Round Sixty Two

20/11/21

2021 races to its climax, and the lads race out to their northernmost odyssey tour thus far to make records! (Joint most pubs in one outing - 11)

Peterborough

286. The Coalheavers Arms, Park Street.

Rated highly in the bible but quite why we weren't sure. A nice pub by all accounts, comfortable and friendly with a good ale selection. A mild sweaty stale aroma on entering. Nice all the same.

Beers:

Woodfordes Brewery Once Bittern - dark amber, mid bitter, nutty, textured and decent.

Worsthorne Brewery Some Like It Blonde - blonde, translucent, watery, very bitter. 

285. Charters Bar, River Nene.

The first pub of the odyssey to require a mooring. A floaty bargey brew up with a terrific array of taps. Comfy, bright, long and alive. A very tasty asian restaurant on top deck.

Beers: 

Todd Steam Brewery Dr Fox's Chicken Choker - Smells fowl (hehe), a mildly tangerine coloured ale, no real taste of chicken but pretty cluckin' good, mid bitter, quite ok.

NVB Supersonic Gin and Tonic - orangey colour, quite opaque, real gin overtones, very interesting, strangely drinkable.

284. The Brewery Tap, Westgate.

A large and spacious brewpub, claiming to be the biggest in Europe. The microbrewery is nicely framed and lit behind glass. Nice long bar with a friendly barman. Curiously empty spaced in the center - a mirror ball hangs above. Thai food is prepared on site and served to punters on the upper floor.

Beers: 

Oakham Brewery JHB - lightish amber, safe, slight bitterness, ok, brewed in honour of a very short man from history, John Hudson (top barman knowledge).

Oakham Brewery Inferno - amber, no real aroma, bitter with coriander notes, a middle ground beer.

283. The Bumble Inn, Westgate.

Terrific and friendly microbrewery serving tasting planks, a wide array of choice despite its miniature nature. Wooden panelled all around in its distinctive pale blue. Clearly regularly attended by many. A real treat.

Beers:

Three Sods Brewery Boho Bitter - Dark brown, medium bitter, steady and reliable.

Bath Ales Gem - Dark brown, quite clear, quite smooth, minimally bitter, textured, gentle. 

Ossett Brewery Centennial - light amber, clear, floral, light around the mouth, bitter, hangs around a short time, summery, refreshing.

282. The Stone Works, Church Street.

A narrow and cute crafty bar. Understated but has character. Hazy inside due to a small smoke machine, and a mild swimming pool aroma. Dimly lit. Twenty four taps line along the rear of the bar. Simple decor and a very nice stay.

Beers:

Brew York and Fyne Ales Release the Cranachan - very sweet, very dark, strong forest fruits smell to it, cherries, light for a stout, powerful flavour. 

Leigh on Sea and Neptune Phire and Lime - Light, sour, yellow, translucent, melon  aroma, cucumber taste, a pleasant and light sour, not too much mouthfeel.

281. The Queen's Head, Queen Street.

Bright and buzzing, people are often seen queueing outside. Charles Wells beers on tap. Bare brick design suiting it well. Accosted by two overly painted females asking (and telling) far too much about body parts and drawing much attention away from two very good beers. A pub that brings out the strangest of Peterboroughns. 

Beers: 

Charles Wells DNA - steady, tasty, moorish, brown, very drinkable.

Charles Wells Origin - Light brown, tasty middle ground mild beer, like a solid wooden barrel.

280.The Blind Tiger, Cowgate. 

An outlier in odyssey history. A glass-fronted bar with a great focus on interesting and crafty ales. Tidy, a great buzz and a fun little retro gaming table adorned with Pacman imagery. 

Beers: 

Devils Peak UK Lucy Goes West - citrusy and  bitter from the start, lightly bubbly, quite pleasant and light, gassy.

Neon Raptor Brewing Co. Montagues - yellow and opaque, very very hazy, wheaty, bubbly.

