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Category: Good Beer Guide

Friday and Saturday : Plasterer’s Pizza and the Delights of Gorleston Pubs

This blog is getting very disjointed I know, that’s all of the staying in Norwich causing that…. Anyway, my Friday evening involved meandering along to the Plasterer’s Arms, one of my favourite pubs in Norwich. It was the Legstretchers social event that was kindly organised by Maria and I think 12 or so people were there. Despite running Legstretchers for four years and being an active walker (sort of), I must admit to having been to more socials than walks over the last year, I’ll try and correct that at some point.

On the food front, as that’s my favourite aspect, the pizzas were a little small, but were perfectly tasty and I was delighted to be given the extra slices that others didn’t want. I must have looked the hungriest. Again. All told a very lovely evening, especially seeing some people who I haven’t been able to catch up with for a while.

Then on the Saturday there was the excitement of a day in Gorleston with Nathan. At Norwich bus station, I accidentally commented to the bus driver about how expensive First Bus have become and I think that annoyed him, so I probably shouldn’t have passed on my wisdom that public transport fares are going out of control. The driver said that it was cheaper than a taxi, which I accept is true, but that is hardly setting the value for money bar particularly high. It was a busy service but we found seats, although we moved to the back seats when the bus got to Great Yarmouth, as unlike in the Inbetweeners, there was no-one to throw us off.

Several photos in this post are the ones that I took for Untappd, they’re not designed to be entirely representative of the beauty (or not) of the pub that we were in. This is the William Adams, operated by JD Wetherspoon, which was open the earliest for beer. I’ve visited this pub several times before, but never mentioned on this blog much else about it. It’s a relatively small pub for the chain, built on the site of a former chapel (and some graves were found when there was an archaeological dig) and is on one floor only, with the exception of the toilets.

The pub is named after a local hero, a lifesaver who managed to rescue 140 people from drowning, which is an exceptional amount given he wasn’t a lifeguard or member of the RNLI. Instead he worked as a swimming instructor on the beach and used that job to save anyone who was in trouble. He died in October 1913, aged just 49 and there is a now a road as well as this pub named after him, although I’m unsure which he’d be most pleased about. I’d like a pub named after me, or a railway station.

I had a quick look at the reviews, which are towards the higher end of the Wetherspoons scale (yes, it’s reached that point that I can judge that….) and one of my favourite themes came up:

“This [pub] one seems to be run by over zealous bouncers/thugs intent on squashing any fun out your evening by making sure groups of 35 to 45 year old ladies don’t laugh to loudly or have to leave the building?”

I think most people can imagine the back story here.

“S@#t place. No signs to say no kids after 9pm avoid at all costs.”

And this 1/5 review and although there are actually signs, are there many pubs that still welcome children in after 21:00? Nathan had a muffin thing, whilst I had already eaten, this is a reliable breakfast stop to be fair.

Next was Bar 1 and the staff member was friendly, apologising that it looked a bit of a state, but he explained a rugby team had just left. That’s a fair excuse for a slightly messy pub, but he was already cleaning it. It seemed a slightly odd name for a pub, but it’s well reviewed and seems to be popular in the local community, so that’s a win for everyone. Given it was only just midday, I was quite impressed at the amount of beer that the rugby team must have consumed.

The Timothy Taylor’s Landlord was perhaps a little past its best, but sufficiently drinkable for me not to worry about returning it. The glass did though have lipstick marks on it which definitely weren’t mine. Not ideal, but I liked the pub’s environment.

I’d say this is a decent pub for those wanting to watch sport and I liked the interaction from the staff member. The beer selection wasn’t particularly exciting, but the prices were reasonable.

Next was the New Entertainer, a quirky pub in numerous ways, including the shape and the main entrance which is at the rear of the building and leads straight out into a road. Not ideal after several pints. I wasn’t expecting much from this pub, but I very much liked it, it felt like one of those venues that you could easily make friends if new to an area. I went for the Fastolf Pale from Humpty Dumpty Brewery without much initial excitement, but this was very well-kept and had something of a depth of flavour. The pub is well reviewed on-line and although it perhaps felt initially like a local pub for locals it was all well managed, I’d certainly recommend it and they had three different real ales on.

