The Diggers

[Pasquale for King]

18 minutes ago, Lee_Mellon said:

Not a lot to tell and probably disappointing - Shagger was a dog, a scruffy black mongrel as I recall, who had the run of the place. Caused much merriment when his owner called him - god, we were easily amused back then!

Hahahahaha brilliant, great name for a dog . There was a customer recently we called shagger, we thought he might’ve been a serial killer but had just discovered the delights of Tinder 😱😆.

Edited October 1, 2020 by Pasquale for King

[I P Knightley]

5 hours ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

If anyone asked for larger one particular barman would say to them if you want a P***s drink go to The Blue Lagoon.

🙂

 

2 hours ago, Lee_Mellon said:

Ah, the Diggers in the 70s - the best pint of Heavy in Edinburgh at the time. 

 

- Saturday AM when Hearts were at home, into the Diggers at 11, several pints downed, out at 2:45 for the game. Win, lose or draw (mostly lose in those days😒), rush back to the Diggers for the doors opening at 5 to be confronted by a sea of pre-poured pints.

 

- Wee Davy (sp) insulting anybody whose order deviated from Heavy.

 

- Shagger patrolling the premises.

 

- High stakes doms in the back room,.

 

- And Bill Farmer presiding over it all, driving the till and pointing out to the staff punters waiting to be served.

 

 Towards the end of the decade I remember thinking the place was changing, especially when I heard a woman ask for “a half pint of Diggers Heavy please.” Still kept going though...

 

 

My era of going to the Diggers was between 1981 and 1986, when the staff all wore maroon coats and Bill, with his neat, combed back hair, drove the till. (That exact phrase was in my head before getting to your post.) Not that I stalked Bill but he drove a Ford Orion which he parked in Dundee Terrace. This was before the houses were built on the old railway. 

 

I never went with a girlfriend so don't know for sure but I think there may have been no ladies' toilet there. I certainly don't remember there being any female bar staff. 

 

Wee (bald) Davy was legendary. He only knew one of his times tables and that was the one for however much a pint of eighty cost. One legend was that, when the prices went up, Davy would have a couple of days off to learn a new times table - a joke that Bill was all too happy to laugh at with us. It my time, it was Davy who was reputed to have told a customer who'd asked for a lager and lime that, "if you want one o' they fancy cocktails, you should eff off along to the Blue Lagoon." He was an irascible wee man, so it is easy to believe that the story was true.

 

We never put that to the test. Ordering a round simply involved a number of fingers in the air. 

 

The caricature of him was framed on the wall back then. I don't remember whether he was still working there by '86.

 

I've been in Angle Park Terrace when American and, separately, German tourists (and plenty more from the UK) were hovering around asking where the "Diggers" was. Only the Brits got the gag that it was called the Athletic Arms 'cos when you came out, you were legless.

 

Famous faces I saw in there were Sam Torrance on the day of a five nations match at Murrayfield and Bertie Auld with Alan Rough, some other Hibs player and a couple of 'ladies' who might have been wives but, more likely, were charging by the hour. (The season that Hibs were sponsored by Fisher's Garage, next to the Digger's and Hearts had Alexander's on the shirts.)

 

The rumour of a pipe from the brewery was around then but the truth was partly that the turnover of eighty was so fast, it was always fresh (as if it were coming fresh from the brewery by pipe); partly that it was the first drop off for the delivery lorries but, mainly, that Bill and his team were in there early keeping everything clean and when the place closed for a couple of hours in the afternoon, the staff didn't just put their feet up. 

 

The beer went down like milk and among my student pitfalls and acquaintances (and I'm sure more widely), there was an unofficial gallon challenge. It was a heck of a hard to make it to the eighth. But I practised hard, put in the hours and stuck to a strategy and managed it. Back then, the hangovers didn't hurt. 

[Craig_]

5 hours ago, I P Knightley said:

The rumour of a pipe from the brewery was around then but the truth was partly that the turnover of eighty was so fast, it was always fresh (as if it were coming fresh from the brewery by pipe); partly that it was the first drop off for the delivery lorries but, mainly, that Bill and his team were in there early keeping everything clean and when the place closed for a couple of hours in the afternoon, the staff didn't just put their feet up. 

 

Thank you, was beginning to think I'd made that up! 

