460a. Sat 11/8/18: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Goffs Brewery Cheltenham Gold 4.5%

First home game of the season in League 1 against the formidable Sunderland. Conflicting feelings about the projected outcome. Some think we'll lose badly, others with that early season optimism (ended up 1-1 and we gave a good account of ourselves). All showing off our pristine season tickets, one was even deflowered at the table.

Bit of a giggle at my fellow blogger's attempt to be "with it" wearing his distressed, torn jeans. A discussion comparing blogging methods was had. I don't think any blogger has written about the same visit. Until now.

391. Sat 14/4/18: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Three Brewers of St Albans Gold 4.1%

Pre-match, Town v Crewe. Notts County ticket distribution, and train arrangement is the order of the afternoon, while the BH is serving reasonably weak beers this week.

World War Three apparently has, or hasn’t, just started in Syria – stuff like going to the pub and the football match seems so much civilised than the bullshit that our elected (and unelected) leaders are coming out with at the moment. The news boycott that my brother has talked of for a few months, seems reasonably sensible at the moment… I can’t stand hearing what that ridiculous warmongering clown Trump has to say at the best of times.

382. Fri 30/3/18: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Pheasantry Aurora 4.8%

There’s lots and time and effort gone into The Black Horse – and into events like this. This time round, landlord Chris has set a dozen or more casks in the beer garden, and has spent time and money on pretty elaborate festival menus.

We’ve become pre-match Saturday afternoon regulars recently, and some of the older beer bore Town fans are holding court in the middle of the pub. We find a space near the stage, near the back, nearer the festival barrels out in a beer tent in the garden. Decent though the beer selection is, the evening clientele make it difficult to enjoy it. Without wanting (but doubtless failing) to sound like I’d ideally like to see the gentrification of every pub we visit, one does feel this pub deserves better patrons than it seems to attract now. It’s difficult to imagine there’s much enthusiasm for the beer festival among much of the crowd in tonight.

It’s a pity. We stay for one – and head back for the Brickies.

384. Mon 2/4/18: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Summerskills Westward Ho! 4.1%, Ilkley Hanging Stone 5.0%

Pre match LT v Mansfield. The beer selection at the front bar is far too strong – so thank goodness the beer festival is still on at the back. And the atmosphere is so much brighter and lighter than it was on Friday night (no.382).

Picture features the beer festival flyer/menu. Again, there’s time and effort gone into this – and I suppose it’s nice to be able to eventually enjoy it.

There’s some pre-match jitters. Town have rather been spluttering to get over the promotion line, so we’re naturally keen for a result this afternoon.

It’s my turn for Half Time Treats. It’s Easter: so it’s hot crossed buns.

15 Sat 18/3/17: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Grafton Brewing Co Lady Mary 5.0%

Get to the BH at 13:30, and me brother is already in, reading, at the table at the right of the door. The pub fills up rapidly but, at half past, it’s sparsely populated – and far more pleasant than the Brickies. Is the beer far better too? It’s a moot point. Paul the Mod would say so – I’m for the Brickies, warts and all… but still, it gets far too packed so we come here pre-match now.

The Lady Mary is a decent and robust, pint. I manage to request a pint of Mary Jane (as per my dyslexia claim), which is embarrassing, especially as I then feel compelled to add “sorry, what the hell am I ordering…?”

In preparation for the upcoming equinox quiz we leaf thru the bumper pub quiz book on the shelf and fire questions at each other. REM, I correctly answer to “who released the album Out of Time?”
John’s next in, then… Chris possibly. Steve has my Middlesex CCC membership bumph. Paul and Asa aren’t in, so the last scorer sweep is down (and remains unwon). Wilf is annoying – picking out several players… the pesky scamp.

Half Time Treats: Page L: “Posh brioche”

202 Sat 14/10/17: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Leighton Buzzard Brewery Narrow Gauge 3.9%

Unlike the last couple of years at The English Rose there are, mercifully, no Stevenage fans in this pub. I daresay the majority are fine, but the little band of noisy youths who chose to grace our erstwhile pre-match watering hole in High Town two years running were skin crawlingly embarrassing.

