2010 January
The Winter Warmer Wander
Friday 11th December
This was probably not the best evening to start the Winter Warmer Wander as Manchester was heaving with early Christmas revellers. It was cold and misty but we soon warmed up as we entered a packed Marble Arch. Once I had cleaned my glasses and fought my way to the bar I found that there were at least 6 beers that would qualify as winter warmers. Two of these were from the Headless brewery in Derby and Carol went straight for their Zymosis at 7.5%ABV, I took things easier with Marble Chocolate at 5.5%. Both beers were very good. We presented our WWW sheets and the stickers were duly applied - onto the slot that was marked Elektrik, Chorlton! Fortunately the stickers could be pealed off and reapplied.
Next we visited the Smithfield where we ordered some Acorn Gorlovka only to find that it had just finished. I had a taster of a 4.6% beer, which would qualify for a sticker, but as I wasn't very keen on it I thanked the staff and said that we would return at another time.
On then to the Castle on Oldham Street. We hadn't visited this pub since its refurbishment and we have to say that whilst it is a vast improvement on what it was the job doesn't seem completed. Some fresh paint in the back room, and a good cleaning, would make it much more attractive. The only beer available which would qualify under WWW rules was Robinsons Old Tom. This is one of Carol's favourite beers but I have always found it to be too strong for my liking. However, maybe because we had only had one beer before this, I found it to be very good.
Saturday 12th December
We caught a no.157 bus out to Didsbury and started the day in the pub of the same name. It was very busy with diners. Half a dozen real ales were on offer though none were winter warmers. Two qualified for the WWW, Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale. I am not keen on either of these but the helpful lad behind the bar said that he had some North Yorkshire Flying Herbert in the cellar if we would like some. We took him up on the offer and it was very nice. He also signed our WWW sheets as they hadn't managed to locate their stickers since the wander started. We also had some Speckled Hen, nothing wrong with it, just not one I am keen on.
We walked into the village to the Royal Oak. It was very warm in this Marstons pub. Again no beers which would qualify as a winter warmer. We accepted some Marstons Ugly Sisters which was fine.
We returned to bus travel for the journey to Chorlton. Traffic heading for the United v Villa game made this a slow journey. A walk along Beech Road brought us to the Trevor Arms. Busy and very much a locals pub there were just two beers on offer, Speckled Hen and Brains Party Popper. The two staff members were unable to locate the stickers but the arrival of the landlord soon rectified that. The Party Popper, which probably qualified as a mild, was the poorest beer that we had had to date. Midway through our beers the landlord came over with two fresh glasses of Downton Winter Solstice and swept away our Party Poppers with his apologies for it being served. Apparently the Party Popper had just gone off and the the Winter Solstice had just come on. As we had not made any comment about the Brains beer this was customer service at its very best. The Winter Solstice was very good.
A short walk away is the Horse & Jockey. This was my local 37 years ago! We were surprised how smart this pub was and there was an impressive beer line up, half a dozen cask ales mainly from northern micro breweries. Three beers qualified for a WWW sticker, which were easily located next to the till. Carol and I both chose Holts Maplemoon which was decent enough without being anything special. The attractiveness of this pub and its range of beers means that we will be revisiting it the next time we are in Chorlton.
Chorlton has some great modern bars serving both real ales and foreign bottled beers. Two of these bars were next up on the wander.
On our last visit to the Elektrik we had had two Hawkshead beers and on this occasion another of their beers, Brodies Prime, was on offer. At last this was a proper winter warmer, dark and tasty and 5%ABV. Along with this we had Derventio Winter Solstice, almost as strong as the Brodies Prime but a paler beer with a strong flavour of cloves. This was more like it, winter warmers at last.
Five minutes or so away is Pi. This small bar is always busy. We managed to get a couple of seats and from a choice of 3 real ales we had the one which qualified for the WWW, Bank Top Pavilion. Although I am a fan of Bank Top beers this was not up to their usual standard. Complementary peanuts are offered in Pi, needing something more substantial however we stayed and had food for which this bar is famous, pies.
Feeling that we could manage another beer we changed locations. We caught the 23A bus from Chortlon to Stockport and then a 192 bus along the A6 to Heavily. Out last pub of the day, some seven hours after we started, was the Blossoms. On the bar was a barrel of Old Tom which many would regard as the ultimate winter warmer. The only downside here was the discovery that we had somehow lost one of our Royal Oak stickers - we hope that Margaret and Dave will still accept that we completed the WWW challenge without this.
