Category: Travel

The trip this month was the relatively short one to Stockport, about 40 minutes away on the train. Arriving mid-morning and armed with a Stockport Plus-Bus ticket the first journey was to Cheadle Hulme where I had to purchase an off-peak day return to Wilmslow. On arrival, turn right out of the station forecourt and a short walk brings you to the Brewhouse & Kitchen.  Six of their in-house brewed cask ales were available and I sampled an Easter Chocolate Stout (4.5%) and the Unite Local Saison (4.3%).  The Saison was not to my taste but the Chocolate Stout made up for that. Less than 5 minutes’ walk away on the main pedestrianised area is the Old Dancer (a CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2017 entry).  Five cask ales were available and I chose Track El Capitan IPA at 5.7%.  Train and bus took me back towards Stockport where I then made a detour to visit David Wild.  Some of you may remember David as a regular Thursday visitor to Sheffield, where he enjoyed his Steak Pie in The Fat Cat.  Unfortunately David is now virtually confined to his bungalow in Bredbury following a stroke, but still enjoys hearing about the local beer scene. Back into Stockport now and to Wellington Road North, which is known as the “Stockport Slope”.  I must say though, compared to some of the hills of Sheffield, I would liken it more to a slight incline rather than a steep hill!  The pubs in this area are, however, very good.   My first stop was the Magnet (GBG 2017 listed) where from their extensive range I sampled Fixed Wheel Single Speed Cluster (4.5%), Manchester Brewing Co Some Might Say Session IPA (4.4%) and Track Valpo Red Ale (5%).  Further up the “Slope” is the Hope (GBG 2017 listed and the home of Fool Hardy Ales).  A couple of their own ales were sampled here, Retro Chique (3.9%) and Ritual (4.7%), followed by Cocksure Brewing Company P’Ale (4.5%).   Other pubs in this area could have been visited but I chose to travel across Stockport to the Market Place area and started at Robinson’s Bakers Vaults (GBG 2017 listed).  A range of Robinsons and guest beers are available and I had Box Steam Soul Train (4.7%).  Crossing the Market Square brings you to the Remedy Bar & Brewhouse, a relatively new pub which recently held a very successful beer festival.  Among the guest beers, only one brew from their own in house plant (which is clearly visible from inside the bar) was available and duly tried. It was a very smooth and drinkable Laevis Dark Mild (3.7%). Heading back towards the station is the Calverts Court (Wetherspoons) where Wolf Woild Moild (4.8%) was sampled.  The final call was to the Petersgate Tap, a relatively new establishment in the micro pub style.   Rammy Craft Liquorice Root Stout (4.6%) was sampled which was a smooth tasty end to my visit to Stockport.  On arrival back in Sheffield, there was just time for a swift half of Thwaites Nutty Black in the Old Queens Head.  Beer quality throughout had been very good and there are still plenty of pubs to visit in Stockport on a future Grand Day Out, maybe even next month. Cheers. Andrew Morton

A trip into Greater Manchester this month to sample the delights of a multiple pub beer festival organised by Allgates Brewery and based around seven of their pubs in the Wigan and Leigh area. The unavailability of cheaper advanced tickets meant a slightly later start to the journey.  The 10.11am departure to Manchester was on time, but our fragmented rail system did not allow me to buy a Greater Manchester train/bus/tram Day Rover in either Sheffield or on board my train to Manchester, so a quick dash to the station ticket machines in Manchester was required, before the 11.15 Glasgow bound train via Wigan North Western station.  Alighting at Wigan in overcast, cool and breezy conditions which lasted all day there was a short walk to the bus station for a regular Diamond Bus service to Crooke Village and  the Crooke Hall Inn (CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2017 listed).  Had it been nicer weather a pleasant time could have been had sat in their garden next to the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, but not today.  Half of Swanney Running Beer was sampled which was a good none too hoppy start to the day.  Back on another Diamond Bus to Wigan bus station and the adjacent Anvil (GBG 2017), a bustling city centre boozer.  Only one festival beer on, North Riding Equanot, but pleasant and refreshing.  Heading back to Wigan Wallgate station this time, a quick half of Butcombe Union (4.8%) was had in the Moon Under Water, a town centre Wetherspoons pub. Having first walked straight passed Wallgate station as it was shrouded in plastic sheeting and scaffolding, a swift U-turn took me back to the station for the short ride to Hindley and the Hare & Hounds (GBG 2017). A small welcoming pub on the short walk into town, with a new landlord just getting himself organised.  