Another Wednesday Out

Met Pete in Keynsham at the Old Bank (which has reopened the old brewery) I like this pub. it is rather small but very lively and the food is popular. One of the offers of the day was ostrich. I have never had ostrich and was tempted but resisted in the end, maybe next time. Tried a pint of Palmers Dorset Gold 4.5%. A nice refreshing beer. Hurried over the road to the butchers to buy some faggots and then onto the Talbot. A nice family friendly pub which does a two course meal for £5 mid week so it was pretty much full up with children and people with grey hair. Pete had a pint of Greene King IPA 3.6% and I had, wait for it, a pint of Courage Best Bitter 4% something which I vowed I would never do again after a bad experience involving a dirty glass, a revolving door and a stroppy barmaid but that as they say is another matter entirely. However,the Courage best was served a bit too cold for my liking but once it warmed up a bit I quite liked it. Left and headed for the New Inn but the place was practically deserted and the real ale pumps didn't look all that inviting so we left and went to The Ship Inn and downed a pint of Ringwood Showman's Tipple 3.8% and it did just what it said on the tin or this case in the tasting notes. This pub appears to be under new management or maybe just a bit of a shake up. I can't put my finger on it but it was better than I remembered. Shared a bowl of rather good chips with Pete and finished up in the Old Bank for a pint of Flowers Original 4.4%.

Brew day tomorrow for 40 pints of  River Dog but I am going to adjust the recipe a little to match the ingredients that I have at hand and to try to reduce the ABV from 5.6% to between 4.5 and 5%. So 500 grams of white sugar instead of 660, 49 grams of challenger hops instead of 45 trying to add a little more bitter bite, 1500 grams of light dried malt extract instead of 2180 and 500 grams of medium dried malt extract which will see the end of that mis-purchase instead of 35 grams of black malt.