Real Ale, Real Music

Another football-related venture in to new territory, featuring a visit to the Essex coast for the game, followed by a visit to some rather excellent pubs in an area of the capital where I had never been drinking before. Here's what happened.... I had never been to Southend. The Essex seaside resort much loved by Londoners and apparently a hotspot for jellied eels, whatever they are, was the destination for my brother and I as we set off on the train from Halifax after breakfast at the Shay Cafe on our latest football-related trip. Southend was an erstwhile large town that was granted city status as recently as 2022, having started out as a mere cluster of fisherman's cottages in the former village of Prittlewell. It wasn't until the 19th century and the construction of the railway from the capital that it began to increase in population, and Southend became a popular holiday resort with thousands upon thousands of Londoners visiting every year. As a reminder of those days,...

News had broken a few weeks ago that one of Manchester's most iconic beer brands was returning in cask form. And when it was confirmed that it was now on the bars of several pubs in and around the city, I headed over the Pennines to try to find a pint and decide for myself if it lived up to expectations.... So after much build-up and anticipation the new iteration of Boddingtons in cask form is back in its home city, the result of a licencing agreement between Anheuser Busch, who now own the brand, and Middleton-based family brewers JW Lees. I wrote about the background to this, the history of and significance of the brewery, and my personal memories of the beer when the deal was announced in a recent blog,  The Bees Are Back In Town , and so I won't go over old ground, but to a large number of beer drinkers, myself included, this was a big deal, as it was the first time a cask version of Boddingtons had been available since 2012 when it had last been brewed under licence by an...

I visited Newcastle for the first time in several months recently to see the family who live in these parts, with, as usual, several places to call in my mind, and as is always the case in this wonderful city there was little to disappoint.... I had been in Northumberland for a few days earlier and so I approached Newcastle via the A1 from the north for a change, meaning the route into the city was largely unfamiliar. Gradually though, I started to spot the odd familiar landmark, and I soon recognised where I was. It didn't stop me taking the wrong turn though, but I impressed myself with my quick reaction to get back on the right track, and with very little delay I was pulling into the car park of my usual Travelodge. The usual routine: check in, go to room, drop bag off, a quick turnaround, and back out again, and within minutes I was enjoying a pint of Writer's Block in a seat by the window in the Broad Chare . I love the atmosphere here, yes it is a bit upmarket, the upstai...