Category: Travel

A visit to Munich’s annual Oktoberfest is on the bucket list of many beer lovers around the world and this year we were lucky enough to be able to make the pilgrimage. This is the world’s largest beer festival, with more than six million people attending every year and around 13.5 million pints of beer being consumed over the 16 days it is open. Munich’s biggest breweries each create their own special festival beer called Märzen, which at around 6% ABV is somewhat stronger than the usual lager-style beers Bavaria is known for. We set off early on Saturday morning to Manchester Airport for our first flight of the day to Düsseldorf (direct flights to Munich are extortionately expensive during Oktoberfest), where we enjoyed a couple of hours with a nice wheat beer before heading on to Munich. Once in the city, we quickly dropped our belongings off at our hotel and caught one of Munich’s very efficient local trains for the 20-minute ride to the festival grounds. Alighting at Hackerbrüсke station, the short walk to the Theresienwiese gave us a good idea of what was to come, as we passed revellers in various stages of horizontalness having presumably been drinking since early morning. It was quite a spectacle with locals and visitors alike sporting lederhosen, dirndls and other local garb. Once we arrived once we arrived the sheer scale of the festival struck us – even though we had heard and read how big it was, it’s impossible to comprehend without seeing it for yourself. At Oktoberfest there are no bars and no drinking outdoors, so in order to get some beer you have to make your way into one of the 14 large (some of them seating up to 9,000 people at a time) and 21 small tents in order to get a seat and be attended to. With so many tents to choose from, we’d naively assumed that we would have little problem finding five seats. How wrong we were though, as every tent we passed had queues trailing out of the doors, a one-in-one-out system firmly in place. After a short confabulation, we resolved to abandon the festival grounds for the evening. The new plan was to head into the city centre and come back first thing on Sunday morning. We headed to the Hofbräu beer house, but on finding that to also be full we settled for some of the smaller bars nearby and sampled local beers from breweries such as Ayinger and Tegernsee, traditional Bavarian wheat beers and dark lagers the order of the day. The local food too is exactly what you would expect, with sausages, pretzels and schnitzels abounding. There’s a reason these are so popular though – they’re delicious! Sunday morning came around and we arose bright and early to make sure we arrived at Oktoberfest in time for the opening at 9 am. We were by no means the first people there, but our plan to get in line early enough to secure seats was successful and within 20 minutes we had taken root in the Löwenbrau tent. The tent was wonderfully decorated in traditional Bavarian style, with long wooden benches and a bandstand in the middle. Less traditional was the 15-foot high animatronic lion statue which sporadically raised a stein to its roaring mouth. Soon enough, our waitress for the day took our first order and within minutes she returned, impressively carrying nine one-litre steins filled to the brim without spilling a drop. It makes you wonder how much training it must take before the festival, and it really is a sight to behold! The beer itself was very good too – not cask beer of course, but like all proper German beer it was clean and crisp and extremely refreshing, with a nice malty sweetness. The festival organisers have done a great job of keeping the atmosphere of the festival intact; during the day only brass bands are allowed to play (some tents do have electronic music later in the evening) and the doormen are very quick to spot and deal with any unruly behaviour. Standing and dancing on the benches is allowed and even encouraged, but taking that second step up onto the table will see you out the door before you can say auf wiedersehen. After spending a few hours in the Löwenbrau tent, we decided to head just next door to Hacker-Pschorr. There were none of the brewery’s distinctive swing-top bottles to be seen today; the beer came instead from a huge hose hanging from the ceiling. Again, this was a really enjoyable, slightly hoppier beer than the last – the perfect tonic for an increasingly warm day. We found a friendly German couple with some spare seats on their table and tried our best to converse in the local language – a couple of beers always helps in that regard! Eventually though it was time to head back to our hotel and get some rest before the journey home began on Monday morning. The famous purity of German beer meant there were no sore heads and we all agreed that we would definitely return in the future. Our one tip for anyone visiting would definitely be to get there early, especially on the busier days. Dominic Nelson

