Another
year, more business trips, and I was off to the UK again. This year’s theme appears to be quick trips,
that is more trips of shorter duration.
And although I like the work, the travelling is difficult. So I chose not to get a rental car this trip,
relying on both the US and UK train service, as well as being chauffeured by
family on my way to vacation upon my return.
So I took the train down to Penn Station (Tracks Raw Oyster Bar wasn’t
worth the trip), caught a local train over to Newark, couldn’t find a decent
beer while I was trapped in Terminal C, and caught the red eye over to
Manchester with my buddy Ross. And after
a mishap in Derby (got boxed in my train car and missed my stop), I was able to
meet up with Ross and head out and brave the cold weather.
We
stopped by Babington Arms to wet our whistles, knowing that they always had
something different on cask. I
concentrated on local brews, getting half pints of Falstaff’s (http://www.falstaffbrewery.co.uk/) Oscar Wilde (a red
ale weighing in at 4.2%) and Abraham Lincoln (a beer exclusively brewed for
Babington Arms). We headed over to catch
a curry but were disappointed to find that they were closed on Sunday. No worries, we popped into the Brunswick (try
the Last Orders) and the Alexandra Hotel (loved the Castle Rock Sweet Woodruff)
before heading off to the Standing Order for a bite to eat. I got a gammon steak, a thick slab of grilled
salty ham, to go along with my Kelham Island Easy Rider, a Golden Ale from my
favorite Sheffield brewery.
The
next day was a full day in the office, but we both thought of the Indian food
that we missed out on the night before. So we went to Shalimar (less pushy than the
Viceroy) and got some curry (spicy for me, not so much for Ross). The spice was necessary for me to handle the
wind chill (yes Jenn, I should have brought my winter coat) since we were
checking out some pubs on the other side of town. We started at the Flower Pot, where I was
able to sample their Black Iris Witbier (not a style I typically think of when
discussing real ale, but it was tasty) as well as a Blue Monkey Whisky Guerilla
Stout (now that was great on cask!). Our
next stop was Five Lamps, the 2012 Derby Pub of the Year, and I was pleased to
find some friends that I had met on my last trip (including a four legged
one). We ended the evening at the Silk
Mill, and got to have a Kelham Island Pale Rider (former Champion beer of England)
from the jug. Each of the pubs had a
fire going which was great on a cold night.
Tuesday
we decided to accept a ride from our buddy Robin (no longer from Nottingham) up
to Sheffield for a pint. I wanted to
explore the city (although it was still cold), and I knew of a few great pubs
to start our evening. We first went to
the Fat Cat (http://www.thefatcat.co.uk/86index.htm), ogling the food
but staying with the beer (a mistake that we would pay for later). The Fat Cat is the Kelham Island Brewery home
pub (http://www.kelhambrewery.co.uk/index.htm), so I ordered the
Best Bitter which was awesome. Our next
stop was the Kelham Island Tavern (not related to Kelham Island Brewery), which
had the distinction of being the only UK pub to be awarded National Pub of the
year two years in a row. I went with a
Milestone Luck of the Irish, a beautiful dry Irish stout that made me
disappointed that I was only drinking half pints. They didn’t have any food, but the night was
young, so we headed across town to the Devonshire Cat (http://www.devonshirecat.co.uk/), known for their
bottle selection to complement the casks.
The sign said the kitchen was open until 9PM, but apparently it closed
early for the England vs. Montenegro World Cup qualifier football match
(really, a tie, c’mon England!). So we ate
pistachios, and enjoyed a Bradfield Devonshire Cat on cask before heading down
to the train station for our trip home.
We stopped by the Sheffield Tap, a Thornbridge pub right at the train
station, and I drank an oak aged St. Petersburg RIS that weighed in at 9% ABV
(atypical for English beers) way too fast.
Oh well, Ross helped ensure that I made my train stop this time, and
I’ve gone without dinner before.
Wednesday
was cold, bitter cold. I had planned to
walk around Nottingham, but both Ross and I decided that maybe we should take
it a little easier. And there was the
issue of food, because an evening of pubbing really should be done on a full
stomach. So we hopped off the train a
stop early in the town of Beeston, and headed to Victoria House (http://www.victoriabeeston.co.uk/),
The Vic to locals, a free ale house that was known for its food. Most Americans think of fish and chips for
British cuisine, but I prefer a well made Steak and Ale pie, and the Vic’s was
delicious with huge chunks of tender meat and not load of pastry to take up
space. The Vic also offered samplers of
cask ales (awesome!), so I tried the Batemans Yella Belly Gold (great name),
the Saltaire New World Red, and the Welbeck Abbey Red Feather. The place had their professional drinkers,
nearby neighbors, and families out for the evening, and we got to chat and make
friends all evening long. We took the
train back to Derby and popped back into the Alexandra Hotel to warm up. I got an Adnams American Style IPA (ironic
that they have to flag the beer as American style to warn of greater hoppiness)
while standing by the fire. I previously
hadn’t thought of the benefits of a real fire at a pub, thinking it was at best
a quaint feature. However, at least on
this night it was a greatly appreciated necessity before walking back to the
hotel.
We
wrapped up the next day, early enough to beat the Easter weekend traffic up to
Manchester. We took the train downtown to go on another CAMRA pub tour, and of
course to see the city. Highlights
included the Port Street Beer House and the Angel. The Port Street Beer House (http://www.portstreetbeerhouse.co.uk/)
had a huge selection of cask ales, as well as a well stocked bottle
selection. I chose the Dark Star
Critical Mass (a Strong Ale at 7.4% ABV) and Six Hop Ale (American Style?)
mostly because our local brewery Wandering Star was founded by a former brewer
from Dark Star. The Angel (http://theangelmanchester.com/) was
the first pub I’d visited in the city with my friend Len years ago. We grabbed dinner (another delicious Steak
and Ale pie), listed to an impromptu band, and savored a Liverpool Imperial Russian
Stout (dark, rich and decadent at 7.9% ABV, perhaps the best organic beer I’ve
ever tried). It was a great evening,
unrushed and flavorful.
The
next morning we made the long trip home.
My dad picked me up at Newark airport so we could celebrate Easter with
the family. Jenn almost beat us to the
farm (truck lane for me for now on the turnpike), and I was thankful that we
were finally back together. I was
looking forward to a week of vacation with the kids and my father-in-law, but
that is a story for a different (and overdue) blog. - 6324/13756
“Work is the curse of the drinking class.” – Oscar Wilde
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