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, [...]

The three-day begora bender

There’s a week and a bit to go until the end of Lent and my long abstention from alcohol.
It’s been a frustrating time for someone who writes a drinks blog, but has satisfied my perfunctory approach to Roman Catholicism and given me the opportunity to reflect on the role that alcohol plays in my life [...]

Best three pubs in Manchester

If you find yourself in Manchester, I can recommend three fantastic pubs within easy walking distance and not a Holt’s beer among them.
There are fans of the Old Nags head, the Castle, the Chop House, the Vines and Sinclair’s Oyster bar. But, to my mind, there are three that stand out above all others for good [...]

Holt this poor beer

Noticing that the Richmond in Kew had reopened did not, as you might have expected, have me rushing down there.
If anything is guaranteed to banish my thirst, it is the words: Joseph Holt.
Holt’s is a Manchester brewery that makes unusually mediocre beer. The brewery took over the Richmond last October and have just finished an [...]