Pub smelling of fresh paint and near devoid of customers early evening on a Monday. As I arrived somebody was complaining that the Harvey’s tasted of vinegar. The manager gave it the full “I don’t drink real ale myself so who knows, perhaps it’s near the end of the barrel, I’m planning to clean the pipes when that one’s gone”. The pint was replaced but the beer remained on sale.

There is a ‘launch party’ here tonight for Clarence & Fredericks Brewery of Croydon, and a couple of well-known beer bloggers are in attendance. To our surprise it turns out to be a ‘by invitation only’ event, although we manage to blag our way in anyway. Nice beer and nice people.

Busy but managed to squeeze in the back room.

Busy early evening with a small beer festival on stillage in the back room.

Fairly quiet in here but there was an England Euro 2012 game on and no TV here.

Last session of Tyneside beer, folk and food festival. And it has clearly been a great success. The pub is busy, everyone is wearing Ecky Thump headgear, fluent gibberish is being spoken around the pub, a chap is strangling a cat in the middle bar, and the menu is indecipherable. I feel a stranger in my own town. Unfortunately there is not much beer left.

Prices seem to have gone up a bit since I was last in here (£3:90 a pint), but, counter-intuitively, this was the busiest I have ever seen this pub, with the crowds spilling onto the street outside in the warm weather.

Winter beer festival in progress with a few strong winter brews available on gravity to the rear of the pub.