Next was the Oddfellows Arms which was closed when we hadn’t expected it to be earlier in the day, so we returned later on. It took us a little while to work out how to get in, but it transpired that this is the back of the pub.

And this is the front of the pub.

This was perhaps the most modern of the pubs that we went to in terms of the beer options, this is the Camphillsner from Ampersand. Laid-back and friendly, I liked this venue. As an aside, I’m currently in Poland (Siedlce to be exact) and am on track to actually catch up with all my writing deficiencies this month. There will be a lot of time spent with my laptop in bars and cafes. What a time to be alive and all that stuff.

And a little bit of history, this is the oldest house in Gorleston, the medieval guildhall.

Next was the Feathers, a Craft Union pub, which has about as much craft beer in it as B&Q.

The service wasn’t what I would call overly welcoming, but it also wasn’t rude and in fairness it was busy, it’s a real community pub and there are low prices. Back on the Landlord from Timothy Taylor’s, it was well kept and tasted as it should, so no complaints there. The drinks options just aren’t very decadent for my liking, but it serves a purpose.

Next was the Dock Tavern and Nathan ensured that we were noticed by not being able to work out how to open the door. Actually, in fairness to Nathan (and I am very fair indeed) that’s the situation that I usually get myself into, so I have sympathy. Although that didn’t stop me doing an apologetic look at the locals to get some sympathy at the whole arrangement. The service at the bar was warm and engaging, with the Nog from Woodforde’s Brewery being well kept.

Nathan put this, the Short Blue, on our list of pubs to go to as a bit of a wild card, because it is well reviewed, but it isn’t known for its beers.

It was unfortunately a disappointment, the service wasn’t really there and the selection of real ales was limited to Woodforde’s Wherry. The beer was on the turn and if the pub had another ale I would have returned it, but as it was just drinkable, I persisted. The positive reviews appear to be for the food, but we weren’t there for that and it wasn’t available on the day of our visit anyway. But, we visited and gave it a chance, but it was more expensive than the other pubs and I can’t say I’ll be hurrying back.

With that it was time to walk back to the bus, past Mr Chi’s.

Beautifully kept exterior of the Subway.

Back on the bus, we were very excited to see Liam’s bridge as we drove by on the bus.

And there it is.

We had been tempted by the KFC in Gorleston because we’re into fine dining, but as the bus to Norwich turned up at that point, we decided to eat in Norwich. Subway was the location we picked, Nathan is a former regular here and I had a free six-inch sub, so win-win. Very delicious it was too.

Next it was Riley’s for pool and look at the delicious Guinness…. I like their careful pouring of the product in the appropriate glass.

After a strong start from Nathan, I caught up and we drew 4-4 before the lights went off at the table. Nathan insisted on playing in the dark and so he claimed the final frame even though it was nearly impossible to see. I didn’t say anything of course, I pretended he could have the victory, but I bet Ronnie O’Sullivan wouldn’t have counted frames he played in the dark.

A quick one in the Malt and Mardle, a wonderfully friendly venue and I’ve done an interview with them. A rather lovely IPA from Brew By Numbers, with the service being warm and conversational as usual. This micropub is well worth a visit, and indeed, I got them extra customers the previous evening when I kept recommending them.

The Artichoke was busy so we were forced to sit outside, with two women coming to ask if they could sit on the other end of the table. Then their two friends plonked themselves down between us, which equally annoyed Nathan and me (we get annoyed easily, sometimes by the same thing and also by bad beer), but we’re too laid-back to say anything or even look slightly annoyed.

I’ve been meaning to go to the Star Fish Bar for a while, as it’s located the rather excellent Leopard pub. It was all a bit generic and basic, although at slightly expensive prices. Nothing disastrous, but it’s way off the quality of Lucy’s, I now demand a butcher’s sausage and no generic rubbish.

Nathan won at bar billiards, I’ll give him that. We played this one in the light. He’s getting a lot better to be fair. Nathan only knew about 28 other customers in the King’s Head, so a lower number than normal. He’s very social.

Pickled eggs and beer, what a combination. Anyway, I thought that we were on top form on this expedition, full of exciting new ideas and the like, one of my favourite days out in a while. All really rather lovely.

