Acorn Barnsley Gold at The Bridge House, Belfast

Tucked behind the busy main road of Belfast is The Bridge House, a Wetherspoons pub that is the true champion of real ale in the area. The pub is also opposite the BBC’s Northern Ireland headquarters, so a few famous faces might be spotted from time to time. Eight real ales are available here, and I chose a pint of Barnsley Gold from Acorn brewery to compliment my meal. The beer was in great condition and the hour was certainly worth its twice CAMRA Pub of the Year Award. The pub was moderately busy, but we managed to find a table without too much trouble and the food arrived relatively quickly. The pub was also a hotspot for our taxi firm, which was great value and was often cheaper than catching the bus when the three of us put our fares together, with a fast  service and was mostly very friendly too.

Summer Editoriale

It’s festival season! All across the land, gazeebos are being assembled; marquees are being constructed; and many volunteers are hard at work planning to bring you the very best of music, food, and of course, beer, cider and perry. And when the sun does eventually shine; it’s a great chance to get together with family and friends and explore the four corners (and beyond) of this fair Isle. But don’t forget that there’s some great pubs with fantastic beer gardens here in Worcestershire too. Just take a look at our cover photo of the Eagle and Sun in Hanbury Wharf which is a great place to watch the narrowboats sail by. If you’re lucky enough to enjoy a sunny day outside with a pint, then why not snap a quick pic for Pint Taken? You can post it direct to our Facebook page or tweet us on our new Twitter page @pinttaken. That’s right, we’ve gone social!

Banks's Angler's Ale at J.D Wetherspoon, Birmingham International Airport

From a pub-ticker point of view, it's quite hard to gain access to a pub that's technically classed as being in international waters. We therefore jumped at the chance to visit the Wetherspoons at Birmingham Airport, and it had to be a now or never moment to get that all important Cask Marque certificate scanned. Our flight was an 11am departure; and even though it was a short trip we still decided that a half would be best. Many of the ales belonged to a national portfolio, but I was delighted to try a beer that I could add to my inventory.  Brewed by Banks’s Brewery in Wolverhampton, the Angler’s Ale was one of Wetherspoons’ guest brewery projects, whereby they invite an overseas brewer to visit Britain to brew one of their own beers on our shores. And in this case, it was brewed by Tim Surprise of the Arcadian Brewing Company in Michigan USA. Very suitable in an airport departure lounge.

The off-factor

Having been on the roads a lot lately, it’s really off-putting to hear the show’s host suddenly start to talk about things that are getting them down. it’s not just bad stories in the news but their own personal problems. Do they see it as our public duty to phone or tweet in to cheer them up a bit while they sit on their fat arse playing songs? It’s a real off-factor; and if I hear anyone moaning on the radio then I certainly don’t want to support them and change the station right away. It’s also annoying when they share in-studio jokes that we can’t really participate in; such as when they talk about a picture and don’t describe it. You kind of want to remind them that listeners can’t see pictures on the radio. The final rant is about a local commercial radio station that broadcasts past events as upcoming items. It’s so out of Touch FM.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinback

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Having opened with a convict’s return to his family, I would have never guessed that Steinback’s tale would focus on mass migration and the great depression; a topic which is of great debate today. Even though there is much use of colloquial language, it still makes for a very colourful and interesting read, with plenty of incidents occurring along the way. Even though some chapters are much longer than others, the events within together with the southern slang soon eats up the pages. In between, there’s commentary about society’s opinion of the migrants, which just echoes Ma Joad’s belief that only the poop help the poor. It’s great to see that the determination of the Joad family, and that when one character has his or her doubts, the others work together to convince them to move forward. I feel that it’s a terrible shame that the author abandoned them in the end after all they’d suffered.

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Oh Deer...

I’ve had the bad fortune to hit two young deer in under two weeks. Both seemed to be OK, and dashed off into the foliage beyond and out of sight; though I’ve no idea what the extent of their injuries were. The first one was on a wide open stretch of straight country road at night; and after it entered my peripheral vision all I could do was honk my horn and flash my lights while breaking to try to warn it to stay away. In a panic, it then started to charge all over the road. I did manage to bring my car to a stop; though I was amazed at how light it was unless I’d managed to reduce my force by then. The second time was on a slip road as I was climbing a hill on a corner; and again it just emerged out from the foliage. This just goes to show that the Highways Agency really do need to trim the verges or fence off this woodland from our roads.

