A narrowboat micropub?

[Hudds Lad]

2 minutes ago, Owls Den said:

Maybe a narrow boat gin distillery would work better than a micro brewery.

Pretty sure distilleries over a certain output bring you in for a whole other level of expense and legislation that's not for the deep of pocket and short of arms.

[Silent Flight]

1 minute ago, Hudds Lad said:

Pretty sure distilleries over a certain output bring you in for a whole other level of expense and legislation that's not for the deep of pocket and short of arms.

Maybe so but doubt the volume would be that large on narrow boat.
 

I was at a wedding and they had a gin distillery in an old horse box, idea was you could pick your own botanicals and make your own gin to drink over the weekend.  Something similar could be setup for boaty events. 

 

I have distant family that run a successful gin distillery in Ireland, so it’s in the blood. Maybe I should give it a go 😅

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

Pretty sure distilleries over a certain output bring you in for a whole other level of expense and legislation that's not for the deep of pocket and short of arms.

 

 

You mean Yorkshiremen ?

 

Sorta' like the Scots but 'tighter'.

[Hudds Lad]

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

 

You mean Yorkshiremen ?

 

Sorta' like the Scots but 'tighter'.

Like the Scots, but with all the generosity squeezed out of 'em  

[IanD]

1 minute ago, Hudds Lad said:

Like the Scots, but with all the generosity squeezed out of 'em  

Set what could be a newly horrific record for beer price at the weekend -- £7.85 a pint... 😞 😞 😞

[Hudds Lad]

4 minutes ago, Owls Den said:

Maybe so but doubt the volume would be that large on narrow boat.
 

I was at a wedding and they had a gin distillery in an old horse box, idea was you could pick your own botanicals and make your own gin to drink over the weekend.  Something similar could be setup for boaty events. 

 

I have distant family that run a successful gin distillery in Ireland, so it’s in the blood. Maybe I should give it a go 😅

That sounds like a rectifiers/compounders licence where you're adding stuff to already duty-paid spirits, HMRC is not so bothered about this.

 

It's when you're making it from scratch that HMRC want to know the thread from the needle and require a distillers licence

[IanD]

Just now, Hudds Lad said:

That sounds like a rectifiers/compounders licence where you're adding stuff to already duty-paid spirits, HMRC is not so bothered about this.

 

It's when you're making it from scratch that HMRC want to know the thread from the needle and require a distillers licence

Interestingly, to be called "London Dry Gin" it has to be actually distilled by the supplier, not just flavoured...

[Athy]

I'm still surprised to see £interesting" and "gin" in the same sentence - though I get the impression that it's had a bit of a revival in recent years, just as cider did before that. What will be next, sherry?

[Silent Flight]

2 minutes ago, Athy said:

I'm still surprised to see £interesting" and "gin" in the same sentence - though I get the impression that it's had a bit of a revival in recent years, just as cider did before that. What will be next, sherry?

Isn’t it all about Craft IPA now. 

[IanD]

17 minutes ago, Owls Den said:

Isn’t it all about Craft IPA now. 

That's what was £7.85 a pint... 😞

20 minutes ago, Athy said:

I'm still surprised to see £interesting" and "gin" in the same sentence - though I get the impression that it's had a bit of a revival in recent years, just as cider did before that. What will be next, sherry?

Some of us who like refreshing non-sweet drinks never lost interest in G&T. If you want to try a good modern one, Brewdog Zealot's Heart is delicious... 😉

 

Here's a relevent boaty photo... 🙂

Edited May 2, 2023 by IanD

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

5 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Has it changed in the last 20-30 years ?

 

I had to go to college, do a course, learn all of the laws relating to the sale of alcohol etc etc and finally pass an exam.

I then had to go to the assizes (Court) and stand infront of a Judge and local 'notables' and plead my case of being of 'good standing in the community'.

 

It was certainly no easier that getting a Driving licence, or a Gun licence and far more difficult that getting a boat licence, or car licence.

