Uttoxeter Pub Explorations

There will be Bass (again).
A sunny afternoon trip to the town of Uttoxeter on the eastern edges of Staffordshire, not too far from the spiritual home of Bass, guaranteeing a few pints.
I set off just after 10am from Stafford on the excitingly named 'Chaserider' bus 841, a £2 fare cap ride for the 60-minute journey.

 

All good days start in 'Spoons.  Okay, all days when you arrive too early for the other pubs start in Spoons.

The Old Swan (Market Place, Uttoxeter, ST14 8HN)
Not a lot of love in the recent Tripadvisor reviews for the Old Swan.  "Worst pub ever and I've been to a few Wetherspoons" said Louise K a short while before I visited.
But have you been to the Cowley 'Spoons Louise?

On the downside: convoluted route up a narrow staircase to the WCs; no-one interested in clearing away the breakfast detritus at the end of my table.
On the plus-side: I caught up with a bit of stuff on the wifi having refused to pay an extra £3 at the Travelodge.  And not a bad beer, served by a cheerful chap.

I opted for the Ilkley 'Ruby Jane', with Titanic 'Plum Porter' being the only other interesting option alongside the regular cask collection.

You can wander a bit further afield in Uttoxeter to really do the pub explorations properly.  Or you can just lazily amble around the market square, as I did, where there are a half dozen pubs to pick from.
The second call of the day for me was at the Talbot...

Ye Old Talbot (43 Market Place, Uttoxeter, ST14 8HF)
This is an old inn dating back to the 16th century.
Stepping through the front door took me to the wonderful bar room, with a roaring fire going and all the tables occupied by cheery locals.
Here's the tricky beer choice...

Decisions Decisions Decisions...

I took my pint around the corner into a second area at the front of the building, past the big DJ booth and betting slips in a holder on the wall.  This didn't have the same character as the tables by the bar, but never mind.

Music-wise we got a lesser-known Free track playing on the jukebox which one chap was eager to identify, whizzing around to where I was to check the juke box. 
"I told you it was Paul Rodgers", he shouted back to the main bar..."c'mon, you know...Free...♩ awwl right now...𝅘𝅥𝅯𝆕"

Tracks followed by X (hmmm) and Bootsy Collins (oh yes!) before dodgy pop took centre stage.

I liked the Talbot.  It reminded me of the village pubs in my early drinking days.
Don't bump your head on the way out...

Ouch

My next stop was the only current Beer Guide entry in Uttoxeter, which seems pretty remarkable when I think of some of the places I've trekked around to for Guide ticks.

Night Inn (Lion Building, 8 Market Place, Uttoxeter, ST14 8HP)
I did take a stroll to the Uttoxeter Brewery itself but, despite various sources suggesting they may be open on a Friday afternoon, the doors were firmly shut.
No drinking the beer at the local source then, but the Night Inn, established in July 2020, does act as their tap room.
Here's the Uttoxeter Brewing Company cask line-up to pick from... 

I went for the 'Bartley Bitter', the one with a boxer on the front named after bareknuckle champion Bartley Gorman.  Other than the casks there was a good keg choice from Salt, Vocation and Brew York.

The music is pure 80s' gold - Billy Ocean, The Police, A-ha, The Bangles, Men at Work - all the most predictable tracks and all slightly too loud had you wanted a conversation.
But, as you can see, no-one to converse with except the chap who came in and sat as far away from me as possible.  Hang on a minute...didn't that happen in the last post too?

Right, let's do another circuit of the market square stopping only at the jacket potato kiosk in the monument in the middle for some great value nourishment.
Tatty, cheese, and beans fueled me for the remaining two pub visits.
The first of which was in the Black Swan which got a bit of criticism for the modern grey paint job when I posted a picture on Twitter.

Black Swan (4 Market Street, Uttoxeter, ST14 8JA)
Like the Talbot, this is another Grade II listed building that dates back to the 16th century.  Doors to the bars are tucked down the coaching passageway.  I stepped through the first door which took me to the empty small front bar where I think I would have stood half the day without being noticed.

Now that's a proper pub carpet

The action - well, the landlady and four Carling-drinking blokes deep in concentration over a card game - was in the back bar.
Two hand pulls: two Bass pump clips.  On decent form again, matching the quality in the Old Talbot earlier.

I would have liked to have called into the micro whilst here but they didn't open the doors until midway through the afternoon by which point I needed to be back on the Chaserider bus.  So there were a few more stops on a Uttoxter tour of intoxication that I'd like to have done given more time.  But there was no way I was missing the Vaults...

The Vaults of Uttoxeter (22 Market Place, Uttoxeter, ST14 8HP)
This is a cracking 18th century red brick building with unmissable etched glass windows.
A couple of steps straight beyond the door take you up into the main bar with four tables and piano in the corner.  Through an archway is a games room to the back with darts and table skittles.
I was there about 20-minutes after opening time and got the last table, a good dozen folks looking very settled and cheery already.