Allgates Pepper Lane Pale Ale (4.1% and £1.10 a half) was sampled here.  Back on the train for another ride to Atherton. The station here is slightly out of the town centre but it didn’t take very long to reach the Jolly Nailor (GBG 2017) and a half of Serious Brewery Evergreen, a maltier 4.5% bitter.  A bus ride then to Leigh town centre not far away and the White Lion (GBG 2017). The bus passes this pub on the left on the way in to town so it is easy to find.  Another friendly boozer. Three halves were sampled here – Errant Comanche Porter, Doghouse (from Darwen) Ultra Pale Ale Cascade and Five Towns Day at the Races, which was appropriate as racing from Aintree was on the telly.  Another Diamond Bus journey to Tyldesley and the Union Arms (GBG 2017). Allgates Dry Bones was sampled here, also £1.10 a half. I had visited 6 of the 7 pubs on the festival list.  Beer quality was very good throughout, all the pubs were comfortable and welcoming with prices ranging from £1.10 to £1.35 a half.  From there it was time for a ride on the First Vantage service along the Guided Busway back in to Manchester.  I alighted near to Manchester Town Hall and visited the Sawyers Arms (a Nicholson’s pub) for a very pleasant Black Wolf Florida Stout at £2.05 a half. Next up was the Gas Lamp which offered Drygate Seven Peaks, followed by the Waterhouse (a GBG 2017 listed Wetherspoons pub) for a fruity full bodied Bridgehouse Rum Porter at 6%. Walking back towards Piccadilly I was tempted by the Grey Horse Inn, a very small bustling Hydes pub offering their Warrior Venture Ruby Red Ale (5%) and Yeaster Red (3.8%).  A very pleasant end to the day.  The Allgates pub festival runs for twelve days.  None of the pubs had a separate stillage and the beers come on in rotation through their existing hand pumps, but I would revisit this festival again, but maybe not on its first advertised day of opening. Cheers, Andrew Morton

In his latest voyage of discovery our beer correspondent goes to the capital in search of some London brewed beers. The main reason for my trip was to visit the London Drinker Beer & Cider Festival held in the Camden Centre which is virtually across the road from St Pancras/Kings Cross stations so is very easy to get to. I had pre booked my train ticket and it was cheaper to go via Doncaster on Grand Central Trains rather than on East Midlands Trains direct from Sheffield. Maybe East Midlands Trains should look at their advance pricing policy. For the first time this festival featured only beers from London, but given the diversity and range of London breweries these days, I was not spoilt for choice. I sampled cask ales from Beerblefish, Barnet, Alphabeta, Bexley, Three Sods, Wimbledon and Kew breweries, with probably the pick being Kew Petersham Porter at 4.3% and full of dark chocolate overtones. Shortly before the planned 3pm afternoon festival closing time I set off on a fairly lengthy walk to the Brewhouse & Kitchen brewpub in the Highbury area. I have visited other brewpubs belonging to this chain and have enjoyed their beers and general ambience and today was no exception. Having sampled The Goalscorer and a black IPA called the Illustrator I retraced my steps calling first in the Taproom on Upper Street in Islington. Eight casks were stillage behind the bar in a type of chilling cabinet, although only 3 were available today. I sampled a light and refreshingly Wild Weather Serendipity at 3.5%. Next up was another Brewhouse & Kitchen brewpub in Islington, near Angel station. Again, two of the in house brewed ales were sampled from the six available. These were Vlad Harvest Ale and Watchmaker. Continuing my way back towards Kings Cross I called in the Scottish Stores. The welcome from both the bar staff and customers was in contrast to that I received in the two Brewhouse pubs earlier. The bar person didn’t utter a word whilst she served me and the ignorant customers sat on stools in front of the bar did not offer to move whilst they supped their lager and wine. Why do pubs insist on having bar stools in front of the bar at busy times? Fortunately the Franklins Conquistador Stout was the highlight of my visit to this pub. Time still permitted a further pub visit so I continued along Euston Road to the Euston Tap (East Lodge), a small bar in the gatehouse next to Euston Station. Here, another Wild Weather beer was sampled, this time Big Muddy at 3.8%. It was then time for a brisk walk back to Kings Cross and the train back to Doncaster. No time for a drink here, before boarding the Sheffield train and then the bus home. Andrew Morton

