Sometimes You Do And Sometimes You Brew

Spoiler alert:  This post isn’t about Brew XI.

Just before Russ points out that this title is the lead to the M&B Brew XI advert from the 80s, I have to confess it is a tenuous link almost as loose as Martin’s scurrilous attempt to draw Birmingham City fans into his blog by using their anthem as the title.

Whilst the clubs lawyers have been contacted for linking Birmingham City with a successful event, it means the (non GBG) embargo being placed on Martin leaves the field clear for me to fill my boots with misleading titles.

This post is, in fact, about a cracking little bottle shop/tap room sandwiched between a tattoo parlour and an accountants on the main Market Street in Ashby De La Zouch.

471 – Brew LE65 1AP not only has a punchy title but it has yet to trouble the CAMRA website so expect it to be a shoe in for the GBG in 2021.  In fact, I will be pushing for more towns such as Ashby and Coalville, with no rail links to have a lot more entries just for my own comedy value!

I may even have beaten the Leicester gurus who read this blog, Pete, Shawn and Mark to the punch on this one, but I reckon it’s here to stay.

Anyway, thinking about the misleading 80’s Midlands beer title of this post meant I had to undertake an extensive search of the web to see if I could uncover the Brummie classic.

I couldn’t but I did unearth some gems form the era including cameo appearances from Colin Welland, Rowan Atkinson, Chas and Dave as well as Dave from the Winchester in Minder!

Of course the sight of Welland supping Tartan Bitter and leaving the foam on his ‘tache along with Chas and Dave singing the merits of Courage Bitter is exactly the type of advert Brew wouldn’t want to be associated with.

I visited at around 5.15 on a Thursday afternoon and the place was pretty quiet apart from another couple quaffing in the corner and a bloke who came in to buy a selection of bottles.

However, that did mean I could talk to the Gaffer who said he took over the place last November and turned it into a Tap Room as well and plans are afoot to increase the seating by moving the bottles to the back wall.

He reckoned Friday and Saturday nights were an absolute goldmine and Ashby is a renowned town for a lively evening.

It’s a fairly well to do town but the lack of a train station means that most of the locals stay in town of an evening and it can, on occasions, turn into the Wild West post-midnight.

There’s certainly plenty of boozers in town including a relatively pukka Spoons, three Bass Houses, the obligatory Tap House/Micro along with a solid Marston’s pub, a proper gritty local.  There are more as well as a couple of clubs so the possibilities are endless!

As the gaffer confirmed,it can get very  lively but, as he was a native of Coalville, then this is a far more gentrified version; with a massive amount of chimney pots sprouting up all the time and plenty of space to continue building then it is only going to get bigger.

He wasn’t sure what to expect as the Ashby Statutes started earlier today, which is basically a massive fair for around four days that the town has to undertake by law.

The Pat Collins Funfair is there until next Tuesday and I know how Paul WME likes his Ferris wheels so this would be the perfect time to fill your boots in Ashby.

The gaffe admitted he had spotted a gap in the market as no one else is selling craft keg and the variety of it and, like Brews of the World in Burton, it has the pricing to match.

However, you know if you go in here then it is going to be premium prices but the half of  Hold It Down (Lost and Found) at £2.75 was a belter so they are getting something right and, with a couple of stouts on, then I reckon Martin’s embargo might be lifted in time for him to try a drop of the dark stuff.

I could imagine Citra in here having a drink as this would have rivalled his  Apocalyptic Thunder Juice (calm down Russ) whilst this would have been right up Richard Coldwell’s street and I am pretty sure that Ashby is embracing it as well.