Newcastle Upon A High....

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 upstairs restaurant is Michelin-rated, but the staff are friendly and the beer, brewed these days by Anarchy, is always good (NBSS 3.5 on this occasion), and I more often than not have my first pint here when I stay in Newcastle.

Virtually next door is the Head of Steam Quayside which I have always walked past but this time I decided to call in for a change and have a half. A modern bar, with groups of after-workers milling about in search of pints or prosecco. I retreated to a quiet area to the side of the bar once I had ordered a half of Head of Steam Gold, which I presume is brewed by sister company Camerons, and it was ok without being spectacular (NBSS 3). With its functional, bare brick walls, and loud bland music I could have been in a modern bar anywhere, and it was really not in keeping with what I wanted, which was a genuine Newcastle experience. I finished my half and headed off, deciding I would on my next visit revert to my previous routine of walking straight past!

The next place was definitely 100% Newcastle, and one of the must-visit spots if you love your beer, love your pubs, and want to experience one of the toon's most iconic places. Situated on Side, just behind the Quayside, is the Crown Posada, an essential place to visit if you are in Newcastle, and a place I have written about many times. I won't therefore go over old ground but I always get a frisson of excitement every time I walk in to the place. It feels so familiar, but every visit is a special treat, like you never know what beer(s) will be there to tempt you. It was reasonably busy, but I managed to get to the bar fairly quickly and from a good mix of beers from mainly North Eastern breweries, I spotted one from Two By Two that I'd not come across before, a 4.6% hazy (but of course!) beer called Crafted Pale. So I got myself a pint of that and perched on an empty bar stool at the street end of the bar to enjoy it. It was the usual juicy fruity hop bomb, a very enjoyable beer which got me excited about where I was planning to go next (NBSS 3.5). As usual I enjoyed myself just sitting and watch the comings and goings in this friendly pub which if you haven't ever visited, you need to correct at your earliest opportunity!

Views from a barfly and from across the road of the Crown Posada

So where was I going next? 

Well, I had ordered an Uber as I finished off my pint, and my driver Sarwar was taking me to the Two By Two Taproom! As regular readers of this blog and those that know me are aware, I have been championing the brewery's delicious hazy beers for a few years now. Whilst it isn't that far out of the city centre, I didn't want to leave it too late before I got there and I reckoned a 10 minute ride as opposed to a half hour walk made sense. It was my second visit, having called in around 18 months ago on a football day out when it was later in the evening and they'd had some event or other on which meant they were a little low on beer. So it hadn't been as good as I'd expected, and this time I was hoping it would be rather better. I got dropped off and walked through the yard, where alongside some picnic tables a pizza van was lying in wait for hungry drinkers. I walked in and aside from a group playing pool in one corner of the taproom, it wasn't too busy. I walked up the bar, where a couple of friendly lasses were waiting for me. There were 2 beers on hand pump, with a further 8 or so on tap, plus a range of cans in a large fridge. From the cask options I went a pint of Azacca Mosaic which - opposed to the Crafted Pale I'd had earlier in the Crown Posada - was named in their regular format of referencing the hops used. This was hazy of course, and delicious, also of course, and captured these two hops in excellent form (NBSS 4). 

I looked around the taproom, which is based in an industrial unit in Byker, close to some of Ouseburn's fine pubs, like the Free Trade Inn and the Cumberland Arms, plus another couple of brewery taprooms, Full Circle and Brinkburn Street. In one half of the large room are the stainless steel vessels where the magic is done, with the taproom featuring bench seating and folding tables laid out in front of a wooden bar. Bright, colourful artwork covers some of the walls, with balloons and fairy lights strung across above the seating. There was a good soundtrack playing a variety of music and there was a great friendly atmosphere to the place. Every now and again cheers would erupt from the direction of the pool table, a guy came in with his two kids, and a pair of couples came in with matching cockapoos, dogs being welcome here (they apparently hold monthly dog socials!). I returned to the bar, this time ordering a pint of one of my favourites, the 6% Citra Simcoe Ekuanot from the keg options, and after a couple of sips I went off to the van to order a pizza, where I was given a buzzer which would sound when my food was ready. Shortly afterwards I was tucking into a delicious pizza with nduja sausage, and with my beer in excellent form, I was a very happy bunny. I went to order a tee before I left, and I asked the girls how many worked at the brewery. One said 4, the other said 5, which was eventually what they agreed on, either way it is a remarkably small number of people considering the amount of quality beers produced here, beers that are increasingly and deservedly getting more acclaim further afield from their Tyneside heartland.

