Great Western Coffee Shop

That's the clincher!  :D

Agreed. The choice of ales is good but the staff could do with be being a bit more interested in their job.

... and it would be nice if the Wi-Fi was fixed.  Although if you sit near the side which backs onto platform 4 there is a power point and you can just about get a signal from the FGW Wi-Fi provider The Cloud.

As an aside - because they do it there - why do some pubs insist on giving you a clean glass when you order a second pint?  I also think all pubs should have a stock of the old fashioned handle glasses.  I find them easier to hold!

Sorry that has taken us way off topic!

I always insist on them using the same glass for my second pint - 'just doing my bit for the environment', I say.  8)

However, I can't remember the last time I saw a 'proper' handled mug: probably because they don't fit so easily into those labour-saving devices that are automatic glass washers?  ::)

The big chains don't tend to but some of the family run ones do if you ask. A couple of nice ones within walking distance of Henley Station do.

Most 'Spoons in my experience have handle mugs. I prefer to drink Ale from them. Much easier to hold when you're on your fifth and also more conducive to a 'cheers' bumping of glasses!

Really?  That was one of the major chains where I have give up asking. Certainly the ones in Reading, Wokingham and Cheltenham didn't last time I asked.

No problem with any of the 'Spoons/Lloyds No 1's in Bristol. Same goes for Swindon and various of the chain I've called in to around London. Most recent first time 'Spoons visit was 'The Moon Under Water' in Watford High St. Again there, they had mugs.

..... and some cracking pictorial history on the walls of said pub of the various rail lines in and around Oxford.

Will have to look again when I am in Bristol this week. They do some good guest ales so a mug would just top it off.

To be honest the only concerns I have about the vessels I drink my ale from are

• a) there is no hole in the bottom of it
• b) why does the ale seem to evaporate so quick;y  ::) ;D

Having a handle or not seems to have little baring on the above  :)


Edit note: Just a little moderator fix to tidy up the bullet points. Not imbibing the contents of a handled mug at the moment are you, Electric train?  :P ;) ;D

Having a weak grip the handle makes it less likely I will drop the previous ale!   ;D

I'll add to that list one of my concerns:

• c) Why does it takes around ^3 to fill one of these mugs with my ale of choice?

Apologies for quoting myself but:

Err.... can't for the life of me work out why I finished that post with 'Oxford'.  ??? I meant Watford.  :-[

One of the pictures on the wall of 'The Moon Under Water' Wetherspoons on Watford High St:
(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/wtf1.jpg?t=1303077537)

I must admit I did wonder but didn't wish to show my potential ignorance!

As for Oxford Inspector Morse appreciated a decent pint....

Spoons do a pint for ^1.50 I think - what it tastes like I do not know  :D

Providing they've run any stale beer through the pipes it's usually worth a second pint.

Ruddles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddles_Brewery): rats' pee.  ::)

I did recently visit Oxford and called in to one of the Wetherspoons there. The Four Candles.

Dunno whether they had the choice of handled pint mugs because, despite it being the first day of the latest 'Wetherspoons Real Ale Festival', all the decent ales were off. I had a vodka and cranberry juice instead!

And the name the 'Four Candles'? Named in honour of a former resident of Oxfordshire, Ronnie Barker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCbvCRkl_4U

 ;D


Agreed. Ruddles Best is not the 'best' pint out there. Am quite partial to Ruddles County though.

Although, apparently, John Thaw wasn't actually a real ale buff, so he didn't enjoy his quaffing on set half as much as his fictional character would have done ...  ::)

The 'Knights Templar' (http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-knights-templar) Wetherspoons very near Bristol TM is good for a pint or two of ale. Definitely have mugs available there. Also Bonaparte's Bar on platform 3 at Bristol TM have recently introduced real ales. Currently Butcombe Best and Green King IPA. No handled mugs though and a bit pricey unless you have a BiTE (http://www.bitecard.co.uk/where.asp?sid=12) discount card.

