Xmas eve...

In the commercial in Slawit central.

This pub has come a long way in a short space of time.
A wide range of hand pulled real ales at great prices, surely the recipe for success.

Shown here is a pint of Christmas spice from h wells brewery. Not really to my pallette, tastes like the stuff you use at the dentist to rinse your mouth out!





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Better than ayers rock!

But only if you like rocks.

This is the aerial shot of the giants causeway on the north coast of northern Ireland.

Impressive stuff indeed!


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The crown bar... Belfast

Neck it and leg it ventures to northern Ireland this weekend. Guests of titanic tours, we take a trip to the colourful crown bar.

Tucked into cosy wooded stable like snugs, here we have a pint of Belfast ale. Not a bad pint, space flower enjoys a cork gin and tonic.

More bars and pints to follow!


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Before & after!

One for the photo album here. Memories of happy days.... I know it will be a while before I meet ram tam again!


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Ram taculous!

Saturday lunchtime down the Paris Gates/Shears in Halifax. Hard to find but worth it.

Clad in copper dragon signs but not a drop in sight.... Instead we hit real ale nirvana with 4, yes 4, ales from timothy Taylor plus 1 further ale, i think brewed by the Nook in Holmfirth but i could be wrong.

Pictured here is the excellent ram tam! God its a good pint!

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If all else fails

Down the navigation. Back to weapon of choice tonight, Timothy Taylor's Landlord.



Had a pint of brass monkey and dog father but just not my cup of tea.



If all else fails, the landlord never fails to impress.

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Yeah man....

The navigation , saddleworth. Now a few weeks ago, I had a pint millstones grain storm, was very good.



Saturday afternoon down the navie, we have another millstones pint, tiger rut.



Crystal clear blonde. Smells of cannabis, tastes of cannabis. Mine's a pint landlord!



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Fit blondes...

Arasaig, Scottish highlands, August bank holiday weekend. Raining.

Stumbled across the crofters bar, well not really stumbled, the only 'pub' I've seen yet.

Regional ales they hale... There's a distinct lack of handpulleds on the bar. Ah, the beers are in the fridge, where else?!?!

Here we have a bottle of hebridean gold ale. Made from porridge oats and malt ale. Its a bit too cold to give an honest opinion. It's a bit like a good looking blonde. Looks nice, just not much else to write home about.
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Ger'off my pint...

Ooh ah, Tuesday night down the farmers arms in holmfirth (just round corner from compos café).



Another local pub featured in the bible. God I love that book...



The farmers arms has a crackin selection of beers, here we have Cornish coaster from sharps brewery. Not a bad pint. Tucked away at the end of the bar they even have tetleys mild of hand pulled. Can't remember last time I saw that anywhere.



Might have to sample the Greene king ipa next.



Meat and tattie pie for me, sirloin for the space flower, and beer battered haddock for sproglette.

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Bad to the bone baby.....

Well, the bible recommended a wee pub above delph called the royal oak so with it being Sunday afternoon, we decided to park the car at the bottom of the valley and walk up t'hill to t'pub.

Nice quiet country pub, I can see why it gets a recommendation. 4 hand pulleds on offer. A lovely Millstones Brewery Grain Storm pint - god I wished my home brew tasted like this stuff! Lurvvvely!!

Shown here is a pint of "Bad to the Bone" from Bank Top Brewery in Bolton. It.s strange. Smellls of vanilla, tastes of vanilla..... Sorry Bank Top but the Millstone Grain Storm wins hands down for me!

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Bitter in Blyth

After a stroll around clumber park, we swing by the White Swan in Blyth. Nice pint of adnams here, our friend Russ has a pint on the ever present black sheep.
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Not in the Bible...

A few miles down the road in The Wharfeside (Slawit), a pint of copper dragon golden pippen slowly disappears...

Gardening tips

Bible bashing...

After a few hours fishing, headed up to the tunnel end inn in marsden.

Guest ale was a shaws brewery (never heard of them, from Duckinfield don't know where that is either!) pint of golden globe.

We received our new Bible today. The camra good beer guide 2009. What a book! Its good to see all our local haunts are in the book including the Tunnel End!

Sucker for a Farmers Blonde

Quick weekend away in the Derbyshire dales, camping at a fantastic tents only site Bushey Heath Farm.

Our first night and scooted down to nearby village of litton and the red lion. First pint is a light ale, farmers blond from bradfield brewery, and almost has a taste of dairy cow about it....but not at all unpleasant.

The man servant has just gone in to order some nosh.

Great pub, so far.

Stooping to new lows

This is a pint of Lancaster bomber, complementary mind you, before the Lancashire Durham 20 20 game that I was dragged away from the office to watch at Old Trafford.

Not a bad pint really considering its supplied on mass - funny how it had to be pulled from the back room and was not on the bar?

dog poo bags

Top Totty in the Dark

Well it wasn't that dark but didn't want to use the flash.

