Beer Compurgation

I don’t often spend Saturday nights in but I am determined to save money presently. However the only way I could stop myself leaving the house was to give myself a treat to look forward to and a local shop provided that when they randomly started stocking a host of Red Willow Brewery beers. I’ve had a few of their beers on cask, especially a few Faithless’, and have enjoyed them so I treated myself to a variety and hoped for an enjoyable evening.                 I started with Directionless – a 4.2% “Pale Ale” (One of around four I believe they do.) “A curious beast” so says the bottle, and my first impressions certainly agree. It has more bubbles than fresh champagne at first and each one clings to the side of the glass. It’s also almost odourless. There’s a hint of mango, perhaps, but past that it just smells of, well, beer. And not a flavourful beer at that.             This only serves to make the taste a surprise and that is a good thing. This beer is fresh. Fresh and crisp

I have a problem with Manchester at the moment. Over the past year my beer standards have increased dramatically. I no longer seem content with a “decent pint of ale” anywhere. I expect brilliance. I’ve noticed it now when I go to Leeds. Where I used to have a list of around fifteen places I enjoyed, now I’m only interested in visiting two of them. I’ve noticed it in Huddersfield. Where I used to roam around seven or eight different establishments, now I feel any drink that’s not in The Grove a little inferior. But I am a Manchester lad mainly… Last weekend I went for a pub/bar crawl around Manchester. These have been infrequent of late thanks to one bar – Port Street Beer House. “Where shall we go for beers?” one of us would say. “Port Street of course,” would say another. And nobody could come up with any reason why we shouldn’t. And to be honest, why WOULD you go elsewhere in Manchester at the minute? But, through gritted teeth, last week I said no to Port Street as we wo

                Since I write and drink a lot anyway (sometimes simultaneously) I’ve always considered beginning a blog about beer but have been made unsure by the number and quality already in existence (and my own dilatory nature.) But recently I’ve had many thoughts and opinions on the goings on in the world of beer that I’ve felt it was time to delineate some of my own personal demons. There is much to concern me at the moment. Call this my mind’s ablution.                 There never used to be much to think about. It was always good to seek out good pubs serving good beer, without saying much more about it. I never thought at any point I would see eye to eye with anybody associated with the continuously declining, slightly motor themed television show that is Top Gear, but once upon a time not too long ago James May actually said something that made me inclined to marginally agree with him. It can’t be coincidental that he was actually in my hometown of Stalybridge and stood