Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Good Beer Guide

Stone – Royal Exchange

Continuing on our tour of Titanic pubs, we visited the Royal Exchange which is also listed in the Good Beer Guide. Their pubs all seem to be sharp looking, with clear branding and in a decent state of repair.

Formerly known as the Stone Inn there have been some efforts made with the external floral arrangements.

A beautiful line-up of beers. The staff member was helpful and friendly, it’s the inviting atmosphere that I had expected from Titanic.

The prices for the beer options.

The pub has just opened when we entered which is why it’s rather quiet, it’s clearly a popular pub judging from the positive on-line reviews. Although one customer posted:

“Called in today. Lovely pub, but when you say 1 for yourself when you get served I didn’t expect the barmaid to take £3.50 thought that was a bit naughty.”

I’m not sure that is entirely naughty, I think that might more be getting yourself a double whisky or something, but there we go.

How very true. I do like motivational signs in pubs that help customers develop and improve themselves.

I decided it would be a good idea if we sat in the front room as it seemed to have some character to it. This is one of those pubs that must feel quite cosy in the winter as they have real fires going, something which seems to be ever rarer today.

I went for half a pint of the First Class, an agreeable session hoppy bitter, which is the first time that I’ve tried this beer.

We were going from here to the Titanic Brewery tour, so this was a handy prequel to the whole arrangement. It’s a traditional and welcoming pub, handy for locals and visitors to the town. To top it off, as soon as I get to visit Stone for the first time, the veteran MP Bill Cash announced that he was standing down from the House of Commons at the next General Election, but I don’t think that the two events are linked. Anyway, I’m digressing again, I’d say in summary that this is an excellent pub and quite rightly in the Good Beer Guide.

June 19, 2023
Newcastle-under-Lyme – Artisan Tap

Continuing our trail down the Hartshill Mile, this is another pub that’s listed in the Good Beer Guide. There appears to be a way in that doesn’t require walking through customers smoking, but it seemed to be closed when we arrived. I’m also conscious that I’m listing this pub in Newcastle-under-Lyme, but it’s actually just over the border in Stoke-on-Trent.

I found this board just a little confusing to be honest, but that might just be me as it often is.

I’m not sure that the beer they gave me was the one that I ordered, although they seemed confident that it was even though it didn’t resemble the colour that it should be. It’s the first time this has happened to me, but perhaps given that beer is always slightly different in its brewing that all was in order, it just wasn’t what I expected.

The service was pleasant, but I can’t say that I felt particularly comfortable here, it was the sort of inviting atmosphere that we’d just left at the formidable Greyhound. It was all a bit loud and vibrant shall we say, even though it wasn’t overly busy. These things are transient, it’s likely that if we had arrived thirty minutes before or after that I might have found the environment different.

Some information about the bar and how it has evolved in recent years. In short, it opened in June 2018 and they mention that the bar area was once the workshop and rehearsal stage for a Victorian theatre. That’s some interesting heritage to have.

There’s a cosy room at the rear of the pub, decorated very differently from the rest of the venue. The pub was just a little grimy in places when we visited and the toilets weren’t in a great state, but the bar area seemed clean and tidy.

The pub is very well reviewed on-line and seems to be surprising and delighting its customers in a positive sense, so that’s all marvellous. They appear from reviews to be popular for their live music and they do have several real ales available alongside a wide variety of other drinks, so considerable efforts are clearly being made. Nothing really wrong here, but I think I’d say that I just felt a bit more at ease in some of the other venues that we visited.

June 18, 2023
Newcastle-under-Lyme – Sanctuary Ale House

The Sanctuary Ale House is a Good Beer Guide listed pub on Hartshill Road in Newcastle-under-Lyme, not to be confused with the pub the Sanctuary which was located in the centre of the town and has now closed.

The beer options, a variety of cask and keg were available.

The bar arrangement looked modern and the service was efficient and friendly.

I hadn’t initially noticed the keg options when ordering, although Liam was more observant, I went for the stout from Nightjar which was well kept although unexceptional.

We were left standing as the relatively small pub was full, so they’re obviously doing something right to have plenty of customers. The atmosphere in the pub felt inviting and the decoration was quirky and interesting. We were standing looking at some slightly odd animals which were placed on top of a filing cabinet, it was all a little different. The pub is located on the Hartshill Mile and CAMRA note that it was converted from a former cafe in late 2016. I didn’t notice that there are apparently a couple of car seats for customers to sit on, it all felt innovative and if there had been more seating available when we visited I think we would have lingered here for a little longer. All rather lovely.

