Ale

[BWFC76]

Although I have stopped drinking beer (now just wine & whisky) Sam Smiths "Nut Brown Ale" 5% & Sam Smiths "Stingo" 8% were big favourites of mine.

The Stingo is a type of barley wine, isn't it? Sam Smiths bitter and their rarer brews are generally fairly good but apart from their Yarkshire homeland and an enclave in London you don't see many of their pubs.

No Stingo is normal Ale, double fermented, it comes with sediment in the bottom of the bottle (once it has settled after transport from the shop) and you have to pour slowly to leave it behind or else you may find you get the 'squitters'.

Talking of barley, I remember back in my University days we had a drink combination of McEwans No.3 and barley wine, drank with the sing-a-long slogan "No 3 & barley wine - makes you feel so very fine" ......

[bedwetter2]

My mate lives in a village just outside Burton. The Pedigree in both the village pubs is absolutely gorgeous. Thing is, whenever I try it round here it's bobbins.

I agree that Pedigree doesn't seem to travel well although it may also have something to do with how well the landlord keeps his cellar. Trouble is, as part of a large national brewer the tied Marstons tenants are not as motivated as free house landlords and beer quality can suffer.

Is there any such thing as tied houses now?

Surely you mean the opposite Bill?! Everywhere is a tied house or similar (if it's not directly brewery owned, it's pubco owned). It's fecking awful. I blame bastard Wetherspoons. Round our village (two/three quid to either Chorley or Horwich by bus) the pubs are dying. Pub into 'town' for £2 a pint almost-out-of-date pipes-never-cleaned bitter with chavs everywhere and shit loud 'music'. Folk go, so the pubs are dying. What happens when they shut, and there's no competition? Not going to be £2 Wetherspoons any longer. And the breweries have it sewn up. Free house would get a nine gallon firkin of most bitter for about £40. If you're tied you're talking £110-120. If you had the money to buy these places outright you could make a killing, buuut, you're talking seven figures.

Absolutely. There are amongst the crap tied houses three excellent pubs in my locality, all free houses (two owned by the landlords outright and one leased from the guy who used to be the landlord). They can buy a firkin of a lower strength ale for around the £40 mark or a stronger ale for around the £60-£70 mark. That's 72 pints, well there will be a bit of ullage, but brings into sharp relief what profit can be made from ale alone IF it's kept well. If kept well, it sells well. Caskmark award to a pub is a good indication of consistent beer quality.
So, to recap, uninterested landlords who are tenants or managers for a brewer or pubco will sell crap ale; owners/landlords have a direct interest in keeping their customers happy as they make more money for themselves. Simples.

N.b. this does not apply to horrible lager-pish (produced in British or Dutch fizzy pop factories) which is already ruined but cannot generally be made any worse by disinterested bar staff.

N.b.2. The above comment does not apply to proper Pilsner lagers imported from Germany, the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Some, such as the original Budvar, are sublime and have real flavour!

[bedwetter2]

Although I have stopped drinking beer (now just wine & whisky) Sam Smiths "Nut Brown Ale" 5% & Sam Smiths "Stingo" 8% were big favourites of mine.

The Stingo is a type of barley wine, isn't it? Sam Smiths bitter and their rarer brews are generally fairly good but apart from their Yarkshire homeland and an enclave in London you don't see many of their pubs.

No Stingo is normal Ale, double fermented, it comes with sediment in the bottom of the bottle (once it has settled after transport from the shop) and you have to pour slowly to leave it behind or else you may find you get the 'squitters'.

Talking of barley, I remember back in my University days we had a drink combination of McEwans No.3 and barley wine, drank with the sing-a-long slogan "No 3 & barley wine - makes you feel so very fine" ......

Ah, I didn't realise Stingo was bottle fermented. A bit like Worthington White Label which is now being brewed again in Burton at the small Coors brewery.

Sounds a fine song, by the way. At university during winter term we just used to drink barley wine until we fell over.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19571803

Astounding really. Fight back against the super-conglomerates.

[Bruce Rioja]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19571803

Astounding really. Fight back against the super-conglomerates.

Oh absolutely, and endorse the Brewery Tap on Belmont Rd (formerly The Carters) owned by Bank Top Brewery and The Brewhouse on Blackburn Rd (formerly The Cheetham Arms) owned by Dunscar Bridge Brewery. Great pubs - magnificent locally produced ale.

[Little Green Man]

For those off to the Sheffield Wednesday game via the train I can recommend a visit to The Sheffield Tap which is conveniently located by platform 1.

http://www.sheffieldtap.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Bernard Dark is very nice.

[Bruce Rioja]

For those off to the Sheffield Wednesday game via the train I can recommend a visit to The Sheffield Tap which is conveniently located by platform 1.

http://www.sheffieldtap.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Bernard Dark is very nice.

I bet you can get Belhaven 90 round by you, can't you?

[Little Green Man]

For those off to the Sheffield Wednesday game via the train I can recommend a visit to The Sheffield Tap which is conveniently located by platform 1.

http://www.sheffieldtap.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Bernard Dark is very nice.

I bet you can get Belhaven 90 round by you, can't you?