June 10, 2022
Fleet – Prince Arthur

I’ve now completed all the Good Beer Guide listed pubs in Farnborough, although there are only three and one of those is effectively in a shed that the council has stopped the public from visiting. Going to Fleet for the day, there’s only Good Beer Guide pub listed there and it’s the JD Wetherspoon outlet, Prince Arthur.

I’ll use JD Wetherspoon’s history of the reason for the pub name:

“Fleet’s development as a town was due, in large measure, to the nearby army camp at Aldershot. In the 1890s, its commanding officer was Prince Arthur, third son of Queen Victoria. During his time in charge, Prince Arthur lived in Fleet. This was the first shop in Fleet with two entrances and had ‘a good turnover of groceries, including butter and tea’.”

There’s an odd thing about JD Wetherspoon pubs that you can, after several years of training by going in them so regularly, get the vibe almost as soon as entering. There are the glossy new pubs with shiny plugs, dimmer switches, every style of menu at the door, then there are the pubs that look as though they’re near to falling down, mostly the older ones in London that they’re straining to use every inch of space as they’re so busy. There are fabulous interiors in historic buildings and then pubs such as this, mostly from the turn of the century, when they were a little less decadent in the design amidst a wave of new openings. And these ones tend to have the best staff, they’ve almost moulded into the community in which they serve, the staff knew the customers and most of these are locals. These pubs are not flashy, but they’re reassuringly present and it’s noticeable that some of their most loyal older customers sit near to the entrance excited to see their friends come in. I like these pubs.

That egg looks far from ideal and I’m not quite sure why they’re serving them over easy in some attempt to perhaps replicate dining in the United States, but fortunately, the yolk was still runny. I’m not saying that my morning would have been ruined if I couldn’t dip the toast in the egg, but I would have muttered quietly to myself (and would have probably sent the egg back as I’m annoying like that). All else was fine with the breakfast and for the money it was entirely fine, we’re looking at under £5 for unlimited coffee and a traditional breakfast.

Half a pint of Illustrious from Irving & Co Brewers, a small brewery from Portsmouth. Quite a fruity pale ale, this one had a pleasant aftertaste, was well-kept and was priced at the ridiculously good value of £1. The staff here were friendly and personable, with more conversations between team members and customers than I’ve seen in a JD Wetherspoon outlet for quite some time, it had the feel of a community pub.

It’s a relatively large pub which stretches back some way, with numerous power points dotted around the place which is quite handy. The online reviews of the pub are quite reasonable, although they’ve annoyed the usual selection of customers over the years, including the:

“Shoddy short shelf life beers which often run out due to them buying up leftover stocks. Poor quality, end of life produce.”

Which is a persistent lie that only recently seems to be dying out…..

I’m conscious that some people dislike JD Wetherspoon, but the quality of the service, the range of the products, the cleanliness of the venue and the value combines to form a reliably positive experience. This particular pub does need a refurbishment at some point as it’s getting a little tired, but it seems a very sensible addition to the Good Beer Guide to me.

February 21, 2022
Farnborough – Prince of Wales Pub

On my continued trek around pubs listed in the Good Beer Guide, the Prince of Wales is located around a fifteen minute walk from the centre of Farnborough, although is quite near to Farnborough North railway station.

There’s a mixture of traditional and modern design in the pub, I think it all works well.

The cask and keg options. There was a friendly welcome from the member of staff at the bar, with the surroundings being warm and peaceful.

Some effort has been made with the bar snacks, I approve of this arrangement.

The selection of real ales, a colourful and well presented bar. Interestingly, there are Siren Craft Brew and Brewdog bar mats, another touch of modernity.

The Princely Porter from Ascot Brewing Company, a decent porter with a pleasant chocolate flavour, although I’m not sure that I got much of the dark berry fruits that the brewer mentioned. The Roast Ox crisps complemented it beautifully.

I can’t say that the situation with dogs here is ideal, although it’s not really for me to criticise as pubs at the moment can’t really afford to turn away custom (I more mean dog owners rather than dogs themselves). However, the dogs here were being unruly, jumping on tables and barking loudly and for a prolonged period. The environment soon switched from cosy and welcoming to a place which was considerably less appealing. There was a craft beer that I was going to have from Brew York, but I decided to leave it as the environment lost its excitement for me.

