Micklegate to Petergate

Everyone is working for the weekend, including Americans on foreign travel.  Last night was fun (perhaps too much fun), and we had plans to head up north to York.  I had been there before, but I wanted to go back and show it to my friends.  I loved the city, and as always there were plenty of new places that I was anxious to visit. So after a late start, and a lot of traffic due to York Horse Racing (reminded me Saratoga in August), we made it to town.

Our first stop was the Brigantes Bar and Brasserie, right near Micklegate, and recommended by the Good Beer Guide.  The place was packed with men in suits and women with fancy hats (no I didn’t see Princess Eugenie or Princess Beatrice), but we were thirsty and found some seats.  May was mild month in the UK so I started off with a Timothy Taylor Dark Mild, a great beer on a spring day.  I shocked my compatriots with a Marston Oyster Stout, dark and rich, a delicious beer.  We tried to get some food service without any luck, so we moved into town (and almost into a speeding car) and headed to the Ye Olde Starr Inne.

The Starr Inne was where Len and I had visited two years earlier, and since I hadn’t have my required serving of fish n’ chips, we decided to have lunch.  My fish was enormous, hanging over both sides of the plate, and was perfect with the malt vinegar and my Captain Cook Endeavor, a strong tasting bitter that was originally brewed to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the brewery. We sat on their deck and just relaxed, enjoying the day.  And then there is the location, close to the York Minster and two quality bottle shops.  So while the Matts went climbing, I went shopping.

My first bottle shop was the Evil Eye Lodge, right next to the Starr Inne.  Their bottle selection was impressive, and I was looking for a few souvenirs.  So I got the York Minster with a lovely picture on the label and a Daleside Pride of England boasting the St. George cross.  For taste, I was excited to find a bottle of Thornbridge Bracia, a rich dark ale with an absurd amount of malt.  I was happy with my selections until I stepped next door to the Bottle Shop (great basic name) and saw their selection of Brew Dog beers.  They had Sink the Bismarck and Tactical Nuclear Penguin (at the right price of course), but some others I had never seen.  How about Nanny State, a non-alcoholic IPA that was loaded with flavor? And then there was a collaborative brew with Avery called Bitch Please, a whiskey barrel aged barleywine. I just couldn’t resist.

With more souvenirs to carry, I headed over to the Three Legged Mare to wait for teammates.  This York Pub is off of Petergate, and was in sight of the Minster.  I loved the Wonkey Donkey (maybe for the name alone), an English bitter.  I also found the Pride of York on cask, and sat back and relaxed.  We made it back to the car, and decided to check out a few of the local museums.  The York Castle Museum was not what I had expected (more vacuum cleaners than castle), but the National Railroad Museum was excellent (although we missed the Flying Scotsman by two weeks).  It was a great day and we made it back to Derby safely.

It was nice to take a break from work, and even nicer to see some of the historical sights of England.  I can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip has to offer. – 5782/10705

"Make sure that the beer – four pints a week – goes to the troops under fire before any of the parties in the rear get a drop." – Winston Churchill to his Secretary of War, 1944