tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post3434781552671617197..comments2024-03-09T04:57:25.956+00:00Comments on HardKnott Dave's blog about stuff: In defence of the CrafteratiAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11319272987951077205noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post-56286523364656703472011-03-24T12:21:39.076+00:002011-03-24T12:21:39.076+00:00Oh and as for the argument of more rural landlords...Oh and as for the argument of more rural landlords that they stock "what they can sell" I have limited patience. In my view there's a very good reason why we're losing 29 pubs a week (or whatever the figure is). They're mostly stocking the same old rubbish week in week out as "what they can sell" and punters are getting bored of it. What's the point of going out to the pub to buy 5 pints of bland, boring beer you've had a hundred times before under the guise of various mediocre breweries, when you can stay in and get an interesting bottle of beer from the shop, or a tasty new bottle of wine?<br /><br />I live in Lancaster where we at least get decent bottled selections behind a few bars, but the choices on draught still largely rotate between a few fairly bland local offerings. Hence, I don't actually go out drinking at the pub that often, 'cos the choices available don't interest me and I can take far more interesting bottles home from work.The Wineyardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17715437616035831363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post-60179717184293260772011-03-24T12:16:42.481+00:002011-03-24T12:16:42.481+00:00I believe Citrillo is largely for the upcoming Spo...I believe Citrillo is largely for the upcoming Spoons festival or similar, and after that's done, it'll be sold under the a name along the lines of Cumbrian Five Hop. I'm fuzzy on the specifics but it will be available as an ongoing product...The Wineyardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17715437616035831363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post-51875022381820168862011-03-13T18:15:21.134+00:002011-03-13T18:15:21.134+00:00Eddie, yes, seem to remember there is a nice pub i...Eddie, yes, seem to remember there is a nice pub in some village on the Welsh boarder that serves a good pint.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11319272987951077205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post-68856406882191326702011-03-13T17:39:47.648+00:002011-03-13T17:39:47.648+00:00I wouldn't say everywhere in the countryside i...I wouldn't say everywhere in the countryside is quite so, erm, bland?<br />There is nothing like a long bike ride in the country to find a surprising choice of ales in a country pub.Eddie86https://www.blogger.com/profile/03552007546467495543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post-62355534118968787562011-03-13T17:19:03.031+00:002011-03-13T17:19:03.031+00:00Phil, I do not think there should be high class be...Phil, I do not think there should be high class beer everywhere. I just think there is room for some high class beer. I don't think it should be in every pub, or even many pubs. Indeed, perhaps the right place for it is a top notch restaurants and poncy beer bars. Just as you like your style of beer at the price you think is OK, I'm happy to pay a little more, sometimes, for something a little different.<br /><br />And sometimes I just want a pint. Often in fact.<br /><br />I don't disagree that there is a place for all beer, even, if we are to use the term, boring brown beer. <br /><br />The point isn't to try and do away with anything. I don't want to wage a war against what is popular. Perhaps I like my beers a little more bitter than you, although it would be interesting to see what we each found undrinkably bitter. Perhaps we might agree. I don't want to deny you your favoured tipple, and if it's not the same as mine then that's no problem.<br /><br />If you only ever found beers that were not to your taste. If you had difficulty finding beers you enjoyed, then you have every right to complain.<br /><br />I feel that in my part of the world there is a lot of beer that is similar. There are some notable exceptions as Mudgie has pointed out, but you do have to hunt them out.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11319272987951077205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post-82959451720730312582011-03-13T16:59:34.212+00:002011-03-13T16:59:34.212+00:00Dave - I just meant that you seemed to have taken ...Dave - I just meant that you seemed to have taken a detour from the "high-class beer everywhere!" battle to fit in a skirmish in the "brown beer is boring!" barney. (Which I still don't get - personally I'm seldom so bored in a pub as when I've got 3/4 of a pint of something undrinkably bitter still to get through.)Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07009879034507926661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post-37889475203077493632011-03-13T16:34:13.714+00:002011-03-13T16:34:13.714+00:00Mudgie, well of course you are right, but I still ...Mudgie, well of course you are right, but I still reserve the right to complain that this is the case.<br /><br />Specifically, talking about Hawkshead, they do consistently brew some spanking good beers. Sadly, even these beers fail to get to this town.<br /><br />Most recently there was a new Hawkshead beer called Citrillo, or something like that. I gather it had Citra and Amarillo hops in it. Top notch it is, I do hope they include it in their portfolio permanently.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11319272987951077205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post-36449795950395441862011-03-13T16:13:30.890+00:002011-03-13T16:13:30.890+00:00If you live in a remote rural area you have to acc...If you live in a remote rural area you have to accept some limitation of choice compared with living in the city. Those pubs will put on cask beers that they can sell and their customers will drink in sufficient quantities. In particular they probably won't be able to sell anything above 4.5% ABV. <br /><br />If you really want hop-bombs you will have to either buy them in bottle or get on the train to Manchester.<br /><br />And isn't Hawkshead Lakeland Gold by any standards a pretty hoppy beer?Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post-66492255598053101632011-03-13T15:06:15.541+00:002011-03-13T15:06:15.541+00:00Phil, but imagine you had no choice.......
Good h...Phil, but imagine you had no choice.......<br /><br />Good hop-bombs are good beers. They rarely appear in Cumbria.<br /><br />Yes, I agree there are some very good malt driven beers and I like them a lot. But I want choice. I want more hop character near to me. This is the battle I'm fighting, if we want to call it a battle. What battle are you fighting?<br /><br />I can walk to three pubs to get cask beer. I'd suggest that most of that cask iszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..........Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11319272987951077205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446074078505386356.post-8967755743743833002011-03-13T14:56:12.085+00:002011-03-13T14:56:12.085+00:00Imagine you very rarely get anything other than bo...<i>Imagine you very rarely get anything other than boring brown beer, or even perhaps pale beer, but barely with much hop character to write about</i><br /><br />One battle at a time, please! Some of the best beers I've ever had have been brown, malty & distinctly short of 'hop character'. Good hop-bombs are good beers, but they're only one kind of good beer.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07009879034507926661noreply@blogger.com