On Monday night my grandson and I were on a mission of mercy. A British ex-pat, with a sweet tooth, had asked for some specific “lolly’s” to be taken back to Oz. We had been searching for Revels, which I was very familiar with, and Maoams, which I had never heard of. 
All we knew was that they could be obtained from Tesco’s. However, once we were in the Tesco store all became clear. Maoams are a range of sweets made by Haribo. I had seen them on the shelves but they are not typically my sort of confectionary, hence my ignorance. A very helpful young lady soon directed us to the correct shelves and we very quickly emptied the boxes of Revels and Maoams and they will soon be heading through the air to Australia. Unless, that is, my grandson gets peckish. In which case he may consume them all on his way home.
After making our successful purchases we started to head back home but decided that we would drop in The George Inn on Portsdown Hill. We were only going to have a pint but that inevitably turned into two. The “George” is a pub which my wife and I used to frequent on a fairly regular basis but I had not been in for probably ten to fifteen years. The decor has changed, not unexpectedly, and it is a warm and inviting environment to drink in. I am a beer man so I noted that they were serving Old Speckled Hen, one of my favourites, and soon had a pint sitting in front of me. My grandson is a modern cider drinker who normally drinks Magners back home but had to settle for Thatcher’s. We later found out that he thought he was drinking Magners but had in fact misheard the barmaid. Never mind he liked it enough to go back for a second pint a short while later. Although I had enjoyed my “Hen” I had become intrigued by some of the other labels on sale, namely the pump directly in front of me which bore the tag for Havant Brewery’s “Herd”.
Firstly I wasn’t aware that Havant had a brewery. Secondly, seeing other customers ordering it, I noticed the dark colour and the “rusty” head. I asked the barmaid about it but she was new and didn’t know anything about the beer type. So I asked one of the customers who seemed happy to get his gums round a pint. His description of each mouthful being different wasn’t very helpful and he didn’t really know if it was truly a “stout” or perhaps a “porter”. So the only solution to this confusing state of affairs was for me to have a pint for myself. Well I very soon understood my fellow drinkers confusion. There are many things going on in a pint of “Havant Herd”. Coffee and Chocolate flavours, sweet with a bitter edge, but an overall rich and smooth texture. Suffice for me to say that it is very moreish and gets my recommendation.
The “George” has another unusual brew on their shelves. It bears the label Jeremiah Weed with two varieties “Root Brew” and “Sour Mash Brew”. These will obviously have to be investigated on a future date perhaps while trying out the George’s food menu.
Watch this space !!!
WrAnTz 