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Tag: Good Beer Guide

  • Birmingham – Colmore

    Birmingham – Colmore

    There aren’t, unfortunately, that many Good Beer Guide listed pubs in the centre of Birmingham that I haven’t already visited. I’ll explore some others instead (there is a world of decent pubs not listed in the Good Beer Guide after all), and perhaps go further afield, but I haven’t been to this one before, formerly the Birmingham Tap.

    There’s a grand bar and there are QR codes at the table so that customers can see what’s available. I visited on the first “Freedom Day” and they’re taking orders at the bar again rather than offering table service, although I suspect they’d offer it on request as the staff seemed very keen to engage. The beers are mostly from Thornbridge Brewery, which is rather lovely as I rate them highly and have visited their taproom.

    The interior has been renovated to a high standard in what was formerly a branch of Lloyds Bank.

    I decided to go initially for two half pints, this is the Lord Marples which is a drinkable bitter with some hints of toffee.

    Quite a nice little quiff arrangement on the Green Mountain and I enjoyed this, refreshing, rich and with a suitably fruit finish to it.

    Since I liked the pub so much, I decided to order another half, this time the McConnel’s, which I thought was a really decent stout that was creamy, rich and there was some coffee in there as well (in flavour, they didn’t dump an espresso in). There’s meant to be raspberry in there as well, but I was struggling to pull that flavour out, which is likely a defect of mine rather than the beer.

    As for the service in the pub, it was conversational, engaging and warm. I liked how they told me that McConnel’s was a bit of a curse, as they’ve put it on twice over the last year and then the lockdown came the week after on both occasions. Apparently it wasn’t poured down the drain as a staff member was able to have it, although he is now no longer drinking it, which is understandable give too much of a good thing and all that. All of the staff members were welcoming and there’s a nice community feel to this place. There’s a food menu which is mostly based around pizzas, and I might well meander back at some point to try that.

    All told, I very much liked this pub and I’m pleased that the Good Beer Guide sent me here. Understandably, it’s well reviewed on-line, although someone was annoyed they were charged £12 for a large gin & tonic and a pint of beer. That seems perfectly reasonable for pub standards, and I can see why they were a little annoyed (but polite) in their response.

    Anyway, another early contender to be my favourite pub of the year   🙂

  • Berwick-upon-Tweed – Pilot Inn

    Berwick-upon-Tweed – Pilot Inn

    This is from the last day of the trip to walk St. Cuthbert’s Way, it’s just taking me a little time to catch up with everything. There was just Steve, Susanna, Gordon and I left at this stage, with the situation of course being that we couldn’t go to a pub unless it was in the Good Beer Guide. I walked us to the Pilot Inn, even though it wasn’t the nearest pub to get to, but fortunately the others didn’t complain.

    CAMRA note that the interior is traditional and they’re not lying. This visit was from a couple of weeks ago when the football was on, I don’t think that the flags are normally there.

    The interior hasn’t been knocked about and it’s quirky, old-fashioned and I really like it. When customers come in they see a corridor area ahead of them, a saloon bar to the left and the former public bar to the right. It took us a while to be noticed, but I think that the staff member was in the beer garden serving customers there.

    There’s some old nautical stuff on display, all adding to the pub’s theme.

    There were three real ales available, none of which were particularly innovative, but at least there was a choice.

    I went for the Strongarm from Camerons Brewery which is apparently their “flagship beer”. I dread to think what their weaker beers are like. Anyway, it was OK and it was well-kept, but it was a little lacking in depth. Although if it’s a session beer, I suppose it’s all fine and it was well kept and at the appropriate temperature.

    There’s a no swearing policy at the pub. There’s a large beer garden that we spent some time in waiting for our collective trains and we were never rushed by the staff. As an environment, this is really very inviting and there’s a community feel to the whole arrangement. For someone new to the area, I suspect they’d get a friendly welcome here from the staff and other customers. Getting to the beer garden is slightly complex and seems to involve walking through the pub’s kitchen, but that’s the way others were going, so it wasn’t just me.

