Ticket to Ryde - Beer & Buses Part 2

I ended the last blog post travelling back from the west of the Isle of Wight on the Southern Vectis bus to Newport.
I've really gotta work on my cliff-hangers.

Arriving back at Newport bus station several of our group leapt straight aboard a waiting bus to Cowes. 
Alas, I bring you no report on Cowes, as instead I leapt straight into the George Inn for a wee.

Deciding we'd done enough bus journey's for the day, we headed to the local 'Spoons for food, then onward to visit another couple of Newport pubs.

The Crispin (10 Carrisbrooke Road, Newport, PO30 1BL)

The Crispin was actually a lot better than I initially expected, having stood outside looking at its mock tudor frontage and prominent Sky and BT Sports banners.
It's one of those pubs where you weigh up whether to pick the door to the 'lounge' or 'bar', only to find they lead into exactly the same place.  This is a typical town boozer, now open-plan with a large U-shaped bar and a lively crowd of punters.
Why this pub?  Because the booklet we'd been given earlier showing what beers were available where, mentioned The Crispin having a Castle Rock 'Brian Clough' pale ale, that's why.

The Crispin

Old Big 'Ead

Leaving The Crispin we walked back past the Ale House and on to a pub close to our B&B.
 

Railway Medina (1 Sea Street, Newport, PO30 5BU)

A railway pub without a railway.
This was once the closest pub to the now-demolished Newport train station.  Unlike the single-room Crispin, this had two distinctly different halves.  We settled in the quiet calm of the rear bar, surrounded by old pictures and railway memorabilia.
I ticked-off another local beer brewed especially for the Beer & Buses weekend here - 'Hop Aboard' by Island Brewery.

The quiet half of the Railway Medina.

Day 2: Ticket to Ryde

So, to recap: Beer & Buses is in it's 6th year and features some 85 buses of various vintages plying routes around the Isle of Wight.  There are roughly 140 pubs, clubs and other venues participating, offering beer and bus enthusiasts plenty of choice.
Most of our group from Oxford left a little earlier on Day 2, headed to the beer festival in the Winter Gardens in Ventnor.  Breaking rank, we'd decided to make our own way in a loop through Shanklin, Sandown and Ryde.

Sorry to harp on about the weather, but...still raining...

We arrived in Shanklin shortly after 11am and walked down to the esplanade where the waves were crashing roughly at the top of the beach and just a few brave souls hunkered against the wind as they walked along the seafront.

If I'd have been looking for shark teeth, I'd never have been able to find them...

A short way back inland, we found our way to the pretty, thatched buildings that make up Old Shanklin village.  This afforded us the opportunity for a quick first half of the day in...

King Harry's Bar (6 Church Road, Shanklin, PO37 6NU - web)

Built in 1854, this hotel bar has been IOW CAMRA pub of the year in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

King Harry's, Shanklin - looks so much better in the picture in the programme

The bar was dark wood and dimly lit, with old pump clips covering the ceiling, whilst seating to the side of this is in cosy rooms overlooking a great garden.  Beyond this is a function room designed to look like a stately Tudor Hall, which is where we sat to sup an Island Brewery 'Hop Aboard' golden ale.

From Shanklin station we caught the next vintage bus heading east through Sandown.  Here was a venue only opened this weekend, where we caught up with Gareth and Tanya from our Oxford group (who'd beaten us here and already tried most of the beers whilst we were navigating buses from Shankin to Sandown).

Boojum Brewery Tap (High Street, Sandown - fb)
A brewery tap without a brewery!
This is a new enterprise, which will eventually become a new brewery for the Isle of Wight.  For now, they're still awaiting brewing kit, but were eager to participate in the Beer & Buses weekend.  Set within an old shop unit which had hastily been made presentable, Boojum had opened for the first time on Saturday, with a good selection of craft ales and cask beers.

Work in progress.

Great selection of beers available on this visit, especially if you liked your crafty murk.
I started with a Mad Dog 'K9 Triplephena' and then the lovely Vibrant Forest 'Black Forest Porter' on cask.
Being a foolhardy sucker for the strongest beer on the list, I couldn't resist the Hardywood 'Peach Triple', labelled as 8.2% ABV, but not tasting its strength and very easy to drink.

Friendly welcome at Boojum.

It'll be very interesting to come back again and see how Boojum looks once they begin brewing and creating their own beers.
We headed just around the corner to somewhere that had been recommended to us as a 'proper pub'.