Ah yes... I've had many a veggie breakfast there, and the coffee is fairly good too (and reasonably priced) ;D

Can't comment on alcoholic beverages though because I don't drink ;)

I've had many a pitcher of pimms over a sunday lunch at the templer - my OU study group meet there on sundays.

I just get an earlier train from nailsea before my connection to london

As this is alcohol related I have put this here rather than start a new thread. I thought this bus service would be ideal for an evening pub crawl but not eight in the morning!!
http://www.net-inform.co.uk/CourtneyDownloads/BBB.pdf (http://www.net-inform.co.uk/CourtneyDownloads/BBB.pdf)

All rather bizarre - most of the pubs featured on that route don't open until 11:00am, or even 12:00  ???

Don't really understand the timings for the early service, but the later ones, in combination with other Courtney Coaches services in Maidenhead, do offer opportunities for return trips to the various pubs listed.

The 'beer by bus' scheme is run in conjunction with CAMRA.

Oh, and is there anywhere I can get a nice glass of crisp, Italian white on Frascati Way, Maidenhead?  ;) ;D

Bignosemac, in short the answer is No.

Frascati Way is basically part of the Inner Ring Road dual carriage way. It was punched across the top of the High Street so went across the existing roads.

Two sets of traffic lights and a roundabout at one each end.

It is also the main bus stop for most buses terminating in Maidenhead now there is no longer a bus station.

Whilst we're on the subject of beer, has anyone ever tried one of these?



(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5303/5634314412_ffdb451f43_m.jpg)

No, but (appropriately) I have had a pint of Deltic Diesel, from the same brewery!

... and how did it taste, as a matter of interest?  ;) :D ;D

Specially labled beers from micro brewaries is becoming a feature of preserved railways.

Swindon and Crickalde have a couple and I've seen others.

UK railtours has Pullman in the Buffet car and dining cars.

So as well as vicars does the railway preservation scene attract beer buffs?

I seem to remember that the West Somerset Railway also has some unique bottled ale(s) of its own. Pretty sure I bought a bottle of one when I was down there last September riding behind Tornado with a fellow moderator and another forum member.

Can't for the life of me remember what the ale I purchased was called.  ???

I bought some railway related cider in Minehead last summer.  Absolutely horrendous taste.  Can't (and don't want to) remember the name.

I think there would be significant overlap on a Venn diagram, yes! I would wager that a significant number of the real-ale enthusiasts (trying to avoid the Viz "Real Ale ****s" caricature here, honest) who aren't into Morris dancing are very much into trains.

Hmm.....

Rail enthusiasts, preservation, vicars, those wanting a decent drink.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alFMQ2Dq2dY

The whole, excellent, film is there on youtube should you so desire to revel in nostalgia. Perhaps with a pint of your favourite ale in hand....  ;D

No Morris dancing though as far as I can recall.

What an excellent film that is.

Had a pint in the Knights Templar today. Thanks for the pointer. Off to Paignton for two days tomorrow. How convenient to have a meeting in Torquay the day before a Bank Holiday!   ;D

Have to say, watching part two of 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' on youtube and seeing the railway union leader Mr Coggett giving his two penn'orth at the public meeting made me think that very little has changed in 60 years.

No prizes for guessing who he reminded me of!

Torbay during Easter Bank holiday?? Good luck getting to your meeting on time, countless hours have I sat in grockel filled traffic jams!

I agree (I was there too! :P ).  It was a particular local brew, in celebration of something or other - but I, too, can't remember what it was called.  :-[

10:28 from Reading. Walking distance from Torquay station. Simple!

