Exmouth Pub Excursions

Sampling the Good Beer Guide 2020 entries in Exmouth, which we visited on a drizzly, dull Saturday afternoon in January.
This was also a rare Prop Up the Bar appearance by my mum, who I dragged along to rate the cider.

Persistent drizzle dictated our decision to get straight inside the pub, so we didn't wander along the esplanade.  Apologies to Exmouth for not including any charming shots looking across the Exe to Dawlish or showing the nice sandy beach.
However, here's a dinosaur, signifying that we're at the gateway to the Jurassic Coast...

First stop, just a stone's throw from the main square, was a spectacular red-bricked Victorian corner pub.

Grapevine (2 Victoria Road, EX8 1DL - web)
Inside, the pub has had a modern make-over, with dark blue walls, local artworks for sale, shelves of old beer bottles and vases of flowers.
The Telegraph pub reviewer has been here, declaring it a "devilishly handsome prince of a pub".  Y'see, that's the kind of thing that I just can't come up with, which is why I'm an amateur league pub blogger.

Beer-wise, there were three Bristol Beer Factory cask ales, alongside two from Crossed Anchor, the on-site brewery.
For me, a delicious Crossed Anchors red ale, 'Red Right Hand'.
For my mum, I picked the most obscure looking of the three boxed ciders.  Pretty undrinkable and I noticed she didn't leave me to pick on her behalf for the rest of the afternoon.

The Grapevine has a residency by Ruby Diner Burger Specialists - 2017 Taste of the West gold medal winners - and the kitchen was doing a fine trade with a varied clientele tucking into their food.  Hefty prices though, for a skinflint like me, so we moved on looking elsewhere for a bite to eat.

We called into the Wetherspoon's Powder Monkey, but it was busy with all tables occupied, so we moved straight on.  This is a small, standard 'Spoon's that I've been to before, with a couple of beers by Bay's looking the most appealing of the current choice.
Interesting ceiling repairs though...

Perhaps best not stand under this bit of ceiling for too long...

After a cup of coffee and bite to eat in a cafe, we ventured around the back of the shops with our next GBG pub in sight.

First & Last Inn (10 Church Street, EX8 1PE)
I've gotta admit that I was sceptical about how good the First & Last was going to be as we approached.
Great old pub sign - less convincing 'F&L' lettering...

But once inside, this was a cracking, spacious bar, on three split levels, climbing towards the pool tables at the rear.
Sport dominated, with a number of local folk claiming prime spots in front of the big screen to watch Exeter Chiefs, whilst further TV's allowed you to keep track of the afternoon's football scores.

This was the second pub with a brewery tucked away at the back somewhere - Checkstone Brewery in this instance.  They usually have one of their own beers available, and I was chuffed to see the current offering was a 7.5% ABV Imperial Stout.

We got hooked on the Exeter Chiefs game, although sitting beneath a speaker booming out the commentary meant we couldn't really ignore it.
Business as usual, cursing the rugby, will recommence when the Six Nations starts next month.

The Imperial Stout was enjoyable, but I opted to revert to sensible strength when I went back to the bar, picking a gentle Teighworthy 'Neap Tide'.
Mum rated The First & Last for the cider - a fridge full of boxes and a friendly barman offering samples and leading her to the Sandford Orchards 'Devon Red'.

Table football and plenty of space in the First and Last Inn

A few minutes walk up Rolle Road, then a left-hand turn into Bicton Street and our third pub was a lovely back-street corner local.

Bicton Inn (5 Bicton Street, EX8 2RU - web)

"A Devonishly Friendly Pub" according to their website.  Nice word-play.  There was a lovely traditional feel to the Bicton Inn - the most pubby of pubs that we'd been in today.  Two rooms are served by one central bar, with more subtle sport on TV than in the First & Last.

Plenty of local ale choice from Hanlons and the Dartmoor Brewery, whose'Winter Warmer' I opted for.
The evening's entertainment, Graham Butterfield, began setting up in the corner, before his legions of fans (well, six of them) arrived and settled in the prime spots.  I'm sure Graham is great, but we had to drink up and catch out bus home, so we'll never know for sure.

