On Friday we had a late lunch in the Barrowboy and Banker in Borough, a Fuller’s pub that has done a very good conversion of an old bank building, similar to one we visited in Birmingham last year. Quite a large area it
is dominated by a long, winding staircase. But it was disappointing. The April London Drinker said that Fullers were making a special effort and putting on two milds in May - a Festival Mild and a Hock. But the staff didn’t know anything about them, which is typical, so I had to settle for Chiswick Bitter.
In the early evening we went back to Gunmakers, where the owner was still being manic. This is not a working class pub, being largely patronised by civil servants and professional people. We got talking to a group from the
British equivalent of our Serious Fraud Office. They had some very interesting comments about the New Zealand SFO, but they can’t be repeated in an email. I had a pint of the Radgie Gadgie from Mordue Brewery, a
brewery that has never let me down with the quality of its beer.
On to Newcastle. A little known fact about Newcastle is that Grey Street is rated behind the Crescent in Bath and the Shambles in York as the most impressive street in England. And it is. At the top it is a wide Georgian boulevard that has not been altered since it was built 200 years ago. The bottom part is Victorian and is more than 100 years old. What is fascinating is there are very few signs of the modern world, few shops, no pubs and little advertising. To find the pubs you have to go down the narrow mediaeval lanes that run off Grey Street and Grainger Street, another impressive Georgian street. In the Farmers Market we came across a stall from Wylam Brewery at Heddon on the Wall where two bottles were purchased, Rocket, an English best bitter, and Admiral Collingwood, a brown ale suitable for Newcastle. Admiral Collingwood, who took command of the Battle of Trafalgar after Nelson died, is very much a hero in this area.
Being Friday the pubs were packed, particularly the Crown Posada. But we did find a space in a pub called the Bridge Hotel, which is very close to the castle from which the city gets its name. There I had two new beers. The first was Rivet Catcher from Jarrow Brewery. I thought this was an excellent beer and was surprised when I went back for a second to find it had been taken off because it was slightly cloudy and the locals wouldn’t touch it. It looked all right to me and the next day the barman agreed there was nothing wrong with it. It had just been knocked when it was being set up and he wanted to let it settle a bit more. I was beginning to wonder about my judgement. The other beer was Grindle Bitter from Wakefield Brewery, which is not in the GBG.
We should have known that weekends in Newcastle are heavy going with hen parties and stag parties. At our hotel we me a blowsy blonde of a certain age wearing a sash that said “The Bride’s Mother” told us they were from Hull and were supposed to be in Benidorm, but their flight had been cancelled and they came to Newcastle instead. We suspect Benidorm had a lucky break. It should be pointed out she came from East Hull, the civilised part of Hull is West Hull. There was also a 64 strong women’s choir staying there. In the early hours of the morning one of the older women in the choir ejected a young man, who fancied his chances.
On the Saturday we had a day out at the Beamish Open Air Museum, a museum dedicated to recording north-east life in 1913 and the 1820s. It must be one of the best in the world, 300 acres, three trams, two steam trains, a colliery, a working farm, a village and a manor house. In the village there is pub, the Sun Inn where yet another new brewery was found, the Stables Brewery at Beamish, a new entry in the GBG. I had their Bobby Dazzler, a summer ale which is not my favourite style. There is another pub in Beamish, outside the museum gates, called the Shepherd and Shepherdess. I have often found Marston’s Pedigree to be very variable but the pint I had here was top quality. After a river trip from Newcastle Quayside to Tynemouth we went to the Bridge Hotel hoping to watch some of the football but seeing Chelsea won 8-0 I was pleased we didn’t. We spent some time talking to a young couple, Warren and Jane, someone who actually knew about beer. After dinner we had to call in at the Crown Prosada, one of the great pubs of England. This pub was built by a Spanish sea captain for his English mistress. It is on the National Inventory and has two very impressive large stained glass windows. How they have survived in a tough town like Newcastle is amazing. Also because of the no smoking in pubs it has been very delicately
redecorated in pastel shades and looks really great. They also serve a great range of boutique beers but having had a big day I had to stick to halves. These are the beers I tasted today:
Geordie Pride (4.2), Mordue; Gladiator (3.8), Hadrian & Border Brewery;
Stickle Pike, Jennings; Magus (3.8), Durham Brewery; Leyburn Shawl (3.8),
Yorkshire Dales Brewing
Onward to Aberdeen.
Your UK correspondent.