Can’t quote me gov,

I never said nothing,

you’re mixing me with that there Dmr

 

 

 

[Nightwatch]

3 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

 

The Tripboat I used to captain had a bar which sold draught Wadworths 6X. As suggested above, we could only sell the beer after we had set off, and closed the bar before we moored up. That was quite a few years ago, so things may have changed more recently. The only problem with the bar was that we had to carry more kegs in the locker than we were likely to sell as they took up to two days to settle before the beer could be drawn.

Difficult to beat a drop of 6X.

[dmr]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Its no wonder the country is where it is. Everything is being 'dumbed down to the lowest denominator'.

 

I first did my diving qualifications in 1973, the requirements were very strict and demanding and were based on the requirements to qualify as a Navy diver.

 

Having started again a couple of years ago I decided to re-do the qualifications using 'modern' equipment and techniques.

The requirements are now far far lower and really seem to be based on the 'holiday crowd' who want a quick basic certificate to allow them to dive for a few days whilst on holiday.

 

 

 

Its not right, but appears to the (new) way of doing things. A quick bit of study on the www, a bit of cash to a middleman company, and an un supervised multiple choice test on the www and any qualification you fancy can be yours, but at the other extreme you need a degree now for some "trades".  I think its all about making money..

[IanD]

20 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Difficult to beat a drop of 6X.

Opinions differ -- I'd put it in the same old brown slops bucket as beers like Abbot and Ruddles County and Doom Bar... 😞

Edited May 2, 2023 by IanD

[Laurie Booth]

5 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Has it changed in the last 20-30 years ?

 

I had to go to college, do a course, learn all of the laws relating to the sale of alcohol etc etc and finally pass an exam.

I then had to go to the assizes (Court) and stand infront of a Judge and local 'notables' and plead my case of being of 'good standing in the community'.

 

It was certainly no easier that getting a Driving licence, or a Gun licence and far more difficult that getting a boat licence, or car licence.

I went to the local magistrates Court and was asked did I know the laws pertaining to the sale of alcohol . I said yes and was granted a licence. A lot easier than my driving licence.

[ditchcrawler]

Try this for size https://www.thebeerboat.co.uk/

[cuthound]

14 minutes ago, IanD said:

Opinions differ -- I'd put it in the same old slops bucket as beers like Abbot and Ruddles County and Doom Bar... 😞

 

When Ruddles was an independent brewery, back in the 70's County was excellent, I often used to visit The Dolphin at Betchworth for a pint or three, however these days the only similarity is the name.

[IanD]

14 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

When Ruddles was an independent brewery, back in the 70's County was excellent, I often used to visit The Dolphin at Betchworth for a pint or three, however these days the only similarity is the name.

 

I suspect the problem is that the standard of beer in the UK has got *way* better since the 1970s, largely due to the massively increased number of small and micro breweries who actually care about making good beer. Beers like County (and 6X) are effectively dinosaurs that have stayed the same (which is what the brewers claim -- along with various others) and been overtaken by many other beers -- we used to think they were good because they were the best around at the time, but not any longer.

 

I hate to admit it, but the introduction of the Beer Orders in 1989 by the Tories was largely responsible for this... 😉

Edited May 2, 2023 by IanD

[cuthound]

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

I suspect the problem is that the standard of beer in the UK has got *way* better since the 1970s, largely due to the massively increased number of small and micro breweries who actually care about making good beer. Beers like County (and 6X) are effectively dinosaurs that have stayed the same (which is what the brewers claim -- along with various others) and been overtaken by many other beers -- we used to think they were good because they were the best around at the time, but not any longer.

 

I hate to admit it, but the introduction of the Beer Orders in 1989 by the Tories was largely responsible for this... 😉

 

I disagree, there were some excellent beers (and some awful ones) back in the 70's. What has spoilt the  better beers from small brewers, is their being taken over by bigger breweries, who keep the name and change the recipe.

