Bert Cheese

Ah I forgot that stuff..."Visitors Beer" as our hostel owner told us...I still proudly wore my t-shirt once back in UK until it disintergrated though....the lesser seen MB or Melbourne Bitter was like watered down VB btw. The only place we really settled was Perth where we found work for around 3 months, made some good friends and explored the local facilities...The Moon & Sixpence was a haven of British ales if a bit of a novelty place, and we spent many evenings in The Bog which had an Irish theme...most of the barmaids seemed to live in our hostel too which was handy at times... Over in the sometimes seedy Northbridge area there was The Sail & Anchor pub which served locally brewed Brass Monkey Stout...was very sweet but made a nice change from lager at the time. Freemantle was very different in comparison with a "yachty" feel but we still enjoyed going there on the train every now and then...some quite waterside drinkeries to be had there.

We were amazed by the drive through bottle shops when travelling around in 1998-99...I think we mentioned them more than any other subject when sending postcards home. It took a couple of weeks to get over our English reserve, but we soon got to relish taking our Ford Falcon XE wagon down to the grog shop for a couple of slabs of chilled pi$$. Most of it all tasted fairly similar to be honest whichever state we were in, our standout favourite was Emu Export from Swan Brewery though...very popular with the indiginous population we discovered so quite a recommendation...the tins had a large opening for quicker consumption and we were told this was banned in other states at the time hence not seeing it in SA or the NT on our travels. I'd love to go back, but have friends over there who say I wouldn't recognise the coast north of Perth now due to development etc ...probably best I treasure my drunken memories...?

And now for something completely different... Blueberry Wrecker from Staggeringly Good brewery of Portsmouth, a sort of fruit beer but not...some have described it as an alcoholic fruit smoothie but at 8.5% its quite serious stuff. The first brew of a new & somewhat experimental series, sadly the second batch being Chewy Cherry (cherry, coconut & liquorice) had to be recalled after a handful of tins went pop if not kept in cold storage as labelled but they hope to overcome this blip and continue the Wrecker series soon. A couple of their other and more tradional brews are seen to the left...Papaya & Lychee kettle sour Souropod at 5.7% and the mighty and delicious Cocoadocus imperial chocolate stout at 10.3%...I had this latter pair earlier in the week btw...can't have folk thinking I have a booze problem A mention to one of the 3 owners of SG too, I never got his name but his face was familiar...delivered these to my work in the PO3 postcode in person as they do everything they can to keep going during the pandemic restrictions affecting breweries.

As above the Nuaire Drimaster PIV systems are pretty good but do require installation in a loft space or similar. I've had 3 Ebac compressor dehumidifiers over the years since having double glazing installed when I first moved in...ironically the draughty old single glazing was better for ventilation and I suffered slight dampness in winter once the place was all sealed up. The current Ebac is around 5 years old now and has started running fully frosted, the temperature sensor had popped out of its pocket on the coil but its still not running correctly even after fixing this...I'm currently thinking of buying some sort of dessicant model for next winter but have some reservations. Having said all that we still don't know what the OP's problem is do we?

A couple of shots of VEP's at rest on Barton Mill Sidings (Basingstoke) The third photo shows the distance from the station, not a pleasant walk in bad weather.

Eastleigh men Ken Clark & Bob Flood with a Drummond 700 Class "Black Motor"...undated but likely early 1960's?

The darkness is upon me, more from Sainsbury's...a couple of cans of Midnight Stack from Siren Craft Brew who can do little wrong generally...their Maiden barley wine is very special stuff. Described as a nitro maple pancake milk stout it was quite sweet and very smooth, I could drink several of these at 4.2% but have to draw a line for now as I'm on a priority list to have my gallbladder removed and really need to have a serious go at losing some weight before I go in...had the pre-op assessment last Wednesday and it looks like they'll be ripping the thing out in the next couple of months hopefully.

