FOR FOX SAKE GET ME A FIRKIN PINT!

Bruces Brewery and the Firkin chain of pubs came into existence in 1979, when David Bruce started brewing at his own 'brewpub', the Goose and Firkin, in one of my old stomping grounds, Southwark, London SE1.

I first contracted the Firkin 'bug' when I worked at Lewisham Hospital in the 1980s, and discovered the Fox and Firkin, which was either the second or third Firkin pub; I like to remember it as the second. As at the Goose and Firkin, the Fox and Firkin had its own brewing equipment and brewed its own ales on the premises. Indeed, when Bruce sold off his 11 Firkin pubs to Midsummer Leisure in 1988, eight of them brewed their own ales, the other three having their ales provided by a nearby brewpub in the chain.

Sadly, Punch Taverns wound up the Firkin chain in 2001, after buying the pubs in 1999. In the years since 1988, Firkin pubs had emerged all over the country, usually in 3 pub clusters, with only one brewpub in the cluster providing ales for them all. For example, the Felis and Firkin in Kenilworth had its ales supplied from one of the Derby Firkins, I believe it was the Flamingo and Firkin.

Interestingly, when I carried out some research at the Modern Records Centre at Warwick University, I stayed in a B&B in Kenilworth (1996/7), and there were 4 or 5  Kenilworth pubs in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide, whilst the Felis and Firkin had not yet made the cut. However, the Firkin ales were by far superior to anything served up at any of the other pubs, in fact, the Felis appeared to have kept its beer very much better than any of the others, so you can guess where I ended up drinking!?! 

Anyway, I had previously drank quite frequently at the Fox and Firkin in the 1980s and, though they did brew other ales too, I have no memory of them, I can only remember drinking Bruce's famous 6% full-bodied Dogbolter, a better strong bitter would be difficult to find, certainly in those days!

The pub itself was quite basic, but certainly well attended, and I used to love watching the brewing process whenever possible. I certainly enjoyed the aromas, despite detesting similar smells when I was a young child and went on school swimming trips. The smell coming over the road from Youngs Brewery, blended with the heavy chlorine of Wandsworth Swimming Baths, was awful, I seem to remember (the brewery buildings still exist, but are now unused, and the baths were pulled down and built over years ago). Whatever, I now quite enjoy the aromas of the brewing process and, having worked for a brewery up in Sheffield, I can link each individual smell within the brewing sequence.  

I couldn't find any photographs of the Fox and Firkin from the 1980s, but this is what it looks like now, not too much different really. Though it is not a brewpub anymore, it appears to be thriving as an alternative music venue as well as a pub, just round the corner from Ladywell, at 316 Lewisham High Street. "For Fox Sake get me a Firkin Pint", yep, I own up, I did own a t-shirt from the Fox and Firkin with this 'motto' emblazoned on the chest, around an image of a fox and a firkin of ale, strangely enough. I wish I still had the shirt, which would have been nice, but occasionally I do still wear a Fitzooth and Firkin t-shirt acquired when I lived in Sheffield!

 

As I said earlier, Dogbolter was the ale of choice, always really, so I must have been challenged, merry or drunk, quite regularly after leaving work at Lewisham Hospital, and on days off too no doubt, but the good new is...

 

DOGBOLTER HAS RETURNED! 

David Bruce (above) is now Chairman of West Berkshire Brewery (website), the head brewer of which, Will Twomey, has very recently reproduced Dogbolter from the original recipe, quality...

I so need to get to a pub that sells Dogbolter very soon, cheers David and Will!

 

CAMRA’s National Winter Ales Festival starts tomorrow at...

CAMRA's National Winter Ales Festival starts tomorrow at The Roundhouse in Derby, not a bad place to go to for real ale at any time! (See Beermeister website). The festival will be held from Wednesday the 19th to Saturday the 22nd of February in the oldest roundhouse in the world, built in 1839, and Grade II listed, and close to the railway station, of course, so easy to get to.  