St. Austell's Nicholson's Pale Ale at the Crown Inn, Belfast

This is one of Belfast’s premier inns and it’s not hard to see why. It’s furnished with its original Victorian heritage of a liquor saloon bar and is famed for its extravagance. The only trouble is that it’s right on the fringe of the bus station and everyone stops here on their travels in and out of the city; not to mention those that come visiting for its historical value. Unfortunately, we were denied the luxury of a private booth which were so lavishly furnished with their own stained glass windows and wood panelling. Instead we found a space to prop ourselves up at the bar but the staff were very keen to chat to us when they weren’t busy, which was seldom. However, on our last day we were lucky enough to have a meal in the upstairs dining room which; while it wasn’t as tastefully furnished as the main bar, was still very comfortable. 

What are you doing today for the first time?

Chris Evans often asks a brilliant question on the BB2 Radio Breakfast show, ‘What are you doing for the first time today?’ In it, he invites a young child to call in the show to tell him just that, then the following day the child calls back to tell the nation of his or her experience and to rate it out of ten. The experiences are always interesting; whether it’s a first visit on a school trip or a holiday to the seaside; and with the help of a listening parent, Chris tries to get as much information out of them as he can and turns even the dullest event into an interesting one. Lately though, I think the whole feature would be a lot more interesting if Evans was to ask adults what they were doing for the first time today. I think we would get a lot more idiot stories about the improper way to do things rather than focusing on first time experiences that the rest of us would treat as mundane.

Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo And Juliet by William Shakespeare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Romeo and Juliet is a timeless example of when love attempts to conquer conflict but fails; which just goes to show that not every love story has a happy ending. It’s a play that many young people can relate to since the main characters are so young and dependant on their peers, and have ruling parents as well as friends offering sound advice. There are also many sexual puns held within the dialogue; making it even more attractive to teenage readers. Many mysteries are also afoot, such as the exact nature of the feud between Montague and Capulet, why Rosaline rejects Romeo and whether or not Romeo and Juliet were actually married before Tybalt’s death. It’s a very enjoyable play and one that is very well thought out; though in today’s world we would have liked to see a lot more scenes in between scenes, such as Tybalt’s funeral and his family’s reaction.

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A Pineapple Palova

On Friday I decided to get the weekend off to a good start to celebrate Dad’s birthday by going for a curry. Having gone off my usual; I opted for something different and opted for the Malayan Chicken Biryani. I had hoped that this dish would come in a different styled sauce; maybe slightly more ‘ketchupy’ or a bit hotter. What was actually presented to me seemed to be a normal Biryani. I fished through the rice and chicken, put the omelette aside and even had a roam in the vegetable curry dish; but couldn’t come across any pineapple at all. After having a word with the waiter, the manager came over and fished through the rice only to point out bits of pineapple at me. He then decided to bring an extra two rings of pineapple for me so I could be assured that pineapple was present. I did tip a bit more than I usually do, but I can’t help thinking that surely the dish could be better described as Chicken Biryani with Pineapple? I wonder how much extra it cost?

Whitewater Belfast Ale at the Botanic Inn, Belfast

This was our nearest pub to our guesthouse so naturally it was the perfect place to start our evening pub crawl. Having entered the bar, we asked to try the Belfast Ale from the Whitewater brewery; all the time wondering whether this brewery existed or was it a cuckoo? As the bar was full we walked round to the lounge where a large variety of sports shirts were on display. The beer was very woolly and only just passed the taste test and lacked a lot of condition. A quick glance at the menu showed it to be cheap and cheerful, but our surroundings weren't inspired enough and lacked local talent. The promise of an upstairs nightclub did little to excite us for a Tuesday night.  Considering this was a student hang-out and that it was one of Belfast’s biggest pubs; it was very quiet for an early evening so we decided to look elsewhere.  

Deciphering The Pub Code

This isn’t a new Dan Brown novel; it’s actually something that CAMRA has been campaigning to bring into effect for some time. Known in the trade as the Market Rent Option, these new government guidelines will give licensees who are tied to pub companies the choice to buy their supplies from a supplier other than the owning pub company. This option could give licensees a greater choice over which real ales they have on sale and allow them to stock beers from local breweries at a reduced cost; though they may have to pay a higher rent in return. The legislation was due to come into effect in late May; but has now been delayed owing to conflicts with the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1954; and is now being redrafted so that tenants choosing to become free of tie are not being disadvantaged as a result. 

