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Category: Good Beer Guide

  • Leicester – King’s Head

    Leicester – King’s Head

    Carrying on my visits around Good Beer Guide pubs in Leicester, which my friend Ross has managed to keep up with, this is the King’s Head on King Street.

    I had already eaten enough, but those samosa and spring rolls for £1 looked really quite tempting. My first impressions of the pub were positive not because of the food which is hard to miss, but because there was no annoying music and instead just quiet conversation and peacefulness. Now I’ve reached 30 (just), I can’t be doing with all this raucous noise. The pub goes back a fair way and there’s also a roof terrace with extra seating, but I didn’t meander off that far.

    I’ve now realised that these screens are used across Black Country Ales pubs, including the Salmon which I went to yesterday and also The Craven Arms in Birmingham where I went a few weeks ago, and the Wellington in Birmingham where I’ve been several times. Anyway, there’s a decent selection there of different beer styles and some interesting options. The staff member was also polite and helpful, all very positive.

    There was only one darker beer available and it’s also my last drink of my time in Leicester, so not a bad one to finish on at all, the King Korvak’s Saga by Fownes Brewing Company. Rich, smooth and with decadent flavours of coffee, all rather lovely.

    As a pub, I very much liked this one, and indeed I’m now going to look out for Black Country Ales pubs as it has taken me a while to realise that I’ve been to several and been impressed with them all. Laid-back, friendly, calm and welcoming, just what a pub should be and I’m very pleased that the King’s Head is in the Good Beer Guide.

  • Leicester – The Ale Wagon

    Leicester – The Ale Wagon

    Continuing the meander around the Good Beer Guide pubs of Leicester, this is the Ale Wagon on Rutland Street which has been listed in the book for several years. I’ll use the history from CAMRA as they’re an authoritative source:

    “As part of the scheme to widen Charles Street, this corner pub was built in 1931 to replace a Victorian hotel on the adjacent corner. It has drainpipes with hop decoration. From the 1950s, it was owned by Ansells, then after several years of neglect and deterioration, was acquired by Hoskins & Oldfield as their first tied house, opening as the Ale Wagon in September 1999.”

    The widening of Charles Street is more evident in this 100 year map against a recent one from OpenStreetMap, they’ve doubled the width of the road.

    I accept that this isn’t the most glorious photo of a pub interior, but the bar was busy and so this will have to do. This has the feel of a pub that no-one ever quite modernised, but now it would be a shame to break the character by trying to renovate it. I quite like the whole arrangement, although it feels tired in places, especially the toilets.

    The service at the bar was prompt and I felt genuinely friendly, with the staff member telling me that there were two dark beers on. She was happy to explain the options, although I decided that I’d just get a half pint of each rather than just pick one.

    The Darkroom oatmeal stout from Anstey Ale Brewery, which was very drinkable.

    It’s this one that I was most confused about, the Smoked Porter from Hoskins Brothers brewery. This is the first beer that I’ve had which I haven’t been able to add on Untappd, and it seems reading some of the other ratings at https://untappd.com/w/hoskins-brothers-ales/9223 that others are having difficulties. There’s a message that:

    “Hoskins Brothers Ales do not brew. All beers are brewed by Tower Brewery. The brothers own the Ale Wagon pub in Leicester and this is the base for a brewery that is brewing both Hoskins ales and ales from the former Oldfield Brewery.”

    But I don’t really understand this, the pump clip is named as Hoskins Brothers Ales and so I don’t much care whether it’s brewed at the pub or off-site. Anyway, the beer was excellent, one of the best examples of a smoked porter that I’ve had. It might be though that this situation has arisen as one of the Hoskins brothers who ran the pub died last year.

    This was a traditional pub with some interesting beers and I’m glad that it’s in the Good Beer Guide, as it would perhaps be easy to miss. I got the impression that nearly every other customer was a local, but it wasn’t any less friendly for that.

  • Leicester – Real Ale Classroom

    Leicester – Real Ale Classroom

    This micro-pub was recommended to me by the helpful barman at the Two-Tailed Lion. It’s a bit of a walk out of the city centre, but such is the sacrifice that I must make to find quality.

    And that blackboard oozed quality, there were seven beers on there that I wanted to try and hadn’t had before, although I limited myself to just three. I can’t see any beer that I would consider as being average or generic on there, some really decent options and most beer styles are covered as well.

