In Fear of the Tiers

A serious post, for a change.
Today, the Government announced which tiers each region of the nation would be in when we come out of Lock Down.

And here in Oxfordshire we're in Tier 2. 
Which sucks.
Although obviously a little less than the millions stuck in Tier 3.
As far as the pubs go, Tier 2 means only those selling 'substantial meals' are able to open, and may only serve alcohol alongside that meal.

Yep, I can travel into town on a stuffy bus, go shopping, go to the gym, get my nails done, and be one of 2,000 spectators watching Oxford United play.
But no way can I be trusted to sit and have a beer in a pub unless it's accompanying a meal.

In fact, the only places in Tier 1, where we can head to for a couple of pints without eating are Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly.

This is a massive blow to pubs, many of whom will not be able to viably open unless they're in Tier 1 (and even then, 'viably' is questionable).

Is that substantial enough?

Wet-led pubs are often key to their local communities; social hubs helping the well-being of those suffering with the isolation of lock-down.

There's a big difference between these community pubs and the city centre bars that the media head to when they want footage of people being irresponsible.

Back in September, Nick Forbes, leader of Newcastle City Council - an area particularly hard-hit at the time, stated that "The evidence we've found from local testing is that it's spreading in three main areas - in pubs, in people's homes and in grassroots sports".

Not garden centres and yoga classes. 
Not artisan coffee shops and dogging.

Nope - grassroots sports and pubs were to blame.

The spread in people's homes appears to be universally agreed upon.  Sports - grassroots and professional - have been given a reprieve.
But pubs have seen a tightening of restrictions.

Pubs have consistently been the scapegoats throughout this pandemic. "The evidence" has been repeatedly asked for and never provided by the powers-that-be.

Yet from the 24th September we endured tighter rules: the much derided 10pm curfew, table service and mandatory mask-wearing when not seated.
My initial reaction was that I no longer wanted to visit the pub with these new restrictions. 
But two days later I was in the Kings Head in Bledington.  Seems we adapt pretty quickly, especially when we want a pint.

Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs...

But the latest restrictions of Tier 2 and 3 throughout the country make me worry just how much use I'll get out of my 2021 Good Beer Guide.
I can only hope that great pubs, who've put so much effort and money into making premises safe, are able to survive through this rotten winter.

I can't help but conclude that our politicians don't understand or care about the nation's pubs.
We keep on hearing how important Christmas is, with all the stops being pulled out to 'save it'.
But y'know what?  For me, a pint of Plum Porter and a chat in the Royal Blenheim are way more important than any overblown commercial holiday.   

I really hope infection figures lead to a loosening of these restrictions, and some relief for publicans and brewers and everyone associated with the industry.

I want to blog about pub crawls, not pub closures! 

Bath Pub Explorations

Wednesday 4th November - the countdown had started to pub door closure at 10pm, with 'Lockdown 2' about to kick-in.  
Wanting to make the most of the day, I set off into Somerset to visit the city of Bath.

With all it's wonderful architecture and the golden Bath stone looking glorious in the sunshine, you may ask why I started the day in a dull modern leisure complex.
£3.98 for breakfast and a pint...that's why.

The King of Wessex (5-10 James Street West, Bath, BA1 2BX - web)
Yep, it's a pretty identikit modern Wetherspoons, in a complex that also includes an Odeon and Nandos.  But it's not quite as bad as suggested by Trip Advisor user Suejtay who proclaims "this has to be the worst weatherspoons (sic) ever".

Suejtay obviously hasn't been to Cowley.

The press widely reported on Spoons selling their beer at discounted prices to prevent having to pour stock down the drain come lock-down.
Most of the casks had been drunk dry already, but they still had a Box Steam 'Ghost Train' left, at a bargainous 99p a pint.
Add this to a Rishi discount for the breakfast and you had a happy pub ticker, early doors in The King of Wessex.

Spoons Brekkie

It was around a 10-minute walk into the centre, where my next pub of the day was tucked down an alleyway.  I'd read that the Couer de Lion was "probably the smallest pub in Bath, and always busy", so wanted to get there as soon as possible after the 11am opening time to ensure getting a table.

