Turning Point - Yates's, Blackpool & Caffrey's!!

I talk to plenty of beer drinkers in my line of work and almost without exception love every damn minute of those beery conversations, finding out the favourite beers, favourite breweries, discussing pubs and comparing hangovers!!

One subject I really love though refers to 'turning points', that time, sometimes that minute, when the real ale/craft beer journey began for us modern day beer drinkers. I'm not talking about our first sneaky taste of booze, that swig of cider down the park or that day dad bought us our first half of bitter... I'm talking about that time in our lives when we made the choice, turned left at the traffic lights instead of right and went off on our journey to here, to now.... to the Siren Tickle Monster 12% Triple IPA I devoured about an hour ago. How did we get here?

My 'Turning Point' was in a very famous place, it was in a well known pub.... who'd have thought it? Yates's in Blackpool I thank you, you turned me round, you sent me to here!!

Dublin

I always hated booze, I didn't like the taste, it took the edge off my character and made me sleepy!! I drank because the lads drank and I wanted to fit in. I occasionally had lime in my pint to make it taste nicer, but only when it was my round, I couldn't ask a mate for a bit of lime!! We once went on a stag-do to Dublin, a cracking trip, but in the first pub the order was 14 pints of Guinness and a bottle of Bud! Yes, the plain fizzy lager was mine and I didn't even like it!!

Grand National

The dawning day was back in 1999, a scorching hot day, and four of us (me, Deb and her mum and dad) jumped on a day-trip coach to Blackpool. It's a place I've always disliked, but it was only for the day..... we ended up at the Pleasure Beach and after a quick go on The Grand National we stopped off for an afternoon thirst quencher. My choice was a pint of Carling and part way down my first of the day, I gave in..... I could not drink a drop more of it and despaired at what lay ahead, what the hell could I have now, the lager was awful and I'd given in to the fact that I didn't like it after 15 years of trying!

We left the rollercoasters behind and walked north, heading back towards the town centre and inevitably wandered up to Yates's on the front. What the hell would I have? I loved a Strawberry Daiquiri but the small amount of Alpha Male in me made sure that was a well kept secret.... I wasn't going to become Barnsley's cocktail king even though I may have got away with it in Blackpool!!

I actually went up to the bar and asked for a pint of Carling Premier, the smoother lager option available back in those days. I didn't like it, but it was better than 'normal' fizzy lager and my reputation would not have been tarnished by any strawberry nonsense! "It's not on" was the reply from behind the bar and I felt the pressure beginning to build, the sweaty hot day wasn't helping as I scanned the bar for a not-to-be-seen alternative. It was then that a voice came to my eternally grateful rescue.... it was the father-in-law, Tommy. He suggested a pint of Caffrey's Irish Ale and I quickly grasped at his help and the creamy cold pint was pulled. I drank it, found it to be better than Carling and its creamy texture was a relief from the acidic, gassy fizz of the lagers I'd reluctantly been drinking for years. For the rest of the day I had very plain and standard ales and bitters and managed to survive with a spring in my step, perhaps a door was beginning to open.... perhaps it was time to change my ways.... thank god I did, thank god for Tommy and that pint of Caffrey's.

Saviour

.....and so it progressed, Copper Dragon Golden Pippin and Castle Rock Harvest Pale became supermarket favourites and the real ale journey trundled inevitably onwards, towards today, towards a Triple IPA hop monster that hit the spot about 15 years to the day since that pint of Caffrey's Irish Ale.   

Who'd have thought it, I have Yates's and a pint of nitro-keg creamy Irish Ale to thank. Do you know what, the next time I see it available in a pub, I'm having one, I'll raise a glass to Blackpool and my 'Turning Point'.

If you have a 'Turning Point' let us know.... @BeerCentralLtd #turningpoint

Cheers, You Fancy Another?

Sean
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