    We sat in the Headmaster’s Study room at the rear, with the pub having an education theme as the owners worked as secondary school teachers before deciding this pub thing seemed to be a better idea.

    The pub is small as it’s a conversion from a shop (it was a computer shop and then a clothes shop), with one front room, one rear room (the study one) and until recently that was it other than for some seats outside. They’ve now though expanded into the garden at the rear to give them some more seating options. As a micro-pub, it was the first in Leicester.

    This is the Somewhere Within from Cloudwater, that’s about as good as an IPA as I can imagine getting. Smooth, full of tropical fruit flavour and with a slightly orangey aftertaste. Really rather lovely, and perhaps quite decadent even.

    The Too Many Steves from Shiny Brewing, a small micro-brewery in Little Eaton in Derbyshire. More tropical fruit flavours here, to the point where I wonder whether I’m being a little too healthy.

    I felt the need to have a dark beer as well, and there were several options on the menu which surprised and delighted me. This is the very decent Post Impact Porter from Staggeringly Good brewery who are based in Portsmouth.

    As for the service, it was friendly, engaging and conversational. The pub was spotlessly clean, it felt on-trend without trying to be and there was clear enthusiasm from the staff about the beers that were being offered.

    The pub also notes on their web-site that:

    “Prior to buying we also check all of our beers via Untappd; to guarantee we offer the best available beer to you, our drinkers.”

    I genuinely slightly despair at pubs who don’t do this, although I understand that some pubs are tied or restricted in their options. It might prevent some of the average dross getting through and I won’t mention any brewers in particular, although I obviously include Greene King in that.

    Passionate, authentic and absolutely as good as a micro-pub could realistically get, all really rather lovely. It’s also listed in the Good Beer Guide, and it would be a travesty if it wasn’t.

  • Leicester – Sir Robert Peel

    Leicester – Sir Robert Peel

    Working through the Good Beer Guide, CAMRA note that this pub has been operated by Everard’s since 1901. It’s an interesting survivor on Jarrom Street, as there was once a row of houses here, but only the pub has survived.

    http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p15407coll5/id/969/

    This photo is from Jarrom Street in the 1960s (taken by a forward-thinking photographer named Dennis Calow who recorded Leicester housing before it was pulled down), so I’m guessing that there was some slum clearance going on.

    There was a friendly welcome at the bar from the staff member and it was evident that there was plenty of character in the pub. Interesting and quirky decor, there felt like some heritage here. There was an element of it feeling like a locals’ pub, but in a positive sense and the atmosphere was laid-back. There’s one large room at the front, that was once divided, with a courtyard area to the rear.

    They don’t tend to name pubs after Prime Ministers any more, but here’s Robert Peel.

    This was the Harvest Pale from Castle Rock Brewery, which in my opinion was a bloody dreadful beer and I struggled to get any flavour of anything out of it. The nearest taste I could claim this had was to water. Completely pointless as far as I was concerned, although it seemed to be well-kept. For me this was an appalling beer, although I’m sure others might have a very different experience of it. I thought back to the decadent and exciting choices that I’d had at the Real Ale Classroom a few hours before, a more joyous list of beer options.

    I felt the need to have a beer from Titanic to balance things up a bit, and the stout tasted as it should. This is one of the few beers that I’d rather not have as a keg version, which was what was available here, the cask to me has a richer flavour. This was a happier experience.

    The choice of beers here wasn’t really what I was looking for, there was a nod towards the generic and bland as far as my taste is concerned. I think that is evident when looking at the Untappd ratings for the pub, there are a relatively low number. There’s nothing wrong with the pub though, it was clean, the staff were welcoming and there was a choice of different real ales, so I can see why it’s been listed in the Good Beer Guide.

  • Glasgow – Pot Still

    Glasgow – Pot Still

    I’ll mention now that the photos in this post really aren’t ideal, the lighting conditions made for some slightly blurry images, but they’ll have to do. This is a Good Beer Guide listed pub which specialises in malt whisky and real ale, with a reputation from some people I spoke to for being the best pub in Glasgow.

    That back bar is far more exciting and interesting than this photo suggests, but the service here was on point throughout. Actually, I’d go further and say that it bordered on exceptional, with a real connection between the staff members and customers. The pub was full when I arrived so I asked if it was OK to sit at the bar, something which isn’t allowed at some places at the moment, which they were happy with.

