I found this image quite a while ago. It's called The Old Inn, in a place called Windcombe in the Moor. Look's like a lovely place on a rainy winter's afternoon.
What's for Dinner
Looks like the beginning of a great dinner. What you can't see is the chips already in the fryer - bubbling away quite nicely.
Cheers!
Beer is Good For You - Well Duh!
Apparently, a Penn State research study - of some 80,000 people - found that a beer or two a day can actually make you healthier, and is good for your heart. Oh heck, I've known that for years.
For the whole story, by Nick Hines over at Vinepair, click here. But first make sure you a beer - doctor's orders!
Man Uses Beer as Currency
Here's a great story - A man hitchhiked from Edinburgh Scotland to Delhi India using nothing but beer to pay his way. Sponsored by the folks at Innes & Gunn Manny Marshall made the 5,000 miles trip using the brewery's IPA as money.
Click here for the whole story - by Darren Smith, over at The Drinks Business.
And in More UK Pub News....
Ever want to buy your own waterfall? How about one that is known for a "Naked Robin Hood?" And if you buy the property, there is a great old pub thrown in as part of the bargain.
Interested?
Click here for all the details.
South Alabama British Car Club
Out and about last weekend - we stopped by the annual South Alabama British Car Club show, in downtown Fairhope, Alabama. A good show, decent turnout and a couple of rarer birds.
And...In UK Pub News....
The Marksman in Bethnal Green is Michelin pub of the year
Looks like a great place. A gastropub serving new wave pub food is nice, as long as the old reliable standards are still on offer.
Click here for the story - from the BBC
Pity - No More After This...
This is one darn good beer - Newcastle - Caledonian Collaborative Editions Scotch Ale. Since this was a limited release there will be no more. These were my last two - and now they are gone. Very tasty, but now it's gone - Pity.
Another Really Tiny UK Pub
Well, there is another new pub that claims the title of the UK's smallest pub, and from the photo that accompanies the article, this may well be true. Click here to read the little article by Lucy Shaw.
Save The Date
Planning on being in the UK in June of next year? Then pencil these dates in to your book - 17 & 18 June 2017. These are the provisional dates for the MG Car Club's MGLive! 2017. Heck, even if you can't attend, click here to watch a cool little video. Cheers!
A New One to the List - St Peter's Cream Stout
It looks like at least one more of St Peter's catalog of beers has made it to my part of North America. The shop only had two bottles, and of course, I bought them both. At first blush - this is one tasty stout. Try it if you can find it.
Can You Complete These Popular English Pub Names?
Here's a quick one from the folks at Quizfreak. Funny thing - I have actually been to some of these pubs (of course, there are more than one by the same name).
Take the quiz here.
The Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland - United
By the end of 2016, it is estimated that the value of all the independent craft brewed beer made in Ireland will be worth some 20 million Euro, a sum that the big brewers and distributors have certainly taken notice of. It seems that the big boys want to hitch a ride on the wave created by the small craft brewer. In response, the Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland (IBCI) organization has created a symbol - see the emblem below - that when seen on a beer will let the drinker know that this truly is a craft beer brewed by a small independent Irish brewer.
I think this is sort of a kin to what the genuine Trappist monks did years ago, when everybody was starting to claim they made a Trappist beer. Of course, the Trappists went one step farther by ensuring, in legal terms, that a Trappist product was a genuine Trappist product. I don't think the Irish craft brewer can go quite this far, but at least when you see this emblem you will know the beer comes from an independent Irish brewer.
Read more of the story here.
Check out the Independent Irish Craft Brewers organization here.
Like Gin? Need a Job?
Perhaps you could qualify as a trained gin butler. Click here for the whole story.
Yes indeed, just the thing while waiting for a nice roast beef to get done. This really is a fine beer. Cheers!
Just a Quick Spencer Before Dinner...
Darn It! - No More Godzilla Beer
BRITISH BEER FORCED TO DROP NAME AFTER GODZILLA LEGAL WARNING
Well, I guess if you name your pale ale sort of like the name Godzilla - actually, it was Cogzilla - and then put a lizard on the label, you are just asking for a letter from some pesky lawyers.
Read the story here. By Steven Green, over at The Drinks Business.
Pubs are Great - Well, Yes...
I was just cruising around the Interweb the other day and came across this site Pubs are Great. Very interesting, indeed. It's a website/app that helps folks find a great pub in the UK. Even if you are not crossing the pond anytime soon, this is a fun site to take a look at. Great photography is a good enough reason to stop by. Here's the link.
Here is what they say about themselves:
VisitBritain, in partnership with the British Beer & Pub Association and Inapub, has developed a new pub-based app and website to help visitors find GREAT pubs.
Visiting a pub is the third most popular activity for overseas visitors, with four out of ten heading to a pub at some point during their stay. With this in mind, we have designed our app and website to ensure that visitors can always find a pub close to the area or attraction that they are visiting. This new service covers a whole range of visitor attractions under the headlines: Heritage, Culture, Countryside, Sport and Music and will help visitors pin point a GREAT pub which is closest to them at any one time.
Whether you’re at Blenheim Palace, Tate St Ives; in the New Forest, or looking for the pub where you favourite band once played, the PubsareGREAT app and website will be able to help you find a great place to relax.
So for you nest trip over to the UK - this looks like a good app to have handy. Cheers!
Callaghan's Irish Social Club
If, for whatever reason, you happen to find yourself with a day off in Mobile, Alabama, here are a couple of suggestions for things to do. First, spend a good part of the day exploring the grounds of Bellingrath Garden, in nearby Theodore, Alabama. Thanks to the mild sub-tropical climate on the Gulf Coast, there will always be something blooming at Bellingrath. Click here for all the details.
Then, all worn out from walking a few miles, head downtown and dive into a great Irish pub called the Callaghan's Irish Social Club. This is what we did today, and I can tell you there is almost nothing better than a few cool Harps - doctor's orders - after a long hot hike.
Bellingrath Gardens
A Pub Checklist...
As much as I hate a set criteria for what does and does not make a great pub, this list makes for a funny read. And many points do tend to make a great pub.
From Buzzfeed - Click here.
A Little Something From South America
Just picked these photos from a dude down in Uruguay - a nice little MG TF sporting Montevideo tags. Nothing on the back of the photos, so I have no idea as to the year. Still, nice images, all the same.