May've been this:

http://www.cotleighbrewery.com/brand.php?&dx=1&ob=3&rpn=find&id=20&frompage=find

or this:

http://www.cotleighbrewery.com/brand.php?&dx=1&ob=3&rpn=beer&id=29&frompage=beer&sid=204fdec1594fd18cd9491313461bcf50

Yep: I reckon it was the second of those!  ;) :D ;D

Thanks for doing that 'digging', bignosemac!  :)

Aha. Just trawled through my burgeoning archive of photos and I found this one:

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/wsrale.jpg)

Looks like the guy with the striped top and gold watch had one of the WSR ales. The bloke behind the camera was on cider that day!

 ;D

That bloke on the left in that picture is definitely dodgy!  :o ::) ;D

And, to be fair, the excellent chap on the right was our car driver for the necessary road connections that day - hence no drink for him.  Thanks, Robert.  :P

Well, if this reply isn't too late and you have time to spare then I can heartily recommend a trip down to Kingswear/Dartmouth on the Dartmouth Steam Railway (http://www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk/). A great little pub in Dartmouth is The Cherub (http://the-cherub.co.uk/)*.... although it may take a bit of finding because there's a lot of re-building work going on nearby. Dartmouth's Higher Street suffered from a pretty bad fire late last year. Apparently The Cherub, dating from 1380, was within 20 feet of going up also.

*
(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/cherub.jpg)

That's my kind of bar. 6 ales and only 2 draught lagers. And just to the left of that photo was an absolutely atypical salty sea-dog straight out of central casting. Think 'Uncle Albert' from 'Only Fools and Horses'. I had a wonderful chat with him about his time in the Royal Navy. Whilst he looked like Albert Trotter, I'm happy to report that he was never on a vessel that sank!  ;D

He got off them before they did so?  ;D

Well, the bloke I chatted with was 'only' in his late 70's, so he was too young for WW2. But he did regale me with stories of his time in the RN during Suez. He also saw active service after his RN years with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in the Falklands.

He told me about how he was supposed to be aboard 'Atlantic Conveyor' from Ascension but he was transferred to another RFA vessel at the last moment. So he nearly did have his 'Uncle Albert' moment.  ;D

Do love those moments when you strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and they have you enthralled.

And, mentioning The Falklands brings me rather neatly to this blue plaque I saw affixed to the wall next to the car ferry slipway in Kingswear:

(http://i598.photobucket.com/albums/tt68/bignosemac/HJones.jpg)

Not really 'Lighter Side' material, but pause for thought then continue with discussion about Real Ale and where to partake on or near the UK rail network.

Thanks for the tip about Dartmouth. Will certainly try to get there.

As for Colonel H I had the privilege to meet his widow about six months after his death. Incredible woman - not an ounce of bitterness in her. Truly inspiring.

As for the journey train on time and weather set fair.

Discovered my return train on Saturday is re-routed via Bristol and runs fast from Temple Meads to Reading. Who remembers the Top of the Pops record breaking run when they ran non stop from Paddington to Bristol via Chipping Sodbury?  I was there!

If you can't make it to Dartmouth, Brixham offers a similar level of er - "unique" charm and is probably easier to get to than!. Similarly if you are in the mood for a carvery beside the marina, i'd certainly recommend The Prince William.

Excellent weekend.  Two steam railway trips and some real ale.  Thanks for the tip regarding Dartmouth - I found it!

Happy to be of assistance and glad you enjoyed it.

My travel agents fee is very reasonable - a pint of ale. Thanks!  ;) :D ;D

I left a fiver behind the bar ;D  ;D

Rather careless of you ... ?  ;D

The use of a clean glass for each drink is preffered by the public health authorities, and in some circumstances could be considered to be a requirement. The reasoning being that when beer is dispensed from either a hand pump or a keg beer tap, the dispense spout or outlet is liable to be immersed in the nearly full glass. Any disease spreading bacteria in a used glass could then be spread via this beer outlet, into the next glass to be filled for a different customer.
If therefore, the dispense outlet could touch the glass, or be submerged in the beer being dispensed, it could be argued that a clean glass is a legal reguirement to prevent cross contamination from one customer to another.
If the outlet is not submerged, nor allowed to touch the used glass, then there is no requirement for a clean glass.
Many pub companies " play it safe" and instruct that a clean glass be used every time.

