The Bag of Nails, Bristol

Since the internet happened, the world seems to have gone cat crazy. There are websites devoted to humorous cat pictures, youtube is stuffed with entertaining cat compilations and there are thousands of cat related groups lurking on Facebook. The world's cat obsession has lead to several "cat cafe" establishments and, as highlighted extensively in both physical and social media last week, there is now a cat pub.

The Bag of Nails, on St. George's Road in Bristol, isn't really a cat pub, it's just a pub where the cats living upstairs are allowed in the bar however that has not stopped the customers pouring in to see the feline inhabitants, and as I was in St. Austell at the weekend for the beer festival I thought I'd pop in on the way home to see what the pub is actually like.

It was a mild but rainy Sunday afternoon as we approached the pub. Two signs adorned the windows, one temporarily banning dogs due to "pub kittens in training" and the other advising that "Idiot pub crawls" were not welcome. Despite being an advocate of the honourable art of pub crawling, in this case I agree. Extremely drunk people and animals don't really mix and besides, the pub isn't exactly big. It has a long bar on the left with tables arranged opposite, the seating area expands to the width of the pub at the back but space is still somewhat limited by the toilets, whose doors both opened outwards. The decor was a hotch-potch of different faded wallpapers but it certainly had charm, old children's toys and books decorated the various flat surfaces and an old vinyl record player was busy supplying the pub with music. One of the ceiling's supporting pillars listed pub rules, some serious but many tongue-in-cheek. Beer selection was chiefly real ale and quality bottles with a good range of styles available and for those that fancied it (and could find a table) there were an abundance of board games littered about for people to play. The pub was busy and had a lively atmosphere and I liked it as soon as I walked in - and then I saw a cat.

It slunk along the bar, weaving between pint glasses and punters hands, installed itself in a shallow cardboard box at the end of the bar and fell asleep. A more detailed look around revealed more felines, a mother with a kitten snoozed near the pillar at the end and a young black cat explored the boxes of wine at the back of the bar. A longer haired brown-ish tabby was on duty investigating the people sitting at the tables, pausing occasionally to receive some welcome petting. The cats seemed a fact of life in the Bag, most people didn't expend a lot of fuss on them or seek them out apart from the tourists (like us!). They also seemed quite content to be there - none of them seemed stressed and if they got fed up with your attention they just walked off and went somewhere else.  It was nice and relaxing drinking a pint while stroking a cat, and a couple of hours flew past - I could have spent many hours there enjoying the excellent beer and the company of cats but alas, I was still 170 miles away from home, and sadly no-one has invented a transporter yet! A last note should go to the staff, who were exceedingly friendly and the landlord, who seemed slightly unhinged yet was an engaging character who was happy to chat about the cats and the pub for as long as he wasn't serving the customers!

If you don't mind cats and are in Bristol, you can't go wrong with the Bag of Nails. Without the cats it would be a superb pub, their presence makes it a quite fantastic place which I hope to visit again before too long


The Details:
The Bag of Nails
141 St. George's Road
Hotwells
Bristol
BS1 5UW

Dog Eat Dog

You must have heard of BrewDog. They've been making a fuss in the beer world since 2007, brewing up high strength beers, sticking two fingers up at the establishment (including CAMRA) and making a truckload of money - all while pushing their "punk" attitude at anyone and anything they come across. They stuck a toe into the London beer scene a few years ago with a bar in Camden and since then have slowly spread out over the capital. Having had schemes in Islington thwarted a few times by the council, they have finally got through the licensing minefield with their latest idea, Dog Eat Dog - a hot dog-cum-craft beer mecca.

Just by looking at the layout, Dog Eat Dog isn't your average drinking den.While there are some small tables by the windows, the main bulk of the seating is at big, long tables that dominate the room. The kitchen is at the back, open so you can smell the hot dogs and hear the chefs while a huge neon 'Dog Eat Dog' sign gives the interior a reddish hue. The bar is almost an afterthought, tucked away in one corner and barely four meters long. Those twelve yards encompass twelve taps, in the occasions I have visited there were nine BrewDog beers and three guests each time. The bottle list is much cut down compared to the other bars but it's a good one and often rotated meaning most people can find something new and tasty to drink. Food is ordered at the bar, and you can choose between a variety of 'named' hot dogs with set toppings or build your own with a plain 'house' dog and a bountiful list of toppings. The combinations possible are substantial enough to keep someone satisfied for many visits!