Further details can be found at the Festival's website (link), enjoy if you do go there, and I'd be very grateful for any feedback, as I cannot make it to the festival, cheers!

Dolphins - 3 of a Kind.

I thought about writing this type of blog a while ago now, '3 of a kind', and pubs called the Dolphin was an obvious first choice for me, for 3 main reasons.  First, I have frequented 3 Dolphin pubs at different times in my life.  Second, they are all crackin' pubs and are in the 2013 CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Third, the most recent is my current 'local', so had to be 'Dolphins'!

 

The first is The Dolphin Hotel, down at The Barbican in Plymouth, which I first visited when I lived in Devon in the 1980s.  My earlier memories are of a pretty basic pub, but selling the best Bass I'd ever tasted, served straight from casks stored and cooled behind the bar, I think they were kilderkins, which is still the case. Plus, they now sell up to 7 guest ales, and St Austell Tribute as a regular.  I cannot remember there being ales served from handpump when I first visited, only the gravity-fed beer, but, as I only thought of drinking the Bass at the time, that's no surprise.

 

My most recent visit was a few years ago, before going to a football match at Argyle, and not a lot had changed, and, apart from a sensitive redecoration, the GBG suggests the same still.  The walls are adorned by Beryl Cook paintings, many are of regulars at the pub, as she used to live in the area and frequent the pub herself.  You are very close to the waterfront, from where you may catch a ferry over to Turnchapel, where lies another old favourite pub, and ex-employer, of mine, The Boringdon Arms. The Dolphin in Plymouth, though, is a must visit, if you like real ale and old pubs, and are in Devon... and their Bass is to be savoured. 

The second is Ye Olde Dolphin Inne, close by the cathedral in Derby, the oldest and, allegedly, 'most haunted' public house in the city.  The building dates back to 1530, but the pseudo-Tudor additions to the exterior were made about 100 years ago, but it's still a great little building to investigate, with nooks and crannies in the unspoilt interior.  I first visited here in the 1990s, as I lived in Sheffield at the time, and Derby is very close, and I obviously had to investigate this nearby city with its wealth of good pubs.  More often than not, subsequent visits were in connection with trips to Pride Park, or made in conjunction with visits from friends or family.

 

Coincidentally, the first pint I had here was of cask-conditioned Bass, though served via a handpump here, but still very good, I've even seen cask-conditioned Worthington E here, very rare; Marston's now brew Bass for AB InBev, by the way.  Ye Olde Dolphin also sells a good variety of other regular and guest ales, which I've always found to be in good condition, including a 'house ale' (that I haven't tried, since it wasn't around at the time of my last visit) which is brewed for them by Nottingham Brewery, ie a 4.4% bitter, Dolphin 1530AD.  Again, if visiting Derby, which does have a great selection of pubs, Ye Olde Dolphin Inne should be on the list. 

The third choice is my current local, The Dolphin, situated at Rock-a-Nore opposite the fishermen's net huts and Stade, below Hastings 'Old Town'.  The situation means you do get fishermen, and retired fishermen, frequenting this pub, a sign of the great continuity here. There are also a variety of other regular locals, and visitors to Hastings too, a true diversity of regulars, male and female, young and old, professionals and labourers, I shan't go on, you'll get the point.  It's a real family-run pub, landlord and landlady, 2 daughters, and good regular staff, who may as well be family!

 

The Dolphin supports Sussex breweries, with many local beers served here (5 out of 6 on my last visit), having 3 regular ales, currently Dark Star Hophead, Harveys Sussex Best and Young's Special, a seasonal regular, currently Dark Star American Pale Ale (soon to be replaced for the late Autumn and Winter by Harveys Old Ale), and 2 guest ales.  On my most recent visit, the 2 guests were the new local Isfield Brewing Co Toad in the Ale, a 4.8% dark bitter with roasted malt flavour, and Harveys Bonfire Boy, another darker 5.8% ale.  I can only add that, like the other 2 Dolphins, definitely worth a visit if in the area, cheers!