The Little World of Barnum T Jugbat

The other night I attended the AGM of my local branch of CAMRA ( The Campaign for Real Ale). After 10 years we have a change of leader and we have missed our 50th anniversary by 2 years, well it is CAMRA. So we will now have a 52nd anniversary celebration of somekind, a GoldenTriangle weekend for ourgolden anniversaryplus celebration?. It was memorable for another, decidedly unwelcome, event. I had to get off my bike and walk up Bracondale for the first time in my life. Bracondale is a long but not particularly steep hill and one which I have always managed. However, last night my knees decided enough is enough and for once I listened to them. Humbling for one who has a mild stubborn streak and bloody annoying too. I will not give up cycling, I will adapt and continue to enjoy one of the best experiences known to man.

However on my way back I mused over the pubs, past and present that I was passing. The first was the Pineapple, closed in 1985 and now part of Norwich Fire Station. I remember had a notable Sunday League football team. Notable for reasons other than football skills. Then the Rose, still going strong with the lovely Dawn and a fine eclectic mix of good ales. A well recommended watering hole. A freehouse and all the better for it.

Next up the Cricketers Rest, closed in 2010 and unused for many years. Would still make a great pub with a large courtyard at the back. It had a great sign, now sadly gone. Just around the corner the Freemasons, for a short time the Billy Bluelight, another local freehouse, welcoming and friendly with a good range of beers. Across the road, the King’s Arms, a Bateman’s tied house with a fine range of other brews as well. Warm and welcoming.

The Southwell Arms, a pub rebuilt in 1961 and closed in 1991. The breweries show a great part of our pub lineage. Young’s, Bullards, Grotneys, and finally Courage. Next on the list the Trafford Arms, rebuilt after the 2nd World War war due to bomb damage and now a thriving Free House with it’s annual Valentine’s Beer Festival.

The Coldstream Tavern, formerly the Jolly Gardeners, closed in about 1965 and is now a private residence. Frequented on occasions by both my father and grandfather. Just off the route I looked at the York Tavern, now shut but soon to reopen under new management. How can this fail, in the middle of both student bedsit land and the GoldenTriangle? The last was the darkened Unthank Arms, a Free House with varying closing times during the week. Sensible I suppose, if there’s no customers in the pub why stay open? However at weekends and when there’s a function on upstairs the joint is really rocking.

That’s it then, a brief trawl which just about mirrors the pub scene everywhere. Closed and forgotten, closed and future unknown, closed between landlords, open and tied, open and free. The open ones with their own individual character character. What is common though is the need to maintain them all, this unique part of Britain’s culture. They mean so much to so many.

Drink up.

Greene King IPA, when well kept, it is a good beer. Unfortunately, as it sits as a token real ale on many bars, most pubs don’t look after it properly.
It isn’t an IPA by any definition but then when we’re breweries compelled to name beers within defined styles. Others are equally guilty.
There is no such traditional style as a Black IPA. It is a nonsense and despite several attempts I have yet to have one that I found satisfactory. The style needs defining and renaming or the beers fitting into an existing style. Most of the ones I’ve had seem to be a poor attempt at a Porter.
I don’t want to be draconian about beer styles, common sense and goodwill should be applied to slotting beers in the existing styles. The CAMRA beer style definitions are a good start to begin a common industry wide guide to styles. I would hate to see the American system which seems to work on the basis of ‘brew a beer, invent a style ‘.
Anyway, I seem to have progressed from my original intention to defend Greene King IPA from those who see no good in anything from that brewery. There is, like Wetherspoons, both good and bad in the company. The good is that the brewers, if left to their own devices, brew some great beers. The bad is quality control at point of sale and the awful practice of naming their beers after breweries they have taken over and closed. Mind you, the last two are industry wide issues.

