Stewart Brewing

Best laid plans of mice and moose

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After my last post a week ago, I fully intended to knuckle down and write every other day about my European wanderings, and make a serious start on this year’s Fringe programme. Unfortunately the gods had other ideas and laid the moose matriarch low, very low, so everything went out the window. It’s been a busy, taut time; thank god for the NHS, they’ve been brilliant. I’m in Edinburgh for just a couple of days to sort some things out, a wee chill out, then back down to Yorkshireland tomorrow.

I arrived yesterday at noon, so was able to trot along to the Farmers Market to stock up on some good quality frozen meats to take back down (for some good, quality, hearty frozen dishes for mother’s freezer). Co Co Co. were at the Market with another new chocolate, Strawberries & Cream, well, I had to, and a packet of Crème Brûlée (mother’s favourites).

Later in the afternoon the R&R really began when I popped in Whistlebinkies to catch Jed Potts and Nicole Smit doing their thing, just what the doctor ordered! Washed down with some Olicana, Stewart’s latest brew. I’ve since checked out their tasting notes, Stewart’s say mango, grapefruit and passionfruit; I say peapod. Honestly, the first sniff was like opening a bag of peapods, the taste did nothing to change that thought. Oh, I did like it in some weird way, but I couldn’t drink a lot of it.

There’s a film in cinemas at the moment with Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy, oh my heartses. The Bikeriders is one hell of a movie with a soundtrack to match (currently playing on my Spotify). The writer/director Jeff Nichols was inspired by a photo book by one Danny Lyon who took photographs and tape recordings of a chapter of outlaw motorcyclists between 1963 and 1967. Apparently the recordings Lyon made of Kathy, played by Comer in the film, are still around to listen to, gonna have to check them out. All three of the leads are mesmerising to watch, and another accent nailed by Comer! Hopefully I’ll get to see it again before it disappears from the big screen.

Time for my bed, still got a lot to do tomorrow before I hit the road south. Still no sign of a drought in Yorkshireland this summer….

G’night!

Quite a fair weekend in all

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And there ends the first weekend in June, another Meadows Fair done and dusted (ok, it’s the Meadows Festival these days but it did used to be the Meadows Fair – to hark back to a time of midsummer fairs? Then festivals became much more the rage, but I’m an old timer, so). It’s always well attended but the glorious weather was surely a factor in the bumper crowds that turned out.

There were the usual multitude of food stalls, three music stages (Out of the Bedroom – open mic, Future Sounds for new, young bands, and the Tone Garden, main stage), the Stewart’s Brewing bar, and a myriad of stalls selling allsorts. I was rather tempted by a lovely tactile wooden elephant puzzle, but I left the decision to the gods and when I meandered back later it had gone.

Want an old tin or two? There’s the odd old book, but those playing cards – nice!

The only thing I bought was a pork gyros from a Greek food stall, I must say it was very tasty! I don’t usually buy food as it is, to my eyes, expensive, but I do love pork gyros so I succumbed.

Oh, I did buy something unexpected this weekend – my first lot of Fringe tickets! Yes I know, I usually hold out until the whole programme is officially out, but Underbelly decided to do a sneaky early offer, so I just had to check out their line-up. Just as well I was paying attention, the offer was only on from Friday until midnight just gone. Underbelly usually do some kind of early offer but this time it’s very early (and very short), I wonder how many folk actually spotted it.

The deal was £6 tickets for all shows on each Wednesday of the Fringe, pretty good, huh? I didn’t bother with tickets for preview Wednesday, there’ll be plenty others vying for that spot, but it was good to get expensive tickets for acts I have never seen, because of the prices, on the final Wednesday. They would be Danny Bhoy and Foil Arms and Hogg, yep, I’m fairly chuffed about that; and with several other tickets I got my moneys worth of booking fee (it’s £1.25 a ticket up to a maximum of £5 for one order).

