Category Archives: keg

Cloudwater? I’m not Bitter!

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I read Boak and Bailey’s post and all the erudite comments yesterday about Cloudwater’s decision to no longer supply their excellent ales in cask and felt quite? Er …  I’m not sure what I initially felt, actually?

I’ve followed Cloudwater’s progress from a distance, and I’ve enjoyed supping their beers, wherever I’ve encountered them, cask and keg. Which do I prefer? Both, depends on time and place. If I’m out for a pint or four then cask wins hands down every time. That’s just personal choice, based on price, enjoyability and quaffability. I can’t visit four or five bars and have a pint of, usually, 5% ++ beers at £6.00 ++ a pint, in each one without ending up pissed and broke. I can of course enjoy sitting with a half or two of excellent keg beer, having a pleasant conversation for an hour or so, leave it at that, and keep everyone happy.

I went into one local establishment the week before Christmas to be met with the distinctive, yet quite small, Cloudwater pump clip. After peering through the strongest part of my varifocals, I was able to discern the particular brew and order a pint of cask Cloudwater Bitter. Surprisingly, the manager, who was sat at the bar next to me said, ‘You’ll probably prefer that one.’ As he pointed to a cask variety of another progressive brewers excellent ales. Now I very much like this other progressive brewers beers, but I like Cloudwater better, particularly because you don’t see it as often as I always thought it should be seen in the West Yorkshire Metropolis. Since they first started brewing, I’ve always thought Cloudwater’s cask ales were often a particularly refreshing twist on cask beer, at the very edge of modern brewing.

We exchanged views regarding the merits of both brewers and although said manager accepted that Cloudwater were an acclaimed brewer the conversation ended with, ‘Well I’ve  tried all of them Rich and I’m just telling you what I know.’

Now we could discuss the merits of two different brewers all day and what I think, might be nothing like anothers view’s, it’s a personal thing is taste, and long may that stay. Thing was, and it really surprised me, the guy was right. The other progressive brewers beer was infinitely more superior, in every department!

My immediate reaction was to ask, ‘How long have you had this on?’ I needn’t have because there were none of the flavours of off beer, or beer that had been hanging around on the bar too long. My own observations – it wasn’t on the afternoon before, and the managers reply, ‘Only put it on last night,’ confirmed this.

I was a bit dumbfounded at this point. Cloudwater Bitter, yet no vibrance, no harmony, just all a bit dull and disappointing. It bothers me not the beer wasn’t bright. Basically, nothing wrong with it, just not up to the usual expected quality. Now I don’t know what had gone wrong here, although the establishment in question is not a GBG pub, it consistently turns out well above average pints of cask ales, and keg beers. Even at £4 a pint, might have been £4.50, an easy drinking, below 5% ABV beer like this would fly out.

What I do know is that if Cloudwater’s decision to ditch cask ales means I don’t get any more of their beer like this one then bring it on. After all it’s their brewery, not mine, and they do actually say in the post on their site, ‘Cask beer should take pride of place in every bar and pub’.

Will I be drinking Cloudwater keg beers and bottled beers? Probably, and occasionally, just nowhere like as often as I have been drinking them on cask. But, unless they immediately follow this up with the release of Cloudwater DIPA v666, their decision is not going to worry me.

Flogging a Dead Pony?

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The Brewdog #Collabfest2016 seems to be what a lot of people are talking about right now. Starting today, Friday 21st October, through until Sunday 23rd October. It’s the fourth year now for #Collabfest2016 and they’ve got twenty seven different beers, all brewed in collaboration with a brewer local to each of their bars. There’s some impressive alliances going on and if the North Brewing Sour-bru collaboration I drank at IndyMan is anything to go by, everyone ought to be getting a bit excited. Quite a lot of people are actually, I’ve got a mate going down to London for the weekend, on the premise he should be able to sample all twenty seven beers by visiting each of the capitals Brewdog bars? Sounds a promising venture to me.

What’s that? Which Brewdogs am I going to? Errr … I’m not, I’m flying out to Malta with a list of things to do including a visit to an old friend of my parents to see if he’s still alive or not? You have to do these things when your Mum and Dad get old because they haven’t been able to get insurance for the old man to fly for a good ten years now, they don’t do technology either. I’ve got my fingers crossed that when I get back to San Pawl il-Bahar that Guido will be alive and kicking, and still rabidly following Arsenal. Don’t worry about me though, I’ve got a bit of beery exploration planned, including a trip to Gozo.

