Chester - June 2022

 

Chester, once named Deva, is renowned for it's Roman remains and the Rows, covered first floor walkways on central streets with entrances to shops and businesses.

The county town of Cheshire, is served by several railway lines including a frequent Merseyrail service from Liverpool stations via Birkenhead, Rock Ferry and Port Sunlight. 

My visit to Chester, on Wednesday 8 June, followed breakfast at The North Western (Wetherspoon), accessed from Lime Street station, and a brief visit to the Walker Art Gallery in the St George's Quarter.

Leaving the train at Bebington and rejoining a later one at Port Sunlight gave an opportunity to walk through Port Sunlight village and visit the Lady Lever Art Gallery.

After a morning of cultural education, the time would soon come for some beer education in Chester. However, some history and archaeology would come first through an elevated walk along the city's walls.  Before the wall turns down to the river Dee, steps provide access to Duke Street, and heading downhill brings you to Bridge Street. 

A few steps uphill then brings you to the Brewery Tap on the west side of Bridge Street. The first floor main entrance is accessed by external steps.

There are food and beer menus at pavement level and the smoked mackerel sandwich served with coleslaw caught my eye from the daily food menu.

There is a freestanding bar against the rear wall of the stone-floored, high-ceilinged Jacobean hall that houses the Spitting Feathers Brewery Tap.

My first beer here was Spitting Feathers Honey Trap, a smooth 4.1% ABV pale ale brewed with honey from the brewery's beehives (£1.95 1/2 pint).

Later, a pint of Rush Hour went well with the smoked mackerel (doorstep) sandwich. The smooth 4.5% ABV American Pale Ale hopped with five varieties has mild citrus notes. (£4 pint). Staff at the Brewery Tap were also friendly and helpful making it a hard act to follow in every respect.

Panorama - from the Chester Cross - east (Eastgate Street) and south (Bridge Street).

The nearby Cavern of the Curious Gnome does not open until 3pm (Monday to Friday) so there was time for a wander around the streets and rows of Chester and a visit to the Pied Bull in the meantime.

Reputed to be the oldest licensed house in Chester, the Pied Bull dates back to 1155. On the west side of Northgate Street, it is home to the Pied Bull Brewery with the microbrewery located just underneath the bar. There is also a beer terrace at the rear of the premises.

A half pint of Quaffabull, 4% pale ale, with grapefruit citrus notes, costs £2.40 (£2.16 with 10% CAMRA discount applied). With hotel accommodation and comfortable seating, the Pied Bull has an upmarket atmosphere. 

Time passes and a visit to the Cavern of the Curious Gnome now becomes possible. The 'cavern' is actually a loft with access upstairs from Paysan winebar which itself is situated on the first floor row on the east side of Bridge Street (No. 61). 

I was the first customer of the day and chose a pint of Black Iris Brewery (Nottingham) Endless Summer (£4.50 pint). The soundtrack here is mainly classic rock but with some European touches.

There is also a European theme to the furniture and the beers with German lagers on tap and a wide selection of Belgian bottled beers. 

The bound menus are split into sections e.g. Belgian Beer 4.5% to 6.5%; Belgian Beer 6.5% to 8.4%; Trappist Beer. 

The quirky bar stools and decor make the Cavern of the Curious Gnome an interesting destination especially for anyone who enjoys sampling a wide variety of beers and lagers. The option of a seat on the row overlooking Bridge Street (see earlier photo) is available to anyone allergic to the choice of music playing inside the bar.

Before leaving I would donate a copy of West Berkshire CAMRA's Ullage magazine to the shelf which has a holder for the Chester & Hoole real ale pub guide leaflet, published by Chester & South Clywd CAMRA . This leaflet is also available at the Brewery Tap.

Please see the companion post Liverpool (Baltic Triangle) for details of brewery tap and pubs visited in the evening including: Cains Brewery, Black Lodge Brewery, Baltic Fleet and the Bridewell.

London Fields Brewery Tap and pubs on the Black Path to Hackney

London Fields Brewery Taproom

The programme for the 33rd Pig's Ear Beer & Cider Festival at the Round Chapel, Clapton, included a feature by Stephen Harris about Hackney pubs 'Along the Black Path' on pages 12/13.

Stephen writes that 'The Black Path is an old drovers' route from the wilds of Essex, through Walthamstow and Hackney to the slaughterhouses and markets of the East End. It is surprisingly still visible on the ground and links a series of good pubs in a largely traffic-free environment.'
Inspired by this article, I planned a trip to visit some of these pubs and the London Fields Brewery Tap which I missed on a previous trip near this area, featured in my previous post 'Brewery tap rooms from Bethnal Green to Walthamstow - part 1'.

My trip would start at London Fields Overground station, and end near Hackney Central Overground station, allowing a side trip to the CAMRA Pig's Ear Beer & Cider Festival afterwards.

London Fields is served by Overground trains from Liverpool Street, via Bethnal Green, every 15 minutes during weekday daytime hours. It was a bright, crisp morning on Tuesday 29 November, 2016, the opening day of the 33rd Pig's Ear Beer & Cider Festival.

From London Fields station, head south along Mentmore Terrace which lies in the eastern shadow of the elevated railway line.

On the way you will pass the brewery site and some street art. The taproom lies at the end of Mentmore Terrace and extends into the space beneath the railway.

There is plenty of seating and it was nice to find it warm inside on a cold day.

On this occasion, I ordered a flat white coffee and would later purchase bottles of London Fields Brewery beer to take home.

Food options included a Berlin brunch to share and Berliner Stulle (open topped sandwiches) from Noemi and the friendly Brünch team who have experience providing Berlin style pop up events.

Reading matter, including a magazine from Berlin, is available.

Another nice touch is finding (Ventnor Brewery) green bottles of water and glasses on the tables.

Before leaving I had a chat with Jack who gave me advice on which beers to buy. Jack, who was previously at the South Western Arms in Southampton, recommended a visit to the Cock Tavern in Hackney, so this would be one of the Black Path pubs I would visit later. Jack admitted to being an Ullage reader so I was pleased to leave him with autumn and winter issues of West Berkshire CAMRA's magazine.

The table above summarises a few notable points from my subesequent visits to four of the pubs on the Black Path. I only stopped for a half pint of pale ale from a local brewery at each pub. On this occasion I didn't visit The Albion (Goldsmiths Row), Cat & Mutton (Broadway Market) or Oslo (Hackney Central) which are featured in Stephen's Black Path article.
A few photos follow. Click on the headings below to visit the website for each pub visited.

Regent's Canal - under Cat & Mutton Bridge

 The Dove

The Dove, Broadway Market

Ceiling of The Dove

Pub on the Park

Pub on the Park, Martello Street, London Fields

 Old Ship Inn

Old Ship Inn - Front entrance - Sylvester Path

Cock Tavern

Cock Tavern, Mare Street, Hackney

Cider range - Cock Tavern

After a late lunch and coffee, I walked to the Round Chapel, for the Pig's Ear Beer & Cider Festival, via the walled garden walk just beyond St Augustine's Tower which leads to Sutton Place and then north along Urswick Road.

Sutton Place

The Round Chapel

Postscript

This section of the Black Path is a walk worth repeating especially as some pubs were missed.
Broadway Market, between the Cat & Mutton pub and the bridge over the Regent's Canal has a variety of interesting shops, cafes and restaurants including several bookshops and F. Cooke - a traditional Eel, Pie and Mash shop. On Saturdays a street market is based at Broadway Market.