Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Good Beer Guide

Cambridge – Champion of the Thames

Working through my never ending task of visiting as many pubs in the Good Beer Guide as possible, this is a Cambridge pub that I haven’t been to before. As I’m an idiot I couldn’t work out how to get in, but a customer did make it obvious and commented that this happened frequently. The external chalk boards were mostly rubbed out and it wasn’t entirely clear that the pub was open at first.

There were four real ales on, without nothing particularly interesting or unique, and I went for the Mad Wolf from Wolf Brewery. It didn’t seem entirely well kept, but it was just on the right side of not being vinegary to persist with it without taking it back to the bar and there wasn’t anything else particularly interesting on anyway. However, this is a Greene King pub, so I wasn’t expecting to be surprised or delighted with the beer. I note on their web-site that they claim “we pride ourselves on having the best ales in Cambridge” and then list Abbot and Greene King IPA below that. Perhaps my expectations were too high having just come from Thirsty, a formidable bar in the city which offers beers of an exceptional quality.

The pub was quiet, but it is an inviting atmosphere, there were friendly customers and plenty of heritage evident in its design. It was also clean and well presented, so the environment was sufficiently comfortable. The staff member was also engaging and polite, but it did feel like a pub for locals rather than aimed at tourists. They seem to have deliberately kept it old fashioned in terms of the decor and that seems very sensible, it’s got an authentic feel to it and that positively to the whole arrangement.

I initially thought that it was positive they had events taking place, until I realised that they’re in a different pub. It felt an odd marketing strategy, but I assume it’s clear to the regulars. They do have other events, such as showing University Challenge which I can imagine leads to a quite fun atmosphere in the venue. They also do free cheese and crackers on a Sunday, that’s something that feels really community led.

I’m sure that this offers a reliable option for the community and it’s obviously of a decent enough standard to be listed in the Good Beer Guide, so I might have just got unlucky with the beer. The beer wasn’t for me though interesting enough in range or quality, both combining to be a disappointing visit. Given the heritage of the building and the potential here, it just feels a shame that it’s part of the Greene King pub empire.

April 27, 2023
North Walsham Pub Day – Hop In

The Hop In is the only Good Beer Guide listed pub in North Walsham and is a micro-pub that was formerly occupied by a taxi company. I’ve been hoping to come here for some time and it was the pub that Julian and I expected to enjoy the most in our day trip to the town, so we had left it to last.

This was the strongest real ale selection of the day, offering a combination of local breweries alongside some different national breweries to give a little more choice. They had some tempting chocolate bars and crisps on the bar, but I somehow managed to resist buying food that I didn’t really need.

It’s a small venue, just three tables downstairs and around five or so tables upstairs. I wasn’t able to get a photo of the interior as it was busy, but the environment is cosy, informal and extremely inviting for my needs at least. The service was outstanding, with the staff member being knowledgeable, engaging, personable and pro-active. It is absolute no surprise that this pub is doing so well given the welcome that customers are receiving. I was faffing about wondering whether I needed a chocolate bar, and the staff member mentioned that I also had the option of bringing in food from other venues, which is always a kind gesture.

I went for the Pit Stop from Prescott Brewery to start with, an example of my being able to try something new as the brewery is from Cheltenham and I hadn’t previously heard of it. The beer uses Citra hops which nearly always delights me, giving it a pleasant citrusy flavour and it was served in excellent condition.

I didn’t go for Boudicca on this visit, but if my new bar billiards team member friend Emma ever reads this I’d note I’d had one of her brewery’s beers the night before so I haven’t become disloyal to this fine brewery. This is instead a beer I’ve had plenty of times, the ever delightful Blackberry Porter from S&P Brewery. Well, I have to get my fruit intake somehow as it’s important to have a balance in life.

I had absolute no complaints about the Hop In, it’s a standout venue which absolutely deserves to be listed in the Good Beer Guide. Exceptional service, a well thought through selection of beers, an inviting atmosphere and the denizens of North Walsham should be delighted that they have this drinking option in the town. I was surprised and delighted, ready to return to the International Transportation Hub in the car park of North Walsham library.