[132goals1958]

8 hours ago, I P Knightley said:

 

My era of going to the Diggers was between 1981 and 1986, when the staff all wore maroon coats and Bill, with his neat, combed back hair, drove the till. (That exact phrase was in my head before getting to your post.) Not that I stalked Bill but he drove a Ford Orion which he parked in Dundee Terrace. This was before the houses were built on the old railway. 

 

I never went with a girlfriend so don't know for sure but I think there may have been no ladies' toilet there. I certainly don't remember there being any female bar staff. 

 

Wee (bald) Davy was legendary. He only knew one of his times tables and that was the one for however much a pint of eighty cost. One legend was that, when the prices went up, Davy would have a couple of days off to learn a new times table - a joke that Bill was all too happy to laugh at with us. It my time, it was Davy who was reputed to have told a customer who'd asked for a lager and lime that, "if you want one o' they fancy cocktails, you should eff off along to the Blue Lagoon." He was an irascible wee man, so it is easy to believe that the story was true.

 

We never put that to the test. Ordering a round simply involved a number of fingers in the air. 

 

The caricature of him was framed on the wall back then. I don't remember whether he was still working there by '86.

 

I've been in Angle Park Terrace when American and, separately, German tourists (and plenty more from the UK) were hovering around asking where the "Diggers" was. Only the Brits got the gag that it was called the Athletic Arms 'cos when you came out, you were legless.

 

Famous faces I saw in there were Sam Torrance on the day of a five nations match at Murrayfield and Bertie Auld with Alan Rough, some other Hibs player and a couple of 'ladies' who might have been wives but, more likely, were charging by the hour. (The season that Hibs were sponsored by Fisher's Garage, next to the Digger's and Hearts had Alexander's on the shirts.)

 

The rumour of a pipe from the brewery was around then but the truth was partly that the turnover of eighty was so fast, it was always fresh (as if it were coming fresh from the brewery by pipe); partly that it was the first drop off for the delivery lorries but, mainly, that Bill and his team were in there early keeping everything clean and when the place closed for a couple of hours in the afternoon, the staff didn't just put their feet up. 

 

The beer went down like milk and among my student pitfalls and acquaintances (and I'm sure more widely), there was an unofficial gallon challenge. It was a heck of a hard to make it to the eighth. But I practised hard, put in the hours and stuck to a strategy and managed it. Back then, the hangovers didn't hurt. 

 

The froth on the empty pint glass looked like milk. Only place I have experienced my drink half poured by the time I walked in the door and then to the bar

[The Real Maroonblood]

39 minutes ago, 132goals1958 said:

 

The froth on the empty pint glass looked like milk. Only place I have experienced my drink half poured by the time I walked in the door and then to the bar

👍

[ericthepen]

5 hours ago, Craig_ said:

 

Thank you, was beginning to think I'd made that up! 

There was a story, I don't know how true? that there was pipe from the reservoirs directly to the Fountain brewery ? 

[Craig_]

23 minutes ago, ericthepen said:

There was a story, I don't know how true? that there was pipe from the reservoirs directly to the Fountain brewery ? 

 

Now that I do know. The brewery was sited to take advantage of the springs available to them, so they essentially had their own well which they sourced groundwater from. 

 

So I guess they did have a direct pipe of sorts... 

[superjack]

3 minutes ago, Craig_ said:

 

Now that I do know. The brewery was sited to take advantage of the springs available to them, so they essentially had their own well which they sourced groundwater from. 

 

So I guess they did have a direct pipe of sorts... 

if you can find an old map of Edinburgh showing all the breweries, they are almost following a circle. this is where the spring water runs. It is actually called the charmed circle.

[Notts1874]

20 hours ago, Tazio said:

Years ago a mate worked in Clark’s at the bottom of Dundas Street. Their IPA was the stuff of legend and a brilliant pint so when he started we asked what the secret was. Turned out it had a drip tray system that any waste used to go back down to the keg, and they used to dump the drip trays from the heavy down it as well which was why it didn’t taste like anyone else’s IPA. Was a lovely pint though. 

This is probably an Auto Vac/Bak system. The beer doesn't actually go back into the keg but stays in the beer engine. Still widely used in parts of Yorkshire.

[The Real Maroonblood]

45 minutes ago, superjack said:

if you can find an old map of Edinburgh showing all the breweries, they are almost following a circle. this is where the spring water runs. It is actually called the charmed circle.

Thanks for that info.

[Morgan]

15 hours ago, Pasquale for King said:

Wee Davy, his picture is up on the wall..Jug bar.