Coords not found for https://whatpub.com/pubs/AMV/1539/prospect-street-micropub-alfreton The first available train to Alfreton on a weekday using a Derbyshire Wayfarer is the 9:06 from Sheffield. Alighting 25 minutes later at Alfreton Station it is a short bus ride into the town centre and then on to Ripley. There are 4 pubs in the Market Square including the Red Lion (CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2018), where a Wetherspoon’s breakfast was partaken together with half a Lymestone Whimsical Waterstone (4.5%). The next stop was the Old Cock Inn for a Brampton Pentrich Revolution Best Bitter (3.8%) from the choice of four ales and three hand-pulled ciders. Nearby is the Thorn Tree with six hand pumps and traditional cider on gravity. I had Falstaff Judson (4.2%). Also not far away is the Pear Tree, which looked like a former Greene King pub in the process of changing hands. Only two of the five hand pumps were in use and I had Greene King St. Edmunds Ale (4.2%).

A short bus ride on the 147 took me to the Holly Bush at Marehay. This used to be the home of Little Bush Brewery but from the choice of five ales I chose a half of Draught Bass. Back into Ripley now and Ripley’s Little Ale House which opened at 1pm. This is a fairly small micro pub on a pedestrianised street with six tables, five hand pumps and a fair few gins. I had halves of Langton Sovereign (4.2%) and Heritage Oatmeal Stout (4%). A little walk down Butterley Hill brought me to the Talbot (GBG 2018) with nine hand pumps and seven real ciders available. I chose Pentrich Downfall Architect Mosaic IPA (6%) and one from the Brew York X-Panda Session IPA series. From near here I caught the Rainbow 1 service to Codnor for the Poet & Castle. This is one of the Project William partnership pubs between Everards and Lincoln Green. There are 10 hand pumps containing five Lincoln Green beers and five guests. My selections were Mad Dog Third Eye Blind (3.8%) and Plain Ales Innspiration (4%).

Another short Rainbow 1 bus ride further away from Ripley is the Tip Inn micro pub in Loscoe. There are two indoor seating areas here and a garden and from the six hand pumps I had Grasshopper Knee High (3.8%) and Abstract Jungle Pale (4.9%). The Rapid One service took me back to Ripley in order to catch the 9.1 service to Swanwick and The Steampacket Inn (GBG 2018 entry) for some Blue Monkey Raspbeerry (4.6%). Another 9.1 service took me back to Alfreton Bus Station. It is only a short walk to the Handlebar (Landlocked Brewery tap) and some of their own Experimental Lambic Sour (3.9%) and Island of the Singular C (4.7%). Midway back towards the rail station is the Prospect micropub tucked away in a residential street. From the selection I had Scribblers Rubecca (4.8%) and Amber Ales Session Pale (3.6%).

The train back to Sheffield was on time so there was just time for a last half in the Sheffield Tap. Roosters Finkle & Einhorn (4.9%) was a fitting way to end an enjoyable day, even though it was by far the most expensive of the trip at £2.25 a half. Andy Morton

A South Yorkshire Day Connect ticket costs £6.60 from the driver for one day’s bus and tram travel throughout the area. Getting to Rotherham mid-morning allowed plenty of time for the short journey to Broom, arriving there just after 11am. The Stag (CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2018) adjacent to the roundabout of the same name, opens at 10am and has four hand pumps.  A roomy pub with several drinking areas served by the central bar and plenty of outdoor seating made for a pleasant start to the day.  Halves of Black Sheep/My Generation Beer Co.’s My Generation Session Pale Ale and Bath Ales Summer’s Hare were enjoyed.

Just a few yards away is the Dragon’s Tap, with six tables inside and a few outside at the front. A bright and airy micropub with a selection of 6 hand pulled ales (and 3 traditional ciders), from which I chose Chantry Citra Pale. Chantry ales appeared fairly regularly in the pubs I visited today. Back into Rotherham and another short bus ride past the Parkgate shopping complex to the Little Haven, another micropub serving 3 hand-pulled beers, one cider and containing five tables indoors. I selected Drone Valley No. 43. It was such a balanced and refreshing drink on this hot summer’s day that I had a second half. I then decided to walk up Rawmarsh Hill to the Something Brew Inn, which had seating inside and out. A bus ride of a couple of stops would have been more sensible. Anyway, a pleasant half of Chantry Two Magpies Porter was consumed from the range of six real ales available. Continuing away from Rawmarsh a bus took me to Wath-upon-Dearne and the Wath Tap (GBG 2018 entry and Rotherham CAMRA Pub of the Year 2018), which was slightly larger and also had pavement seating at the front. North Riding Pecan Pie Porter and Rat Splinter Black IPA were sampled from the six available beers. Traditional cider was also served.