April 8, 2023
Harwich – Alma Inn (Good Beer Guide)

This is the only Good Beer Guide pub in Harwich that was open during my visit to the town and although its frontage isn’t necessarily the most appealing I was aware from reviews that this would likely be a positive experience.

Customers need to walk down the little corridor and then into the bar area, ignoring the tempting doors to the side.

This range of real ale surprised me, five different options across numerous beer styles is hard to achieve and maintain quality. However, since they’re listed in the Good Beer Guide and the reviews are broadly positive, they’re clearly achieving that. The prices are high though, over £6 a pint for real ale is what I’d expect to see in London. However, this venue is primarily a restaurant and so I’m assuming those prices reflect that, although those just wanting a drink are also welcome and there are some stools at the bar for when they’re full of diners.

Not a very clear photo, but a sign showing how high the flood water rose in 1953.

The interior has plenty of character and feels homely. The service was informal and polite, although I wouldn’t say there was any attempt to much engage beyond the minimum needed. But, that’s fine, not every pub is going to be the Hop & Vine, a friendly welcome is sufficient for me.

I’ve had the Black Adder from Mauldons before and it’s a very good stout, a roasted flavour with a creamy texture, with the pint here tasting just as I expected. The crisps were also delicious and complemented the beer nicely.

Someone has added the word “beer” at the bottom, which isn’t a bad shout. The pub’s web-site has a section which has the title “Officially the finest pub in the East of England” underneath “CAMRA Real Ale Pub” but I can’t find any evidence of that on CAMRA’s area web-site. It did win the branch award seven years ago but I can’t find any regional awards, but perhaps they were from other organisations.

I’m slightly disappointed (and only very slightly, I have more pressing concerns) as well that the pub’s web-site mentions nothing of its history other than it dates from the 1850s. Instead, the Harwich Pub Trail has a full history of the pub which is interesting, particularly the reference to:

“As it stands the building dates from many different periods but it was probably built in 1464 as a house. By 1599 it was owned by Captain Twitt – a relative of Thomas Twitt (or Twytt) a merchant and brewer in the town. The Twitt family were well-connecting and well-known in the town and Captain Twitt’s daughter married Christopher Jones at St. Nicholas’s Church in 1593. Although Sara died aged 27 in 1603 her husband went on to own a rather famous ship named the Mayflower and used it to guide the Pilgrim Fathers to America in 1620.”

It was a Tolly Cobbold pub between 1957 and 1990, then Pubmaster before falling into the hands of the hopeless and hapless Punch Taverns who sold it in 2010. And there’s some more history and older photos here.

There’s elements of quirkiness that I like, such as the details of their six bedrooms where they note about the view from one that “it boasts a sea view and a view of a quite charming electrical substation“. I also hadn’t seen before the poster on the inside of the entrance to the toilet that said something along the lines of ‘let those coming in have priority, their need is greater than yours’. I like that informality, I think it gives a softer edge to the pub and makes it feel that bit more inviting.

As a random aside, it’s not my problem and nor indeed anything I’ll think about again after writing this, but I find the pub’s use of the CAMRA logo all over the place and on every page a little confusing, as well as the reference to their being a “CAMRA Real Ale Pub” without any links to the national web-site. It may be that CAMRA have authorised this use of the logo and wording, but it seems unusual terminology that I haven’t seen before.

The on-line reviews for the pub are very positive, so I’d say it’s a safe bet that the food is reliably good, whilst the clear fact they’re able to stock five real ales is showing just how much beer they’re selling. It’s one of the more expensive pubs I’ve been in for real ale, and actually the most expensive pub listed in the Good Beer Guide that I can recall and that includes tens of London pubs, but prices are rising and no venue is immune to them.

This is one of these pubs that’s worth coming to get a drink for just to feel part of the history of the building, but given the excellent choice of real ales and how well kept they are, that all comes together to feel like reasonable value for money. And I like the irreverent sense of humours that is evidence throughout the pub, all rather lovely.