Y’know?  When I wrote ‘snug’ I knew it wasn’t right!

 

Thanks for jogging my memory.  👍

[Pasquale for King]

11 minutes ago, Morgan said:

Y’know?  When I wrote ‘snug’ I knew it wasn’t right!

 

Thanks for jogging my memory.  👍

No probs, heard a lot about it but never experienced it. Still a few customers who would like it back with all its rules let’s say. 

[Pasquale for King]

2 hours ago, Notts1874 said:

This is probably an Auto Vac/Bak system. The beer doesn't actually go back into the keg but stays in the beer engine. Still widely used in parts of Yorkshire.

We had a similar system fitted in Cloisters when I was there, return trays. They took the Aiken fonts out which caused a bit of a stushie, got thrown out the good beer guide for a year. The difference in wastage was scary, about 20 pints a day. I don’t think your allowed to fit them now but can use them if you’ve got them. 

[whodanny]

Diggers used to serve the best pint of Caley 80bob anywhere. Think it's called Edinburgh 80 or Edinburgh Ale or some such now. Okay but not a patch on the old Caley 80. The diggers do serve an immaculate pint of Deuchars IPA now though, very different but still delicious. 

[Greenbank2]

I worked for S&N in the '80's and lived in Polwarth in the 70's and 80's.

 

Diggers Heavy was simply cask conditioned McEwans 80/-. Nothing special done to it and certainly nothing added. A few things made it what it was in The Diggers. Cask Conditioned means that absolutely nothing is done to the beer after the natural fermentation process with one exception. S&N brewed all their beer at "high gravity" which meant that the mix of ingredients and water, once fermented out, yielded an ale of around 14-15% alcohol, which was the maximum tolerated by the yeast. It was then matured and "cut" before packaging. "Cut" meant adding liquor (water) to bring it down to an OG of circa 1044 (4.4% Alcohol). Cask conditioned was then pumped into 22 gallon casks as opposed to kegs (11 gallons). And it was shipped to the Diggers just like that. Everything else was down to how it was stored and served. Bill Farmer used to store it for a minimum of 48 hours after delivery and he used to break the seal on the next-day supply, the night before to aerate the beer. The delivery system was a gravity pump which pressurised the cask using air rather than CO2, That's what gave it the frothy creamy texture. There was an overflow return which used to send excess beer to a return barrel that could be drawn from. Nearly every barrel was emptied within a day of it being opened. Cask only had a shelf life of circa 48 hours. Everything was cleaned meticulously every day.

 

So, no secret sauce or pipes, or additives or recipe. Just good management of a good product. I know this because I used to talk to the draymen who delivered as well as knowing some of the staff in the pub

 

For what  it's worth the exact same product was delivered to other bars who of course sold it as Cask Conditioned McEwans 80/-. Also the same product could have caramel added at the bewery and became McEwans No. 3, had more liquor added and was McEwans 70/-, went through high pressure osmosis and cleared and was (is!) McEwans Export and had even more liquor added and became Tartan Special! I could go on. But none was close to Diggers Heavy!!!!!

[Dawnrazor]

7 minutes ago, Greenbank2 said:

I worked for S&N in the '80's and lived in Polwarth in the 70's and 80's.

 

Diggers Heavy was simply cask conditioned McEwans 80/-. Nothing special done to it and certainly nothing added. A few things made it what it was in The Diggers. Cask Conditioned means that absolutely nothing is done to the beer after the natural fermentation process with one exception. S&N brewed all their beer at "high gravity" which meant that the mix of ingredients and water, once fermented out, yielded an ale of around 14-15% alcohol, which was the maximum tolerated by the yeast. It was then matured and "cut" before packaging. "Cut" meant adding liquor (water) to bring it down to an OG of circa 1044 (4.4% Alcohol). Cask conditioned was then pumped into 22 gallon casks as opposed to kegs (11 gallons). And it was shipped to the Diggers just like that. Everything else was down to how it was stored and served. Bill Farmer used to store it for a minimum of 48 hours after delivery and he used to break the seal on the next-day supply, the night before to aerate the beer. The delivery system was a gravity pump which pressurised the cask using air rather than CO2, That's what gave it the frothy creamy texture. There was an overflow return which used to send excess beer to a return barrel that could be drawn from. Nearly every barrel was emptied within a day of it being opened. Cask only had a shelf life of circa 48 hours. Everything was cleaned meticulously every day.