A192 back down into Stockport and the train back to Cheadle Hulme brought to an end a very enjoyable day. Seven new stickers bringing our total to 9 so far.
Sunday 13th December
We joined the hordes of Christmas shoppers on the train but none of them alighted along with us at Heaton Chapel. A ten minute or so walk brought us to the Nursery which was doing very good business. Two beers qualified for the WWW and so we had them both. The Hydes seasonal, High and Dry, was decent enough but we both thought that the Allgates Winter Meltdown was very good.
A walk of a similar length found us in the Railway on Wellington Road North. From their 5 hand pumps 2 beers met the WWW criteria. Unfortunately Lytham Baileys Blinder was possibly just starting to turn. Bradfield Farmers Belgium Blue however was far better.
Over the road it wasn't surprising to find half a dozen beers of 4.5%ABV or above from the 14 or so hand pumps in the Magnet. Our choices turned out to be two of the best beers on the wander so far. O'Hanlons Port Stout was not lacking in port making this a fine winter warmer. Even tastier was Ramsbury Rum Truffle which had a lovely earthiness to it.
Thursday 24th December
An early finish on Christmas Eve led to a drinking session in Manchester and Stockport with friends. We started in the Micro Bar where Boggarts Rum Porter wasn't lacking in the rum content. Our WWW sheets were signed as they had just run out of stickers. After a visit to the reopened and improved Angel we made the promised return to the Smithfield where there were plenty of qualifiers for the WWW. I opted for Greenmill Santa's Grog whilst Carol chose one of her favourites, Phoenix Wobbly Bob.
Over the road at the Bar Fringe we gained the last sticker for one sheet and a signature for the other. Our qualifying beer was Ramsbury Rum Truffle.
At the Crown in Stockport there was no pulling of the punches with Dark Star Critical Mass at 7.8%. This was yet another pub which had run out of stickers. With over three weeks to go it appears that the WWW is going to be a big success. Good thing it is not a sticker per beer consumed because we finished the evening with Acorn 7th Noel at 5.4%. It was in the Crown that an ironic incident took place. The beer of one of our friends was knocked over and spilt across our sticker sheets, and the person who caused this accident was none other than WWW organiser herself - Margaret O'Brien!
Sunday 27th December
We started in the Railway on Avenue Street with some Cotleigh Red Nose Reinbeer,which neither of us was too keen on, and Pennine Pitch Porter. At 4.5% and 5.0% respectively these wouldn't normally be my first beers of the day but this is the WWW and a much stronger beer was to follow.
We don't get into the Swan with Two Necks too often and we had forgotten what a nice pub it is. We relaxed with some Robinsons Old Tom whilst listening to music from the late 50s and early 60s.
At our next pub, the Arden Arms, the music was more modern - early to mid 60s! Again Robinsons Old Tom was the qualifying ale but I cheated just a little by having Robbies Mr.Scrooge at 4.4%. The Old Tom here was from a barrel on the bar.
The Bulls Head is another Robinsons pub which meant more Old Tom. I'll be glad when the WWW is over and I can return to hoppy 4% beers!
Monday 26th December
Although not far from our home in Cheadle Hulme we don't very often visit Cheadle and Gatley, the WWW gave us a reason to take to the bus and visit some more pubs that we hadn't visited for quite a while, years in some cases.
At the Prince of Wales the qualifying beer was Hydes Three Sheiks to the Wind, a pleasant starter to the afternoon. Almost next door the Gothic is rather careworn. The Cains F.A. was perfectly acceptable.
We had heard the Hydes XXXX would be available this festive season and so we thought that the Horse and Farrier would be a likely place to get it. Unfortunately this was not to be and so we chose the strongest Hydes beer that they had, Jekylls Gold, though this is only a 4.3% beer.
We caught the no.11 bus into Cheadle and first visited the Ashlea where, as expected, North Yorkshire beers were available including the 5.5% Valhalla. To finish the afternoon we had expected to be drinking some more Robbies Old Tom in the Red Lion but this wasn't to be. We were informed that they never sold Old Tom and so we chose Mr.Scrooge at a less than WWW strength of 4.4%. They also appeared not to have any stickers and took our sheets straight to a back room to stamp with their own pub stamp. Our beers, and the pub, were fine but did they misunderstand what the WWW was all about when they were asked to take part?