April 4, 2023
Hempton – Bell Pub (Good Beer Guide)

I was pleased to discover that the Bell pub in Hempton opened at 11:00 as that meant I could make a flying visit to tick it off my Good Beer Guide list. Hempton is a moderately strange settlement as it’s effectively in Fakenham, but it feels entirely separate from it and in terms of its history it hasn’t much changed over the last 200 years.

It was evident that this pub would be excellent simply by evidence that it has survived at all, with the other two pubs in Hempton having closed long ago. As mentioned, it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide, but it also came highly recommended from people that I know in CAMRA. A quick look on-line shows that they’ve made an effort to have a web presence and they’ve also got a history of the pub which is something I always appreciate.

The Bell is a perfect example of a village pub where the welcome is immediate and the locals seem pleased when people come in to their pub. It feels like they have a buy-in, it’s a sign of an exceptional pub where the locals are so proud of their venue. And rightly so, it’s got a community feel where they show sports, have a pool table, two separate seating areas and a cosy atmosphere. There’s something for everything, not least a selection of four real ales which is a good going for any pub.

The beer is the Snetterton Scary Tree, the name of which comes from a local landmark which has unfortunately now fallen down. Brewed by Elmtree this is a session bitter which was suitably hoppy, being well-kept and at the appropriate temperature. Any concern I had that I’d arrive early on a Monday morning and might get a poor quality beer were unfounded as there were already several customers and all the beers had been pulled through.

My visit was short, but I got the impression that this was an exceptional pub which serves its community well and there were numerous events advertised which they’ve involved with organising. There was a friendly welcome, engaging service, keenly priced beer and plenty of real ales. It absolutely deserves its place in the Good Beer Guide, it’s a pub for the many and not the few.

April 3, 2023
King’s Lynn – The Wenns Chop & Ale House (2nd Visit)

I visited Wenns a couple of weeks ago for a flying visit, but since Łukasz and I were in King’s Lynn for the day exploring beer options, we decided to go for food there as well given how well reviewed it was.

The kitchen wasn’t quite ready when I ordered, but I liked how the staff member took the order and explained they’d get it ready as quickly as they could. I was in no rush, which meant that Łukasz and I managed to get through about 15 games of Jenga. I forgot how exciting that is to play after a few drinks. We did actually try other games as well, but I couldn’t understand the rules and so we thought we’d just stick to Jenga, that’s pitched more at my level.

My beer is the Battle Standard from Shadow Bridge which was a decent bitter from a smoky edge, it’s positive to see different breweries in pubs and this was particularly interesting as my friend Tony from the Hop & Vine had mentioned about this outfit which takes it name from being in the shadow of the Humber Bridge.

The garlic and chilli chicken strips, cleanly presented and fortunately just with a hint of garlic rather than a smothering of the stuff.

Excuse Łukasz’s arm in the photo, but the fish and chips was one of the best that I’ve had in a fair while. The batter had a depth of taste and was drained so it wasn’t greasy, the fish flaked away and the portion was generous. The chips were suitably fluffy and I think that the mushy peas and tartare sauce were homemade, or at least that’s what they tasted like.

I’m quite enamoured by this place, it’s really more of a continental type bar with a strong beer offering which has led to an entry in the Good Beer Guide, alongside a realistically priced and tasty food menu all with friendly service.

April 2, 2023
King’s Lynn – The Wenns Chop & Ale House

NB – I’ve revisited this rather lovely venue as I wanted to try the food.

One of the advantages of the Good Beer Guide is that pubs listed in it can genuinely get more trade from that entry, not least myself today in the Wenns Chop & Ale House in King’s Lynn. I did wonder whether it would have a restaurant vibe, but it was genuinely welcoming to me when I wandered in asking for half a pint. Indeed, their web-site really doesn’t address this issue, it’s very much all about their hotel and restaurant with the chop reference also hiding that their menu is quite broad.

The Wenns name is its historic name, although more recently it was rebranded to be Goldings. Its closure was controversial with allegations of staff not being paid, but regardless of whatever happened there, it seems better now that it has restored its former name. It’s in an historic part of King’s Lynn, opposite the church, a few minutes walk from the town centre.

