So here it is. The Grand Degustation of no-alcohol beers, all German with one dodgy-looking Austrian exception.
I won't be rushing this...
Edit, duh, sorry about the photo Left to right, Paulaner, Sport Weisse, Weihenstephan, Franziskaner, Maisels Weiss, Schneider Weiss and the favourite to win, Stortebeker Frei....
Real ale is naturally carbonated and served chilled, 12c and that is cold. The notion that real ale is warm and flat is a myth or you've just drunk in crap pubs.
I wish you could as well @LenGlover. I'd love to bar you!
Was chatting to a friend yesterday...lived in Eltham as I did (98-2005) and I told him about your place and he asked me how you could open a bar in that particular part of Eltham as he thought that there was a by-law that stated that no establishment selling alcohol was allowed in the area.
The 2003 Licencing Act changed everything. Licences used to be granted by the local magistrate, he would take into account such things as restrictive covenants like what still exists on Eltham Park. The government moved licencing to the local authority (Royal Greenwich) who set up licencing departments. They also streamlined the opposition process. They introduced the Four Licencing Objectives that any potential licencee had to prove he would adhere to.
the prevention of crime and disorder.
public safety.
the prevention of public nuisance.
the protection of children from harm If you satisfied the department that you could uphold these then you get a licence, as long as the police do not object (they have a veto).
So any objections had to fall into one of those categories and old covenants do not. Restrictive covenants are also not considered for planning permission under the 1992 Town & Country Planning Act.
Shame you weren't there when I lived in Eltham...by the sounds of it I'd be a regular.
I wish you could as well @LenGlover. I'd love to bar you!
Was chatting to a friend yesterday...lived in Eltham as I did (98-2005) and I told him about your place and he asked me how you could open a bar in that particular part of Eltham as he thought that there was a by-law that stated that no establishment selling alcohol was allowed in the area.
The 2003 Licencing Act changed everything. Licences used to be granted by the local magistrate, he would take into account such things as restrictive covenants like what still exists on Eltham Park. The government moved licencing to the local authority (Royal Greenwich) who set up licencing departments. They also streamlined the opposition process. They introduced the Four Licencing Objectives that any potential licencee had to prove he would adhere to.
the prevention of crime and disorder.
public safety.
the prevention of public nuisance.
the protection of children from harm If you satisfied the department that you could uphold these then you get a licence, as long as the police do not object (they have a veto).
So any objections had to fall into one of those categories and old covenants do not. Restrictive covenants are also not considered for planning permission under the 1992 Town & Country Planning Act.
Shame you weren't there when I lived in Eltham...by the sounds of it I'd be a regular.
He probably was, but wouldn't have been able to open a pub. Much of Eltham Park is an estate built by the Quakers (i was born and raised there and my family are still there). In many ways the estate is an admirable symbol of post war Britain, providing the opportunity for people from a working class background to become property owners, but with it came this religious opposition to alcohol. Eltham became a symbol of Britain's absurd relationship with alcohol. No pub within walking distance in Eltham Park, but in the High Street some 17 of them providing great opportunities for schoolkids like me to go on a pub crawl and get completely shitfaced.
He's too modest to admit it, but a lot of people there credit Riviera's pub with the regeneration of Westmount Road, the sort of street that many say has no future for commercial services which benefit the community.
@SomervilleAddick if you're in NYC, then a trip to Other Half is a must....genuinely one of the best and most consistent breweries in the world. I try and bring a suitcase home with me each time I visit...almost impossible to get here unless they do a collab (just revisited one with Cloudwater - 'Tremendous Ideas DIPA')...just heavenly stuff...
Excellent tip. I’d recommend getting your suitcase out.
Stopped at a pub in the woods at the midpoint of a dog walk today and had a lovely pint of Brakspears Henley Pale Ale. Newish brew introduced a couple of years ago , 3.9%. Perfect pint of well-flavoured beer for warm afternoon. Proper flavour, not over-citrussy like so many IPAs. Recently been drinking Brakspears Gravity at 3.4%, but it's not as flavoursome as the old Ordinary which was a proper session beer with great hop flavour. The Henley Pale has won me round.
@SomervilleAddick if you're in NYC, then a trip to Other Half is a must....genuinely one of the best and most consistent breweries in the world. I try and bring a suitcase home with me each time I visit...almost impossible to get here unless they do a collab (just revisited one with Cloudwater - 'Tremendous Ideas DIPA')...just heavenly stuff...
Excellent tip. I’d recommend getting your suitcase out.
They only have one beer below 6% and that's the lager. Bet it gets messy in there.
@SomervilleAddick if you're in NYC, then a trip to Other Half is a must....genuinely one of the best and most consistent breweries in the world. I try and bring a suitcase home with me each time I visit...almost impossible to get here unless they do a collab (just revisited one with Cloudwater - 'Tremendous Ideas DIPA')...just heavenly stuff...
Excellent tip. I’d recommend getting your suitcase out.
They only have one beer below 6% and that's the lager. Bet it gets messy in there.
I've just had another look, most of the beers are imperial's.
@SomervilleAddick if you're in NYC, then a trip to Other Half is a must....genuinely one of the best and most consistent breweries in the world. I try and bring a suitcase home with me each time I visit...almost impossible to get here unless they do a collab (just revisited one with Cloudwater - 'Tremendous Ideas DIPA')...just heavenly stuff...
Excellent tip. I’d recommend getting your suitcase out.
They only have one beer below 6% and that's the lager. Bet it gets messy in there.
I've just had another look, most of the beers are imperial's.
That’s sort of par for the course here. Very few make session beers. I had two and left. It seemed like that was the norm Nobody hang around for long, but it was always busy.
