Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Good Beer Guide

  • Cambridge – Elm Tree

    Cambridge – Elm Tree

    I’m not sure that I’ve been to this pub in Cambridge before, but it’s been one of the ever-present locations in the Good Beer Guide over the last few decades. The pub is well-reviewed on-line, it’s a traditional real ale venue which has a loyal following of locals.

    There was a friendly welcome and the pub is small and quite cosy, with the staff being engaging and helpful. There was once a bar billiards table here, but that has long since gone, which must have been a relief for Nathan as he’d have been annoyed to lose in Cambridge.

    There’s a strong emphasis on Belgian beers and CAMRA note that the pub’s landlord has written a book about the subject. I’ve got little knowledge of Belgian beers, although maybe I’ll work on that in the future. In addition to the 100+ Belgian beers, there’s also a notable cider selection as well.

    The Party Party from Brewpoint Brewery, which seems to be the remnants of the Charles Wells set-up that has just constructed a new brewery site at Bedford. It’s a middle of the road real ale, with the crisps (which are vegan despite the flavour of Roast Rib of Beef) complementing it perfectly. This pub doesn’t serve food, but customers are allowed to bring sandwiches and the like in if they want.

    This pub didn’t have the craft beer options of some of the others that we visited, but the service was welcoming, the environment was comfortable and the beer was well-kept. I can see why this has persisted in the Good Beer Guide for so long and there were numerous real ales to choose from. This was also evidently one of those pubs that I felt someone could come in on their own and be made to feel welcome, always a key requirement of a pub in my view.

  • Cambridge – Pint Shop (2nd Visit)

    Cambridge – Pint Shop (2nd Visit)

    Pint Shop was the fourth pub on our little tour of Cambridge and it’s Good Beer Guide listed and I’ve visited before, so I’ll keep this post relatively brief.

    I’d say that this was the only pub of the nine that we visited where there was a complete absence of welcome either at the door or at the bar, with the service being a little terse and entirely unengaging. The pub wasn’t that busy, but there weren’t many seats available as the venue has a poor distinction between where drinkers and diners can sit.

    The beer list had a range of styles and numerous credible options, although nothing stood out as exceptional, but it’s certainly not a bad little selection. I’m not convinced that the bar staff had any idea about the beers, but if they did, they weren’t going to tell the customers.

    Some of the pub’s interior decor. I note a series of recent poor reviews commenting on the high prices of the menu and I’m in agreement with those, I’m struggling to see how they’re justifying main course prices of £20 whilst offering a minimal welcome to customers.

    I went for The Turtles All the Way Down from Duration Brewing, based in West Acre in Norfolk. Hoppy and refreshing, I’m not sure I can remember anything about it beyond that.

    The venue wasn’t the cleanest and I saw no evidence of staff cleaning anything, so the two probably go hand in hand. There was nothing of great concern about this pub, but it’s probably one that I’d skip on any future visits to Cambridge as it feels like a venue that is really only for diners and not those just wanting a drink. That was a situation which was less evident when I visited in 2020, but it was at that point much quieter.

  • Cambridge – The Maypole

    Cambridge – The Maypole

    This was the third in our list of pubs to visit in Cambridge, the Maypole which is a freehouse that is listed in the Good Beer Guide. I have visited here before, but it was several years ago and I’d managed to forget most things about it. It was part of the Punch estate that was purchased from Pubmaster, but it’s now a free house and there’s a comprehensive history of the pub on their web-site from its opening in 1851 which is clearly laid out. The history of the pub is quite complex, as the site once had two separate pubs on, the Maypole and the Plume of Feathers.

    There’s a central bar area in this CAMRA award winning pub, which now has an Italian street food menu.

    Interesting decoration in the pub of a maypole scene and the interior was clean and comfortable. The service at the bar was friendly and helpful, with the environment being welcoming. The pub is well reviewed, although recently got a negative 1/5 comment saying:

    “If the pub happens to be playing a wonderful Luther vandross number, and you happen to sing along quietly, then it appears one might be more suited to wetherspoons and you will be asked to leave”.

    Ignoring the sneering about other pub chains, I quite approve of the policy the pub seems to have here. And from five years ago:

    “I got 31 chips for 3 pounds”.

    A 1/5 review which seems to have been a fore-runner of the JD Wetherspoon Paltry Chips group on Facebook…..

    There were beer options chalked up in a few places, this is the keg list which has some acceptable options, but feels a bit limited for a freehouse with no ties that is mentioning that it’s making a big effort in this area. Although we had just been to the nearby Thirsty, where the options were exceptional, so maybe an unfair comparison between the two. The cask list is better than the generic choices in some pubs in the city, I suspect they do more cask than keg sales here.