One of my interests is Cask Ale. A wonderful liquid with so many different sides and facets. Every so often something happens which gets me on my High Horse. And now something has. The imminent closure of Sharp’s Cornish Brewery by Molson Coors Beverage Company ,a well known asset stripping company run by accountants in my humble opinion. At least they don’t have the brass neck to call themselves brewers. The brewery opened in Cornwall over 30 years ago and brewed a fine range of quality ales. It grew and was sold but brewing remained in Cornwall. Unfortunately the brewery was then bought by Molson Coors Beverage Company. They kept the brewery open and, despite rumours that only Cornwall was supplied from the brewery, I still drink the beer, a discussion about the quality is for another day.. If the brewery is closed I will not drink the cask version, in fact, as of today I will stop, Breweries are part of our history and heritage, they provide employment, advertise the town, and are a focal point of the community. You can’t morally advertise Sharp’s Cornish Ales if they ain’t brewed in Cornwall.

Another point, in my limited experience, is that beer is a very flighty product with so many variables. Yeast is is one of the main ingredients and one of the most variable. You have to look after it or it will come back and bite you. Anything can upset yeast, a change of recipe with different malt or hops, changed brewing equipment or, god forbid, a change of brewery. If the brewery moves, so be it, they will try to replicate the beer. If you close a brewery, even if you try and replicate their beers, at least be honest and state on the pump clip where the beer is brewed. Oris the asset stripper afraid, very afraid?

And another thing, don’t worry, I was told never to make more than three points in a discussion, what about purists like me? I like to support independent breweries or beers brewed at their original brewery. Is it taking the Michael for a brewery to brew an ersatz version of say, Hobgoblin, 49’er, Pedigree, Bombardier etc and intimate it is still brewed as originally? I submit it is, if you are so proud of your brewing skills, use the recipe by all means but change the name. By all means acknowledge the heritage, but be brave and stand on your own two feet. Do you agree and are you with me?

Having said all this, I now need an list of ersatz brews. Cheers everyone.

I like browsing in Charity Shops. What I don’t like is books in random order. I am less likely to check and buy on a randomly disorganised bookshelf. It doesn’t have to be pristine. Fiction in rough A‐Z order by author. Non Fiction in roughly same subject groups.
And another thing. CD’s are small and therefore the writing is tiny. Why put them in unlit corners, often on the bottom shelf. At my age bending, yet alone kneeling and getting up, requires planning.

If your goods aren’t user friendly you won’t attract customers.
You know it makes sense.

Norwich has always, rightly, been proud if its pubs and breweries.  There are many, even now, and a lot of time and research has gone into recording their history.  However, after much research I have discovered a gap in this information.  I refer to the now hidden history of ‘St Noota’s Loop. 

Not much is known about St Noota other than she is the patron saint of ‘Confused Souls’.   It is thought that a chapel in her honour stood outside the city walls on or near the site of our beloved Champion PH.

St Noota’s Loop, as far as records exist, has its roots in the mid-19^th century.  Norwich was growing and settlements were being built outside the said walls.  One of these, roughly conforming to the area now known as the ‘Golden Triangle’ and covering a lot of the NR2 postcode, grew out from the walls in a south westerly direction.  Much of the land was owned by local benefactor Colonel Unthank.  He sold off plots of land to local builders, issuing strict instructions as to the style of building but ensuring that many streets had a pub on the corner.  Good man.  As now local rivalry between pubs was common and there emerged a weekend of frivolity known as St Noota’s Weekend.  St Noota’s Day is officially the 3^rd Sunday in July, so the weekend included the preceding Friday and Saturday. 

The highlight of the weekend was the Sunday race ‘St Noota’s Loop.  For the previous two days the pubs involved held various entertainments.  I have been able to discover the events peculiar to the five pubs on the trail, but I am sure further research will uncover similar activities in other pubs.

But to ‘The Loop’.  The race consisted of teams of four people transporting a pin, 36 pints of ale, from the designated starting pub to the designated finishing pub after visiting all participating pubs on the way. Only human effort was allowed.  No horsepower or barrows, although stretchers and slings were permitted. The starting pub was drawn out of a hat, but the last pub would always be the previous year’s winners.  Presumably, as a reward for winning the previous year, the finishing pub would enjoy extra custom as everyone wanted to see the finish.

