This is Jon's personal "blog" - I work at an independent microbrewery (a small-scale, artisanal producer of “real ale” and other beery treats), based in the Furness area in Cumbria (or N. Lancs if you'd rather). Or a "Craft Brewer", if you like. We're known as "Stringers", or "Stringers Beer". I don't just make beer - I also sound-off in half-informed rants on a variety of subjects. Like here.
Boddington grists in 1901
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[image: A Boddington Strong Ale label with a coat of arms depicting a
barrel and two bees.]
Time to look at what went into these beers. Which, it turns ou...
Golden Pints 2025
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Happy new year everyone, and here are my Golden Pints of 2025. It’s been
another year in which I’ve drunk a lot of beer and been fortunate enough to
have...
Farewell to 2025 - a gentle look back
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It’s *New Years’ Eve*, and I’m painfully aware that I haven’t published an
end of year review. I have been working on one, but it’s been slow
progress, a...
Fuggled Virginia Cider of the Year
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Turning my attention away from beer for a moment to finish up my booze
review of 2025, we come to cider. Specifically, Virginia cider since that
is the m...
Golden Pints 2025
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*Golden Pint, texture like sun...*
Think I may have used that song to start a previous Golden Pints post, but
I saw The Stranglers for the first time in ...
What the idea of Christmas beers means to us now
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Christmas used to be when our worst instincts as beer geeks emerged. But
these days, choosing fancy beers is down the list of priorities. Back when
we we...
Your Essential Pub Etiquette Guide Guide
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Since the first Druid hung a hop bush out of his upstairs window – a
telltale sign for the medieval cognoscenti that human sacrifice was no
longer practice...
A Proper Pub Once More
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Years ago, we used to visit a pub at the far end of the Minories, fairly
near our flat. And I mean years ago - probably fifteen or so since we last
went...
How not to write about autism
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The National Autistic Society has a useful checklist called “How to talk
and write about autism“. Unfortunately it’s a bit hidden away on their
website. It...
Uncertain Times
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Purple haze
As befitting my approaching status as an Official Old Man, I remember the
Old Days here in Preston. 2013 to be exact, and it's longer ago tha...
A mutual path for water?
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It was a privilege to present in Whitstable, Kent, recently to the People’s
Commission on Water, whose report is released today. It relates to a topic
that...
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*Green Hop Season 2024*
This year we're celebrating the Green Hop season to its fullest, with two
events at our Taproom.
*Green Hop Launch*
*Save the...
Last night at the JT
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*Yesterday evening, I went to the Jerusalem Tavern. It was the pub's last
night.*
The operators, St Peter's Brewery, haven't renewed their long lease, an...
A final pint
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My last blog post was a bit of a downer. I’ll try to cheer up on this one.
I seem to have created a theme of chronicling end of pubs. The travails of
the...
A Tale Of Two Weekends
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The never ending tour of Manchester continues. With a lot of places either
still closed completely or not opening early in the week, it's easier to do
a ...
The Session: Where I'm/It's At.
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Well, it has been a while. Since there was a proper Session. Since I wrote
a thing on this blog. Glad to be prodded. I think about blogging often, but
the...
The Positively Unknown
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New book announcement! "The Positively Unknown: A Kid's Guide to the
Zymoglyphic Museum" is now available. Pick up a copy while you are
visiting the mu...
Letting go
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It is often difficult to accept defeat. Indeed, when one has been working
on something for a long time it can be almost impossible to actually make
that fi...
We are taking a break
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Dear Reader.
Due to various unforeseen circumstances, 'A Swift One' is taking a short
sabbatical. We apologise to all for the lack of content but we hope t...
Passive-aggressive hate mail
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Way back in 2001, my brother and I opened a specialist beer bar in London.
You can read more about it *here*.
The way we were doings things proved fairly n...
Caxton Inn / XX Inn, River Street
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Caxton Inn, River Street, Hulme, 1921. (c) Bob Potts [1]. The Caxton Inn
was a Carlton Brewery house that stood on the corner of River Street and
Welcomb S...
Brooklyn Comes To Dalston
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Brooklyn Brewery are on the road again, taking their 'Mash' concept out to
nine countries. This week, they've been in London, with events like a DIY
dinner...
Thomas Hardy's Ale Reborn
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This beauty arrived by post yesterday so I thought it was time to end my
silence.
The rights to the Thomas Hardy Ale name have now passed to a company in...
Recipe for
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Busy days, busy days. I had an hour in departures this week with no
wireless and a useless phone so my 150 e-mails per day couldn’t find me.
During my co...
His name is "Stay!"
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I'm lucky enough to get a call every so often from the Endress+Hauser
Corporation to make something out of their spare parts. They give me full
creative...
1 comment:
I'd rather go to the pub than try reading any situationist texts again.
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