All Things Beer!

I wish I would have seen this! I would have recommended J.Mulligan's in Stoneybatter. It's a great place for microbrews (not just Irish) and an amazing selection of whiskey to try. Also, the food is delicious! Check it out next time you're in Dublin!

Ooh, I am probably going to Dubin (I was in Limerick last time) in May so that's great -thanks! 

Just back from a beer weekend in Manchester & Sheffield.  I was a day late in leaving, due to my bathroom ceiling collapsing (after I reported a leak every day for 2 weeks prior and them doing sweet FA), so I missed the beer festival and going round a few Stockport pubs.

I arrived around 5pm on Friday, and we went for a burrito and then to the Micro Bar in the Arndale Centre.  Had a gorgeous beer in there by Tickety Brew, called Jasmine... which tasted of jasmine.  If you don't like the Saltaire elderflower beer, you probably wouldn't like this, but I thought it was lovely.

We went back to our hotel for a kip, and then just over the road to the Joshua Brooks, which is kind of a student pub with WAY TOO LOUD music, but strong beers at good prices, so it's sometimes worth the inconvenience of the music, plus it is less than a minute's walk/stagger to the hotel.  In there, we had a 7.4% rye IPA (cant remember who made it, or what it was called) and a 10.5% stout from Dark Star, plus a 6.6% cider/perry combination called Pyder... these were all only £2.70!

Next day we went to Sheffield.. first to the station tap, where I had a pint of something awful that I didn't like.  Next stop was the Ossett pub (The Hop), where I was disappointed not to get any Excelsior, but did at least get a couple of pints of Silver King, plus White Rat and English Rat.

After that, a short walk to the Devonshire Cat put me in Abbeydale heaven!  I had Absolution, Deception, and their winter beer (can't remember the name).  Back to the station tap for a quick one before our train, which was Bristol Beer Co's Bitter Kiwi.

Arriving back in Manchester, we decided just to head for the one across from our hotel again.  After choking down another pint of that rye IPA, a new barrel finally came on and it was Tempest Cascadian, which was beautiful.  Prices were put up on a Saturday it seems... a pint went from £2.70 on Friday to £3.40 on Saturday, but that's still not too bad considering we paid £4 in Leeds a few weeks before.

Sunday lunchtime we headed to the Marble Arch, where we stayed until our train.  I had a couple of pints of Lagonda, but then switched to Pint, which was only 3.9%,but super refreshing and pleasant.  Ended the trip with an 8% Belgian Cookie Beer!

Next time, we think we will base ourselves in Sheffield, as there are so many good pubs there, you can't get round to them all in one day.  Never made it to the Kelham Island area...some of my friends did, but I was happy in Ossett/Abbeydale paradise, so didn't want to move on.

You guys living in the North of England are so lucky to have all this on your doorstep! 

Sounds like you had a great beer weekend Albatross! They are lucky in the North of England with all that beer, for sure!! 

Made my way to the Cromarty Brewery on Saturday (home of the excellent Happy Chappy and AKA IPA).  The owners were so nice and they seemed surprised to see people actually at their door! They had a lovely jack russell terrier who wouldn't leave J's side and they gave us a great tour of the brewery. It's a tiny place, already expanding though with order for their great beer!  
  
Got to try a few different things and I walked away with a few bottles. I drank the "Ghost Town Bourbon Barrel Raspberry" beer the other night -very stouty and fruity, but not overly sweet- Probably could only drink one and savour it- of course at 6.0% you don't want to drink it all night either! I enjoyed it!  I have a few more different random ones at home for next weekend as well to report next weekend on the taste.

Since we were very close and in a beer mood we stopped off at the Black Isle Brewery as well.  The lady who runs the shop was happy to see us as it's been a few months since we've been in there and she missed us    - Not too much new there right now, but did get a lovely smoked porter.  Another one that's great to savour, but not something to drink all night.  

Went to the pub later that night too before the cinema and got a Black Isle Brewery Heather Honey and a Red Kite.  Excellent!

A nice beery weekend  

Made my way to the Cromarty Brewery on Saturday (home of the excellent Happy Chappy and AKA IPA).  

My favourite Cromarty beer is 'Hit The Lip'!

My favourite Cromarty beer is 'Hit The Lip'!

Yes, very yummy! 

The countdown to September is on, when I will be in the land of Pendle Witches Brew and Hobgoblin! Woohoo! I can't get the Brew here and the closest I can find Hobgoblin is now about 100 miles away.

The countdown to September is on, when I will be in the land of Pendle Witches Brew and Hobgoblin! Woohoo! I can't get the Brew here and the closest I can find Hobgoblin is now about 100 miles away.

YAY!  you'll probably  be pished the whole time of your visit! 

YAY!  you'll probably  be pished the whole time of your visit! 

That'sh the plan.  Lots of nights out with friends in Blackburn, Manchester and London. We're planning a few days of hitting as many Fuller's pubs as we can in London, plus taking the Fuller's tour... and squeezing in a bit of sight seeing along the way.

Nice afternoon yesterday in Horbury, a village close to Wakefield.
Started off in the Black Bull which is more of a food pub, had a great steak sandwich and chips for £6.50 washed down with a pint of Osset Yorkshire Blonde. Then onto Boons Ale House via a quick look in one place that only had John Smiths Cask.
Boons was good, 8 beers on and none more than £2.50 a pint. Had Barngates Brathay Gold (A brewery in the Lake District I'd not heard of, very nice), and Evolution No 12 ( a darker ale). Then a pint of Jennings Snecklifter in the Kings Arms before onto my fave pub of the day, The Cricketers Arms, lovely ale house with a roaring open fire and 10% off for CAMRA members - a round of 3 pints for £7! Had an XT Black Velvet, lovely and a Castle Rock Harvest Pale.
Great day out!

Sounds great Tykeman

Happily enjoying two Hobgoblins and a Sam Smth's Winter Welcome tonight, while Hubby enjoys a 6 pack of Fuller's ESB. We're on an overnight getaway to Owensboro, KY. to enjoy our fave Indian place and Japanese place. It also happens to be where we can get Hobgoblin and ESB.  

All three of my bottles were $4.99 each. Hubby's 6 pack was $12.99. His are smaller bottles, 'import size' as I call them, but mine are regular size.

The owner of our favourite pub and a huge CAMRA guy has bought another (bigger) pub and is opening it up soon. This is excellent news!

That's great PB!  So you've got that plus your homebrew to look forward to!

Glasgow has been crap for beer lately... every place seems to be on the Oakham bandwagon, and I'm kind of fed up with it. 

Really excited to be going down to Sheffield in 3 weeks time... we'll be there for 3 days and have booked a lovely apartment (instead of a hotel) which seems to be pretty much equidistant between the Ossett tap and Abbeydale heaven (Dev Cat).
And because we will be there more than 1 day, this time we will make it over to the pubs in the Kelham Island area too.

And in kind of beer-related news, we had our local CAMRA branch AGM yesterday (beer of the year was Fyne Ales Superior IPA), and my partner was voted in as the new branch chairman! 

I enjoyed a Chatoe Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale a couple nights ago. It was still well within date, but out of season, so it was on sale from $10.79 to $8.59 for a 750 ML bottle. It was quite amazing. Rogue Farms brewery is out of Oregon, and we have been seeing more of their beers popping up here.

Sounds like it will be a fun weekend Albatross!