\nsuppose, is just a continuum (Ooh, there is another word, besides
\nvacuum, that contains 2 consecutive u’s) from my last post (Here)<\/a>
\n.After we got married, we shot off to Didsbury, to stay overnight at
\nThe Britannia Country House Hotel, before jetting off to Malta the
\nfollowing day. On the way, travelling via our favoured of Doncaster,
\nBarnsley and then over the the Pennines on the Woodhead Pass, we
\ndecided to drop anchor for a spot of lunch. Just past the Flouch
\nroundabout on the A628 there lies a Country Inn and Hotel, of which I
\nhave often wondered what was lurking behind their doors, as I, on
\nmany occasions have driven along this route. We agreed that this
\nlooked as good a place as any to have a break, and we were soon
\nsettled inside The Dog and Partridge<\/b><\/i>,
\na 16th<\/sup>
\nCentury hostelry with hotel, restaurant and a reasonable range of
\ncask ales. We ordered a couple of sandwiches off the lunch bar menu,
\nand settled down to wait with our chosen ales. Jane chose the 3.8%
\n\u201cBarnsley Bitter\u201d<\/b>
\nfrom the Acorn
\nBrewery, <\/b>a
\nbitter disappointingly served in our last write up, this half pint
\nthough was much better. A rich malt taste, with caramel and a hint of
\nbiscuit precedes a medium sweet, and balanced dry finish. My tipple,
\nalso shared by T’other ‘Arf, was from the Bradfield
\nBrewery, \u201cFarmer’s Blonde\u201d<\/b>,
\n4% ABV. Fresh and zesty, this was a good thirst quencher, with just a
\ntad of summer fruits on the palate with reasonable citrus and a
\nslight oiliness detectable. It was a shame we couldn’t have had a
\nlittle longer here, but our absolutely huge, and delicious,
\nsandwiches had arrived, and been eagerly devoured, and I was driving,
\nso it was time to move on. Within an hour we were at our hotel in
\nDidsbury. We had a meal booked for later that evening, which meant we
\ncould have a wander round this now more familiar part of Greater
\nManchester. We started off in The Art of Tea<\/b><\/i>,
\na Cafe Bar on Barley Moor Road. Although not a cask lover’s paradise,
\nthis bar has quite a reasonable selection of bottled beer, and
\namongst these we chose to sample the ever popular 5.9% IPA from
\nThornbridge, \u201cJaipur\u201d,<\/i><\/b>
\nwith its lovely plum and peach fruitiness balancing the zesty citrus
\nbackbone. It is as good in a bottle as it is in cask form. Jane had a
\n6% Organic Cider, with a nice red apple taste and a good
\nbitter-sweetness, fromWyld Wood, <\/b>whilst
\nI finished on a Tickety
\nBrew \u201cCoffee Anise Porter\u201d. <\/b>At
\n5.1%, the porter was a delightful beer, with, obviously, coffee and a
\nspice punch to the smooth sweetness in the malt. A really good beer.
\nWe’re beginning to enjoy this cafe culture of drinking, although the
\nprices for civility and a relaxing ambience do seem a shekel or two
\nmore than the traditional pub scene. Our next ports of call were The
\nSlug and Lettuce <\/b><\/i>(
\nWells \u201cBombardier\u201d<\/b>
\nwere the drinks tasted in here), then the very Irish pub, The
\nStation<\/b><\/i>,
\nfor a Power’s
\nWhiskey,<\/b>
\nbefore partaking in a couple of cocktails, A
\nDevil’s Manhattan<\/b>
\nand a Porn Star
\nMartini,<\/b>
\nin The Didsbury Lounge<\/b><\/i>
\n(Pubs
\nReviewed Here<\/a>) We then moved back up towards our hotel, and
\nenjoyed a lovely meal in Albert’s Restaurant,
\n<\/b><\/i>ultimately
\nfinishing off at The Woodstock<\/b><\/i>
\nwith Thwaite’s
\n\u201cWaiwright’s Golden Ale<\/b>\u201d.