It it is one of the problems I have drinking over here. It’s not conducive to spending 3-4 hours drinking and talking, because after 4 beers everyone is ready to leave. Apart from me
@SomervilleAddick if you're in NYC, then a trip to Other Half is a must....genuinely one of the best and most consistent breweries in the world. I try and bring a suitcase home with me each time I visit...almost impossible to get here unless they do a collab (just revisited one with Cloudwater - 'Tremendous Ideas DIPA')...just heavenly stuff...
Excellent tip. I’d recommend getting your suitcase out.
They only have one beer below 6% and that's the lager. Bet it gets messy in there.
I've just had another look, most of the beers are imperial's.
That’s sort of par for the course here. Very few make session beers. I had two and left. It seemed like that was the norm Nobody hang around for long, but it was always busy.
It it is one of the problems I have drinking over here. It’s not conducive to spending 3-4 hours drinking and talking, because after 4 beers everyone is ready to leave. Apart from me
Booking my flights now, wait at the bar. I'll be nine hours.
Working my way through Gypsy Hill’s offerings- IPA, NEIPA, sour and gose this weekend. Plus beers from Verdant, Polly’s, Northen Monk, Wander Beyond, Cloudwater and Cigar City.
@SomervilleAddick - I've spent quite a few hours in the Other Half Taproom over the years...not sure on the quality of my conversation by the end of the evening though :-) Am holidaying on Long Island in a couple of weeks and as luck would have it have found out that my hotel is a couple of minutes walk from these guys and their lovely looking tap room.... https://montaukbrewingco.com
As if to confirm that Albury in Surrey is Nirvana - CAMRA have just selected local brew - Shere Drop as best beer in 2019 - try it - it truly is the the cocaine of bitters that probably isn’t a very PC description but you know what I mean
@SomervilleAddick - I've spent quite a few hours in the Other Half Taproom over the years...not sure on the quality of my conversation by the end of the evening though :-) Am holidaying on Long Island in a couple of weeks and as luck would have it have found out that my hotel is a couple of minutes walk from these guys and their lovely looking tap room.... https://montaukbrewingco.com
Never had anything from them, but it looks like they do a lot more session beers than most. The Post Ride Snack was a very tasty beer @ 4.9%.
St Peters Plum Porter was universally agreed to be the best beer we tried yesterday. Another porter, Black Wych was also highly rated. Hop House lager was liked by all and, tested blind, some were surprised to be told that it was a lager because they noticed that it had a taste. Another Lager, Karapakie, was also tasted really nice, but at 9% I guess it ought to. Fruit lovers found Banana Bread Beer quite agreeable, though I was personally put off by the description on the label 'beer/lager blend'. Ilkley Oat Stout and Bateman's Victory didn't get the plaudits I think they deserved, probably because we were all too pissed by the time we tried them. The worst drink of the day was a concoction of Guinness with a Port top that was recommended to me by someone whose opinions on drink I no longer trust.
I wish you could as well @LenGlover. I'd love to bar you!
Was chatting to a friend yesterday...lived in Eltham as I did (98-2005) and I told him about your place and he asked me how you could open a bar in that particular part of Eltham as he thought that there was a by-law that stated that no establishment selling alcohol was allowed in the area.
The 2003 Licencing Act changed everything. Licences used to be granted by the local magistrate, he would take into account such things as restrictive covenants like what still exists on Eltham Park. The government moved licencing to the local authority (Royal Greenwich) who set up licencing departments. They also streamlined the opposition process. They introduced the Four Licencing Objectives that any potential licencee had to prove he would adhere to.
the prevention of crime and disorder.
public safety.
the prevention of public nuisance.
the protection of children from harm If you satisfied the department that you could uphold these then you get a licence, as long as the police do not object (they have a veto).
So any objections had to fall into one of those categories and old covenants do not. Restrictive covenants are also not considered for planning permission under the 1992 Town & Country Planning Act.
Shame you weren't there when I lived in Eltham...by the sounds of it I'd be a regular.
He probably was, but wouldn't have been able to open a pub. Much of Eltham Park is an estate built by the Quakers (i was born and raised there and my family are still there). In many ways the estate is an admirable symbol of post war Britain, providing the opportunity for people from a working class background to become property owners, but with it came this religious opposition to alcohol. Eltham became a symbol of Britain's absurd relationship with alcohol. No pub within walking distance in Eltham Park, but in the High Street some 17 of them providing great opportunities for schoolkids like me to go on a pub crawl and get completely shitfaced.
He's too modest to admit it, but a lot of people there credit Riviera's pub with the regeneration of Westmount Road, the sort of street that many say has no future for commercial services which benefit the community.
Very well said. It's a really good place and has linked up the community.
I also ventured to the hanger in sidcup recently which is my mates local. Its run by addicks too and is really good.
Comments
I won't be rushing this...
Edit, duh, sorry about the photo Left to right, Paulaner, Sport Weisse, Weihenstephan, Franziskaner, Maisels Weiss, Schneider Weiss and the favourite to win, Stortebeker Frei....
He's too modest to admit it, but a lot of people there credit Riviera's pub with the regeneration of Westmount Road, the sort of street that many say has no future for commercial services which benefit the community.
Recently been drinking Brakspears Gravity at 3.4%, but it's not as flavoursome as the old Ordinary which was a proper session beer with great hop flavour.
The Henley Pale has won me round.
It it is one of the problems I have drinking over here. It’s not conducive to spending 3-4 hours drinking and talking, because after 4 beers everyone is ready to leave. Apart from me
This is sliding down very well.
I don't remember this being so crisp on my visit to the wonderful city of @PragueAddick
They sell Punk on draft.
that probably isn’t a very PC description but you know what I mean
I also ventured to the hanger in sidcup recently which is my mates local. Its run by addicks too and is really good.