    One customer came over to the barman and asked for the best whisky of the several hundred that they had. The barman gave what I consider to be the correct answer, and one which I heard given at the English Whisky Company in Norfolk, which is that the best one is the one that an individual likes the best. Everyone will give different answers. The customer asked the barman what was his favourite and he replied that he wasn’t going to give an answer, as he wanted to help the customer get the best whisky for them, not the best for the barman. The customer persisted, asking which whisky had won the most awards, with the barman replying that nearly every whisky now has won some sort of award. The barman did keep trying to ask what kind of whisky the customer wanted, but I’m not sure that they knew themselves. He ended up with a Glenfiddich.

    I’m with the barman on this. If someone asked me what the best beer was I’d be conscious that my answer is unlikely to be the ideal choice for anyone else. Although the answer here is the 8th Anniversary Pecan Cookie Stout from Westbrook Brewing Co, for which I’m already planning a trip to South Carolina, but that’s not entirely relevant here.

    The pub has become something of a destination for locals and visitors to Glasgow, as is evident from the fact that they do t-shirts and postcards.

    There’s a strong focus on whisky, but the bar doesn’t neglect beer with number real ales, craft beers and all manner of other quirky drinks. I opted for half a pint of the Born Blonde from Born in the Borders brewery and Goldihops from Kelburn Brewing Company, both well-kept.

    The pub has numerous pies, which looked rather lovely and if they had the chicken & leek one I’d have been sold on that, but they were offering haggis and similar options. I’m sure they’re rather delicious, but I decided it was a bit decadent for me in terms of the taste, although the prices were reasonable. Beer prices were also reasonable, there’s no attempt to take advantage of customers here. I messaged my friend Richard about this pub and I’m fairly sure that he would definitely have liked this place (I make no comment about Bells) and I can imagine that he would have had a decadent pie, a decadent whisky and then another decadent whisky.

    There are nearly no negative reviews for me to pull out, but I liked the owner’s robust response to someone who complained that the pub was busy.

    “We’re disappointed you didn’t enjoy your visit with us. However if, as your other reviews suggest, you enjoy quiet, relaxed and tranquil places, then perhaps a Glasgow city centre pub, any of them, on pay weekend isn’t an ideal fit. We’ve thought about issuing slippers to patrons at the front door to keep the noise down but it didn’t get much support from the regulars. Likewise plastic cups instead of our normal glassware to dampen the clinking.”

    Nicely done I think. But, the response to “5 stars if you are a whisky drinker but 1 star if drinking decent vodka and coke. Surly staff” is perhaps one of the best and most robust replies that I’ve seen and I love the “hello again” at the start from the landlord.

    “Hello again. After seeing your Yelp review I thought you might, as you did on the night, try and moan to anyone who’d listen. And so I find you here. I can’t help that you can’t believe me. Nothing I could have then, or could now, would convince you otherwise.

    You think I’ve swapped the “decent” Smirnoff ordered for another vodka on a busy Saturday night. I barely have time for a break on a Saturday night, let alone waste time giving you anything other than what you ordered.You think I was surly. If your business was being trashtalked by someone to anyone in earshot but you, you might be a touch peeved as well. Again, because you would rather run your mouth off to anyone at the bar you could arrest the attention of, rather than deal with the perceived problem with me directly, you were getting no more to drink in the pub in any eventuality.

    You are annoyed that you were not immediately furnished with a new drink for free. If we haven’t made a mistake, we’re not giving out free drinks. We’re not apologising for imagined wrongs. I’ve made an arse of things many times, apologised to numerous people. I probably will again in the future. That’s just the way things go sometimes.”

    As a pub, this was a delight and I’m grateful that the Good Beer Guide listed it. All very lovely and some really knowledgeable and on the ball staff. Definitely a proper pub.

  • Glasgow – The Raven

    Glasgow – The Raven

    I’m slightly surprised that this pub is in the Good Beer Guide because there’s a strong emphasis on craft beer, but I’m glad that it has been listed. It was busy on a Friday evening, but I liked the engagement from the staff member at the door. When we were at the bar, he came over and pointed us towards where a table had just become available.

    There was an excellent choice of beers available, covering most styles, with a couple of real ales as well.