\nA lovely evening indeed.<\/div>\n
\nThe following day we set off to Manchester Airport, after a stroll
\naround the grounds at the hotel, sharing our taxi transfer with
\nanother couple from our location. We alighted at Terminal 1,
\ncollecting our hold luggage and cabin bag from the driver at the
\nboot,checked in and headed to security. \u201cI’ll just take your tablet
\nout of this bag\u201d said I, followed by \u201cHow much coffee are you
\ntaking?\u201d as I discovered a huge jar in the top of the case. \u201cJust
\na little bag full, it’s in the hold bag though\u201d. Oh dear, or words
\nto that effect, as the realisation of having the wrong case, with our
\nholiday documents, Euros and Pounds Sterling along with the car and
\nhouse keys now elsewhere on the airport. \u201cRing somebody!\u201d Jane
\nexasperatedly shrieked. \u201cRing the taxi\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWhat? He’ll be on the motorway now, and won’t have time to search
\nhis boot, or find who he dropped off\u201d \u201c<\/p>\n
\n\u201cWell, ring the taxi firm, the hotel, err…..\u201d<\/p>\n
\nIt was then a voice said \u201cOh great, I’ve found you. I looked for my
\nhusband’s medication and realised it was the wrong bag.\u201d After a
\nfew deep breaths, sighs and skipped heartbeats and many a Thank you,
\nwe were both reunited with the correct bags. Note to self: Make
\nsure to ID and mark ALL your bags!<\/i><\/p>\n
\nWe needed a drink. Terminal 1 has a few options for food and drink,
\nmostly fizzy keg rubbish at high prices, but the departure lounge
\nupper level does have The Grain Loft,<\/b><\/i>which serves cask
\nales, mostly from local breweries. So, after a quick pint of \u201cfizz\u201d
\nlager in Cafe Balzar<\/b><\/i>, downstairs, we popped up the
\nescalator for a \u201cproper\u201d pint. In here we went for a Weetwood
\n\u201cCheshire Cat\u201d<\/b> a 4% Blonde Ale, which is packed with citrus
\nand zest, but has a nice rounded bitter-sweetness throughout, and a
\n\u201cManchester Bitter<\/b>\u201d, 4.3% from the Marble Brewery.
\n<\/b>After a nice citrus burst, this beer leads to a lovely dry
\nbitterness, and is very easy drinking. I did finish off on another
\nale, but it was presented to me by T’other ‘arf as I returned to our
\ntable after a visit. Because it was so busy at the bar Jane was
\nunsure which one she had chosen, and I wasn’t about to push through a
\ncrowd to find out. It was very good all the same.<\/p>\n
\nWe then proceeded to our gate, onto our aircraft and, a touch later
\nthan planned, Jet2 whisked us to the lovely Islands of Malta.<\/p>\n
\nMalta. <\/b><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\nWe stayed in the town of Mellieha at The Solana Hotel<\/b><\/i>.
\nWe found it a wonderful friendly place. The rooms to the rear are
\nmuch quieter than those on the roadside front. The facilities are
\nmore than adequate, with restaurants and bars, 2 swimming pools, the
\noutdoor one giving a splendid rooftop view of the local church, spa
\nand staff who are really helpful. The area has the usual collection
\nof bars, restaurants and cafe bars, and we did manage to visit a few.
\nMost serve the Island’s most popular lager beer, Simonds Farsons
\n\u201cCisk.\u201d <\/b>It is often in bottles or cans, but is also available
\non tap in a few outlets. The Farsons<\/b> range is quite broad, to
\nbe fair, and I have reviewed most of the range below.<\/p>\n
\nCisk Lager Beer<\/b>. 4.2%<\/p>\n
\nNot a bad thirst quencher to be honest. There is malt, and a
\ngrassiness is noticeable. There is a definite astringency in the
\nfinish. This is available in various guises, the bottle and can
\nversions are similar, but the keg variant is certainly more lively,
\nand feels fresher on the palate.<\/p>\n
\nCisk Export. <\/b>5%<\/p>\n
\nA bit more bite than the ordinary lager, but the taste is basically
\nthe same. My tasting was bottle only, but it is also available in
\ncans.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjhGRnxVnKBLEewjvaJM9sXaoQyFbSkfkSAFDzKKcrrRuF03fgdfZPaJg00jiMMZ-IIcRyUzL-7WIiypt0oggiz5G05eNj2jhh-8o8ljouyhGcNGHFp2lHJEDfDbWbEnMIoHcTcR04sMkY\/s200\/20160606_144614.jpg\")
<\/a>![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEis1gqwiN-59v6GTrxhFazP6gOEsKoLHvu1ttbKcZq7GopFYA3Su3oPb9EVbiSroteqZxOLOettRnV-T3m5a3A25E_t5AJMXc_PdvLfHuOe5ZMsf9tOCMO1LiNo6tikEHTGHr1VFcmbLl8\/s200\/20160604_100458.jpg\")
<\/a>Cisk Excel<\/b> Low Carbohydrate\nLager 4.2%<\/div>\n
\nNot too bad, really. A little lighter in carbonation, and hints of
\nbread are noticeable in the finish.<\/p>\n
\nCisk Pilsner<\/b>. 5.5%<\/p>\n
\nNow this is a good beer. A touch more malt taste to it, with a nice
\nearthy back taste. The finish is dry, reasonably bitter finish. There
\nare also light floral notes in the aroma. Very refreshing.<\/p>\n
\nFarsons Hopleaf Pale Ale. <\/b>3.8%<\/p>\n
\nThis Golden coloured Pale Ale has a touch of citrus, followed by
\ncaramel in the initial tasting. A faint nuttiness is determinable,
\nbut it is not a big punchy pale ale taste, more an average bitter.