    The exterior of the pub is interesting as well, as the side wall looks like there was a property here that’s been demolished. I accept that the beers here weren’t riveting, but the building interior is interesting, the welcome is authentic, there’s a choice of real ale and I’m glad that it’s in the Good Beer Guide. Some pubs shouldn’t modernise their buildings and this is one of them, I liked the heritage feel of the interior and I’m glad it has survived in the way that it has.

  • Edinburgh – Jolly Judge

    Edinburgh – Jolly Judge

    Apologies I’m uploading these all out of order, this is from my trip to Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago (I haven’t rushed up to Edinburgh again).

    My friend Alexis mentioned how she really liked the Jolly Judge and I couldn’t remember whether or not I had visited when I last came to Edinburgh (this is why I’ve got a blog, as I can rarely remember where I went a few years ago). I remembered when I got there that I had been before, but it seemed only polite to have another little visit.

    I wasn’t convinced this strategy of telling customers to wait at the top of the steps was entirely ideal, as they can’t see customers at the top of the steps (unless there’s a camera there that I didn’t notice). I stood there looking awkward for a while before trying to stand two steps down. I then went down to the bottom of the steps and was promptly in the way of a staff member coming out. I always manage to do things like that…. There was a friendly welcome though and it’s a difficult building to manage Covid safely given its layout.

    The staff member assumed that I’d like to sit outside and he was wrong in that…… Absolutely fine to sit inside though, as did the next two sets of customers, which made me feel a little more normal (although confused the staff member who I think assumed everyone wanted to sit outside). There’s a nice vibe to this Good Beer Guide listed pub, all informal and relaxed.

    The interior of the pub and it has some character in its basement setting. During the colder months of the year there’s a real fire going which must add to the cosiness of the venue.

    This is the Milk Stout from Moonwake Beer and there seemed to be a bit of a tap takeover from this small Scottish microbrewery. The beer was fine with a pleasant flavour, but it perhaps lacked any real depth of taste or strong character. There was a creaminess to the beer and it was a quite a light beer which matched its 4.5% ABV.

    Anyway, this is a quirky little pub and it offers a friendly and authentic welcome. It’s justifiably in the Good Beer Guide as there were a few interesting beers, but there are also plenty of whisky options for those who prefer. The pub is very well reviewed with very few negatives, although I was amused with this 1/5 review:

    “We love pubs!! especially traditional ones with character. To say this pub is just down the road from the Castle I was shocked that whoever owns it hasn’t made it a landmark epic pub and I am going to Judge you. Drab magnolia walls with random pictures of nothingness. We own a bar and this could be so quirky. Why don’t you paint a Scottish flag on the ceiling.”

    Please don’t paint a Scottish flag on the ceiling, I want experiences, not tourist traps…. Although that review was from over four years ago and the pub haven’t paid any attention to it, so all appears well.

  • Newcastle – The Town Mouse

    Newcastle – The Town Mouse

    When I mentioned a few days ago on Facebook that I was in Newcastle, Tony from the brilliant Hop & Vine in Hull suggested popping into The Town Mouse. I suspect I would have gone here anyway as part of my tour of Good Beer Guide pubs in the city, but I wasn’t going to neglect a recommendation from Tony and made this one a priority.

    On my arrival there was a friendly welcome from the staff member and she was happy to find me a table even though they were busy and I was on my own. I add that as it would have been easy for her to shove me outside where there was a small table, but instead she did also offer a table inside. Tony had mentioned that the micropub was run by a man named Jon, and when I heard the staff member use that name to someone looking managerial I decided that I’d introduce myself (which was very brave, I normally try and introduce myself to someone who is nothing to do with anything). Anyway, on this occasion it worked out and it was great to have a chance to talk to Jon about his bar, craft beer bars in Warsaw (I don’t tire of talking about the exciting beer situation in Poland) and the Hop & Vine, amongst numerous other things. I’ll see if I can convince him into a little interview for this blog   🙂

    This is genuinely beautiful, a range of beer styles and a mixture of cask and keg. The cask range is more limited than usual, but will return to a wider selection when things return to normality in the world. Underneath this is a multi-page list of cans and bottles, which had sufficient choice for me to want to make a few return visits. I like it when pubs do this, as when they’ve got a gap in beer style for any reason, then customers can at least have the option of having a can or bottle or something similar to what they wanted. Although having noted that, there’s an opportunity to try a whole range of different beer options here.