Interesting...! :o

That's how my doctor thinks I picked up my Glandular Fever...! Although from a coffee cup that hadn't been washed properly :-\

Try & get a Pub to reuse a glass for a Guiness!!!! :P

Also try this for a Pub game; take one Handled pint mug, carefully drill hole in bottom with Tile drill, Screw said mug to the bar, fill with Beer tell your pal that's his pint, then watch as he breaks his two fingers when mug stays put. ;D ;D
Note: Best done in a Pub thats about to have a Refit.
Disclaimer: Have never seen it done with a beer mug, but have seen this done with a Mug of Tea & Yes broken fingers did occur.

Just to return to the original title of this topic - the Three Guineas at Reading Station is now a Fullers Pub and, as a result, has resumed selling pints in handled mugs!

Excellent! Pushing my luck I know but are they serving Chiswick as well as Pride/ESB/Honeydew etc?

It's a lovely pint but so difficult to find.

From memory, yes they are - but will check on Tuesday for you.

Practical test?  ;D

The things I do for this forum!   ;D

I dare you to mix it with anything.  ;) :D ;D

Almost certain Chiswick is available in the Three Guineas, having seen it there last week, and the website concurs:

http://www.three-guineas.co.uk/food-and-drink

Has anyone tried Fuller's Seafarers?  They donate ^5 to Seafarers charity for each barrel sold.  Branded under the George Gale & Co label (former brewery located in Horndean, near Portsmouth, taken over by Fullers) yet I have never seen it in any of the former-Gales pubs around Portsmouth.

I had one in the Three Guineas on Friday (if my memory is to be relied on - which, on the whole, it isn't). I quite liked it. And yes, they did have Chiswick (same caveat).

Yes I've had Seafarer in the Center Page near St Paul's cathedral, nice pint.

As promised.... the hand pumps this afternoon.

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/3g.jpg)

Thought I'd pop in to the Three Guineas for a swift half just now.

Didn't realised it was closed until January for a major refurbishment. However, good to see Fullers spending money on a fairly recent acquisition.

Plan B in action. Having a half in the Malmaison hotel opposite. But won't be doing so again. Nearly three guineas for a half a lager here. Three quid!!!

At lunchtime, I'd always recommend the Workhouse, http://www.workhousecoffee.co.uk/, a few minutes walk from the Three Guineas, but as a coffee fiend, I'd rate it as one of the best

I only had 25 minutes to kill and caffeine was not my wont!

That said, I could probably have got to 'Spoons and back and had a far cheaper half in that time.

Is there still the requirement to display a tariff (I remember seeing these in various establishments, usually hidden in an alcove in microscopic font)?

I would have been tempted to leave it there and walk off. Maybe that's not the done thing, but £3 is criminal!

What do you expect in a boutique hotel? Just because the building was the Railway Hotel, and one of the first of its kind. 

What can you do once you've ordered, the barman is pouring, and then quotes the price?

Yeah, I know. Utter a sweary oath under your breath and walk out. But I've been a hotel barman in a 4* establishment and I know the prices aren't his fault, but the ullage may well be.

I even tipped him as he was so friendly and chatty.

......only one place to go for a pint near Reading station;

http://www.thegreyfriarreading.co.uk/

...........or the Allied Arms if you don't mind walking a bit further!

Could of had a pint and change for your 3 quid in spoons!

Three Guineas was originally due to re-open on the 23rd January - website now says the 30th January.

I'm curious about the second part of the thread title; but not so curious that I'm going to read back through the previous five pages of posts. The handled pint mug seems to be unusual in England and getting more so. Sleevers have the advantage, for bar staff, of stacking. I'm not really fussed about it either way, but curious as to other people's views.  :D

This discussion is almost lost in the mists of time.

