143. Sun 6/8/17: Harris Garden, Lord’s Cricket Ground, St John’s Wood, London

Beer: Ringwood Forty Niner 4.9%


The deal with the Lord’s Beer Fest’ is that it’s non-cash and one buys vouchers beforehand. In today’s case that necessitates return visits to get rid of our remaining half pint vouchers. It’s getting too hot – and Middlesex are now crashing too (there’s twenty wickets in the day – possibly more, I wasn’t paying too much attention to the farce out in the middle).

The Beer Festival is very popular though. I’ve worked out why. While, as members, our booze alternative is pots of Pedigree at a price comparable to drinks here – the rest of the crowd are served up whatever Marston’s weakest bitter is, and at a scandalous £5.20 a pint. A half of considerably better beer at the Harris Garden Beer Fest’ is £1.90.

150. Fri 18/8/17: The Great Northern, Luton

Beer: St Austell Tribute 4.0%

Don’t like Tribute, it’s too sweet; I do like this pub though. There was rumour that this place was closing too, a few months ago, but thankfully, apparently, there’s new management in. Same old (predominantly aged Irish) clientele. The place is nicely, sparsely, populated. Pete Savage is at the bar, in conversation with other people, and we decide to vocally bemoan his “blanking” us… retrospectively we discussed how rude of us that was.

The last orders bell goes at 11pm sharp – and Leighton calls it a day. We go back for one last look in The Brickies.

 

152. Sat 19/8/17: Lansdowne Club, Luton

Beer: Fullers London Pride 4.0%

The search for Brickies pre-match alternatives (again, I quite like The Horse) continues, and this time its football Saturday membership at The Lansdowne. There’s quite a queue at the bar, and the range is very limited. That said, London Pride is perfectly acceptable and - slightly annoyingly - this place is fine too. There’s apparently no enthusiasm to match drinks with branded glassware, which is commendable. The LC is very civilised and genteel. I like it quite a lot which, again, slightly irks.

Not entirely sure why. Possibly it’s the paucity of decent boozers – very much highlighted by our forlorn schlep the previous night – which has led us into this fine establishment, which maybe isn’t ready (yet) to be patronised by the likes of us. Not that we’re in any way rowdy – but it does seem that we’ve been corralled into gate crashing someone else’s party.

154 Thu 24/8/17: The Bear Club, Luton

Beer: Leighton Buzzard Brewery Restoration 4.6%

They don’t need my turning up at Slow Night – it’s quite packed, albeit, its suggested, by some work party. Good for them. On the DJ table (my Ipod shuffle play isn’t required tonight), sits the proof copy of Luton Haiku v5. The cover is one of the photographs I took at the football ground in June. Ramshackle mess. As with the picture of the car bonnet (v3), the back cover is far more aesthetically pleasing than the front.

Beer goes down nicely, and all is going swell until the South Beds chapter of CAMRA turn up and start tearing the place down. Not really. No draught beer though – why are they here? Mike from CAMRA is an affable soul and comes over to say hello. He mentions something about the live entertainment at the Beer Fest’ in February; I’m not sure if he wanted The Knockouts or not (I’m thinking possibly not). We tell him that Helen and Ricky’s lot were fantastic this year – and that the diehards will always demand Cerberus.

CAMRA are here ‘cause they always come here on their Luton socials. It is one of the best places in town for beer… trendy beer, mind (too zeightghastly for me). I wonder if Justin would consider dabbling in draught, I presume not. Anyway, whatever, the fact that CAMRA come here routinely surely suggests at the rubbish choice of pubs in Luton – something that has become an acute bugbear, especially since last Friday.

135 Fri 4/8/17: The Carpenters Arms, Cravells Road, Harpenden

Beer: Caledonian Edinburgh Castle 4.1%

It’s quite a walk (twenty mins or so… probably less) from Harpenden station to The Carpenters Arms. It’s been refurbished since my last visit and I'm not so sure I like it so much. Unless I’m mistaken, there used to be a collection of toy cars in a cabinet on the wall. That’s gone.

The beer is still fine, and we’re lucky enough to have a seat – but I’m not sure I like all the fairy lights and that…

So, we discuss which the best S&G album is. I contend that it isn’t SoS – but (PS’sSB out on a technicality) WM3am or (even allowing for Baby Driver) BoTW. Me brother sticks to his opinion that it’s Sounds’.

151 Fri 18/8/17: The Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Brentwood Golden Ale 4.3%

There’s still a big wake crowd in the pub, but not nearly as packed as earlier on – and we go in. Katie Hopkins, her from the aforementioned late 80’s, is in with her cousin who is a Brickies regular (tentative nodding terms). Katie greets me “I was just talking about The Wedding Present the other day”, which is nice – slightly odd, though The Weddoes still dominate the indie pop genre on my ipod. On introducing us to her cousin I think I’m right in correcting her that she was, like me, a Thrilled Skinny “hanger on” rather than a groupie… I think I’m right; I’m not going to ask around. Anyway, it’s nice to see her – to see her nice. Bruce Forsyth sadly died this afternoon.

The Brickies is in mourning for someone much closer to home – someone we recognised, but didn’t know. It’s sad on a number of levels; if merely, from our own largely separated point of view, that another pillar of our local community has gone. Times change, but I’ve always loved this place where Al’s in charge – where Steve Dillon is at his stool at the bar – Doon at his… the fella they’re commemorating tonight likely close by (and us playing our own little bit parts in the back bar).

Tonight the Brickies, by quite a bit past eleven, is very pissed and I’m quite tired so I wander back up Hightown Road and to bed.

I forgot to take pictures of/on this visit: below is a point (vaguely) and shoot snap, taken from the other side of Hightown Road – possibly next to that vacant building previously occupied by the Noah Charity (they’re now next door to the Brickies, in the building previously occupied by the Welbeck Social Club).

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.