62 Sat 150417: Bar Santa Ana, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5%

Our second and last visit to Bar Santa Ana this trip. Outside the tables are full of sartorially exquisite extended families, but there’s room at the bar for us tourist sloths.

Even so (or because of this) it takes ages to get served – and when I do get to ask, the order doesn’t take. When the beer does flow its back to crappy Cruzcampo.

Still, this is still a fantastic place.

184 Mon 021017: El Bodegon Aurrera, Calle Santo Domingo, Benidorm

Beer: Cruzcampo 5%

They’re packing up, and this might be the last of the night. This is a sizeable, clearly normally busy, tapas bar at the end of the Tapas Alley arcade area - with an impressive range of foodstuffs available. Even through jaded eyes at 23:40, several beers in (although Steph says she still feels sober) this seems more traditional than anything we’ve seen in BENIDORM this visit.

The Cruzcampo, as per tradition, is shit.

168 Fri 150917: Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Burton Bridge Sovereign Gold 4.0%

Been to The Bear – so back for a couple of late drinks at The Bricks. It’s quiet. I have the second volume of my Every pub I’ve ever been to ever log which I present for my brother's perusal. The plan is that he’ll contribute too.

       

Other than that, the only notes record a discussion regarding the Pink Panther films. Were they any good? Really? I express some doubts, while my brother is more enthusiastic about the series.

17 Mon 200317: Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Lincoln Green Hood 4.3%

Equinox Quiz. Rex Horton QT: Steve, H, me brother, myself. We do terribly badly in the first quiz of the year. My newly refurbed Wyvern Perfect pen (bottom left in the beautiful photograph) leaks spectacularly and immediately in me brother's hands; which is nice. After that, although it seems to be working alright (not that I could see much in the crappy dingy corner table we’re sat at), it’s viewed with general suspicion by my teammates.

RHQT come joint last (with the Bar Stewards).

The Lincoln Green beer was a perfectly fine pint. There was something stronger, but being a school night and all.

43 Wed 120417: Taberna Miami, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5%

Triana’s main drag, leading to the bridge over the river, isn’t an area we’ve fully explored, we’ll always take side streets in preference; but we’re in a general mooching around mood on a Wednesday afternoon. Most places, inevitably, are packed. Taberna Miama looked the best of the bar bunch – all tiles and lager barrels on show – and crucially not wedged. Quite empty actually.

There’s a small crocodile suspended from the ceiling (reminiscent of Brno town hall). There’s other quirky touches in this sprawling hostelry; lots of wooden barrels, interesting pictures, vintage bullfighting memorabilia and general ramshack. It’s the kind of place, I suggest, that we might have latched onto and decided we liked: a half decent place… so, asks Steph, why’s it empty? She has a point.

There’s no-one in apart from us, but it’s extremely noisy – with the air con and/or fridge buzzing loudly. And, Steph adds, it’s smelly. Still, given all that, I quite liked the place. We didn’t stay for a second.

107 Fri 020617: Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Nethergate Lemon Head 4%, Milestone Mild 4%

Balmy early summer evening in the Brickies; my brother and I moan about jobs/employers.

Brian Webb arrives and we talk to him/his mate about Luton Town history. We go on to discuss pub crawl opportunity in the town now. It’s pretty poor…

That said, it’s free in for Bear Keepers* down The Bear tonight.

* Bear Keepers are them that pay £8 a month by direct debit to keep The Bear going. My brother and I are BKs. Although I very rarely go Bear – I like that it’s there.



On the evening of the 2nd, Leighton wasn’t out. Leighton hates music and will not entertain the notion of going to The Bear.

169 Fri 220917: White House, Luton

Beer: Kelham Island Pale Rider 5.2%

It’s ridiculously busy at work, and they’ve sanctioned overtime (without sanctioning additional overtime rates), so I’m going into work as early as possible on Saturday morning - and using the time accrued to take the day before we fly out to Prague off.

With that in mind, and after forty minutes in the gymnasium, I head for a few sneaky pints at the JDWWH. Again, on me tod, I find this perfectly acceptable. The very early evening clientele seem somehow less desperate than those stuck here later on. And where else in town are you going to get a pint of Kelham Island?

         

Actually I wasn’t too impressed with the beer, bitter to the point of astringency, but (and as there wasn’t much else as an alternative) the second went down better. I ponder over whether or not to get a curry in – and decide against it. I start reading the latest Boak and Bailey tome – but the beer is strong, and I don’t get much further than the first chapter.

End up having three, get some emergency corner shop beer – and home to watch Game of Thrones.

Early night – I’m at work for 07:30, and leave at 11:30. After that, finding myself too late to go home and too early to go the pre-match pub, I flounder around for a couple of hours… put a bet on… wander round the Arndale looking for eats… eventually have a Don Millers bacon bap. I really wanted a sausage bap, but they only had one sausage left. At approx 13:25 I headed toward L’Chavel Noir dans l’rue Hastings.

46 Thu 130417: Casa Ruiz, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5%

Gold and white tiles. Just a few hams. Central drag.

We’re in for a few mid-afternoon beers before siesta in preparation for the Semana Santa processions which last all through the night and Good Friday morning.

Bar is a bit too clean and non-descript. There’s a picture of black pigs on the wall, another of a man inspecting ham.

Low key on the religious front: one Madonna behind the bar…

141 Sun 060817: Harris Garden, Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

Beer: Ringwood Forty Niner 4.9%, Ringwood Circadian 4.5%

Warwickshire 62-5

The second year that Lord’s has hosted a “Beer Festival”; it was a very welcome novelty last year, but this time round… seems a bit half-hearted. I could personally do much worse than Pedigree as the standard (strong) beer at Lord’s – but the paucity of the Marston range is highlighted by this year's event.

Ringwood beers are normally good – and sometimes too quirky for their own good. I have a half of Forty Niner, which is dependable without being too exciting, and Circadian which is too floral for my liking.

Couldn’t help thinking that I’d be better off supping Pedigree in the stands, watching Warwickshire wickets tumble.