Just the two real ales on at the moment, but they’re both local and I very much like the Small Town Hero from Three Blind Mice, which I’ve had before. It’s not an extensive selection, but it’s an entirely reasonable offering.

The Three Blind Mice beer, which was reasonably priced and tasting as I hoped for, so all was well there. The reasonably priced element is important here, as if they were excessive with their pricing for the beer than I imagine it might have failed to satisfy the local members of CAMRA. I also understand that they have a happy hour taking place between 16:00 and 19:00 on Mondays to Thursdays, with £1 off the price of a pint.

This was a comfortable and inviting pub, with the staff members being friendly and engaging. I like the informality and the food that was being served looked well presented and of a decent quality. It’s perhaps an unusual entry into the Good Beer Guide, but I’m pleased that it’s in the book as I would have likely otherwise overlooked it whilst meandering around the town.

March 10, 2023
Norwich – Bell Hotel

I haven’t written much about this JD Wetherspoon pub in Norwich, but since it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide I had better do so for completeness. It feels a long time ago now, but the above photo is from when the Bell Hotel was closed during lockdown, days I’m very much glad are in the past. This has been a hospitality venue in some form since 1485 and has been an important coaching inn over the centuries, but despite its name it hasn’t been a hotel for decades. JD Wetherspoon acquired the property in the 1990s and it was one of their first acquisitions outside of London, likely saving it from demolition. A few years ago there was a major expansion to the pub (and here are some photos of that, since I got to get a free meal and drink as part of their soft opening) which brought a former part of the hotel back into usage that had recently been used as offices by a bank.

And a little bit of history from the front of the pub. There’s a photo taken in 1938 by George Plunkett of the pub which is one of my favourites that he took, it’s a very different city today but the Bell is relatively untouched. As an aside, that balcony type structure has been removed from the front of the pub now, but in a photo from 1954 a bit is still remaining. I’m not sure if some of it fell off or something, but I’m quite intrigued by it.

This photo from 1936 interests me, I hadn’t realised that the hotel was previously in two bits. What is now the entrance to the lower bar was the entrance to the garages, along with its petrol pump, with that gap having now been filled in.

These are the only two old photos I’ve seen of inside of the Bell, with this old advert being on the JD Wetherspoon web-site.

This photo is from Norwich Heritage (I can’t link directly as it’s an image in a gallery) and shows The Bell before the tramways required the building to the left to be demolished.

I’ve many photos of the food here, but here’s once from 2017 when they still sold the pastrami bagel, which I think is one of the best things that they’ve sold.

The mushy peas are slightly splodged on, but I’m sure it tasted delicious.

And a breakfast from when they used to be more affordable, as there have been a series of price increases over recent months making everything more expensive.

Back to the beer and away from the food, there are usually seven or eight real ales available on a regularly changing basis. I’ve never had any issues with the beer here, it’s always well kept and at the appropriate temperature. At the time of writing they’ve got eight real ales on, with three of those being their staples of Greene King Ruddles, Sharp’s Doom Bar and Greene King Abbot Ale. They’ve currently also got Adnams Ghost Ship, Beartown Bearskinful, Brains Rev James Original, Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing and Woodford’s Phoenix IPA.

This was one of my favourites that they had on a few weeks ago, the Red Herring from Green Jack Brewing in Lowestoft and it’s a Rauchbier.

The pub is relatively well reviewed and I think it’s the busiest of the JD Wetherspoon outlets in the city. Looking through the reviews:

“This used to be my favourite Wetherspoon restaurant in the city until yesterday when I came in with my family for a meal and I was welcomed by a living SNAIL on my bbq chicken pizza”.

That sounds exciting to be fair, I’ve never been served a snail in any JD Wetherspoon pub.

“After 22 years of not eating any animals, I was served chicken nuggets today at The Bell Hotel instead of quorn nuggets. I’ve never had quorn nuggets in Weatherspoon before and I have not eaten chicken for 22 years, so I have not realised what happened until the mistake was discovered after I have eaten some of the meal.”

That is far from ideal, although I have often been served the wrong meal in this chain, so I’m not entirely surprised. The mistakes that they make with my order don’t have the same impact as this customer.

“No wonder the owner wants European staff, they don’t understand the negative comments”.

Oh good, a bit of hatred and piffle thrown into the mix.

“I asked for a double jack and coke with no ice the guy put ice ion not a big issue but instead of making another one Jim I think he was called just put his hand in the drink picked the ice out and then gave it back to me what the hell and during a pandemic”

I’d like to think that this isn’t true.

“Ok if you are a non-smoker. 13 tables to choose from, 4 if you smoke. WOKE PUB”

Of all the pubs that is ‘woke’, it’s not ones operated by Tim Martin. Unfortunately, the chain decided to scrap their social media presence a few years ago, so none of these reviews are ever replied to.

Anyway, I digress. It’s a perfectly well managed pub from my experiences and there’s a choice of bars with a smaller one downstairs and the main one upstairs. There’s plenty of real ale and also craft beer, I suspect it’ll be remaining in the Good Beer Guide for some time to come.

March 9, 2023
Norwich – Coach and Horses (Bethel Street)

Working on my list of Good Beer Guide pubs that I’ve visited, I have been to the Coach and Horses in Bethel Street (not to be confused with the one on Thorpe Road which is also in the Good Beer Guide) many times before but for the purposes of this post I thought I’d visit again. It’s important to be professional with these things…. As a pre-warning, it is a Greene King pub, but as a spoiler, I’d say that it’s as good as a Greene King pub is going to be.

Seven real ales available, which is impressive by any measure and there was a wide choice of different beer styles.

The selection of real ales required two photos and as evidenced here, there was a real cider available as well. One problem with many Greene King pubs is that they sell one or two beers from their own brewery, including Greene King IPA, which don’t exactly surprise and delight. However, here there is an effort to source beers from local breweries with only two Greene King beers.

Given the pouring rain outside at the time, I went for a darker option which was half a pint of the Winter Porter from the Panther Brewery from Reepham. It was well-kept, at the appropriate chilled temperature and it had some chocolate notes which I approved of.

The service was personable and engaging, this felt a well-run pub with an inviting and warm atmosphere. It was surprisingly busy for a rainy afternoon, with perhaps six or so of the tables being occupied. They offer a tapas menu, which I’ve eaten from before and has been of a decent quality in the past and the prices for food and drink are moderate. It’s a very busy pub for pre-theatre drinks as the Theatre Royal is just around the corner, with plenty of lunchtime customers as well. The reviews on-line for the pub are excellent with few negativity from visitors.

I’ve sometimes seen Greene King pubs listed in the Good Beer Guide and I’ve struggled a little to wonder why. The situation at this pub is different given the wide range of ales and I also trust the CAMRA members in Norwich not to let any venues into the book which aren’t of a decent standard. There are some other little highlights in this pub as well, not least the bar billiards table which is always a positive in any venue. For those who need them there is also wi-fi and there are plenty of plug sockets to ensure devices can be kept fully charged. I can happily comment that this seems a well deserved entry into the Good Beer Guide.

March 9, 2023
Luton – The White House (Visit 2)

I’ve written about this pub before, so won’t linger on its history again. But it’s the Good Beer Guide listed JD Wetherspoon venue, their only pub in the town as they’ve closed the London Hatter on Park Street.

It’s quite an attractive interior although there’s quite a lot of bouncing of the upper level floor when anyone climbs up the circular stairs. It’s peaceful and calm with numerous power points up here if anyone wants them. I didn’t really get to engage with any team members as I used the app, but they seemed friendly and helpful.

There were six real ales on, two that I’ve haven’t had before and this is the Going Loco from Tring Brewery from Tring in Hertfordshire. It was well kept and at the appropriate temperature, but it didn’t have much depth of flavour although would likely make a satisfactory session beer with its 3.9% ABV.

There was a little bit more going on with the Ossian from Inveralmond Brewery who are from Perth in Scotland. Hoppy and full in flavour, it’s a 4.1% ABV golden ale. Well-kept again, the pub feels like it deserves its place in the Good Beer Guide and the beers were both priced at £1.23 for a half.