The #Collabfest2016 thing got me thinking about Brewdog and how they’ve, perhaps not dropped off the radar, so much as been a bit quiet for a while. Unless you live in York where their latest bar seems to be taking an age to open, and is beset with myriad problems. Come on York do you want it or not?

Apart from the usual same old, same old, this and that, yawn, yawn Elvis. The last Brewdog thing which really made my ears prick up was the summer release of live Dead Pony Club. Only thing is, it sort of fell flat in the water, and that’s the last I’ve really heard of it.

As soon as the opportunity presented, I instantly went out and tried it at The White Cloth Hall  branch of the Ellon brewer. I mean it had to be good didn’t it? Even the authority that is Pete Brown says it’s good on the BrewDog Blogsite. He would say it’s good wouldn’t he, I mean, they’d be paying him to say so, wouldn’t they. Having said that, I don’t think he would say it was good just for the moneys sake, would he?

So what’s this live DPC like then? A bit lively, it took a few pours and a while to settle in the glass. There’s a nice head on it at first, which quickly dissipates after a few sips. It is definitely less carbonated and the mouth feel is much smoother and silkier than the original version. It also felt slightly warmer than the standard BrewDog dispense temperature. The bar man confirmed this, and told me it needed to be kept warmer so the live yeast could work and maintain the condition in the keg. Obviously, in this case the beer is contained in a Key-keg. He told me that they hadn’t experienced any problems with it from the outset and that it had been selling well.

The biggest difference I perceived is the live version isn’t as much ‘in your face’ as the original. It’s just not as vibrant. When I drink DPC I always get the feeling I’ve been clobbered by the hoppy brother of the orange Tango man. How else do they get something so hop forward in such a low ABV beer? Anyway, the invisible, to the naked eye, little hop man doesn’t run up from behind and whack you with the live DPC, it’s more of a gentle tickle.

Seriously, it’s DPC but different, not quite as edgy. Again the helpful barman made an explanation, saying that the lack of carbonation meant the hoppyness was not as coruscating. I’m not sure about this one. I hear the other end of the argument from stuck in the mud real ale connoisseurs.

One thing I really did like was being able to submit an NBSS score through CAMRA’s Whatpub. I wonder when we will get the first BrewDog pub in the GBG? Yeah, I know, over someone’s dead body. Maybe that’s what it really will take to change the die hard CAMRA members mentality?

The only other point to strike me was the appearance. Although the live DPC is not murky, it’s not bright neither. Hazy, yes, but nowhere near clear. I guess that means the ‘looks like diahroea – gives you the shits’ brigade, will write it off straight away, without ever trying it.

Overall verdict. A pleasant drink, but I’m not entirely sure why they’ve bothered, unless it’s the start of something bigger? If I’m honest, at the end of the day, I don’t think live DPC is the game changer it might have been. For a start, those that enjoy this style of beer aren’t really bothered whether their beer is live cask, dead or partially resuscitated, so long as it tastes good. On the other hand the die hard real ale drinkers aren’t going to be tempted into a BrewDog bar because they have some ale, that in their blinkered opinion, might just be real ale. And then again, it might not, so they don’t go in and they don’t try it and the CAMRA Revitalisation project is all a bent sham. I’m sorry, but you’ll never change some people. Me, I prefer the original fizzy version of DPC which in my opinion is a very pleasant modern session beer. I’m glad I went and tried the live version, thought about it and made my own mind up, and No! BrewDog aren’t paying me for this neither.

The Cats Pyjamas, Headingley

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CPJs logo

I was sent an invitation, via Twitter message, to visit this place when it first opened. Sometime in late 2015, I think? I usually don’t rise to that sort of thing, unless it’s a one off event, so I waited until now (Aug 2016) to try it out.

I’ve read lots of good things about The Cat’s Pyjamas, some of which I found to be accurate, some not so. The big myth that needs to be dispelled is that The Cat’s PJs is NOT the Headingley version of Bundobust!

Those of you who have been will know that Bundobust is excellent, a beer bar that does food, excellent food and excellent beer, but you can walk in and just have a beer. The food is ancillary to the main function and comes presented in little pots, snack size essentially. Okay, you can pig out and get four or five pots between two and make an acceptable meal out of it, but it’s NOT a restaurant.

