Following my trip to Hartlepool last time out, I've been back in the North East, checking out a few places I'd not visited in ages, plus a few old favourites. Well, it would be rude not to....
The last time I'd visited Newcastle was almost 6 months ago to the day, back in September when I combined a visit to see the family with catching FC Halifax Town's game at Gateshead. A few of us had come up on the train on the morning of the match and arrived in the toon to be greeted by steady rain. We'd gone to the Newcastle Tap, just across the road from Central Station, had a couple of decent pints there, and moved on to the Town Waĺl where from our seat by the window we could see the rain getting heavier. We moved on through the rain to Bodega where I remember we had a great pint of Jarl, and were watching the Merseyside derby on the big screen when news came through of a not entirely unexpected pitch inspection at the International Stadium. Surely this would simply be a formality and the game would be called off given the amount of rain that had already fallen? Well no, about 20 minutes later news came through that the match was still on, so we finished our pints pronto, and made our way to the Metro by the station, and from there to the ground. It was still raining heavily.
The game was played in farcical conditions, there was standing water on the pitch throughout the game which was topped up as the game progressed as the rain continued to fall. The ball would stop sometimes, with the players carrying on to where they expected it to go, then turn back to where it actually was. Other times there would be a huge splash where the ball landed, catching any players in the vicinity, although by that time they were soaked anyway! Amazingly, the game was played to a conclusion and Town came away as victors, so 3 points were gained, but I have never seen a game played all the way through in conditions like that!
And the rain carried on into the evening when we returned to Newcastle, bags dropped off at our hotel in Gateshead. We covered very little ground as the rain continued to fall: my daughter, son-in-law, and eldest granddaughter met us at the Crown Posada, and from there we went literally around the corner to the Redhouse, a sprawling bar with several rooms which is owned by the same group whose portfolio includes the Town Wall, the Broad Chare, and various establishments around the North East, plus Wylam Brewery. It was my first visit here but I had been keen to come here because it had been included in the then just released Good Beer Guide. We had a really enjoyable evening here before the family headed off back home, and we went for a curry at a restaurant just across the road. Needless to say, it was still raining....
Back to my latest visit, and there was no rain in sight as the last few days had seen blue skies, sunshine, and mild temperatures, and I arrived in Newcastle to the same. I got checked in at my Travelodge, and bags dropped off, I headed for a Welcome to Newcastle pint at the Broad Chare, where it is always a pleasant experience to chill out, particularly after a 2 hour-plus drive. My pint of Writer's Block, the 4.1% session pale, which is brewed by Anarchy and is the house beer here, was on fine form (NBSS 3.5). Welcome back indeed!
I had fancied a trip to the coast to check out a cluster of micropubs, and with the weather being as it was it was even more reason to go there. I got an Uber to Byker metro station to save going into the city centre and soon afterwards I was on my way, passing through North Tyneside places like Wallsend and North Shields. We arrived at Monkseaton near Whitley Bay, and here I got off, with the micro I was aiming for on the opposite platform (opening image).
I was returning to the Left Luggage Room which I hadn't visited for a few years, and I had been looking forward to coming back here. And just like it always used to be, the seating area outside was pretty well-occupied as late Friday afternoon drifted into the evening. Inside the single room was pretty busy too, with only the odd spare table. There was a linear queue to the bar too, although to be fair this was partly due to the tables to either side of the room not allowing for much of a lateral queue along the bar to develop. A guy with a beard sat at one of the tables jumped up and went behind the bar, and I recognised him from working here when I'd been before. As I got closer to the bar I looked to see what beers were on cask. There were two or three from Thornbridge, and one from Two by Two.
Now I am pretty sure I had my first pint of Two by Two here as I am pretty sure I was telling yer man who good my pint was back then. And so that is what I ordered. It was a Citra DDH, 4.5% ABV, and the usual orange/yellow murk we have come to expect from this extraordinary brewery, looking beautiful as it was caught in the evening sunlight streaming in through the window. I took a sip. Wow, Wow, WOW! It was amazing, the beer was in absolutely tip-top condition, cool, well-balanced, and packed full of juicy citrus fruit flavours. It was the best pint I've had in ages and definitely worthy of a rare 4.5 on the NBSS scale! So good I had to go back for another, of course, although as a result it did knock me a little back on my schedule. A triumphant return to a great micro which I am glad to see is back in the Good Beet Guide after a year or two's absence, presumably due to allocation issues. I look forward to returning here again soon.
