Home Alone

It's half term and my wife has taken my daughter plus my wife's mother and sister away for a break in the Lake District. Nothing wrong with that. But what I can't come to terms with is where they are staying. They've booked two night in the Eagle & Child in Staveley. One of the best pubs anywhere and they've gone without me. While I was hard at work today they were drinking Hawkshead beers in the Beer Hall. Even my sister-in-law who deosn't drink beer. Something wrong surely!

Join the queue

I love the Lake District. Wonderful scenery and any number of pubs serving good beer. However, the enjoyment comes at a price - literally. Pub grub is expensive. In most of the pubs that are worth visiting you'll be lucky to find anything around the £10 mark. £12 to £15 is not untypical with £18 the going rate for a decent steak. I'm not talking anything fancy here, fish and chips, Cumberland sausage and chips etc. For a family of four that's at least £50 without drinks.

So after a few pints of Cumbrian Five Hop and New Zealand Pale Ale at Hawkshead's Staveley Beer Hall we decided to stop off at the Wetherspoon in Kendal. I've been to the 'Miles Thompson' before and its better than the Wetherspoon in Wirral, i.e. they serve a decent pint. The downside at tea time on the Sunday of a bank holiday weekend is how long would it take to get served at the usual 50 yard wide bar with two bar staff.

I was surprised to find that there was a queue for service. That's a proper organised queue post office-style with no exceptions for alcohol only or 'just a bag of crisps'. it took about 10 minutes to reach the bar but I was happy with that. I got served in turn stress-free. Surely the only objection comes from those with no conscience/manners. Some social and night clubs have always used a queuing system but I don't think I've seen it in a pub before. I wish a few more pubs would use this system. Of course Wetherspoons could help matters by actually employing enough staff but that's never going to happen.

BTW four meals plus drinks cost £33 and my pint of Ruskins Bitter from the Kirkby Lonsdale brewery was excellent

Thoughts from Liverpool Beer Festival

The CAMRA Liverpool Beer Festival is hugely popular and I've already said how difficult it is to obtain a ticket. The venue is superb. It's the crypt of the Metropolitan (R.C.) Cathedral which was built before the 2nd World War as the first stage of a project to build a grand traditional cathedral to match the Anglican edifice at the other end of Hope Street. The was intervened and plans were scaled back with designs for an ultra- modern glass and steel building taking its place. 'Paddys Wigwam' was controversial and unloved at first but is now accepted affectionately as an integral part of the Liverpool skyline.

It's as bit dim down there for photos

All stonework and Gothic arches it's a great place to drink beer with seating in the main hall for those who arrive early. There seems to be simplicity in planning the beer order. Quality is the watchword rather than rarity with 200 of the countries finest brews on sale. That's a lot of different beers for a mid-sized festival which means some have sold out by the final day. Liverpool has a number of great pubs, many of which have taken the opportunity to piggy back their own festivals onto this weekend to offer the drinker even more choice.

Brimstage, Hawkhead and Yates. What a line up!

The beers themselves are excellent. Most are £1.00 per half/£2.00 per pint even up to and above 5% with only the real rocket fuel brews at £1.50 per half which is still good value. Local breweries get pride of place near to the entrance with 17 of them represented. I obviously sampled the offerings from the wonderful Brimstage Brewery first just to check that they were as good as ever (they were). Their Rhode Island Red must be a winner one day soon at Earl's Court.

Those 'flavours of the month' Brewdog, Thornbridge and Marble were well represented. I have to say that on this occasion I found the Punk IPA to be overpowering, all sweetness and grapefruit. I was much happier with Dark Star's more modest Hophead.

Marble's Manchester Bitter and Ginger went down well but again I felt the Dobber was a little sweet. Maybe these strong hoppy beers are better with the sharpness of keg !! The new Galaxia from Thornbridge suited my palate better. The citrus notes balanced by good bitterness. This one uses Australian hops.

I'd drank a number of hoppy beers in the first few hours do it was time for a change of tack. Sarah Hughes Ruby is always a winner and I was recommended Liverpool Organic's Russian Imperial Stout. The tasting notes state Liquorice, Dark Chocolate and Coffee. Decadence in a glass indeed. This is a top class brewery with a fine range of cask and bottle conditioned beers. Their version of the much missed Higson's Bitter caused a lot of interest but it's a difficult taks to match that pungent, bitter, headache inducing brew.


One rare that was available was Hawkshead Tripel XBP. I cleansed my palate first with a glass of their Bitter which is one of my favourite beers  but the XBP was a disappointment. A strong and dry old ale there was no distinctive flavour evident. I'd even say it was bland despite the strength.



Spelling lesson needed

Good food is on offer too. The Everyman Bistro provide upmarket fast food and there is also a pie and pasty stall and a huge range of farmhouse cheeses with bread. Ideal ballast for a beer festival.

A justifiably popular festival and a good excuse to spend a weekend in Liverpool. After all if you can't get a ticket for each session there are plenty of good pubs.

Pub Trip - Old Dungeon Ghyll & Wainright's

Accompanied by Mrs Birkonian we spent Saturday night at an upmarket 'Resort Hotel' in the Langdale Valley in what tourist boards call the Lake District. The definition of a resort Hotel is that your room is not in the same building as the facilities i.e. you get wet when it rains. It rains a lot in the Lake District.

We arrived early which gave us time to carry on past the hotel and rectify a glaring omission on my beer c.v. Yes, I'd never been to the Old Dungeon Ghyll. Well I wasn't disappointed. The Hiker's Bar was probably little changed apart from the vinyl covering the stone floor and the Mars Bars in a cabinet behind the bar.


A rare wet day at The Old Dungeon Ghyll

A few (fool)hardy walkers were trying to dry out in front of the welcoming ancient range. We settled down on one of the stone-partitioned benches where I could enjoy the best pint of Yates' Bitter I've had for a few years followed by a stronger malty offering from Yates', Best Cellar.



The Hiker's Bar at the Old Dungeon Ghyll

In the evening, following the pleasant discovery of Marston's EPA in the hotel bar, although slightly deflated by its lukewarm temperature, we braved the monsoon for the 5 minute walk to the GBG listed Wainwright's in Chapel Stile.


Wainwright's, Chapel Stile. Still raining.

Under the same ownership as our hotel the GBG doesn't do it full justice. 3 beers from the marston's stable plus 3 from smaller northern breweries undersells its range of Marston's Pedigree, Jennings Cumberland Ale & Snecklifter, Ulverston Fra Diavolo, Kirkby Lonsdale Monumemtal, Hawkshead Lakeland Gold and Loweswater Gold. I had time for those last three and enjoyed their different takes on blonde hoppy beers.

The famous Britannia Inn at Elterwater is a short walk away so there is plenty of good beer to recommend a trip to the Langdale Valley.