I've not bought many ales in recent months, but just couldn't leave this pair on the shelf in Sainsbury's last night...apologies in advance for my grubby looking kitchen here In the glass is Rhubarbra Streisand, a rhubarb milkshake pale from Brew York...I have to say this is just as tasty as some of their excellent stouts i've had in the past. Next up for imbication tonight is Wild IPA from Wild Beer which seems to have has a multi-yeast fermentation of sorts...I've had some very strange beers from this brewery in the past with seafood ingredients and all sorts in but I'd imagine this will be relatively safe from a supermarket shelf...at 5.2% its going to be just right too hopefully. There is of course some darkness to follow...somewhen over the weekend I'd imagine.

Impressive stuff and I look forward to seeing the improvements when on holiday in July if allowed...have a week on a houseboat in Bembridge provisionally booked with some friends. I hope the station cat at Brading isn't too bothered by all the disturbance...he/she is more often than not seen in the various YouTube videos that have appeared in the last couple of years and seems very happy there...

Very nice indeed, most of them have passed through my whisky cupboard as some stage aside from the Macallan as their prices can be scary for some expressions! I think you'd like the Glenfarclas 105, its not disimilar to the Aberlour A'Bunadh you have and Glendronach produce similar malts though I'd say the 15 y/o Revival is a closer match here.

A bit of a change for me as I've been favouring cider over beer in recent months for some reason, those shown are part of a selection box from Gwynt Y Ddraig and the Black Dragon is/was often found on tap or box at Wetherspoons...lovely easy drinking stuff but I'd advise a limit of 4 pints based on past staggers home...the Old Crow is even stronger but looks like its only available in bottles which may be a wise move I've a fairly wide range of Scotch to hand but usually favour the peaty/smokey jobs from Islay...the Glanfarclas 105 here is anything but though...a massive Highland sherry bomb like a boozy fruit cake, the 105 (Proof) is a cask strength version too at 60% ABV and best dealt out in single measures as an occassional treat.

86401 was present at the Basingstoke rail fair of September 1987 in its unique NSE livery. In more recent times 86101 (with 87002) has visited Eastleigh for repainting into Inter City livery at Arlington Fleet Services on behalf of LSL

A couple of folorn hopes from me...both classes of only 10 locos and relatively unloved by many? Steam: Hawksworth GW 15xx Class pannier tank. Electro-Diesel: BR Class 74, possibly utilizing the recent class 71 tooling as a start...surely it has more use than merely helping kill DJM off?

I ordered a copy from BRCW which arrived very well packed within a couple of days recently. First impressions are very good, hopefully I can find time at the weekend to have a proper read...thanks for the effort involved Simon...

Erm...this stuff, Tesco fake distillery name Islay malt gifted to me by a friend who bought it on offer for £15.00 recently and then found it to be undrinkable While its certainly no fine Ardbeg or Bruichladdich I am quite taken by its very evident youthful roughness and am quite enjoying it...seems I am alone though as a couple of other friends have not been able to do more than sniff it without wincing... Not sure of its origin as the bottle can be traced back to Whyte & Mackay who no longer have a distillery on Islay...why such a cheap brand would buy stock in is a slight mystery. I also done a bit of research and one of the whisky reviewers I generally agree with marked it at 2 out of 10 when first released...a bit harsh I feel as it deserves a 4 at least.

A couple of scans from prints here...no notes but I'd imagine around 1985.... They must have been taken on different days as the Hampshire units were usually stopped for maintenance at EH on Sundays and were replaced by a 33/1 & 4-TC on the Reading to Pompey Harbour services.

I thought it rather odd too, but apparently the owning family have a long association with the area in question and have in fact applied for planning permission to redevelop some local premises to compliment the business. Perhaps this may take a while, I've noticed quite a lot of derelict buildings on recent trips to Islay despite there apparently being a chronic housing shortage there...the locals we spoke to were generally of the opinion that the chances of them being made habitable once more were virtually nil due to local politics though...

Last night saw me get through this trio of whisky barrel aged bruisers from Glen Affric brewery of Birkenhead, I had previously tucked these away for winter but never mind... L-R: The Big Yin Scottish ale at 14.4% - Baltic Mutiny Baltic porter at 13.4% and Crackin' Cran Scottish ale at a trifling 9.8% ABV I started with the lightest first thinking if it was too sticky or barley wine like I'd leave it at that, but found it surprisingly drinkable and so carried on...all were not bad at all though to be honest I probably wouldn't seek these out again, having said that the brewery also do some rum barrel aged ales that look interesting.