 

So, no secret sauce or pipes, or additives or recipe. Just good management of a good product. I know this because I used to talk to the draymen who delivered as well as knowing some of the staff in the pub

 

For what  it's worth the exact same product was delivered to other bars who of course sold it as Cask Conditioned McEwans 80/-. Also the same product could have caramel added at the bewery and became McEwans No. 3, had more liquor added and was McEwans 70/-, went through high pressure osmosis and cleared and was (is!) McEwans Export and had even more liquor added and became Tartan Special! I could go on. But none was close to Diggers Heavy!!!!!

Fascinating 👍👍

I also heard that a staggering % of the McEwans 80/- was sold in Diggers, something like 75% of all sales????

[Debut 4]

On 01/10/2020 at 22:32, Lee_Mellon said:

Ah, the Diggers in the 70s - the best pint of Heavy in Edinburgh at the time. 

 

- Saturday AM when Hearts were at home, into the Diggers at 11, several pints downed, out at 2:45 for the game. Win, lose or draw (mostly lose in those days😒), rush back to the Diggers for the doors opening at 5 to be confronted by a sea of pre-poured pints.

 

- Wee Davy (sp) insulting anybody whose order deviated from Heavy.

 

- Shagger patrolling the premises.

 

- High stakes doms in the back room,.

 

- And Bill Farmer presiding over it all, driving the till and pointing out to the staff punters waiting to be served.

 

 Towards the end of the decade I remember thinking the place was changing, especially when I heard a woman ask for “a half pint of Diggers Heavy please.” Still kept going though...

 

 

My Dad was good friends with Willie Farmer.  He ran a respectable pub. Any sign of bother, it was one chance and you were out. Never to be let back in.  
 

Im going way way back. A lot of my family have frequented The Diggers over the decades. Not so much now though.  
 

My Dad used to brag about being the best dominoes player in there along with his best mate at doubles😂.   Men from pubs all around Edinburgh came to the Diggers to take them on, apparently. 👀😂.  

[Morgan]

4 hours ago, Greenbank2 said:

I worked for S&N in the '80's and lived in Polwarth in the 70's and 80's.

 

Diggers Heavy was simply cask conditioned McEwans 80/-. Nothing special done to it and certainly nothing added. A few things made it what it was in The Diggers. Cask Conditioned means that absolutely nothing is done to the beer after the natural fermentation process with one exception. S&N brewed all their beer at "high gravity" which meant that the mix of ingredients and water, once fermented out, yielded an ale of around 14-15% alcohol, which was the maximum tolerated by the yeast. It was then matured and "cut" before packaging. "Cut" meant adding liquor (water) to bring it down to an OG of circa 1044 (4.4% Alcohol). Cask conditioned was then pumped into 22 gallon casks as opposed to kegs (11 gallons). And it was shipped to the Diggers just like that. Everything else was down to how it was stored and served. Bill Farmer used to store it for a minimum of 48 hours after delivery and he used to break the seal on the next-day supply, the night before to aerate the beer. The delivery system was a gravity pump which pressurised the cask using air rather than CO2, That's what gave it the frothy creamy texture. There was an overflow return which used to send excess beer to a return barrel that could be drawn from. Nearly every barrel was emptied within a day of it being opened. Cask only had a shelf life of circa 48 hours. Everything was cleaned meticulously every day.

 

So, no secret sauce or pipes, or additives or recipe. Just good management of a good product. I know this because I used to talk to the draymen who delivered as well as knowing some of the staff in the pub

 

For what  it's worth the exact same product was delivered to other bars who of course sold it as Cask Conditioned McEwans 80/-. Also the same product could have caramel added at the bewery and became McEwans No. 3, had more liquor added and was McEwans 70/-, went through high pressure osmosis and cleared and was (is!) McEwans Export and had even more liquor added and became Tartan Special! I could go on. But none was close to Diggers Heavy!!!!!

What a great insight you’ve provided there.  👍

 

Fascinating, interesting and factual story.

 

 

[The Real Maroonblood]

2 minutes ago, Debut 4 said:

My Dad was good friends with Willie Farmer.  He ran a respectable pub. Any sign of bother, it was one chance and you were out. Never to be let back in.  
 

Im going way way back. A lot of my family have frequented The Diggers over the decades. Not so much now though.  
 

