although as I’m walking some of the Shotley 50 event this weekend, I’m unlikely to be visiting very many of the pubs.
However, I wanted to take part in at least some form, so I went to visit the Leopard to collect a map of the event and also get my first of the trading cards. There was already interest on the Thursday afternoon and the staff member thought it would be a success, so perhaps this might become an annual event. The weather is favourable at the moment (not favourable to me as I like rain) which might also help bring out the crowds.
My first stamp and trading card, this one from the Leopard.
The pubs, which have over 200 beers between them, are :
From the perspective of visiting Harwich to go to all the Good Beer Guide listed pubs, choosing a Tuesday wasn’t ideal as that meant that 50% of the two pubs in the book were shut. This was all clearly advertised so I wasn’t surprised, but I suspect that I would have very much liked this pub from the reviews. They apparently usually have a mild on, as well as four or so real ales. The food prices are firmly towards the lower end of the scale, but the quality seems high, with reviews marking on the community feel of the pub.
The pub is the oldest one surviving in Harwich having been established in something like 1743 and there’s more information about its history at http://www.harwichpubtrail.co.uk/newbell.html.
Some not entirely cheery history on a plaque above the door which commemorates William Bamford, a weaver from Coggeshall, who was burnt at the stake in 1555. This location was chosen as the pub sits on the area that was once the punishment area in the Tudor period.
This is the only Good Beer Guide pub in Harwich that was open during my visit to the town and although its frontage isn’t necessarily the most appealing I was aware from reviews that this would likely be a positive experience.
Customers need to walk down the little corridor and then into the bar area, ignoring the tempting doors to the side.
This range of real ale surprised me, five different options across numerous beer styles is hard to achieve and maintain quality. However, since they’re listed in the Good Beer Guide and the reviews are broadly positive, they’re clearly achieving that. The prices are high though, over £6 a pint for real ale is what I’d expect to see in London. However, this venue is primarily a restaurant and so I’m assuming those prices reflect that, although those just wanting a drink are also welcome and there are some stools at the bar for when they’re full of diners.
Not a very clear photo, but a sign showing how high the flood water rose in 1953.
The interior has plenty of character and feels homely. The service was informal and polite, although I wouldn’t say there was any attempt to much engage beyond the minimum needed. But, that’s fine, not every pub is going to be the Hop & Vine, a friendly welcome is sufficient for me.
I’ve had the Black Adder from Mauldons before and it’s a very good stout, a roasted flavour with a creamy texture, with the pint here tasting just as I expected. The crisps were also delicious and complemented the beer nicely.
Someone has added the word “beer” at the bottom, which isn’t a bad shout. The pub’s web-site has a section which has the title “Officially the finest pub in the East of England” underneath “CAMRA Real Ale Pub” but I can’t find any evidence of that on CAMRA’s area web-site. It did win the branch award seven years ago but I can’t find any regional awards, but perhaps they were from other organisations.
I’m slightly disappointed (and only very slightly, I have more pressing concerns) as well that the pub’s web-site mentions nothing of its history other than it dates from the 1850s. Instead, the Harwich Pub Trail has a full history of the pub which is interesting, particularly the reference to:
“As it stands the building dates from many different periods but it was probably built in 1464 as a house. By 1599 it was owned by Captain Twitt – a relative of Thomas Twitt (or Twytt) a merchant and brewer in the town. The Twitt family were well-connecting and well-known in the town and Captain Twitt’s daughter married Christopher Jones at St. Nicholas’s Church in 1593. Although Sara died aged 27 in 1603 her husband went on to own a rather famous ship named the Mayflower and used it to guide the Pilgrim Fathers to America in 1620.”
It was a Tolly Cobbold pub between 1957 and 1990, then Pubmaster before falling into the hands of the hopeless and hapless Punch Taverns who sold it in 2010. And there’s some more history and older photos here.
There’s elements of quirkiness that I like, such as the details of their six bedrooms where they note about the view from one that “it boasts a sea view and a view of a quite charming electrical substation“. I also hadn’t seen before the poster on the inside of the entrance to the toilet that said something along the lines of ‘let those coming in have priority, their need is greater than yours’. I like that informality, I think it gives a softer edge to the pub and makes it feel that bit more inviting.
As a random aside, it’s not my problem and nor indeed anything I’ll think about again after writing this, but I find the pub’s use of the CAMRA logo all over the place and on every page a little confusing, as well as the reference to their being a “CAMRA Real Ale Pub” without any links to the national web-site. It may be that CAMRA have authorised this use of the logo and wording, but it seems unusual terminology that I haven’t seen before.
