The days are lengthening and the air is warming up, so while it’s still not totally shirtsleeves weather, going to the pub has taken on another dimension. The brewery and pub sector is moving on at a quickening pace with a quiet confidence that
has put optimism right on the bar top.
There are people who’ll moan about 29 pubs a week closing – or whatever figure they dredge up this month – but they’ll never tell you about the new openings, the refurbishments, the railway arches being pressed into service, or the heady choice of beer now available.
Last month we heard from pub singer/songwriter Simma, who had achieved a lifetime’s ambition of playing on stage at Newcastle City Hall with the legendary Lindisfarne. Ambitions are strange beasts; they can sometimes be completely unattainable but more often tend towards the fairly ordinary. Then, when it’s achieved you invent another one....
