Wednesday 4 May 2016

BRAPA - April Review / May Preview (2016)

R.A.F. BRAPA saw it's prize jet fighter beat the ale speed of sound over much of the UK in April in a record breaking month.

April Review

45 new pubs is a monthly BRAPA record which will take some beating, eclipsing the previous best by a whopping 12 pubs!  I also managed 5 pre-emptives, and met 3 Twitterers.

So many weird, wonderful and magical pub experiences, it is hard to only pick three to put forward to the "pub of the year" awards, it could easily be 10 or more.  But being brutal, I'm going for .....

1.  Falstaff, Derby
2.  Hungerford Club, Hungerford
3.  Eagle, Salford

45 BRAPA pubs have been visited since I stood outside the Golden Lion, Leyburn.

Berkshire was easily "the best BRAPA trip, I've ever been on" but days in Derby, rural North Yorkshire, Bolton, Manchester Punk Festival, hell even Donny, were really 'great days out'.

May Preview

No way I'll get anywhere near April's record breaking month, but I'm going for 20-25 as a rough estimate.

We are very close to 900 pub ticks, which will be 2/10 (or 1/5 for you extra special mathematicians) of the Good Beer Guide, a real landmark moment and less than 2 years since I got the 450 up in the wonderful New Inn at Baschurch, Shropshire.

The month will kick off  with a Birthday Special but I still have no idea where I'm going at the time of writing.  The following day, I'll be pressing on with a bit more rural very north North Yorkshire.  A week later, I'll be back in Berks which will also involve a rare foray into Buckinghamshire.  Gulp.  A week after this, it is probably a blank Saturday as friends like beer festivals (spit) at this time of year.  And finally, Hull City can be the ultimate BRAPA Crappers by reaching the play off final and doing me out of a day in the Dales.  If this happens, I'll at least try and get a bit of London ticking done between heartbreaking defeat to Fernando Forestieri (ooops, I mean Sheff Wed).

Midweek nights give me a chance to crack on with South Yorkshire after a tricky month.  Firbeck looks near impossible on an evening, so I might look to delve into the likes of Harley, Harthill and Hazlehead with pages 1, 2 and 3 of SY all now completed.

Right then, that's yer lot for now ya set of bastards - nothing to see here, move along to the next pub without making a fuss.  Thanks.

Will BRAPA be mauled by the Tigers in May?



6 comments:

  1. If you start walking now, you might get to Hazlehead Dog & Partridge for a pint of Barnsley before the end of your birthday. Not even a bus sign for it on WhatPub.

    Beer Fests are a necessary evil, like Christmas and Governments. Trick is not to damage your liver too much so can recover quickly for your next proper pub.

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  2. Blaming beer fest attendance on your friends seems kind of harsh. In your own words "Talking of beer fests, I think we should do some Saturday's between May n July"

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  3. Poetic license Krimbo, poetic license. I suppose I am the ultimate BRAPA Crapper. Mum and Dad are popping down to Stillingfleet so should be funny. But they are only interested if you are going. And John seems keen which is good.

    Martin, I like a challenge and I've found a bus that stops at "Flouch" for a probable uphill walk to the pub so at least it's no Anchor-Anchor.

    Don't get me wrong, I love Leeds Beer Fest at Pudsey. York is ridiculous, most others are school fetes with beer, or cold and expensive things in shitholes near South Yorks. Went to an ace one in Saltburn once.

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  4. I've now taken the monthly pub records back to June 2015, I'm not sure when you stopped going to Saturday home games but it seems a good approximation. I am happy to be put right on this.

    Your average monthly pub rate since then is 27.72 (recurring, but I don't know how to put the dot above the digits in the comments section).

    Based on you getting 22.5 in May, that will bring your monthly average down slightly to 27.29, thus you will hit the end of August on 999. You should then lose 116 in the bookwork, taking you back to 883.

    On current rates, you should then gain a further 109 in the last 4 months of the year, taking you to a year end at 992.

    Martin I have to disagree. I don't see governments or Newtonmas as necessities at all. Some dictatorships seem to do all right, as indeed did England until relatively recently. England seemed to manage very well without celebrating Newtonmas in Cromwellian times. I think beer festivals have their uses as well as there faults, I think we could do without them.

    I think I'd need more evidence to convict either way on BRAPA crapping with regards beer festivals.

    Funny you compare beer festivals to school fetes. I saw paper cups at one on Saturday.

    Krimbo, please may I take this opportunity to thank you and your club for only losing 2-0 to the Scunts and thus keeping them out of the play offs and us away from a day out at their tin shed, it is much appreciated.

    Si, you can relieve Hull City of the burden of being BRAPA crappers by simply not going to the play off final, which we're not going to be in in any case. If it does happen, I'd probably suggest north end of the Met, some of which is still Hertfordshire rather than Greater London, and I am obliged under a pledge I made to your Father to mention the possibility of Land of Liberty, Peace and Plenty.

    Dagger for Duncan

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    1. Tom - I would vote for you if there were no governments.

      Do you know what is unique about the road the Land of Liberty is on ?

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    2. I do not know what is unique about Long Lane in Chorleywood. I am now intrigued on the matter.

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