Kingston Arms - JHB

[animal]

Feb 8, 2019 16:55:00 GMT cambcam said:

Thinking about this, in the early ‘90’s for a short while I lived less than 50 yards away in the house next to the dentists on New Square. I don’t think I ever went in the place because unless I’m mistaken, at that time it was a bit of a stereotypical GK sh*thole. Went in for convenience after the Cambridge half marathon about 5 years ago and fell in love with the place. What a turnaround.

That then got me thinking further - I reckon the first time I went in there was 1987. My memory might be playing tricks but I seem to recall the seated area at the back was completely different - had a high ceiling, maybe even another floor, balcony/railings?? Plants and garden type furniture? I don’t know, might be way off the mark but it’s bugging me. That description makes me think of Old Orleans in Mill Lane and maybe that’s where that image comes from, but something is bugging me about the Hopbine and at the risk of no one knowing what I’m going on about, thought I’d throw it out there?

That sounds a bit like the Cambridge Arms back in the 80's

The Hopbine had a pool table on the left as you went through the front door or through the front window depending if the fair was in town.

[cambcam]

Ha! My old man came to pick me up once and it happened to be at the time of the fair. Fair Street was packed and as we inched passed the pub some guy got thrown out of the doorway and landed on the bonnet of my old man’s 190 Merc. Made me laugh but he wasn’t best pleased.

[cambcam]

Dec 23, 2018 15:52:58 GMT nutsaboutamber said:

CambCam, re Live & Let Live, last time beer was superb but I recall, I think, no ‘wet’ food available. Alan Kilker used to run it for a bit but drives taxis now, like most Cambridge blokes it seems!
By the way, the food in the FP is top notch too to make your next visit there a well-rounded one.

After your comments I made a mental note about visiting the Free Press for a pint of GK Mild and trying the food.

Met up with the Missus for lunch at the FP today. A single pint of Mild. Wow. Years and years since I tasted that but what a flavour. And you are quite right about the food too, excellent stuff. Quite an unusual menu but an absolute hit.

Thanks very much for the heads-up on that.

Also, noticed they have JHB on too. What is going on with GK? I must have missed the transition during my (sort of) 20 year GK boycott, but have been in a few lately and they genuinely seem to have some right good guest ales. Are their pub managers allowed a freer hand these days?

Something has been going on and whatever it is, their pubs are so much better for it.

[getoffmyland]

Had an Oscar Wilde mild last night , at Three Tuns. That was a very good drop and worth trying if you see it anywhere.
Cracking Thai meal as well.

[nutsaboutamber]

Available in the Kingston too. Great name for a beer!

[rocky]

Jan 4, 2019 16:04:41 GMT cambcam said:

... times seem to have changed. I’ve been in a couple of GK pubs fairly recently and they’ve had some decent ‘guests’ on. I mean, real guest beers, not fancy handpump labels of obsolete breweries with ‘Brewed in Bury St. Edmunds by Greene King’ in tiny print at the bottom of the label kind of stuff.

I’m desperately hoping it means GK are waking up to the dangers of their closed shops and are allowing their pub managers to broaden their horizons to get the punters in. That would be bloody fantastic if it is the case??

You can probably thank the current COO at GK for much of the transformation. Lives locally (occasionally takes in a Us match). Started with GK as regional manager and has quickly risen the ranks to COO. Simple strategy - gets out to the pubs, listens to the landlords, listens to the clientele and makes decisions based on what he's hearing.

[sheffyoos]

Feb 8, 2019 17:45:04 GMT animal said:

Feb 8, 2019 16:55:00 GMT cambcam said:

Thinking about this, in the early ‘90’s for a short while I lived less than 50 yards away in the house next to the dentists on New Square. I don’t think I ever went in the place because unless I’m mistaken, at that time it was a bit of a stereotypical GK sh*thole. Went in for convenience after the Cambridge half marathon about 5 years ago and fell in love with the place. What a turnaround.