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| Left Luggage Room, Monkseaton |
I caught the metro then back to Whitley Bay where there was another micro that I hadn't visited for a few years, plus one that has been there a while that I had never visited. And when I got off the Metro I found there was another one at the station which I'd not noticed on my last visit a couple of years ago. However closer inspection of the Ticket Office revealed there was no cask ale and so I quickly moved on walking the 10 minutes or so to the Dog & Rabbit, happy with myself that I could remember the way there!
I had been to this former clothing shop a couple of times before after it opened in 2015. They brew their own beers here, but they had never been on when I'd called in before and it was the same this time. As I walked in here were a few guys stood in a cluster around the bar, whilst a few of the tables were occupied, and there was the relaxed feel of a local about the place. My chosen pint of the 4.5% extra special bitter from Anarchy, which was positively endorsed by one of the guys at the bar, was on fine form, another example of some of the more modern brewers harking back to more traditional styles. It was well-rounded, full of flavour, and most enjoyable (NBSS 3.5). And I have to say there was a lovely welcoming atmosphere here and I hope that when I come back next time I will finally be able to try a pint of one of the Dog & Rabbit beers!
I walked back through the darkening streets to the Metro station and I was soon on my way to Tynemouth, two stops away, where Platform 2 was doing a roaring trade, with plenty sat outside with patio heaters reducing the chill of the evening air, whilst inside all the tables were taken and it was standing room only. I have always enjoyed calling here where they serve up to 4 cask beers and have a decent range on keg, and as with the Left Luggage Room it has been omitted from the Good Beer Guide in recent years which is something of a surprise as there are not that many decent real ale pubs in Tynemouth. As I was running out of time and starting to think about some food, I decided just to go for a half, and from the keg options I ordered a half of the 4.2% hazy pale Lush from Wylam, whose introduction to the beer on their website gushes "Fresh, delicate and deliciously drinkable with a restraint yet sated dry hop using CITRA and IDAHO 7. Zesty, zingy and squeaky clean with adroit veneers of grapefruit, amalfi lemon and nectarine flesh." And I can't say any more than that!
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| Platform 2, Tynemouth |
Back into Newcastle, and I walked down Grey Street from Monument, where I turned on to High Bridge and popped into Bacchus, a Sir John Fitzgerald house which was pretty busy with a generally older crowd. Here I had a half of Jarl which was solid enough without pulling up any trees (NBSS 3), which I followed up with a half of an NZ Pale from Two by Two, which again was a solid enough 3, but I had already had by taste of Two by Two heaven earlier in the evening. The pub was busy, and it has some lovely old features, but the number of TV screens spread around the pub is a bit OTT, particularly the bank of three side by side at the back of the bar! I can only assume they must have bought a job lot.
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| TV OD at Bacchus |
I went for some food at Pani's, an Italian-Sardinian restaurant across the road, which I had been to before. Here I enjoyed Pollo Con Lenticchie, comprising pan-fried chicken breast, with Sardinian sausage, smoked pancetta, lentils, white wine, cherry tomatoes, chilli, garlic, spinach and fresh herbs, accompanied by chips, washed down with a bottle of Moretti, and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Very nice it was too.
And from there it was back down the hill through the crowds for a customary nightcap at the one and only Crown Posada which was pretty busy although once I'd got served, after a short wait by the glass collection point at the end of the bar I did manage to jump into a just-vacated table in the back room. Beerwise, I got through the scrum at the bar and ordered a pint of the 3.9% Simcoe DDH from Almasty, which was a very good beer with which to conclude the evening's proceedings. It had earthy, piney undertones with big passionfruit and citrus flavours coming through in the finishm and was juicy anf=d refreshing (NBSS 3.5). Like Two by Two, Almasty's beers are invariably excellent, but other than around Tyneside, they continue to be relatively under the radar.
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| A busy evening at the Crown Posada |
And as I wandered back along the Quayside to the hotel, I reflected on a most enjoyable evening's wander out to the coast and where it had been good to re-visit three excellent micro pubs, which was then followed up by some beer and food back in the toon....
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