[Bobbybass]

There was a pub boat a year or so back. I saw it moored in Hungerford . Customers weren't allowed on board...they set up on the tow path. 

[IanD]

11 minutes ago, cuthound said:

 

I disagree, there were some excellent beers (and some awful ones) back in the 70's. What has spoilt the  better beers from small brewers, is their being taken over by bigger breweries, who keep the name and change the recipe.

We'll just have to agree to disagree then. Yes small brewers got taken over and closed down, but since then many more have opened, especially in the last 20 years -- there are getting on for 2000 now. The choice and variety and quality of beers now is *way* higher than it was in the 1970s, only nostalgia would make anyone think otherwise... 😉

 

If I had to pick memorably delicious beers I drank back in the 1970s then the ones that come to mind as being head and shoulders above the rest were the Three Tuns in Bishops Castle, the Old Swan in Netherton, and the Vine in Brierley Hill -- all three of which still exist, unsurprising given their excellence, but hardly widely available then or now. Many of the rest were a sea of mediocrity, what we'd now call BBBB (Boring Brown British Bitters) -- a category that 6X fits perfectly. In my opinion, anyway... 😉

Edited May 2, 2023 by IanD

[magpie patrick]

1 hour ago, Athy said:

 just as cider did before that. 

 Cider has never been out of fashion round here, just beware of outlets down country lanes that advertise with crudely painted signs bearing just the one word... that stuff's best handled with gauntlets, and don't even think of driving afterwards - even walking might be a challenge

 

[Nightwatch]

47 minutes ago, IanD said:

Opinions differ -- I'd put it in the same old brown slops bucket as beers like Abbot and Ruddles County and Doom Bar... 😞

Doom Bar- Yuk!

Ruddles- just about.

6x - (in my opinion) is good ale.

 

Opinions and taste buds do differ of course.  The local where we are at present always has a selection of guest beers. Out of four of us having a little session one afternoon we all were supping different ales.

[IanD]

18 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Doom Bar- Yuk!

Ruddles- just about.

6x - (in my opinion) is good ale.

 

Opinions and taste buds do differ of course.  The local where we are at present always has a selection of guest beers. Out of four of us having a little session one afternoon we all were supping different ales.

 

Which was exactly my point -- regardless of what your palate prefers, it's much easier to find a beer you like nowadays than it used to be.

 

For me 6X is bland, too malty and sweet, with no hop edge to it -- and the last time I drank it at the fabled Anchor at High Offley, in poor condition and stale-tasting to boot. For others it may well be the perfect beer... 😉

[cuthound]

40 minutes ago, IanD said:

We'll just have to agree to disagree then. Yes small brewers got taken over and closed down, but since then many more have opened, especially in the last 20 years -- there are getting on for 2000 now. The choice and variety and quality of beers now is *way* higher than it was in the 1970s, only nostalgia would make anyone think otherwise... 😉

 

If I had to pick memorably delicious beers I drank back in the 1970s then the ones that come to mind as being head and shoulders above the rest were the Three Tuns in Bishops Castle, the Old Swan in Netherton, and the Vine in Brierley Hill -- all three of which still exist, unsurprising given their excellence, but hardly widely available then or now. Many of the rest were a sea of mediocrity, what we'd now call BBBB (Boring Brown British Bitters) -- a category that 6X fits perfectly. In my opinion, anyway... 😉

 

I agree that there is now a much better choice of high quality beers now than in the 70's. Back in those dark days there were few good beers in a sea of mediocrity. What I am saying is that those high quality beers whose names have survived are no longer the beers that they once were.

 

I like well hopped traditional British beers (The Hogsback Brewerys draught TEA (Traditional English Ale) is a good example. I am not a fan of the current trend for IPA's hopped with citrus flavoured hops, which to me taste like grapefruit juice.

 

Mrs Hound once brought me a bottle of "Peaky Blinders IPA" from a shopping trip, which was dark like a stout or porter, but tasteless. Clearly the marketing men promoting it didn't realise what the P stands for in IPA...