My Dad used to brag about being the best dominoes player in there along with his best mate at doubles😂.   Men from pubs all around Edinburgh came to the Diggers to take them on, apparently. 👀😂.  

Used to love playing dominoes there.

Cant remember the last time I actually played dominoes.

[Morgan]

1 minute ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

Used to love playing dominoes there.

Cant remember the last time I actually played dominoes.

When did you last play ‘pocket billiards’ though?

 

I did it today.

 

😜

[davemclaren]

First went to the Diggers in 1980/81. The 80/- was like nectar compared to the slops served by most other pubs at that time.
 

If you had the urge for a number 2 you had to ask the barman for the cludgie key. 🧐 

[Stuart Lyon]

14 hours ago, Greenbank2 said:

I worked for S&N in the '80's and lived in Polwarth in the 70's and 80's.

 

Diggers Heavy was simply cask conditioned McEwans 80/-. Nothing special done to it and certainly nothing added. A few things made it what it was in The Diggers. Cask Conditioned means that absolutely nothing is done to the beer after the natural fermentation process with one exception. S&N brewed all their beer at "high gravity" which meant that the mix of ingredients and water, once fermented out, yielded an ale of around 14-15% alcohol, which was the maximum tolerated by the yeast. It was then matured and "cut" before packaging. "Cut" meant adding liquor (water) to bring it down to an OG of circa 1044 (4.4% Alcohol). Cask conditioned was then pumped into 22 gallon casks as opposed to kegs (11 gallons). And it was shipped to the Diggers just like that. Everything else was down to how it was stored and served. Bill Farmer used to store it for a minimum of 48 hours after delivery and he used to break the seal on the next-day supply, the night before to aerate the beer. The delivery system was a gravity pump which pressurised the cask using air rather than CO2, That's what gave it the frothy creamy texture. There was an overflow return which used to send excess beer to a return barrel that could be drawn from. Nearly every barrel was emptied within a day of it being opened. Cask only had a shelf life of circa 48 hours. Everything was cleaned meticulously every day.

 

So, no secret sauce or pipes, or additives or recipe. Just good management of a good product. I know this because I used to talk to the draymen who delivered as well as knowing some of the staff in the pub

 

For what  it's worth the exact same product was delivered to other bars who of course sold it as Cask Conditioned McEwans 80/-. Also the same product could have caramel added at the bewery and became McEwans No. 3, had more liquor added and was McEwans 70/-, went through high pressure osmosis and cleared and was (is!) McEwans Export and had even more liquor added and became Tartan Special! I could go on. But none was close to Diggers Heavy!!!!!

I don't recollect McEwan's No3 but I do remember Younger's No3 a darker beer than the 80/- and a very nice pint.

 

The Doo'cot used to sell McEwan's 80/- ale who I worked there in the late 60s early 70s. The public bar beer came from 10 barrel tanks that's 360 gallons or 2880 pints and there were 2 of these tanks! The 80/- in the games room came from traditional barrels. The 80/- was every bit as good as the Diggers. What Stewart's Brewery call Digger's Heavy is nothing like the original.

[The Real Maroonblood]

10 hours ago, Morgan said:

When did you last play ‘pocket billiards’ though?

 

I did it today.

 

😜

Thinking of Miss Warwick.

[Morgan]

5 hours ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

Thinking of Miss Warwick.

But of course.

 

Don’t we all?  🤷🏿‍♂️

[The Real Maroonblood]

23 minutes ago, Morgan said:

But of course.

 

Don’t we all?  🤷🏿‍♂️

👍

[Pasquale for King]

On 02/10/2020 at 17:40, whodanny said:

Diggers used to serve the best pint of Caley 80bob anywhere. Think it's called Edinburgh 80 or Edinburgh Ale or some such now. Okay but not a patch on the old Caley 80. The diggers do serve an immaculate pint of Deuchars IPA now though, very different but still delicious. 

Yeah it’s called Edinburgh Castle now. 
 

[Pasquale for King]

13 hours ago, Stuart Lyon said:

I don't recollect McEwan's No3 but I do remember Younger's No3 a darker beer than the 80/- and a very nice pint.

 

The Doo'cot used to sell McEwan's 80/- ale who I worked there in the late 60s early 70s. The public bar beer came from 10 barrel tanks that's 360 gallons or 2880 pints and there were 2 of these tanks! The 80/- in the games room came from traditional barrels. The 80/- was every bit as good as the Diggers. What Stewart's Brewery call Digger's Heavy is nothing like the original.

