BRAPA .... HAPPY NEW (GBG) YEAR!

The oppression of the embargo period is over, and it is time to reveal the results of the Good Beer Guide cross-ticking exercise ..... drum roll please .....

It has been a cruel churn this year. I lost 313 pubs (very careless I know!)

I'd declared on 3003 at Edinburgh's excellent Cask & Barrel, so I fall all the way down to 2690. Tough! It will take me approximately six months before I'm back in credit. This ridiculous hobby is like a giant game of snakes 'n ladders.

A 10.4% loss. Last year, I only lost 8.7%. I'm not really sure where it went wrong, feel like this year's selections are more imaginative, slightly leftfield at times. I know those Covid/lockdown days are a few years ago now, but I sense a 'shackles finally off' whilst going through the book.

Northumberland, Kent and (obviously) Lincolnshire stood out as particularly harsh. Merseyside made me think! Norfolk unforgiving as ever. Chuck it in the sea. Even my home county of Yorkshire has been weirdly churny. Cheshire bucked the trend - I gained 4 without even going (which was nice). Love you Cheshire.

But plenty of reasons to be positive.

I've already clawed it back to 2705 with 14 embargoed ticks and 1 bonus tick because for some reason, Blyth's Lounge was listed as the Office on my all-seeing spreadsheet. Oh, and the GBG is back in alphabetical county order, rejoice!

Colin gets his first look at the new GBG, first tick back, the Brown Cow in Bingley

AND I received the Guide in a timely fashion this year, 11am on Saturday 14th Sept and I had the whole thing ticked by 8pm the following night, a new BRAPA record reminiscent of Sunderland/Newcastle on election night. Two takeaways, one bowl of soup, five hrs sleep, a zillion cups of tea and a packet of fig rolls saw me through.

Cross-ticking on the Saturday morning

I'll end this blog by inducting 14 pubs onto the main BRAPA spreadsheet, all previously on my pre or post-emptive tab, swelling my gross number to 5,192 at the time of writing.

Last Zebra, Carlisle (visited 30th July 2022)

I'd sobbed through the final episode of Neighbours (or so I thought) from a Carlisle Travelodge and was in such a state of mourning the following day, I had no appetite for tricky pub ticking once I got back into Carlisle from the Blacksmiths at Talkin. Instead, I tried to do some clever crafty pre-emptives in the town. This was the best, £5.75 for a 6% ale didn't seem terrible. Staff communication the only poor point but they were friendly and had 1980's Jason Donavan mullets yet I ended up being moved from a seat to the bar cos it 'expired' in 15 minutes. Whatever that meant!

Hazy mulleted times in the Zebra

Brampton Bierhuis, Chesterfield (visited 30th December 2022)

Pub tickers annual meet-up, and only with this experienced gang of campaigners could we fall into this limited opening hours pre-emptive, which was actually only open due to some birthday bash. I was in the cool young person's gang who got here first, then we fleetingly saw some very happy, very pissed other members of our group on the way out. A mean dude called Alfie or Ian stole Colin out of my bag! But returned him when I cried.

Eddie, Quosh, Maltmeister and nice random guest man

Victoria, Derby (first visited 9th March 2024)

It simply had to be! Greedy bloody Derby. As if Brunswick and Alexandra aren't good enough 'stones throw from station' pubs, they add a third thriker and the quality on that Bass, corrrr. Been in three times now, always full of pissed blokes and very cheerful staff. Reminds me a bit of the excellent Bull's Head Manchester for atmosphere. Less claggy Marston's and cheaper prices make it better.

Can someone save Colin?

Kirk Inn, Romaldkirk (visited 9th Jan 2009)

My Auntie, Uncle and cousins moved up to a farm on the outskirts Barnard Castle, and when one of my cousins got married, Romaldkirk church was the venue. Which meant a swift pre-wedding pint with the Family BRAPA in cosy stone-clad surrounds despite the icy January day. Main memory is my cousin Richard striding in and announcing very theatrically "Oh hallo barkeep, a pint of your finest ale!" and the cringe on Daddy BRAPA's face was a fine sight! Annoyingly shut when wedding finished, but only cos I was dying for a wee.

Sun Inn, Stockton-on-Tees (visited 2nd Nov 2023)

Came here for the famous banked Bass as I'd been meaning to do for many years, but as I was up here ticking two micros and a 'Spoons, and the trains were delayed, I took my chance. And glad I did . Didn't disappoint. Superb pint. Proper motivated clientele. Cheap 'n cheerful with this unique twist. Never expected to see it back in GBG this year. But delighted it is.

Colin thinks he's spied a relative

Skirrid Mountain Inn, Llanvihangel Crucorny (visited 1st Oct 2022)

Could write a novel on my visit here, in fact I did at the time. Was the 'bus stop' for the toughest walking day in BRAPA history as I tackled Llanthony, Llangattock Lingeod and Cwmyoy including a detour to the most crooked church in the UK! Bus never showed, one pint here became three, weird chancer tries to con me into getting 'taxi' off his mate, dining couple overhear and save me by offering me lift back to Abergavenny if I'm willing to wait til they've finished eating. Tried not to stare at them intently throughout. All this and I knew of the pub from the days when I was obsessed with 'Most Haunted'. Beer was really good, surprised it didn't make last couple Guides really.

