You left me in Kimberley waxing lyrical about a slower pace of life, old boys, lunchtime drinking, defunct breweries and classic pubs.
However since then, I’ve discovered the Maltmeister had a torrid Friday night, as I tuned into Sky Sports and watched Birmingham beat Bristol City with a performance so unexpected it reminded me just why I like football so much.
I then watched ten minutes of anti English jingoism and people throwing bottles as the annual cash cow slug/bore fest took place at Murrayfield.
One person who wouldn’t have been watching that, but tuning into Forest v Leeds itself, was the late great Alan Winfield.
Any pub blogger worth his salt knows that he was the ‘go to’ man for any Nottingham info and he definitely appreciated Kimberley.
No nonsense boozers with some real ale were his mantra and the grittier the better. 529 – Nelson And Railway NG16 2NR would be right up Alan’s street.
It’s now owned by G***** K*** (Nottingham law says this word is now banned from local dialect) but it hasn’t detracted from its popularity.
It’s the closest pub to the old Kimberley Brewery…
…and the drop of Hardy & Hanson’s I had was the best this month.
Sweet and crisp I reckon I wasn’t the first person that day to get stuck in, as there were some Hi Viz jackets, cyclists and a group of walkers all eating or drinking.
One of those classic ‘wintry sunny afternoons’ in a pub with the fire on and the sort of place you could stay in and chat about nothing in particular…
Two Thursday afternoon boozers in Kimberley, both with beams, bench seating and a real old school feel to them and both still going strong, which proves a real connection with the town.
Apparently this place also has rooms available, so I expect Martin to stop here when this is in the GBG in 2047.
The Hardy & Hansons Kimberley Brewery (to give it its full title) hasn’t ‘brewed’ since 2006, but there was plenty of old livery around the pub and with heritage dating back to 1832, it still casts a big shadow over this town.
Punters weren’t dwelling on the past however, as the atmosphere was good, the beer was even better and the sun was shining.
Sometimes this pub blogging lark is marvellous and Kimberley is proving it’s a proper #pubtown
.
One of the best pubs in Kimberley, but sadly the long-standing gaffer is retiring soon, I hope nothing much changes as a result.
…and as for the Murrayfield bore-fest, my advice is squint a bit and you could almost imagine it was a roundyball match, such was the amount of aimless kicking into a whirlwind. Terrible match, the only upside being I got to watch it in one of Bedfords better pubs. Not even going to bother today…
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Yes the change of gaffer can sometimes be fatal…do you mean you’re not bothering with the pub?? !!!!
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Not bothering with the France/Italy match. Another stormy weather kick-fest with only one likely winner.
The Stag is another cracker in the Kimberley area.
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Phew! I was worried for a minute as I thought you meant the weather was stopping you pub blogging!!! Yes looked good but a 4pn opener I think…
I don’t mind the rugby just like to make sure it’s not always the auld enemy nonsense every year from the telegraph 😉
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Ah yes, “One of those classic wintry sunny afternoon days in a pub” 😀
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In a kind of coming in from the cold sort of way 😄
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Great report, and pleased to hear the beer is great.
I’ve stayed there overnight a couple of times over the years, great breakfasts. It was in my Top 100 pubs but the Beer Guide seemed to lose interest after Greene King took it over, and it never seemed to bother with those silly guest beers (hurrah !).
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That half of BBB was terrific. More pubs should sell it!
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I cannot get over the massive cynicism of GK offering something they dare to call Hardy & Hanson’s bitter in a pub near to the brewery they closed down (after lying about its future) when they don’t sell that beer in other parts of their estate. A pub pub company at its worst.
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To be fair Colston every single tenant I’ve spoken to would agree with you…not sure what else it’s badged as but it was in good nick but that will be down to the gaffer
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* big pub company, that should read
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👍🍻 got it pal
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