The Castle (12-14 Fitzroy Street, Sandown, PO36 8HY)
And it was a proper pub.  It said so on the sign next to the entrance.

The Castle advertise themselves as the "Original and best Halloween pub".  "Enter if you dare..." the banner above the door says.
The pub picked up a lot of waxworks when the Isle of Wight wax museum at Brading closed down, which they now use to tremendous effect to seasonally decorate the pub.
I got a bit carried away taking pictures...

I'm not really sure how much competition there is for best Halloween pub, but I'm gonna make an assumption that The Castle is pretty tough to beat.

Oh!  And they had beer as well!
In addition to what was on the bar, they were running a beer festival in the function room.  They had a number of Halloween beers ('IPA of the Dead, 'Screech Owl', 'Bucket of Blood') but I picked the un-spooky 'Espresso Stout' brewed by Downton Brewery, and very tasty.

Pub Cat - not going back inside until after the crazy Halloween shit gets taken down.

Leaving Sandown behind, we jumped aboard another bus for a 30-minute trip to Ryde. 

The Railway (68 St Johns Road, Ryde, PO33 2TY)

Blue sky. BLUE SKY!

Previously called the Hole in the Wall, this back-street pub may be plain from the outside, but it's another good, traditional boozer inside.   We were greeted by a choice of around 20 casks on a stillage filling the corner of the pub.
Taking advantage of the rare sighting of sunshine, we took beers out into the pleasant walled garden to the side.

A short walk through the residential streets of Ryde took us to our next point of call...

The Solent Inn (7 Monkton Street, Ryde, PO33 1JW)
This was a two room corner-local in an interesting building with another fine choice of beers from casks on stillage in the window alcove of the bar.  On reflection, we'd done exceptionally well for beer selection throughout today.

And that was it.  Last Beer & Buses venue of the weekend.
We were just in time to catch the open-top bus, in the picture below, back to Newport.  It may have dried up, but it sure was chilly up on the upper deck, huddled into my hood, as we headed westwards with the sun setting on the horizon.

One last bus picture!

Despite not being blessed with the best of weather, Beer & Buses had been great.  There are numerous routes to new towns and villages that we didn't get anywhere near this weekend, so I'm certainly keen on a return visit.
After sitting on top of an open-top bus in October we woke up next day with sore throats and runny noses.

Our group travelled back home (as we'd arrived) on the route-master bus on Monday.  As the Oxford CAMRA group dispersed in their different directions we bade farewells until next week, when the Oxford Beer Festival gets underway at the Town Hall.  See you there!

Isle of Wight - Beer & Buses Part 1

On Friday 11th October a group of us from Oxford CAMRA travelled southbound for the Isle of Wight Beer & Buses weekend.  
This is the 6th year of the event, where classic buses operate routes around the island handily stopping at (or close by) pubs, many of which put on extra beers and entertainment for the weekend.
As an added bonus we were generously transported from Swindon station on an old Clydeside route-master that would be taking part in the event. 

Your carriage awaits...

Due to a cancelled ferry, it was all a bit up-in-the-air as to what time we'd make the crossing.
And with some time on our hands, our first Isle of Wight trip ales were in.....Southampton.  For many of us, the Dancing Man had been a popular stop back on the March beer festival helpers trip.  Being located across the road from the port, we could handily sit by the front window and watch for the return of the bus - our cue to drink-up and procure some Red Funnel tickets.

On the way...

The bus followed behind us on the freight ferry, so Magda, Ian and myself wandered around the corner from the East Cowes terminal having spotted the opportunity to tick off the first IOW pub from our Beer & Buses booklet.
  

Ship & Castle (21 Castle Street, East Cowes, PO32 6RB)
And what a great little down-to-earth corner pub this was to start in.
The most interesting beer was part of Island Brewery's "bespoke series" - 'Dark Castle', a pleasant 4.5% porter, a half-pint of which went down very well.

First pub found.  The Ship and Castle in the side streets of East Cowes.

After hopping back aboard the bus for the short last leg of our journey, we arrived in Newport where everyone settled into their respective accommodation for the weekend.  The plan was to meet up at the Newport Ale House. 
The Isle of Wight's smallest pub.
Possibly not the best place for 14 folks to arrange to meet, but never mind.