On the other hand, The Cat’s PJs is a restaurant that serves excellent beer, but it’s not a drinking place and the alcohol is ancillary to the meal, hence the comparison with Bundobust must end and can go no further.

The first thing we were asked on a Thursday at 5.30pm was, ‘have you booked?’ No, but we were pleasantly informed we could have a table until 7.00pm. This was echoed to yet more customers and it was clear that come seven o’clock the entire place was booked out, which bodes well. NB no students in town in August neither, or very few anyway.

CPJs interior

The place is exactly what you would expect an Indian styled gaff doing craft beer (essentially their words, not mine) to be like. The chairs must be the heaviest in Leeds. A bit of a design flaw there, my old Mum couldn’t have moved one on her own. There are two rooms, I favoured the downstairs, upstairs looked a bit like it was a converted first floor room in an ex retail unit, nicely done out, but uniformly rectangular. The comfort blanket that is the bar is on the ground floor and you could see directly into the kitchens where cleanliness and efficiency appeared to be of the highest order. The upstairs Lavs, complete with Bollywood wallpaper, were spot on too.

I’ll start with the beer NMBCo. Mango Lassi, Heathen IPA 7.2%. The nicest beer I drank all day and I visited some good places and had some good beers too that day, I tell you. Tropically fruity, dry and slightly sweet at the same time, not cheap, £3.10 for one half, unfined and unfiltered, worth every penny though and eked out with copious amounts of Corporation pop, it went well with the food. Mrs C’s Camden Hells was a shade cheaper at £2.90/half. The beer range was quite interesting, both bottles and the draught list. No cask ales but some splendid key keg stuff, as well as a cider and Kingfisher. The value conscious will note from the pic below that as well as being all the money, there was a hefty premium on a half pint. My tip to get around this would be to have an advance visit to a small Tavern in the same Town that sits at the end of the Arndale centre’s Arcade and Markets equally impressive beers at more reasonable prices.

CPJs Tap list

The food was however, tremendous. Indian inspired, as opposed to the Pakistani and Bengali fare served up in most W.Yorks curry houses. The Kolkata Chaat starter was almost nearly as good as Bundobust’s, but you did get more of it. Sorry, I did say I wouldn’t, didn’t I? The Tandoori prawn starter sublime. Rogan Josh and Kheema Matar were like you would make at home. Now I’m not Asian, but I do a lot of Asian inspired home cooking, to traditional family recipes that friends have given me over the years and I can tell you that this is The Dogs … The real deal … The Cat’s Pyjamas in fact. I had to look it up, but that’s what it means.

One Pulao rice and an outstandingly fluffy Garlic Nan completed the beers, two starters and mains and came to 5p shy of £40. Service was excellent, quick and friendly and, ‘No, I couldn’t manage a pudding mate.’ If you subtract the six quids worth of ale from the total, it came to around seventeen pounds each. For the quality of the food we ate, I thought that represented excellent value, on top of which I gladly left the customary staff 10%.

I know I said I wouldn’t mention Bundobust again, but the above comments on beer prices versus food echo loudly all the way down Woodhouse Lane into the city centre.

Verdict: I’ll definitely be going again. The food is sheer authentic quality. You can have a good ale with it if you’re feeling flush. Make sure you book when you go. I’m in love with their logo too.

CPJs front

The Brew House Bradford

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Beer house entrance

After two stops in The Record Café plus a couple of other really good places, it was clear that anywhere else we visited would have to be at the top of their game to excel or even equalise.

Maybe if we had gone in The Beer House first, it would have felt better? It didn’t just do it for me. A big open space, more a vertical drinking establishment than the more intimate bars we had already visited. Quite nicely done out, with geometrically patterned carpets and similar parquet block flooring. Five hand pumps on the bar, but only four in use. Pennine Brewing Deuce didn’t really do it for me. Mrs C tried the Adnams Juniper Saison, it’s part of their Jack Brand attempt to jump on the so called craft beer band wagon. I’m toying with preferring to term it post modernist brewing rather than craft. Anyway, it’s not a Saison, is it? Well it doesn’t taste like one. More like a watered down, just a slightly sour, version of a Saison that might appeal to a broader audience and sell more beer. I’ll wager it’s never seen a wild yeast? Unfortunately this is exactly what I thought of The Beer House, an attempt to cash in on something really good. Correct me if I’m wrong but I bet this place came on the scene after The Sparrow and The Record Café? At this juncture, I should point out, that the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Beer house bartenders

