Wednesday 27 October 2010

Real ale and dogging

What do real ale and dogging have in common? More than you might imagine.

"My wife and I have many hobbies, including real ale, non-league football and dogging. What they all have in common is great camaraderie and terrific banter."

16 comments:

ZakAvery said...

Blog post of the year! And not just this blog, but all beer blogs, everywhere.

Alan said...

Errr - Good Lord. What exactly does "dogging" mean to you on that side of the Atlantic?

Ron Pattinson said...

Alan, taking the dog for a walk, doesn't it?

Cooking Lager said...

One for the Guild, this post

for our American cousins:-

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dogging

Craig said...

Ron, from the videos I've seen, yes, in a matter of speaking, it does.

Gary Gillman said...

Well, walking the dog is a well-known euphemism for going down (to) the pub (why do Britons omit the to?), so it's all connected...

Hey Ron or Zak, ever hear of Batham's?

http://www.bathams.co.uk/history.php

I thought I knew of every old-established brewery in England but, until yesterday, I had never heard of Batham. I found out about it when re-reading the excellent mid-1970's beer guide, Beers of Britain by Conal Gregory and Warren Knock.

With all the closures over 35 years, I'd have thought Batham's long gone but no, it is still active in the Black Country and have about 12 tied pubs.

Tonight I will walk my (imaginative) dog to one of those pubs (more imagination needed) and check out Batham's bitter, it sounds excellent. Maybe the XXX Christmas ale is out!

Gary

Ron Pattinson said...

Gary, I have happy memories of the Swan Inn in Chaddesley Corbett, a Batham's pub.

Gary Gillman said...

Excellent! It's all connected indeed. :)

Gary

ZakAvery said...

Gary - I think I have a bottle of barley wine lurking in the cellar that was brewed for the Fine Ale Club by Batham's. I'm sure I've met their brewster too, although if I have the gender wrong, then I clearly haven't.

Alistair Reece said...

"going down (to) the pub (why do Britons omit the to?)"

The same could be said of our American cousins who insist on "writing someone" rather than "writing to someone".

Anonymous said...

If ever their was a pub to visit before you die,it would probably be the "Vine" or bull and bladder as the locals know it.Home of Bathams.only two beers, decor that my grandad would have been at home with,and I myself am very old!friendly locals.Ah Bathams!

John Clarke said...

Bathams Bitter is one of my all time favourite beers. It is truly wonderful.

Not sure about the barley wine produced by their brewster - as far as I know they have never made a barley wine nor employed a brewster.

Off now - the Bokbier Fesival beckons.

Alan said...

Oh, it doesn't mean the same thing. In my parlance it means being lazy - usually in the workplace - based on a euphemism for copulating with a canine.

Seanywonton said...

You have made me feel very knowledgeable today, Ron! I just learned about Dogging recently in the New York Times!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/world/europe/08puttenham.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=dogging&st=cse

(I consider myself a true scholar, in some subjects at least.)

Martyn Cornell said...

I love the line in that NYT story that says: "the police tend to tread lightly in public sex environments" - well, you'd have to, you never know what you might be treading on next … as Jackie Wilson said, Stop Dogging Me Around.

Shey said...

Nearly spat my coffee across the desk!
I agree with Zak. Post of the year!!!