    The Damn Dead Blueberry from Wild Weather brewery, who I hadn’t heard of but are from Reading and they brew some other similar options in the range including raspberry, apricot, kiwi, grapefruit, peach, strawberry, gooseberry and even cucumber. I’m not sure how the cucumber ends up tasting, but I like a bit of innovation in beer. This beer was quite intriguing given that it had a sour taste initially (unsurprising as it’s a sour) but then it seemed to have something of a sweetness from the blueberry.

    This is the Pastel De Nada Mexicake Stout from Elusive Brewing and, showing my ignorance again, I hadn’t heard of this brewery either (although I should have done, I had one of their beers in Brewdog Ealing a few weeks ago, but I have a bad memory for this sort of thing). Jon explained much more about them and I shall keep an eye out for their beers in future, it seems they have some collaborations with other respected breweries, not least Weird Beard as with this beer. At 8.7%, this was still smooth and there was that lovely decadent aftertaste that I crave with vanilla and chocolate flavours. There’s a warming touch from the chilli as well, although I thought this was quite subtle and I liked the subtle tastes with this beer. Definitely a beer

    As an irrelevant aside, I didn’t receive any badges on Untappd for either of the beers that I had in this micropub. For anyone who uses Untappd, they’ll know that this is quite a rare occurrence not to get a badge. I mention this as I’m not sure that Jon is quite as excited and engaged about Untappd badges as I am. But I’m easily pleased and need distraction and he runs a bar, so he doesn’t need any more distractions.

    Anyway, back to this bar which has been operating for a few years in a central location in Newcastle. Tony did comment on whether I noticed any similarities between this and his pub, and Jon said there were influences that he had incorporated from the Hop & Vine. The cellar element was of course the most evident in terms of the design, but there was a community feel here just as I’d like. It was clear that there were many regulars coming in and the environment was relaxed and comfortable. I liked that I was found a table willingly and that the staff were knowledgeable and helpful. But, this was one of those locations where I felt if I was new to the area than I’d be made to feel welcome not just by the staff, but also by other customers. On that basis, what I love from the Hop & Vine has carried through here. I’m pleased to report that I think this is a quite marvellous pub and absolutely right to be in the Good Beer Guide. Definitely one of the best micropubs that I’ve been in.

  • Newcastle – Bacchus

    Newcastle – Bacchus

    Continuing on my tour of Good Beer Guide pubs in Newcastle, this is Bacchus Bar, which is designed to look like an ocean-liner. Something a little different I suppose….

    There was a friendly welcome at the door from the staff member, although I thought that the music was a little loud for my own personal preferences (which are, quite boringly, no music at all). I thought that the atmosphere was a bit muted, but it was a clean and comfortable environment. The beer selection was reasonable, a few different real ales and an effort has been made not to be bland. The staff were personable and pro-active, so everything seemed well managed and efficient.

    I went for the Stout 2021 from Nomadic Beers who are a small brewery from the Leeds area. Smooth, dark and chocolately, although perhaps lacking a rich aftertaste, but still very drinkable. The surroundings are a bit decadent, but that’s perhaps a little inevitable when you’re trying to recreate the theme of an ocean liner. There are normally around eight or so real ales on, but they’re down a little at the moment due to current circumstances, but there was still no shortage of options and most beer styles were available.

    This is an interesting and long-standing addition to the Good Beer Guide, although I suspect that on Saturday evenings it can all get a bit raucous for my liking. It does though seem to have been serving decent beer for some time, their web-site notes that it was a CAMRA pub of the year runner-up in 1995, so it appears to be something of a survivor. It’s run by a small chain, Sir John Fitzgerald, which I haven’t heard of, but they have numerous pubs in this area. This isn’t a pub I’d have thought to have gone in without the Good Beer Guide recommendation, but I’m pleased that I did.