There were no particular problems with the pub, as the staff members were polite, the surroundings were clean and comfortable with the beer range being really quite decent for a pub on the edge of a town. They’re not currently serving food, but I’m not sure it would be ideal for customers trying to eat a Sunday roast whilst navigating around the dogs. It’s also well reviewed on-line, so they’re clearly consistently pleasing customers. They do seem to have abandoned their social media accounts though, leaving Twitter untouched and deleting Facebook, and they’re not responding to reviews, so it’s difficult to get an understanding of what is going on here in terms of events and menus.

The pub is though not just in the Good Beer Guide, but it has been in for over forty years, it has won numerous local awards and their offering craft beer is a really positive development for such a pub with long cask traditions. Dogs aside, this is a very decent pub and I’m sure that it’ll remain in the Good Beer Guide for some time to come.

February 21, 2022
Basingstoke – The Angel

I didn’t have long in Basingstoke, but I made time to pop to one Good Beer Guide listed pub and the nearest was the JD Wetherspoon operated Angel. This is an odd pub, it’s really not that big and was at its capacity in terms of tables taken when I visited, so they were losing customers who couldn’t find a seat.

Service was friendly and welcoming, I went for half a pint of the Lowry from Hydes Brewery, who are based in Salford and that came to the grand total of £1. Rather than rewriting the history, this is what JD Wetherspoon say about their pub:

“This former Lloyds No.1 bar opened in 2002. In 2015, it was renamed The Angel after The Angel Inn which stood behind Barclays Bank, in Market Place. The historic inn was the venue for dances which were attended by the novelist Jane Austen. The Angel closed in the 1860s. A new Angel was built soon after, on the corner of Wote Street and Potters Lane, but was demolished in the 1960s, during the rebuilding of the town centre.”

I stayed at the bar which was bright and colourful. I spent most of the time people watching, as it was hard to get lost in a world of reading when trying to ensure I wasn’t in the way of any customer. Although I carefully avoided standing near the real ale options, as a new pet hate of mine is when people sit there and block the view of those (terms and conditions apply, such as when the pub lists their beer on Untappd…..). Anyway, I digress again.

The Lowry beer was fine, although unremarkable, a few Citra hops shining through an entirely drinkable beer.

The reviews for the beer are around average for JD Wetherspoon outlets, perhaps slightly above average. I noted this review:

“Enjoyable evening, having met up with friends, enjoying catching up laughing tell jokes. Bar staff than comes over and says, we are not serving you anymore your table is too noise too much laughter coming from it, we thought they were having a joke, but no they wouldn’t serve us because we were too noisy. Really!!”

Good.

“We ordered 6 breakfasts and waited 1 hour 20 minutes for it. When it arrived it was cold, rubbery and tasteless. The portion of beans consisted of 18 – it was so funny we counted”

I fear there might be a Facebook group about beans soon, as if the one about chips isn’t enough…..

“Staff just out of nappies no social skills. Serve youths before more mature customers even when you been waiting longer just to get noticed”

I can’t imagine why the staff ignored this customer…..

“Our evening was spoilt by an over zealous manager….. Who got upset when we sang happy birthday to our friend. It put a dampener on the rest of the evening. It was not rowdy. It was a quick song song. You run a pub not a library…..”

I’m liking the pub more and more….. Unnecessarily raucous.

“Haha we got told to stop laughing . We’re in the world can’t you go out for a beer and have a good time . This is weatherspoon not the bloody Ritz”

Marvellous. Anyway, I’ve got distracted again….

There’s not much else I can note about the pub as I wasn’t there for long and everything was quite busy, but the staff were seemingly enjoying themselves, or as much as they could. I can see why the pub is listed in the Good Beer Guide as there were seven or eight different real ales and that’s enough to justify an entry, although the surroundings weren’t particularly cosy (but that’s often the case in these former Lloyds venues). There is another JD Wetherspoon outlet in the town, the Maidenhead Inn, and I suspect that the surroundings there are a little quieter and more sedate.