There is no pondering the beer choice here - Bass rules - sipped by the landlord from a dimpled mug every time he got a break in serving people.
Jazz piped through the speakers at just the right volume, mini domestic turmoil and some dubious humour from the one chap at slightly too high a volume.

There is something magical about the Vaults, soaking in the proper pub atmosphere with a pretty superb pint of Bass in front of you.

All I need now is a rainbow over the Seeplechase pub to complete the post.
Ah...there we go...

Hanley Pub Explorations

There will be Bass.

Time to head up to Hanley after a lunchtime spent down the hill in Stoke.
Retracing my steps to the railway station, I wandered past Staffordshire University, through Hanley Park, then across some hefty roads with long-winded traffic lights to Hanley. 

I'll start with a picture of the Steel Man statue on Broad Street...

And some great street art...

Before making my way to the first pub, just on the periphery of Hanley centre...

The Woodman (3 Goodson Street, Hanley, ST1 2AT)

A quick online search led me to stories that this has changed its name in the short time since my visit and become the 'Irish Woodman'.  Not the first time in its history that it has taken on an Irish identity, having been a Scruffy Murphy's at the end of the nineties. 

Since then it spent ten years closed before reopening in 2018 as part of the local Caldmore Taverns group.

Externally, it's an impressive three-storey building with a grand entrance and lovely plaster-work wood cutter picture under the gable.
In through the front door...

Don't smoke Player's cigarettes, kids

And it's a bit of gem Inside.  The pub is L-shaped, with the bar to the left-hand side, yellow stained walls and ceiling, polished wooden floor, and nice cushioned bench seating around the sides of the room.
There is a cosy room to the side of the bar, whilst to the back a couple of steps lead to further seating areas on the way to the WC's.
Speaking of which, you'll find a few pieces to add to the 'Mild Smut in the Gents' series there...

Mild smut in the gents #47 in an ongoing series

A hefty run of hand pumps served up a choice of seven real ales, dominated by Facers brewery from the Welsh town of Flint.  Bass was amongst these, but I decided not to do a full-sweep of Hanley drinking the same beer.

The friendly chap behind the bar had scooped up a pint glass as soon as I walked through the door and the pressure was on to make my pick.  As he was standing with one hand on the pump serving Facers 'Over the Bar', that's what I went for.  
"Brewed for the rugby", he told me.  Bah!

Mid-afternoon, mid-week, the clientele consisted mainly of solo blokes, half of them riveted by the tiling on a DIY show on the TV.

The snug at the Woodman
How many people have tried  to sneak out with one of those Guinness cushions under their coat?

There was an odd mix of music, veering from the emerald isle (The Chieftan's 'Marie's Wedding') to the Queen of Soul, then the Goo Goo Dolls. I left during Altan's 'Month of January', which was a million miles from the upbeat pop I'd encounter later, and which was in danger of inducing an afternoon nap.

Not far to go to reach a cracking pub on one of the main shopping streets...

 The Unicorn Inn (40 Piccadilly, Hanley, ST1 1EG)
This is a superb place, making an appearance on the Heritage Pub list.  Consisting of one single room and a one-table alcove snug at the back, this was refurbished in the mid-sixties and has remained little-changed since.
There are Mock Tudor beams on a ceiling which also features a variety of hanging brass kettles.  Old pictures of the town adorn the walls, comfy red-upholstered fixed seating around the sides and classic pub stools make up the seating.

Available ales were Bass, more rugby-themed beer - this time Castle Rock's  'Crafty Flanker',  Ossett 'White Rat', and a Tim Taylor 'Landlord'.  I did go for the Bass here, which was superbly drinkable and in good condition.

I grabbed the last small table, the pub busy with a good crowd of locals, whilst a classic soundtrack gave us Tom Petty, Springsteen, and Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl', which I don't think I've heard for ages.

The Unicorn is a lovely pub that I could quite happily had made myself comfortable in for the whole afternoon, if only I hadn't developed this weird obsession about being on the move and 'ticking' pubs.

The next tick was something completely different.
All of 10-seconds across Piccadilly from the Unicorn was craft bar Bottlecraft.
Where did that rain come from?

Bottlecraft (33 Piccadilly, Hanley, ST1 1EN)

The origins of this bar started in another nearby street in 2015 before they relocated to "trendy" (according to the Stoke Sentinel) Picadilly.
Right next door to the Regent Theatre, this used be Gemini Menswear prior to installing the craft ale lines and fridges.

There actually weren't many of the 12 taps in action when I visited and no cask, which would have the potential to upset one or two visitors drawn here by its place in the Good Beer Guide.
Three of those options were a Flensburger Pilsner, Hogan's cider, or Schöfferhofer Radler.

