Hark To Dandler Festival

The Hark to Dandler on Walmersley Old Road is holding a beer festival this weekend. Nothing unusual in that, you might think. Except it’s a J.W.Lees pub. And they normally would frown on buying outside of the tie. No less an expert than Tandleman himself conformed to me that this was highly unusual. 30 beers should be on over the weekend and could lead to serious problems. Once the regulars have tasted beer actually with hops in it, will they want to go back to Lees?

Comments

Tandleman said…
Always a danger which is presumably why they have resisted it.
1 May 2009 at 19:03
Anonymous said…
Are hops alien to Manchester? With the wonderful exception of the Outsanding Beer Co.

Ben
Liverpool
1 May 2009 at 20:08
Paul Garrard said…
I think I've only tried Lees beer once don't think it made a great impression on me. I'm intrigued by the name 'Hark To Dandler', sounds like something Rambling Syd Rumpo would sing about as he nadgered his moolies!
1 May 2009 at 23:50
Tandleman said…
It's a fox hunting thing. Dandler being the leading dog. We have a Hark to Towler and I think and a Hark to Topper in our area as well. there may be others?
2 May 2009 at 08:18
Tandleman said…
Ben - You haven't had Pictish and Phoenix then, which are in the general area.
2 May 2009 at 08:18
vanessa said…
I've never had "Lees" but it doesn't sound very good.
2 May 2009 at 10:18
John's New Blog said…
Lees is the only drinkable beer in the beer-desert that is the NW of England.
2 May 2009 at 17:32
Woolpack Dave said…
Oh come on John, are you including Cumbria in the NW England? I've never had Lees beers, but, it sounds like they are hop(e)less. Beer without hops is a bit like dehydrated water.
2 May 2009 at 23:39
elvis said…
I see that John comes from Wales which is renowned for its good beer.Not.
3 May 2009 at 08:35
Gazza Prescott said…
Strangely enough, despite being a total hop monster, I think Lees beers are great examples of old-fashioned regional brewing and I actually drink them - meaning they're in a very exclusive club of regional whose beers I'll drink!

But anyone who says the NW is crap for beer obviously hasn't got a clue (or hates hops!) - it's the best area for hoppy beers in the whole country with Pictish, Phoenix, Marble etc brewing some wonderful stuff, then you've got all the excellent Yorkshire brewers just over t'ills and most of them love hops too - Mallinsons, Elland, Roosters...
3 May 2009 at 09:31
Tandleman said…
Praise indeed. I don't think I'll add anything to that.
3 May 2009 at 12:13
RedNev said…
Good NW breweries from this side of the region include: Baltic Fleet, George Wright, Southport. I also like most Cains beers, although their dodgy (if legal) business practices have left a bad taste in the mouth. Gazza Prescott's list of good NW breweries is spot on. As for Welsh beers being rubbish, I quite like Brains, especially SA.
3 May 2009 at 14:45
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Kimberley Club

Image
The Kimberley Workingmen’s Club in Stacksteads, Rossendale is the stuff of legend. Few, outside of those interested in such things, have heard of it and fewer still have visited it. Even many locals aren’t aware of its location and yet internet forums are full of people willing to travel across the country to visit a genuine slice of social history. Established in 1897, the KMC started out as an afterhours drinking venue for quarry workers. Legend has it that it was carried down into the valley on poles. There are various theories about its South African connections-there is a Kimberley Street close by, but what we do know is that surprisingly little has changed since those early days.
Once you have got up the steep hill, over the dirt track and through the gate; you are confronted with two very small rooms. There’s probably just enough room to squeeze all 36 members in. This helps to explain why visitation is strictly by invitation only. We were privileged to enjoy a special Sunday ope…
Read more

Wyldes Refurbishment

Image
Wyldes sits on the corner of Bolton St and Market Place in the centre of Bury. When it first opened, it was a flagship Holts pub. It sold Mild, Bitter and, revolutionary for the time, guest beers. It offered all day dining and sports TV. However, the wheels soon began to come off. The guest beers were too expensive for the regular Holts drinkers and quality suffered. This in turn deterred the casual drinker from going in and slowly both Mild and the guest beers disappeared from the bar.

I wrote about its woes back in 2008 and the years in-between havem't been kind. Pub trade in the centre is fiercely compettitve and it's had more lows than highs. It didn't get to grips with Wetherspoons on the food side, failed to build up a weekday trade and relied too heavily on the weekend late night music-led crowd. It was looking dark and tired and even the TV picture was poor.


Now however; as part of Holts estate refurbishment, it has had a long overdue makeover and reopened last wee…
Read more

A Night In Rawtenstall

Image
“It's a long way to Rosendale It's a long way to go”

Some folk may indeed think it is a long way to go, but the trip up to the valley that time forgot isn't actually that far. You only have to witness the raiding parties of East Lancs shoppers pouring into Bury on market days to realise that. So it seemed only fair to send a few missionaries the other way. The spur was the opening of a nano-bar on Rawtenstall market. Without the restrictive stranglehold of two Wetherspoons that afflicts Bury; Rawtenstall has seen a remarkable growth in small, independent beer outlets. And after 6pm a 1 Day Go Rosendale bus saver ticket is only £3. So after a few warm up libations in Bury, we were valley bound

First stop for many is the Buffer Stops adjacent to the ELR station. This is the sister pub of the Trackside and whilst it has been good in the past, like the TS it has been more patchy in recent times. So we pushed onto the Cabin. This is the self-described nano-bar on the market and …
Read more