Unto This Last and other Writings by John Ruskin

Unto This Last and Other Writings by John Ruskin
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Ruskin may have been a social critic of the time, but his works does little to inspire the world of today. His only contribution to today’s society is how to appreciate gothic architecture. To address your readership as delusional is not a great way to introduce yourself. It’s almost as if you’re telling your reader that they can’t make up their own mind. This fierce attack leads onto a capitalist rant, much of which is hard to follow and the ideas come thick and fast without thought for his readership. It’s also quite strange that someone who has such a strong view on communism is also very appreciative of gothic structures; since this form of architecture represents the highest social status. He also believes that to complete a task requires the sacrifice of a soul, but if the worker never enjoyed producing the architecture; then the piece should not have been attempted. There are some very mixed views here.

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Should We Stay Or Should We Go?

The big day is coming as to whether or not we should leave the European Union. It’s quite clear that we should. Every day we hear stories about the mass migration and the delays it has caused us on the Eurotunnel. We hear stories of how E.U migrants are welcome to claim benefits in our country, take our jobs and be given equal status to those who already reside here. More and more countries are applying to join the European Union simply to take advantage of the cash bonuses that we are putting in. And yet, for far too long the E.U has failed to patrol its borders; share resources to police its residents and create a super state; all at the cost of ourselves. The government says that there will be a period of economic instability should we leave which includes job losses; but there are a number of traditional industries which have been shut down already. Let’s make Britain great again and take back our country. Vote leave.

Travel Companions

So have I selected the right people to join me in Belfast? One hasn’t made any contribution at all to the group of what we do, and simply agrees with what everyone else wants to do. The other is more concerned with getting everything done as cheaply as possible without being ripped off and has done extensive research on pubs but not the local area. This was a particular problem when it came to dining out as we often had to cater for value rather than to go out and explore. Still, in the late winter isn’t exactly tourist season, and there was very little in the way of entertainment or nightlife. This is probably why we managed to do the whole trip on the cheap. Having someone constantly commenting on money puts major restrictions on what you can do; especially when they’re not willing to jump in and try new things.

Eye in the Sky #dozo1

As the sun began to appear over the horizon, Dozo knew he was running out of time. He must reach the Great Oak, but to do so would be safest from a great height so that he could work out what the strange noises below were. He took off and flew as high as he dared, until the pond below him was just a small speck. Then he headed into the distance. Down below were men in orange jackets, walking up and down the field. Mud was everywhere as if a whole army had been digging into the earth. Spaced out every few yards were shiny yellow objects moving up and down where the field had been. Surrounding their trail were hundreds of felled trees. Dozo circled and watched as one of these shiny objects scooped up a log and placed it onto another shiny object, only this one was longer.

The High Street

I love these old-fashioned buildings. It’s a shame that the cream-coloured building is actually a Tesco, showing the times of change. From a ground level perspective, it’s really hard to picture the heritage of these buildings as the fronts are all modernised to reflect today’s corporate offerings. But if you can view them from a distance or find a bit of height you can really appreciate the effort and detail put into creating these historic city centre buildings. It’s a shame that these firms of old are no longer with us; these first ambitious entrepreneurs that commissioned these buildings as their company headquarters as a status symbol in a busy vibrant city centre; where the rich and famous went by in horse-drawn carriages. I just hope that these buildings are listed to force the occupying companies to treat them with respect; otherwise a traditional tiled roof could be easily replaced with lead sheeting.

The Search #scavenger3

Lee gazed into the microphone. With the battle fleet approaching, he knew there wasn't much time remaining before the people of Arona would be fleeing for their lives. He pressed the transmit button and sang, picturing Kelsey trapped in a capsule on the other side of the universe. He pictured the last time he saw he, marching in anger out the door and into the satellite station. He wanted to tell her to keep her anger, to keep fighting and never give in to the government’s search for the Earth. He was desperate to find her to protect her and the planet from being discovered by these tyrants.

The wires on his head started to vibrate.

‘It’s found her’ said the Professor, ‘It’s transmitting.’

‘She can hear me?’

‘She’ll be able to, yes. There’s always a delay as the transmission has to travel across the realms of space.’

‘Can you pinpoint her location?’

‘Let’s see.’

Business by Boat

If you're looking for a versatile business, then why not consider a boat? You could offer all sorts of services from a stand-alone shop to a takeaway café or even a full sit-down restaurant offering unique views or even voyages. It truly offers you the chance to have a bit more character than follow a corporate regime; and you can even have a bit of fun with your customers. And the best part of all is that should it all go tits up, you can sail away to another part of the world and try your luck there. Of course the whole thing is based on the weather as it's very hard to convince people to come aboard in the winter unless you can convince them that your vessel is cosier than the Presidential Suite, hence the reason to migrate. But you can definitely offer unique views and supply your guests with the best of local information. It's a shame that more aren't open all the time and that they have to rely on the seasonal trade. 

