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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 02 – King Street Afternoon
Good start to Day 02, Twitter DM from Great Western Railways, no problem with videos and picture, just make yourself know to the GWR station staff. Starbucks and The Kings Templar to start and then walking along the river to the Commercial Rooms.
Really good Spoons, The Commercial Rooms. Opens at 08:00, Bar at 09:00 with a great fridge and some local craft keg too.
Next step BrewDog Bristol, just around the corner from King Street.
Deliveries but not in any way that I have seen it before. However there was a great welcome.
And yet again I failed to spot the WiFi password. Bottom right if you are like me. No Burgers but it’s wall to wall pizzas, however it’s the melted cheese issue again.
King Street with some rather odd sky exposure. The King Street brew House on the left, where the WiFi registration system says we don’t really want you to use it. However they had a Mild, which was brewed on site. Not great but another one to add to #MildMay
The Volley. The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer. Irony, I’m thinking? You order from the wall as Pump Clips are banned.
There was an old Duffer who brought his pint back as it was hazy. The Bar Staff were very sympathetic to him and swapped it out. I expect they didn’t have the heart to tell him. Probably a CAMRA member?
Also in the Hopbunker Cardiff. There is nothing new in this world.
Going underground.
And surprisingly good connectivity both ThreeUK LTE and free password-less WiFI. Of course I’m using a VPN.
And I called it a day there. Didn’t make it to the Small Bar, went to Sainsbury and got myself an extra 150 extra Nectar points. It’s strange what Fine Ales do to you. Pencilled in a return for Saturday.
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