Last night brought new arrivals with a biscuity theme from Glen Affric Brewery of Birkenhead... At 9.5% and in a 440 ml can these pack quite a wallop, imbibing one straight from work without eating first and probably slightly dehydrated was with hindsight not the wisest move...I nodded off after one can and awoke feeling a tad unusual 3 hours later at 9.30 pm realising I had to cook some dinner as I had a fairly full on day helping lay a patio today...all is well now though thanks to the restorative qualities of tea throughout the day

Well I had recently planned not to drink on weekdays in a small effort to make inroads into my ever increasing weight, sitting on my arris all day at work is the main problem though, and my best and easiest excuse to others for my recent bridging of the 16 Stone mark...not something I'm particularly happy about to be honest! Of course I'd like to blame a friend for my obvious lack of willpower tonight though, gone to form a bubble or some such 2020-speak with his girlfriend in Lincoln and has been sending me photos of the local brews he has been imbibing over the last couple of days. Naturally this led me to rummage in the booze cupboard to continue my current stout based adventure...this time something a little different from Untitled Art Brewing of Waunakee in Wisconsin...a rather nice and oily Honey Stout at a surely nutritious 12% ABV.

Friday night and finally time for a drink after a busy day...a Bourbon barrel aged imperial stout at a family friendly 12.5% ABV from Fierce Beer of Aberdeen...very nice stuff indeed and reminds me of the mighty Goose Island Bourbon County Stout before it became nearly impossible to find in UK and then at a ridiculous price. I thought I'd continue the theme with a generous dram of my nearly empty Laphroaig PX Cask...I've nursed this bottle for well over a year as replacing it will be hard work or expensive being a travel exclusive bottling...one of the better ones too as the sherry finish works surprisingly well with the peaty smack of the Islay malt and they've bottled at a generous 48% to carry the flavours well. Best stick with this pair tonight though...I'm supposed to be at a friends house for breakfast tomorrow before wiring all the lights and power up in their new summer house...

The first can from a box of stouts recently ordered from Top of the Hops in Stockton, first time I've used them but certainly won't be the last given their selection of craft ales and speedy service. A comparitive lightweight to start with Full of Beans, a maple, walnut and coffee export stout at 8% abv from Wild Weather Ales of Silchester. Decent stuff and not too sweet...more brews to come in the following days

Beautiful area, we've been coming down every September since 2005 or so, initially for the beer festival at Minehead station but latterly we've made our own entertainment using the train to make a day of visiting Quantock Brewery and the farm deli next door, returning to Pebbles Tavern and a curry in the Spice Merchant at Watchet then finishing with a pub crawl at Minehead as we have friends recently moved there who go to places we never knew existed previously. We normally stay on the Home Farm camp site at Blue Anchor (hope it survives this current bother) and try to fit a couple of walks in to Minehead and somewhat precariously when dark and drunk returning over the cliffs from Watchet... a real shame the Blue Anchor pub has had to shut owing to cliff erosion, and the Smugglers hasn't been the same since Simon left...even if he did have allegedly iffy political views he was a bloody good landlord and charity fundraiser. I know the beer festival fell victim to the peculiarities of the ex-station mistress at Minehead but now she is gone (Hurrah!) hopefully the WSR and CAMRA can reconcile their differences and get the event back in place next year all being well...I'm sure the local B&B's and eateries will be in agreement. PS: Sorry if the last bit is slightly ranty. PPS: Even sorrier if the ex-station mistress is your wife etc

I'm out at a mere 14%, guess I'll have to take the shame... PS: Don't tell anyone but I've been on Holsten Pils & Spiced rum tonight...can't afford or pretend be a beer connoisseur all the time

Admiring glances for an immaculate (on the outside at least) D1041 Western Prince while setting up the display at Winchfield 150 in 1988. My Dad is in the cab acting as rider owing to his previous 60's/70's hydraulic experience, luckily all went well and no transmission troubles occurred on the day.