There were a few rules. Each pub had to provide their own pin if beer, in those days a heavy wooden cask, for the inspection of the other contestants.  After all, you wouldn’t want the cask to be filled with water, thus making it lighter.  Traditionally the ale would be a barrel of the previous winter’s strong ale.  There was no set route, the teams being given a leather belt that would be stamped by each pub with their own insignia.  Each team member had to have a drink at each pub.  The winning team would be given the title of ‘Mightily Nooted’ and all other teams finishing would be considered ‘Well Leathered’. 

The weekend, as can be expected, saw much frivolity, betting was rampant, as was the resulting disputes and the Norwich City Police cancelled all leave for that weekend.  However, due to pressure from these custodians of peace and good order, and the emergence of the highly misguided Temperance Movement, the event was gradually supressed with the last recorded weekend being held in 1915.  Possibly due to the war effort.

Almost all records of this event were destroyed by the above organisations in a useless attempt to hide a glorious, truly Norvician, event.  Little did they know that we aren’t daft in Norfolk.  An underground movement of both publicans and customers swore blind to keep the event going.  Known as ‘The Noota’d Again’, it exists and one day, when we feel confident, the weekend will be reborn.

Membership is by invitation although a deep pocket when in local licensed premises will help.  It took me many years of frequenting local hostelries before I was even acknowledged. You also need to be able to answer correctly the question ‘Hev yor Fa’a got a dickie bor’.

Fare ya well ol’ partners.

P.S. any more information about St Noota, the Loop, the pubs or anything related to this fascinating subject would be gratefully received.

I have noticed recently an alarming tendency for customers to form queues while waiting to be served at the bar in pubs. I’m not sure where this aberration comes from but it strikes at the heart of pub-going tradition.

The pub is an amazing institution where all are equal, some more than others. If there is space at the bar go and fill it. Any barperson worth their salt knows who is next and who deserves to be served served.

Yes, you might have a loud voice and wave your credit card around but it won’t endear you to the very person who holds your future in their hands. Neither will standing behind the person being served help, all you are doing is blocking the way for others to walk past. A sure way to upset the bar person is to be asked what you want and then turn round and ask your companions what they want. You won’t get served in a hurry next time I assure you.

No, you just need to be assertive, confident, polite, and know what you want. A smile always helps. But for God’s sake don’t queue, it isn’t natural and doesn’t help the natural order of things.

Could anyone please explain how this anomaly started and the benefits of queueing in a pub? And yes, to the several persons who have asked me if I know there’s a queue? Yes, I can see it, but I don’t know what it’s for.

It’s already past the middle of January, the days are drawing out, it’s milder than usual, and there is so much to look forward to.
I would recommend retirement to everyone, the only pain is that, for most people, you have to wait for it. The bad back, knees, hands, neck etc are a challenge rather than an obstruction. All can be accommodated somehow. Alright, so I can’t do walks over 5 miles, or cycle more than 15 miles, with seizing up but within that there is so much to.do. Don’t forget the Old Gits Bus and Rail Cards. Both are a ticket to great fun. Even without them a bus journey is only £3.00, less than most pints.
On Saturday I used my Old Gits Railcard to travel to Whittlesea, in the Fens, for the annual Straw Bear Festival. A sign of the times, I was the only one from Norwich on the Stupid O’clock train.
On arrival, us old hands commented on how old the weather was in this notorious frost hell. An Amble along the canal, collecting Munzees, took me to the George Hotel for ‘Spoons breakfast and first pint. And it was still only 09:30. After I had time to complete an Adventure Lab, deploy and collect several Munzees, and visit Sadie’s for another beer before the parade. In case you’re wondering, I was sensible and only took my half pint tankard so that after the first pint I could drink sensibly.
The parade was it’s usual excellent self with a very athletic Straw Bear and many sides of Molly, Morris, and other pagan groups. Needless to say the parade ended in it’s usual confused melee.
After it was the annual trek to the Straw Beer pub for another drink and more Munzees. A return to the centre for more beer, dancing and Chippy Sue’s for routine sustenance.
After carefully missing the afternoon train, I blame Doc Martin ans Stevie D for that, it was a wander back to the Railway for a swiftie and the return train via Ely.
On our return I took it upon myself to take the Doc across to the road to the Com@pleat Angler for a pint of Elgood’s Blackberry Porter and remind him his bike was still at the station. Myself, I managed to miss every bus on the walk home but was greeted by the lovely wife and a plate of mushy peas with a pie.
Get out there and enjoy it. Or call me and we can enjoy it together.