I first visited on a Friday and it was packed, but we got a seat within a few minutes and general seat turnover seemed quite high with plenty of people coming and going. Unfortunately the queue at the bar was dishearteningly long - it took fifteen minutes just to get to the front and the melee didn't subside during the hour and a bit I was there. Maybe they need a slightly longer bar area considering the amount of seating available. The general atmosphere was good though, I was worried that it might be a bit sterile given the format but it was lively and jolly and I enjoyed my dinner and drinks greatly.

As I was passing and needed breakfast, I dropped in again last weekend. The place had only been open for half an hour and was pretty dead so it was a much more relaxed environment. I ordered a pork house dog with green dog sauce (!) and jalapenos washed down with a half of Born to Die - a great beer bursting with fresh, citrusy hops. The hot dog itself took a little bit longer to arrive although this wasn't surprising considering the time of day and I passed the time chatting to the barman who was attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. The dog itself was just as good as the first one I'd had - the green relish was chilli based and made a nice tangy contrast to the slightly sweet pork hot dog and the jalapenos gave a crispy, acidic finish. I put a little of the local Dalston Chillies hot sauce on the last third of my hot dog and that gave a lovely fruity scotch bonnet kick, changing up the taste yet again. Smashing, and a most enjoyable breakfast snack.

I didn't know what I was going to make of Dog Eat Dog and I was sceptical that such a concept would work, however on both occasions I have been most impressed and they will have a frequent customer in me. Now, cue all the jokes about sausage fests....

The Details:
Dog Eat Dog
27-31 Essex Road
Islington
London
N1 2SA
https://www.brewdog.com/lowdown/blog/dog-eat-dog
Hot Dog sampled: House dog with jalapenos and green dog sauce, £6.50 

The Bermondsey Beer Mile

A few years ago, if you mentioned beer and Bermondsey in the same sentence, people's thoughts would be drawn to balding Millwall fans parading around the streets clutching cans of Carlsberg Special Brew. It was, like vast swathes of London, a beer desert until Kernel appeared in one of the arches towards the end of the 2000's and opened a tap room shortly afterwards. This started off a trend that now sees seven breweries nestled in and around the arches of that viaduct running through this part of Southwark and gave us the Bermondsey Beer Mile, a 1.5 mile crawl visiting some of the finest breweries in the capital. 

Sadly Kernel have shut their taproom doors but with online distributor Eebria opening a unit showcasing some of their further flung clients and the curiously named Bottle Shop also having a unit nearby there are still eight stops in which one can imbibe top rate craft beers. I've been to a few of them in a couple of visits (including Kernel) but last week, in the name of Gumby's birthday, we decided to crawl all the way along.

Stop 1: Anspach and Hobday

As it was well gone 12 and Southwark shuts the latest out of the lot, we decided to start at Anspach and Hobday. Now I like this brewery because a) they do a cracking sour and b) their logo is awesome (what's not to like about a pigeon wearing a top hat!) so I was intrigued to see what they had on offer. 

As the taprooms all pretty much look the same, I'll describe one now. The units themselves aren't that big, and the brewing equipment is at the back of the unit. The bar in Anspach is at one side (although Partizan and BBNo have theirs across the width of the unit in front of the brewing vessels) and there is a few rows of bench seating. A small section outside is cordoned off for smokers or people that don't fit in the main unit. The unit is clearly not as welcome with the residents opposite as it is with drinkers judging by the "Residents against Druid Street Market" sign that was positioned directly facing the unit!

The bar was quite busy but thankfully a table left just as I had taken my first sip of beer so we commandeered it. The clientele were a mixed bunch but I didn't see the threatened plethora of stag parties at all nor was the place full of hipsters - the atmosphere was more like a pub at lunchtime than anything else. I selected one of their specials, a White Coffee Milk stout - I have three white stouts at home but haven't tasted one yet and the result was interesting, the beer had the body of a stout, with subtle coffee and a hint of creamy sweetness from the lactose yet was paler than the IPA the person across the table was drinking. Overall I liked it as curiosity and would drink it again although I was probably a bit generous with my Untappd rating.

Stop 2: The Bottle Shop

The bottle shop is - quite literally - just up the road from A&H, with only a few market stalls between the two. I don't really know why it calls itself "the Bottle Shop" when its primary focus is draught beer sales but it does have a small (about fifty bottles, maybe) selection of bottles to take away and all looked quite interesting. 