Tuesday 29th December
As we had some shopping to do in Manchester it seemed opportune to visit some more pubs on the trail. First up was the Black Lion. Unfortunately they didn't have a single beer of qualifying strength and told us that they wanted to encourage sensible drinking. Our beer choices couldn't have been more different, I had Slaters Why Knot which, at 3.6%, was rather non-descript and was additionally a bit too cold. Carol went for a bottled Belgian beer, Ecaussinnes Ultra Brune. Unfortunately this 10.0% ABV beer didn't pour too well and not only did the yeast infect the beer but it additionally tasted more sour than expected. The pub itself was rather cold. Fortunately our lunches were very good. They had also run out of stickers and so we gained more autographs.
The New Oxford was another cold pub, but they did have several beers over the qualifying 4.5%. Our choices were Potbelly Captain Pigwash and Allgates Winter Meltdown. Both beers were ok but didn't really provide that winter warmer feel.
The Crescent. This was more like it, a nice warm pub with a lively atmosphere on a cold day. We chose two Phoenix beers and they were absolute crackers. The 7.5% Black As Your Hat was an imperial stout which looked and tasted the part, even better was the 7% Humbug which had a spicy, warming taste. Two beers worthy of the occasion.
Thursday 31st December
We hadn't set out to visit all 30 pubs but here we were on the last day of the year with just 2 to go. Although the nearest of the 30 pubs to home it is years since we last visited the Ladybrook Hotel in Bramhall. This is because it is not well served by public transport from Cheadle Hulme but, as it was dry and the snow and ice had cleared, we set off on the half an hours walk through the leafy suburbs. We were greeted by 14 hand pumps offering 5 different beers and we chose the 2 which were over 5%ABV in strength, Titanic Capt. Smith and Cropton Dangleberry, the latter being particularly good.
A New Years Eve visit to Stockport started with a visit to the Olde Vic for our final WWW sticker. We arrived at 5.05pm, just after opening time - only it wasn't open. We pushed and played with the handle and then the door opened and Jo informed us that they were not opening until 7pm. We explained that we had come for our final beer of the WWW and Jo and Steve let us in. Others were helping them get the stage and food ready for the evenings celebrations. They apologised for the state of the place but of course it was Carol and I who had imposed. Our final beer was one suitable of the occasion, Facers 7th Heaven, a 7% beer that was smooth, full of flavour and belied it's strength.
So that's it, the ending was fitting for the occasion, although they were busy Jo and Steve had let us in to complete the Winter Warmer Wander and showed the spirit of the season. We have had many enjoyable winter warmers and visited pubs which we wouldn't have gone into otherwise, not because there is anything wrong with them but because they were a bit away from the areas where we usually go to.
Thanks go to Margaret O'Brien and Dave Platt for organising the event.
Whilst enjoying the beers, pubs and drinking sessions with friends over the festive season we also received some very sad news. Yesterday David Charlesworth, known to all as "Charlie", passed away. Charlie was a former chairman of Huddersfield CAMRA and was also very active in organising their very enjoyable beer festivals. Charlie was widely known and respected and known to many in our own branch area as he often visited pubs and beer festivals on our side of the Pennines. Here's to you Charlie.
Dave & Carol Sheldon
This was probably not the best evening to start the Winter Warmer Wander as Manchester was heaving with early Christmas revellers. It was cold and misty but we soon warmed up as we entered a packed Marble Arch. Once I had cleaned my glasses and fought my way to the bar I found that there were at least 6 beers that would qualify as winter warmers. Two of these were from the Headless brewery in Derby and Carol went straight for their Zymosis at 7.5%ABV, I took things easier with Marble Chocolate at 5.5%. Both beers were very good. We presented our WWW sheets and the stickers were duly applied -
On then to the Castle on Oldham Street. We hadn't visited this pub since its refurbishment and we have to say that whilst it is a vast improvement on what it was the job doesn't seem completed. Some fresh paint in the back room, and a good cleaning, would make it much more attractive. The only beer available which would qualify under WWW rules was Robinsons Old Tom. This is one of Carol's favourite beers but I have always found it to be too strong for my liking. However, maybe because we had only had one beer before this, I found it to be very good.
