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I wish I were British...

#161
Oh - and if you get anywhere near the Midlands, let me know and I'll get you a few beers! I'm in Wolverhampton ("Wolves") about 90 minutes NW of London on the train and 15 miles or so from Birmingham, the UKs 2nd city and the place where most of my gigs happen. Got some good ones lined up in the spring at a Birmingham club owned by Jools Holland called the Jamhouse. ;)
 
#163
Oh, Bassybill! It seems we missed Wolverhampton just by an inch on our longest trip over England, driving from Coventry to Liverpool. Won't miss my chance the next time ;)
Regarding food, I & my lady found the best way to get something superb: just stop by in a small town and ask a local for the right place. This has always worked.

The Jamhouse could be a good reason to see Birmingham. We passed by Birmingham (and later Manchester) guessing those two cities would not be interesting tourist-wise :)

The fact Old Speckled Hen is a bitter shall make me revise my opinion about bitters in general. Last night, I had a bottle of Old Empire IPA (of Burton upon Trent - is it in Midlands?) and didn't like it very much. Perhaps ales should be only drunk in pubs, not bottled.

Good talking to you.
----
"I've a bag full of faggots!" (I think I'll die) :D
 
#165
AntekStalich said:
Oh, Bassybill! It seems we missed Wolverhampton just by an inch on our longest trip over England, driving from Coventry to Liverpool. Won't miss my chance the next time ;)
Regarding food, I & my lady found the best way to get something superb: just stop by in a small town and ask a local for the right place. This has always worked.

The Jamhouse could be a good reason to see Birmingham. We passed by Birmingham (and later Manchester) guessing those two cities would not be interesting tourist-wise :)

The fact Old Speckled Hen is a bitter shall make me revise my opinion about bitters in general. Last night, I had a bottle of Old Empire IPA (of Burton upon Trent - is it in Midlands?) and didn't like it very much. Perhaps ales should be only drunk in pubs, not bottled.

Good talking to you.
----
"I've a bag full of faggots!" (I think I'll die) :D
Click to expand...

Birmingham and the surrounding area, which includes Wolverhampton, is the home of the industrial revolution, the site of the world's first ever factory and therefore historically fascinating. It's the ""2nd city" in the UK (population around 2-4 million depending on how you define the boundaries) and a world class city in terms of entertainment, the arts, culture and architecture. Well worth a visit. There's a lot of stuff to see and do round here, it's a really happening place and one of the most multi-cultural cities in the UK.

You can get some FANTASTIC Indian food in this region. And I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed the food over here, btw! English food is often described as bad in a very unfair way, I think - it's a stereotype perpetuated mainly by those who haven't visited, or maybe those who aren't very adventurous when they get here (often a factor when getting lousy food anywhere in the world, I think).

Burton is traditionally a major brewing town - it's in the north of the Midlands region, about an hour or so north of Birmingham (West Midlands). You'd have passed just a few miles west of Burton when you travelled from Coventry up to Liverpool. "Bass" (rhymes with "ass", not with "face" :D) is one of the most famous beers to come from this region.
 
#170
Just to add to bassybill's note above, if you're into cider you can find some amazing ones in the UK. GL is the local one for me, and there's nothing like it on a warm afternoon in the pub garden :) but worth checking out Stowford Press as well.

Gear seems to be a bit pricier over here than in the US. My two local stores aren't so bad but gear is definitely a lot cheaper online. I've found that most of their used stuff is a little on the overpriced side, and the new stuff is average price. There is another store near me but I don't really like it in there.

And faggots (the food!) are amazing! They're one of my favourite foods... so tasty, and best with mashed potatoes and some broccoli :)
 
#171
Evil Undead said:
Just to add to bassybill's note above, if you're into cider you can find some amazing ones in the UK. GL is the local one for me, and there's nothing like it on a warm afternoon in the pub garden :) but worth checking out Stowford Press as well.
Click to expand...

Cider really isn't huge here, but it may be catching on. There are a few brands that are mass produced and widely available, and they aren't half bad.

I work in packaging, and a few weeks ago I talked to a guy at an orchard that uses our equipment for unitizing loads of hard cider for shipment. He said business is GOOD! He said he currently has 36,000 gallons "working" and they are shipping 600 gal a day.

It's maybe an hours drive, but I may have to pay him a visit. Maybe drop off some free parts in a bit of a trade.......
 
#177
bassybill said:
Hey, I never you knew you were orientated that way. :D
Click to expand...

LOL...it's only by family connections. My mother is from Hove and her sister is still in England, although now in Surrey. My cousin lives in Wimbeldon. Oh, and I LOVE Old Speckled Hen. Last time I was there, I think my family thought I was a little screwy, because I drank it with every meal out we had, and that was most of them!
 
#178
Pat, you should NOT have mentioned beer. Too late, I can't resist, and anyway it is nearly Christmas. Here we go again...

Theakston_Old_Peculier.jpg
 

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