Coeur de Lion (17 Northumberland Place, Bath, BA1 5AR)
There were a fair few folk for such an early hour, but most of them had opted for the outdoor tables in front of the pub.  Good for getting a seat inside; bad for getting a picture of the wonderful stained glass window.
There was a choice of two Abbey Ales brews on the bar: 'Bath Best' or 'Bellringer'.
I grabbed a pint of the Best and settled on the red cushioned bench seating at the edge of the small charming bar.

Hotel California played quietly in the background, whilst the chap at the next table told the landlady "Howard's been barred from the Green Tree".
But he was very diplomatic when asked what for, answering intriguingly that he'd done "that thing again".   I shall never know what Howard did wrong.

Backtracking a short distance, it wasn't long at all before I was sitting inside another Beer Guide entrant...

The Salamander (3 John Street, Bath, BA1 3JL - web)

This is a lovely backstreet pub, a 1950's coffee house that became licensed in the 60's.
By far the friendliest staff of the day, without knocking those anywhere else.
From the couple of Bath Ales beers that were left I picked the 'Prophecy', light and easy-drinking and on great form.

I could have revisited the Raven, but the 30-second stumble down the road from the Salamander would have been far too easy.  I needed a bit of a stroll, so headed uphill, passing some of Bath's elegant architecture on my way to the Heritage-listed Star Inn.

The Star Inn (23 Vineyards, Bath, BA1 5NA - web)
Situated in a Georgian terrace, the Star first became licensed in the 1760's.  It was refurbished and extended in the 1920's and little has changed since then.
It's an absolute delight of small rooms, partitioned with wood panels and featuring basic bench seating around the sides and proper pub stools.
I sat in what's known as the Glass Room, a cosy spot with fireplace and fold-down shove-ha-penny board, settling down with a pint of Bass served straight from the barrel.

Another dose of fresh air and sunshine, as I made a 15-minute walk, crossing the Avon on my way to another of the cities Good Beer Guide entries.

The Pulteney Arms (37 Daniel Street, Bath, BA2 6ND - web)
It was fortunate that I didn't leave the Pultenay Arms 'til later, as I discovered they were about to close early for lock-down at 3pm. 
One customer left in a huff when he learned the Peroni was sold-out, not accepting that any other beers still available could match the Italian fizzy magic.
The lack of Peroni didn't put me off, I was quite content with my second Box Steam beer of the day.  'Soul Train' this time, supped in the corner, whilst the Righteous Brothers, Manfred Mann, and The 5th Dimension provided the soundtrack.

Walking back toward the centre along Argyle Street, I popped in to crafty Beercraft (3 Argyle Street, Bath, BA2 4BA - web) for a quick half of something hoppy and murky and to weight the backpack down with a couple of bottles of beer and Somerset cider.

I take this picture every time I visit Bath...

Five venues in, and with a plan for a last blast before closing-time at the Royal Blenheim back in Oxford, it would've probably been best to call it a day in Bath.
But I had one last stroll through the quiet touristic historic streets around the Abbey and Roman bath houses, stumbling across the Crystal Palace pub by accident.

Well, it's another 2021 Beer Guide tick, so why not?...

Crystal Palace (10-11 Abbey Green, Bath, BA1 1NW - web)

Possibly named to commemorate Bath City's 1931 FA Cup victory over Crystal Palace.
Possibly not.
A Fullers house, this is in a charming location on a leafy square.  The interior is smart and modern, obviously a popular spot for a pub lunch and bottle of Chardonnay.
I seem to have had a lot of 'London Pride' this summer, and that was the only ale on offer here.  But it was a decent pint and just £2 as they tried to clear their stock before closing for the month at 10pm.

What a wonderful trip to Bath - looking unbeatable in the Autumnal sunshine.
What a shame that I can only browse wistfully through the new Good Beer Guide, planning where to go next, whilst stuck at home during next month of lock-down.