279. The Drapers Arms, Cowgate.

A large and noteworthy Wetherspoons for its expansive nature including an outdoor balcony bar. Great selection of ales as you would expect. Fairly regular spoons decor but as always with a nod to the local area in its displays. Very popular.

Beers: 

Newby Wyke Brewery the Deep - dark like Poseidon's thoughts of Persephone, like the singularity, very deeply black, bitter overtone and a strong tar like slick towards the back of the throat, all hopes and dreams lost inside forever. 

Grainstore Brewery Ten Fifty - hazel brown, light head, no real aroma, slightly smooth, sweetness at the front, tails off very slowly and leaves a liquery aftertaste. 

Whittlesey

278. Dog in a Doublet, North bank. 

Sadly empty, blamed on the closed main road nearby. An interesting collection of spaces from the rear restaurant, the front lounge and the beds available somewhere else. Probably intentionally confused decoration but with a consistent fascination with pooch portraits. Disappointing bar.

Beers: 

Guinness Original

John Smith's Extra Smooth

277. The Black Bull, Market Street.

A very nice stumble-upon. An attractive front facade and equally attraction interior made for a nice drink. Initially turned practically every head in the room as we walked in, not being local and all. Sport on in the far corner, a locals local.

Beers: 

Timothy Taylor's The Landlord - Medium amber, slight head, slight fizz, little ripple on the tongue, slight bitterness, very drinkable.

Sharps Doombar - Solid, reliable, ubiquitous, as always. 

276. The George Hotel, Market Street.

A respectable start in one of the finer Wetherspoons in a large building dominating the market square in town. Festive food on the menu got us started nicely and interesting beers washed it down a treat. 

Beers:

Wolf Brewery Wolf Whistle - substantial head, brown, aroma suggests something dark has happened in its past, full bodied, bitter beginning, long finish, nice and frothy mouthfeel.

Exmoor Brewery Exmoor Exmas - reddish ruby, no head at all, smooth, flat, chestnuts and cranberry flavours. 

Round Sixty One - Lads on Stag Two

02/07/21

Lads Beer Odyssey Special Edition Tipsy Turvy Stag Crawl - Energise!

Cambridge

275. The Earl of Derby, Hills Road.

A sturdy and sensible start and finish to the stagging around. Food well served. Beer drunk well.

274. Eagle, Bene't Street.

A fantastic and historic stone faceted pub with a great maze of rooms and selection of beers. Originally a coaching inn and loved by RAF servicemen, who in history have 'tattooed' their squadron numbers and names onto the rear bar ceiling. It is well preserved alongside many other RAF collections.

273. The Clarenden Arms, Clarenden Street.

A lovely little U shaped pub which is close and cosy. Some of the best bar snacks around including huge, freshly made runny scotch eggs. 

Beers:

Greene King Icebreaker

Greene King Abbot Ale

272. King Street Run, King Street.

A cool and slightly sticky public house that loves to quote quotes on the beams and ceiling. Busy walls, TV's and gambling machines keep this place buzzing.

Beers:

Robinson's Trooper -  Heavy

271. The Free Press, Prospect Row.

Old pub with a central bar. Nicely decked out including a fireplace and a garden in which we drank til our hearts were content.

Beers:

Black Sheep Pale Ale - Misty, medium amber, no real aroma, medium, very smooth and reliable

St Austell Sauvignon Blonde - mysterious layer of cloud, no head, rather yellow, bitter initial taste mellowing out to a Wheaty smoothness.

Round Sixty

19/06/21

The lads are back on tour! Ladding returns to the laddish towns of Kelvedon and Witham to experience a whole new world of beer!

270. The Sun Inn, Feering Hill, Kelvedon.

A cute and rather old wooden sort of pub with a lovely warm appearance and good atmos. Comfy leather seating and a couple of inviting fireplaces make this a top destination for a winter brew, and during summer, a nice outdoor space too. A very well done mixture of old and new.

Beers: 

Shepherd Neame Spitfire - a little fighting beast of a beer with all of the usual knobs in all the right places, vrooooommmm.

Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger - dark brown, bitterness, complex flavour, 

269. The Railway Tavern, High Street, Kelvedon.

An interesting pub on the river with a great outdoor drinking space. Modern in many senses but with enough tradition in place to please young and old.

Beers: 

Greene King Absolute Screamer - lighter amber, frothy, Wheaty on the nose, old fashioned ale, light bodied, quite average, like an old sock, back of the net!

Green King IPA - brown, reliable, quite mild, smooth, 

268. The Woolpack Inn, Church Street, Witham.

Not a scene from Emmerdale, a very nice local with all the regulars who were very interested to know who we were. Quite compact when full, tankards above the bar, some daring ales on tap. Well worth visiting.

Beers: 

George's Checkpoint Charlie - up front flavour, medium bodied, bitter but not overpowering, refreshing.

Witham Brewery No Name - very dark, smokey like a stout, brown, smooth, chestnutty, autumnal, like a colourful forest.

Witham Brewery Scruffy Mild - dark with slight red, no real aroma, slight chocolate taste, sweet with a deep fruity taste.

267. The White Horse, Church Street, Witham.

A nice open plan type pub with a sporting nature suitable for large gatherings the like of which have been out of question very recently! Pub games including a pool table available, goodlong bar and good people.

Beers: 

Adnams Ghost Ship - slight froth, medium amber, spooky aroma, citrus notes, does not offend, slight bitterness, steady.

Courage Light Ale - dark and courageous but yet light, fizzy, grapey, has a bit of bite.

266. The Railway, Chipping Hill, Witham.

Another lovely traditional wooden beamed drinkery with a few different areas providing privacy as well as being quite a sociable place. A really nice place to chill. Needs one or two extra options at the bar.

Beers: 

Caledonian Brewery Deuchars - a strong hit on first taste, fruity, juicy, very hazy, zesty, an interestingly acidic beer.

265. The Red Lion, Newland Street, Witham.

Lovely old pub with a dartboard and a feisty landlady. Once clearing security and clearing the air, tis a nice place to drink. But dare I say it, not many ale options.

Beers : (served with attitude) did it look like there's any more real ale...?

Sharps Doombar - reliable, deep, mild, as before.

St Austells Tribute - hazy, perhaps more than usual, 

264. White Hart Inn, Newland Street, Witham.

Really tidy and well looked after old inn. Plenty of nooks to find and a good choice at the bar. The barman was able to fill us in on the history of the ale we were drinking.  

Beers: 

Mighty Oak Brewery Kings - light amber, small bubbles, quite clear, medium bodied, refreshing and sweet, very bitter to the other lad however and difficult to finish. 

Mighty Oak Brewery Gorgeous George - dark amber, bittersweet taste, soapy, bitter, probably 4 hopped, not too bad.

263. The Swan, Newland Street, Witham.

Pool table and darts board available, but unable to use as the pub was already over-full as per covid requirements! Fairly plain indoors but fortunately a free bench awaited us outside.

Beers:

Adnams Broadside - dark caramel and stormy to the eye, cannot see the other reduce for puckle gun smoke, smokey smell like someone fitted off a 45lbs-er, caramelly, smooth with a sweet note, a hint of cherry, deep and moreish.

Adnams Southwold - quite dark amber, light head, piney, like the light support ship behind the 1st rate ship of the line, flavoursome but lighter next to the broadside.

262. The Battesford Court, Newland Street, Witham.

Good ol' Wetherspoons picked a good'n here. Very nice old wooden beamed and wooden pillared structure. Nice high ceiling and well kept. Provided good fills as well as good beer choice as ever.

Beers: 

Loddon Dragonfly - amber, very light head, little prickle, smokey like a simmering BBQ, deep, good flavour, medium, hint of spice (coriander/pepper).

Ramsgate She Sells Sea Shells - yellow hue, light floral aroma, a bit heady, biscuits, full bodied, tastes lingers, quite bitter, like standing in a farmer's field, a good start.