    We both went for half a pint of the Brazilian coffee from Colchester Brewery, as I couldn’t see anything at the bar that I hadn’t had before. This is though a perfectly acceptable beer, and one of my favourites from that brewery, and it was at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature.

    This feels like a well-run pub and I can see why it has been listed in the Good Beer Guide, with an effort made to have both cask and keg options, as well a wide range of other drinks. We didn’t try the food, but the choices looked interesting and the service was friendly and welcoming, so a very pleasant visit. As an aside, CAMRA note there’s no accessible toilet here.

  • Good Beer Guide 2022

    Good Beer Guide 2022

    The Good Beer Guide 2022 edition is now out and the CAMRA app has been updated, so I can see which of my favourite pubs have made a reappearance. My delight is mostly reserved to see that the brilliant Hop and Vine is back in, although I’d have refused to have acknowledged that the book even existed if it hadn’t….. (I admit to copying much of this text from last year, but I did check the Hop & Vine first!)

    Here’s the list of Good Beer Guide pubs that I’ve visited….

    Anyway, the new copy is available at https://amzn.to/3269OCx:

  • Haworth – The Fleece Inn

    Haworth – The Fleece Inn

    Whilst taking part in the LDWA groups’ weekend, I got chance to visit the only Good Beer Guide listed pub in Haworth, the Fleece Inn. I discovered, with some slight annoyance, that it involved walking up a hill…..

    The service was warm and the staff had the problem that the pub was full and they couldn’t seat any more diners, so they had disappoint walk-up guests. I wasn’t eating (since the LDWA weekend had no shortage of food) and I was fortunate enough to get the only table remaining which was quite handy. I was confused by the arrows on the floor and I watched other customers get equally muddled up, so I’m not entirely sure they’ve thought it through. I did see one customer follow the arrows, the other fifty or so didn’t.

    This is a Timothy Taylor pub and the beer options were all from their brewery. There are usually four choices, but the one that I would have gone for had just run out, so I went for the Knowle Spring which was entirely average and quite bland, although well-kept. The one that I had wanted was the Havercake, named in honour of Captain Tom who was brought up in nearby Keighley.

    The food looked of a very good quality and it was reasonably priced, so I can see why it was so busy on a Saturday lunchtime. The pub also has rooms available for overnight guests, so it serves breakfast for its B&B guests as well as walk-in customers. Certainly nothing wrong with the service, I felt very welcome throughout and I liked the immediate greeting from the team member behind the bar. As for the beer, the quality was limited by being from the Timothy Taylor brewery, which is just down the road, which isn’t really as exciting as I’d ideally like. Certainly a nice environment and I suspect it’s a really reliable place to go for food which seems well-run.

  • Leeds – Head of Steam (Mill Hill)

    Leeds – Head of Steam (Mill Hill)

    For reasons that I’ll post about when writing about (look at that for anticipation and cliffhangers…..) my National Express coach trip from London to Bradford, I managed to get 45 minutes in Leeds as part of the experience. This was handy as I was able to visit a Head of Steam in the city that I couldn’t visit earlier in the year as it was shut. That means that I’ve now visited all three of the Head of Steam outlets in Leeds, the others being Park Row and Headingley. This one opened in 2014, Park Row in 2019 and Headingley in 2016, so it’s the oldest in the city.

    An interesting little design set-up which can be viewed by anyone going upstairs to the toilets.

    I went for two half pints, the Barista Stout from Theakston (on the left) and the Abduction from Vocation Brewery. Both very decent beers, I very much liked the initial hit of raspberry and the aftertaste of plum with the Abduction, that was really quite classy. Definitely the best way to eat fruit. I was pleased with the range of beer styles being offered across cask and keg, with a pleasing selection of darker beers.

    The reviews are pretty positive, but the pub was rightly annoyed at the 1/5 review on Google:

    “Not been inside just outside”.

    Really bloody helpful that is….

    Service was friendly and this venue felt more like a relaxed pub than a bar, the other Head of Steam in the city centre is much more of a vibrant bar environment. I like this pub, it felt like it had a community feel and customers were served in turn and efficiently. The prices were reasonable and the pub seemed clean and organised. I was glad that the National Express faffing about led to me getting the chance to visit this pub, but perhaps it was just fate. And as a bonus that I didn’t realise when I was there, the pub is in the latest edition of the Good Beer Guide.