\nOK, but not a memorable beer.<\/p>\n
\nFarsons Blue Label Ale
\n<\/b>3.3%<\/p>\n
\nNot bad, really. It is rather Mild like, but with hints of an old Nut
\nBrown Ale. The nutty maltiness carries through to the finish, but
\ndoesn’t overpower. There is a reasonable bitterness in the dry
\nfinish. I did have this on tap in Valletta and found it quite smooth
\nand creamy, more so than the canned version.<\/p>\n
\nFarsons Lacto <\/b>Milk Stout.
\n3.8%<\/p>\n
\nA rather thin stout which pours almost black in the glass. The taste
\nis quite sweet, with raisins and other dark fruit coming to the fore.
\nThere is a slight coffee hint and the finish has a good dry
\nbitter-sweetness. Overall, not bad at all.<\/p>\n
\nCisk Chill<\/b> Lemon flavoured
\nLager. 4%<\/p>\n
\nChill comes in two types, Berry and lemon. I chose the latter.
\nReading some reviews, this has been a heavily criticised brew.
\nPersonally, we thought it made a pleasant change. Admittedly, there
\nis not a strong lager taste to it, but it does rear its malty head at
\nthe end. The lemon is unavoidably constant, and there is also a lot
\nof sweetness. OK, I wouldn’t order it on a wet, cold Wednesday night
\nin Grimsby, but in 30 degrees Celsius, looking out at Mellieha Bay in
\nthe distance, just the job.<\/p>\n
\nCisk Shandy<\/b> 2.2%<\/p>\n
\nYes! I tried a shandy. It was quite refreshing, and I was very hot.
\nIt also made me reminisce about growing up and, as a pre-teenage
\nbrat, enjoying a Shandy Bass as a treat with the \u201cgang\u201d on the
\nlocal park. This one was very similar to that drink of yesteryear,
\nstill lodged in my memory, but didn’t come with bits of picnic
\nsandwich floating about in it. The sharp citrus of the lemonade
\nperfectly tempers the maltiness from the beer, and, although I would
\nsooner have a beer most times, it made a refreshing change.<\/p>\n
\nThe Island of Gozo and its Craft Beers<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\nWe had a day out on Gozo, visiting
\nthe capital, Victoria, and wandering around the streets and,
\neventually up to the Citadel. This is a lovely island, quieter and
\nless busy than the main island, which, itself, can hardly be
\ndescribed as hectic. There are plenty of food and drink distractions
\naround the area, giving it a nice cosmopolitan feel, and it is rather
\nagreeable to sit back with a nice cold beer just watching the world
\ngo by. I was aware of a Craft Beer brewery on the island, Lord
\nChambray Microbrewery<\/b>, but knew
\nwe wouldn’t have enough time to find and visit it. Fortunately,
\nwalking back to the Bus Station, we popped into a tourist craft shop
\nand, lo and behold, 3 of the brews produced by the brewery were
\nstocked there. They weren’t cheap, though, costing over 4 Euros per
\n330 ml bottle. The three beers I sampled were;-<\/p>\n
\nLord Chambray San Blas<\/b>
\nEnglish IPA 5.7%\n<\/p>\n
\nThe first of these bottle conditioned beers was a full blooded IPA,
\nwith hints of tangerine and slight grapefruit strains. The overall
\ntaste is very citrus driven and the finish increasingly dry. The
\nbalance is very good, with the bitterness not too heavy, but
\ndefinitely present.<\/p>\n
\nLord Chambray Fungus Rock<\/b>
\nDark Ale\/Stout 5.5%<\/p>\n
\nNot too bad a dark beer, but more like a Black IPA than a Stout, I
\nthought. The roast malt has hints of liquorice and a good
\nbitter-sweetness. There was a slight floral aroma which also returns
\nin the dry finishing taste.\n<\/p>\n
\nLord Chambray Blue Lagoon<\/b>
\nBlanch\/Witbier 5%<\/p>\n
\nOrange and coriander a very noticeable in this, the best of the three
\nbrews sampled. Spice and a touch of yeast esters are also prominent.