Newport Ale House (24a Holyrood Street, Newport, PO30 5AZ)
I made sure to get in here early to get a perch in the corner, make a fuss of a small dog and have a chat with one of the locals.
This was a cosy place that has previously been a hairdresser, coffin storage for an undertaker and the stable area of an old inn, according to whatpub.
Whatpub also have a much better picture than I managed.

Ale House.  My photography making it look very dull.

Second beer on the island and it was a second "bespoke" beer from Island Brewing - this time a hefty 6.2% dark ale named 'Divining Rod'.  I followed this with 'Helmat Schmacker' from Beermats Brewery from the casks on stillage behind the bar.

We probably picked the heaviest downpour of rain of the evening to make the walk around the corner to a large pub by the side of the Medina river.

Bargeman's Rest (Little London Quay, PO30 5BS)
In contrast to the Ale House, this was huge, with well-designed multiple rooms and nautically-themed decorations.  It was still tough to grab a table though, with this being a busy old venue on a Friday evening.  Additional beers on stillage for the Beer & Buses weekend meant a decent ale choice with several from local brewers.
I'll also give a big thumbs up for the food at the Bargeman's - we received some enormous, tasty  portions and left loosening the belt buckle a notch or two. 

Arriving at the Newport's oldest pub, The Castle.

The Castle Inn (91 High Street, PO30 1BQ - fb)
Walking back through the town, we headed to The Castle, Newport's oldest pub, dating back to at least 1550.  King Charles I became a prisoner at Carisbrooke Castle in 1647, although he was allowed considerable freedom to travel around the island and, legend has it, drink at this pub.  There was reputedly a tunnel from the cellar to the castle which he used.  Being outside the castle walls, it was a den of rogues and vagabonds, although this evening, in 2019, it housed a quite respectable crowd. There were just a couple of nationally available beers on offer, so I opted for a Weston's cider from the box. 
After which I headed back to the hotel for a good nights rest before a busy day tomorrow.

Saturday - On the Buses

We were up reasonably bright and reasonably early - cooked breakfast to fuel the day - and standing in line to get on the 10:10 departure to the West of the island.

We passed through Yarmouth, then Freshwater Bay, before disembarking into the persistent rain at the Highdown Inn.

The Highdown Inn.  Wet.

The Highdown Inn (Highdown Lane, nr.Totland Bay, PO39 0HY)
Situated on a road junction, this pub was seemingly in the middle of nowhere.  Apparently, through the low-lying cloud, there are scenic national trust downs close by.  Sadly the miserable weather was enough to put anyone off exploring and half a bus load of folk made a tight squeeze into the bar.
Here they had around a dozen barrels on stillage with some interesting choices.  I picked the Cerne Abbas 'Gurt Coconuts' weighing in at 6.7% ABV.  "6.7%, before midday", admonished MrsPropUptheBar, before trying it, declaring it 'great', then keeping it and drinking the rest herself.
We stayed for a couple more in here, the crowd changing each time a bus pulled up outside.  Once it came time for us to move on we assembled outside to catch the next bus to Freshwater.

Freshwater's Red Lion

The Red Lion (Church Place, Freshwater, PO40 9BP - web)
It was a short walk up a hill from the bus stop to reach this picturesque village pub.  The Red Lion is a former 3-bar coaching inn dating back to the 11th century.
Being in the first 50 customers to come here with a Beer & Buses programme, we were entitled to an "I've had a Proper Job at the Red Lion, Freshwater" baseball cap.
Proudly modelled (although not worn for very long, if I remember rightly) by Bondy below...

I didn't have a Proper Job - I had a Pilgrim 'Progress' flagship ale, along with a Gallybagger sandwich.
Whatever that may be.
Next stop: Yarmouth...

The King's Head (Quay Street, Yarmouth, PO41 0PB - web)
This was a great pub, doing a roaring trade on a Saturday afternoon.
And they had draught Bass.  Result!

The Kings Head.  In the rain.

I made a speedy exploration of the port town of Yarmouth, "widely regarded as one of the jewels of the south coast", according to, erm, the Yarmouth harbour website, who may be a bit biased.
Well, it certainly looked a lovely little place, even in the miserable weather.

Did I mention it rained a lot whilst we were on the Isle of Wight?

Yarmouth Pier. 

Electing not to get any wetter, I joined everyone else inside the warm, welcoming and bustling Bugle Coaching Inn.

