Liverpool 18/5/2012 – 19/5/2012 - Mum and Dad

Liverpool 18/5/2012 – Mum and Dad

1)      PI -  A busy bar with a very impressive beer menu. Lots of choice and a good variety from all over the world. It is a small place with a cafe feel. The staff are friendly and helpful and we all enjoyed it. 8/10

2)      Rose of Mossley – A large pub with standard drink selection. No ales, TV’s on and fruit machines. We weren’t very impressed. 5/10

Liverpool 19/5/2012

1)      Peter Kavanaghs – Lovely historic pub which is grade 1 listed. It has cosy little rooms and lots of historic features throughout the pub. The tables are from ships, it has murals by Peter himself and beautiful fireplaces and carvings. It also has a good ale selection and friendly locals and staff. A must for all! 9/10

2)      Beehive – A busy centre pub which is long and narrow. It is much nicer inside than it looks from the outside. A busy bustly atmosphere and it had a couple of ales on too. Nice but nothing special. 6./10

3)      First National Wine – This is a bar not a pub but we hadn’t been in before and the building used to be bank. Due to this fact it is a large and pretty building with high ceilings and very airy.  It even had a couple of ales on so it was quite enjoyable. 6/10

4)      Baltic Fleet – A true ale pub which brews it’s own beer. It is undergoing a bit of a makeover but it was still busy with a nice atmosphere. The building is ship shaped and it is famed for its scouse! A good ale pub. 7/10

Eastbourne 08/04/2012 - 09/04/2012 Mum and Dad

Seaford – 08/04/2012

1) The Wellington Hotel - Recommended to us by the couple from the Basketmakers Arms so it was lovely to find them there! They were correct with the statement that the ales were good. They had plenty on offer and we were all satisfied. The place was very pleasant too but it was a hotel. 7/10.

Eastbourne  - 08/04/2012

1) The Victoria – We have all been there before but this time they had a beer festival on. Unfortunately the ones I would have like to have tried were sold out but I still managed to try a few. The bar was very busy but I preferred it to the quieter times we have been before (others of us didn't though due to excess laughter). 6/10.

Ringmer – 09/04/2012

1) The Cock – A small pub which seems to be very popular for food. It was very busy when we went and we didn't all get a seat. There was very little space for non eaters. We were quite disappointed by this place. Even though the old features of the old bar and fire place were lovely. 6/10.

2) The Ship – A very non descript average pub with only one ale available. The seating was more like restaurant chairs and it wasn't very cosy. 5/10.

 

Brighton – 07/04/2012 with Mum and Dad

Brighton – 07/04/2012 with Mum and Dad

1). Hand in Hand – A lovely little pub in the Kemp Town part of Brighton. Usually they brew their own ales but unfortunately at the time they were renovating their cellar. They still had a number of though and the bar staff were very helpful in letting you try them and advise. I very much liked the relaxed yet happy vibe to this place and would definitely return. 8/10.

2) The Basketmakers Arms – This is a busy Fullers pub. It was so busy we struggled to get a seat but a kind couple let us share their table. It had a vibrant atmosphere and we all enjoyed it. The ale selection was pretty good considering it was a Fullers too. Again I would return here. 7.5/10.

3) The Evening Star – We had heard nothing but good reports about this place and the excellent selection of ales. It did have a fair few on but we weren't overly impressed.  It didn't live up to the other two pubs high standard. I found the staff not to be as friendly and the atmosphere not as jovial here. Still worth a visit. 7/10.

4) The Great Eastern – This place doesn't look much from the outside but it is quite sweet inside. Nice wooden features and a couple of ales.  Quite a few students in when we were there. Perfectly pleasant. 7/10.

5) The Cask Bar and Kitchen – This had only been open a few weeks I believe when we visited. It was very popular and the drink selection was amazing. The bar staff were very efficient and extremely helpful in helping you make your selection. I would have scored it higher but I am a traditional pub person at heart and this is a bar. 7/10.

 

A Drinkers Ode

A Drinkers Ode

What's on – is on.

What's gone – is gone,

And what's on next will be …. next.

Let us not be vexed,

For one thing's clear

One day we'll find

The perfect beer.

Please be patient whilst waiting for your next discovery

Stratford Upon Avon 14/4/2012- Becky, Jane, Vicki, Claire, Kathy and Catherine.

Stratford Upon Avon 14/4/2012- Becky, Jane, Vicki, Claire, Kathy and Catherine.

1). The Bear. This is a hotel bar and it was showing the football (I won't mention the score) and had a large variety of ales on tap. I had 3 1/3's here to try a couple of different beers. All were perfectly drinkable. Due to the football being on, the bar area was very busy so we ended up sitting R Kelly Style in the hotel lobby. On a different occasion, with more ale testing it would probably score more highly but for this experience 4/10.

2). The Garrick Inn. This was a GK pub so it was always going to be dodgy for ale so there were no surprises that I had a lager! It was fairly busy and the décor was quite modern but trying to keep some of its old features. We all had a fairly pleasant drink but the pub is nothing special 5/10.

3). The Windmill. I didn't particularly like this pub although it was fine. It had low timbered ceilings and a decent outside area where we based ourselves but it felt a bit grotty to me. The ale selection was a lot better and they had some nice lagers too. I managed to watch the Grand National so that was a bonus! Another standard pub in my opinion 5/10.   

 4). Old Thatched Tavern. As a building this was a lovely pub, black and white and indeed with a thatched roof. A Fullers pub so standard pumps and I managed an ale here. The problem with the place is it seemed too geared up to food and the section for drinkers was too small. I also had to ask for the TV to be turned off. This was however the best place we visited this afternoon.  6/10.

5). The Cross Keys. A terrible place which has no ales and no redeeming features, the good company was the only reason this scored at all to be honest! Basic and certainly not a place for an afternoon drink.  3/10.

Despite the low scores for the pubs it was a brilliant birthday afternoon out. Thanks very much ladies!