A further bus ride in to Barnsley this time and the Arcade Alehouse (GBG 2018 entry and Barnsley CAMRA Pub of the Year 2018) in the town centre.  Nightjar Haka Pale was enjoyed before then catching the number 66 to Hoyland for the Knave and Kestrel, probably the smallest micropub visited today.  Elland Nettle Thrasher and Stancill Blonde were sampled before catching another 66 back towards Hoyland Common and the Tap & Brew for some Small World Secret and Raw Jester Pale and some complimentary peas in the pod to accompany the beer. From here it was but a short walk to catch the number 2 service back to Sheffield, which gave plenty of time for a half of one of the Brew York X Panda Session IPA series in the Head of Steam and a final Adnams Anti-Hipstermin in the Bankers Draft before the bus home. I had hoped to visit some of the newly opened pubs around the Barnsley, Mapplewell and Darton areas, but these will have to wait for another day. Andy Morton

A mid-morning arrival at Huddersfield station (via Wakefield) allowed plenty of time for a cooked breakfast and a half of Clarks (now brewed at Castle Eden) English Pale Ale in The Vulcan before boarding the hourly train for the short ride to the attractive village of Marsden.

Sitting outside the Riverhead Brewery Tap (CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2018) in the sunshine waiting for their festival to open at noon was very pleasant indeed.  The festival was a small affair with all available ales being served through ten hand pumps on the bar. From the 8 Riverhead beers and two guest that were available I sampled halves of Riverhead Montage (5%), Tour De Marsden (4.2%) and Pomegranate Pale (4%), plus a Mad Squirrel De La Crème Milk Stout (4.5%). Six traditional ciders were also available although I didn’t partake of any of these. There was then a short walk back up the hill to the station for a train back through Huddersfield to Mirfield and the festival at the Navigation Tavern (GBG 2018) which was already in full swing by the time I arrived. A separate festival bar with 24 hand pumps had been set up inside, from which I sampled beers from Bridge Brewery, 3D (Pitchfork), Ascot and Lords.

With basically an hourly service back to Wakefield Kirkgate, I allowed myself time for the short walk back past Mirfield station to the festival which had been advertised as taking place at the nearby Flowerpot (GBG 2018), which is an Ossett brewery pub.  Arriving at just after 3pm I was disappointed to find that the outside festival bar did not open until 4pm.  On a glorious sunny and warm Friday, with plenty of potential customers about, I thought it a little short-sighted not to capitalise by opening at lunchtime. I did not partake of a drink but instead returned to the Navigation for a very enjoyable Abbeydale Voyager IPA (number ten in the series), before getting a train to Wakefield Kirkgate.

First stop in Wakefield was Fernandes brewery tap (GBG 2018) and half of their Blue Lady (3.8%) together with complimentary sausage rolls and pork pies. A walk through town brought me to the Beer Exchange for some Aire Heads Grain Disorder (4.6%) and a limited edition Revolutions gin-infused Clash Porter (4.5%). Across the road to the Black Rock (GBG 2018) and from the five beers available I chose Blue Bee Enigma 500 (5.5%). The final pub of the day was The Hop in Wakefield (GBG 2018), which by now was very busy, but a very pleasant half of Wilde Child The Expatriate (4.5%) was consumed before catching a quick train from Westgate to Sheffield, followed by a bus home. Andy Morton

It had been quite a few years since my last visit to Ilkley, a picturesque little town very popular with walkers, situated at the southern end of the Dales Way route from West Yorkshire to the Lake District. I was treated to a day in Ilkley for my birthday, with real ale rather than rambling on the menu on this occasion.

After some delay due to a leaky boiler at home, we eventually got the train from Sheffield just after noon on a sunny Saturday. Usually you would only have to change once, at Leeds, but a landslip on the Wharfedale line meant an extra stop in Shipley. Once we finally arrived, we headed straight across the road from Ilkley station to the Friends of Ham, a delightful little place with a good range of cask and keg beers, plus a huge selection of pork-based bar snacks. Brass Castle’s Death By Toffee (4.8%) was the pick of the bunch.

We had hoped to visit Bar T’At after reading good things about it, but were disappointed to find it closed when we arrived, so we headed down the hill to the Flying Duck, home of Wharfedale Brewery. Here, we sampled the Best (4.0%) and Black (3.7%), and were pleasantly surprised to see Coffee and Hazelnut Baby Stout (3.6%), Abbeydale’s recent collaboration brew with North Riding, making an appearance on the handpumps.

Walking back towards the town centre, we stopped off at the Dalesway Hotel. Having stayed there before, I can vouch for the comfort of the rooms above the pub. It was slightly disappointing that only one handpump was in use at the time of our visit, but the fact it was Timothy Taylor’s Landlord (4.3%) was some consolation. We had more luck across the road at the Crescent Inn, a cosy pub offering six real ales; Kirkstall Brewery’s Dissolution IPA (5.0%) was the highlight for me.

Just down the road we stumbled across Fuggle & Golding, a well-stocked bottle shop with a good selection of KeyKeg ales featuring a couple from Ilkley Brewery. Unfortunately, the brewery doesn’t yet allow access to the public, although there were rumours of a taproom opening in the future. Heading back to the station, we decided to go back into the Friends of Ham for a half having been so impressed earlier, before catching the train back home. Dominic Nelson

It had been ten years since my last visit to this small town near Telford in Shropshire so another visit was planned to coincide with the 44^th Beer Festival in the Crown.  No cheap advance bookings were available on morning departures from Sheffield to Birmingham, so I opted to travel via Stockport instead. The hourly Arriva Trains Wales service between Stockport and Shrewsbury takes about an hour. The short walk to Shrewsbury bus station allowed me to catch the X4 limited stop Arriva service from Shrewsbury to Telford via Wellington and took 45 minutes, followed by another shorter bus ride to Oakengates.

I was the first customer to walk into the Crown Inn (CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2018 entry) when it opened at noon. It is a bright yellow painted building on Market Street and the layout was as I remembered it. Both front and back bars were adorned with hand pumps, as was the temporary bar in the back room, making 34 in total. My visit was on the first day of their 5 day festival and 26 pumps were in use.  I sampled halves from Castle Rock, Lancaster, Glastonbury, Coastal, Pitchfork and Green Duck breweries, the pick of which being Castle Rock Songbird (4.2%) which was very light and refreshing. Directly across the road from the Crown is the Station Hotel (GBG 2018). Like the Crown, plenty of hand pumps were in evidence on both front and back bars.  I sampled a 5% beer from Mallinsons to commemorate their 10 years of brewing, together with beers from Fernandes, Fixed Wheel and to make me feel at home, Abbeydale Carousel.

Two doors up from the Station Hotel is the Old Fighting Cocks (GBG 2018). This is a regular outlet for Hop & Stagger Brewery beers and I sampled their Golden Wander and Shropshire Pale Ale.   The landlord of the Crown also runs another pub in the village of Dawley so using the West Midlands Day Saver ticket again which I had purchased in Shrewsbury I took the short bus ride back into Telford and then another short ride to Dawley to visit the Elephant & Castle, a grade 2 listed building at the head of the High Street. I only had time for a couple of halves here from the 12 hand pumps as time was pushing on and the last bus back to Shrewsbury was at 18.10.  My choices were from Rudgate and Joule’s. Then it was back to Telford bus station and the X5 back to Shrewsbury. I was not due to leave Stockport until the 21.28 train so I could spend an hour in either Shrewsbury or Stockport and I chose the latter so boarded the next train from Shrewsbury to Stockport.  I decided on a quick visit to the Stockport Slope and called in the Magnet (GBG 2018) where I had a beer from the in-house Magnet Brewery with the catchy name of Brian/Alan/Steve/Sarah Bitter at 5%, named after the people for whom it was brewed, together with one from Ossett Brewery.  The nearby Railway (GBG 2018) provided a very drinkable Brightside Amarillo at 4.4%.  Back to Sheffield now and the last drink of the day was Bad Seed Become The Legend in the Sheffield Tap (GBG 2018) followed by a brisk walk for the bus. Andy Morton