The unit is in two levels, there's a small bar downstairs and a bigger area above, on possibly the most wobbly mezzanine I have ever experienced - even the smallest person made it shake and it had the effect of making me feel a bit like I was on a boat rather than in a bar! The upstairs bar had the more interesting beers on and the bonus here was that they sold beer in thirds as well as halves and (for the weaker beers) pints. I selected a third of a stupendously good sour by Prairie called Funky Gold Mosaic and a third of the much vaunted Double Axe from Buxton; I loved the sour but I found the Double Axe slightly disappointing, it had a wonderfully dank and piney smell (although one of our party described it as 'old feet') but the taste just didn't live up to the excellence I witnessed in Buxton's other DIPA, Wyoming Sheep Ranch. It was much more subdued in hop character and the alcohol lead the way. Maybe this keg had been on for a couple of weeks.

Stop 3: UBREW

UBrew is a bit of a funny one. It's a brewery all right - on walking into the building we were hit  immediately by the sweet odour of mashing malt - but you won't find its beers on sale anywhere in the capital, as it offers all its capacity to joe public to brew on. A large taproom - bedecked completely in wood - is provided for people who want a beer while waiting for their boil to finish or people like us, who wander in from the mile. They had an interesting range of beers on, largely from a brewery called Vibrant Forest (who I had never heard of). The coffee stout was a great one, and I bought a takeaway bottle of Barley Forge's Orange Curtain IPA as it came highly recommended from a friend. This was probably my favourite venue on the mile and I would have lingered here for a bit if we didn't have to get a shift on and head to BBNo.

Stop 4: Brew By Numbers (or BBNo)

I've never got the whirlwind of hype around BBNo. I like their beers, sure, but a lot of people are evangelical about them. Maybe it's the BrewDog connection, however I wouldn't put them amongst the leading lights of UK craft like Buxton, Siren or Magic Rock. Anyway this was the first of the taprooms that I had already been to and it was largely the same, small space reserved inside with an area outside adorned by wooden crates for the punters to sit on while they drink. The queue was long however unlike my last visit it was moving quickly and I was soon served. You have to pay a £3 deposit for your glass here and may keep it if you wish, a good idea to combat glass theft which I'm surprised had not been taken up by the other breweries that served beer in branded glassware. The inside was rammed so I took my oyster stout outside - it's good to see BBNo add another stout to their range considering how many variations of their IPAs, pales, witbiers and saisons there are, the dark beers have always been under-represented in my opinion. I'd like them to make a milk stout for 08|06 but this will do in the meantime, silky smooth with a nice hint of brine to remind you that actual oysters were involved in the brewing. Oyster stout wise, it's one of the best I've had so kudos to them there. Gumby's black IPA smelled glorious too.

Stop 5: Partizan

Up to now, the taprooms had been within a couple of hundred yards of each other at most but Partizan was a bit more of a trek, at just over half a mile away. It didn't seem to take long for us to wander along the side of the housing estate before we could see the road bridge and gates to Almond Road looming. Partizan had changed since I was last here, probably dictated by the cold - gone were the outside tables and the bar had been expanded and moved back, further into the brewery to make way for some indoor seating. There were plenty of interesting beers on but I chose the Brett Apricot IPA, which had a lovely fruit character with a subtle dryness from the brett on the aftertaste. I can't tell what hops they used but they suited the apricot perfectly. Another cracking effort from Partizan, and I came away with a bottle of Huff, their barleywine based on a 16th century recipe. Excellent. 

Stop 6: Eebria

Five stops in and the group were still feeling relatively fresh. The next stop on the mile is the most recent addition, Eebria. Opened in late summer, it serves as a showcase for the beers sold by the online beer distributor of the same name. Eebria sell beers from several craft breweries and a worth a look if you're in the market for some mail order beers, and today they had a tap takeover by Northern Alchemy, an innovative craft outfit from the North East. The highlight was the Marmalade and Assam Tea IPA, which tasted like tea and toast in a glass although I also tried the Oatmeal and Lemon Stout (they were serving thirds like the Bottle shop) and found it to be a curious but rather refreshing combination. The taproom itself gained a star from having some scaled down games in it, I took delight in thumping Rich 10-4 at mini-air hockey but sadly we left before I could defend my title against the lingering challengers!

Stop 7: Forepure

Another short walk along the viaduct brought us to Fourpure. Last time I was here there was a food truck sat outside but today we had no such luck, it was 4.45pm and the breweries were winding down for the day. Fourpure has the most spacious taproom on the mile and there was ample seating, with the large bar at one side of the room serving a much expanded range of beer compared to my last visit. Considering they were about to close there were loads of people there and a bit of a queue but we all got served before the five o'clock serving time. The beer of choice was Milky Mohican, an American Brown with lactose. Lactose seems to be the "in" ingredient in beer at the moment, Siren have certainly been using it a lot in their IPAs and I'm seeing more and more Milk Stouts on the market. To me this is a good development, I like the smoothness lactose imparts on a beer and the extra sweetness can help balance beers that otherwise might be a bit too hoppy for their malt bill. Milky Mohican was good, the best brown ale I have had in a long time. I did wish I'd seen the cocoa nib nitro stout before I ordered it though!