February 21, 2022
Reading – The Retreat

On my little tour of Good Beer Guide listed pubs in Reading (and any others recommended to me en route) I popped into The Retreat after dodging the flying wheelie bins in the area. I had been stopped a few minutes before by a woman who told me that a chunk of a tree had fallen off in the gales, although I’m not sure what she expected me to do about it. She asked me if she could have this lump of wood, but I didn’t feel that it was really my place to decide that either way. I couldn’t work out whether she wanted half a tree for some purpose at her house or whether she was worried that it would fly off and hit a car or pedestrian. Anyway, she walked off looking happy with her tree acquisition, but I’m not sure that I aided much.

As is evident from my never ending posts about pubs, I nearly always decide that the service in them is friendly and welcoming, and that was indeed the case here. But, it’s much more rarely that I decide that a pub goes further and that the customers are also keen to engage with anyone coming in. I’m always heartened when this happens, as it’s apparent to me that if someone had just moved into the area and come in here, then they’d be made to feel comfortable and keen to become a local. As is likely evident from where I’m going here, this is true of this pub. Indeed, it reminded me of the welcome offered by the Hop & Vine in Hull a few years ago, which has seen me divert to the city on numerous occasions to go back.

This pub is not just listed in this year’s Good Beer Guide, it was first listed in the book in 1974, showing some considerable beer heritage. And, as another one of my flights of fancy, I noted the owners have made the effort to write a comprehensive history of the pub, something which I always think is a delight and done far too infrequently. Pubs so often have a long heritage and so often there is nothing mentioned by the owners about their history. Anyway, I digress.

I went for half a pint of Harvest Pale from Castle Rock Brewery, which was well-kept and tasted as it should do. There were several real ales available, all reasonably priced. I didn’t opt for Woodforde’s Wherry, although it reminded me of my visit to their brewery a few months ago. I needed to eat elsewhere, but I was tempted by the bar snacks here, but that’s often the case.

The recommendations of pubs that I asked for from a nearby customer transpired to be excellent suggestions, although I’ve still got a few more to go. Thanks to one of the pub’s customers, I’ve also discovered how to get rid of pigeons, although I won’t go into that too much. I very much liked the inviting atmosphere that they had going on here and if I had more time I would have likely lingered for hours.

Doing some work on mental health for another organisation, I’m reminded by pubs such as this just how much they serve the communities in which they are based. I am convinced that anyone lonely, unsure or in need of company would be made entirely welcome here, and that’s the best praise I think that I can give The Retreat. So very lovely and an outstanding pub that I suspect I’ll be diverting back to come and visit again, perhaps on the day of the Pickled Onion Contest…..

February 18, 2022
Reading – Greyfriar of Reading

Cask (eight options) and keg (fourteen options) meet here, a Good Beer Guide listed pub which is also an Untappd verified venue (wooooo – another venue badge…..) and is well reviewed on-line. I’m not sure that the quality of the experience is evident from the exterior, but I had high hopes after reading about it. The advantage of having beer options listed on Untappd is that I’m excited before entering, or at least my expectations have been moderated if the choices aren’t very decadent.

It was quite dark inside, so I struggled to get a clear photo, so this will have to do. There are plenty of cask and keg options, with the service being efficient and polite, with the far wall off to the right being covered in pump clips to add a little decoration to the arrangement. This pub seemed to have a bit of everything in terms of customer demographic, young and old, male and female, quiet and loud, all fitting together well, so I’d suggest that this is very much a pub at ease with itself.

The Inner-City Sumo from the formidable Turning Point Brewing Company, memorable for me as they brew the Yellow Matter Custard beer. This beer was delightful, a heap of passionfruit and orange and aroma to mach. It’s actually also got guava, but I have no idea what that tastes like, as I’m not a fruit expert. It’s a shame that more beers aren’t designed to taste like crisps or chocolate bars, as I could add an element of knowledge to my comments there…..

The Night Lapse, also from Turning Point, which was perhaps a bit too roasty (as they put it) for me, but a well kept cask beer which had a depth of flavour and no shortage of coffee notes.

I very much liked this pub and am pleased that it has reached the Good Beer Guide, although I assume that’s primarily because of the quality of their real ales. I liked the keg options, I liked the environment and I suspect this will be one of the best pubs that I visit in Reading. How lovely.