This month our beer correspondent goes in search of multi pub beer festivals in Newark by bus and train. From Woodhouse station it is only a twenty minute journey to Worksop.  There was plenty of time for a cooked breakfast in café on the platform before crossing over the line to the Mallard for opening at 11am.  The occasion was their 14^th Winter Beer Festival.  Nineteen beers were available from both hand pump and cellar together with four traditional ciders. I sampled halves from Mallinsons, Oldershaws and Jolly Boys as well as a very tasty chocolate stout from a local home brewer whose beers go by the name of the Shed Brewery, one of which is usually available at the Mallard festivals. The next festival there starts on Thursday 27^th April. Seventy five minutes later it was time to take the short ten minute journey to Retford station followed by a leisurely walk into town to find Retford bus station, the purpose being to catch the hourly service 37 to Newark operated by Marshalls of Sutton on Trent.  A return cost £5.60 and the return element was valid for three months.  The journey took around 50 minutes and I disembarked at Newark bus station, which was only a couple of minutes from my first pub stop there. The 6^th Newark BeerMuda Triangle Beer Festival was hosted by seven pubs in the town and Just Beer was my first point of call. A CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2017 listed micropub, it is long and narrow with the bar at one end and arriving there at about 2pm, the pub was quite busy. Seventeen beers were available via hand pump and gravity and I chose beers from Almasty, Framework, Odyssey, Ferry Ales and Fallen breweries. Next up was the Flying Circus (GBG 2017 entry) and beers from Pentrich and Reunion were sampled.  There was only time for a quick Hopshackle Jaramillo in the Prince Rupert (GBG 2017) before the final visit in Newark to the Fox & Crown for beers from Maregade and Castle Rock. Time did not allow visits to the Castle Barge, Organ Grinder or Vaults, but all pubs on the festival circuit had additional beers available for the event with no duplication. Furthermore, all pubs were within an easy walk of one another. The reason for my haste was that the last service 37 back to Retford left at 18.15.  Arriving back just after 7pm allowed sufficient time to visit a couple of pubs in Retford before a train back to Woodhouse. The Idle Valley Tap offered a very robust Idle Valley Trouble Maker at 8.4% and the nearby Rum Runner a pleasant Batemans XB.  The train back to Woodhouse was on time as were my buses back home. Cheers. Andy Morton

In his second report our beer correspondent went on a pre-Christmas trip in search of some seasonal cheer (and festive beer). Boarding a mid-morning departure from Woodhouse to Worksop allowed plenty of time for a visit to both the Unicorn (a CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2017 listed pub) and the Liquorice Gardens (Wetherspoon), both located in the centre of Worksop.  Whilst quite palatable, no seasonal ales were available at either. A short train ride next to Retford and a nice Chilli & Rice courtesy of Crawshaws Butchers whilst waiting for the Idle Valley Tap to open at noon. This is another GBG 2017 pub with a spacious and modern interior with the emphasis on Idle Valley Brewery beers. Three of their beers were sampled including a very nice mild at 3.6%, but alas, no Christmas offerings, so off to another GBG pub, BeerHeadz. This is a smaller establishment just off the Market Square with four changing guest ales. No Christmas beers but a very pleasant Wantsum 1381 at 3.8% was tried. Back to Worksop now and a quick visit to the Mallard on the platform for a Cheshire Brewhouse Lindow tasty stout in order to prepare for what was to come in the shape of a very long bus ride to Chesterfield (Stagecoach service 77). This journey was made even longer by two sets of roadworks and two schools finishing for the day. Whilst such a daytime half hourly service must be applauded for connecting several villages on route, those wanting a quicker journey would do better to get the train back to Sheffield and then another train to Chesterfield. Anyway, the first port of call on arriving was the Chesterfield Alehouse which is an excellent GBG 2017 listed split level micro pub near the market place and afforded me ales from Half Moon and Brewsmith breweries on this occasion, amongst the six available. Next to the similarly named Chesterfield Arms on Newbold Road (GBG 2017). Of the ten real ales available, a nice Rat After Rat Mint was sampled. Still in search of a festive ale, a bus was caught towards Whittington