  • Shipley / Saltaire – Cap & Collar

    Shipley / Saltaire – Cap & Collar

    The sun hasn’t helped me here in delivering a quality photo of the frontage, but there’s always Google Street View for anyone who requires better imagery…. Anyway, this is a Good Beer Guide listed micropub which was established in 2014 and I wasn’t going to miss out on visiting this when I was in Saltaire.

    I understand that there’s a beer garden to the back, but otherwise this is a relatively small pub. The main bar area is visible and the welcome from the staff member was immediate and seemed genuine.

    The beer options, inevitably limited given that this is a micropub, but a few cask and keg options, although nothing dark. There were though some bottles and cans which I didn’t investigate at the time (but have now looked on-line and there’s plenty of choice across most beer styles), so there were some additional choices there. They also have their own branded clothing on display, which felt a bit aspirational, but there we go…..

    I went for the Spectrum Eclipse from Vocation Brewery, along with Seabrook crisps which I think I’ve become addicted to. As an aside, I used to wonder why Morrisons stocked so many Seabrook crisps, but I’ve now discovered that both of them are headquartered in Bradford.  Very hoppy and fruity, it was a refreshing beer although the lingering flavours were a bit weak.

    There was a nice and friendly neighbourhood and community vibe to the micropub, deservedly in the Good Beer Guide I thought as the beer offerings were something different from the generic. Apparently (well, I’ve from CAMRA) that there a frequent tap takeovers and there are sometimes folk music performances. For those who don’t sufficient Seabrook crisps enough, the pub also has some street food vendors that attending on a rotating basis, giving a bit of choice to customers. All very lovely…..

  • Huddersfield – The Sportsman

    Huddersfield – The Sportsman

    Going back a few weeks (my backlog shows no signs of going away, but I shall persist….) to when Tony and I had a little expedition around the pubs of Huddersfield. This is the Sportsman, a Good Beer Guide listed pub which is noted for its historic pub interior and its selection of beer.

    There’s one main bar in the pub and there are numerous rooms leading off from it. The beer options are on the chalkboard at the end of the bar, neatly divided between keg and cask. There was also a printed menu of Belgian beers, which isn’t something that I really have much knowledge of, but Tony commented that it was a very decent selection.

    I liked the little touches from the 1950s refurbishment, such as the bell for drinks service. Some pubs put systems like this back in over the last couple of years when table service had to be reintroduced.

    We were seated in one of the side rooms and that’s half a pint of Plum Porter from Nailmaker Brewing Company who are from the rather lovely town of Barnsley. It was a very acceptable pint, one of the better porters that I’ve had.

    Having visited Saltaire, I’m happy to try some of the brewery’s beers and this red ale had some interesting notes of fruit, but was otherwise perhaps a little unexceptional. Well kept and at the appropriate temperature though, so no issues there.

    I don’t normally feel the need to take photos in toilets, but I like their heritage in this pub. In terms of the main part of the building, it would have been easy for a pub company to entirely knock out the internal walls of the pub, but enough has survived here to give it that historic feel, with some old plans of the building on the wall as well.

    Reviews of the pub are nearly all positive, just with the occasional one like:

    “Need to get this OTT OCD covid attitude rectified or it’ll go the way of the Corner. Soulless and sterile as things stand.”

    It’s disappointing that customers don’t perhaps recognise just how difficult it is for pubs to try and please their wider customer base, but I thought they were doing a really good job with a combination of serving at the bar but also with the team member coming over to offer table service for our second drink. The pub responded politely to the review as well, all nicely done.

    Anyway, this was a friendly and welcoming pub, with something of a community feel in all of the positive meanings of the word and I can see why it has won numerous CAMRA awards. Other customers were conversational and welcoming and the staff member was engaging and knowledgeable about the beer options. I liked the choice of beers as well, there was a range of styles on the extensive beer list. I’m glad that it’s in the Good Beer Guide….

  • Huddersfield – The Cherry Tree

    Huddersfield – The Cherry Tree

    More working through my little backlog of photos (there are several thousand, so my three readers will be in for a real treat over the next few weeks). This is from my visit to Huddersfield a few weeks ago and this is the pub that I went to after arriving in the town, the JD Wetherspoon operated Cherry Tree. It’s listed in the Good Beer Guide and is located near to the station, although I managed to get lost and took about ten minutes to make the one minute walk. It allowed me to see Huddersfield at least….

    I’ve never seen a Wetherspoons pub with a screen listing their real ales. My first impressions of the pub weren’t ideal as a very drunk woman was starting a fight outside and smashing up parts of the pub. The staff seemed to know her and went out to get rid of her and to repair their pub. A customer ran to the bar shouting help was needed and panicking about where the staff were, perhaps not realising that they were already at the scene of the incident. She did think about phoning 999, but she decided against it, but she had to order herself a vodka to calm down. Clever strategy that….