March 2018 saw the 34th and final London Drinker Beer Festival, held in the Camden Centre which is very convenient for both St. Pancras and King’s Cross stations. Advance train tickets were booked, but again the cheapest route was via the non-stop Grand Central train from Doncaster to King’s Cross rather than East Midland Trains from Sheffield to St. Pancras. Arriving in London I went straight to the venue to join the queue, even though opening was still about an hour away and I was not the first. The time passed fairly quickly with only a brief rain shower to contend with. The festival was very popular and now served beers only from London breweries. I sampled halves of cask beer from House, Gorgeous, Spartan, Alphabeta, Reunion and Thames Side. Lunchtime closing was at 2.30pm which then allowed plenty of time for a wander around Highbury and Islington.

I decided on visiting the further pub first which was the Brewhouse and Kitchen at Highbury (CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2018). Three of their own cask ales were sampled here: Romford Pele, Uncertainty and Tramshed. Retracing my steps I visited the New Rose on Essex Road (GBG 2018), which I would describe as a multi roomed basic traditional boozer of a type all too rare these days. Five hand pumps were in use and I sampled beers from Truman’s and New River Brewery. Next was the Brewhouse and Kitchen at Islington. This was the busiest pub encountered today as by now the teatime drinking crowd had descended upon it. Anyway, another two of their in house brewed cask ales were tried, Myddleton Blonde Ale and Britton American Brown. Remember that Brewhouse & Kitchen pubs do give CAMRA discount. Onwards towards the Craft Beer Co, on White Lion Street (GBG 2018) and a very tasty, naturally cloudy, Park Killcat Pale Ale. Of their ten hand pumps, seven were in use today.

Heading back towards King’s Cross was the Scottish Stores. I was disappointed to find that only 3 of their 8 hand pumps were in use so to give them chance to put additional beers on I visited the Parcel Yard in King’s Cross station (GBG 2018). Here I sampled St Austell Cousin Jack, which at £2.43 a half for a 4% beer was one of the dearest of the day. Back to the Scottish Stores now but, sadly, still only 3 beers were available with no sign of any of the staff being willing to replace any of the beers that had gone. I had no time to go elsewhere so settled on a half of Portobello VPA. Changing trains in Doncaster allowed no time for a drink there, but on arriving in Sheffield a quick visit to the Bankers Draft provided a half of Greene King Heritage Suffolk Pale Ale from their festival list. At £1.10 for a 5% beer, this was by far the cheapest beer sampled all day. Andy Morton

