Whether it’s imbibing at Bushmills in Belfast or speaking at the Brewers Lectures in Bristol, John Keeling and his partner Symone have been on something of a ‘B’ binge. So look out Barnsley…
I was in the Parcel Yard to discuss a new book about the London Brewing scene, to be written by Des de Moor with CAMRA representatives Toby Langdon and Katie Button. Representing the London Brewing Alliance alongside me was John Cryne. Needless to say the book looks very exciting and we will be giving them all the help they need.
Also sat in the corner was Tim Webb, author of several great beer books and Tom Stainer, chief executive of CAMRA. So all in all, it looked like St Albans was decamping to North London. Well it must be because of the superior London beer.
After the meeting, John and I settled down for a quiet chat with Tim. I told them I was going to Belfast shortly and John replied ‘You have only just come back from Bath and Bristol, are you fixated with the letter B?’
Well, I blamed Symone my long-suffering partner, who picked a letter at random and said let’s use it as a guide to our travels around Britain. So look out Barnsley!
The first city we decided to go to was Bath, which was rather fortuitous as I knew somebody there and what’s more, she owed me a beer. So, I contacted Georgina Young and told her I wanted to see her new brewery, Bath Ales. She said that was useful because she needed some tips on how to handle Roger Ryman her new boss. So, the wheels were set in motion.
After taking the tour of Bath Ales, a fine modern brewery all ship shape and Bristol fashion, we went for dinner and a few beers with George and her husband James in Graze, a bar/grill with a microbrewery pub owned by Bath Ales. Whilst enjoying our meal, George was constantly checking the gravity of the beer on brew. She is so conscientious. Either that or the conversation was boring.
Well you can’t go to Bath without visiting Bristol. I phoned up Tim, your hard-working editor, and told him I would speak at his conference in Bristol and before he could say no I put the phone down. I opened the conference, made up some gubbins and drank some beer. I am fast becoming the Boris of the beer world.
Of course, Bristol has some really great beer, none more so than Moor. Justin Hawke and I have been friends for ages and Moor were one of the breweries in the first Fuller’s and Friends box of collaboration beers. I therefore had to pop in to see him and look at his brewery. He very kindly took us out for a drink and dinner too. The pub he chose was the Seven Stars, which turned out to have a great selection of cask beers, so right up my street then. Tim managed to drag himself away from the preparation work for the conference and joined us too.
I opened the conference, made up some gubbins and drank some beer. I am fast becoming the Boris of the beer world
We then went to eat at Pasture, a steak house which uses all local ingredients and has passionate and knowledgeable staff. I had a beef suet pie, which was one of the best pies I had ever eaten. The meal was washed down with a pint of Nor ’Hop Moor beer.
Symone and I also decided that we should visit Belfast, a place both of us had never been to. I know, a massive oversight on our behalf. This was supposed to be a holiday with no beery connections, but I still managed to get in a couple of pub lunches.
Belfast tourism scene is fast growing. It seems Game of Thrones has a massive following and people want to hang out in places where a lot of the scenes were shot. To be fair, I can see why as the landscape is beautiful.
We bravely decided to walk across the Carrick-a Rede rope bridge, quite a mean feat as we are both a bit wobbly with heights. The bridge was first built in 1755 by fisherman, and thankfully has been repaired and secured a few times since. The drop is a mere 100ft into the Atlantic Ocean.
Next we went to The Giants Causeway in Bushmills Co Antrim. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was stunning. Cold but stunning.
As we had conquered the bridge and causeway, we decided to reward ourselves with a pub lunch so found a quaint local called The Fullerton Arms in Ballintoy. A good range of beers were on tap, which went down well with my pie & chips.
Our last touristy visit of the day was to Old Bushmills Distillery, built in 1784 and well worth a visit. Single malt tasting was very welcoming after the long day. Unfortunately, this meant I fell asleep on the coach ride back to Belfast.
So, now I must plan a trip to Barnsley. Why, I hear you asking? Well, have you not read Pete Brown’s book, Pie Fidelity? Barnsley has the best pork pies in the world plus Barnsley Bitter. Seems a good place for a lunch. I love a beer and a pie.
Besides, it begins with B.
