Took Mrs Sane out for a meal last night to our favourite Italian restaurant, Osteria da Paolo in Shrewsbury.
Shrewsbury was a bit manic because the Flower Show is in full swing and the restaurant was busier than usual but the service was great, as was the food (although it did take two attempts to get Mrs Sane a steak that wasn’t still mooing).
After the meal we went and picked up a friend and met the ginger one in a pub. Which is out of character for him. Ahem. Sadly, there was no music and the ladies wanted music so we went on a pub-with-music hunt.
We plumped for Ironbridge in the end which has changed a bit since my binge drinking youth. I wouldn’t recommend the White Hart – as soon as we’d got our drinks they rang the bell for last orders and wouldn’t serve anybody once the bell was rung. So not actually last orders, more sort of “surprise, we’re closed”. Even more bizarrely for the 15-20 people sitting outside finishing their drinks, 10 minutes after calling “surprise we’re closed” orders, they shut the door and switched the outside lights off, leaving everyone in the dark!
We strolled down the road to the Swan which had a live band on, even at 11pm and promised to stay open until 1am. I never rated the Swan in my binge drinking days but we had a good laugh, even though I appeared to be the only sober person in Ironbridge. We were standing next to a group of very drunk Londoners on a stag night. One of them – a little asian guy – started chatting to me, asking me about the night life in Telford. Then the groom introduced himself and it turns out he grew up in the same town as me and went to the same school (he was 10 years older than me so I didn’t know him). Not only that, but his sister is about to get married to my old geography teacher. Small world.
Technorati Tags: Shrewsbury, Ironbridge
More important what was the beer like in them pubs?
Do they do real ale?
The world is really a small place, Stu. Even me, a Moscower to the core, has visited Ironbridge! lol
Kev, they served Bombardier. I was the driver so I was drinking Coke. 🙁
Maximus, you did get to Ironbridge but immigration caught up with you eventually. They’re still mopping the vodka up off the wharfage. 😀
🙁 I’m not keen on southern beer, i think the only brewery I like in the south is Hopback but apparently they are non traditional
Have you tried Bombardier or London Pride, Axel?
I have sunk a few Bombardier’s a very fine pint indeed.
That is the one good thing about my disablitity as I can no longer drive.
Charles Wells or Fullers.
Yes and I’m not keen 🙁
I think it is to do with the brewing process, top down or bottom up, i like the one they do in the north and am not so keen on the one they do in the south. I beleive the line is somewhere in Yorkshire? Who is in Camra here?
What are your thoughts of Farne Island (Geordies) or Harviestoun (Jocks)?
It has been so long since i have drank that i can barely remember, maybe thaty is why i had to stop drinking? :p
To axel I have never tried or heard of either of those.
I am a member of Camra
rev
Farne Island is a brewery in newcastle on tyne, apparently built on an island in the motorway.
Harvistoun is a brewery in Dollar, in scotland, on the other side of the hills from alloa, it produces a wide selection including Schehallion(a real lager!)
I will look forward to trying those out axel, when and if I ever see them.
I won’t try the lager though as I consider lager an affront to God.
Harvestoun are quite a big operation but i think distribution issues mean they are confined up here
Farne Island are\were quite wee!
Seriously, try it out, its great,its how lager should be not how lager is.
Where are you? What is your local brewery What are their top brands?