Around six years ago the Three Guineas used to serve its pints in a handled glass.  Move on two years and they had largely disappeared much to mine, and others, disappointment.  Then in the last 18 months Fullers took over the place and the handled glass made a return.

As to the debate regarding the handled mug compared to a straight glass - in my case my preference is determined by a weakness in my drinking hand.  I find it easier to hold a handled glass than a smooth straight one.  Others contend the design of the dimpled mug keeps the beer at a better temperature while there is a school of thought that the handled version provides a better weapon on a drunken Saturday night and hence advocate it being banned.

Having said all that do go back and read the previous posts - probably more informing than my summary.

"Handles" don't get cleaned properly in automatic glass cleaners, hence the preference for "sleeves", but I too much prefer the former.

Modern commercial glasswashers, properly maintained, should have no problems cleaning beer mugs.

Hidden from customer view, this is one piece of equipment that landlords and pub managers often neglect. Glass washers often aren't (and are not required to be) checked during FSA visits, especially if they aren't in a food preparation area.

It's poor maintenance of glass washers rather than glass type that is the likely cause of handle beer mugs not being cleaned properly.

I had the same conversation with the Bar Manager at my rugby club who has spent a lifetime in the licensed trade, oftentimes they have to wash them two or three times. It isn't (always) a case of neglect (especially if there are a lot of Guinness drinkers in town!)

There is always the consideration too as others have pointed out that they make handy projectiles, tend to be much heavier than sleeves and take up more storage space...............ahhh for the days of pewter tankards hanging behind the bar!!!  :)

As it happens, on Sunday I was in a pub (the Crown at Churchill) which had a pewter tankard on the table we were sitting at. It was being used to hold cutlery. The curious thing was that it had an inscription saying it had been presented to someone as a retirement present, with a date (1930s IIRC) and the legend "Second City". How it got from Birmingham (assuming it does refer to Birmingham) to a pub not quite in a village in Somerset is left as an exercise for the reader (I'd suggest auction of pubby stuff, but it isn't really that kind of pub, so more likely someone retired to Churchill).

The Crown in Churchill is an excellent traditional village pub.  ;D

I know: I've been there, several times, over many years.  One time, I even forgot my pewter tankard. ;)

And you've been looking it for since 1937?  :D

The exterior area has now been revealed and it's looking rather splendid. Opening on the 30th according to a sign in the window on P7.

Took a look around the refurbished Three Guineas today.  Obviously a fair bit of money has been spent by Fullers on the job and first impressions are good.  Among other things there are plenty of power sockets if you want to charge your phone or use your laptop.

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/3gfront.jpg)

I remember when the building was the booking office for the station and I used to go in to buy my 3p child single from Reading to Reading West, and there's a nod to its past at the front of the building.

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/3gsign.jpg)

Inside the former bar area has been divided into two with a bar and a coffee shop area.  A good selection of beers on tap - only seen Bengal Lancer in bottles before.

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/3gpints.jpg)

However I question the date on the clock.. 1860?

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/3gclock.jpg)

The cellar has been opened up and is now a slightly more cosy area than upstairs

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/3gcellar.jpg)

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/3gcellar2.jpg)

A pretty good looking food menu, although I didn't sample any of it.  The one thing missing, ironically, a handled pint mug!  Apparently they are on their way.

Had a look round and agree with bobm, I reckon a fair wedge of money was spent on it. Still no sign of handled pint mugs though!

Was the cellar previously used as some sort of storage when the building was in use as a booking office I wonder?

Apparently The Monk's Retreat has been bought by Stonegate pub company (ex-JD Wetherspoon, not far from Reading station). For now, not a lot looks to have changed. Pint of Tribute was £2.55, so fortunately neither have the prices.

We will have to send TaplowGreen in - he'll get some handled mugs to go with his Seafarers....

I can assure you that despite my Plymothian heritage I do not hang around in pubs with sailors  :)