Journal Entries
A Green and Pleasant Land
Posted Sep 15, 2003
So back at work again after a weeks holiday in the far south west of Ireland being taken to loads of places and meeting loads of people.
It was a good week but I'm glad to be back here to rest again 
The wild lands of the Mizen, the more cultured gardens at Garinish, the strand at Barleycove, the harbours of Baltimore, Crookhaven and Glandore, the rockpool of Lough Hyne and the relaxed bars and hotels everywhere.Excelent food and people.
All in all I'd like to go back and see more (above and below the waterline) and relax watching the sunset over the harbours with a glass of beer (mines a 
or 
please 
)
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Latest reply: Sep 15, 2003
Away with the fairies
Posted Sep 5, 2003
So I'm just sat at work doing a bit of thumb twiddling before heading off on holiday to the emrald isle.
I've managed to finish what I've been working on this week and so there isn't a huge amount (or anything much at all really) to do now but wait.
I wait for MC to finish and pick me up so we can tootle down to Pembroke in time for an overnight sailing 
. Before we get that far we'll be stopping off at a very nice ale house out in Cheshire for some tea and a drink (well it is friday after all )
Then it's off to have a holiday and meet some of her relatives over there and generally try and relax for a bit, see some nice places, eat some good food and do the kind of things you do on holiday.
See you all when we're back.
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Latest reply: Sep 5, 2003
It could only happen in England
Posted Aug 26, 2003
A pub with no beer and the strange tale of the train with no return (fridays only).
It is no wonder that other countries look to England to get strange tales of funny, quirky happenings for here it really does happen.
1 - The pub with no beer
From charming picturesque country pub to back street boozer the pub is part of britain and it's culture. These day's you're likely to see most people drinking mass produced fizzy lager rather than real ale straight from the barrel but they're there in the pub drinking all the same. The pub I went to yesterday was different. Before you enter there are only a few signs this is different to your average pub. The pub sat on the banks of the river in rural Lincolnshire is just the place to spend a sunny sunday afternoon if you're out that way. If you'd not read the signs properly on the way in when you get to the bar you'd realise. This is a pub that doesn't sell beer - either ale or lager. It's not a temperance house either as the range of alcoholic beverage on offer is large. No this is one of very few cider houses. If you want something alcoholic in a pint or half then you'll be drinking from the fruit of the apple tree. 8 different types of cider on taps on the bar, and yet another 4 on offer from large plastic barrels behind the bar and yet more in bottles (large and small) to buy and drink or take away. If you're after wine then they do a large selction of country fruit wines. The most normal pub type thing you're likely to see are the very few optics selling spirits.
Like most country pubs it sells food and what a meal you get. High on the list are the sausages, from a local butcher according to the menu, Lincolnshire pork and scrumpy. The menu offeres choices of 1 to 6 sausages with chips on the plate. I had three and was full afterwards, these are big sausages, full of fine taste and texture.
After the food and a couple of drinks it was time to leave but not before buying bottles to take home, from the big jug style bottles of Westons Cider to the more regular bottle shaped bottles it's a big choice.
If you drink cider and like to drink real cider then this place is a must to visit.
2 - The train with no return (fridays only)
I've been meaning to tell you all about this for some time now. Near here there is a train service that runs one way only on one day a week, fridays and normally doesn't get much custom, usually train enthusiasts. Why bother? Well it turns out that it would be much more bother and cost to close the line to passengers and close the two intermediate train stations this service calls at than it is to run just one train a week.
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Latest reply: Aug 26, 2003
Brewers Delight
Posted Aug 21, 2003
Yesterday evening I spent my time being shown round the Queens Brewery, home of the Hydes brewing company here in Manchester.
At the appointed time we turned up at the gates of the victorian complex and met with the assembled group - a bunch from the Stockport and South Manchester CAMRA branch and some like us who had completed the Mild Challenge earlier on in the year.
We were shown up into the brewery bar and were invited to start the evening with a sample of one of the 5 real ales (along with smooth bitter or lager) that the company produce under their own brand. After spending some time drinking (Hydes Dark 'welsh' Mild, a dark but very drinkable brew) we were given a short talk on saftey on the tour (no drinking glasses, beware of the steep steps, don't touch any chemical/barrels) and we went up to the top of the brewery into the mill room. As we were at the top of the building it was very warm in there. Were were given a description of what would happen there in production and then moved down into a different area.
Here we saw the copper whirlpool (where the hops are added to the process) and something I can't remember the name of but which allowed the brewery to get 80+% yield from the malt - something our tour guide was a pains to tell us about, the fact that Hydes use an all malt (ie no added sugar or other grains) brew process.
The fermentation room was next on the tour and we saw the big stainless steel modern fermenters that are used now but also they keep an old wooden fermenter built around the turn of the 19th century for specials and test brews. In this large open topped vessel we could see a brew which had reached the end of it's fermentation and the guide said would soon be racked off into barrels for secondary fermentation and transport to the customers. The tour guide also told us about how he helped improve quality when he first joined by implementing a lab system to check the yeast and stopping using sulpher tablets to try and help keep the beer - thus removing a couple of taints from the beers. We also were told about how for the main beers the recipe has remained essentially unchanged for probably 100 years.
Down the stairs to the racking room where many barrels stood round waiting to be filled, or filled and waiting to be delivered. Then we were taken round a corner and shown the source of the water. The brewry has it's own well in the base of the brewhouse, going down 120 feet to draw the water up and through a filter rather than using the same tap water I drink each day.
This was the end of the tour and we went back up to the hospitality bar for more drinks and some nibbles. Drink was drunk and chat was made, an approach was made for me to buy the guide to Stockport pubs (Viaducts and Vaults, a guide to every pub in the bourough of Stockport, real ale or not) and for us to join CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale. As I'd already got the book and was going to join CAMRA at the next beer festival I go to (a couple of weeks time) we managed to keep them talking and not have to sign anything
Then all too soon the bell was rung and we were having to go on our way into the night to our homes.
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Latest reply: Aug 21, 2003
I knew it'd eventually happen
Posted Aug 15, 2003
What, you might be wondering, I knew would eventually happen?
Payday
After all that time it feels good to have had a large chunk of money put into my bank account for time and services rendered to the employer.
And just because I've got paid, I'll get you a (virtual of course, I don't get paid that much )
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Latest reply: Aug 15, 2003
Phil
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