JournalLive - North East Taste - Alastair Gilmour's wine column

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Central stopping-off point Nov 26 2010

GATESHEAD has taken on a new perspective. The Sage, the Baltic and the Millennium Bridge have a rival in visual splendour from a yet-to-be-unveiled eyrie – the rooftop Terrace Bar at the painstakingly refurbished Central pub.Read

Gifts in print to satisfy a thirst for knowledge Nov 19 2010

WINTER drawers on, as the Carry On team would have it. Now is the time to search out books for the deserving beer lover – the discerning beer lover, meanwhile, will brave the icy blasts and find contentment in the pub.Read

Pub talk Nov 12 2010

THIS week, the “ghost” of Vera Duckworth, one-time landlady of the Rovers Return, made a final appearance in Coronation Street, escorting husband Jack across to “the other side”. As he breathed his last, she too disappeared.Read

A welcome return for Gosforth Winter Beer Festival Nov 05 2010

THE glass is half full. Optimism prevails in Beer Festival Land. Despite ale celebrations seeming to appear every weekend in the calendar, they are not only an extremely popular method of introducing new styles, flavours and seasonal ingredients to an eager audience but are also a reminder of old favourites – those comforting, comfortable ales that conform like a well-worn jacket.Read

Rat Race is still on track at platform 2 Oct 29 2010

THE train ticket may display a rather mundane “Off-Peak Day Return” but the Newcastle to Hartlepool round-trip is an £8.70 adventure. It’s culture, industry, geography and socio-economics rolled into one Northern Rail card.Read

World’s best bartender title stays in beer’s home country Oct 22 2010

WHEN we say someone is turning cartwheels, we visualise unbridled joy, wild enthusiasm and exuberance gone mad. But the spinning and flipping actions were all in a young man’s head last week, else the 2ft- high glass trophy in his grasp would have been in serious danger of shattering into a thousand pieces.Read

Festival helps to save club from sticky wicket Oct 15 2010

THE domestic cricket season finished a few weeks ago, and wickets are taking an autumn breather.Read

Stories drenched in real ale Oct 08 2010

IT’S déjà vu all over again. The framed page from The Journal that hangs prominently in Durham Brewery’s new visitor reception centre – and shop – is not only a pleasant surprise but a reminder of the ale-laced stories the paper has carried since it appeared on August 5, 2005.Read

Wolf lies low to leave British boozers thirsty Oct 01 2010

OPTIMISM. What a confident word; full of hope, expectancy and brightness. April was an optimistic month – it was when we reported that our recently-planted allotment hops had endured the coldest, longest winter in decades.Read

Pointing you in the direction of the best real ales on offer Sep 24 2010

THE number eight is proving to be an auspicious one. The Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) Good Beer Guide 2011 has been launched with a total of 888 pages devoted to cask- conditioned beer.Read

The battle for the title of Britain’s best pub Sep 17 2010

TEMPTING though it is, avoiding cliches isn’t rocket science. When push comes to shove, dodging the trap is child’s play.Read

Bordering on the extremes Sep 10 2010

CALL yourself an extremist and you’re immediately labelled a fundamentalist or a political radical. But for those of us who enjoy extremes, the idea of promoting excessive opinions and actions couldn’t be further from the truth.Read

Shed proves a magical place for home brewing Sep 03 2010

RODGERS and Hammerstein got it wrong. In one song from the musical South Pacific, the word “dame” should really be replaced with “shed”.Read

Brewery brothers are literally raising the bar Aug 27 2010

ONE of the North East’s best-loved micro-breweries is moving – and moving fast. Mordue Brewery now has an on-site shop with fully-licensed bar, a cask ale distribution company under its wing and a new grist mill that allows greater control over quality.Read

North-South debate has yet to come to a head Aug 20 2010

A RECENTLY published beer book features two pints on its cover. The glasses are straight and gleaming, the beer shimmers invitingly through gold and copper colours, and sunlight is caught down one side throwing shadows on the other.Read

The brews at 10 – Wylam Brewery still making headlines Aug 13 2010

AUGUST 2000 was a strange month for news. But August always is.Read

From Brown and outs to brewing up a storm Aug 06 2010

SHORTLY after Newcastle Brown Ale was developed in 1927, it was awarded a gold medal at the International Brewers’ Exhibition in London. It was a fanfare birth.Read

Why beer makes a marriage Jul 30 2010

REPEAT after me: “I John Smith take you John Smith to be my beer, to have and to hold from this day forward ...”Read

Swig into beer festival season Jul 23 2010

THREE years ago, Hawkshead Brewery owner Alex Brodie conducted a little experiment. At his first-ever beer festival, he counted heads. Then he counted ladies’ heads. He was so excited he got someone else to count, too.Read

Dispelling the myth of the dreaded beer belly Jul 16 2010

OUR annual MoT has come and gone. The unwritten warranty remains valid and, apart from some spare tyre prodding, bodywork recommendations, fuel intake warnings and on how to tighten sagging springs – which will probably be ignored – we’ve been pronounced fit to walk the streets for another year.Read

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