The Bugle Coaching Inn (The Square, Yarmouth, PO41 0NS - web)

The Bugle, Yarmouth

Owned by the same pub.co as the Kings Head, this was a large inn with an enviable location on the town square, just a stones throw from the pier.
There seemed to be lots of different parts to this: nooks and crannies and characterful corners, even a smart private dining room.
As with the Kings Head, the Bugle was doing a roaring trade and was noisy and busy, but still made for an enjoyable visit. Another beer brewed especially for the weekend here - Yates' Brewery 'On the Buses'.

We had time for one last stop, getting off en-route from Yarmouth to Newport at the village of Shalfleet.

The New Inn (Mill Road, Shalfleet, PO30 4NS - web)
This was a charming old pub, dating back to 1744, with thick stone walls, flagstone floors and large fireplaces.  It's a bit of winner and today the beer choice was complemented with an extra 8 casks in the back room.  I opted for Shepherd Neame's 'Northern Lights', brewed in collaboration with S:t Eriks Bryggeri of Sweden, followed by a Goddards 'Fuggle-dee-dum'.

Beer and Buses punters come and go as the bus pulls up at the New Inn, Shalfleet.

The downfall with making this stop in the evening (the last classic buses running around 5.30pm) was that all were already almost full to capacity.  So our last bus ride of Saturday was on the regular Southern Vectis route back to Newport.
I'll pick up from this point and cover day 2 on the Beer & Buses in Part 2 shortly. 

Mannheim Bundesliga and Beer

Craft beer & football in the German city of Mannheim.

Time again for what's become my annual autumnal Bundesliga & Beer trip.  On this occasion I'd picked the top corner of Baden Württemburg.  Mannheim may not be an obvious tourist destination, but it offered great value accommodation, with good rail connections for a trip to watch Hoffenheim play, as well as exploring some of the nearby towns in the region.

But for this post, I'm concentrating on Mannheim itself and an afternoon spent watching local Budesliga.3 team SV Waldhof Mannheim in action.
 
First up, a trek to search out the tap room of the most prominent local beer.
It's always a given that I'm going to get mildly lost in the suburbs of a new city, traipsing around in the hunt for a bar or brewery, so I figured I'd get that out the way with straight away after dropping off my bags.  

Eichbaum Brauhaus (Käfertaler Str.170, 68167 Mannheim - web)

Eichbaum Brewery dates back to 1679.  The beer is nicknamed "corpse water", due to the brewery being located next to a graveyard and water for the beer being drawn from the ground.  Probably not an angle the marketing department should be focusing on.

The sun's shining on Eichbaum Brauhaus with the more modern brewery buildings behind.

With it being surprisingly busy mid-afternoon on a Friday I grabbed a stool at the bar.  Brightly lit, it feels a little more modern and less cosy than many traditional German brewery bars.  From the four beers on tap I picked the HefeWeizen Dunkel, costing €3.50 for a half litre - a fine, typically German-style beer to start the trip.

Eichbaum also produce a couple of park bench specials craft beers.  Housed in cans with some cool steam-punk artwork, there's an Imperial IPA and Imperial Stout, both weighing in at 7.5% ABV.  And both available from Lidl's for a wallet-freindly €0.59!

The city of Mannheim is situated on the confluence of the Rhine and Necktar rivers, where a thriving river port has helped over the years to make it an important industrial centre.  Of a number of inventions attributed to the city, Karl Benz driving the first motor car there in 1886 is probably the outstanding one.
Of the noteworthy landmarks, the 60m tall water tower takes pride of place...

Mannheim picture postcard shot

The Football Bit...

On Sunday lunchtime I took a leisurely stroll towards SV Waldhof Mannheim's ground, the Karl-Benz Stadion, ready for the 1pm kick-off.

I'd obviously missed a trick - the pockets of my own trousers being far too small for pre-match drink transportation...

Today's Bundesliga 3 opponents were Hansa Rostock, one of the best supported teams outside of the top two divisions.  They'd brought an impressive 2,500 fans, many of them making a 1500km round-trip to this game.
Overall there was a crowd of 13,025 assembled for this fixture - not bad for the third division.  As is often the case, Waldhof Mannheim have a challenge to attract fans away from the big shining lights of the top-flight - Bayern Munich have their own club shop just a few doors down from that of Waldhof in the central shopping centre. 

Reaching the stadium I headed through the gates, quietly proud of myself for interpreting the signage and not trying to stand in the female-only line to get through security.  Only to find myself redirected back out at a second check-point having gone in the wrong entrance for the stand I had a ticket for.