  • Newcastle – Mean Eyed Cat

    Newcastle – Mean Eyed Cat

    As I’m in Newcastle for the day, I thought that I’d visit a few of the pubs in the Good Beer Guide and I started with this micropub near to the Haymarket metro station. When I went in it seemed to be quite busy internally and externally, but there was a friendly welcome from a member of staff who said that there was space in the rear garden area. That sufficed me as I wasn’t sure that I could get in at all on a Friday evening.

    The friendly staff member told me to have a quick look at the beers at the bar and she’d then come and take the order. I took one look and decided instantly, it had to be the Cherry Trifle from Brew By Numbers. A cherry imperial stout is one of my favourites and I’m a fan of Brew By Numbers and have been working steadily through their beers, as well as having visited their taproom in London. There were a range of beer styles there though to cater for most tastes, all nicely balanced and thought out.

    As it was a walk by photo this is a bit blurred unfortunately, but there were some cask options as well which looked tempting. As I wanted to meander around a few pubs, I had decided just to have one drink here, but not because of any shortage of options. The decor was sufficiently quirky to make it interesting and the whole atmosphere felt inviting, somewhat different to its previous use as a newsagents.

    The rear garden wasn’t the most salubrious of environments if I’m being honest, but they’ve made it bright and colourful. The beer was good, not quite as rich as I had expected, but it didn’t taste its 10% with the flavour being sufficiently moderate. The cherries were there though in some form, with a bit of vanilla in the taste as well. I was perfectly pleased with this smooth and slightly decadent beer, but I wanted a slightly more powerful punch from the cherries.

    Anyway, back to the pub itself. Not being inside meant I couldn’t quite get the same experience of understanding how the regulars interacted and the like, but I always felt welcome and the environment was on-trend without trying to be. The beer selection was thought through, the staff were friendly and I’d most certainly visit here again. Indeed, a few of us have decided a trip to Newcastle in November 2022 will be a really good idea, especially as the Head of Steam and Brewdog here are currently closed, so a revisit is required. This pub is though a quite worthy addition to the Good Beer Guide in my humble view.

  • Edinburgh – Bow Bar

    Edinburgh – Bow Bar

    It’s been a little difficult visiting the local pubs in the Good Beer Guide, as many of them have been closed or are operating on heavily reduced hours. It transpired that Bow Bar has only just reopened as well, due to a staff member having Covid-19 last month, which must have been a blow after they were finally allowed to open. However, they certainly seem to have been honest and open about the situation, and everything is back to normal now for this bar.

    There was a very friendly welcome from the staff member at the door, she was conversational and welcoming. I did wonder whether this small bar might be a little cliquey, but it absolutely wasn’t, there was a nice relaxed atmosphere inside.

    There’s an interesting decor in the bar. I would normally meander around and take a couple more photos, but under the current situation, that wouldn’t be sensible.

    I don’t drink whisky as it’s too, er, powerful in flavour, for me. I like beers that have been in aged whisky casks, but the whisky itself does nothing for me. There were some tempting options here in the whisky month that the pub was running, with I note numerous flavours similar to those that can be found in beers. There were some very decadent options as well, so I can imagine Richard might well have been tempted by them (especially the expensive ones). It’s great to see such a wide selection available for whisky drinkers though, a few customers were drinking through some of the options on this list.

    There is a beer board, but it’s at the other end of the bar. The enthusiastic staff member checked whether I was a whisky or beer drinker, before carefully explaining all of the different beer options. I have a problem that I can’t remember a list of options, I just stop the staff member when they tell me a beer that sounds interesting. I liked the enthusiasm of the staff member as well, she must have to repeat the beer list a lot, but she remained helpful and willing, seemingly to genuinely want people to get a drink they’d like. Never scripted and never routine, I like it, although I did wonder whether it’d be easier to just have a print out of the beers they had. But, it was a good way to allow the staff member to engage, so all was well.

    My new drinking partner who spent the entire time ignoring me and looking the other way. I have some friends like this to be fair and it’s very annoying when I want to tell them about craft beer. The bar has put these giant teddies on some seats to aid social distancing, a really nice idea. Non confrontational and adding to the atmosphere, rather lovely. I did name the teddy, but I won’t put the name here….

