Pub Of The Month - September 2014

[ROBCamra]

[hondo]

The Graduate
only went in to tick this pub off and wasn't expecting much certainly better pubs available but pleasantly surprised by the 2 real ales and 5 "craft keg" served and did the job during my crawl of pubs i hadn't visited before

[Thuck Phat]

POTM goes to The Roebuck in Leek. Another great pub from Titanic in the Project William fold.
The Napoli, also in Leek, deserves a mention not least for its policy of always stocking a Marble beer.

[Bucking Fastard]

The Royal Exchange,Stone get the nod,well used by the townsfolk and terrific ale quality in (yet another !) Project William pub venture with Titanic.

Next month will include visits to Burton,Beeston and Loughborough all with great pubs and great beer.Should be a long list of contenders from that mosey around the East Midlands.

[Aqualung]

This is a straight conttest for me between two classic pubs.
The Organ Grinder in Loughborough is a perfect example of and old Midland corner pub that has been renovated but not turned into something trendy or pretentious. Add to that seven Blue Monkey beers on offer at reasonable prices and it makes it pub heaven. It was originally a Hardy & Hanson pub which I had visited before in the 1970s but can't remember anything about it.

The other pub is a total contrast, The All Nations was one of the four remaining home brew pubs in early CAMRA days and is really a semi-rural pub. I went here once in the 1970s but don't recall much about it apart from the beer and the fact there was a Banks's pub very close by. I assume this must have been the Pheasant Inn on Coalport Road that is listed on the Lost Pubs site.
The only thing I can think that might have changed since the 1970s is the substantial wooden bar, a worthy investment that can't really be complained about. Another impressive feature here is that both toilets are outside and require a walk through the garden to reach.

If the choice was based on beer alone then the Organ Grinder would win by a mile but when there is an unchanged pub that is at least a bit off the beaten track then that gets my vote.

POTM The All Nations Inn

[Mobyduck]

A Three way fight this month between The Gunmakers Arms, The Finborough Arms and the Antelope. A great evening was spent in the Gunnies earlier this month in what was supposed to be the goodbye party for Jeff Bell and the team although that didn't turn out to be the case.An equally enjoyable afternoon in Jeffs new venture in the Finborough, and a great discovery in the Antelope.
POTM is the Finborough but couldn't really seperate the three.