The on-line reviews for the pub are very positive, so I’d say it’s a safe bet that the food is reliably good, whilst the clear fact they’re able to stock five real ales is showing just how much beer they’re selling. It’s one of the more expensive pubs I’ve been in for real ale, and actually the most expensive pub listed in the Good Beer Guide that I can recall and that includes tens of London pubs, but prices are rising and no venue is immune to them.
This is one of these pubs that’s worth coming to get a drink for just to feel part of the history of the building, but given the excellent choice of real ales and how well kept they are, that all comes together to feel like reasonable value for money. And I like the irreverent sense of humours that is evidence throughout the pub, all rather lovely.
I was pleased to discover that the Bell pub in Hempton opened at 11:00 as that meant I could make a flying visit to tick it off my Good Beer Guide list. Hempton is a moderately strange settlement as it’s effectively in Fakenham, but it feels entirely separate from it and in terms of its history it hasn’t much changed over the last 200 years.
It was evident that this pub would be excellent simply by evidence that it has survived at all, with the other two pubs in Hempton having closed long ago. As mentioned, it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide, but it also came highly recommended from people that I know in CAMRA. A quick look on-line shows that they’ve made an effort to have a web presence and they’ve also got a history of the pub which is something I always appreciate.
The Bell is a perfect example of a village pub where the welcome is immediate and the locals seem pleased when people come in to their pub. It feels like they have a buy-in, it’s a sign of an exceptional pub where the locals are so proud of their venue. And rightly so, it’s got a community feel where they show sports, have a pool table, two separate seating areas and a cosy atmosphere. There’s something for everything, not least a selection of four real ales which is a good going for any pub.
The beer is the Snetterton Scary Tree, the name of which comes from a local landmark which has unfortunately now fallen down. Brewed by Elmtree this is a session bitter which was suitably hoppy, being well-kept and at the appropriate temperature. Any concern I had that I’d arrive early on a Monday morning and might get a poor quality beer were unfounded as there were already several customers and all the beers had been pulled through.
My visit was short, but I got the impression that this was an exceptional pub which serves its community well and there were numerous events advertised which they’ve involved with organising. There was a friendly welcome, engaging service, keenly priced beer and plenty of real ales. It absolutely deserves its place in the Good Beer Guide, it’s a pub for the many and not the few.
Address: Cardiff International Airport, Rhoose, Vale Of Glamorgan
Local Council: Vale of Glamorgan
I haven’t yet visited this pub, but maybe sometime soon….. When I do, this text will disappear and my ‘fascinating’ comments about the pub will appear instead.
I also don’t have an interview with anyone from this pub, but if they want to take part then please do contact me. It’ll also be an effort to update this database with pub closures and updates, but I’ll change the details of anywhere that I’m contacted about. I’m updating on a regular basis new pubs and also removing venues which are clearly more restaurants than pubs. And the pub that I’m saddest about closing is Goose Island in London which shut its doors in late 2022…..
This project is I accept entirely unachievable, namely trying to visit not only every Good Beer Guide pub in the country but having a fair crack of trying to visit as many pubs as I can. But, I have to start somewhere and here is where we’re starting. The image in the photo is from the Phantom Brewery Tap in Reading.
I haven’t yet visited this pub, but maybe sometime soon….. When I do, this text will disappear and my ‘fascinating’ comments about the pub will appear instead.
I also don’t have an interview with anyone from this pub, but if they want to take part then please do contact me. It’ll also be an effort to update this database with pub closures and updates, but I’ll change the details of anywhere that I’m contacted about. I’m updating on a regular basis new pubs and also removing venues which are clearly more restaurants than pubs. And the pub that I’m saddest about closing is Goose Island in London which shut its doors in late 2022…..
This project is I accept entirely unachievable, namely trying to visit not only every Good Beer Guide pub in the country but having a fair crack of trying to visit as many pubs as I can. But, I have to start somewhere and here is where we’re starting. The image in the photo is from the Phantom Brewery Tap in Reading.
Address: Tyddyn Llwyn Caravan Park, Porthmadog, Gwynedd
Local Council: Gwynedd
I haven’t yet visited this pub, but maybe sometime soon….. When I do, this text will disappear and my ‘fascinating’ comments about the pub will appear instead.
I also don’t have an interview with anyone from this pub, but if they want to take part then please do contact me. It’ll also be an effort to update this database with pub closures and updates, but I’ll change the details of anywhere that I’m contacted about. I’m updating on a regular basis new pubs and also removing venues which are clearly more restaurants than pubs. And the pub that I’m saddest about closing is Goose Island in London which shut its doors in late 2022…..
This project is I accept entirely unachievable, namely trying to visit not only every Good Beer Guide pub in the country but having a fair crack of trying to visit as many pubs as I can. But, I have to start somewhere and here is where we’re starting. The image in the photo is from the Phantom Brewery Tap in Reading.