Stop 8: Southwark Brewing Company

From Fourpure the walk is almost a mile and a half and I can honestly say I don't remember anything about it although according to my Google timeline we definitely walked it. I do remember getting there though, it had a big taproom and as the latest opening on the mile it was bustling although there was enough (comfy!) seating to ensure our group could rest their legs. Southwark are the anomaly on the beer mile as they only serve cask ale - all the others concentrating on keg beers. They had four beers on and, thanks to knowing one of the people that work there and it being Gumby's birthday, my pint of porter was free. It was quite a low ABV but didn't stray into 'Dark Mild' territory as some weak porters do, the beer wasn't thin or watery and it had a pleasant notes of coffee and chocolate - a nice beer to finish with and the only full pint I had during the day! We lingered over our beers until the Southwark folks ushered us out at 7. I had thought that Southwark would be a low key end to the crawl but actually it was nice to have a relaxing last stop, so nice in fact that Rich fell asleep!

As for my thoughts on the mile itself, I like it. It's good fun, the breweries are all friendly and it's some of the best beer brewed in the capital. I'd like not to be so hurried next time but it's not even as if you HAVE to crawl around all of them - I'd enjoy visiting one or two and having a few pints in each just as much. If you like beer, can get to the capital and haven't sampled the mile yet, get going. You're truly missing out.

Lucky Chip

For my first burger review, I offer you Lucky Chip. Operating out of two venues in north-east London - The Old Queen's Head in Islington and Birthdays in Dalston, these guys have been about for a bit and I have attempted to get one of their burgers at the Old Queen's Head a few times, only to be thwarted by lack of tables. No such poor luck this time though and I sat down eager to get stuck in.

Their menu is pretty standard for the modern burger joint - hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon cheeseburger, fancy burger, chicken burger, veg option and special - but I actually quite like that, sometimes an abundance of choice can affect quality and certainly makes it hard to choose. I opted for the Royale with Cheese (the fancy burger) which was basically a bacon cheeseburger with "special sauce". My companion is a bit burger shy and just ordered the spicy mayo cheese fries but I was secretly happy about this as it meant I could get an idea of what the sides are like! The service was relatively swift and the food was in front of us within fifteen minutes.

The burger came attractively presented and thankfully I didn't have to construct it myself, I really hate it when people don't put the damn salad in a burger - if I don't want part of the burger to be included I will just ask the kitchen to leave it off! 
The burger patty was cooked perfectly - a lovely medium - and well seasoned, with flavoursome beef. Despite having three sauces the meat wasn't overwhelmed and shone through well, the cheese was lovely and gooey and the bacon wasn't overcooked. Sadly one thing spoiled the taste - the saltiness. It was almost the last thing I tasted on each bite but it was there, lingering on and meaning I drank an entire pint of diet coke in the five minutes it took me to eat the burger. It didn't render it inedible, and I still enjoyed it, but it did mean that the high mark in my mind when I first bit in to it was substantially reduced. It was just too much. Some people like their salt and this wouldn't be an issue for them but for me it meant a mark of 7.25 (out of ten). The fries suffered from the same affliction, the saltiness charging through at the end despite having strong competition from the chilli sauce used to spice up the mayonnaise. Maybe they just serve salty food.

A solid start to the burger reviews then, which could have been more spectacular but for a bit of restraint with the salt cellar!

Lucky Chip: 7.25

The Details:
Lucky Chip Burgers @ The Old Queen's Head
44 Essex Road
Islington
London
N1 8LN
www.lucky-chip.co.uk / www.theoldqueenshead.com/food-drink/

Burger reviewed: Royale with Cheese, £8.95

So, here goes...

I didn't realise I already had a blog - a blog with a magnificent total of one post on it, to boot. Back in 2007, that abortive start was clearly supposed to be about football as I'd posted about a game I had been to and still had another post sitting in my drafts covering the next game I had been to. I considered re-naming and re-using the old one but instead I thought a clean break would be better. 

I'm not going to write about anything ground breaking. Reviews of restaurants (let's face it, burger restaurants as that's pretty much all I eat when I go out), pubs and bars, beers, events (both in London and out) and sometimes general musings and observations garnered from living out in the sticks in travelcard zone 6.

Do try to stay awake, won't you!