Half of all the world's bluebells are in the UK. I can't imagine living in a country where the woods don't turn into this every spring.

🧵 New course I’m teaching this fall: Football, Fußball, Fútbol: Modern European History through Soccer. 28 sessions, 4 books, 4 films. Here’s the full syllabus as a thread. Comments welcome.

Utopian experimental pils CF302 wow

A new beer from @teamutopian.bsky.social for me. Their experimental pils and wow! Certainly not a traditional pils - hoppy, crisp and really easy drinking, dangerously so. Will be buying more of this! #bskybeer

Gloucester docks and the National Waterways Museum are worth seeing.

Over the next few months we'll be:

- Publishing our Top 100 Bars in Europe 2026 🌍
- Unveiling a new function to browse bars by style/category 📖
- Publishing an e-book about our travels and memories 📚
- Writing up 120 currently outstanding bar profiles ✍️

Exciting times ahead. Watch this space!

Do you know anyone who would enjoy bar reviews, writing, maps and all sorts of pub, bar, beer & travel related goodies?

Please give us a share among your mates and carry us over to 1000+ followers 🙏😀

Now onto the Rock, Brewhouse pilsner and a ghost sign! #bskybeer

Left handed giant Sky Above, Pirie's bar #bskybeer

Pilsner Urquell on tap in the Red Deer, Horsham. #bskybeer

Want to play a Christ Simulator? There’s a new video game called ‘I Am Jesus Christ’. But I’ve got way better titles for it than that. What’s yours? (Get more golden punnery like this and all my newsletters at my 5ubstack, BetterThanX.co.uk)

It's a good beer. We'll have to try their bar in Exeter at some point.

Utopian Sumave Pilsner

Tonight's beer of the day is Sumave Pilsner from @teamutopian.bsky.social. An easy drinking beer especially for the ABV. Quite a distinct bitter aftertaste, in a good way. #bskybeer

Okell's smoked porter

An Okell's smoked porter from the Isle of Man tonight. Smokiness comes through in the aftertaste. #bskybeer

A cartoon drawing of a man and a women in dressing gowns, looking out of their bedroom window. The man says 'It doesn't look like the mole traps worked'. On the lawn outside are many moleholes, arranged to spell the words 'F*** YOU'.

A very busy day in a very week! Two nice things to finish.

(1) a cartoon that sets me off every time, I don't know why

Clayton McNamara's Drinking Emporium, Riga 🇱🇻 1st visit. Silly name aside, this is a comic/sci-fi bar which will be heaven for any fans. Arcade machines, collectibles, it reminds me of the long gone Fab Café in Leeds. Prices are Ok given the location. 🪄 🚀 👽🍻👍

Starogod, Riga 🇱🇻 1st visit. Institution. Old school brewpub, faux German style. 5 styles. Their lager is very accomplished. Surprised! A Czech wouldn't tell the difference. Malted barley grains to snack on. Hip hop soundtrack not exactly striking the right tone for a quiet Tuesday PM opening👍🍻

Aleponija, Riga 🇱🇻 1st visit. Ok, think I've finally cracked into something here after much digging. No signage outside. Inside, very atmospheric wooden interior and portraiture with Latvian beers. Friendly crowd, fair prices. An essential stop-off. 🍻👍

Möku, Riga 🇱🇻 1st visit. Ok, starting to dig into the subculture a little. Permafrost more like. These guys set up the first bar in Tartu, Estonia. This is a nice spot, set off the street. They could have more lounge furniture and fewer high tables. Fair prices that make a mockery of old town👍🍻

Vinilbars, Riga 🇱🇻 1st visit. On the west bank in Kancielma district known for wooden houses but it should also be known for traffic. Beer from Prusaks in Jūrmala. Vinil=Vinyl and there's a wall of records curated by the bartender. Fair prices and a range of hot snacks too. Go later on than I did👍🍻

Alus Rūme Trofeja, Riga 🇱🇻 1st visit. Nicest spot so far. A really pubby interior of wooden frames, board games and 7 tap beers from Trofeja brewery. Their garden looks good too. The compact interior does a lot to encourage a cosy, social and convivial feel. A clear standout. 🍻👍

Labietis Taproom, Riga 🇱🇻 1st visit. Set in a complex of converted industrial buildings. The outdoor areas will blend into one another nicely in summer. Inside is pretty though, hops, wood and warm hues livening up distressed greige walls. Herbal amber ale with a thyme aftertaste is a delight! 🍺👍

Westward Ho! Sunset

And a bit later it had all gone a bit red!

Westward Ho! Sunset

Another wonderful sunset in Westward Ho!

A fair summary. Being touristy doesn't necessarily mean bad, although unfortunately it usually does.

The Edgar Wallace, London 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 1st visit. Extraordinary interior which makes the horrible cream leather seats a baffling aberration. Friendly and social atmosphere that reminds me of Sutton Arms, but even more central. Central prices sadly too. Still, it's a big standout! 🍻👍

Drei Kannen, Ulm 🇩🇪 1st visit. Historical brewery, now defunct. Beer brewed by Gold-Ochsen north of the city centre. Lack of bar area and minimal social seating counts against it but it is a really interesting venue in other ways and has nice features. Spezial is tasty. Ok for lunch or to kill time👍🍻

Ulmer's Bierakademie, Ulm 🇩🇪 1st visit. Proper kneipe time now 🚬 Ulm lost to Ingolstadt ⚽, fans now piling in to drown their sorrows.

6 taps, mainstream really, but a supposedly extensive bottle selection of different styles.

The old cellar type frontage was much better than Sky Sports 🤢🍻

Too good or too *big*?

#BskyBeer

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