Sublime Snowdonia sinking Orme, Swampy and Landlord

Location: Snowdonia National Park, Pas Tan Y Bwlch

Moodmusic: Beauty or sublimity?

Today's memories and soundbites
The discussion all weekend has been about the meaning of "sublime" unpicking the philosophical debate of the Enlightenment, looking to see what it means and then what, if any, relevance it has today when we consider the management and conservation of landscape.  Opinions differed but perhaps the sublime is "Of such grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe" looking at something dangerous from a place of safety. Beauty is less threatening, more ordered.  Maybe sublime makes us think of the small part humanity plays in the bigger story of nature, and points out there are things we can't control.  Anyway, the walking, thinking and debate was thankfully accompanied by beer.  We stopped at the Pengwern Community pub in Bleaneau Ffestiniog, sublime in so far as Trawsfynydd nuclear power station is viewed from the pub porch!

Drinks

Plas Tan Y Bwlch, Meantwrog
Great Orme, Orme (4.2%)
Reactions
Emotional: Oooh much better than expected!
Critical: I usually find these Great Orme beers thin and metallic, but this time, this bottle was really nice.  Toasted with strong chocolate and toffee flavours. Clean mild bitter finish.

Pengwern Community Pub, Bleaneau
Timothy Taylor's Landlord (4.3%)
Reactions
Emotional: Well, OK, not as brilliant as expected
Critical: This is a good session beer.  Not very complex in flavour.  Medium body pours a nice creamy head. Smooth to drink, ringing hops with floral hoppy hints.  Clean ending.

Big Bog Brewery, Swampy (4.3%)
Reactions
Emotional: Yummy
Critical: Rare ruby beer.  Nice crisp flavour clean and fruity with small toasted cereal finish in the mouth. Medium bodied.  Really drinakable session beer.  Very pleasant.


In search of sublime landscapes

Vale of Ffestiniog 2012 and 1780

Bedgelert 2012 and before 1802

Dolbadarn Castle 2012 and 1799

Pengwern 2012 and after 1805

Sublime beer spot certainly

The aesthetics of winter?  Sublime or beautiful?
The Economist interviews Adam Gopnik on the aesthetics of winter

In the ring of stone with Bragdy Nant, Mwnci Nel etc.

Location: Conwy, the Albion

Moodmusic: Not inspired at all today ................ second time recently

Today's memories and sound bites
Ooohhhhh Aaaarghh..... It's International "Talk Like A Pirate Day" being celebrated in Conwy.

The ring of stone refers to Edwards defenses throughout Wales, comprising 7 castles built to further his campaign of subjugation against Llywelyn ap Gruffydd the last Prince of Wales, and consolidate English power.  Conwy Castle is one of these and a World Heritage site, its just a step away from a number of interesting pubs.  The Albion Ale House was recently reopened and has made a name for itself as a modern ale house serving well kept local ales very quickly, so was paid a visit this evening after a long and stressful day.  They serve Edwards of Conwy pies here - brilliant!

Walked back to the car via the churchyard.  There is a strange grave which commemorates the viist of Wordsworth to Conwy. he was inspired to write a poem about a small child who visits the family grave.  One verse states "And where are they? I pray thee tell.  She answered "Seven we are, And two of us at Conwy dwell".  A wrought iron frame now covers the grave.  However local legend says this is the grave of the Magnificent Seven ........

Drinks
1. Bragdy Nant, Mwnci Nel (5.5%)
Reactions
Emotional: It's gone to straight to my head and it smells like Mackesons.  I like this dark winter beer.
Critical: Bready toasted multigrain, rich and comforting. Lovely dark colouration rich and comforting medium texture. Treacle toffee finish.  After eating an Edwards of Conwy Huntsman pie the ale had chocolate notes.

2. Bragdy Nant, Chwerw Braf (4.1%)
Reactions
Emotional: Mmmmmmm its OK
Critical: Light and sharp without too much of a finish not too memorable if you like strong flavours. Probably best suited go a warm summer's day rather than a night by the fire in autumn. Would try again in a different atmosphere.

3. Conwy Brewery, Welsh Pride (4.4%)
Reactions
Emotional: Bog standard bitter.  Good honest working man's pint.
Critical: Good balance of bitterness and sweetness in a medium bodied bitter.  Not at all bad, but nothing to be writing home about.  Steady session pint.  Would always say yes to the quality if not the excitement.

4. Wincle Brewery, Sir Phillip (4.2%)
Reactions
Emotional: Oh! That's memorable and delicious
Critical: Nice amber colour and smooth head, quite a complex flavour.  Hops and medium bodied flavour, with slight malty undertones.

5. Wincle Brewery, Rambler (4.0%)
Reactions
Emotional: Nice .... but maybe the flavour is obscured by all the others beers this evening.
Critical: Zingy bitter citrus hay. Little bit metallic. Greenish hops.  Good clean finish.

6. Conwy Brewery, Crwr Mel (4.5%)
Reactions
Emotional: Easy to drink
Critical: Almost taste the honey. Otherwise this is an easy drinking pint with soft and gentle flavours of hop and low to medium bitterness.

Conwy view

Edwards the sausage and pie shop

The Magnificent Seven?

Pear wine

Location: the Ancient pear tree, Shrewsbury garden

Mood music:  Working 9 to 5 on all kinds of groovy projects .......

Todays memories and soundbites
"the Buddha says be thankful you didn't get what you wanted"

Drinks
It's a brewing day.  Pears from the old once part espalier pear tree providing autumn abundance. Hard and not good for eating, these have great wine making qualities, so 10lb of fallen pears rescued from wasps and wildlife makes 2 demi johns worth of wine.

