“Alroight Beermat, Can I Have An ‘Ooooch?”

Who knew that Hooch was still a thing? Back in the late eighties/early nineties I remember going out with one of my pals and his other half.

She was a top girl, who was partial to a drink, and had a terrific Yardley accent.  As I recall, I was standing at a packed bar in the Masons Arms (Solihull) and asked her what she wanted to drink.

Across the bar I just heard “Beermat (I’m paraphrasing that bit obviously), can I ‘ave an ooooooooch,”

I duly obliged of course and probably had a pint of 20/20 or Diamond White myself back in that pre Bass era but, like Lowenbrau, K, Stones Bitter and Babycham, I thought it was consigned to that great hostelry in the sky.

So, imagine my surprise when I walked into a suburban estate pub in Newcastle (Macari not Keegan) and I spotted the amber nectar known as Bass and a colourful beermat on the table waxing lyrical about Hooch!

That’s right…it’s back in fashion.  I can imagine now the likes of Martin, Stafford Paul, Mudgie, The Wickingman, Prop up the Bar Nick, 6 Towns Mart and definitely Tamworth Mark having a Hooch chaser in between necking a pint of Bass.

I didn’t have time for a chaser as I could only have one and Beermat junior was in tow, so I thought I’d show her the delights of Bass.  And what a sensational pint it was…12.03 on a Sunday afternoon so probably the first pint out of the traps but it was in perfect nick.

The barman of 875 – The Seabridge ST5 3HA in Newcastle under Lyme couldn’t have been more friendly and the bench seating was pristine…everything you want from a local pub tucked away between thousands of chimney pots.

A few of the natives were starting to trickle in and with food on offer then I reckon this place is doing a fairly brisk trade. Of course, there is also a dartboard and pool table along with quiz nights and curry nights so what’s there not to like.

This is a real throwback pub, in a positive way as it is how you’d imagine pubs were back in the nineties…I might even celebrate with an ‘ooooooch!