Around the corner, the entrance to the Otto Siffling tribune was via a gravel track down through an intimidating tunnel plastered with Waldhof Ultra graffiti.  The kind of way-in to a football ground that says "enter at your risk, o' foolhardy English ground-ticker".

"Fight on all Fronts" - just not with the timid, English neutral in the wrong stand, please!
(Picture from Waldhof Mannheim's official Twitter pages)

The Rostock fans at the opposite end of the ground were the first to make some concerted noise, unfurling a flag the size of the stand, then setting off flares in their club colours.
Waldhof's response was to unleash banners of their own and yet more flares, leading to the pitch being obscured and play halted before it had barely gotten started.

Once the game got back underway, Waldhof looked marginally the more likely to score in a tight first half.
But just 3 minutes into the second half, Hansa took the lead when former Stuttgart player Pascal Breier pounced on a loose ball in the box and slotted in from close range. Waldhof responded on the 60 minute mark, with the ball taking a kind deflection to land at the feet of midfielder Max Christiansen, who made no mistake with a fine, low shot past the keeper.
No-one really looked like producing a winner in the final third, as both teams looked more concerned about not losing than creating a winner.

More beer, please!

Just a couple of bars of note in Mannheim to tell you about...

Taproom Jungbusch (Beilstr.4, 68149 Mannheim - fb)

Jungbusch is a district just past the inner quadrant of Mannheim, once the home to wealthy merchants, with a number of older buildings which survived wartime destruction.
The tap room opened in 2015, advertising 'no crap on tap'.  Any beer aficionados who've spent time in Germany will know that - especially away from the major cities - craft beer venues are few and far between.  It's slowly catching on, and I was pleased that Mannheim had one of the most highly-rated in the region.

Taproom Jungbusch has recognisable ale-bar furnishings: canteen-style tables and chairs; a mural on the wall depicting different beer styles; quirky beer taps; and beer menus on a blackboard and A5 clipboards . 
From this menu I tried the 'O'Zapft!' a 5.8% ABV märzen, labelled as their own brew.
But the best here, even if the barman did do his best to talk me out of picking it, was 'Boogie Till You Barf' a hefty 10% ABV triple IPA by the ever-reliable Sudden Death Brewery. 

Boland's Tap House (O4 1, 68161 Mannheim - web)
Don't make the mistake I did and pass-by Bolands bar and cafe on the corner, dismissing it as not worth calling in to.  Easy to do with the head-scratchingly confusing block numbering system in the centre, which makes finding anywhere a challenge when you first arrive.
The corner cafe serves up coffees and has a lounge-bar on the first floor.  But a couple of doors away is their recently opened Tap House.

And it's great.  Some 24 beers on tap, ranging from local ales, to German micro's, to big-name craft brewers such as Stone and Lervig.
I'd been in Welde Brauhas in Schwetzinger the previous day, so instantly recognised the hop head beer taps. 
I picked one of the Welde beers I'd missed the previous day: 'Citra Helles', a refreshing, hoppy lager.  Along with a good, filling plate of food, I also tried a nice IPA from Austrian brewery Privatbrauerei Loncium.

All in all it's just another tap on the wall

There are of course plenty of places you can get a beer in the city, but the two above are the stand-out's for anyone looking for something a little different.
Also worthy of a mention is The Upper Glass at R6, 6 - a fine craft beer shop with a good selection of bottles from German craft breweries and lots from further afield.

Great Tew & the Nortons

Hook Norton Brewery

In which we hike across NW Oxfordshire to the Falkland Arms, Great Tew, get a whole lotta Hooky and join the Chipping Norton set on a Saturday evening.

I put the new 2020 Good Beer Guide in the back pack -  heavy, after a few miles.  Oxfordshire has 16 pubs making a new appearance or re-appearance in this years guide, 4 of which we planned to visit on this trip.

We hopped off the bus at Enstone, setting out on footpaths to Church Enstone, then onward in the direction of Heythrop.

There's a few places in this area where I've come across llama's in the field.  Always nice. 
Never miss a llama photo opportunity.

But in the next field was something I really hadn't been expecting to see in a North Oxfordshire field...

Oxfordshire camels.