Saturday 12th December
We caught a no.157 bus out to Didsbury and started the day in the pub of the same name. It was very busy with diners. Half a dozen real ales were on offer though none were winter warmers. Two qualified for the WWW, Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale. I am not keen on either of these but the helpful lad behind the bar said that he had some North Yorkshire Flying Herbert in the cellar if we would like some. We took him up on the offer and it was very nice. He also signed our WWW sheets as they hadn't managed to locate their stickers since the wander started. We also had some Speckled Hen, nothing wrong with it, just not one I am keen on.
We walked into the village to the Royal Oak. It was very warm in this Marstons pub. Again no beers which would qualify as a winter warmer. We accepted some Marstons Ugly Sisters which was fine.
We returned to bus travel for the journey to Chorlton. Traffic heading for the United v Villa game made this a slow journey. A walk along Beech Road brought us to the Trevor Arms. Busy and very much a locals pub there were just two beers on offer, Speckled Hen and Brains Party Popper. The two staff members were unable to locate the stickers but the arrival of the landlord soon rectified that. The Party Popper, which probably qualified as a mild, was the poorest beer that we had had to date. Midway through our beers the landlord came over with two fresh glasses of Downton Winter Solstice and swept away our Party Poppers with his apologies for it being served. Apparently the Party Popper had just gone off and the the Winter Solstice had just come on. As we had not made any comment about the Brains beer this was customer service at its very best. The Winter Solstice was very good.
A short walk away is the Horse & Jockey. This was my local 37 years ago! We were surprised how smart this pub was and there was an impressive beer line up, half a dozen cask ales mainly from northern micro breweries. Three beers qualified for a WWW sticker, which were easily located next to the till. Carol and I both chose Holts Maplemoon which was decent enough without being anything special. The attractiveness of this pub and its range of beers means that we will be revisiting it the next time we are in Chorlton.
Chorlton has some great modern bars serving both real ales and foreign bottled beers. Two of these bars were next up on the wander.
On our last visit to the Elektrik we had had two Hawkshead beers and on this occasion another of their beers, Brodies Prime, was on offer. At last this was a proper winter warmer, dark and tasty and 5%ABV. Along with this we had Derventio Winter Solstice, almost as strong as the Brodies Prime but a paler beer with a strong flavour of cloves. This was more like it, winter warmers at last.
Five minutes or so away is Pi. This small bar is always busy. We managed to get a couple of seats and from a choice of 3 real ales we had the one which qualified for the WWW, Bank Top Pavilion. Although I am a fan of Bank Top beers this was not up to their usual standard. Complementary peanuts are offered in Pi, needing something more substantial however we stayed and had food for which this bar is famous, pies.
Feeling that we could manage another beer we changed locations. We caught the 23A bus from Chortlon to Stockport and then a 192 bus along the A6 to Heavily. Out last pub of the day, some seven hours after we started, was the Blossoms. On the bar was a barrel of Old Tom which many would regard as the ultimate winter warmer. The only downside here was the discovery that we had somehow lost one of our Royal Oak stickers -
Sunday 13th December
We joined the hordes of Christmas shoppers on the train but none of them alighted along with us at Heaton Chapel. A ten minute or so walk brought us to the Nursery which was doing very good business. Two beers qualified for the WWW and so we had them both. The Hydes seasonal, High and Dry, was decent enough but we both thought that the Allgates Winter Meltdown was very good.
A walk of a similar length found us in the Railway on Wellington Road North. From their 5 hand pumps 2 beers met the WWW criteria. Unfortunately Lytham Baileys Blinder was possibly just starting to turn. Bradfield Farmers Belgium Blue however was far better.
Over the road it wasn't surprising to find half a dozen beers of 4.5%ABV or above from the 14 or so hand pumps in the Magnet. Our choices turned out to be two of the best beers on the wander so far. O'Hanlons Port Stout was not lacking in port making this a fine winter warmer. Even tastier was Ramsbury Rum Truffle which had a lovely earthiness to it.
Thursday 24th December
An early finish on Christmas Eve led to a drinking session in Manchester and Stockport with friends. We started in the Micro Bar where Boggarts Rum Porter wasn't lacking in the rum content. Our WWW sheets were signed as they had just run out of stickers. After a visit to the reopened and improved Angel we made the promised return to the Smithfield where there were plenty of qualifiers for the WWW. I opted for Greenmill Santa's Grog whilst Carol chose one of her favourites, Phoenix Wobbly Bob.