The pub is generally well reviewed on-line, although I was amused at this:

“Generally when someone orders a meal in any restaurant and it isn’t available either a refund is given or a substitution of such . I do not understand why if a meal of beans on toast is ordered then given as just toast that you have the cheek to refund the beans as if it was and extra”.

That’s not really ideal, I’m with the customer there. If you sell beans on toast and only have half the core ingredients, it’s probably best not to just bring out half the elements required for the meal.

“Was just starting to eat my breakfast at around 10am. I was watching a film on my phone while eating my breakfast as there was no music. This bar tender came over and asked me to turn the volume down. The volume wasn’t that high and didn’t see anyone going to complain. Unless there people praying there I can’t understand the point as being a pub where music is normally played and sometimes can’t hear what you are saying, I found it insulting. There are are better places to be treated properly. I’ll take my money else where.”

I’m entirely with the pub, I’d personally say that team member was spot on. Music isn’t normally played there for a good reason…..

Anyway, definitely a safe bet for anyone wanting real ale in Luton.

March 2, 2023
Great Yarmouth – Blackfriars Tavern

Firstly, my apologies that I wasn’t intending to write up the day that Nathan I spent visiting all the Good Beer Guide pubs in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. This means that I didn’t burden myself with taking many photos, so my extensive readership of two will just have to use their imagination a bit more than usual. I am slowly, but very surely, visiting every pub in the Good Beer Guide which is an impossible project but that doesn’t stop me. This pub in Great Yarmouth (94 Blackfriars’ Road, NR30 3BZ) is just a little out of the way, so credit once again to the Good Beer Guide for listing this venue.

Let me start by writing up-front that this is a very good pub and I was absolutely unable to fault it. The warmth of the welcome, the engagement from who I am guessing is the landlord, the range of the beers and the inviting nature of the environment. This is going to be one of those feel good posts where just everything went well. As a pre-cursor to the below, the landlord mentioned to us that he had just written a blog post that day about the beer Nathan ordered, so for some extra context have a read of https://www.blackfriarstavern.co.uk/the-story-of-the-starry-night-stout-and-the-three-wise-men/. That web-site is a work of art on its own with the width of their offering being clearly evident.

I went for the Recessive Red from the reliable Mr Winter’s and this was a well kept quite punchy 6% red ale. There were two darker beers with Nathan going for the Starry Night Stout from Tindall Brewing and checking through his Untappd he was happy with it and its smoothness. He probably told me at the time, but I doubt I was listening. We were on one of our random days out with occasional shots (it’s a long story, but we should probably be supervised by a responsible adult if I’m being honest), which is why there’s a delicious shot sitting next to my real ale. I don’t actually want to focus on the beer choice for too long, but it was excellent for a venue of this size with five real ales and an extensive Belgian beer selection. And the pub wasn’t just offering beers, the landlord was positively enthusing about them. This is a landlord that cares about his beer.

The reason that I don’t want to linger on the beer is that this wasn’t the highlight of the visit, and in many ways, it shouldn’t be. The star of the show was the friendly landlord, engaging and welcoming. He also didn’t demur about our random shot and just slightly odd behaviour, he positively embraced it and so no criticisms there. There were plenty of board games and Nathan rushed over with chess as he’s from a chess winning family. Privately I suspect that’s as he didn’t want to play monopoly for four hours which is what I would have ended up doing. Although he quite rightly mentioned that it would have been no hardship staying here for several hours. Incidentally, he won at chess, but I like letting him win as it cheers him up.

There’s also a very decent refurbishment that has gone on here, it’s traditional but yet on-trend which is a hard thing to achieve. There’s nothing formulaic about this pub, it’s laid-back, it’s slightly quirky and it does the welcoming thing well. I’ve mentioned before that one of the key measures of a pub is that someone coming in on their own, perhaps new to the area, feels like it’s a venue they’re part of and a community to which they feel they can join. I absolutely got that feeling here, this is absolutely right to be in the Good Beer Guide, it’s glorious. Anyone coming to Great Yarmouth who likes pubs should pop in and linger here for some time.

March 1, 2023