    The beer that I chose was the Mochaccino Stout from Pilot, which is a micro-brewery from Leith, in Edinburgh. It had a rich flavour and had a smooth chocolate and coffee edge to it, although the aftertaste seemed to dissipate a little quickly. A really pleasant beer though and for some reason, it seemed appropriate for the bar that I was drinking it in.

    Looking at the reviews, the bar certainly seem to be doing something right as they’re nearly all very favourable. There are a few really idiotic comments levelled at the bar and they do sometimes reply in quite a punchy manner. I like that, genuine complaints treated with respect, but idiocy dealt with accordingly. Like the person who felt appropriate to leave 1/5 as they wouldn’t let his 17 year old daughter in, even though that is what the bar’s licence states.

    And someone who complained that they didn’t serve Guinness. I love the bar’s answer:

    “I see you have edited your review to now complain that we don’t serve Guinness. If we wanted to serve something that tasted like Guinness, we would serve Guinness. However, we support smaller independent breweries, and we have an alternative stout for the dark beer drinkers. If you don’t like it, that’s not our fault, and I don’t see how you can get so upset over it. It’s just beer at the end of the day.”

    Someone also complained that they paid £5 for a pint. The bar’s response was moderate, adding “PS, we are not Wetherspoons” at the end. Fair play, there’s a place for JD Wetherspoon as far as I’m concerned, but there’s even more of a place for brilliant little independent bars like this who focus on great customer service and beer from small, local breweries.

    I really liked this bar, primarily because the service was personable, pro-active and simply welcoming. This is certainly one of my best pub experiences of the year so far that isn’t in a chain (well, in a Brewdog) and it absolutely deserves to be in the Good Beer Guide. It’s in a touristy area of Edinburgh, so I imagine they get a real mix of locals and visitors from further afield, but the welcome seemed authentic to all. All very lovely.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Euston Tap

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Euston Tap

    Continuing my mission to visit all the Good Beer Guide pubs in London, I haven’t been to the Euston Tap for many years. There are two parts of this, the opposite lodge is separated by a bus lane, and the other half now has the same name, although I remember that as the Cider Tap or something similar. The two lodges are both listed buildings (under the same listing) and they were built as detached structures to the railway station in 1870. They were built with Portland Stone and were designed by JB Stansby who was working for the London & North Western Railway. As is noted on the listed building record, this is all that remains from the 1870 railway station, given the destruction of the Euston Arch (and indeed, everything else).

    I won’t stray onto the matter of the Euston Arch, which stood here until Ernest Marples, one of the most incompetent, morally bankrupt, corrupt and deceitful of British politicians, ordered it to be taken down. I feel I’ve said enough about the odious, fraudulent and disgrace that was Ernest Marples, as it’s important to be balanced about individuals and not just see the bad in them. Anyway, I’ve digressed onto one of my favourite subjects, so back to beer, another one of my favourite subjects.

    The beer selection was chalked up on a board and I haven’t seen this in a while, with on-line ordering systems rather taking over during the last year. An interesting selection of different styles, although lacking in darker beers. Prices are reasonable given the quality available and also the central London location of being just outside a major railway station.

    It wasn’t very busy inside, although it was considerably busier outside. There’s a screen showing football to those seated outside, which isn’t visible to those who are located inside. This, speaking just for me, is the ideal compromise. Put smokers and football watchers outside to deal with either the cold or the wasps when it’s hot, leaving craft beer “connoisseurs” inside. Well, something like that anyway…..

    I opted for the Fruju pale ale from the Big Smoke Brew Co, which was OK, but I wasn’t getting the depth of flavours that I anticipated. There was a rich mouthfeel, and I note that the brewery mention they put added oats in to achieve this, a process that I hadn’t realised. There were some stoned fruit flavours, but the aftertaste was all a little weak, so I’d say this was just an average beer for me. But, interesting to try it.

    Overall, this is a bit of a local tradition in terms of pubs and absolutely recommended, not least as there’s a bit of heritage and quirkiness to the arrangements. The staff member was knowledgeable and helpful, it was a comfortable and clean environment, and although it’s small inside, at least there’s plenty of space outside and ideal for those who like bus spotting (I don’t, but I don’t judge, I knew someone who spent hours faffing about with Pokemon, and I rarely commented on that….).