June 18, 2023
Newcastle-under-Lyme – Greyhound Pub

I’ve wanted to start ticking Titanic pubs off my list for some time, as it’s my favourite UK brewery and it was something that I had planned to do during the relaxed period after total lockdown. This weekend meant that I could start to visit a few of these fabled venues and the Greyhound in Newcastle-under-Lyme was where we started. That’s also appropriate, as I went to the nearby Keele University and remember it with very fond memories, although am moderately annoyed that it was somehow a quarter of a century ago. Anyway, I digress. Unfortunately, Titanic don’t seem to provide much information on the history of their venues, so I can’t add much on this one.

How very lovely. Titanic is known for its Plum Porter, but I rate its Cherry Porter even higher and so that’s what I went for. Not that it’ll interest very many people, but Ross went for a lager and Liam for the Anytime Session IPA. There’s certainly no shortage of choice here and the helpful staff seemed knowledgeable and keen to engage about the beer options.

The beer list and the Greyhound is keg and cask. I’m also delighted to note that it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide. The environment in the pub was laid-back but wasn’t particularly busy even though we were there on a Friday evening.

And the drink. The Cherry Porter was well-kept, at the appropriate temperature and had a sufficient amount of cherry flavouring running through it.

I’m assuming that the bar is designed to look like a ship and very noble and sleek it is. The on-line reviews for the pub are positive, just a couple of outliers including someone who was furious they had to wear a mask during the period after lockdown. The bane of publicans, I’m glad that those times are hopefully over….

The quirky looking clock. Not that we were taking part on it in its entirety, but The Greyhound is one of the pubs which is located on the Hartshill Mile pub crawl.

The bottled selection. I had a plan that I would purchase anything I hadn’t tried before during the brewery tour, which transpired to be a good plan.

A model of the Titanic and I’ll explain why the brewery has this name when I get to the brewery tour post. What a treat….

Anyway, this was a marvellous way to start the weekend and the pub was clean and had an inviting atmosphere. Quite rightly in the Good Beer Guide, the service was friendly and it’s always a delight to have the Cherry Porter.

June 16, 2023
Bassingham – Bugle Horn

I suspect some local wags and pesky kids might well have been having a go at the pub signage of the Bugle Horn, a Good Beer Guide listed pub in the Lincolnshire of Bassingham. The pub has been serving alcohol to customers since the seventeenth century, it’s a sizeable building and there’s also a large beer garden. I’ve tried to work out the reasons for the pub’s name, but I can’t see any local military connection and the actual reason is likely lost to history.

Here it’s the Te Buge Horn.

Here the Ugle Horn.

And here the Bugle Orn. It’s like something out of Fawlty Towers and the kids changing the letters on the sign. But, I won’t linger any further on the external signage.

This wasn’t what I expected to see from a Good Beer Guide listed pub if I’m being honest, especially as this appears to be a free house which isn’t manacled to a pubco or brewer. As there was another bar where more exciting options might be available, I asked if there were any other ales to choose from.

The friendly staff member, who I assume to be the landlady, politely pointed me straight towards the keg options from Beavertown. I’m not averse to these, although I’ve obviously worked through them all before, so I was hoping for a local beer that I might not get anywhere else. Prices of these were towards the higher end of the scale, but I liked the inviting nature of the pub so I felt it was a price worth paying to not have to drink Greene King IPA.

I went for the Bloody ‘Ell from Beavertown, an entirely agreeable blood orange keg IPA. It’s a nod towards craft beer, I approve of the pub’s attempts to widen their beer range.

There are two separate bar areas, the one in which we seated was comfortable enough but they do perhaps need a refurbishment as some of the seating is heavily stained and things are a bit wobbly in places.

Having said that, the pub still felt traditional and if there is a refurbishment, I hope that it doesn’t change the layout and separate areas of the interior that currently exist.

Liam’s gammon (that’s a description of the food he ordered, not his politics which are far more reasonable), delivered just seconds after he had gone off to explore the toilet facilities in the pub.

Although the Beavertown beers might have been just a little decadently priced, the meals certainly weren’t, this fish and chips was at the very agreeable price of £10. The home cut chips are mostly hidden here by the fish, but there were more than I could eat and so I let Liam finish them up. For the perfect arrangement, the fish could have been drained better and the oil could do with changing, but the batter had a decent depth of flavour and the fish flaked away. I think they’re using some form of margarine on the bread, that wasn’t a highlight if I’m being honest. But, for the price, this was a satisfying and filling meal, if I was a local I’m fairly sure I’d eat here on a regular basis.

The pub is well reviewed on-line, with the staff member giving the atmosphere a family friendly atmosphere where customers feel welcome being there. They’ve built up a reputation for large portions of home-cooked food at reasonable prices, which is quite a selling point as far as I’m concerned. Although I can’t say that I was surprised and delighted by the range of real ales, they’ve made an effort with offering Beavertown beers as an additional option. Definitely recommended, although some form of minor renovation might improve the ambience, as it’s an element customers have mentioned on-line for a few years. But, times are hard for pubs, and at least they’re keeping the food prices down. It felt like a proper pub to me, a phrase that’s over-used I admit, but some things are timeless and too much change here would be a bad thing.

