Pub Odyssey 15

Tuesday 12 April:  WHITE HORSE, HERTFORD (Chris Haden, Mike Horsman, Elvis Pile- welcome back Elvis- Bob Polydorou, Andrew Swift, John Westwood).

COMMENT:  probably the oldest pub yet visited, as the Fullers website says it goes back to the 14th century.  As all properly educated persons know, this was the century in which the Scots stuffed the English (Bannockburn 1314, the most important date in European history), and in which the Black Death reduced the population of the world by one-third (1348-50).  But in these dark days there was a bright side, they opened the White Horse.

Going inside the White Horse it does feel really old and not well suited for people over 5ft 10 inches. Not difficult to believe that our ancestors were shorter!  Andrew needed to watch his head, and although it's a shame that David Room couldn't make it the White Horse couldn't be described as ideal territory for him either.  Otherwise it was good, with nine real beers, decent food and friendly service though I nearly leapt to the low ceiling from a sitting start when the fire alarm went off as our food was being cooked!

Possibly the conversation was a shade vulgar.  There was a good deal about the sexual outlook of teenagers, particularly teenagers from Essex (some of us are spending too much time in front of reality TV) plus more information about the Crazy Sexy Club of Frankfurt than was probably good for us.  I saw a party of elderly people come into the pub for lunch and felt perhaps we should be toning the conversation down a bit; but when I went past them to get to the loo, I realised that at average age about 64 we were older than they were!

However, my big Pub Odyssey moment this week came when researching stuff about Charles Dickens and pubs (see  Pub Odyssey 14).  Imagine my delight when I saw in his novel "Martin Chuzzlewit" how Mrs Gamp, the drunken midwife, drank a pint of the "celebrated staggering ale, or Real Old Brighton Tipper, at supper".   The Thomas Tipper brewery of Sussex produced ale where if anyone drank three pints "may the powers that are above preserve him".  Sadly, the Tipper brewery closed in 1911.  Any relation Jeff?