The theme continued, a chalk board proclaiming the available keg lines was little more than a collection of what now are mainstream mass produced products which are nothing special. Having said that the ‘what’s coming’ ales looked a lot more interesting than what they had on, including an Oakham ales ale. In the end Slightly Foxed IPA, saved the day and I enjoyed a well presented pint in good condition, as were all the ales I sampled. I’m not entirely sure which Slightly Foxed brew I had, because it didn’t say Bengal Fox on the clip, just IPA?

Beer house bogs

I’m not entirely sure whether the massive holes at the side of the urinals were caused by vandalism or some tyro trying to fix a leak, either way, I know a decent plasterer who will fix them for you, just give me a call.

Overall verdict – felt like a chain pub trying to cash in on the success of other much higher quality joints, and failing to succeed. Will suit people following a trend who do not actually know what they are meant to be following.

The Record Café, Bradford.

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Record cafe logo

Next up on our Saturday afternoon tour of Bradford was The Record Café and If I’m honest, I was a bit sceptical, a record shop, with beer? Doesn’t just sound right does it? One thing I was certain about, there was no way we’d find anywhere as good as The Sparrow was there?

Like, yeah, The Record Café. Summing it up in Leeds terms, it’s a sort of North bar that’s collided with Crash Records  and rolled into Friends of Ham. A sort of café beer bar, esoteric vinyl shop and Jamonarium, all in one. Guess what, it works and it’s brilliant.

REcord cafe records

If you like vinyl then go upstairs into the separate mezzanine floor where there is an esoteric selection of vinyl. Not cheap mind £24.99 for Rumours, one of the best selling albums of all time, but where else could you find an almost mint uncirculated copy these days?

If you like cured meat then there’s salamis and Jamon dangling behind the bar and a full leg of cured Spanish pork that you can’t see behind the counter, mounted on one of those special turny Jamon holder thingys that you see in Spain.

REcord jamon

If you like beer, then wow! Six Keg, four cask, loads of bottles, Gins, Whiskeys, everything closely linked to the Q word – Quality.

Keith Wildman opened The Record Café in November 2014. His sort of blueprint was to open a bar with good cask ales but he started to think that if he’s going to have cask ales then why not get some quality keg beers in as well. He sort of thought that he liked records too, oh and Charcuterie, so there had best be a bit of that too

Chatting to Keith, it was clear that he thinks the same as I do. Although the pub was CAMRA pub of the season in Autumn 2015, Keith isn’t over precious about what constitutes good beer, so long as it is good beer and doesn’t get hung up on the real ale or nothing notion.

Keith told me that he’s not here to please everyone. All he’s done is curated a selection of things he knows about. Things he is interested in and understands and can explain to you. If people don’t like what he’s done then that’s fine with Keith.

It’s obvious that people do like what Keith has done because it’s nicely busy on a quiet Saturday afternoon. There’s a real good feel to the place, with a real cross section of people. There were even some die hard real ale types sampling the cask ales at the bar and it’s clear that Keith’s heretic views haven’t put anyone off.

Record cafe Keith

Mr Keith Wildman pulling a pint of his fine cask ale

Keith thanked us for coming when we left. Two hours later we came back for another because, for my money, this is as good as it gets. When we returned Keith was sat at one of the tables outside chatting with a group of people which summed up the chillaxed atmosphere of the place.

The ale got top marks. I could have permed any 8 from 10, but settled on a Vocation Bread and Butter. Our resident Lager expert settled on a Berliner Pilsner and there was plenty to suit our little group. On the second visit I went with one of Mrs C’s favourites, NMBCo Eternal in key-keg.

The diversity of customers in The Record Café was second to none and the total quality ethos probably explained why it was much busier than a nearby larger, more traditional style pub converted from an ex-bank type place.

Verdict – A Record shop with a bar that does food (Keith’s words, not mine) that is totally out of sight. If there is better in Bradford, or indeed anywhere, then someone please tell me. It has gone straight into my current top ten.

Record cafe outside

I can’t believe North Bar is 19!

