Category Archives: Beer

Peterborough beer festival

After being home a few days, I’m catching-up with things. Last Friday, which already feels like a lifetime ago, we visited this year’s beer festival in Peterborough. It’s allegedly the second largest in the country and entry is free for CAMRA members. Fortunately, my beloved and I are members.

Unfortunately, we’d left our membership cards at home. We’d not actually realised that we’d be in Peterborough during the beer festival. I was made aware on my arrival from London, where I bumped into my beloved’s niece (who asked whether we were there for the festival).

Luckily, a very nice man escorted us through the CAMRA members’ entrance at minimal cost. Well, we really are members. It’d been some time since we’d been to this festival and it seemed larger than on that last occasion. There was certainly a huge range of beer and it was great to see many labelled as unfined or hazy. Usually, I find four or five fishless beers at a beer festival, but there were so many on this occasion that I was only able to work my way through a small proportion of fish-free beer. I’d definitely recommend checking this beer festival out.

My beloved’s old flat was even (sort of) visible from the beer festival.

Salt Beer Factory

On discovering a tap takeover in a bar in town, I mailed the brewery to question whether their beer contains fish bits.

I didn’t expect a response until next week, so this was very much forward thinking, but they replied straight away. On a Saturday evening.

Anyway …
We don’t use isinglass in any of our beers so they are all vegetarian friendly. Hopefully you enjoy them!

So I obviously had to go back to try one.


And it was gorgeous. They’re based in Saltaire, which is also gorgeous, so I shall make the effort to visit their premises.

Barbarism III

A quick tooth update. The dental surgeon told me it’d hurt yesterday. It didn’t. Well, not too much.

It didn’t hurt most of today either. Well, not too much.

Hurts like fuck now though. So it’s back to pills and alcohol.

Ojo Rojo

I came across Ojo Rojo when searching for vegan food places in Bournemouth. The place isn’t vegan, but the vegan options are pretty cool.

And the food was just gorgeous.

Just gorgeous.

Followed by a Dead Pony Club in the Four Horsemen.

Christchurch

My second in command and I enjoyed a short train trip to Christchurch today.

We found a nice bar.

We also found a rather nice vegan cafe, Good Intentions.

Where we had some great chilli.

Then there was the Saxon Bar. Now, that was a cool place.

Today wasn’t just about beer though. There was history.

And flowers.

And, somehow, we managed to bump into someone (Brian) from our local. Synchronicity.

A busy weekend

We’ve had a packed few days. Friday evening was mostly spent in Trillians, where a bunch of us went to support a bloke we (mostly) know separately.

That’s him on drums.

Afterwards, my second in command and I caught a cab to our local. Where we caught the last part of a set from Beyond Madness.

Saturday was spent in Durham, with nice people.

Who fed us with lovely food.

Returning home on Sunday, we called off at the Hungry Vegan for hot dogs, then walked to Ouseburn where old furniture was purchased.

It needs a little work, but really only a little. There was beer in Arch 2, the Cluny, the Cumberland Arms, the Free Trade Inn and the Tyne Bar. And our local. We called in there too.

Cool bird boxes were discovered.

That’s the Cumberland Arms in the background.

The river looked nice on our walk back along the quayside.