The Door

When you belong to someone, you feel loved. You feel that someone is taking care of you; that someone’ll be there to make sure you’re in good condition, and to avenge others that may damage you. But I belong to a company. All day long I’m in use, but never a thought is given to closing me slowly. It’s always slam, slam, slam as people are in a rush to get through. True, I may have a great view sometimes, but it’s a given that I won’t get any of the action. Often I’m inspected, but it’s only for safety purposes, and should I be damaged or splintered it may be a while before someone can make the arrangements to repair me. So thank you for closing me slowly. You’re one of the few that I won’t have to grimace as I hit the metal bar before the latch is slid.

Gateway to Belfast

The game was simple. Just stand on the stone ball and throw your metal hoop on top of that lamppost right in front of you and I’ll win that giant ornamental fish. Trouble is, I’ve been trying to do it for over six years now, and it’s not easy with everyone watching me. Just one small movement causes the little people to stop and stare, and it sometimes sends them into a panic as they think that I’m going to fall off my stone. Actually, my feet have been dug into it for ages. It’s also very open around here, so at night the wind really picks up and makes my hoop travel; taking it well beyond the bridge and often over and into the sea beyond. Often I’m just trying to keep hold of it in the gale. But one day I will make my move, and that fish will be mine.

There's Only One Way To Find Out #scavenger2

‘Sir, I’m picking up readings of a vessel travelling at warp speed but it appears to be on a collision course.‘

‘How long to impact?’

‘Sixty seconds.’

‘Raise shields.’

‘Sir, there’s some electromagnetic interference which is preventing us from raising the shields. It appears to be our own passkey which is transmitting from the incoming ship. I can’t override it.’

‘Captain, the approaching vessel has sent us a message.’

‘On screen’.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE MEETS AN INMOVABLE OBJECT? THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT…

‘Brace for impact!’

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSH! The spyship smashed into the empty skymall; sending merchant carts straight into the vacuum of space.  Inside the ship, Lee opened the cargo bay, releasing dozens of magnetic mines into the mall which hit the girders supporting the first floor with a clang. As he looked behind him, he saw steel shutters start to slide down to contain the breech. He suddenly realised that the same thing might be occurring at the other end. 

The Dark Edges

We shall not move. We stand firmly in the ground; watching the world go by, surviving whatever the cost and whatever they throw at us. No man nor horse nor moving silver shall stand in our way. Our leaves once proudly fuelled us into blossom each spring, thrived throughout summer and provided shelter in autumn for many a creature. Our branches, though now leafless, draw water from the ground that they have not yet found, our secret supply. Our roots are tough and draw strength from Mother Earth, allowing us to stand tall in the wind and their polluted rain. Though they have tried to part us many a time; we shall always overcome them and one day unite with our brothers and make the forest whole again, breaking through this hard centre and rising high to the sun itself. We shall seal off their passage and will not move.

Dear Mr. Gates

Dear Mr. Gates,

I do not want to get Windows Ten. I do not want to sit at my computer waiting for the egg timer to tick over while your team takes it time to examine my system, read my work while pretending to perform an upgrade, and cause the programs that you do not like to slow down and take even longer to open. I do not want to have to learn a new computer system and wait even longer for a simple program to open so that I can get on with my tasks. I do not want to perform the same action twice to start a program because you have ignored my instructions the first time round. I do not want to have to give you any more money as I am already paying subscriptions. I do not want to change my mind simply to make you go away. So quit asking, OK?

Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand

Too Good To Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends by Jan Harold Brunvand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although this book is more of an intellectual study rather than simply a volume of tall tales, Brunvand’s compilation still makes for an interesting read. These urban legends are tall tales which could have occurred easily within our society. Often, Brunvand tries to get to the bottom of the story by tracing it to its source; although often with little success. It’s obvious that many of the stories have had their facts changed too many times for the entertainment value; and there are some things that you simply wouldn’t do. For instance; if it was your birthday would you really abandon you’re your car to walk several miles home? At the end of the volume; Brunvand also fails to reach a conclusion at the end of the volume, instead decides to list parodies of some of the urban legends that he’s just investigated; illustrating how gullible some people can be. It just goes to show that the truth does not stand in the way of a good story, which makes it too good to be true!

