2023 was the year that I tried (and didn't quite manage) to conquer the Devon chapter of the Good Beer guide.
At the end of September I'd reached a total of 104 ticks and the county map was looking like this...
My last trek around Plymouth had seen me standing waiting for a bus outside the Indian Inn, where, unbeknownst to me, they were probably peeling the back off the Beer Guide '24 'We're In It' window sticker.
Three of the pubs I visited that day lost their Guide place: The Cherry Tree, Queen's Arms and Admiral MacBride.
Under threatening grey autumnal skies I made a trip back to the city to put matters right.
One pub that has always elluded me is the Prince Maurice, being as it's a fair trek out into the suburbs. With time to spare this time around, I found my way to Eggbuckland at lunchtime...
 |
| Eggbuckland chippy |
The Maurice the pub is named after is Maurice of the Palatinate, who did a good deal of trekking around Civil War battles in support of his uncle, Charles I, and ended up assuming command of the armed forces in Cornwall.
Pub ticking is great to enhance your Civil War knowledge.
The bar counter straddles two rooms, each with it's own entrance.
It's one of those pubs where the hand pumps are different in each room, so I ended up with a choice of the much-seen trio of Dartmoor 'Jail Ale', St Austell 'Tribute', or 'Doom Bar'.
It was only after I'd ordered the Jail Ale (not again!) that I spotted the blackboard listing 'Proper Job', Salcombe 'Gold' and South Hams 'Sherman' as also being available.
Despite my picture of an empty room there were a few locals in on an early week lunchtime, greeting each other by name and getting into a conversation about reality TV.
The young lady behind the bar had never heard of Big Brother - there's hope for the next generation yet.
And the locals had mixed views on Strictly Come Dancing - "I fast forward all the talking and just get to the bits with Angela Rippon".
Right...back into the centre of Plymouth and a walk down Union Street.
I've always meant to get a picture of the ornate and derelict Palace Theatre and Hotel...
I've always meant to get a picture of the ornate and derelict Palace Theatre and Hotel...
The new entry for the 2024 Beer Guide is a short way up Octagon Street and is a little less architecturally impressive than the Palace. The Duchy of Cornwall looks like it's had a recent paint job (possibly in a colour on a special offer clearance sale) and the front door replaced by something thoroughly modern, plastic and and un-pub-like.
As tends to happen a bit too much in my pub explorations, this was completely empty when I stepped through the door to a frenzied bout of barking from the pub dog. I must have won him over, as he sat at my feet for the rest of my visit giving me determined nudges every time I tried to stop stroking him.
What Pub tells us they have "One rotating beer usually from Plymouth-based breweries".
So having gotten in the Beer Guide with their one local ale, they'd replaced this on my visit with something from Greene King.
To be fair it was one of their Future Brewers range, which tend to be quite good - a very enjoyable 'Dark Star Porter'.
Vessel Beer Shop (184 Exeter St, Plymouth PL4 0NQ)
And I arrived at the beer shop just as a sudden vicious downpour ensued. Good timing.
This little single room shop has around 5 tables, a bar at the back, and several fridges stacked full of all manner of tempting crafty cans.
On tap were 6 beers, 3 from Left Handed Giant, and 1 each from Donzoko, Ideal Day and Pomona Island. £3 brought me a half of the lemon saison from Saltash-based Ideal Day, a brewery I've not come across before.
The Masonic Hall was looking impressive - it's namesake pub sounding quite appealing when I looked it up later on WhatPub.
The current licensees have presided over the pub for an impressive 32 years and I assume that it was the landlady who I disturbed from her comfy spot in the armchair by the fire watching the news (all doom and gloom). She did give me a wonderful friendly welcome though.
It's a spectacular front parlour of a pub, a symphony in brown, full of ornaments and trinkets and pictures.
Just the one hand pump on the bar - on this visit serving Summerskills 'Whistle Belly Vengeance'.
An ESB with a bit of an odd flavour to be honest and not my favourite of the day.
So...a satisfying day in that I could finally mark Plymouth beer guide pubs as done & dusted for 2024. Just how far I'll get with completing the rest of the county is anyone's guess.
It's a simple one-room backstreet boozer with pool table, darts board and sleeping cat on one of the chairs. Brightly lit, with a thoroughly modernised decor, and cricket on the big TV screen. (I know little about cricket but I know that England weren't doing very well).
The landlord, resplendent in one of those t-shirts with an all-over colourful print featuring beer n darts, told the next chap who arrived that he might have to make it a quick pint. Apparently he was waiting for a phone call to pick someone up, at which point he was shutting the pub.
So I guess I was lucky not to arrive half-an-hour later and been frustrated by this one.
The landlord, resplendent in one of those t-shirts with an all-over colourful print featuring beer n darts, told the next chap who arrived that he might have to make it a quick pint. Apparently he was waiting for a phone call to pick someone up, at which point he was shutting the pub.
So I guess I was lucky not to arrive half-an-hour later and been frustrated by this one.
You realise just how spread out Plymouth is when wandering on foot from one side to the other. I passed through the shopping streets, diverted to the Barbican and strolled around the harbour, before heading just east of the centre.
And I arrived at the beer shop just as a sudden vicious downpour ensued. Good timing.
This little single room shop has around 5 tables, a bar at the back, and several fridges stacked full of all manner of tempting crafty cans.
On tap were 6 beers, 3 from Left Handed Giant, and 1 each from Donzoko, Ideal Day and Pomona Island. £3 brought me a half of the lemon saison from Saltash-based Ideal Day, a brewery I've not come across before.
It's a decent little craft beer place, although a bit of an unusual pick for the Beer Guide. The owner mentioned that he occasionally put a cask on, but didn't sound like he had that much enthusiasm for doing so.
Still - good beer, with a decent alt rock/indie soundtrack, so I'm not complaining.
Next up I needed to get to Stoke Village which was far enough in the wet weather to require a couple of bus rides. Even going round on the scenic route I got there far too early for the 6pm opening.
£3 selected pint in the Stoke Bar Fun Pub? Hmmm, maybe not.
Still - good beer, with a decent alt rock/indie soundtrack, so I'm not complaining.
Next up I needed to get to Stoke Village which was far enough in the wet weather to require a couple of bus rides. Even going round on the scenic route I got there far too early for the 6pm opening.
£3 selected pint in the Stoke Bar Fun Pub? Hmmm, maybe not.
Better bloggers than me would have filled a post with the wonders of Stoke's 'interesting' and plentiful collection of boozers.
Top marks for the chip shop name...
By the time the clock ticked 6pm I was back at the Indian Inn, no competition to be first customer of the evening.
Indian Inn (82 Devonport Road, Stoke, PL3 4DF)
The inner door of the Indian Inn has a bit of mag lock on it and a keypad to one side, not fully instilling confidence in the surrounding area. You don't need a code to get in, but you do need to give the door a good shove - something I didn't do, leading me to loiter like a fool for 5-minutes before deciding the lights were definitely on and I should try it again.
Indian Inn (82 Devonport Road, Stoke, PL3 4DF)
The inner door of the Indian Inn has a bit of mag lock on it and a keypad to one side, not fully instilling confidence in the surrounding area. You don't need a code to get in, but you do need to give the door a good shove - something I didn't do, leading me to loiter like a fool for 5-minutes before deciding the lights were definitely on and I should try it again.
It's a spectacular front parlour of a pub, a symphony in brown, full of ornaments and trinkets and pictures.
Just the one hand pump on the bar - on this visit serving Summerskills 'Whistle Belly Vengeance'.
An ESB with a bit of an odd flavour to be honest and not my favourite of the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment