The last post

Date: Sun, Jan 3, 2010

I spent the New Year in Prague with my beloved. Regular readers will know that I lived and worked there for a while three years before I started this blog. I love the Bohemian capital, and as it happens it's where I first became really interested in beer. After trying all manner of brews from scores of countries, there's still nothing I like more than a mug of pivo, freshly delivered to my table

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Christmas

Date: Thu, Dec 24, 2009

Merry Christmas to all my readers. I'm off to get the train to Newcastle now, and, East Coast Mainline permitting, I'll be spending this afternoon at the Big Lamp Brewery with my folks. Have a good one.

A very nice middle-aged couple came in for dinner last night. It was their first visit. After a brief conversation, it emerged that they'd lived in my flat before selling to the chap who then sold it to me. That's some coincidence.

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Casola in the snow

Date: Wed, Dec 23, 2009

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What I really think of CAMRA

Date: Tue, Dec 22, 2009

The end draws near, and yet there are a few things I need to say. So expect a post very soon where I sum up my views.

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Imperial

Date: Mon, Dec 21, 2009

A week or so ago I wrote about Ascot Anastasia's Exile Stout. Then I served it to customers in my pub. Then it sold out (very quickly). So then I got some more of it, and that sold even more quickly. So I got some more of it. It'll be back on sale tomorrow.

Su and Chris from the brewery sent me a present: two bottles of their supercharged Imperial Stout. At 8% abv, it's a beast. I cracked one open last week. I can't remember exactly what it tasted like, but it was bloody lovely, and helped me unwind as I took a quick breather on a very busy day.

In the background of that photo you can see a group of proper tuckers-in. Those chaps were through the door shortly after noon, and didn't leave until they'd worked their way through all four of the ales, a hearty lunch and a few bottles of Côtes du Rhône. It's been the same story throughout December: the office parties are invariably lame affairs, with no-one really wanting to get their smash on. It's groups of pals using the Christmas season as an excuse for extended boozy get-togethers who create all the atmosphere. I salute them.

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Silly season

Date: Sat, Dec 19, 2009

It's nearly over. Christmas, that is. By the time the day itself comes around I'll be glad to be out of the office, but won't ever want to see a cracker or a bauble again. This week has been the busiest of all, with nearly 100 people dining here yesterday alone and the bar jam packed from open to close. For this little pub, the silly season has been a big success - much, much better than last year - but after five consecutive 14 hour days, I'm knackered.

Writing something witty isn't on the cards, so I'll wrap this up. We're off to Oxford for my mate Mike's wedding. The service and reception are in his old college, but for the evening do they've hired out the whole of The Turf Tavern. Perfect.

PS. I had that Ben McFarland in the pub last night, with his writing partner Tom Sandham. They've just launched an online drinks magazine, Dwink. Ben is a two-time former British Beer Writer of the Year. We've known each other for years, but not through the world of beer. His best mate from school is a former flatmate of mine. Said former flatmate fell asleep in the gents' cubicle at The Gunmakers last night, and had to be revived by young Eddie. It was emotional.

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Fullers London Porter

Date: Wed, Dec 16, 2009

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Big drop

Date: Mon, Dec 14, 2009

This morning I took a beer delivery for what's surely going to be the busiest week of the year. It was massive. The cellar's almost as packed as the bar will be on Friday night. So many tubs were flying his way, we had to give the drayman's mateamoment to catch his breath.

On the bar right now we have Purity Mad Goose, Woodforde's Wherry, St Austell Proper Job and Ascot Winter Reserve. The first three will be on constantly until Christmas. The Winter Reserve will be replaced by Otter Amber, Adnam's Old, then Lancaster Blonde.

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Crawlers

Date: Sun, Dec 13, 2009

The Gunmakers is closed on weekends. There are good reasons for that, the most important being my desire for an easy life.

On Saturday evening, as I pottered around preparing for a private party, a group of lads came bowling down Eyre Street Hill. Chef was tabbing it outside, and explained the situation to them. The gang leader received such a bollocking from his chums that I took pity on him. The boys were admitted, and proceeded to tuck into pints of St Austell Proper Job and Ascot Winter Reserve as the staff laid out a lavish buffet and lit candles around them.

And as they sat there sinking their beer, they talked nonsense. Pure shite. Not so much a babbling brook, but more a gushing torrent of effluent. It was marvellous. Thankfully, the fivesome behaved themselves. Clearly, they were at that happy stage of the crawl where tensions have yet to arise. They even kept their beery hands off the food. We waved them off as they left in good spirits as the first of many smartly-dressed guests rolled up for the evening's more genteel proceedings.

I used to have a particular fondness for pub crawls. One of the most memorable was a ten-man effort three years ago, in St Albans. I wrote about it here. It's noticable that on every crawl, someone lugs around a large bag - usually a spoddy rucksack - for no good reason. The group that visited us was no exception, as you'll see on the photo. What's he got in there? His gym kit?

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Stout

Date: Thu, Dec 10, 2009

I visited Ascot Brewery back in February of 2008, not long after it was acquired by my friends Chris and Su Gill. Today, we'll be selling their Anastasia's Exile Stout here at The Gunmakers. It's a proper, bitter stout that pours perfectly black. At 5% abv, it's a fairly sensible strength, too. I intend to cane it relentlessly until the last drop is gone, so get here quickly if you want to try some.

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X-Factor

Date: Tue, Dec 8, 2009

I'll confess I've been following X-Factor this year. Naturally I'm backing Joe McElderry from my own home town of South Shields in the final, even if he isn't the most masculine fellow in the world. However, I'm wary about expressing my preference in the pub after reading this story on BBC News Online.

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The Monday Club

Date: Mon, Dec 7, 2009

I'm very rarely sighted at The Gunmakers on a Monday or Tuesday evening. I take the view that my landlordly presence is only required during busy lunch services and on evenings when we're packed out. As such, I've missed out on the development of something very special: The Monday Club.

The chap I employ to assist me in management duties - Eddie is his name - presides over this exclusive society. Every week they gather to cane the ales, dominate the sound system and hoover up steak sandwiches. Tonight, I had to step into Eddie's shoes (his mum had whisked him off to Venice).

Now, I'd heard that a certain celebrity had become a regular on Mondays. Appreciating the more relaxed scene, he'd taken to sampling our guest ales on the quietest night of the week. The gent in question oncehosted a TV programme involving improvised comedy that I loved as a young'un. This evening - through gritted teeth-I watched him mingle with other Gunmakers regulars, with whom he's become well acquainted. When I served him, I could see it in his eyes: who's this random geezer - he looks a little old to be a barman.

And so, I learned something tonight: take your eye off the ball, and you'll be a stranger in your own pub.

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Blogadogadingdong

Date: Fri, Dec 4, 2009

A clutch of beer bloggers turned up at The Gunmakers tonight. In this photo you'll see five of theose crazy cats: Knut Albert, John (The Beer Nut), Mark (Pencil and Spoon), Dave (Woolpack) and Ron (Shut up about Barclay Perkins). Blogadogadingdong.

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That's the Proper Job

Date: Wed, Dec 2, 2009

A pale, fearsomely hopped ale at 4.5% abv is hardly the winter warmer. Nevertheless, St Austell's Proper Job is going to be a regular fixture here throughout December. I've never seen a beer bring such joy to our regulars, and that's good enough for me. Yesterday we had a table who knew exactly what they wanted - five of the same, guv'nor.When I saw the ticket at the bar,I carried them over myself, so I could congratulate them in person.

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