The first weekday train on which a Derbyshire Wayfarer is valid gets to Derby just before 10am. There was a short wait for a ten-minute ride to Burton and then a walk in to town for the hourly Midland Classic service X12 to Sutton Coldfield. An Allday+ ticket costs £5.30 for unlimited travel on Midland Classic buses. An hour’s bus ride later we arrive in Sutton Coldfield town centre. A short walk through the pedestrianised area brings you to the Brewhouse & Kitchen brewpub on Birmingham Road. From the four own-brewed beers that were available I selected the Cup Session Bitter (3.6%) and a very refreshing Festive Fury Cask Pilsner (5%). Virtually next door is a Wetherspoons called The Bottle of Sack. Amongst the hand pulls three Beowulf Brewery beers were available and I chose their Double Decade (4.3%) at a very reasonable £1 a half. Back to the bus stop now for the hourly X12 service to Lichfield, midway between Sutton Coldfield and Burton. Alighting at the bus station, the Guildhall is only a few minutes walk away and this was the location for the Guildhall Arts Winter Beer Festival. A small, cosy affair with about 30 beers on gravity and 5 traditional ciders, situated in this Grade II listed property. When I arrived the festival was already well attended. Four halves were sampled from Tamworth Brewing Company, Box Steam, Backyard and Falstaff breweries. Lichfield is quite a compact place and there are several pubs within easy walking distance. First up was the Angel Inn, with plenty of wood panelling and partitions. It is in the long and narrow style nestled between shops on Market Street. Joule’s Brewery beers and guests were available and a choice of hot and cold snacks. I selected Joule’s Old No. 6 Winter Warmer (4.8%), Stockport Yuletide Blonde (4.2%) and a hot sausage roll. Close by are two more pubs next to each other on Tamworth Street. The Beerbohm (CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2018) had six tables upstairs and a similar number downstairs. From the four beers available I chose Ossett Evolution (4.0%). Next door is the smaller Whippet Inn (GBG 2018 entry), again with four hand pumps. I selected Fixed Wheel Domestique (4.5%), an Australian pale. A visit to another Wetherspoons pub followed, being the Acorn Inn where Slaters Ultra (3.7%) was imbibed. In Bird Street, the second Brewhouse & Kitchen brewpub of the day provided their Lunartic Red Rye Ale (4.7%). The Staffordshire CAMRA Pub of the Year 2017 is the Horse & Jockey (GBG 2018 entry) on Sandford Street. A bustling and popular place with 8 handpumps – my selection being one from Dancing Duck Brewery. My last stop in Lichfield was the Bitter Suite, a fairly new micro pub on St. John Street, near the bus station.  This offered table service with ales sold on gravity. Mallinsons Sorachi Noir (4.0%) was chosen. There are other pubs in Lichfield not visited today and with many so close together, it is certainly worthy of another trip. Onto the penultimate X12 back to Burton and just time for a quick Brecon Red Beacons (5.0%) in the Lord Burton Wetherspoons before the train back to Sheffield, changing in Derby. The regular visit to the Old Queen’s Head en route to the bus provided a half of Thwaites Dark Nights (3.0%). With still a few minutes to spare and the Bankers Draft nearby, a quick half of Peerless Lottie Dod Sporting Hero (4.2%) amber ale rounded off the day. Andy Morton

A planned busy day out using the Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket started with a train to Derby and a bus into Derby Bus Station. A Trent Barton service 6.3 took me to Belper in time for the noon opening of the 8^th Amber Valley Beer Festival at Strutts, a former school, now a community facility. Numerous rooms and corridors are available for seating and the beer is racked in a separate marquee outside. A pleasant couple of hours was spent here sampling cask ales from Raw, Twisted Barrel, Marble, White Horse, Pentrich and the very tasty and naturally very cloudy Vale of Glamorgan Miami Weiss at 4.5%. The hourly Trent Barton 7.1 service took me to Holbrook to visit the three pubs there. On alighting from the bus the nearest pub was the Spotted Cow where Littleover Gold at 3.8% and Falstaff Halifax Slasher (4%) were tried from the six hand pulled beers available. This pub combined an old world feel with some alcove seating but with modern overtones. A Macmillan Coffee Morning was still in progress so a nice slice of homemade lemon drizzle cake accompanied the beer. A short walk then to the Dead Poets Inn, with its stone floors, low beams and more alcove seating. Six hand pulled beers were available and three from the barrel. I sampled a half of Welbeck Abbey Duck Decoy (4.6%). Another short walk to the Wheel Inn where one could relax in some lounge style seating while enjoying an Oakham Citra (4.2%) from the range available. The Yourbus 138 and Trent Barton 7.1 services took me to Openwoodgate and the Black Bull’s Head (CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2018 entry) for some Leatherbritches Lemongrass & Ginger (3.8%) from the nine hand pulls available. Wooden floors and panelling abounded around the central island bar serving two distinct areas. At weekends another 4 beers were available on gravity as well as 5 traditional ciders in the outside converted stables known as the Bedlam Bar. I had a half of Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker (4.0%). Back on the 7.1 into Belper and the Angels Micro Pub (GBG 2018) at the top of the Market Place. A small split-level micro with half a dozen tables and offering eight beers on gravity. Brunswick White Feather (3.6%) was sampled. Back down the hill towards the station and the nearby Arkwright’s Real Ale Bar (GBG 2018), a slightly larger micro-bar. I had the Market Harborough Super-hop Mosaic (4.3%) and Slater’s Maravilla (4.5%). A short walk to the Trent Barton bus garage for a somewhat delayed service back to Derby and the train home. Walking passed the Old Queens Head in Sheffield allowed for a half of Abbeydale Salvation No.5 Coffee & Doughnut Stout (5.8%) to finish the day off nicely, and all on a Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket. Andy Morton