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The Not Quite a Pub Crawl – Part III
I have just noticed how many of my posts have “Not Quite” in the title and here’s another one. The plan is to finish off my Central Cardiff blogging but as I said last time, I fear it will need another one. And then there is the suburbs, busy times.
Cardiff Castle just after the rain had stopped
The Gatekeeper Cardiff – rear entrance
Not Ponty prices
Starting in The Gatekeeper (again), if for no other reason than the bar opens at 08:00. I was slightly late.
It used to be a Porno Cinema
The classic Cardiff “Let’s have one here before we go on to ….” Pub. Note the Dragons on the roof.
And it filled up as I was sitting there drinking my bottle of Chimay Red with Elton John fans, having several before going to see him in The Cardiff City Stadium tonight.
Brains Bitter (light), weaker (tax) but fruitier than I remember. Great Barmaid here.
Cricket, Football and Fine Cardiff brewed Craft Ales
Ex Small Bar, Beelzebubs is Crafty Devil’s main Cardiff Bar. Great Ales and superior WiFi.
Clean hands healthy beer. Works for me.
The Hopbunker – The best below ground Pub in Cardiff
It all turned into a Murky Saturday and it’s warmer underground.
And it’s all very walkable
Not Quite Llandeilo
With a Hat Tip to retiredmartin and post Storm Miguel, it was off to Barry on the train. Which strangely is the same price as catching the train to Cardiff despite being further. Talking of Cardiff, here’s the view from Cardiff Central Platform 8. The “Tangy” Brewery.
The Old Brains Brewery, soon to be closed. The new brewery in Tremorfa is already open. Changing trains for the Barry Flyer.
Turn left for Barry Island and the seaside. Turn right for The Sir Samual Romilly. Barry’s Spoons. Currently building a larger Beer Garden.
It’s an old Cinema and it’s rather pleasant inside. Opens at 08:00 and the Bar opens at 09:00.
However the cask selection is rather poor. It looks like The Old Hooky is the pick of the crop.
Note the time, I did.
On to The Butterfly Collector, Google Maps was pretty close on the walking time.
Eclectic. A half of Black Flag Rum Porter from Tenby Brewing is a pretty good start. Free WiFi also helps.
Apparently you should write on the wall. Sharpie’s are now a thing in the UK. Please do not mention Magic Markers.
Lunch. I must say that the Butterfly Collector was rather quiet, which was a same as it’s a great, friendly little place. Use it or lose it Barry. Loved the umbrella.
The Not Quite a Pub Crawl – Part II
It’s been over two years since I was last in The Ernest Willows (thank you Swarmapp), so it seemed the correct place to continue The Not Quite a Pub Crawl. It’s one of the cheaper Wetherspoons in Cardiff, a pleasant ten minutes walk from the City Centre.
It was in The Ernest Willows that my serious cask ale drinking really begun. May 2005 I’m looking at you. Sadly today the cask ales are mainly mass market ordinariness. So I have mostly transferred my flag.
It has however been refurbished inside and looking now outside too. So it’s two 13 Amp sockets and two usb power sockets per booth. Which is positive.
Not for the first time the advertised time of opening, this time from Facebook is incorrect. It’s 11:00 not 10:00. So on to The Central Bar (Wetherspoons) for a quick one before I return.
Occasionally in Spoons you will be asked if you want a straight or handled glass. Not really worried. Oddly enough, the toilets are downstairs here. They no longer have Pipes Ales on Keg here.
Swarmapp tells me that my last visit was May 2014, with this range of keg and cask, I must have been bonkers. Maybe it’s because the gents is in the sky. Anyway, return visit already planned. Food looks good too. Run by the same people who run the Pen and Wig in Newport too.
Moving on to The Head of Steam, Church Street, in the centre of Cardiff. Just along from The Old Arcade. Been here from just before Christmas and definitely worth a visit. Good select of both cask and keg with bottles from Pipes in the fridge. Live Untappd feed.
I’m bottom left just left to The Untappd icon.
We are keen on Flags and I am keen on Chips. Caroline Street or as it is better know “Chip Alley” £2.00 for an open cone of Chips, big City prices.
