Archive
Recreating Two Years Ago Cider
Confusing bottles of US / Kent Cider
While sitting on a high chair
Underground Blogging in the Rain
High Summer
WordPress in the Rain
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
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.
The Not Quite a Pub Crawl
For various reasons. Mr Tomlinson said he had never seen me in a Brewdog, Tiny Rebel have a Mild on. Mild May with a classic Cardiff Mild and it’s Saturday. Starting at Caerphilly International where weeding is not a priority.
Happy May drizzle at Queen Street Railway Station in Cardiff. Still the home of the Pacers.
Do you want chocolate sprinkles on your coffee?
First stop is the Gatekeeper on Westgate Street, bar opens at 08:00. Deliveries in progress. They have a new carpet too.
Apparently Welsh Pale Ale from The Glamorgan Brewery in Llantrisant is now on permanently. Cask too. I’m all for local real ales but it’s rather ordinary. Still if it sells.
Church Street, two Bars, a Pub and a Church. You are covered. And at the top end, The Owain Glyndwr named after a Welsh Prince.
If you only go to one Pub in Cardiff, then it would have to be The Old Arcade, a Brains Pub. Here for Brains Dark, the best selling Mild in Wales.
If nothing else Cardiff City Council are good at Flags. It wouldn’t be a proper Cardiff visit if you didn’t have a bag of Chips at Dorothy’s in Caroline Street.
At the end of Caroline Street is The Cambrian Tap ex The Cambrian. It’s a great Craft Pub as long as you stay off the Brains Craft stuff. There was an unexpected Mild Ale too.
Brewdog where The Equity for Punks discount card came in handy. Where knew that BrewDog imported their own beers from Ohio USA. Well Mr Tomilson did. So hats off to him.
There was a Monster Truck bash on in The Principality Stadium so Brewdog was full of Parents and Little People. Luckily most of them left within half an hour of my arrive. Whatever happened to Children sit outside with a bottle of Lemonade and a Straw. Great staff by the way.
As it was Mild May, Tiny Rebel brewed their own Mild. So the Cardiff Bar was my last stop. One as it was becoming late (for me) and Two I was running out of money. There was the little issue of The FA Cup Final as well. The place was packed which reminded me why I start my drinking early. The Mild was good but Brains Dark was the winner of the day.
A Festive Beano of two parts
Free Bacon
Non free Fine Ales
Head of Steam
A cold November morning in Cardiff
To visit the Head of Steam
MeWe
The possible new home from Berry talk?
So far, so mostly good
The R W Nash Blog 