A pub is for life not just for Christmas
Might be a touch early but not likely to be bettered!
Ship & Castle, Aberystwyth. Two great pints on in Marble Bitter and Oakham Citra (others weren't sampled). A landlord who recognised us from our time there as students 2001-4 and free pool in the afternoon.
An easy choice this month, my review says it all.
The Beer Emporium and Cider House
Last edited by hondo; 03-10-2016 at 09:11.
"Do I know where hell is? hell is in hello"
The Wenlock Arms
Much visited and written about and it didn't disappoint. Easy winner.
The Island Queen. A revisit after a good number of years found the pub in good form.
"Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
-W.C.Fields
Traditionalists look away now, and I wouldn't normally think about mentioning a chain pub in the same breath as a potential 'pub of the month', but I came across two Ember Inns which I thought were unexpectedly good examples of their type: the Beech Tree at Kirk Ella (West Hull) and the Wheatsheaf in Grimsby. Good '7's both.
Anyway, my actual nomination would be the curiously named Chemic Tavern (Woodhouse, Leeds). I only went there because I had a voucher for a free pint from the recent Punch Taverns promotion and happened to be in city and was looking for somewhere new to try. I know this pubco is an easy target as a pantomime villain, but I would probably never have discovered this place without that offer, and presumably others will have similarly discovered new pubs elsewhere.
The Camel toe to toe with other ale houses in the area,a minor classic in Bethnal Green.
"Good people drink good beer" Hunter S Thompson
In the 19th century, the Woodhouse area was well known for its association with the chemical industry. Both the pub and the street it is on are named after the old Johnston Chemical works whose chief product was sulphuric acid for the tanneries and dye works in the nearby Meanwood Valley. The pub was actually my local for about a year around 1983-4, but I've never been back since. Must make an effort to go.
'And where he supped the past lived still. And where he sipped the glass brimmed full' John Barleycorn, Carol Ann Duffy.