The Hockley Loop - well almost - 1.6 miles - suggest we discuss meeting arrangements ate the Chap meal (10th December)
The Lord Clifden - meet here at 4.00pm for a bite to eat as well.
Great Hampton Street, Hockley. Very smart and interesting. 4 well kept ales. Very good food served.
The Jewellers Arms
Spencer St, Jewellery Quarter. Traditional back street pub selling Hobson's Bitter.
The Drop Forge
Hockley Street, Jewellery Quarter. Recently opened restaurant and bar. Very smart with 4 ales.
Rose villa Tavern
Warstone Lane, Jewellery Quarter.
The Red Lion
Warstone Lane, Jewellery Quarter. Smartly refurbished, small, two roomed free house
with 4 ales.
The Queens Arms
Newhall St, Jewellery Quarter. Has a fantastic glazed sign. 3 or 4 ales.
Edmunds
Newhall St/Edmund St,City Centre.Trendy bar with 3 ales
An excellent session for the final chap session before Xmas.
Chap and Sim were quickly joined by Tone in the LC around 4.00pm where we had a few jars of Goats Milk ( and not the fury animal kind but the name of a beer) and some decent grub which was only spoiled for the delay in Tone's burger arriving. Phil joined us around 5 sporting his 'new trendy look' where he had stolen a march on Simbers in the corduroy jacket stakes!!.
Sim added the Brown Lion to the list so that was the next port of call. Dave and Ian arrived after being guided in by chap mobile and mapping technology. Not a bad little pub but Simbers made the mistake of ordering the Mild which had a distinctly acquired taste!. A quick pint (and dump for Tonbez) here before moving off to the next pub on the list.
A short walk around the corner brought us to the Jewellers Arms - a proper pub with decent ale plus creamy smoothy bollox for Ian although he did opt for the Brew XI here. The chaps sat down to discuss various topics whilst the Chelsea v Wigan game was on the TV in the background.
Next pub (well restaurant-bar) was the Drop-Forge - a nice place with decent beer (Mad Goose & Brakespeare for the ale chaps and posh lagers for the gay boys!). Here the topic got on to the supernatural with the chaps talking about various things e.g. ghosts & mediums. This inspired Sim to take us on a tour of the cemetery before the next pub.!. Phil also introduced a new index into Chapism, the PRHI better known as the Phil Right Hand Index, a guide to how attractive a women is!! (Phil can explain all about it!).
Off to the next pub which was decided to be the Red Lion via the Brookfield's cemetery as part of Sim's ghost tour. He showed us the catacombs which none of us were aware of - a history lesson for the chaps. Finally arriving at the Red Lion we had a quick pint in here in the heated beer garden. How much this place has changed since Chap frequented it some 25 + years ago, decent beer and not a bad pub to spend the evening in.
Next pub was the Rose Villa by the clock in Warstone lane - again this has been done up recently and was a lot different to when Chap worked at the mint (see Red Lion bit). Again this pub was packed as was the Red lion so we had a quick pint in here before moving on. Tone departed from the crawl with a dodgy tummy at this point to leave 5 chaps standing.
The 'long' walk for the JQ to the Queens Arms was next (all of 5 minutes). Another Simbers ghost tour story (maybe he should give up the day job) before a quick beer and scratchings were consumed whilst discussing another political topic of the death penalty being re-introduced, before heading of to the last pub of the night.
Finally and with 5 chaps still standing we made it to Edmunds for a final jar of the evening and a bashing by the quiz machine again. Sim & Ian left for the train and Chap for the bus leaving Dave and Phil to head for the Yard Bird.
A fine way to end another year, here's to more Chap sessions next year, happy Christmas and have a 'Merry' new year.
Chap.