January 2001 - Mini-Bus Excursion to Peterborough/Stamford Areas

Bob The Driver Fixes Another Pub Crawl…

Right, so our last mini-bus trip was in September - why another one so quick? Well this was to make up for the failed 1999 effort planned by moi but fell by the wayside due to lack of participation?? Can you believe that! Nobody wanted to go on a free mini-bus tour taking in some gems of pubs and inns in the Peterborough/Stamford area! No problems this year as TC dusted off the old plans, revised em, and the old phoenix popped out of the flames once more. It all started on a cold, frosty but sunny January day………
A latish start meant the agenda for the day was going to be somewhat reversed as Tony had secured a tour of Oakham Brewery for 1pm! A quick thumb through the latest Good Beer Guide led us to the charming settlement of Guyhirn in deepest fenland (literally!) and the Oliver Twist where a pleasant pint of Elgood's Black Dog Mild was on hand to get us in the mood for the day. On we trooped for the 20 mile journey to Peterborough and the eagerly anticipated 1st stop of the Brewery Tap which of course houses Oakham Brewery - 12 excited people were quickly ushered into the surrounds of the Brewery (The public can see the brewing equipment behind glass at this massive brewpub - The largest in Europe) and Manager, Jake Douglas talked us through the anecdotal history of the place - He described it more as a Brewtique (or a cross between a Microbrewery and a larger scale brewery!) with a "bucket to the bathtub" process. I tried the wonderfully aromatic Ruby Wheat Ale and many of our group particularly enjoyed Bishop's Farewell. On a more serious note, it has to be mentioned that this brewery is under threat with the new shopping centre at Peterborough being built around the present building, and it also has a compulsory purchase notice hanging over it. Surely a brewery in the middle of such a complex would be perfect for trade!! Visit it before it closes, but nothing is set in stone just yet so maybe….
After a highly enjoyable Thai meal at the Brewery Tap (another plus!), it was onto Bogarts which is a back-street boozer - This is where we heard Ian and Andreas love story - something about roughing it up with Cornish fisherman in a cottage in the Shetlands? - Anyway a pleasant pint of Archers Golden was enjoyed from the limited choice on the day ("we've 'ad problems with the equipment down the cellar" said the barman). Next up was Charters - A huge Dutch barge moored on the river housed the best ale choice of the day - 12 handpumps and a brilliant choice of independent beers - I tried Oakham Cold Turkey at 6.3% and Blackpool Golden Smile at 3.8% in this unusual ale house.
The Palmerston Arms is strange! The landlord wouldn't let us in because we were not "Regulars" - A very poor excuse most of us thought, even though it's listed in the current Good Beer Guide - The alleged 12 ales on gravity remained virginal! We walked just down the road and 'found' a beauty in the Cherry Tree - The landlord (of course?!) let us all in and a very friendly pub was within, with well kept Pedigree and Broadside and some people even decided to re-enact the World Darts Championship - Stig was on the Okey (Spelling?), and threw his darts with finesse (The regulated 6 pints had been drunk by then).
It was 7pm - time to leave Peterborough and find Stamford - we did, via the most scenic route possible (well it would have been in daylight!) and found another gem - the Green Man, time to find a corner to slump into, in this very comfortable homely pub - Beers enjoyed included Newby Wyke Stamford Gold and one of my favs, Hopback Summer (in January?) Lightning. Back on the bus, we decided to head into the depths of Rutland (It's nearly 10pm and we are travelling further from home?) and the home of Blencowe Brewery at the Exeter Arms; hmm! Difficult to find it was, especially as there were 5 other "local" Exeter Arms in the vicinity! We eventually found it with barrages of heckling from some of our weary travellers at the back of the bus, and what a peach! I tried Beach Boys Bitter which was superbly tasty and fresh - I also tried (blokes name?)Vinegar which is what the landlord puts on as a new brew to test with help from the local drinkers' opinions - then if he keeps it, he names it something more appropriate, but in this case it wasn't far off tasting like something you put on your chips! It was 10.30 pm so we decided to hit one more pub, nobody could make their minds up properly, so we somehow made it back to the Brewery Tap and a wind-down pint, not! The place had turned into a full-scale rave disco but the scenery was the best of the day….oh, and so was the beer!

Nigel Nudds