Kev asked Stewart to make it but I don’t think they could get the same ingredients, one of the regulars used to work at Fountain Bridge and tells some great stories of making the beer. He actually tells folk not to drink the Stewart’s. It’s a good pint but obviously different.

[Pasquale for King]

20 hours ago, davemclaren said:

First went to the Diggers in 1980/81. The 80/- was like nectar compared to the slops served by most other pubs at that time.
 

If you had the urge for a number 2 you had to ask the barman for the cludgie key. 🧐 

Still the same door, it has a lock on it but who knows where the key is 😆. 

[Pasquale for King]

On 02/10/2020 at 17:56, Greenbank2 said:

I worked for S&N in the '80's and lived in Polwarth in the 70's and 80's.

 

Diggers Heavy was simply cask conditioned McEwans 80/-. Nothing special done to it and certainly nothing added. A few things made it what it was in The Diggers. Cask Conditioned means that absolutely nothing is done to the beer after the natural fermentation process with one exception. S&N brewed all their beer at "high gravity" which meant that the mix of ingredients and water, once fermented out, yielded an ale of around 14-15% alcohol, which was the maximum tolerated by the yeast. It was then matured and "cut" before packaging. "Cut" meant adding liquor (water) to bring it down to an OG of circa 1044 (4.4% Alcohol). Cask conditioned was then pumped into 22 gallon casks as opposed to kegs (11 gallons). And it was shipped to the Diggers just like that. Everything else was down to how it was stored and served. Bill Farmer used to store it for a minimum of 48 hours after delivery and he used to break the seal on the next-day supply, the night before to aerate the beer. The delivery system was a gravity pump which pressurised the cask using air rather than CO2, That's what gave it the frothy creamy texture. There was an overflow return which used to send excess beer to a return barrel that could be drawn from. Nearly every barrel was emptied within a day of it being opened. Cask only had a shelf life of circa 48 hours. Everything was cleaned meticulously every day.

 

So, no secret sauce or pipes, or additives or recipe. Just good management of a good product. I know this because I used to talk to the draymen who delivered as well as knowing some of the staff in the pub

 

For what  it's worth the exact same product was delivered to other bars who of course sold it as Cask Conditioned McEwans 80/-. Also the same product could have caramel added at the bewery and became McEwans No. 3, had more liquor added and was McEwans 70/-, went through high pressure osmosis and cleared and was (is!) McEwans Export and had even more liquor added and became Tartan Special! I could go on. But none was close to Diggers Heavy!!!!!

Brilliant post, just sent it to Kev at the Diggers for his info 👍🏽. 

[Pasquale for King]

23 hours ago, Debut 4 said:

My Dad was good friends with Willie Farmer.  He ran a respectable pub. Any sign of bother, it was one chance and you were out. Never to be let back in.  
 

Im going way way back. A lot of my family have frequented The Diggers over the decades. Not so much now though.  
 

My Dad used to brag about being the best dominoes player in there along with his best mate at doubles😂.   Men from pubs all around Edinburgh came to the Diggers to take them on, apparently. 👀😂.  

That’s the way it should be, behave or get out and don’t come back. 

[Pasquale for King]

23 hours ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

Used to love playing dominoes there.

Cant remember the last time I actually played dominoes.

Still have them and the tables to slip over snug table, there’s three guys that insist on playing doms on match days, which is a bit annoying. Unfortunately not allowed at the minute. 

[davemclaren]

6 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

Still the same door, it has a lock on it but who knows where the key is 😆. 

It had a huge block of wood as a keyring iirc. Not easy to lose. 😎

[The Real Maroonblood]

15 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

Still have them and the tables to slip over snug table, there’s three guys that insist on playing doms on match days, which is a bit annoying. Unfortunately not allowed at the minute. 

Good to hear that dominos are still getting played albeit not at the moment.

[Pasquale for King]

1 hour ago, davemclaren said:

It had a huge block of wood as a keyring iirc. Not easy to lose. 😎

I will look tomorrow 😆

[SpruceBringsteen]

Now I'm fully green carded up, I'm just waiting for Covid to bolt so I can get a pint. Hopefully Pasquale can confirm that my spicy and coke glass is still waiting on me. 

[whodanny]

10 hours ago, Pasquale for King said:

Yeah it’s called Edinburgh Castle now. 
 