June 6, 2023
Cambridge – Devonshire Arms

Emma, Bev and I were in Cambridge for the beer festival, but we arrived earlier on in the day to visit a few pubs en route to where the main event was being held on Jesus Green. I’d never visited this pub before, one of three pubs which is run by the Milton Brewery, who once operated the rather wonderful White Lion in Norwich. It isn’t usually open on weekday afternoons, but they had specially extended opening hours for the week of the beer festival.

There were no guest beers, but there was a comprehensive selection of Milton beers.

I went for the Minerva, a clean tasting and well kept golden ale. I resisted going for the Marcus Aurelius which is a 7.5% imperial stout, but that seemed a little too much for the morning.

The pub interior, empty as they hadn’t been long open.

Traditional wooden seating. The service was friendly and knowledgeable, with this being apparent when Bev asked a series of questions about what beers the pub had available.

The back room, or indeed the front room depending on which way the pub is entered from.

Some of the pub’s previously available beers, in normal circumstances they do have some guest ales.

I enjoyed this pub and it was also a positive start to the day’s activities which were leading up to the Cambridge Beer Festival. The Internet tells me that this was a Reggae pub before Milton took it over, with its name being changed from the Midland Tavern to its current Devonshire Arms. And as a little bonus, this pub is listed in the Good Beer Guide, so that’s another one that I can tick off.

May 28, 2023
Bungay Pub Day – Green Dragon

This was the third pub that Julian and I visited on our day trip to Bungay and I think it’s the only one in the town that I’ve been in before. I can’t claim to have been a regular, but it’s near to where we’ve been canoeing before and I also came here whilst I was waiting for a bus to Southwold. If it had a major bus interchange hub like North Walsham I might not have needed to find a pub to wait at, but I won’t digress here.

Formally the Horse & Groom pub, these are the bar and smoke room entrances.

The beer options, the one hidden by the light is the Gold and I don’t think that they had any guest beers on when we visited. As the board suggests, they’ve been trading under this pub name since 1991 when the pub brewery was established by brothers Robert and William Pickard. Their brewing equipment is at the rear of the pub and they also do tours if contacted in advance. Given the number of former brewpubs that used to exist, this feels like a particularly veritable venue where beer is brewed on-site and it’s the only one now remaining in the town.

What I assume is one of the pub’s earlier signs.

I went for the Strong Mild.

I felt that a food and beer pairing was essential here. The beer was smooth and rich, a very agreeable mild and a beer style that I’d like to see more of. I liked these crisps incidentally, I’ve never had them before.

Julian in his alcove and note that he’s always ready to take a photograph with minimal notice.

The food menu, served between Thursdays and Saturdays, although they seem to also have food trucks on some Sundays. There look like some suitably interesting options on there, but we had already eaten in the Fleece and so didn’t partake on this occasion.

This is the only pub in Bungay which is listed in the Good Beer Guide and it has also won numerous CAMRA awards. Well-reviewed on-line, it’s a traditional pub which doesn’t feel unnecessarily staid. The service was polite and helpful, there was a relaxed and inviting feel with plenty of customers in the large outdoor drinking area. All rather lovely.

May 23, 2023
London – Hammersmith and Fulham (Borough of) – Central Bar

This is another of my posts trying to tidy up some of the Good Beer Guide listed pubs that I’ve visited but never written up. The downside is that I have very limited photos of them so this is hardly going to win any awards, but there we go, I’ve only got to cater to about two readers so that makes things easier.

The pub is operated by JD Wetherspoon, who opened it in 2002, and they have two other venues with the same name, the others are in Cardiff and Carrickfergus, but this one relates to the Central Line:

“This pub is on the first floor of the W12 Centre, opposite the Central Line underground station. The railway came to Shepherds Bush in May 1844, to close only a few months later. The first proper local service came with the opening of the Hammersmith and City Line, in 1864. The Central London Railway opened in 1900 and was renamed the Central Line in 1937.”

This was one of the cheap meals that were offered for many years, chicken wrap and chips, but the prices have gone up sharply over recent months.

Back to the venue, and once again apologies for the lack of photos of the interior, but the pub is located in a shopping centre and so it’s quite a generic and dull open plan set-up. For a JD Wetherspoon outlet it’s relatively badly reviewed, although I can’t say that I’ve had any particular problems here during my visits.

One customer has a photo of their food with a comment noting “Steak and pork loin cremated on my mixed grill with zero sympathy from the manageress” and he isn’t exaggerating, the photo shows food which shouldn’t have been served. On this point, there are two reviews of poor food where the customer has eaten nearly all of it and then taken a photo of the now nearly empty plate, I’m always humoured by the those reviews.