We know that the pub and brewing industry is struggling and that we are all being asked to help. After due consideration I have set myself a challenge, purely to help the industry you understand, during the usually quiet months of January and February.
I will be attempting a ‘PUB ODDITY’. By my reckoning when you search for a pub on the CAMRA website you can use 61 filters. I aim to cover as many of them in the two given months by visiting a different pub for each filter. I will cover 60 of them, the one filter I will not cover is ‘smoking’. It’s a personal thing but I’m not sure why it is still included as a filter anyway.
Who is interested in joining the journey ,to do more than me, or complete the 59 before me? Mind you, just following the Norwich Branch social calendar you could probably cover half of them.
The list is:
1. OPEN
2. CLOSED
3. CAMRA VOUCHER SCHEME
4. MEMBER DISCOUNT SCHEME
5. CLUB ALLOWS CAMRA VISITORS
6. PUB
7. CLUB
8. CASK ALE
9. BOTTLE CONDITIONED BEER
10. KEG CONDITIONED BEER
11. REAL CIDER
12. GOOD BEER GUIDE
13. BEER QUALITY ANY
14. BEER QUALITY 1 & ABOVE
15. BEER QUALITY 2 & ABOVE
16. BEER QUALITY 3 & ABOVE
17. CASK MARQUE 5 STAR
18. CASK MARQUE 4 STAR
19. HISTORIC INTERIOR
20. COMMUNITY OWNED/RUN
21. PUBS WITH OUTSTANDING CONVERSIONS AND RESTORATIONS
22. LOCALE
23. CASK MARQUE
24. USES AUTOVAC
25. BEER FESTIVAL
26. QUIET
27. CAMRA VOUCHER SCHEME
28. MEMBER DISCOUNT SCHEME
29. CLUB ALLOWS CAMRA VISITORS
30. HISTORIC INTERIOR 3 STARS
31. HISTORIC INTERIOR 2 STARS
32. HISTORIC INTERIOR 1 STAR
33. CONVERSION
34. NEW BUILD
35. RESTORATION
36. MUSEUM
37. COMMUNITY OWNDE
38. COMMUNITY RUN
39. COMMUNITY SUPPORTED
40. ACTIVE CAMPAIGN
41. SPORTS TV
42. LUNCHTIME MEALS
43. EVENING MEALS
44. LIVE MUSIC
45. GARDEN
46. FAMILY FRIENDLY
47. DISABLED ACCESS
48. PARKING
49. DOG FRIENDLY
50. ACCOMMODATION
51. CAMPING
52. EVENTS
53. FUNCTION ROOM
54. GAMES
55. LINED GLASSES
56. NEWSPAPERS
57. REAL FIRE
58. RESTAURANT
59. SEPARATE BAR
60. WIFI

Almost daily I hear about people do8ng things for charity and asking for donations. I am not sure about this. I willingly buy raffle tickets for charity. I am happy to pay and may get something back. But sponsorship is a different matter. If the allotted task is in itself worthwhile I may consider it nut others I query.

Running so many marathons in so many days, sitting in a bath of custard for 24 hours, having your head shaved, not drinking for a month, so what how does that help the world. I would be happier if the person did something useful like volunteering in a care home for a day, did a litterpick, helped restore a historic site or something similar. That way everyone benefits.

I get the feeling that many sponsored events are just an extension of what a person would do anyway. I know many of them are a challenge and should be encouraged but I feel pressure is put upon others to contribute amd many do. I’m not being curmudgeonly on purpose but it may be the fast approaching festival season is blighting my outlook.

Cheers everyone.