Lights Along the Tyne....

The beer scene around Tyneside continues to flourish, as I found when I had a wander around Tynemouth and North Shields at the weekend....

The sun was shining and it was quite spring-like as I drove up the A19 towards Tyneside for my first visit there for almost a year. I had arranged to meet the family in Tynemouth for the afternoon, and had booked to stay over at the Premier Inn in North Shields, the cost of a stopover in central Newcastle on a Saturday night having climbed to ridiculous levels. But the fact that there were three entries for North Shields in the latest Good Beer Guide and I hadn't been in any of them before actually made staying there a decent choice.

And North Shields seemed to be an interesting town. 8 miles to the east of Newcastle, it is a place which has its own distinct character. It was originally a fishing village, growing up around where the Pow Burn flowed into the Tyne and fishing still informs its character today. The town's location and geography also meant it was ideal for shipyards, and it is from the sea beyond the river to which it owes much of its growth. Marine engineering, roperies, and associated fishing businesses all contributed to the town's expansion, and some of these industries still exist there today. Unfortunately, the rapid growth in the 18th century led to the development of slums around the riverside area, and a new town was created up the hill from the river in a grid pattern by local businessmen and civil dignitaries, and that is still apparent today in the layout of the town centre. Over the years, the town also expanded to take in a number of neighbouring villages and settlements. In recent years, as some of the traditional activities have declined, there has been something of a transformation in the Fish Quay area of the town, as new bars and restaurants have opened up and new apartments have been built overlooking the Tyne.

The sun was still shining as I pulled into the large car park beside the Premier Inn, which it shares with the Royal Quays outlet shopping centre, and rather intriguingly, the Black Storm brewery, although I wasn't aware of this at that point! Nearby is the ferry terminal from where DFDS Seaways run a daily service to IJmuiden in northern Holland, and the upper decks of one of the vessels were visible when I went upstairs to drop my bag off in my room. Twitter revealed that my good blogging friend, Simon Everitt, aka BRAPA, was currently in the area doing the same places that I had earmarked, but unfortunately a meet-up was not possible this time. And then, a couple of phone calls and texts, and about half an hour later my daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters were parking up outside the hotel. From there we walked for 10 minutes or so to the nearest Metro stop, in the former pit village of Percy Main, and from where we caught the next one to Tynemouth, where a large market was doing a roaring trade on the expanse of the station platform. It seemed that the spring-like weather had brought the crowds in to this pleasant and historic town overlooking the mouth of the river Tyne. We even walked down to the beach of Prior's Haven, situated below the Priory and hemmed in on the other side by the headland known as the Spanish Battery. After a pleasant afternoon wandering around, which included fish and chips, the family headed back to collect the car and drive home, and so I bade farewell to them at the station, now minus the market stalls, and made a beeline for the nearby micropub.

I have been to Platform 2 before, but my last visit was before lockdown. It opened in 2018 in the former station waiting room and retains the look of those days. It was quite busy inside with most of the seating taken, and there were also several people sat at the outside seating area in front of the bar. There are 4 hand pumps plus a number of keg lines, and spotting a Rigg & Furrow beer on cask, I ordered a pint of their 3.9% Best Bitter and retreated to a seat by the window. I took a sip of my beer. It was pleasant and quite bitter for them (NBSS 3). I had also spotted a beer from the King Aelle Brewery, which I'd not come across before, but it turns out that it is brewed a few miles north at the The Delavel Arms in the village of Old Hartley, near Seaton Sluice, which I visited around 5 years ago, before they started brewing. I ordered a half of their 4% Pale Aelle, which the chalkboard said was brewed using Mosaic, Ekuanot, Lupo, and Nelson Sauvin hops. It was refreshing and flavoursome, and I reckoned was worth a rating of NBSS 3.5. I had been planning to get the Metro back to North Shields from here, but when my Good Beer Guide app advised that the nearest GBG pub was a mere 0.63 miles away and it wasn't not much further to the next, I decided to walk instead once I had finished my drink.

Platform 2, Tynemouth Station

I could roughly visualise how to get there, but nonetheless I used Google Maps to get me to the Tynemouth Lodge, situated on a slight slope on the A193 before the road takes you into North Shields. It has an attractive tiled frontage, and has the tremendous record of having featured in every Good Beer Guide since 1983. Inside, it is basically one-room, with the bar taking centre stage, splitting the room into the main area to the front and side with a further area at the rear of the bar. Tastefully furnished, most of the tables were occupied by couples engaged in quiet conversation, whilst round the back a group of twenty-thirty year old lads appeared to be having a re-union and their laughter and banter added a more boisterous edge to the proceedings. Several hand pumps were on the bar, and I went for a half of Hadrian Border Tyneside Blonde. Whilst not normally a beer I rush to buy when given a choice, I have to say that it was on very good form, very refreshing and well looked after (NBSS 4). The Tynemouth Lodge is a welcoming and unassuming pub, and is well worth seeking out.