The music in The Black Horse tends on the “too bloody loud for a Saturday afternoon”. Michael bloody Jackson… turn it bloody off. They don’t, but they do decrease the volume a little after a while, which makes the audio assault a little more bearable.

It’s a shame because, apart from that – this is a good pub, and there are way too few of them, especially to cater for the pre-match football following. We decide that, if we ran this pub, we’d make it far quieter… and possibly get rid of the pool table.

Sat 4/11/17: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Wolf Brewery Poppy Ale 4.2%

Out: AJK and Steve Harper

Pre-FA Cup match against Portsmouth pints. Cup fever has yet to descend on Luton – and the pub is nicely quiet, which encourages my brother and I to play a game of pool. We’re rubbish at pool, but manage a game of relatively rare high quality.

The apparent lack of football enthusiasm (exacerbated by last weeks’ Coventry debacle) is illustrated within our group – with only we two and Steve Harper (all the way from Loughborough) deigning to attend.

268 Sat 23/12/17: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Green Jack Brewing Co Gone Fishing ESB 5.5%

The weakest beer at the BH pre-match this Saturday is a 4.6% brew. That’s a bit much… but, on occasion, nothing down the Brickies is over 4%. I’m leaning towards a nice, brown, 4.2%er if poss these days; but I’m not really complaining with conviction – two (and ideally three) pints of comparatively strong beer before the match is ok by me.

They’re setting down the annual BH panto (Cinderella, which was last night) which means the seating area on the stage isn’t available at first but, once we’re given the green light, we’re straight over there. Chris and the Page boys are off (though not together) for Christmas, so our numbers are a little depleted. Still, the Harper bros are in – and Steve has bought my MCCC bumph pack – hinting at sunnier summer days at Lord’s to come.

287 Sat 20/1/18: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Tring Colley's Dog 5.2%

Dreary January afternoon. The pub is reasonably quiet – but there’s a good turnout from our lot.

The talk is how we all got on at/coming back from Newcastle. The long drive back after the match seems like a nightmare scenario to me – but apparently it was ok.

John has some constructive criticism about this blog: apparently it needs more about the pubs in question, and less about ME. He’s quite right, of course, but this is all subjective stuff – and shouldn’t claim to be anything but. Should it?

Anyway, I’m very cold. It’s very cold outside. I’ve decided to come out having opted for several (though not enough) layers instead of a coat. Me me me.

The pub décor is greens and blacks and purples.

What, I offer up as a point of discussion, is the zenith and nadir of Mike Meyers’ career? I’d suggest Wayne’s World and Goldmember.

Last goalscorer draw goes round.

Steve H has turned up wearing odd gloves.

2 Sat 25/2/17: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: Mordue Brewery ESB 5.0%

Out: AJK, CJ, JtcfH, SH, LP, WP, PtmF, Asa

My brother and I play pool, appallingly. We tie at 1-1 and decide against a decider.

Start a £1-in last goalscorer sweep.

259 Sat 091217: The Black Horse, Luton

Beer: 3 Brewers of St Albans Special 4.8%, Leighton Buzzard Brewing Co Rebel Yell 5%

The Black Horse doesn’t shy from the stronger beers like the Brickies tends to… I like the option of a decent four and a halfer, but tend to favour a decent brown 4.2% as standard…

Anyway, I haven’t seen the Hatters for ages, and it’s nice to be back. Lovely to see Chris and Andy Whiting and John and Steve and Luke/Wilf, me brother of course – good to be back in the fold. All seem generally complimentary about my new winter plumage – the facial hair I’ve been allowing to grow since the week before we went to Prague is getting reasonably close to actually resembling a beard.

Chris at The Black Horse is always up to something new – this week it’s the Oxjam charity event. Not sure quite what that entails, but our friend (and graphic artist) Helen is painting signs for a donation. She does a “Knockouts” one, and I give her a fiver (is this enough, or too stingy?

While the football trade is welcome, there does seem to be far more to The Black Horse beyond our fortnightly visits take in; and Chris seems an excellent landlord/bloke.

Oxjam have taken the space at the end of the pub, on the stage, where we like to hold court – so we’re crammed up at the bar near the door. That’s ok though, thankfully the Notts County ale aficionados have gone elsewhere, and the pub isn’t abnormally packed.