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden

    I’ve got myself a bit muddled up (again) as I didn’t realise that The Craft Beer Co. had this bar, which they call Covent Garden, but I associate with being in Holborn (it’s actually between the two, so they’re completely right). This is relevant, as I muddled it up with the outlet on Leather Lane, which is also near to Holborn, and thought for some reason it was the same place. That boring little story aside, it means that I had to go and visit this bar I hadn’t realised existed to ensure that I didn’t miss out on anything. As an aside, it’s also in the Good Beer Guide, so that’s another one visited.

    Staffing engagement was excellent, with the team members being friendly, knowledgeable and keen to help. The bar was busy, but they found me a decent seat by the window, with table service being offered. There were plenty of team members around to assist customers, with the atmosphere feeling laid-back and vibrant.

    Another outlet in the chain earlier in the week didn’t have an up-to-date beer list, but they did here. I’m happy with this beer selection, a nice mixture of different beer styles.

    As an aside, that’s the bar’s licence taped to the window on the right of the photo. At least ten people came to have a look at it when I seated there, I assume thinking that it was a menu. I liked that the bar remained busy throughout my visit, as although it’s a central London location, these are tough times.

    I only had one drink here today, as I was on a mission to get food elsewhere, but I went for the Atomic Crush from Amundsen Brewery. It’s a raspberry, peach and vanilla pastry sour, which is becoming one of my favourite styles of beer now. I’ve been well advised I think to have got a taste for this beer style, with Amundsen being a well regarded brewery from Oslo in Norway. As a beer, it was excellent, with a strong raspberry hit, then the sourness bites before the more subtle flavours of vanilla and stoned fruit become evident.

    I noticed a negative review from three years from an angry person who said they looked forwards to the demise of this chain (they might have a long wait) which had some drivel about watering down beer. I like how the bar replied:

    “The above could not possibly be referring to our pub where we sell the finest and largest range of quality beers in the whole of the UK at very reasonable prices.”

    Nice  🙂

    I remain a fan of this chain of bars, all on-trend, well reviewed, exciting and offering something new every time. I’ve checked (more carefully this time) how many more bars I have left to visit in this chain, and it’s just the Brixton one. I’ll fix that omission this week. Definitely recommended, and I’m very pleased that it’s in the Good Beer Guide, and this is a different sort of bar to the usual ones listed.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – The Swan

    London – Camden (Borough of) – The Swan

    On my continuing journey of Good Beer Guide pubs in London, this is the Greene King operated (yes, I know) Swan near Holborn. It all looks welcoming from the exterior, well, other than it’s got a Greene King sign on it. I’m not sure how old the building is, but unlike its neighbour, it’s not listed.

    An interesting pub interior and a very friendly staff member came over to welcome me at the door, so it was all efficient and inviting. The France and Hungary football match was showing and I was asked if I’d like to watch it, which I thought was nice to check. It wasn’t that busy in the pub, although it was a little busier with customers sitting out the front. I liked that the football was showing for those who wanted it, but without the volume being so loud that it meant everyone in the pub had to listen to it. Life is a careful balance as they say (well, they might do, I don’t know).

    The app told me that Greene King IPA was available, but I was hoping for an alcoholic drink and I’m glad that I checked, as the staff member told me that there were a couple more options to choose from. I don’t want to moan (but, yet here we are….) but Greene King are meant to be a brewer of beer (and Greene King IPA) and they have hundreds of products listed on their app, but they don’t bother listing the ales (other pub companies seem to manage….). They hamper their staff unnecessarily, but I was pleased to note that they had the N1 from Hammerton Brewery. That’s a perfectly decent beer and a nod towards sourcing from local suppliers, so this pleased me. It was well kept, at the appropriate temperature and was nicely refreshing, as well as being reasonably priced.

    Some of the interesting decoration in the pub, which was clean and organised throughout. Given the friendly welcome, a choice of ales and a quirky environment, it probably justifies being in the Good Beer Guide. There’s also traditional pub food available, and that seems to be well reviewed, so this is a safe choice for those wanting food and drink in this part of central London. In terms of service though, that was excellent here, so how lovely….