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19bdaysquareB

Seriously? North bar has been open in Leeds for n n n n n n nineteen years? Yes Paul Hardcastle, and last Friday I popped in to help what is probably the oldest and most original post modernist beer bar in the UK celebrate their birthday (that one will elicit plenty comments, then?). I’m using post modernist because I’ve gone off the term craft beer because it’s almost meaningless now. In any case, North bar is more than progressive keg beer types, there’s an ever changing range of decently presented cask beers on, including their very own North Prototype, originally democratically devised by customers and now brewed in their own brewery. It wouldn’t bother me if that’s all I had to drink for the rest of my life, it’s just a real solid everyday drinking beer, with something a bit more than the traditional pint. There is also an excellent range of global and particularly continental european (we probably need get used to this term now, as the distinction between the island(s) of the UK and the larger european land mass starts to become apparent). Don’t worry they will still send Belgian beers over to us. They will, won’t they?

Now when I say that North bar is one of my favourite bars, that’s not to say I’m in there all the time. However, if I am going into Leeds city centre on public transport, then it’s seldom that I don’t call in, even if it’s just for a half.

My favourite time to visit is Sunday lunch time when it’s usually quiet and you can sit down, read the paper or have quiet chat at the bar. Pop in at Friday tea time and you might even get a buckshee quarter of Wilson’s (of Crossgates) excellent growlers (that’s a pork pie where I come from and not a Demi-john you fill up with beer in a sort of off licence type place). I loved to sit at at one of the tables in the window, watching all the people go by on Upper Briggate. Hopefully they will get rid of those sofas and rearrange it so that it’s like that again one day? You can’t drink beer sat on a sofa, can you? Not without perching on the edge, which sort of defeats the object of having them in the first place. Capiche?

It wasn’t quiet on Birthday night when we called in and there was a proper party atmosphere thing happening. I didn’t manage to get one of the special Birthday brews, a 7% limited edition, individually numbered, tripel, brewed with pomelo fruit at North brewing. Probably because I didn’t even know about it. Would I have got one if I had known? Depends on how much it was. Would I have drunk it? Yes. Would I have saved the numbered bottle? Might have done but Mrs C would have binned it after a while. Would I have blogged about it? Definitely.

What I did have was a pint or two of Sputnik, one of their own house brews, a very drinkable 5% pale ale that I reckon had a quick glance at High Wire when they were devising it. The added attraction on birthday night was you could have a lucky dip and guess what? I won each time? Two free pints of Sputnik and a bottle of Fentiman’s G & T for Mrs C. Happy Birthday North bar and here’s to another 19!

It’s worth popping in over the next few weeks if you like USA beers as they have got a bit of a US beerfest promo on. That’s in all seven of the bars and pubs in the North chain too. I’m not entirely sure I’ll be plumping for the Brooklyn Hand & Seal at £30/750ml or Cascade brewery Apricot or Strawberry sour at £25/750ml, but the extensive and interesting bottle list has a few on at pocket money prices. There were also several US keg beers on, which were different to the usual Founders All day, and the like. I couldn’t manage to make a note of them though because the bus was coming. See you …

USbeerfest-2016-Converted

Acknowledgements to North Bar for the use of the promo images. I know I didn’t ask, but I’m sure you don’t mind!

Wapentake, 92 Kirkgate, Leeds, YORKSHIRE!

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Wapentake

A long, long time ago in Sheffield, I remember a pub called The Wapentake, aka The Wop, that used to be full of Heavy Metal types drinking out of plastic glasses and listening to what they, presumably, thought was music. If you were into that sort of thing, then it was a right of passage for anyone remotely appearing 18 to visit. Indeed many a long haired sixth former at my school bragged that they had been drinking in The Wop on a Saturday afternoon, when in reality they had only walked past it and peeked in whilst out shopping with their Mam.

I was interestingly surprised when a similar named establishment opened up on Kirkgate in Leeds so I went along with a group of friends. Their initial reaction was what? Where? Four rounds later, this turned into, do we have to go?

Now I read recently on another blog site that Stonch reckons there is nothing trendy in Yorkshire. Well, I will dispute that strongly, but who gives a Fat Rascal about whatever he thinks! Anyway, whether you think it’s trendy or not, I bet that you will agree with me that it is very good.