    I went for half of the Juice Springsteen from Alphabet Brewing and Mango Unchained from ShinDigger. Although the barman pointed out carefully which was which, I got muddled up and had to work it back out again when at the table. Fortunately, the Mango Unchained was packed with mango flavour which helped the identification.

    The music was a little loud, but not entirely overpowering, but everything felt safe and well managed. There’s food served throughout the day and the menu looked interesting. They’ve also got some electronic darts set-up which isn’t something that I’ve seen in a pub before, a bit of creativity there…. I can imagine that this would be a good place for groups, although it’s a bit far to come up for Norfolk en masse for. Definitely deserves to be in the Good Beer Guide as far as I’m concerned.

  • Glasgow – Laurieston Bar

    Glasgow – Laurieston Bar

    As my friend Jonathan was in Glasgow after faffing about doing something, he agreed to come with me on my evening’s Good Beer Guide pub visiting. This is an interesting pub just south of the River Clyde, which is also on the CAMRA’s historic interior list (the pub, not the river), primarily it seems as they haven’t really updated the interior since the 1960s. But, why change a winning concept?

    The bar design is old fashioned, but everything was clean, albeit dated. There are lots of modern and contemporary bars and pubs in the city though, it’s nice sometimes to go to somewhere a little different. There are no credit or debit cards accepted though and just cash, which is the first pub I’ve encountered in some months with such a policy.

    There’s a lounge bar and saloon bar, both with their own bars, another little slice of history.

    An old hot pies bit of apparatus on the counter, which is apparently still used today.

    My half pint of Hurricane Jack from Fyne Ales, which was well-kept but lacking in any real depth of flavour. The Quavers were delicious though and I was impressed at their selection of crisps.

    The pub might be traditional in its look, but the staff were friendly and the environment was comfortable enough. It was a busy bar of mainly locals it seemed, but the pub owners pride themselves on being welcoming to all. The toilets need modernising, it’s probably pushing it too much to try and keep those in a traditional state of repair. There’s a slight irony here that a traditional pub for locals is potentially going to end up becoming on-trend by mistake by offering an authentic experience.

    As for whether this should be in the Good Beer Guide, that’s more challenging, as the real ale choice was limited to one and the pub likes to source from Fyne Ales. For the experience, the welcome and the environment, I’m glad it is listed in the book though, as otherwise I might not have meandered over the river to get here (albeit on the subway).

  • Glasgow – Scotia Bar

    Glasgow – Scotia Bar

    The Scotia pub in Glasgow is listed in the Good Beer Guide and it also couldn’t really be much nearer to the hotel I’m staying in. As with many cities, there’s competition and debate as to which is the oldest pub, with the Scotia claiming that they are the earliest having opened in 1792. It has gone through numerous incarnations, some periods when it had a bit of a reputation and some when it has become more peaceful and a haven for authors.

    The service was friendly and I must admit to having expected a slightly more generic interior, but there’s a real feel of character inside.

    It wasn’t overly busy when I was there, although the barman said that the folk band were arriving soon and that it would become more lively.

    There are old photos, maps and illustrations on the wall. This pub has also seen its fair share of performers, not least Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty. The pub also advertises that they’ve had a horse in there drinking a bucket of Guinness and The Scotsman newspaper notes a local saying about that incident:

    “We’ve had a horse in here, drinking. It was a wedding reception. They brought the horse in, the horse got drunk, whereupon it went out and collapsed in the road. The council had to get a crane to lift it.”

    I was just little disappointed that the beer selection was slightly generic, for some reason I thought Belhaven would have something slightly more interesting. Then I realised I had forgotten something, which is that Belhaven is owned by Greene King. I make no further comment on that…. I opted for the 80 Shilling Ale from Belhaven Brewery which was OK, but that’s about as far as I’d go, although it was at least well-kept.

    Anyway, this is a proper pub with some real heritage, so visiting is recommended as the service is friendly and the environment is clean, albeit slightly dingy. Glasgow has been a bit lax at times in maintaining its historic buildings, so there aren’t as many old pubs as there perhaps should be, so that makes this one even more special. A couple more innovative guest ales would be nice, but there’s a unique feel to this pub and I did like it. I can clearly see why this beer is in the Good Beer Guide, although I feel that’s more down to the atmosphere and heritage rather than down to the real ale.

