Another round of Holt’s

My blog of a couple of weeks ago slaughtering Joseph Holt beers has come back to haunt me.

Since then I’ve had to fend off phone calls and posts on my blog from drinkers determined to defend the honour of the Manchester brewery.

Also, according to one good source, I have been declared barred from all Joseph Holt pubs.

But one caller touched my cold-cold heart when he mentioned, quite fairly, that in my diatribe against Holt’s beer I had named the Richmond pub in Kew without trying the Holt’s they served there.

So, in top-secret mode, I paid the pub a visit.

The refurbishment is very tasteful and modern. While it is designed for eaters, there’s a comfortable bar area and enough liquid-only lunchers to make it reasonably barfly-friendly.

I spotted several doctors, all enjoying glasses of wine without food – despite their habit of lecturing the rest of us on the perils of drink.

There were also some well-known Southport business brains there, most of whom were knocking back the Holt’s own brand Crystal lager with fancy pie and chip stodge as they made their desperate shoeshine and a smile jokes.

On cask the pub has Holt’s bitter and mild as well as several interesting-looking bottled ales and usual suspects like Strongbow.

The bitter was better than I remember it – but only just.

The metallic aftertaste of old has had the edge taken off it, replaced by a watery sort of blandness that leaves a beer that is inoffensive and light enough to drink with meat and two veg.

It would not, however, have you toasting the brewer.

The mild, on the other hand was a disappointment. I had heard good things about this beer so was amazed to be served something that tasted like Coca-Cola from a plastic bottle that had been opened a week ago.

Without trying the wines, I cannot say what quality they are. There was precious few clues on the wine list as to whether the chardonnay (£10.61) or Chateauneuf du Pape (£16.51) was the sort you’d get from the excellent Portland Wines or stack ’em high Tesco.

I’ve been harsh, I know. I could easily have a go at similar restaurant/pubs in the area.

At least the Richmond has cask ale, which even in the Joseph Holt’s incarnation is a hundred-times better than the keg slop they expect you to drink in other pubs I could mention.

If your better half insists on taking you to such a place, the Richmond may be the thinking drinker’s choice.