From the taproom it was a short walk down the hill to another iconic Newcastle pub, the Free Trade Inn, and another I have written about frequently in this blog. It sits in an elevated position above the River Tyne, just up the steps from the Tyne Bar and where the Ouseburn river meets its much larger counterpart. The view over the Tyne was looking particularly impressive in the evening light, the sun now out of sight. And of course the views are a major part of what makes a visit to the Free Trade so special, with a seat on one of the stools by the windows offering a spectacular scene of the Tyne riverscape, the geometry of its bridges and buildings captured in perfect harmony. Which is why plans to build an eight-storey luxury apartment block right bang in the middle of that vista caused much outrage, leading to a campaign and petition to block the development which is still to be ultimately resolved. But it's not all about the views. The beer is always in excellent form, be it the two regular cask beers, Echelon from Almasty and Jarl from Fyne Ales on cask, or from the always interesting range of guest ales which make up a further 4 beers on cask, and an additional 4 on keg. It was not too busy when I walked in but the outside drinking areas, one at the side of the pub and one in a garden across the road were both busy. I ordered a pint of the Echelon, a 4% hazy pale which was in great form as usual (NBSS 4) and got one of those prized stools, where I whiled away the evening basking in the atmosphere of one of the country's finest pubs, listening to the hum of happy conversation and tunes from the classic free jukebox, moving from my spot only to replace my beer, which also included a rather nice 4.7% pale beer called Smog from Donzoko brewery from the keg selection. It was a blissful way to spend the evening. 

Views from and of the Free Trade Inn

The following day I was meeting some of the family, my day starting with a breakfast at a cafe just off the Quayside where I have gone regularly over the years. It seemed like it had changed ownership since last time, but it was as busy as always. I ordered a sausage sandwich, and was duly presented with a very tasty stottie the size of a dustbin lid stuffed with around half a dozen sausages. Whilst I struggled to finish it, it was great value for money, and with friendly quick service, the place couldn't be faulted. I then headed up to meet my daughter, son-in-law, and one of my granddaughters outside the Metro at Haymarket. After a visit to a museum and a guitar shop, we went to a Greek restaurant for lunch in that former centre of Newcastle nightlife, Bigg Market, which is now a much quieter location. We sat outside in the warm sunshine and ate al fresco as if we were in Greece, and had an excellent meal, my lamb kleftiko taking me back to visits to the islands where I haven't been for nearly 20 years. After that we went for a tour of the castle itself, a building I have walked past for many years but never been in.

It was built in 1177 by Henry II on the site of a former Roman fort, which was close to Hadrian's Wall. Its construction took place before the city walls were built in the 13th century to enclose the city and the castle with it. Gradually the building fell into disrepair and parts of the site were even occupied by houses and shops. During the English Civil War it was repaired and in 1644 the city was besieged by the Scots who had crossed the border in support of the Parliamentarians. The siege last 3 months, after which the garrison surrendered, with the castle extensively damaged. It was later used as a prison up until the 18th century, and in 1809 it was bought by Newcastle Corporation. Today the Keep and the Black Gate, situated either side of the main East Coast railway line, are all that remains of the Castle, and it proved to be a fascinating place to visit, with various displays covering the history of the castle and its surrounds. And to keep the blog on point, there was even a public house on the site at one point in the 19th century! It is surprisingly large inside and has a lot of steps, but those who make it to the top are rewarded with amazing views over the city and river.

Close by, situated just across the road from the Castle and next to the start of the High Level Bridge, is the Bridge Hotel (opening image), a large pub belonging to the local Fitzgerald Group. It has always been worth a visit but has now become one of the most consistently good pubs for beer quality in the city. And with a range of 9 cask beers of which 8 are guests which can be from anywhere across the country, it always has something on to accommodate most tastes, along with the regular Sharps Doom Bar. We popped in as a reward for doing all those steps at the castle, and I was delighted to see Jarl on the bar, which was in great form (NBSS 3.5). The pub was reasonably busy on this late Saturday afternoon, a number of the customers, going by their sharp suits and fancy dresses, appearing to be escapees from a wedding reception we'd spotted taking place in the roof garden of a hotel when we were at the top of the castle, no doubt in search of a decent drink at a decent price. With its location just outside the city centre, the Bridge tends to be overlooked by the hordes, so you can enjoy a relatively quiet pint in comfortable surroundings.

We moved on to the city centre but before the family got the Metro back homewards, we went into the Head of Steam opposite the station. It was a mistake, as I'd realised the child-friendly bar I had been thinking of was actually the Newcastle Tap next door. But the warmth of the welcome of the staff, particularly towards my granddaughter, more than made up for any disappointment with the beers on offer, which unfortunately were rather uninspiring. I had a Bigmouth Session IPA from Aussie/NZ/UK brewers Yeastie Boys from the keg range, which was decent enough, a 4.4% pale gold beer with tropical fruit flavours and a light crisp delivery. And from there, we said our farewells, and the family crossed the road and promptly disappeared down the steps in to the Metro.

The Head of Steam, Newcastle city centre

And so, out of curiosity, I walked in to where I had planned for us to go originally, ie. the Newcastle Tap next door, which was advertising craft beers and pizza in neon lights in the window, where I had a half of Thornbridge Green Mountain from the keg lines, which was as good as ever. The place was pretty busy with a wide mix of customers and there was a good, lively atmosphere, and there been something  of a refurb since my last visit which seemed to be working very well. But I am not sure if we could have expected as warm a reception as we had had next door, so I guess it all worked out fine in the end.

The streets were busy as the Saturday evening crowd descended on the toon, the bright sunshine beginning to fade, and so I drifted off and made my way down to the Crown Posada for a final drink to end yet another wonderful visit to Newcastle upon a high....

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