  • Glasgow – Society Room

    Glasgow – Society Room

    The Good Beer Guide is always a reliable source of pubs for me and I’m slowly working my way through as many venues that are listed in it that I reasonably can. For the first time, I’m a little unsure about where it’s recommending me in Glasgow, the choices are sometimes a little generic whilst some really decent places are missed out. I do understand the process for how pubs get listed, which is to do with the local CAMRA group, but the balance seems a bit off here with a focus towards the chains. Anyway, this is another JD Wetherspoon listed pub that is in the book, so I popped in for a quick half.

    As for the pub name, I might as well just quite JD Wetherspoon, who note:

    “West George Street was once home to every bank and insurance company of note. Among them was the Star Life Assurance Society, which was housed in the building on the site of this Wetherspoon pub. Established in 1824, the Alliance Assurance Company was at 151 West George Street from c1880–c1970. In its early days, the Alliance was managed by Stewart Lawrie. He was also ‘local secretary’ of the Westminster Fire Office, another company at this address.”

    This is one of the Lloyds branded pubs which JD Wetherspoon have, so there can be music and other general noise on weekend evenings. During my visit, it was all quite peaceful and quiet. Incidentally, the toilets are really badly signed here, I can’t recall seeing as many customers looking for them as in this pub (they’re downstairs, the entrance to the steps is to the left when entering….)

    This was a little bit of a surprise, the Fraoch Heather Ale from Williams Brothers Brewing Company, who seem to have a deal with the Wetherspoons round here as I’ve seen and tried a few of their beers recently. It was actually something quite innovative and this is apparently a 4,000 year old Scottish style of drink. I can’t say that a heather beer is something that I’ve had before, but it’s quite herby and I liked the strength of the flavours. For a beer that cost £1 for half a pint, this really is quite impressive.

    For a Wetherspoons, this is quite a well reviewed pub, so the local management must be pretty decent. Anyway, this was another perfectly good pub and I can see why it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide given the range of well-kept real ales. As for the pub, it could have been a little cleaner, but the staff were friendly and helpful so it seemed a welcoming enough environment.

  • Leeds – Vocation at Assembly Underground

    Leeds – Vocation at Assembly Underground

    This was the final visit on my little tour yesterday of some Good Beer Guide pubs in Leeds. It’s a quirky location and I’m not sure that I would have found out about it without CAMRA’s recommendation as it’s located in a cellar where the first visible venues inside are food outlets. It’s actually like a little food court, with Vocation providing the bar section of the whole arrangement.

    As an aside, there’s some heritage to the building that the bar is located in.

    This isn’t the sharpest of photos unfortunately, but this is the main seating area and the food venues can be seen to one side. There are other seating areas available, including within Vocation itself.

    This is Vocation’s bar area at the rear of the basement.

    Grrrr, this photo isn’t as clear as I wanted either, but the beers are listed on screens above the bar. I asked the member of bar staff about what dark beers they had, with four options being suggested, which is an excellent choice and it’s rare that I’m offered that many to pick from. Indeed, they try and have fifty different beers on, so I can see why they’re in the Good Beer Guide with that effort.

    I went for a third of a pint of the rather decadent Ecstasy of Gold from Turning Point Brew Co. I’d had their Mile Zero just a couple of hours before, so it wasn’t a hard decision for me to drink another of their dark beers. And this one was also brilliant as far as I was concerned, smooth, rich, packed with vanilla and chocolate flavour. It was a heavy hit and so it took me a while to sip my way through the drink (which was overpoured so that it was nearer to a half pint, something I was pleased to note) but it remained as enjoyable at the end as at the beginning. I’m becoming something of a fan of this brewery, they definitely know what they’re doing.

    I liked this whole set-up and some of the food options looked really quite decent. It wasn’t very busy, but I can’t imagine Tuesdays often are, but I can imagine at weekends there’s an entirely different environment here. Some of the food venues apparently close when it’s not very busy, although this isn’t ideal if it means that customers can’t rely on food being available here. The Vocation bar is positively reviewed and although the drinks aren’t the cheapest, there is such an extensive range that they perhaps justify that slight extra cost. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, with the whole atmosphere feeling comfortable. I’m definitely pleased that this one is in the Good Beer Guide.