A few customers have complained that a QPR ticket is required to enter the venue when the team are playing at home, which is no doubt more for licensing issues but I can imagine it’s a little annoying for visitors who don’t think to check when the local team is playing. The pub serves alcohol from a later time in the morning when QPR are playing, which sounds very sensible to be fair.

“The management was kicking me out because me and my friend ate a burger that was not ordered by us “

I can understand where the management are coming from…..

“Asked for a classic 6oz beef burger with cheese and bacon no salad and the moron behind the bar somehow managed to hear “original gourmet beef burger” instead”

This from a customer who managed to order the wrong thing, didn’t notice they were charged more for the food, didn’t notice their receipt and calls the member of bar staff “a moron”….. I make no comment.

Anyway, I’ve once again digressed. At the time of writing, this venue has seven real ales which are priced between £1.71 and £2.96, very thrifty options there, including Oakham’s Citra and Elgood’s Patron Saint. Just on that selection of real ale and pricing, it’s no surprise that it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide.

April 30, 2023
London – Lewisham (Borough of) – Brockley Barge Pub

I haven’t visited the Brockley Barge recently, this is just something of a tidying up exercise to write a few riveting words about a pub that I’ve been to which is in the Good Beer Guide. It’s a JD Wetherspoon operated venue and they’ve been listed in the Good Beer Guide for several years now. The Wetherspoon history of the pub is quite brief, namely:

“The name of this pub recalls the barges which plied their trade on the Croydon Canal. Opened in 1809, the canal was replaced (in 1836) by the railway line, which was laid largely along the same course.”

A large chicken jalfrezi and I have to note that I’ve only got a few photos here, so excuse the lack of interior shots of the pub. The venue has been operated by JD Wetherspoons since 2000, it was the Breakspear Arms before that which had first opened as a licensed premises in 1868. It closed in 1994 after some turbulent years and was left with an uncertain future for six years until JD Wetherspoons reopened it.

As I have a lack of interior photos, here’s some fish and chips I had in the pub a few years back. The pub has always been busy when I’ve visited before, it’s not that substantial in terms of its size and it is clearly a popular venue within the local community. Incidentally, if I revisit I’ll actually take photos of the interior, rather than having to rely on old photos of food which I accept have rather limited excitement to my large readership of two people.

The reviews for the pub are generally positive but I had a little look through to see what excitement was going on.

“My friend who is heavily pregnant was in urgent need of the toilet. We knocked on the door a couple on minutes after closing to which they heard of her pregnancy and walked away. The manager then came and shouted at us through the window, as I told her by the law an establishment should let a pregnant woman in to use the toilet”.

I’m fairly sure it was never in the licensing rules for the pubs that I had which said it was the law to open up a closed pub to a pregnant customer to use the toilets…… Mind you, there’s a myth that pregnant women have the legal right to urinate in a policeman’s helmet on request, another falsehood that amazingly persists.

“They didn’t answer the phone when I called to wish them happy new year”

Hmmmmm. That’s as exciting as the reviews get to be fair…..

At the time of writing the pub is offering six real ales, priced between £1.71 and £2.78 per pint, including Sambrook’s Wandle Ale and Sambrook’s Nightshift Mild. A pub with a mild can’t be a bad thing. Although it’s important to mention micropubs and other independently run pubs, it seems to me a real positive that this venue has been saved by JD Wetherspoons as there would otherwise have been a realistic possibility that it would have become another outlet of Tesco Express.

April 30, 2023
Cambridge – The Maypole (Repeat Visit)

I’ve visited this pub before, so will just add briefly to what I wrote a couple of years ago.

I was going to try a third of the Duality V4, as I’ve worked through the rest in that series, and a third of the Panna Cotta, but the manager told the server not to pour those drinks in that size. I must admit I’m not entirely sure that’s ideal, these are £9 per pint beers and I would have preferred to try two different ones. The last time that happened to me was at the Euston Tap, it’s otherwise not something I come across very often at all. It’s not a problem particularly as I’ll just opt for something else, but it feels sub-optimal from a craft beer perspective.

I instead went for half a pint of the Brazilian from Colchester Brewery, a reliable and creamy stout that I’ve had numerous times before, including from here. It was well-kept, at the appropriate temperature and reasonably priced, so I had no complaints.

The food options looked tempting and I might have worked through some more of the beer options, but we decided to just have one drink and leave to go elsewhere.

The full menu, looks suitably interesting.

Anyway, without repeating too much more from my previous post, the pub is still listed in the Good Beer Guide and there’s plenty of choice in terms of cask and keg beers.

April 30, 2023