That's the one. Does the Diggers sell that ? I can't remember if I've seen it,. One of my locals sold it for a while, but it didn't sell well and they got rid.

[Governor Tarkin]

11 hours ago, Pasquale for King said:

Yeah it’s called Edinburgh Castle now. 
 

 

The pint of Caley 80 in the Brass Monkey on Drummond Street was nectar a couple of years ago. Especially in the winter months when the cellar was that bit colder.

[Pasquale for King]

8 hours ago, SpruceBringsteen said:

Now I'm fully green carded up, I'm just waiting for Covid to bolt so I can get a pint. Hopefully Pasquale can confirm that my spicy and coke glass is still waiting on me. 

Yer sister smashed it 🙈

[Pasquale for King]

33 minutes ago, whodanny said:

That's the one. Does the Diggers sell that ? I can't remember if I've seen it,. One of my locals sold it for a while, but it didn't sell well and they got rid.

Yeah we have it on every day for a pound. 
 

 

Sorry just kidding we rarely have it on as the folks prefer paler ales, sacrelige. 

 

[Pasquale for King]

13 minutes ago, Governor Tarkin said:

 

The pint of Caley 80 in the Brass Monkey on Drummond Street was nectar a couple of years ago. Especially in the winter months when the cellar was that bit colder.

Not been in there for two year, great pub. 

[whodanny]

9 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

Yeah we have it on every day for a pound. 
 

 

Sorry just kidding we rarely have it on as the folks prefer paler ales, sacrelige. 

 

Getting harder to find decent heavier ales these days, I'm a bit sick of all the overly hoppy IPAs there seem to be, although Deuchars is a favourite.

[The Real Maroonblood]

9 minutes ago, whodanny said:

Getting harder to find decent heavier ales these days, I'm a bit sick of all the overly hoppy IPAs there seem to be, although Deuchars is a favourite.

I’m a real ale drinker and I agree.

My favourite is Landlord.

[whodanny]

16 minutes ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

I’m a real ale drinker and I agree.

My favourite is Landlord.

Was in the Border Hotel at Kirk Yetholm recently, had a lovely pint of Upland Ale from the Cheviot brewery. Malty and not too hoppy, really nice after a day on the hills, only 3.8 abv but bags of flavour. 

Might get some delivered...https://cheviotbrewery.bigcartel.com/product/mini-cask-upland-ale-5l-8-5-pint-mini-cask

[Debut 4]

12 hours ago, Pasquale for King said:

That’s the way it should be, behave or get out and don’t come back. 

Dad told me about a bloke who got barred for fighting and sneaked back into the snug bar some days later.  He got served by another member of staff and thought he was getting away with it.  Willie apparently always liked to patrol the pub now and again and he spotted the guy.

 

He let him finish up but told him to get out after it and not come back despite the guys protestations and apologies....no messing.

Edited October 4, 2020 by Debut 4

[davemclaren]

50 minutes ago, Pasquale for King said:

Yeah we have it on every day for a pound. 
 

 

Sorry just kidding we rarely have it on as the folks prefer paler ales, sacrelige. 

 

It’s an interesting development. When I was younger 80/- was my go to beer but since Deuchar’s re-emerged from history I always go for IPA type ales. 

[The Real Maroonblood]

13 minutes ago, whodanny said:

Was in the Border Hotel at Kirk Yetholm recently, had a lovely pint of Upland Ale from the Cheviot brewery. Malty and not too hoppy, really nice after a day on the hills, only 3.8 abv but bags of flavour. 

Might get some delivered...https://cheviotbrewery.bigcartel.com/product/mini-cask-upland-ale-5l-8-5-pint-mini-cask

That sounds good.

There are too much hoppy and blonde ones on the go.
Mind you I like blondes in the human form.😉

[Pasquale for King]

2 hours ago, whodanny said:

Getting harder to find decent heavier ales these days, I'm a bit sick of all the overly hoppy IPAs there seem to be, although Deuchars is a favourite.

Seems to be the way.

 

2 hours ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

I’m a real ale drinker and I agree.

My favourite is Landlord.

Got some venting just now, great beer. 

[Pasquale for King]

Is this wee John or Davy. 

[Dawnrazor]

3 hours ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

I’m a real ale drinker and I agree.

My favourite is Landlord.

Timothy Taylor Landlord?

[The Real Maroonblood]

3 minutes ago, Dawnrazor said:

Timothy Taylor Landlord?

👍