Over the road at the Bar Fringe we gained the last sticker for one sheet and a signature for the other. Our qualifying beer was Ramsbury Rum Truffle.
At the Crown in Stockport there was no pulling of the punches with Dark Star Critical Mass at 7.8%. This was yet another pub which had run out of stickers. With over three weeks to go it appears that the WWW is going to be a big success. Good thing it is not a sticker per beer consumed because we finished the evening with Acorn 7th Noel at 5.4%. It was in the Crown that an ironic incident took place. The beer of one of our friends was knocked over and spilt across our sticker sheets, and the person who caused this accident was none other than WWW organiser herself -
We started in the Railway on Avenue Street with some Cotleigh Red Nose Reinbeer,which neither of us was too keen on, and Pennine Pitch Porter. At 4.5% and 5.0% respectively these wouldn't normally be my first beers of the day but this is the WWW and a much stronger beer was to follow.
We don't get into the Swan with Two Necks too often and we had forgotten what a nice pub it is. We relaxed with some Robinsons Old Tom whilst listening to music from the late 50s and early 60s.
At our next pub, the Arden Arms, the music was more modern -
Monday 26th December
Although not far from our home in Cheadle Hulme we don't very often visit Cheadle and Gatley, the WWW gave us a reason to take to the bus and visit some more pubs that we hadn't visited for quite a while, years in some cases.
At the Prince of Wales the qualifying beer was Hydes Three Sheiks to the Wind, a pleasant starter to the afternoon. Almost next door the Gothic is rather careworn. The Cains F.A. was perfectly acceptable.
We had heard the Hydes XXXX would be available this festive season and so we thought that the Horse and Farrier would be a likely place to get it. Unfortunately this was not to be and so we chose the strongest Hydes beer that they had, Jekylls Gold, though this is only a 4.3% beer.
We caught the no.11 bus into Cheadle and first visited the Ashlea where, as expected, North Yorkshire beers were available including the 5.5% Valhalla. To finish the afternoon we had expected to be drinking some more Robbies Old Tom in the Red Lion but this wasn't to be. We were informed that they never sold Old Tom and so we chose Mr.Scrooge at a less than WWW strength of 4.4%. They also appeared not to have any stickers and took our sheets straight to a back room to stamp with their own pub stamp. Our beers, and the pub, were fine but did they misunderstand what the WWW was all about when they were asked to take part?
Tuesday 29th December
As we had some shopping to do in Manchester it seemed opportune to visit some more pubs on the trail. First up was the Black Lion. Unfortunately they didn't have a single beer of qualifying strength and told us that they wanted to encourage sensible drinking. Our beer choices couldn't have been more different, I had Slaters Why Knot which, at 3.6%, was rather non-
The Crescent. This was more like it, a nice warm pub with a lively atmosphere on a cold day. We chose two Phoenix beers and they were absolute crackers. The 7.5% Black As Your Hat was an imperial stout which looked and tasted the part, even better was the 7% Humbug which had a spicy, warming taste. Two beers worthy of the occasion.
Thursday 31st December
We hadn't set out to visit all 30 pubs but here we were on the last day of the year with just 2 to go. Although the nearest of the 30 pubs to home it is years since we last visited the Ladybrook Hotel in Bramhall. This is because it is not well served by public transport from Cheadle Hulme but, as it was dry and the snow and ice had cleared, we set off on the half an hours walk through the leafy suburbs. We were greeted by 14 hand pumps offering 5 different beers and we chose the 2 which were over 5%ABV in strength, Titanic Capt. Smith and Cropton Dangleberry, the latter being particularly good.
A New Years Eve visit to Stockport started with a visit to the Olde Vic for our final WWW sticker. We arrived at 5.05pm, just after opening time -
Thanks go to Margaret O'Brien and Dave Platt for organising the event.
Whilst enjoying the beers, pubs and drinking sessions with friends over the festive season we also received some very sad news. Yesterday David Charlesworth, known to all as "Charlie", passed away. Charlie was a former chairman of Huddersfield CAMRA and was also very active in organising their very enjoyable beer festivals. Charlie was widely known and respected and known to many in our own branch area as he often visited pubs and beer festivals on our side of the Pennines. Here's to you Charlie.
Dave & Carol Sheldon