Yep, we did take a fair few camel pictures before continuing our journey.  We walked tentatively past "Bull in Field" signage, skirted around the village of Little Tew, and arrived at Great Tew.  Just in time to be beaten by the lunchtime crowd, who were trying to form a queue at the bar.

The Falkland Arms (19-21 The Green, Great Tew, OX7 4DB - web)
The Falkland Arms is located in 17th century buildings, half thatched and much of it covered in foliage.  Step inside and it has flagstone floors, oak beams and an inglenook fireplace.  Despite attracting tourists and being in the Michelin guide, it's a great unspoiled village pub, full of character.

Falkland Arms, Great Tew.

Bad picture of impressive display of mugs.

We took our beers out to the garden to the rear of the pub, an undeniably charming spot in the September sunshine, with the landscaped Great Tew estate behind it.

Where next?

Leaving the Falkland Arms we walked down a lane, past a tour guide explaining thatched roofs to a group of tourists. 
No more camels on this leg of the walk....disappointing.
But once we'd crossed the A361, the last couple of miles took us through some marvelous countryside that made up for the lack of unusual livestock.
Hook Norton is a historic, pleasant village which is home to just over 2000 people.  All attracted by the prospect of living close to a Victorian tower brewery and having an ample supply of 'Old Hooky', no doubt. 

Sun Inn (Main Street, Hook Norton, OX15 5NH - web)
At the heart of the village, The Sun is Hook Norton's GBG entry.  There's a handful of locals propping up the bar and a few visitors and cyclists on the sunny tables out front.  The beer choice includes a rugby-themed offering from Wadworth alongside 'Hooky', 'Old Hooky' and 'Hooky Gold'.  After the walk and the vast amount of stiles that we seem to have climbed over the Hooky tastes wonderful and I have an empty glass in no time at all.

It being just a short way down the road to the brewery, we called in there and picked up a couple of bottles of their '170 Anniversary Ale'.  This allowed a speedy pit-stop at the Pear Tree. 

Pear Tree Inn (Scotland End, Hook Norton, OX15 5NU - web)
The longest surviving Hook Norton Brewery pub, it's been part of their estate since 1869.  Despite being a sizable 3-storey building, the bar itself is relatively small, with just handful of tables either side of the bar.  There's plenty of outdoor seating, with a family-friendly garden to the rear.
Being 200 meters from the brewery, it acts as brewery tap.  I got to try something a bit different here, with 'Groundhopper Ale' being available - a beer brewed for the village football club.

Drinking-up in time to catch the bus, we made the 25-minute journey on the 488 service to Chipping Norton.
Very convenient for where the bus dropped us, the Fox was the first of two Good Beer Guide-listed pubs in the town.

The Fox (Market Place, Chipping Norton, OX7 5DD - web)And I'm afraid I didn't especially like it...
It's a pub and hotel with a pretty swanky looking restaurant (to be fair, most restaurants look swanky to a scruffy bugger like me).  The Fox is a modern conversion of an old building and I just felt that it lacked a bit of character.
But it's in the beer guide thanks to it's beer.  The Hooky regulars were joined by two seasonal's on this visit, and there was no denying that  'Autumn Ways' a 4.2% ABV
American amber ale was in good condition and thoroughly enjoyable.

The original plan was to grab something to eat at the Fox but, being a class-act, I shunned the highly-rated food and headed around the corner for £7 pizzas from a hut in a pub garden.

Red Lion (Albion Street, Chipping Norton, OX7 5BJ - web)
Apparently the smallest pub in Chipping Norton, the Red Lion dates back to 1684.
The single room is indeed small, but making the most of the weather we took our drinks outside onto the terrace where an outdoor TV was showing Newcastle and Brighton slog out a dull 0-0 draw.  Like the Fox, it's a Hook Norton Brewery pub, this time with just 'Hooky' on the bar alongside 'Old Rosie' cider.

And also on the terrace was the source of my £7 pizza: Pizza Shack.  More a hut than a shack, I thought, but I'm told that name's taken.

The Pizza Shack.

Popular pub name.

Fed and watered, we just had time to tick-off the second Beer Guide pub in town prior to catching the 7:35 bus back to Oxford.

Chequers (Goddards Lane, Chipping Norton, OX7 5NP)
The Chequers was a great looking pub.  Stepping through the door, it's all dark wood, dimly lit, with multiple cosy areas to tuck yourself away in.
Alongside the Fullers beers here there were a couple of guest ales, with the Hackney Brewery 'Interface' pale ale catching my eye.  A great last beer of the day, in a pub that I would definitely revisit next time I'm in 'Chippy'. 