That then got me thinking further - I reckon the first time I went in there was 1987. My memory might be playing tricks but I seem to recall the seated area at the back was completely different - had a high ceiling, maybe even another floor, balcony/railings?? Plants and garden type furniture? I don’t know, might be way off the mark but it’s bugging me. That description makes me think of Old Orleans in Mill Lane and maybe that’s where that image comes from, but something is bugging me about the Hopbine and at the risk of no one knowing what I’m going on about, thought I’d throw it out there?

That sounds a bit like the Cambridge Arms back in the 80's

The Hopbine had a pool table on the left as you went through the front door or through the front window depending if the fair was in town.

My old man had The Hopbine very early eighties.
Long before the extention to the rear.

The old skittles table would have been slap bang
in the middle to the right as you now walk in.

[sheffyoos]

Or the Hopbine and Barley inn as it was.

[nutsaboutamber]

Hopbine and Barley Mow 😊
That explains your lifetime of drinking then!!
Annoyed me that the Robin Hood dropped Little John from its name as well all those years ago.

[sheffyoos]

Feb 23, 2019 6:14:49 GMT nutsaboutamber said:

Hopbine and Barley Mow 😊
That explains your lifetime of drinking then!!
Annoyed me that the Robin Hood dropped Little John from its name as well all those years ago.

I stand corrected.

77-78 when my Dad had it.

He passionately detests Greene king
today.

[haptogob]

Dec 22, 2018 17:20:32 GMT getoffmyland said:

Ok, randomly cross linking threads, Strang is the equivalent to Green King IPA. How on earth is that supposedly a beer.

At the risk of digging up very old prejudises: Greene inh IPA has never ben the same since they shut the Biggleswade Brewery in the 70's. Before that one side of Cambs was suppliedfrom Bury the other from Biggleswade. Life hs never been the same since.

[cambcam]

May 16, 2019 8:39:59 GMT haptogob said:

Dec 22, 2018 17:20:32 GMT getoffmyland said:

Ok, randomly cross linking threads, Strang is the equivalent to Green King IPA. How on earth is that supposedly a beer.

At the risk of digging up very old prejudises: Greene inh IPA has never ben the same since they shut the Biggleswade Brewery in the 70's. Before that one side of Cambs was suppliedfrom Bury the other from Biggleswade. Life hs never been the same since.

I didn’t know any ot that.

One of the pleasures of getting away to a different part of the U.K. used to be the opportunity to get away from the GK stranglehold and try beers from different breweries. Over the years they’ve spread their portfolio to 3100 pubs (according to wiki) and become the Uk’s largest pub retailer. Nothing worse than checking into a nice little stone hotel in somewhere like the Peak District, then walking into the village only to find the local pub is GK. That’s driven me nuts over the years. Strategically avoiding GK pubs had become increasingly hard work.

At least it’s unlikely though you’ll just be faced with the dreary and predictable line up of IPA, Abbot, Old Speckled Hen. Things do appear to be changing at GK and there’s a reasonable chance they’ll be a decent guest on offer too. That I suppose, is some consolation.

[bitesthedust]

Had a pint of JHB at my local today.

It was good but I personally prefer Everards Tiger and Crouch Vale's Brewers Gold.

[moosehacker]

May 16, 2019 8:39:59 GMT haptogob said:

Dec 22, 2018 17:20:32 GMT getoffmyland said:

Ok, randomly cross linking threads, Strang is the equivalent to Green King IPA. How on earth is that supposedly a beer.

At the risk of digging up very old prejudises: Greene inh IPA has never ben the same since they shut the Biggleswade Brewery in the 70's. Before that one side of Cambs was suppliedfrom Bury the other from Biggleswade. Life hs never been the same since.

GK also owned Rayments, which was a cracking good beer sold in and around Bishops Stortford. I moved to Bishops Stortford in 1985 and within three years GK closed the brewery. I was gutted and have barely drunk a pint of GK since.

GK also did a light mild called KK, which I think was brewed in Biggleswade. Another casualty of GK’s consolidation strategy at the time.

[nutsaboutamber]

Is that why the dark mild is called XX? See also link re Rayment's of Furneux Pelham - breweryhistory.com/wiki/index.php?title=Rayment_%26_Co._Ltd