Tynemouth Lodge Hotel

I finished my drink, crossed over the road, and then headed under a railway bridge and went down Tanners Bank, where at some point I crossed into North Shields. As I reached the bottom of the hill, I came to an old factory where a chalkboard advertising craft beers encouraged me to enter the yard where it was displayed. That I did, and round the back, the entrance took me into The Engine Room, a licensed underground music and arts space. There were a few people inside when I walked in, although no event was taking place. The girl reading the book behind the bar put it down and smiled when I walked up to the bar. I decided to go local, and ordered a half of Stormy Weather a 4.9% hazy IPA, which was brewed a few minutes walk away by Flash House. I liked the atmosphere here, it is a smallish-room with a small stage at one end, but having spent many hours in The Grayston Unity in Halifax I am very supportive of small, independent venues, and wish them well in their endeavours.

I resumed my walk and headed around the corner, passing several marine-related premises as I approached the Fish Quay area. Across the river, the lights of South Shields were twinkling in the distance. I soon found my next scheduled stop, the Low Lights Tavern, at the bottom of a steep hill, appropriately called Brewhouse Bank. This is supposedly one of the oldest pubs in the area, and there is believed to have been an alehouse here for 400 years. It has a white-walled exterior, with a simple painted sign, whilst inside it is a cosy three-roomer, with the bar in the middle one as you enter. Several cask beers were available on hand pump, from which I opted for the house beer Low Lights, brewed by another North Shields brewer, Three Kings. Seating was limited but I did manage to park on a tall stool alongside a shelf in the room to the right of the bar. The beer was an enjoyable and refreshing drink (NBSS 3.5). There is regular music on at the Low Lights and it seems that the food here is highly regarded. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. Incidentally, there used to be two former permanent light houses in North Shields to guide shipping away from dangerous rocks in the area; these were the High and Low Lights, and are still prominent landmarks although no longer operational.

I walked up the bank, turned first left, and then next right, where I spotted an open door which turned out to be the entrance to the Flash House Brewery and Taproom. I poked my head in, and walked down a few steps. There was quite a lively atmosphere, music was playing out of the speakers, and several people were in various states of enjoyment. Behind a protective wall of pallets were the tanks and vessels of the brewery. The bar was diagonally opposite the entrance, behind which brewer Jack was cheerfully serving his beers. There were two hand pumps plus several keg lines, and from the cask, I asked for a  pint of Session Pale which was a delicious hazy unfined number, easily worth a NBSS 4. To follow, I went for a half of the best-selling Tiny Dancer, a 5.4% American Pale Ale on keg. With a hop bill of Citra, Mosaic, and Hallertau Blanc, it was most delicious. I will definitely keep my eyes out for more Flash House beers, and it was good to meet Jack, who runs the brewery along with his wife, and who told me that the taproom had become an important part of the business.

It was about 15 minutes walk to the next stop, back up to the main road and along for a few hundred yards. I was going to the Seven Stars, a single room roadside free house, and I walked in to a busy pub with plenty of atmosphere. I got to the bar where there were 5 hand pumps and several keg lines. They also had a house beer, like the Low Lights brewed by Three Kings, but this time I went for one of the guests, a 4.8% pale ale from Nottingham brewers Liquid Light called Aquarium. This was the only time I deviated from North Eastern beers all day, and it was worth the journey, another good beer I reckoned was worth a rating of 3.5. Time was moving on, and I still hadn't decided whether I wanted food, or how to get back to the hotel, so I finished my pint and left for the final venue for the evening.

It was only a minute or two's walk to the Enigma Tap, which I had never been in before, but had attempted to do so a year or two ago only to find it shut. I was immediately struck by the warm and friendly atmosphere, bright, pleasant decor, and a quality beer range, featuring 4 beers on cask and several more on tap. I was delighted to see some Two by Two on hand pump, and so I ordered a pint of the Session Pale. This 4% beauty was impenetrably hazy and full of juicy flavours, in excellent condition, and the best beer I had all day, warranting a rare 4.5 rating on the National Beer Scoring System! Leafing through the local CAMRA magazine, Canny Bevvy, it seems that the erstwhile Wallsend murkmeisters have moved to bigger premises up river at Ouseburn. Jack from Flash House appeared, having shut up shop down the road, and as local lad Sam Fender was playing over the sound system, I went to the bar for my final drink of the evening. I decided to go for a a half of Rigg & Furrow on tap, which was the 5.4% Golden Calf, which features Citra, Mosaic, and Idaho 7 hops, and is fermented with Kviek yeast for those who are interested in such things. Another great beer on which to conclude the evening. I thought the Enigma Tap was great, and it was my favourite place of the day. It has been run by Luke for 4 years and it came across as a wonderful community micro pub with some excellent beer, and a welcoming atmosphere. One you must visit.

I decided to go for the sensible option to get back to the hotel (with the price of an Uber fluctuating wildly between expensive and you've got to be kidding!), and walked the short distance to the Metro Station. A few minutes later, the tram turned up, and shortly afterwards I was getting off at Percy Main. It was a few minutes walk back to the Premier Inn, and as I got nearer I couldn't detect any noise coming from the unseen Black Storm brewery. It had though been a cracking day along the Tyne, great to see the family, and then enjoy some excellent beer in some fine pubs and bars....

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