Having said all that, Kirkgate isn’t exactly the trendiest part of Leeds is it, or it wasn’t. I just wish that I had the foresight to buy a property down there about three or four years ago. You could pick a four storey shop up for less than £100K and then get a sizeable grant to do it up. And that’s what the cognoscenti have done, and now there are some really cool places down Leeds’ oldest street. Wapentake definitely being one of them.

Wapentake main bar

Downstairs bar

It’s difficult to put a finger on what Wapentake exactly is; a bar, a bakery, a café? Probably all of these and more. I’ll just say that it is a really friendly place that serves good beer, both cask real ale and more modern keg beer styles. It’s been open about six months now and I’ve called in a few times and it’s never quiet and it’s never over busy, it’s just like spot on. You won’t end up stood on your own like Nelly-no-mates neither because everyone talks to you, even The Oddfellows from next door who are an amazing inky bunch.

Wapentake Anton

Anton

It’s a bit like, but not, a French café and it’s even got elements of a decent NY Irish bar, so I asked Anton Welburn, who along with Emily Youell owns and runs the business, what their ethos was? Simple. Yorkshire! If I’m honest, I shouldn’t have had to ask because you’ve only got to look around and see that everything shouts louder than the Western terrace at Headingley – YORKSHIRE, YORKSHIRE, YORKSHIRE, YORKSHIRE!

Wapentake Emily

Emily

There’s four cask ales (always three from Yorkshire), Tea (Taylors of Harrogate, Yorkshire), Coffee (Coffechino, Leeds, Yorkshire). A lot of the spirits are from Yorkshire (Mason’s Gin and others) All the produce in the kitchen is sourced from? Yep, Yorkshire. I could go on but the piece de resistance is the fridge behind the bar containing nothing but cans and bottles from Yorkshire, Yorkshire, Yorkshire. Think Magic Rock, Great Heck, NMBCo. Brass Castle, Bad Seed, Roosters, Acorn, anyone, so long as they are from Gods own County.

Wapentake tap listAs well as the bottles and cask beers there are three keg lines, plus a range of lagers and cider to suit everyone. I won’t go into detail and I’ll just stick the tap list up instead so you can see what I think are pretty good prices for the city centre. In terms of beer quality, everything I have had has been spot on. They even tell you about any unfined ales before they serve you anything murky. Last time I was in I had a North Bar brewing Tropical, which very probably will be the only time you’ll ever see it in cask, as a special request made by Anton, just before they kegged the rest, and probably every other successive brew (note the pump clip in the pic above).

They do food as well. Full Yorkshire breakfast for £5.50. Snacks, light meals, sarnies, Yes, all locally sourced, and cooked in house along with their own bread and cakes which make it the only pub I can think of in town that is actually a bread and cake shop too? Apparently people do come in just for the bread which at £1.50 for a brown or white artisanal type loaf is good value.

As well as the single room bar there is also a second room upstairs and a nice yard cum smoking area at the back. Dogs are welcome and seem almost obligatory. Well behaved kids are allowed until early evening and there is plenty of stuff for them on the menu. In fact there is something for everyone at Wapentake and it’s the sort of place where you will see Fashionistas mixing with Gran with her coffee, Grandad with a pint, Grandkids with pop, burgers and free Wifi, comfortably sat enjoying themselves amongst Ladies who lunch, while serious punters prop up the bar, interrupted only by a foodie calling in for their daily bread. There’s even a Joanna, customers for the use of, so long as you can play it and can do requests.

Wapentake yard

Private yard

I chatted to a bloke at the bar who said his wife wouldn’t go in a pub unless the toilets were spot on. Well Wapentake’s two uni-sex toilets (with baby changing) are exemplary. Unlike some other nearby establishments, renowned for their beer, where Mrs C and the ladies in our circle will always go for ‘a quick wee’ anywhere else before they enter the premises. Which sort of brings us full circle, to the original Wapentake I remember as a teenager in Sheffield, which would be instantly closed down nowadays, it was so disgusting.

Wapentake upstairs

Upstairs room

Wapentake  (wŏp′ən-tāk) An old Northern English translation of the old Norse Vāpnatak or weapon-take, the act of taking and showing weapons to indicate assent, or vote by show of sword, spear or axe, at public assembly. Essentially a council which became a subdivision of the Viking influenced northern counties in England, corresponding roughly to the Hundred in the lesser shires.