It’s all going on at The Anchor

Hey, now that’s what I call a decent pub act.
The large, old fashioned Anchor in Penwortham  also has the surprisingly good Courage Best session bitter on and a few other guesties.
Drawbacks? No public transport, dozy staff and it just happens to be next door to Lancashire Police HQ.
The place is crawling with coppers, one of whom [...]

Steaming!

I’ll tell you another time why I give up bo0ze for Lent, in the meantime I’m getting hammered as pancake Tuesday draws to a close.
I’ve been steadily working my way through the liquor cabinet and am down to the last of the rum. There’s a few bottles of beer lurking in the fridge, which should [...]

Turning Turk

A few years ago I was in Northern Cyprus, a fascinating place.
Annexed by Turkey, claimed by Greece (which controls the south of the island), it is subject to a myriad of trade embargos, meaning that the only beer you can buy there is the Turkish national brew Efes.
After two weeks of drinking the bottled version, [...]

Watching the game, not having a Bud

To keep me going through the long night of Superbowl XLIII, I naturally turned to drink. A couple of G&T’s set me up for stay-awake, with beer my faithful companion as the hours slipped away.
Of the brews I tried, Erdinger Dunkel dark was the best. I love Continental dark beers and this one didn’t disappoint [...]

Lights out in Liverpool

There was an eerie, exhilarating feeling in Liverpool last night, a large part of the city was in darkness following a power cut. The Anglican cathedral was lit up and tolling its bells, guiding the people as they stumbled down the pitch-black streets in search of refreshment.
Out with Mr Barbar and Kenzie, we found the [...]

Your surefire hangover miracle cure

The News of The World has a strange line today about the best hangover cures, as recommended by Scottish B-list celebrities.
Almost all mention Irn-Bru, which is always part of my routine, but I can trump them all with a sure-fire, fully tested hangover search and destroy missle for your liver.
You heard it here first: Milk thistle [...]

Never again, never again

At an ambassadors reception in Kirkby yesterday I got so drunk…well, let’s not go there.
I was drinking bottles of Stella and cans of Fosters and Carlsbeg. I have no idea how many I had but this morning when I woke up at my mother’s house, to be regaled with stories of sleepwalking shenanagins, I [...]

Cleaning up on the coast

There’s not a lot to be done at my new job. Cleaning up the coast is such a Sisyphean task that the men gainfully employed to do it don’t bother.
Not that we’re idle, mind you. Once we’re dropped off in the morning, there’s an hour or so of beachcombing to be done before we retire to [...]

Totally laced

Desperate for proper beer and dirty talk, I jogged through the doors of a local dive only to find my progress barred by the rigid arm of one of Southport’s less cultured doormen.
Sorry, mate. No sandals, says he.
I look down at the smelly slippers (set off by socks with holes in the toes) that I wear [...]

Manchester, The Rev and me

Manchester and the Reverend Horton Heat in concert turned out to be a great trip for the wrong reasons.
The Rev sucked. I’ve never been so disappointed in a gig in my life. After a solid start, the psychobilly kings decided to do a “journey through the history of music” playing covers by Black Sabbath and, at one point, [...]