Moor and the Derby Tup which is now an outlet for Pigeon Fishers ales. Their Dark Harvest Blackberry IPA at 4.9% was pleasant. There was just time for a short walk to the relatively newly opened Spireite and as the name suggests, it is very near to Chesterfield’s football ground. Their winter beer festival was just getting underway and a stillage had been erected in the rear garden to serve beers on gravity. Being an outlet for Dronfield brewed Hopjacker Brewery beers, two were sampled and at last, a Christmas beer was encountered – Hopjacker Figgy Pudding Porter. The limited stop direct Stagecoach service X17 runs passed the door and whilst this is a half hourly service during the day, it tends to lose interest in the evening with the last bus back to Sheffield being at 19.02 which meant that only two beers were possible here. There are other later services back to Sheffield from Whittington Moor but these take longer and I had had my fill of long bus rides for today. On arriving in Pond Street there was just time for Thwaites Clementine Chocolate Orange stout in the always reliable and welcoming Old Queen’s Head before the walk up to Arundel Gate and the bus home. Andy Morton

In a new series our beer correspondent reports on his journeys in search of beer festivals, all reached on public transport in a day from Sheffield. After the rigours of the highly enjoyable Sheffield Beer & Cider Festival, a review of the excellent RURAD (Rural Real Ale Drinkers) In The Sticks publication revealed a wealth of accessible pub beer festivals in North Notts and Derbyshire over the Halloween weekend. After studying various travel and pub websites, the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and the weather forecast, a day out was planned for Friday 28^th October and all without a free travel pass in sight.  Leaving home at 8am for an early morning shopping trip to Crystal Peaks, I boarded the 9.20 TM Travel service from there to Kiveton Park rail station for a train to Worksop. Arriving about 10.20 allowed ample time for a healthy fry-up in the Railway Café on the platform. The Mallard public house on the opposite platform opened promptly at 11am. This is a lovely pub with a micro bar feel to it with just six tables in the bar, except that in addition to the four hand pumps a full drinks menu is available. For their quarterly festivals the cosy downstairs bar is also open serving beers on both hand pump and direct from the cellar. In total 16 beers and four traditional ciders were available and I tried beers from Mad Dog, Drygates, Reunion, Wylam, Hopstuff and one from their own brewery, Double Top.  Quality was very good throughout. Their next festival is scheduled to start at 11am on Thursday 26^th January – go to it! There then followed a short walk to the Grafton Hotel who were also advertising a Halloween Beer Festival starting the previous day, but unfortunately (unlike the Mallard), they had chosen to adhere to their normal Friday opening time of 2pm, so were closed when I visited. Back on the train to Sheffield now and a quick change for a Cross Country service to Derby using the invaluable Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket. There was then a quick bus ride from the station into Derby Bus Station to pick up another service to Milton for a short walk to the Holly Bush Inn at Makeney, a Grade 11 listed 17^th century inn of great character and significance and one which I had not visited before.  A separate stillage in a normally closed off room housed the festival beers and the breweries I tried were – Hairy Brewers (a new brewery from a nearby village), Oakham, Dancing Duck and G2 (from Ashford, Kent). Time was pressing on so another bus ride was needed into Belper to visit Arkwright’s Bar Halloween beer festival.  In addition to the main bar, a stillage had been erected behind it and beers sampled were from Manning, Abstract Jungle, Dhillons, Brewshed and another from Hairy Brewers.  Unlike the Holly Bush, this is a fairly new and modern smaller pub nestled in the centre of Belper and was very popular with drinkers. On leaving the pub, a short cut brings you to Belper rail station in 2 minutes, just in time for the hourly service back to Derby.  No time for a drink in Derby on this occasion as a Sheffield bound train was just approaching.  As often seems to be the case with evening trains that terminate in Sheffield the controllers seems to take great pleasure in putting the train at the very end of platform 8 and as far away as possible from the way out and today was no exception, even though the station was devoid of other trains. Anyway, there was just enough time for a quick drink in the Old Queen’s Head before the bus home. Andy Morton