The respectable folk of Chipping Norton outside the Chequers.

Hops! Stocks Farm & Hop Shed Brewery

Humulus Lupulus in Latin - the 'wolf of the woods'.
Originating in SE Asia, hops made their way to Europe in the 9th century and to Britain in the 15th century.  Historically used to stop beer going sour, they now determine the bitterness and aroma of most of our beers.

...And we had the great opportunity to visit a hop farm and learn more about them.
On a sunny September morning we set off from Oxford to Stocks Farm, situated just west of Worcester.
We were running a little late thanks to a bit of heavy traffic near the M5 and several wrong turns on Worcestershire lanes, in order for Tony to practice his mini-bus reversing skills.

When we did arrive we were met by our guide and led out into the fields where the workers were busy harvesting the hops.

Farming Action Shot. 

We walked through several fields, past cider apples and on to different varieties of hops grown on shorter hop poles.  All in a fabulous bit of countryside, with the Malvern hills in the distance.  Stocks Farm is one of the largest hop farms in the UK, growing enough hops each year to make a staggering 46 million pints of beer.  The farm dates back around 200 years and has been owned and cared for by the Capper family since 1962.

They're generous enough to let visitors like ourselves tour the farm.  The next stage of that tour - and the hops journey - is the Hop Shed, where the 'Bruff' gets down to business.

This hunk of locally-made farming machinery discards all the unwanted bits of stalk and leaf and sends the hops on a series of conveyor belts towards this big tank of glorious green-hoppiness...

Despite being in close proximity to all the heavy machinery, no-one pressed any buttons they shouldn't; Charles' tie didn't get caught in any cogs or wheels; and I resisted the urge to climb into the tank above and wallow in the hops.

The final stages of the process take the hops into a kiln where they're carefully dried, before being packed into bales and distributed to breweries far and wide.

 

All this learning about hops was thirsty work and it was high time to go and sample some of the end product that they go into...

The Hop Shed Brewery Tap (Stocks Farm, Suckley, WR6 5EH - web)

Right next door to all the hop-harvest-action is this independently-run micro brewery and tap room.  They've been brewing since 2016, with a name change (from Unity Brewhouse) to Hop Shed in 2018.  The name reflects the fact that they're the only UK brewery located on a hop farm.
As this was once a chicken shed, all the beers are named after breeds of chickens.  Four to try on cask on this visit, which we diligently worked our way through - the 'Sultan Gold' probably being my favourite of the lot. 

Leaving the brewery and hop fields behind, we drove a short distance to the village of Knightwick, which had a promising looking pub for us to visit.

The Talbot (Bromyard Road, Knightwick, WR6 5PH - web)
The Talbot proved to be a pretty magnificent, sprawling, multi-roomed pub.  Great for the good weather, with a garden to the side complete with pigs and more seating just across the road next to the River Teme.

The Teme Valley Brewery beers are brewed just behind the pub, appropriately for our trip today, using local hops.  All three on the bar ('This', 'That' and 'T'other') were pale-golden ales - I'm not sure they needed three of such similar beers at the same time, other than the pump clips making for a good picture.

But this was undeniably a great village pub. There were lots of individual areas within, but I liked the basic bar-room to the right of the entrance, which had stone floors, dogs sprawling in prime positions to be tripped-over and a pool table on a raised section.

Driving back in the direction of Oxford, we broke our journey at Cotswolds tourist hot-spot: Broadway.

Crown & Trumpet (14 Church Street, Broadway, WR12 7AE - web)
The last time I was here, a couple of years back, it was super-busy and I didn't really get to appreciate the interior.  It has a proper pub carpet, wooden beams, brass instruments hanging from the walls and lots of old advertising signs.  Cluttered and characterful.

Two hand-pumps dispensed Stanway Brewery 'Artists Ale', a locally brewed 3.9% ABV golden ale, which was a pleasant enough pint.
A decent choice for cider enthusiasts, too, with three on offer as well as the Black Rat perry.

Making the most of the warm, sunny September afternoon, we took our drinks outside to the garden in front of the pub.  This was a peaceful and thoroughly relaxing spot...well, it was until we arrived.
All in all, a lovely day out - the hop farm proved to be a wonderful place to visit, topped off by the brewery tap room a couple of good pubs.  Cheers!