Franconian Beer Message Board

Visit to Franken (and a couple of other places)
Posted by barry on 2017-10-13 03:20:30
As I've said, my interest in beer is pretty much shared equally between the beer and the pub, and the Bull and Bladder (actually, the Vine, where the Batham's brewery is located) is a lovely pub.  I don't know whether I've ever drunk more than 3 pints of their bitter at one sitting (I was often just passing through by car, in the days when drinking and driving didn't seem to matter much), I wouldn't say that it's that strong at 4.3%, which even I can cope with; sweet, well, the GBG describes it as 'fruity and sweetish', so you have an ally there, though it's never really struck me but I haven't had it for quite a long time now.

It's called the Black Country because, in it's industrial heyday of the mid to late nineteenth century, it was generally enveloped in a pall of smoke from the thousands of foundaries located there.  There's quite a nice piece explaining some its history here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/uncovered/what_is.shtml).

I don't really subscribe to that view of South Wales but Wales does feel like several different countries, due to its topography,  It's not always easy to meet Welsh people where I live because the North Wales coast has been heavily infiltrated by people from Lancashire, such as myself; though I can claim some sort of Welsh heritage (father born in Wrexham).  For example, Colwyn Bay has about a 50/50 split between English and Welsh and it's quite unusual to hear the Welsh language being spoken.  However, move a few miles west to Caernarfon and Welsh is the everyday language.

Friendly, yes, certainly is here but I put it down to the number of Mancunians!  Males living east of the Medway are 'men of Kent', so I suppose you should say 'folk of Kent' (and 'maids of Kent')!
 
Followups:
                 Visit to Franken (and a couple of other places) by Jason  on  2017-10-13 03:55:26
                   Visit to Franken (and a couple of other places) by Barm on  2017-10-17 06:45:49