v Durham 227 all out
Yorkshire 91 for 3
close of play on Day Two
County Championship Division Two
Friday 12 May 2023
Played at Chester-le-Street
Got to be honest, we've not watched much cricket there. The weather conspired against us. Damp in the air. Grim. And fucking cold. In an illustrative tale of modern cricket finances, Durham had rented out their normal Members Lounge facilities for a private function. So, cricket spectators, at a cricket match, in a cricket stadium, couldn't use the facilities because more money was to be had by using a cricket ground for non-cricket, while actual cricket was cricketing.
Cricket spectators had been relegated to a smaller room. Point being, we couldn't really find space to keep out of the fucking cold. We've not watched much cricket there.
Instead. We've done further research on the latest Bus Of The Year nomination. Although, to be honest, we've basically been exploiting the two pound bus fare cap.
West Auckland Working Mens Club & Institute to Newcastle, Eldon Square is a distance of some 35 miles. Those 35 miles covered by the X21 Bus. Available to the younger Carrier Bag Firm, without a Seniors Bus Pass, for just TWO POUNDS ENGLISH.
So far, remember Day Two has only just concluded, I can confirm the X21 stops outside…
The Town Mouse, 11 St Mary's Pl, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7PG
Gilbert & Smith's, 413 Durham Rd, Low Fell, Gateshead NE9 5AN
The Beer Drop, 529-531 Durham Rd, Low Fell, Gateshead NE9 6HX
But, today, the destination of choice, to get out of the freezing cold, via the X21, was;
Full Circle Brew Co
Hoults Yard, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 2HL
Great set up. The Taproom is upstairs. With a windowed gallery looking down into the working brewery. Shiny tanks. Be-Overalled and Wellington Clad brewers hovering thither with the occasional hither detour. Disappointing lack of Flashing Light Units. The Carrier Bag Firm luuuuurve an FLU in breweries. But, you can't have everything.
One guest Keg was from Abbeydale Brewery - FFS. (Another from Cigar City). But the rest of the good stuff was from Full Circle. I'd ticked a few of theirs before. At one stage, I thought I might leave the brewery having ticked every one they had on. Mincing out with an imperious;
"There is no more beer left on the fucking island."
But common decency prevailed and I left two of the TWELVE Kegs they had on unticked. Three of those beers were also available on Cask. On a different day, we'd have piled into tasting Cask & Keg simultaneously in our old friend the Cask v Keg Drink Off. Not today I'm afraid.
Full Circle Brew Co, Pilot Kit Dunkel, Munich Dark Lager on Keg at 5%. Staff members, including those running the bar and not normally involved in the day-to-day brewing, get to have a go, taking turns, on the small pilot kit. Brewing styles and recipes they like with the head brewer supervising so it all doesn't go to shit.
Full Circle Brew Co, Meridian Callista, Single Hopped Pilsner on Keg at 4.4%. Hopped with German Callista hops.
Full Circle Brew Co, Mango Looper, Hazy IPA on Keg at 6.4%. Their flagship beer and core IPA. With a whole heap of Mango added.
Full Circle Brew Co, Safety In Numbers, Hazy Pale Ale on Keg at 3.9%. Brewed in Collab with Hopsteiner using experimental hop HS17701. Full Circle being one of the first breweries to brew with this new crossbred hop. What can I say - I got a lot of melon off that.
Full Circle Brew Co in Collab with Vault City Brewing in Edinburgh, Snakey B, fruited sour on Keg at 5.5%. Brewed to suggest an old fashioned beer v cider v blackcurrant snakebite. Apple puree and blackcurrant concentrate. Different parts of the country call that lager/cider/blackcurrant combo different things. To me, Snakebite is lager & cider. This one, with blackcurrant, is called a Purple Nasty.
Full Circle Brew Co in Collab with Moonwake in Edinburgh, Oturo, West Coast Pilsner on Keg at 4.6%. Hana malt, dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Simcoe. Dreamy. I got a little bit of banana. Those hops hint back to the Old Skool Westies. Some crispness for them to hang off. I won't, but I you could drink that for the rest of your life. Right up there.
The cricket you say? Look it up using your scoreboard App of choice. The fucking weather, the lounge being rented to the highest bidder, but mainly the X21 and the Two Quid Cap meant that, being honest, we haven't watched much cricket there. Durham were 123 for 5 when they first went off for "rain and/or the light". We similarly went off for … oh, I don't know … IPAs and/or Hazies. Best I've got. See you on an X21 somewhere down the track.
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