February 17, 2022
Reading – Allied Arms

There are more Good Beer Guide listed pubs in Reading than I had expected, over ten in the centre (or within easy walking distance of it) and I’ll try to get to as many as possible. This is the Allied Arms, one of the few pubs that doesn’t serve food (other than bar snacks) and it has some history to it, which I might as well quote from their web-site:

“The Allied Arms has been a pub since 1828 but the building dates back to the 16th Century. Over the years it has been used as a butchers and brewery as well as a pub. The inside decor is warm and cosy and includes old beams which likely came from the ruins of Reading Abbey after the dissolution by Henry VIII.”

I liked a building with some heritage to it and it’d be good to think that the old beams theory is true.

Unfortunately, the stout I ordered ran out as it was being poured, so I switched to the Loddon Hullabaloo which was adequate and at the appropriate temperature. I had hoped for something darker and the pub will usually have that offer available, I was just slightly unfortunate today that the barrel ran out. Nonetheless, there were a range of beer styles, and although nothing exceptional, it was entirely adequate. Pricing here, which I knew about in advance from reviews, is a little expensive and I suspect that might cost them some custom, although it’s not unreasonable.

The interior of the pub, all bright and feeling historic. There’s a front and back room, both served by the same bar, as well as a large outdoors garden. I can imagine that on most weekends the seating gets taken quickly, so the extensive external area must be quite handy.

The Loddon Hullabaloo, which is the pub’s house ale, produced by the Loddon Brewery who are based on Dunsden in Oxfordshire (I thought that sounded quite a long way away, but I’ve realised how near Reading us to the border of Berkshire and Oxfordshire).

It’s a nice enough little pub, with the staff member being friendly and welcoming, so there was an inviting and quite cosy atmosphere. They’re still requiring masks to be worn, which I’m happy with that their being choice and I had one ready, so all was well. Given the building’s heritage and the range of real ales, I can see why it’s in the Good Beer Guide.

February 17, 2022
Luton – The White House

I wasn’t in Luton for very long today, but I had chance to pop to the JD Wetherspoon outlet as it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide. The company did have two pubs in the town, with the London Hatter being open between 2011 and 2016, but it couldn’t have done well for them given the short amount of time that it was open. The venue is still closed, clearly it doesn’t tempt any other operator either.

But back to the White House, which I think is a marvellous name for a pub given my surname (I’m easily pleased). It’s a cavernous venue with two different bars, both of which were staffed when I visited just before lunchtime. As for the reason for the pub name, this is what the company say:

“In the late 19th century, the Crown & Anchor Brewery stood on the site of this Wetherspoon pub, a short walk from the site of Luton’s first brewery. Founded by Thomas Burr, in 1780, it stood next to his family home, known as The White House.”

The brewery isn’t noted on this map from the late nineteenth century, the pub is located just above where the PH is indicated on the map, so it’s nice that the site is still used by a beer selling venue.

This is an odd JD Wetherspoon insomuch that the toilets aren’t upstairs, as they’re usually tucked away in the furthest corner of the pub. Despite being a modern building, there’s been some effort with decorative features and I liked the number of power sockets that were available. Plenty of books on the shelves upstairs as well, they add character to pubs and I approve.

I went for a half a pint of the Devon Darkness from Hanlons Brewery who are based in Exeter, the same place that Tim Martin lives (I mean the city, not that the owner of the company lives in a brewery). The beer was well kept and at the appropriate temperature, and keenly priced at £1 for a half so there’s nothing much to complain about there. There was nothing of particular note about the beer, but it was an acceptable enough dry stout.

The pub has about the same review score as the average JD Wetherspoon outlet, so it seems to be running as efficiently as most others, and I felt that the staff were friendly enough. There was a good choice of real ales, seven different ones across a variety of beer styles, all keenly priced. There’s nothing exceptional that I can note, but the pub seemed to be well managed and I can see why it’s been listed in the Good Beer Guide.

January 19, 2022
London – Hounslow (Borough of) – Tabard Pub

This is a Greene King pub, so I obviously didn’t come here for the beer, but instead because it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide and it was designed by Norman Shaw. There’s also the bonus that this was a building that Nikolaus Pevsner thought was “especially attractive”, so what could Greene King possibly mess up? Firstly, they make no effort to mention the history on the pub’s page on the Greene King web-site, the usual lack of effort they make in so many ways.