The Epic Špindlerův Mlýn Brew Pub Hike

On Boxing Day we travelled away from Prague by bus to Krkonoše National Park and the resort town of Špindlerův Mlýn.
I accepted the fact that the impressive craft beer movement in the capital hadn't reached here. 
What I mostly drank was Pilsner Urquell...

Good Head.

The holidaymakers here didn't seem to be on the hunt for Matuska DIPA's, quite happy with their Kozel, Budweiser Budvar and Staropramen.
Or perhaps they'd all shunned beer to quaff cannabis energy drinks instead...

I'd purposely not held my hopes out for snow in the mountains, so as not to be disappointed.  But we'd arrived in Špindlerův with the white stuff falling and the main lifts and slopes open. We hired equipment, brought a 2-day lift pass and enjoyed some time on snowboards on the tree-lined runs.

Slopes.

On the bus journey from Prague, I'd spied a brew pub from the window, just outside the town centre of Vrchlabí.  And I couldn't let it go.

"You got fed up of brew pubs in Prague", Mrs PropUptheBar accurately pointed out.
"But that was four days ago - I'm definitely ready to do more brew pubs now".
Mrs PropUpthe Bar consulted Google maps - "It's not exactly close, it's 13km away".
"Okay, too far.  Doesn't really matter, I'm happy with my Pilsner Urquell."

But setting off in walking boots and woolly hat on a Sunday morning, we came across a trail map and realised that it was quite feasible to follow a route down the valley and come out quite close the the brew pub.  So off we went.

Early stages of our walk.

I wasn't wholly convinced we'd be able to find the right paths and make it all the way to our destination.  And we may just possibly have walked through a bit of the national park that wasn't technically open.  But 5km in, we reached the well walked and skied blue trail which we could follow the rest of the way.

The trail stayed high up on the hillside above the valley road, opening up from the trees to provide some grand views...

Walking in a winter wonderland.

Hitting a bit more civlisation in the form of small mountain villages the final stretch took us quickly downhill to the main road and - five minutes further along the road - there it is ....

Pivovarska Bašta  (Horská 198, Vrchlabi, 543 02 - fb)
Yep, I reckon a 13km walk to the pub showed dogged determination to reach this brewpub.
I wanted a friendly staff member to cheerily welcome me and ask me if I'd come far, but I don't think Czech brewpubs do friendly staff or cheery welcomes.

Turned out not to be an accurate depiction of brewpub clientele.

Beers brewed at Hotel Pivovarska Bašta are badged as Krkonošský Medvĕd.
There were five on the menu, of which we tried three (yes, I know, lame - all this way and we didn't even try all the beers, but we had to drink up to catch a bus back).
All were priced at between 42 and 48czk - £1.45 to £1.55 for a half litre.
'Hopbit 13', a 5.5% ABV India Pale Lager was easily drinkable and tasty, whilst the 'BrutWit IPA' was the most interesting style on this visit.

I'm a sucker for some shiny coppers.

I was feeling pretty proud of myself for getting to this pub.

BUT... snowboarding, mulled wine and Pilsner Urquell send me to sleep straight after dinner each day and I hadn't spent my time doing adequate research.
Later that evening, I found out that we'd been just a short walk away from two more micro-breweries on this trail.  Bah. 

Find a designated driver.

The choice of bars in Špindlerův Mlýn was limited, with the ubiquitous lively igloo bars at the bottom of the slopes, then a lot of places that doubled up as pizzeria's or restaurants rather than drinking spots.

Česká Hospoda - from whence came the Pilsner Urqual picture at the top of the post.

My favourite of the lot was Spindlerovska Hospoda (web), where there were four high tables with stools at them to one side of the room - you could almost pretend you were in Wetherspoons, except you don't generally get the ski-jumping on TV in Wetherspoons.
Here they served up the fine, lesser-seen Budweiser Budvar 'Dunkel' and a reasonable winter lager from Krakonoš - 'Vánočni Speciál 14°'.

Špindlerův Mlýn had been a great base for a few days and leaves me with fond winter memories.

🍻 Na zdraví!