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Archive for the ‘Spoons Tour’ Category

Embrace The Opaque

24/08/2021 Leave a comment

Commercial Street Newport Costa Coffee still not open at 07:00, despite what the Costa Website says. However the Costa at the station opens at 06:00 and the lady behind the counter was excellent. Started in The John Wallace Linton, where the Hazy Jane (my Breakfast Beer of choice) was in plentiful supply.

The Pen And Wig (Newport – Dog Friendly) for 10:02. The joy of it being back to the way it was pre Rhona, Cask and Citra to boot.

Chip shops can be tricky on a Monday, so it was Plan B and 50p more to boot. However a good sized portion and just around the corner from Tiny Rebel.

Speaking of which. In the corner by the power and now next to the organic back wall. Nothing better than slowly drinking the afternoon away. Solid Monday.

The Early Republic

22/08/2021 Leave a comment

Rain all day with a Thunderstorm alert. The Great British Summer at it’s very best. I’d forgotten how fast The Sir Samuel Romilly’s (Barry Spoons) WiFi was. So the Saturday Wrap went up in 1080p. Left The Sir Sam at 10:50 hoping to get in The Craft Republic at 11:00. Turns out it is 12:00 that they open. However they have a Steam Railway next door. Returned to The Sir Sam to drink Cask Ale from Llantrisant.

12:00, still raining, Steam Train gone and an awesome welcome from the Craft Republic staff. The Goodsheds WiFi was working but it is very slow. ThreeUK, some signal but again very slow. In the end I ended up tethering to my Tesco SIM, which was rather good. Lot’s of the finest of Fine Ales, yet another T-shirt and a rather no fun journey back home on the train. Planning a non weekend visit to Craft Republic.

The Non Zero, Zero Day

08/08/2021 Leave a comment

It’s more about the transparency than the actual real world effects. But hey, that’s what life is like here in Wales. Still, I was the first customer in the Cardiff Queen Street branch of Costa Coffee. Coffee and a Bacon Roll with Costa points to boot. Will I be able to use them again at Christmas or will we be locked down again?

Central Bar to start with the choice of mask on or off and bar or app service. All very civilised. BrewDog from 12:00 and got damp in a cloudburst getting there. All masked and mostly pre booked, so I was lucky to get in. Saw a post from Bubs saying they are still masked. So very much a mixed economy. Great beers in BrewDog and 10% discount for being a Punk. Met an old friend on the train home and didn’t recognise him. Things change.

Without a Bridge

01/08/2021 Leave a comment

A good start to the Beano with two unique pints in the Malcolm Uphill. Classic Public Service on the Stagecoach bus to Pontypridd. A great pint of Digger’s Gold by Grey Trees in The Rickards Arms in Treforest. Cask rising no doubt? Swarm App told me that I hadn’t been in The Otley Arms since January 2020. I raised a glass from Polly’s Brew Co to an Absent Friend. No Apple Pay but I’m coping like the wind. A great day and now with Tesco sarnies to finish.

Thunder, Lightning and Litter

25/07/2021 Leave a comment

Newport early on a Saturday morning. It’s full of litter. No use of litter bins, just everything just thrown on the ground. Windy, cooling rain at least until the John Wallace Linton opened at 08:00. WiFi not upgraded and a lot of bottled beers were out of stock. Not a good sign. Happy days in The Pen & Wig with almost full speed FTTC. The usual Harbour Chips and it was an old school afternoon in Tiny Rebel’s Newport Bar. The beer menu is getting better there too. Nature is slowly healing.

Superior Hot Weather Sales Technique

18/07/2021 Leave a comment

Bridgend because, why not, haven’t been there for ages and it’s the same price on the train as just going to Cardiff. Double check in at the Wyndham Hotel. Apparently due to the council? Slowly watching an upload and then onto to The Coach. What an excellent pub it is! And the Barmaid has an excellent sales technique. Two glasses and a T-shirt later. Didn’t make it to the Little Bar on the Bridge as I became a bit sleepy and then it was the joy of cancelled trains. I need more Beano training, urgently.#

Ready The Prelude

11/07/2021 Leave a comment

High Summer, a drizzly Summer and it was off to Cardiff to dust off the old Beano Prelude Video skills. Starbucks in St Mary Street is now open from early and the Central Bar is still the place where the whole world goes for a Full English. Pity it hasn’t got FTTC yet. The PM is held in Bubs. The Finest of Ales, the quality of the welcome and Fast FTTC Wifi. Good times were back. Mostly Tiddly on the way home.

Cheeky Chicken

04/07/2021 Leave a comment

Cheeky Chicken is Chicken with Piri Piri by the way, at least it is in the Bay.  High Summer, showery with longer periods of rain and a gap of ten years since I was there last. A new Spoons, see ten years ago and Brew Monster’s Bay Tap House. Minus  points, the Bay Spoons, The Mount Start is far more expensive than most other Spoons. Differential pricing at it’s best. Also missed an order that I made via the app. However, the get a pass as pubs shouldn’t be table services. Politics and all that.

The plus side. Brew Monster’s Bay Tap House. Long and narrow and you have to be sitting down to sign in but again a pass. Good selection of beer. An Untappd verified venue and the food was good. It’s also opposite the Buffet if you need more. Probably go there again and maybe not wait ten years?


Don’t Sit On The Power Switch

13/06/2021 Leave a comment

Don’t Sit On The Power Switch, if you are watching Wales in the Euros and it’s still the first half. I did and the projector went off. The staff and punters in Crafty Devil’s Penarth Cellar were not amused. I wasn’t too happy either. However it was a great sunny day. All of my drinks were uniques and Spoons (The Bears Head) had an excellent selection of cask ales. Chips and a Class 769 to take me there. Wales drew.


Cardiff Like Newport

06/06/2021 Leave a comment

Summer and a pleasant train journey into Cardiff. However The Queen Street Costa Coffee doesn’t open until 08:00 on a Saturday.  Things aren’t back to normal at all. Also, the cask selection in The Gatekeeper is minimal. Thankfully Bubs came to the rescue. The Finest of Ales, The Finest of Staff and some kick arse WiFi. No if I could only get them to open at 07:00 and do Bacon Rolls. You can dream, can’t you?