This is a pint of Top Totty by Slater's Ales in Stafford. Found this in the Wharfside in Slawit - it was Jammin night too, some good live music on. Sadly the beer was far too cold, certainly no where near optimum temperature, but still a nice pint nonetheless.

A great end to a good day. Fished the Colne from Slawit Spa up to just above the road bridge. Some cracking trout tonight, rising freely allllll night..... Sweet!

Leg it round Butterly

No beer involved but a lovely walk around Butterly reservoir in the Wessenden Valley. This picture is taken with my new Blackberry Pearl - impressive stuff! The engineering work involved in constructing this series of 3 consecutive reservoirs must have been incredible.

Colne Valley Bitter in the Colne Valley

Todays Blog entry is the excellent Colne Valley Bitter, home brewed in the Colne Valley by myself.

It could do with a few more weeks conditioning in the bottle but needs must and on a hot sunny bank holiday Monday, it needs drinking.

I've had rave reviews of my home brew from other drinkers and while I may be biase, I reckon its better than anything on offer at the pub next door (and a nicer price tag than their £2.70 a pint!).

Just waiting for my next batch to condition, a Norfolk Bitter, Woodforde's Wherry.

The Bridge Inn, Penton

The outlaws local haunt with landlords Clint & Ann soon placing the pub on the market. No doubt Clint will be able to go Salmon fishing more often once he's moved on!

Pickled eggs, Pedigree & Strongbow pictured here. We also tried the guest ale, a Derwent Brewery pint called Mutineers - stunk of marmite and must admit i didnt enjoy it but then again, i dont like marmite!!

The pickled eggs were terrific though - Harry Ramsdens endorsed!! SpaceFlower has a jar of free range eggs from the neighbours chickens currently maturing in vinegar. It wont be long before we can crack them open and have them with the home brew.

Its getting rather like the Good Life at our house.

Bose

No Pub On The Horizon

Bank holiday weekend, the m6 was shit but the views are great. Pictured here is just next to the Malcolm memorial above Langholm. I was so hoping there would be a pub here but since we're now in Scotland, good pubs are a rare creature indeed. We managed to find a pub called The Grapes in Newcastleton. Their only worthy ales were to be found, dare i say, in the fridge. I managed to secure a couple of bottles of Wychcraft which were on the shelf next to the fridge. The barman looked at me like i was stupid when i asked for a non-chilled bottle....

Good Beer Travels Well

The last time we had Deuchers IPA was in a pub in Oban in the Scottish Highlands. Tonight it was found in the excellent Navigation on the edge of Saddleworth.

Also making a special appearance is a Moorhouses Pride of Pendle.

An excellent carpacchio of beef starter belies this pubs humble location.

Curry & stew for main course!

Mmmmm

Bose Sounddock

How Times Have Changed

Now when I was a lad, strictly of legal drinking age of course, on a Friday night while drinking your pint, you used to be able to get cockles and other assorted shellfish with your pint.

Now, Sunday lunchtime in Saddleworth we called into the Granby Arms for a quick pint. Met by the stunning Dob Cross Bitter, we also spotted cockles for sale. Wow! Just like old times we thought... With vinegar strong enough to make your ears bleed (not a bad thing) they were pretty good but such a shame they are now vacuum packed. Even the crisps have changed, onion bahji flavour?? Still better than cajun squirrel flavour I suppose.

Dog Friendly Cottages in The Scottish Borders

Saturday evening at the Steam Brewery

And it was packed. Tonights tipple was a very blonde ale called Lily Fogg.

Now my parents who joined us for a swift pint, tell me that Ms Fogg was 'the Halifax prostitute'. Nice to see Ms Fogg looked after the local community!

Ethical Marketing by Blue Ginger

The Bulls Head, Foolow

Four hand pulleds including black sheep, it just seems to be in every pub we go in.

Spaceflower has the local peak ales brew while Tony samples an Adnams pint.

8 miles to go on a 9.5 mile circular walk from Eyam. Bank holiday weekend, suppose it could be busier but not much.

biodegradable dog poo bags

Big fish from the Colne

Its a bit lanky but still a cracking fish for a small river caught on the fly, dutily followed up by a swift pint at the Tunnel End Inn, Marsden.

Corian Worktops

A blog is born...

Under a star... a blog is born.... OK, well, we were in a pub, the Halifax Steam Brewery tap in Hipperholme, Halifax to be exact.

A rather cool pub. A sort of wine bar without the wine. Where 10 hand pulled beers were beautifully positioned along the entire length of the bar... From outside, the pub looks like a portacabin, yet once inside, it was more like being on a yacht with varnished wood and subdued lighting. A most pleasant atmosphere even on a Monday night. With their fine beers at a slinky £2.20 a pint and brewed on the premises, we were left questioning whether to walk the 3 hours+ from home next time, camp on the adjacent campsite or stay at the parents...

I'm glad i dont live in Hipperholme, i think i would end up taking residency in the bar or campsite...

Corian worktops