304. Thursday 15/2/18: The Bear Club. Mill Yard, 24A Guildford Street, Luton

Beer: Leighton Buzzard Smokin’ Angel 5.0%

Although Steph has deigned to accompany me to the latest Slow Night – it does seem quieter than normal. We put that down to it being half term, and the opening night of the Luton Beer Festival in Hightown.

CJ along too, as is a young fellow from the Vandalism Begins at Home fanzine. There’s issues of VB@H knocking about, there’s issues of Clod knocking about, conversation knocks about who does your printing, how many pages… fonts (probably)… it's Editor chat, largely beyond me.

I tentatively dip my toe into the DJ role again. That involves picking those tracks off my ipod least likely to offend, retain the ambiance, but being just a little bit different. My selections break all those rules – punk rocker that I am – immersing those few present into bored bemusement: the Alabama Sacred Harp Singers off of the Anthology of American Folk. Afterwards I attempt lifting the mood with a bit of Jacques Dutronc (doing his barnstorming “responsible man” bit) but it’s too little too late.

We leave a little bit after CJ, and a little bit before the Slow Night raffle.

355. Sat 17/3/18: Café Central, Seville

Beer: Paulaner Hefe-Weissdier 5.5%
The over friendly bloke who arrived (late) to show us our apartment was, as they tend to be, something of a tour guide – marking places on the map that we should go to/see. We explain that, though we’ve been to Seville a number of times, we’ve never really explored the Macarena area. He points out an excellent tapas bar near Alameda de Hércules, which has prompted this Saturday afternoon expedition in inclement conditions. We’re bedraggled and miserable – but find the place. It looks awful. It looks like a TGI joint, an “all you can eat” diner or summat.

But it’s pissing down. We’re cutting an increasingly forlorn smear through what seems like a potentially trendy area; and Café Cental (the next port in a strorm) seems quite a trendy bar. We don’t feel we belong. It’s way too young and cool for us – but not achingly/archingly so. It’s nice and relaxed, and the beer is very nice – and only twice as expensive as the local brew.

We have a couple. We discuss whether this place (and possibly Alameda de Hércules in general) is another gay bar (in the gay area). We’re not sure. We don’t care. We’re too damp to care (and not in a sexy way). We think on going somewhere closer to our digs – somewhere closer to our budget, and back amongst our trendless aged demographic.

439bb. Sun 24/6/18: Sandy Bell’s, Edinburgh

Beer: Inveralmond Lia Fail 4.7%

Back on the half & half.

The bar is fairly quiet and relaxed. It's known as a folk music venue and, in fact, when we arrive some diddly diddly music (as Christine likes to call the genre) is going on in the back room of the bar.

I call in home and talk to Christine about the Saturday antics and the England match. I try to tell her about the architectural highlights of the pubs and bars we visited on Saturday but she doesn't understand (?) and I find later she's taken the rise out of me on her FB page about this. I guess I didn't explain it properly.

A family group (I assume) who had been sitting at the front of the bar take up the vacated back room space and take out a selection of penny whistles while (again I assume) the dad plucks at a bass-like instrument and the rest of the entourage clap to time. All very much an unaffected bit of fun for them but still nice to watch nonetheless.

At our table, there is an extended discussion about AI, robotics and whether things like Siri and Alexa are the thin end of the wedge that will lead to Skynet taking over. It still seems the plan to have another couple somewhere else and then head back to the flat.

We move on to the Jolly Judge - surely that will be the last blog of the day?

31. Sunday 090417: Bodeguita La Mar de Bueno, Malaga

Beer: Cruzcampo 5.0%

Bar with a shellfish counter. We’ve been to Malaga a number of times and this is a great concept, which we’ve never taken full advantage of… but buying the prawns/langoustine etc is difficult for the non-Spanish speaker.

The service is rather brusque, and they’re ready to close at 4.30pm

We’re served Cruzcampo in nice glasses which state “Cruzcampo Gran Reserva”, to which my notes disparagingly suggest, though they’ve attempted to polish a turd, still tastes like s***. Bit rude that. Cruzcampo isn’t my favourite lager, but on occasion it can be disarmingly refreshing.

I was probably a bit miffed at feeling hurried and/or frustrated that I couldn’t order a serving of great big crab legs.

125. Mon 3/7/17: Bricklayers Arms, Luton

Beer: Canopy Beer Co Hamlet 4.4%, Dow Bridge Ratae’d 4.3%

A week or two late – it’s the Rex Horton Quiz Teams’ Summer Solstice quiz at the Brickies. The starter round is name the pictured young women who have featured in FHM’s Sexist Lady poll. Bad start – and it didn’t get markedly better.

The low point was the question “how many streets are there on a Monopoly board?” What do they mean by streets? Me brother was sure it meant any potentially residential property – whereas I thought it meant those properties which were streets (i.e. Bow, Regent, Bond… Oxford etc). My brother was right, apparently, according to Mary Quizmistress – that caused ructions throughout the quiz playing populace generally, while debating the point stirred an argument within the RHQuiz team. Kingstons and Whitings at each other’s throats. Monopoly has been the cause of family disharmony for generations.

We all made up, in the end. My best contribution was an eight point haul for the answer “Johnny Depp” on clue two (I suggested him on the first – “born in Kentucky 54 years ago” - for 12 points). And I drew a beaver.

Rex Horton finished in 5th place, with a disappointing 90 points (100 being par).

 

232. Thu 16/11/17: Konvikt, Prague

Beer: Pilsner Urquell 4.4%

Our favourite non-Old Gott beerhall in central Prague – selling tankovna PU.

Since our visit this time last year, the Czech Republic has banned smoking in pubs and restaurants – and that’s made a big difference to places like this, which used to be very smoky. Steph is very pleased about this. I’m generally happy but remain faintly nostalgic about smoke filled pubs…

There’s ice hockey on the telly. It’s Sev 2 Avt 4. I have no idea who either team are… but Sev have just scored another.

We’ve been to this pub several times in recent years – it makes a nice change from U Medvícků – the beer is always good, and it’s very rarely packed.

On this particular evening, it’s only 7pm, but we’re already quite drunk.

48. Thu 13/4/17: Bodeguita Cerrillo, Seville

Beer: Cruzcampo 5%

On previous visits we’ve stayed at an apartment just around the corner from this little (acutely angled) corner bar, and have popped in for first and/or last drinks. There’s room for half a dozen folk inside, at a push, and a similar number outside being served from bar window. We’re outside this afternoon and, mercifully at odds with other establishments today, it’s nice and quiet – just a couple of black widows* and their beaus.

It’s not a bad bar – there’s not enough room for it to go too far wrong. Very basic tapas and no religious or bull fighting flim flammery on the walls.

* A costume relating to Semana Santa: the women (of all ages) dress head to toe in black gowns, with elaborate head pieces. It may just be a Maundy Thursday thing – there certainly seemed to be a lot of them about that day.



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