Beers, Boats and Boozers, 2018. No.44

Daughter dispatched back to the Big Smoke we were on our own and with  several more locks to complete too.

We left Warwick and were soon at the Tesco's where we stopped to replenish supplies after being eaten out of boat and home, or so it seemed. On our way again we were over the Avon aqueduct in no time. This is the spot where there are ideas that a flight of locks on a loop will lift boats up and down from the River Avon below on to the Grand Union above. I wonder if it will ever happen.

Passing through Leamington we were soon at the bottom lock of the Radford flight. This steel hull has made itself at home. I can't remember where it had been moored previously but it is a strange floating object that looks like a sailing boat with no masts but is built like a brick out house!

We waited for a while to see if there was a chance somebody would catch us up and share the locks but we gave up after 20 mins and headed up. We stopped for water just before the Fosse Way, (where the boat is moored through the road bridge) and as we left they tied up. The building seems to be an old house and warehouse with a wharf too. Logical I suppose as the road will always have been busy since the Romans built it.

In the next couple of pounds we were reminded of the upper reaches of the Thames as it was so overgrown. you could have been anywhere.

The illusion of being on the Thames continued at Welsh Road Lock as the lock house looked very much lock those along the Thames.

At Bascote bottom lock it looks like the old single lock has been retained as a bywash after the lock was enlarged in the 1930's.

Looking back from the picture above it seems they hadn't bothered widening all the bridges as this one looks to be one of the originals.

When in the middle lock we could see a boat drop down into the staircase lock above us. Helen was on the land side and as we heard water just gushing out over the bottom gates it became obvious that they didn't know how to operate the staircase pair. Helen went up to help out. It seems that they weren't very appreciative so she turned round and came back and left them to it. Eventually they managed and as we came in to the bottom lock a hire boat appeared at the top lock. We explained about shuffling in the middle and they were up for it and all went well, making life easier for all concerned.

Time was drawing on when we arrived at Long Itchington so we tailed on the last boat along the visitor moorings and then went for a walk into the village across the fields. Helen had a letter to post. Always a good excuse for a pint that. We had never been to the Buck and Bell before, and couldn't remember if it had even been a pub last time we passed through this way. Parts of the  building dates back to the middle 17th Century and seems to have been barns and workshops at some stage. The pub was owned by local families for a long time and served Ansell's beers. It was sold in 1980's and was rescued by an organisation that preserved it as the interesting old pub it was. Secure in it future they had it on the Market in 2016 for over half a million £££'s. It seems to have been purchased by the owners of the campsite next door. It is a really interesting building with lots of little rooms and plenty of brick and wood.

They didn't have an different beers on hand pull, but there were one or two that were vacant. The barmaid told me that the equipment was to be installed any time! I went for a pint of Bass. Usually a safe bet. Bass Brewery was founded by William Bass in 1777 in Burton upon Trent. A hundred years later they had the best selling beer in the country with Bass Pale Ale and the largest brewery in the land too. They merged with Charrington Brewery in the 1960's and then they were bought out by Interbrew. The Government forced the sale of some of the company due to monopoly fears so some of the brands were sold to Coors, but the licence to brew Bass was retained. Coors brewed the beer under the licence. It was then brewed by Marston who had bought the original brewery. (Or something like that, all very complicated). The red triangle was the first registered Trade Mark in the UK. Apparantlt the German Company Krupps was the first ever Registered Trade mark!

I had the new version of Bass 4.4% still brewed by Marston for Interbrew, at the old Bass Brewery! It is a nice amber colour with an alright head. It has a pleasant nutty malty aroma and a good hoppy taste. Not quite how I remember it as having a bit more depth to it, but still not a bad pint on the whole.