Don't recall seeing it recently. We do have the very fine Stewart No. 3 though.

http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/item/Mi ... 212_0.html

[General Mannerheim]

More of a lager man myself, but this is my favourite tackle

[Lost Leopard Spot]

For those off to the Sheffield Wednesday game via the train I can recommend a visit to The Sheffield Tap which is conveniently located by platform 1.

http://www.sheffieldtap.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Bernard Dark is very nice.

The Red House is close(ish) by too, and a good little pub which, I believe, is open in the day (or it is on Fridays at least).

[Lost Leopard Spot]

More of a lager man myself, but this is my favourite tackle

For a man who's thinking of laying artificial turf, HoeGarden is an inappropriate drink!

[Bruce Rioja]

For those off to the Sheffield Wednesday game via the train I can recommend a visit to The Sheffield Tap which is conveniently located by platform 1.

http://www.sheffieldtap.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Bernard Dark is very nice.

I bet you can get Belhaven 90 round by you, can't you?

Don't recall seeing it recently. We do have the very fine Stewart No. 3 though.

http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/item/Mi ... 212_0.html

Am bloody sure that they used to sell it in the Vine Bar. Quite a while since I was in there though.

[General Mannerheim]

its for my Gaarden Hoe!

[Bijou Bob]

Until 15 months ago, I loved nothing better than taking the dog for a 'walk' ending up in the Bottom Spinners in Adlington. Always a decent choice of 4 or 5 guest ales, well kept and reasonably priced. The Adnans in the Bay Horse was always a lovely pint as an alternative.

A landlord once told me that from an 88 gallon barrel of real ale, they get 3 days before it goes off and day 3 can sometimes be dodgy. For some pubs it's just not worth the risk if they don't feel they can shift enough, hence the proliferation of pubs selling high volume crap.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Until 15 months ago, I loved nothing better than taking the dog for a 'walk' ending up in the Bottom Spinners in Adlington. Always a decent choice of 4 or 5 guest ales, well kept and reasonably priced. The Adnans in the Bay Horse was always a lovely pint as an alternative.

A landlord once told me that from an 88 gallon barrel of real ale, they get 3 days before it goes off and day 3 can sometimes be dodgy. For some pubs it's just not worth the risk if they don't feel they can shift enough, hence the proliferation of pubs selling high volume crap.

I think most barrels these days are 9 gallons (72 pints), which good landlords lose approx 4 pints off in the beer they pull off each day and the wastage at the bottom. my local gets in the full 9 gallons for beer they know will fly within two days. For less well-tested stuff he gets pins in (four and a half gallons).

[Little Green Man]

For those off to the Sheffield Wednesday game via the train I can recommend a visit to The Sheffield Tap which is conveniently located by platform 1.

http://www.sheffieldtap.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Bernard Dark is very nice.

I bet you can get Belhaven 90 round by you, can't you?

Don't recall seeing it recently. We do have the very fine Stewart No. 3 though.

http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/item/Mi ... 212_0.html

Am bloody sure that they used to sell it in the Vine Bar. Quite a while since I was in there though.

It doesn't appear on their website currently. I wonder if it's one they only brew around Christmas time.

Never been in the Vine Bar. It's always looked like the kind of place you'd get Begbied in.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

For those off to the Sheffield Wednesday game via the train I can recommend a visit to The Sheffield Tap which is conveniently located by platform 1.

http://www.sheffieldtap.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Bernard Dark is very nice.

I bet you can get Belhaven 90 round by you, can't you?

Don't recall seeing it recently. We do have the very fine Stewart No. 3 though.

http://www.stewartbrewing.co.uk/item/Mi ... 212_0.html

Am bloody sure that they used to sell it in the Vine Bar. Quite a while since I was in there though.

It doesn't appear on their website currently. I wonder if it's one they only brew around Christmas time.

Never been in the Vine Bar. It's always looked like the kind of place you'd get Begbied in.

What's that pub on Grassmarket called? - is it the Fiddlers or summat like that?
And is the Gravediggers still going strong?

[Little Green Man]

What's that pub on Grassmarket called? - is it the Fiddlers or summat like that?
And is the Gravediggers still going strong?

The Athletic Arms or Diggers is still going strong - the beer's lovely in there. Not been in the Fiddler's Arms since it's had that name. I presume it's still open.

[malcd1]

Oh absolutely, and endorse the Brewery Tap on Belmont Rd (formerly The Carters) owned by Bank Top Brewery and The Brewhouse on Blackburn Rd (formerly The Cheetham Arms) owned by Dunscar Bridge Brewery. Great pubs - magnificent locally produced ale.

Fully endorse this. Especially The Tap on Belmont Road. Excellent range of Bank Top beers at around £2.20 a pint. My favourite, I am slightly embarrased to say, is Bank Tops 'Dark Mild'. Or should I say award winning 'Dark Mild'. Lovely.

[Bruce Rioja]

It doesn't appear on their website currently. I wonder if it's one they only brew around Christmas time.

Never been in the Vine Bar. It's always looked like the kind of place you'd get Begbied in.

Maybe they were just humouring me but the locals were incredibly friendly. I used to sup Belhaven 90 with my then B-i-L in the Babbity Bowster in Weegie, and buy it wherever I see it. The Vine is probably the last place that I experienced it.