But that still left Neon Raptor, Buxton, Yonder and Utopian concoctions to pick from.  And my Yonder 'Dark Choc Ginger Biscuit' was - according to my Untappd check-in - "Pretty bloomin' marvelous'.

Next up, I had a bit of a trek in the rain. It was a half-mile to get to Golden Cup, situated to the north east of the centre amongst terraced streets and some factories that have seen better days.

On arrival, it looks well worth a wet half-mile walk...

The Golden Cup (Old Town Road, Hanley, ST1 2JS)

This has been restored by a chap named Steven Buckley whose grandparents ran the pub from 1952 to 1991.  He owns a popular nightclub in Hanley which has given him the means to resurrect this pub when it looked lost forever.

The lights are bright, but this does give a chance to admire just what a good job they've done of returning this place to former glories.

With limited opening hours, the Golden Cup is only open Thursday to Sunday.  Visiting on a Thursday afternoon, I beat most of the custom for the week...just one couple arriving at the same time and choosing to sit well away from me (and who could blame 'em).
A very quiet visit, but superb for the photo opportunities...

Even the toilets are immaculate...

But what about the beer?
Not quite 'Bass Only' as the frontage suggests, there is also Titanic 'Plum Porter' on offer.  But this was somewhere that I wanted the red triangle stuff and where it was on astonishingly good form...probably the best I had on this Staffs trip.

I left the Golden Cup a happy man.
Wandering back through the damp, dark streets, the shopping area had quietened down for  the day.  Time to take a quick snap of the statue of Hanley-born Stanley Matthews, out of easy reach earlier in the day behind some happy, singing church folk.

I called into the Victoria Lounge Bar for a half from Derbyshire brewery Dancing Duck.  Then into the fabulous Coachmakers Arms by the bus station for a final pint of Bass.

And then somehow, I managed to shop in the giant Tesco, find the train station, and make my way back to Stafford.
But after a long day out in the Stoke and Hanley, I'm not quite sure how.

The Staff of Life

Just the three pubs in this post from a lunchtime visit to Stoke-on-Trent.

This is an area that I'm not at all familiar with and really need to explore much better.
I've set foot in Stoke three times before, either to watch live music or on my way to the Britannia Stadium.  And each time I've been in the Wheatsheaf, so I decided not to break that habit.

The Wheatsheaf (84-92 Church Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1BU)
Indeed, the live music I came to see, travelling down from Manchester in my student years, was in the Wheatsheaf, previously a cracking small venue which used to serve a decent pint of beer as well.
The likes of Radiohead, Oasis, Adam Ant, and PJ Harvey have graced the stage here, Noel Gallagher supporting a 'Save the 'sheaf' campaign when news came it was set to close.

Spoons took over and refurbished the pub in 1999, this becoming their first outlet in the Potteries. 

By JDW standards, this is a relatively small place set out in an L-shape.
I arrived early doors, although the pub was busy with predominantly old boys watching horse racing on the TV and hi-vis jackets.

Breakfast and a pint of 'Gower Power' for me...a beer that was much stronger than I realised for a pre-noon pint.  A foolhardy start to the day that I'd regret later.

Moving on, I made the short stroll to somewhere I'd spotted on the Heritage Pubs website.
Just look at the glorious Bass sign on the frontage...

I'm going in...

...and I'm not stopping to pick up the fallen circus poster, even though it would have made for a neater picture.

The Staff of Life (13 Hill Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 1NL)
Given the choice of doors, I veered left into the Racing Bar.  Where - sure enough- there was more horse racing on the giant TV screens, with a handful of early regulars in place. 
Bass or Joules were the two real ales on offer.  No contest...

I briefly loitered in the side room with its Stoke City function room chairs before coming to the conclusion that the bits of the pub for the heritage ticker were on the other side.

I felt I'd made a good start to the day - a Spoons breakfast would keep me going for a while and I'd found the first of a fair few pints of Bass for the day.
Strolling through Stoke I snapped a picture of the elephant mural...

Before heading to my third lunchtime pub.  I wish I'd had a little more time in to do a few more Stoke-on-Trent pubs, but I was keen to move on and explore a bit more of the Potteries after this.

The Glebe (35 Glebe Street, ST4 1HG)
Situated next to the town hall, this is the first pub I'd passed on the short walk from Stoke station, just after crossing over the multi-lane Queensway.
It's an impressively refurbished place with some spectacular windows, a grand fireplace with a coat of arms above it, big old framed paintings on the wall, and the best cheese counter I've ever seen in a pub.

This is run by Joules Brewery of Market Drayton, with three of their ales on offer.

I picked the 'Slumbering Monk' and took it through to a giant empty table in the first room.
The custom seemed mostly food-based and I briefly regretted not eating here.

I'll finish the post with a picture of the cheese and pork pie counter at the Glebe...

Right.
Let's walk up the hill to Hanley on the hunt for more Bass!