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Too many Twits on Twitter

I'm getting tired of Twitter. Every half hour my phone goes off to give me a notification, which means that I have to stop what I'm doing and read the message. I wouldn't have minded if these tweets were newsworthy; but most of the time they are not. I follow the accounts of people and organisations that I'm interested in; but when a Birmingham real ale drinker tells me that he’s just got a nice parcel; that's really not the stuff that I'm interested in. I do discover a fair bit from Twitter; but a lot of the e-mails I receive are from people that I'm not even following; they just want their friends to know that they are thinking of them. I've now turned off notifications and hopefully I can get on without a wench telling me that she's just drunk a beer which happens to be from a brewery that I'm following. 

3 for 3 at the Rocklands

CAMRA Members from the Birmingham, Bridgnorth and Shakespeare branches joined Redditch and Bromsgrove last month to celebrate their Club of the Year 2016 Award. The Rocklands Social Club in Headless Cross, Redditch has done a fantastic job of promoting real ale and cider through regular festivals; social trips and ‘Meet the Brewer’ evenings through their own Ale Tasting Society (RATS). As well as supporting a local community orchard which produces their own cider; the club also caters for ‘beer tickers’ and is a strong supporter of microbreweries and rarely seen beers. During this particular Sunday social, the club had put on an excellent American Pale Ale all the way from Bude Brewery in Cornwall named Pendeen; as well as a strong Porter from Gadd’s named Dogbolter. Club Steward Matt Hill was delighted to win the award for the third year running, and the club has now gone forward into the CAMRA West Midlands Club of the Year competition. Card-carrying CAMRA members are welcome; show your membership card to gain entry.      

Walking with Giants

We’d heard that bad weather was approaching land fast, so after a hearty lunch we made the Giant’s Causeway our next stop. We tiptoed past the sleek modern visitor’s centre (which you have to pay admission even for the gift ship) and boarded the courtesy bus down to the shore. And what a sight it was. There in front of us were dozens of rock formations all ready for the exploring. One of our party was quite timid and refused to leave the soil; but we climbed and posed to our heart’s content. In the distance was a coastal path leading to yet more rock formations; showing another great reason to come back and explore this Emerald Isle. The waves were coming thick and fast until finally the rain really did start to hit and we all piled back onto the shuttle bus to take us back to the top of the cliff, alongside the rest of mainland China; as tourist upon tourist could not make up their mind whether or not to ride up or not. Finally, we took shelter in a pub while we waited for our guide to return.

Captain America: Civil War

When I first heard that Captain America would be involved in a civil war, I was very much looking forward to this title. The last film where Hydra rose to take over the world by destroying S.H.I.E.L.D was very exciting with plenty of action whinging its way. This film would see America tearing itself apart under some sort of conspiracy with our favourite hero swerving through the battle trying to expose the deception and unite everyone once again. But when I heard that it would be a superhero against superhero movie; I immediately groaned as the path looked set to follow the same plotline of batman V Superman. However, the film is still very enjoyable, and the action and the debates are very intense. It’s a bit hard to hide the Avengers now that they’re all recruited; but to confine a civil war to a battle of just five people on each team is a bit extreme and egotistic.  

Boggart Rum Porter at the Weavers at Park Lane, Kidderminster

I’ve been looking forward to visiting this pub for a long time and it didn’t disappoint. I’d heard too many interesting things about it; that it had broken away from its sister pub owing to an argument in the company; and that it was a second micro-pub. But on my visit, I found it to be a full-sized house! I had to use my phone to try and find it, and as usual it pitched itself further than it looked. But after confusing a stream with a canal (which to be fair wasn’t on the map), I found an old bricked building worryingly next to some demolished bricked buildings. I descended into the bar where the barmaid was being entertained by dirty jokes from customers; and after having a brief look round the rooms I settled on a bench outside opposite the towpath. It’s just a shame that the view opposite was a Tesco’s and there were police sirens wailing in the distance. Still, it was very pleasant in the light breeze watching dusk settle in. Check it out here!

Over to You by Roald Dahl

Over to You by Roald Dahl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this compilation of short stories, Dahl captures the sorrow and fear experienced during his time in the second world war, as well as passionate tales of comradeship and downtime. There’s also stories of suffering and madness as his fellow pilots tell of how close they came to death and what they experienced during that time. Unfortunately, some don’t return at all, and the squadron has to accept that as part of the war effort, as well as losing the child that they saved from the wreckage. Each tale is spellbinding from start to finish and flows through the action with just enough detail to keep you hooked to the plot. There are wins and there are losses; and Dahl captures the human spirit perfectly and illustrates just how fragile our lives are; from the pilots in the cockpit to the villagers that they are risking their lives to keep free.

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