Went for wee, saw this, nearly pooed myself

Ship Inn, Hull (first visited 25th August 2023)

Oh yes, I let out a little yelp of joy when I saw the natural successor to the Whalebone finally make it, year too late in my opinion after the Old Bull n Bush shenanigans of the last edition. Daddy BRAPA found out his new pre-match football mates had migrated here en masse, took me, I was immediately in love with it. Beers sensational. Down to earth. Proper pub. Been a few times now.

Look at its Hullish little face!

Olde England, Northampton (visited 7/11/23)

Actually only popped in cos I needed a wee on my first night of ticking Northampton and thought it looked 'interesting' from the outside. Northampton's sprawliness (if that's a word, it is now) had caught me out and I couldn't believe how deep the 'burbs were, how spaced out the pubs were. Anyway, I was well impressed with this one, multi levelled quirkiness, hand knitted beer mats, powerful dark ale. Considering a few of the entries were a bit unconvincing, I'm glad to see this one get in.

A dark stormy night in Northampton

Bold Dragoon, Northampton (visited 10/11/23)

In the Weston Favell 'burbs, this was recommended to me in the Road to Morocco on Olde England night by the amazing barmaid, so I can now forgive her for accidentally pulling me a different pint from the Old Peculiar I'd asked for! Didn't actually tick it until my bus from Rushden came back into town this way three nights later. Bit of a dosser on the night. Full of nervous 18 year olds, pissed women, skanky glasses piled high on the sticky bar, but it wasn't a bad pint of Proper Job, so I think we can declare Northampton as the 2024 pre-emptive winner! All this and they've stuck two other pubs in I've never done. Low key classic beer town?

I call this arty shot "The Life They Promised Us"

Metropolitan Bar, Baker Street, London (first visited possibly 26th November 2005)

After back-to-back promotions, we were back in the second tier and what a time to be a Hull City fan. Our newly formed 'Welly Gang' made this (along with Euston's Doric Arch) our pre-match morning staple for away days in London. A Wetherspoons. After a strong debut, I found the ale increasingly unconvincing. I witnessed my first 'Spoons Beer Festival here, and also had my most undercooked egg ever. I've had no inclination to visit in the past ten years, but nice to see a pre-BRAPA pub come good.

Joiners Arms, High Newton By the Sea (visited 26th Feb 2024)

Question for the Northumberland enthusiasts - are the buses always two hourly up on this coast or are they more regular in the summer? After ticking off the excellent Ship Inn at Low Newton (my pub of the week), the nearest bus stop was here but I had a long wait, so I popped in here for a couple of pints before the long ride back to Alnwick. First impressions were painfully glitzy dining, but as time went on, I appreciated it more. Real good staff, and the beer was spot on quality. Knew it'd been in recent editions, and felt confident (partly cos Northumberland ain't the best for beer) that it'd return soon.

Rate the lampshades like I rate a carpet

Vines, Liverpool (7/2/24)

You can't say Scousers aren't chatty, and on more than one occasion in the previous month as I aimed to fully green Merseyside, I'd been told that this place had been revitalised beerwise and I'd "... be a divvy to miss out, come 'ead". The interior was never in doubt, a stunner! Private do going on so staff prioritised them over folk in the main bar which was slightly annoying, but the surroundings were so magical, I barely cared. Beer quite decent, not the best, I actually thought the Queen of Hope Street was the stronger pre-emptive so surprised not to see that one make it too. And the Engineer was decent, though that is perhaps too new for this edition.

Turned around Col, you're missing the view

Lord Nelson, Nether Poppleton (visited Oct 2016)

My friend John was getting married in Popp, I was best man, so we had a little wedding rehearsal so the weirdly trousered church man could tell us where to stand, when to pull out the ring etc. Afterwards, John took us on a little pub crawl of those which weren't the Lord Collingwood (the GBG pub of that era). Beer was wishy-washy back then but he's been telling me in recent months it has upped its game and he thought it might make the GBG, it did! I actually might 'Popp' back seeing as it is handy for York, but a tick is a tick is a tick.

Beer O'Clock, Whitby (21/3/24)

Last but not least, I think it was Jim in the GBG pub tickers WhatsApp group who first mentioned this, so when I was up there ticking the lovely Quirky Den, I popped in for a half of some St Paddy's themed stout. It was fleeting, and I purposefully sat on a high seat around a corner which didn't help, but you could see its GBG credentials, so I'm delighted to see it come good cos despite living in North Yorkshire myself, I find Whitby trips a trial!

There we go. If you stuck around til the end, thanks.

See you later today for my first official tick, accompanied by Colin, a #PubMan legend and of course, my shiny new GBG!

Si