The City Arms, directly across the road from Tiny Rebel Cardiff, now also has a live Untappd feed.
Sitting in the corner as is my want. Still humid. There will be a Part III.
Thicker Socks to Penarth
The day after the return from #mb09 in Bristol and the washing is done and the foot blisters are healing. An e train ticket, changing in Cardiff Queen Street, splitting in Cardiff Central and then disappointingly missing out Dingle Road and going straight to Penarth International.
Penarth, the memories of the 2006 World Cup, HD TV and the rain. Costa followed by the The Bears Head, where Aneurin Bevan staff are on transfer. Carpet for Mr Manning.
There is a Pixel 3a video version coming for Mr Tomilson.
Crafty Devil, the craft brewery from Cardiff have recently opened Crafty Devil’s Cellar Penarth. The bar is open at 10:00, great Ales, Coffee and Food. The only drawback is the lack of customer WiFi.
You can go out for a day’s drinking without some chips and this is the best chip shop in Penarth. £1.80 a tray, plastic fork included.
On to my favourite back street boozer, The Golden Lion. Ale by Gazza (Mission Creep) and a rather well filled Gammon Roll. Joe Bonamassa on the Jukebox. A great way to spend your lunch time.
I’m not sure if it is The Pilot or The New Pilot. The sign, Swarm App and Facebook all disagree. However for a Gastro Pub it has an excellent select of Fine Cask Ales. Plus the rain has stopped and the Sun is out. Cardiff Bay in the distance to the left.
Not Spoons prices but non Spoons Ales and rather good free WiFi. Penarth is always worth a visit.
#mb09 – Day 04 – Sour Sunday
Sunday started rather grey and windy. The Commercial Rooms (Spoons) opened up at 08:00 and for the second day running someone tried to nick my seat. Must be a Bristol thing. The weights and measures poster was next to the Coffee machine. Strange as it has nothing to do with coffee.
Spoons is tricky when you are on your own and it begins to fill up. Especially in Summer or semi Summer when you don’t have your Smock to put over the back of your seat. Mind you, that’s debatable in Bristol.
It filled up while I was at the bar. Cask Ales not on the Spoons App. It needs a major update in my opinion.
Sour Sunday at The Moor Beer Co Bristol Tap and Brewery. There was drizzle and the Smock was deployed.
No Pump Clips, however look at the quality. Staff are rather excellent too. Looks like Sour Sunday is a thing.
Moving on to bottles. Italy 2 – Belgium 1. Subtle Apricot Funkiness. And while we are in Europe, political reference there. Vote for Larry The Cat.
And Mr Darth to finish it all off, what a great Sunday Afternoon. I have to go back.
Drink Moor Beer Obvs.
Italy 2 – 1 Belgium #mb09
2 Italian Sours to one from Belgium
However the Belgian one was from Cantillon
#mb09 – Day 03 – King Street Part 02
So the plan is to revisit King Street. Only this blog post will tell if I manage to get there. My drinking has started in The Commercial Room, a Spoons up a hill in Bristol. There is a Curry sale on, so the schedule may go to pot again.
Well The Commercial Rooms filled up so much, it was a Saturday morning after all, that I quit it and thought I’d test out a new bar.
If in doubt put Craft on the outside and the punters will flock in. I did. It’s more of a Sport Bar / Nightclub that opens at 11:00 in the morning. Moor Beer and Abbor on cask, so a bit of a winner anyway.
Gone all arty on the photo front without ever trying. It’s the top end of King Street (Part 02) and the Small Bar front and to the left. No cash needed as it’s card only. The Apple Pay took a battering.
Pump Clips are gone too so it’s all about the menu’s. The food was all Asian based which was a bit of a shock for me with my Potato based Valley’s diet. So I touched wood and pleaded ignorance to the bar staff and came away with a Korean Dip.
Luckily Asian’s are big into Chips too. The Fine Ale was an excellent and very different Lager from Deya. Will dine in the Small Bar again. However note the lack of condiments.
Across the road to The Bristol Beer Emporium to finish the day. I spotted some fridges that I had never seen before, I blaming the quality bar. Note to self, revisit to see what else I have missed.
The mark of a good Beano, you want to return even before you have left.
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