\nThe beer is very well balanced with hints of darker fruits in the
\nlong satisfyingly dry finish.\n<\/p>\n
\nAll in all, not a bad selection from the Lord Chambray Brewery. They
\naren’t the most brilliant craft beers you will sample, nor are they
\nterrible, nowhere near, just pleasing to find, and worth a punt.
\nThere are more beers in their portfolio, and I hope to track these
\ndown when we re-visit The Maltese Islands, hopefully next year.<\/p>\n
\nBars.<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\nJust a quick run down of a few bars we visited whilst in Malta. As in
\nso many Mediterranean resorts, there are quite a few outlets selling
\nbeer, not just \u201cpubs\u201d, but a host of other places with bars, or
\neven just a fridge and a counter. I won’t include every hostelry we
\nvisited, just a few we really enjoyed.<\/p>\n
\nIn Mellieha we discovered a few good ones. First up was The
\nCross Keys<\/b><\/i>, a bar and adjoining pizzeria. We popped in the
\npub for a quick drink before nipping for a pizza next door. Inside,
\nwe were served by one of the most amiable of barmen. Sorry, I didn’t
\ncatch his name, but he was friendly, talkative, interested in our
\nmeagre lives, but not pushy or obtrusive. A native of The Emerald
\nIsle, he gave us a few tips about the island and places worth a
\nvisit. He is certainly an asset to this great establishment, and,
\nalthough we didn’t get time to pop back in until our last night, he
\nremembered us and greeted us with a wonderful Irish warmth. The
\npizzas were to die for too.<\/p>\n
\nis a pool, and outside area to relax in during the day. The bar
\nitself is It has an unmistakeably British feel to it, and is run by
\ntwo ex-pats, Michael and Mary. Walk in a stranger and walk out a
\nfriend. On the main street, there are a few reasonable bars, Bar
\n120<\/b><\/i> has a bit of more modern music on and is worth a look,
\nand further down you will find Greystones Pub and Restaurant<\/b><\/i>.
\nUp towards the Parish Church of Mellieha, sits Square Bar,<\/b><\/i>
\nset in a quieter part of the town, but the real \u201cgem\u201d is just
\nacross from here. The Imperial Band Club<\/b><\/i> is open to
\ntourists, and is a place where locals, band members and proud
\nsupporters, gather, set the World to rights and relax over a cold
\nbeer. (The Mellieha Imperial Band perform all over the World) The
\nview is of the Church, which is a wonderful sight during the day, but
\nabsolutely captivating when lit up at night. The prices are cheap and
\nthe service efficient. One quirkier place is at the Pergola Hotel.
\nThis is The Cave Bar,<\/b><\/i> which just about describes
\nexactly what it is.A bar in a cave.<\/div>\n
![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEhdnvC_czNPfJvNEU6p8f4jmgDeaoanWAnZVsMRf1mudmfL9kI-qosEnfcQLva0EN7Pz-7lFGC7rf8a9fjyf5olaZNukilwkXmaPyjB860Pch2YZ-YLFi2Go_Xm2C2xS_Q0YXpFH90f3dY\/s200\/20160606_171253.jpg\")
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEh4brsJw609UQ0RcsReXzmILBVAeoVAPAucCgjplCNzteLuFZS9Fa2DBNuNqOG2bgkn8cZ2zHr4IzMJ9vRRgKJCIZoqSHC1AUFKf82WSwa54piKeDDHzPtwfNe_4noutU3GKhyhmphUEeI\/s200\/20160606_172301.jpg\")
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n