There’s a corridor type entrance, with doors to the left and right. Food is served throughout the day and there’s a menu board visible on entry, next to the rather nice pillars. CAMRA have some information about the pub’s history on their Historic Interiors pages.

That’s the other side of the door that’s on the left in the previous photo. There’s a Wikipedia page about the pub at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tabard,_Chiswick#Pub.

And the same door, but my phone’s wide angle makes it look much wider. The central bar is visible at the rear, just behind my well travelled bag. The atmosphere was a bit excitable for my liking with staff members singing away, but there’s nothing wrong with that as this is a pub which is keen on its music.

The beer was half a pint of the XX Mild from Greene King, which was served too warm, I think because of the temperature of the glass. The beer was adequate, about as good as Greene King manage to churn out. The service was verging on rude at first with staff members just standing about talking, but the staff member who served me was friendly and helpful enough.

This building is exceptionally interesting and there’s even a theatre on the first floor. I can understand why it’s in the Good Beer Guide as it’s an historic pub and that makes it worth visiting in itself. There were five different real ales available, mostly generic and none that particularly interested me. However, it’s nice to see a mild, so I’ll credit that with being the most exciting option that they had.

The reviews of the pub on-line are a little below average, mostly about unfriendly staff and food that didn’t surprise and delight. That probably seems to fairly sum the pub up, but they do respond professionally to all reviews that I’ve seen, so it’s positive that they’re keen to engage. I can’t help but feel that this pub would be lifted if it wasn’t operated by Greene King though, this is something that Fullers or Nicholsons would handle a lot better, but ideally it could perhaps do with an independent operator.

January 17, 2022
Royal Leamington Spa – Benjamin Satchwell Pub

I don’t bother writing any many of my visits to JD Wetherspoon outlets as that would get repetitive (even more so than I usually am), but this one is listed in the Good Beer Guide and so I’ll write about it for completeness. It is named after the man who is effectively the father of Royal Leamington Spa, who in 1784 discovered natural spring water that wasn’t controlled by the Lord of the Manor. That mean a spa town which soon received royal interest and it grew from a small village into the substantial town that it is today.

The pub was busy and it was difficult to get many photos without people in, so here’s one of the photos that I took for Untappd and that’ll have to do. The beer selection was above average, six different real ale options and these were well balanced across the various beer styles. I went for half a pint of Novus Dry Hopped Porter and half a pint of Xk Strong, both from Byatt’s Brewery of Coventry. The pub is made up of two former shops and it goes back a long way, with a lengthy bar to one side.

This is the Xk Strong and both beers were very drinkable, well kept and at the appropriate temperature. They also cost the ridiculous sum of £1 each, so I was entirely happy with the value that I received. Especially since I used Wetherspoon’s electricity to charge my devices up and there were plenty of plugs dotted around.

The pub was relatively clean and tidy throughout, so it felt comfortable enough. The staff were friendly and everything felt competently managed and run. There’s nothing here for me to complain about with this beer selection, beer pricing and beer quality. However, I went to look for reviews on-line to see what other people were complaining about….

The reviews are about average for a JD Wetherspoon outlet, which is mostly positive with a smattering of constant whinging and moaning. I like reviews such as:

“Staff were very ignorant.”

As that tells me all that I need to know about the reviewer. I also liked the 1/5 review which noted:

“Never again will I eat in a green king discussing..”

Assuming that meant Greene King and disgusting, that seems a bit harsh, although Greene King venues are usually, well, not ideal. But this isn’t even one of their pubs…..

“Didn’t manage to get a drink, too many people crammed around the bar and not enough staff?”

I have sympathy here, there can be a pub that’s quiet and about 50 people standing at the bar blocking it. Fortunately, I avoid such things with the app, but some pubs still haven’t mastered how to deal with this problem.

Anyway, I’m digressing again and reading reviews from years ago, so I’ve probably reached the end of what I need to write here. I’m content that this is a perfectly decent entry into the Good Beer Guide, with friendly staff, plenty of decent beers and a cleanish environment. All quite lovely.

January 14, 2022