Recipe
5lbs pears
2lb sugar (makes dry wine)
1 gallon water
yeast nutrient
citric acid
pectolayse

Wipe the pears clean, chop into rough chunks preserving any juice.  Sleepy pears can be used.  Add pears and water.  Bring to boil, but for no longer than 20 minutes otherwise the wine will not clear.  Strain off juice.  Wait until blood hot and add sugar, yeast and other ingredients. Pour into demijohns and add airlocks.  Do not fill to shoulder but reserve some of the liquor to add once active fermentation process has toned down.

Bubbly pear view

Breweries up

It's official brewery numbers reach 70 year high ..... following my blog of 6th August musing on brewery numbers .... the changes have taken total number in UK beyond 1,000 - being talked bout by others
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19571803
http://www.channel4.com/news/ale-and-hearty-breweries-thrive-during-tough-times
http://money.uk.msn.com/number-of-breweries-tops-1000

Salopian in Shrewsbury sunset and Jennings in Marple

Location: Shropshire and old Derbyshire

Moodmusic: Sunny, sunny Saturday with late summer mellowness thinking about people in their season and time

Today's memories and soundbites
This blog entry is a little late reaching the airwaves.  Tried using my portable technology to send it out but alas, no joy, needed my laptop.  Not too many memories since I spent the Saturday alone and the Sunday on the Peaks side of Manchester getting a little lost!

Drinks
Location: Prince of Wales, Shrewsbury
This is an interesting place!  Close to the Sutton Bridge railway junction and signal box (a well known hand pulled lever operated set) and where the Traction Maintenance Department at Coleham Depot still exists. The pub sits in a Victorian railwayman suburb, but, the pub garden is a bowling green along which sits an amazing maltings.

1. Salopian, Golden Thread (5.0%)
Reactions
Emotional: Mmmm ..... yummy a fine local brew
Critical: A great clear golden ale colour.  I like the appley, lemony, citrus that comes through strong.  But the hops are bitter, so the aftertaste dominated by clean bitter tang.  Not bad.

Location: Little Mill Inn, Marple Bridge
Also interesting!  A pub in the middle of nowhere which makes you wonder what the history is.
2. Jennings, Sneck Lifter (5.1%)
Reactions
Emotional: Not bad.
Critical: The colour is red chestnut.  Hoppy, creamy and sweetish with slight coffee and then mild bitterness.  Could so easily be a session beer!

3. Jennings, Joggers Tipple (4.2%)
Reactions
Emotional: Hurumph ... maybe, maybe not
Critical: My second time of trying this.  Its really bitter, bitter.  Its a clean bitterness but maybe a bit too much for me. Its a good quality but basic bitter with some metallic notes.

Shrewsbury view

Prince of Wales garden

Marple view

Invest in beer!!

Makes sense to me ....

If you had purchased £1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you would have £49.00 today
If you had purchased £1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you would have £33.00 today
If you had purchased £1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you would have £00.00 today
If you had purchased £1,000 of shares in Northern Rock three years ago, you would have £00.00 today
But, if you had purchased £1,000 worth of beer one year ago at Tescos, drank all the beer, then taken the aluminum cans to the scrap metal dealer, you would have received £214.00
Based on the above, the BEST CURRENT INVESTMENT STRATEGY IS TO DRINK BEER AND RECYCLE.
Furthermore .... a recent study found that Britons walk about 900 miles a year.  Another study found that Britons drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year.  That means, on average, Britons get about 41 miles to the gallon!  Makes you proud to be British.

Remembering Alba with North Star Porter in Llandudno

Location: Llandudno by the sea but thinking of Alba

Moodmusic: strangely lacking any musical inspiration today ...................

Today's memories and soundbites

Goodbye to Alba.  I'm now sat in a pub in Llandudno sorting out my many papers and notebooks thinking back on the course of the week away.  Its the end of the Scottish sojourn for a little while.  Left via a night next to Roslin Chapel.  Built in 1446, made famous by Dan Brown’s De Vinci Code, and recently restored with the ugly scaffolding and umbrella like roof cover I found here last time I visited now removed, I have to say the interior stone carving was just amazingly impressive, particularly the profusion of Green Men.  The chapel mixes homage to Christ with mother nature.  The adjacent castle …. was …..  attacked and raised in 1650 …. by ….. drum roll …… Cromwell …. whose army billeted themselves and their horses in the chapel which was laying unused and decommissioned after the reformation.  The Roslin Glen itself is interesting.  Now a beautiful country park it has in the past been an industrial water powered valley of mills and other enterprises, including famously the gunpowder mills.  My exit from Edinburgh airport smoothed with a swift half at Wetherspoons in the departure lounge … my CAMRA vouchers came in handy after all!

Location: The Original Roslin Hotel

Caledonian 80/- (4.1%)

Reactions

Emotional: Hurummph. Why is there no delicious ale in Roslin? 

Critical: Bland stuff

Location: Wetherspoons Edinburgh Airport

Arran, Sunset (4.4%)

Reactions

Emotional: Thankful for Wetherspoons and a nice light ale to relax the nerves

Critical:  A light and easy drink, very well balanced slightly fruity and gentle hops.  Smooth head and a fine amber colour.

Location: The Snowdon

Facers, North Star Porter (4.0%)

Reactions

Emotional: Great dink at the end of a busy week

Critical: Smooth head, malty aroma. Not too thick.  Malty, molasses, toasty breaking into chocolate. Medium body.  Sweetish. 

Roslin View

Lion at the door

Greenman on a hanging boss

Something nasty in the crypt

The Roslin Glen valley walk.  Old gunpowder mill.

CAMRA - e-petition action

big push to sign e-petition before time limit to organise debate in Parilament is up. Sign the petition here and find out if your town is backing the petition clicking on the map below.