It’s late, time to kip. I’ll leave you with one more from the Meadows Fair……

Newsflash: Hurricanes in Edinburgh

bruceonthefringe 2023, Edinburgh bands, Edinburgh Fringe 2023 Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I’m baaaack! Miss me? It’s lovely oot there, so a brief catchup then I’m getting me some sunshine. Yes, I could write this later but, well, that doesn’t always work out. I had peek at my last post and spotted a big error that has now been rectified, I put Duncan Duke instead of Duke Duncan & the Hurricanes . Oh, and the Amarillo was finished, in its place was Project 7 Juicy IPA and indeed it was, another hit from Stewart Brewing. Those hurricanes blowing along with the Duke, I wasn’t sure beforehand so didn’t mention it in case it had been only a one night stand (you know how musicians are), but yay, Mr Marah is now officially a force of nature (he’s gonna run out of fingers for all those pies soon!)

Duke Duncan is the drummer (and sings) with the Miracle Glass Company, here he sings centre stage, but he just can’t quite let go of those percussive instincts – he has a triangle and a tambourine close by! Some seriously psychedelic vibes going on here, music swirling from light funkiness to hard heavy blues grooves. I liked it, very much. I may well head to The Jazz Bar tonight, where DD&TH will be celebrating the release of their single High On Love. You can catch a clip of it from Binkies last week on my Instagram.

I never got to Heptonstall on my trip south but I did have a wander round Hebden Bridge, discovered a very nice new café called The Excited Goat on Crown Street. I just had to try their eponymously named The Excited Goat Hot Sandwich (their version of my favourite, bacon, brie and cranberry) with goats cheese, streaky bacon, apricot jam and spinach. By’eck, it was very tasty, I’ll have that again! I also discovered Hotcakes a fab little vintage and retro shop, which, to my shame, I’ve never noticed before – it’s only been going fourteen years apparently! On this visit roadworks made me head up a side street (Hilton Street) and there it was. Definitely worth popping in for a look!

I managed a few glances at the Fringe programme, marked up quite a number so far. The ticket prices are definitely up this year, previews are generally between £8 to £10, Mon to Thurs tickets expect to pay £10 to £15, and weekend tickets a tad more. The Pay What You Can ticket option is at some venues again, and of course, there’s plenty of Free (to enter) shows. Hey, I’ve been very busy, there’ll be much Fringeyness coming up soon, promise.

Anyhoo, I’ll be heading out now. Toodle oo!

Duke Duncan & The Hurricanes blowin’ up a storm in Whistlebinkies

I’m on my way to an Amarillo

bruceonthefringe 2023, Cragg Vale Coiners, Live bands in Edinburgh, Television series, Uncategorized, Yorkshire Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Crikey, it’s been a week since my last post – I’ve been busy, honest. I’ve been very busy today too, no sitting out in the sun for me, and just when I thought I was done, I discovered a new moth infestation, bastards! So I writing something short and sweet just now as I’m not sure when I’ll get time next. Short because very shortly Duke Duncan & The Hurricanes will be on at Whistlebinkies – my excuse for a drink. I’ve never seen them before but by all accounts they’re rather good, so it’s beyond time that I checked them out.

Why won’t I be posting for a while? Some long time followers may have noticed this is one of those times in a year that I head back to the old country, Yorkshireland. I’ve kind of sorted stuff to go, uke and music, chocolates from CoCo Company, the Fringe programme (two, mark-up and cut-out), sunglasses.

I’ve already watched the last episode of The Gallows Pole and by’eck its good. Loved the bit when Grace tells David he needs to rally the troops, he turns to the gathered room “Ayup!” Perfect! And there was Peaches by The Stranglers in the soundtrack, pure class. I’ll definitely try to fit in a visit to Heptonstall while I’m down. Oh, I did find my copy of the Cragg Vale Coiners Walk but maybe not this trip down, it’s going to be bloody hot! Maybe next time, let’s face it, these temperatures most likely won’t last long.

Anyhoo, must go, make my way to Amarillo, that’s a pint of, very tasty, from Stewart Brewing, of course. Toodle pip!