    There’s the screen for anyone who is interested in what JD Wetherspoon had available in this pub several weeks ago. I suspect that this is a limited audience.

    I got half a pint of the Wobbly Bob from Phoenix Brewery, which I can’t really remember several weeks on, but I gave it 3.75 on Untappd, so it must have been perfectly acceptable.

    And a chicken jalfrezi whilst I was there, alongside a pint of Brewdog Punk IPA. This is my go to food order for meals at JD Wetherspoons now, since I can’t order the pastrami bagel as it was ditched a few years ago (which still annoys me as is evident that I keep whingeing on about it). I go for the Punk IPA as it’s a bit like the Tesco meal deal, getting the most expensive drink as it comes free with the meal…..

    The pub isn’t brilliantly reviewed on-line, although that just makes for more exciting reading. Someone managed to order to the wrong pub (hopefully Richard won’t read this, as I won’t mention his little debacle in this regard):

    “Very poor, came from the Lord Wilson wetherspoons pub and didn’t realise I was still logged into L W and ordered drink to wrong pub, did not want to know do [so] went back to Lord Wilson, they to [too] didn’t want to know quoted terms and conditions blah blah, won’t go to any wetherspoons again.”

    But it’s important not to exaggerate in reviews:

    “Ruined by not enough staff!! with new table service 10 mins wait time on 2 occasions a man could die of dehydration”

    Ten minute wait, it’s hard to imagine how brave this customer was….

    “Terrible experience, sat down at the front outside, paid for our drinks. Then told that we couldn’t sit anywhere near weatherspoon pub, due us having a dog, due to company policy. Its the only weatherspoons i have been to that have done this to us, and wouldnt even give us some water for the dog. They seriously need to re-think their policy.”

    Wetherspoons have a national policy of no dogs on the premises (other than assistance dogs) and having seen some recent real problems in decent pubs which allow dogs, I suspect it’s by far the safest policy to have, including in gardens.

    This is my favourite review though:

    “Never ever going to Cherry Tree again, we ordered via the app, I had to go fetch our drinks after 20mins of waiting, then I had to fill the coffee machine up for them as the kids running the place were so unorganised, by the time I got back to the table food had arrived, my partner had half eaten his and mine was cold…”

    I’m not sure customers filling the coffee machine is at all ideal, but I was amused by the “my partner had half eaten his”. He sounds awesome  🙂

    Anyway, as a pub, this was all fine despite the drama going on outside, which wasn’t really the ideal introduction to Huddersfield. The staff were engaging, the customers not fighting were friendly and the environment was sort of clean. The range of beers justifies this pub being in the Good Beer Guide and I did pop back later in the week to have a rather delicious Amarillo golden ale from Saltaire Brewery.

  • Hull – Taphouse Brewpub

    Hull – Taphouse Brewpub

    This is the final Good Beer Guide listed pub in Hull that I hadn’t visited before, located in the rather on-trend Fruit Market area of the city. It’s a combination of a brewery which is jointly used by Bone Machine and the Yorkshire Brewing Company, as well as a bar area.

    The beer options on the board, a mixture of keg, cask and at the time of my visit, a German beer festival as well for Oktoberfest. I thought that the beer pricing was reasonable and I ordered at the bar, although I think it was meant to be table service. Either way, the staff were friendly and the atmosphere was laid-back and inviting.

    The food menu, where the prices were a bit more punchy. I had already eaten, but the food options looked good.

    I went for a couple of half pints, the Erdinger Dunkel (above) and the Men Beyond the Glass from Bone Machine. Both were very drinkable and at the appropriate temperature and all that. The interior of the bar is all modern and I liked the seating around the table, although it took me some manoeuvring to get in. There are plenty of power points dotted around the bar, which is perhaps something of a sign about how modern an interior is.

    It’s an interesting bar and I liked it, although I can imagine that it gets busy on weekends (and indeed, we couldn’t get in one evening last year as it was full). It’s well reviewed, although there is a 1-star review because the venue used disposable cutlery last year to make it easier to maintain Covid compliance, despite it being a “really nice place. Atmosphere, food and service were great”, which must be disheartening. But there’s always someone wanting to do a place down over Covid, although hopefully that is something which is behind us. The beer range wasn’t the most decadent that I’ve seen, but there were a range of different styles and there was plenty of choice. So that’s another bar that I’m pleased is listed in the Good Beer Guide and I think that I made the right decision to go and visit to complete my collection of Hull pubs that are listed in it. Although the new book is out in a few weeks, so if there’s somewhere new that’s another place I’d have to traipse to….