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The Folly,Napton.
The amount I drank here was the height of folly,but it's a great canalside pub with that "middle of nowhere" feel.
The Queens Head for me.
Hall and Woodhouse aren't all bad.
No contest:
POTM The Craft Beer Co (EC1). Great beer.
The Junction mainly for the amazing Woodfest :drinkup:
Admiral Hardy for being something different in the area
Lots of fantastic pubs this month - including the old favourites Victoria Hotel and Crown Inn in Beeston; one of best 'spoons going (the Trent Bridge Inn) and the splendid art deco edifice that is the Test Match Hotel in West Bridgford; and the micro-brewery reinvigorated Old Volunteer (Flipside Brewery) in Carlton and Robin Hood & Little John in Arnold (Lincoln Green Brewery) - all in a visit to the Nottingham area.
However, the top three were all in a different trip - the historic and picturesque National Trust Fleece Inn in Bretforton and the legendary All Nations in Madeley (one of the 'famous four', supposedly desperately old-fashioned, pubs still brewing their own beer when Camra was founded).
Pub of the month, though, in the chocolate-box-picture village of Great Tew, was the absolutely splendid Falkland Arms. Lost for words, almost...
Two stand out pubs in April for me,both in Surrey, my first experience of a Micropub , Cobbets Micropub in Dorking, great little place, good concept and importantly good beer.
And in Guildford The Kings Head , the pub overcomes a couple of obstacles in my thinking, firstly its a Fullers pub, but along with with three or four usual Fullers suspects they have had some Fullers specials ,on my last two visits, Wild River and Olivers Island,two Fullers beers I like very much along with at least one good guest, last time Tillingbourne Hop Troll as well as real Cider.
Second obstacle , its a former traditional pub where the interior has been modernised, this can kill some pubs, in this case I think it has breathed new life into the place,its still very pubby with a very good ambiance. Its POTM.
My nomination for April is a real blast from the past. It's this place which I had only been to once, nearly forty years ago. I think everyone knows something of the history of this place but it has been faithfully restored to what it was in the distant past. I don't recall much of the classic interior from those days other than the fact that it was a tiny public bar, about the size of a large micropub.
The one thing I do remember clearly from my first visit was that the single Ma Pardoe's home brewed beer was a low original gravity and unremarkable brew as was Mrs Lewis's beer at the All Nations not far away in Madeley, Telford.
Today the Old Swan brews four regular old school ales. One of these (the Original) is I'm fairly sure the same recipe of old. It is low ABV and undistinguished but is only £2.20 a pint. The other beers are their Entire a mid-range bitter, Dark Swan a stronger dark mild and Bumble Hole Bitter a strong (5.2%) bitter. All of these are less than three quid a pint. I particularly liked the Dark Swan and Bumble Hole.
Another remarkable fact about this place is that it is leased from Punch Taverns. I suspect that the restaurant that is now attached to the pub and brewery pays most of the rent otherwise the beer would be nearer London prices. If you've never been here or have only visited in between Ma Pardoe's passing and the modern restoration then it is a "must visit" pub. One of the more verbose correspondents on this site says much the same thing!
The pub is in an area with no shortage of quirky unspoilt old pubs in addition to well stocked free houses so even if it fails to impress there are lots of other options available.
POTM The Old Swan (Ma Pardoe's)
In a thin month for pub visiting,I'll go for The Milk House, on the grounds that it afforded my BOTW for two weeks in April.
No new pub visits in April, so POTM is Freshfield Hotel
I hope that's not rhyming slang you are using in your review Ray!Quote:
Originally Posted by Real Ale Ray
Ok trainman, got it! Obviously pony and trap down your neck of the woods means crap, so if I change the review to horse and cart, does that mean fart??Quote:
Originally Posted by trainman
I think horse & cart may be a more northern version Ray, and no rhyming nonsense in sight. But no, please don't make changes to review - did the guy just let the horse drink from his pint, or have a bowl for his his share? And what's Al on about re the strokey-chin bird..? Possibly Camra-punter related, but I don't geddit.
I reckon she's a hipster.Quote:
Originally Posted by trainman
The bloke comes out with the pint of ale, goes up to the horse and the horse laps up about a third of the pint, and then the bloke has the rest for himself. I've seen it a few times now. I've seen several dogs around the country drinking real ale from a bowl, but never a horse, so this was a new one for me!Quote:
Originally Posted by trainman
I have absolutely no idea what Al is on about :confused:
It's yet another of his regular, repetitive and tedious comments about CAMRA.Quote:
Originally Posted by Real Ale Ray
An organisation I suspect he know nothing about, as all his comments are based on the Real Ale Twats not REALity.