Sudbury

Sudbury – The Brewery Tap

This visit dates back to August 2020 to the Good Beer Guide listed pub The Brewery Tap in Sudbury.

Nathan was relieved to see that the bar billiards table was out of action, as he didn’t have his cue and he’s apparently out of form. I’ve rarely seen him in form, but there we go.

It’s a sizeable pub, although it was nearly entirely empty when we visited on a Saturday afternoon.

The community weren’t in the pub when we were there, but there was still a sense that this was a community-led pub, albeit welcoming to all. The landlord was helpful and tolerant that one of our group ordered some cheap lager, with table service being offered due to the current health situation. Everything felt clean and safe, so was well-managed. There are usually board games, books and the like to further amuse customers, although these had been temporarily removed for cleanliness reasons.

This is a Mauldons tied pub, apparently the oldest brewery in Suffolk. They had four beers from the brewery on, the Mole Trap, the Silver Adder, the Suffolk Pride and what I consider to be their best known, the Black Adder. That’s the one that I went for and it was well-kept, at the appropriate temperature and had a suitably rich taste. It’s not as full-bodied as some stouts, but it’s slightly bitter and rather drinkable. And it’s also reasonably well distributed, I had one at the JD Wetherspoon operated Ledger Building in London a few weeks ago. Given the limitations on trade that existed when we visited, having four real ales was a real effort and they also have mini beer festivals here during the year.

I can’t remember whether Liam or Ross were trying to play with the dog (I don’t know the name, but someone on a review is saying it’s called Silver) here, but this is one beautiful border collie. He kept us amused throughout the visit and we did think about whether we could trade Ross for the dog, but we decided we’d better not ask. He was also immaculately behaved (the dog, not Ross), poking his head out of the window to see other people and dogs go by. Every pub should have a border collie….

I’m pleased to see that the pub has been relisted in the 2021 Good Beer Guide, all very much deserved.