Wetherspoons March '22 Festival

A bit better at the Moon under Water in Wolverhampton today. 4 festival beers (including the Liberation and Vale ones mentioned above) - plus the lovely Polly ! Have to say I didn’t think much of the beer quality though - everything very samey

I was actually considering popping to my local spoons this weekend. But now Covid positive and feeling pretty rough.

Snagged 4 scoops while in Newquay for holiday at The Towan Blystra. Been checking the local Spoons Corn Exchange for interests. Ipswich Cricket seems to have the most fest beers on, but can’t get down there. Maybe @Grumbo can get some scoops there.

Alas @SHIG I won’t be getting there but AJ has just headed into town with his mates to go to Cricketers for the evening (though not for the ales) and is absolutely delighted to have been provided with an empty :panda_face: in order to obtain a take out of the Jester for me.

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Caught the bus to Cheltenham yesterday and managed to pick up 4 of the festival beers. That leaves me with 10 more to find.

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I managed another four yesterday (6th April). I really enjoyed the Theakston XB, real throwback to a proper Bitter using British hops and malts.

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Picked up the Liberation beer on Tuesday and the Otter + Shepherd Neame beers yesterday. Just 7 to go with a trip to Stourbridge tomorrow.
Nothing particularly special with any of the 3 festival beers above though.

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Off to Stafford tomorrow and intend visiting both the Spoon’s while there; hopefully I will do better than @Martinsh did earlier in the festival. Still have 12 to find, but I will not lose any sleep if I don’t manage to do so.

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Popped in the local spoons, only cos i was walking past.

Just 2 festival beers … neither new for me.

45 seconds I’ll never get back

Thanks Tim

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Well, it finally happened - I got my first Jersey rate, woo hoo! Have managed to bag 7 of them so far, none exceptional but all new rates for me. Hoped to find the Mauldons Cherry Porter, but alas not yet - and off on holiday on Monday so very little opportunity now.

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That Cherry Porter was on in the Wellington Spoons Wednesday, it might still be on?

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Mission completed ! (Except for no 24 which is an “international” beer that I’m not bothered about).
A bit like shooting fish in a barrel this time. Every Spoons I went in (after the first day) had at least one beer that I required.

Favourites
Orkney Dragonhead
Hook Norton Red Rye
Mauldons Cherry Porter
Daleside Morocco

Least Favourite
Harviestoun Heaven Cent
Batemans Beast From The East
Oakham Triple Beam

3 of my favourites were among the five beers I had drunk previously

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Met a smug Martin (@Martinsh) in Stafford today. He helped me with another 3 Spoon rates (by telling me they were available in a Spoons down the road), this enabled me to rate 5 of them while in Stafford; 7 remaining now.

Strangely ‘The Picture House’ (a Spoon’s in Stafford) had Bedlum Benchmark labelled as a Fest Beer on it’s hand-pull. I tried to point out it wasn’t on the list, but the lady behind the bar said “Yes it is, but it’s been on a while because not many people like it”. It wasn’t in the greatest condition to be honest and was beginning to show it’s age, but I am always in need of a Sussex rate, East, or West.

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Good to see you again Jeremy. I wouldn’t say I was smug - more weary and hungover, but with a little bit of quiet satisfaction. After we parted I met a Frisky Rabbit and a March Hare

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Maybe ‘Smug’ wasn’t the right word @Martinsh, happy and contented with a slight aloofness perhaps?

Anyway, well done on finding all the Fest beers you wanted too and yes, it was good to meet up again. We managed to get the 18:25 bus and got home by 21:00.

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1825 bus … home by 2100

You moved to Leeds?

Hour and half bus ride from Stafford to Oakengates, piss and a pint there and then a 30 minute bus to Wellington followed by a 10 minute walk.

Luckily my good lady and I have good bladders, otherwise we’d have got off in Newport after an hour and it could all have gone bad with even more pubs and toilet stops!

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Departs at

18:27

Stafford [STA]Platform 4

53 minutes change at Wolverhampton

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19:20

Wellington (Shropshire) [WLN]Platform 2

Or treat yourself to a train and grab an a hour and a half of your life back

See also … treat yourself to a pee !

But the buses are free, and we are very old, trains frighten us!

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