Ale Against the Clock

I hadn't planned on the most recent to Nottingham's ale venues to involve too much more effort than walking from place to place and lifting a pint glass too and from my mouth to sample the various delights on offer. As it turned out, it became a mission of timing without lessening the enjoyment. The plan was simple: to journey in a rough L shape from the edge of the city centre into the Lace Market, sampling a myriad of ale emporiums along the way. It had been arranged for us to go and view a car in the evening, to replace a French and battered one, and I was being picked up from town around at 5pm. With Matt and I not arranging to meet until 1pm, we'd been given a 4 hour window in which to visit just over half a dozen pubs and live to tell the tale, made more difficult for me because I was attempting this after a 12 hour overtime night shift and roughly 2 1/2 hours sleep. But, with the mission at stake, the race was on.

 
We began this particular tour at the Lord Roberts on Broad Street, right on the edge of the closest thing Nottingham has to a gay district.

 

This pub is traditional inside and out with hints to its presumably Victorian heritage to be found throughout. The building is relatively narrow roughly J shaped in layout with soft furnishings, bar stools and wooden seating around a curved bar that occupies the rear of the room. There are two entrances and at least one old fireplace and the walls are strewn with a large number of old theatre advertising posters and flyers from stage shows. The pub is named after Field Marshal The Earl Roberts, one of the British Army's most famed officers who, after a relatively low key childhood, rose through the ranks to become, amongst other things, Governor of Natal, Commander-in-Chief of British forces in South Africa and Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India before dying of pneumonia in France in 1914, after being made Field Marshal in 1895. To this day, he remains one of only 3 non-Royals (the others being Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher) who lie in state in Westminster Hall before being given a state funeral. Amidst the historical there is, as there should be, ale. 4 hand pulls are on offer, one of which is out of use but the others display Old Speckled Hen, Landlord and Tetley's Gold. It is this latter choice that Matt and I decide upon to start the day. With a strength of 4.1%, it is golden, smooth and hoppy with a decidedly creamy finish and allows us to soak up the atmosphere of another of Nottingham's historic pubs whilst we discuss whether or not my tiredness will help or hinder my ability to drink.

 
We managed to get out first pints out of the way by 1.20pm, which was a pleasant surprise, and so we wasted no time in heading to our next destination, which handily is right next door. I was shocked that Matt had never been here before this trip so it was a very timely visit indeed to what is becoming a Nottingham institution the (in)famous and legendary Brew Dog.

 

Situated in a 100 year old former warehouse, Brew Dog is the brainchild of 2 lads from Scotland who had enough of boring lagers and started creating their own unique (and usually very strong) craft beers. The overall layout is relatively simple. The bar is brick in construction with a metal top and the tables are metal framed with wooden tops. Board games and a Playstation 2 console are available for customers and the pub is also dog friendly. There is no standard branding of any kind with the beers being served from Brew Dog pumps with 2 handles to each one, totalling 16 options in total. Of these, half are guest beers mostly from the States (Left Hand Milk Stout; Rogue Hazelnut Brown; Siga Brewing Nefarious 10 Pin Porter; Great Divide Titan IPA and Rogue Amber Ale), with the rest being Brew Dog's own creations (5am Saint; Punk IPA; IPA Is Dead Amarillo; Libertine Black Ale; Hardcore IPA and Cocoa Psycho). Also on offer are 2 of their famous and incredibly strong brews, only available for purchase in shot-sized measures (Watt Dickie and Tactical Nuclear Penguin). The strength on Brew Dog beers is renowned for being considerably higher than most standard ales and so some of them are only available in half or third measures depending upon percentage. With this mind, and wanting to give Matt a good taster of what was on offer, I went for a half of the 6.7% IPA Is Dead Amarillo and Matt went for a half of Cocoa Psycho at a whopping 10%. The Amarillo was certainly not what I expected and I admit I would've been struck for a description had the barmaid not provided her own. The beer is brimming with orangey flavours so much so that it really does taste like 'being hit in the face with a Christmas tree covered in oranges'. I couldn't recommend it more!

Having successfully introduced Matt to a place that I suspect he'll be returning to more often, our next stop also happened to be next door and a slightly unconventional choice for the ale drinker. I'm talking about Broadway Cinema.

 

For those of you not aware of Broadway, it is an independent cinema that showcases foreign and independent whilst doubling as a café/bar for those not filmically inclined. The bar is situated along one side of the room and features an excellent selection of healthy food and continental beers as well as a few more standard beverages. There are also 4 hand pulls in attendance. One of these includes Wyld Wood organic cider whilst the others feature beers from the excellent Nottingham Brewery. The choices are Broadway Reel Ale, Dreadnought and Rock Bitter. Reel Ale has been brewed especially for the cinema by the brewery and I decided that this certainly warranted a try. It turned out to be a good choice, 4.3% and golden in colour, malty with bitter undertones and a smooth, slightly creamy head. Broadway boasts a fairly decent outside area of patio style furniture so we headed out into the sunshine to enjoy our beers and make the most of the weather. By the time we left here, it was around 2.20, which meant we'd managed 3 pints in less than an hour and a half. So far so good but still a lot of ground to cover so we wandered off down Broad Street and continued into Stoney Street, directly in line with where we'd already visited, to reach our next port of call.

Renowned as one of Nottingham's few remaining great 'alternative' pubs and with an excellent reputation for regular live music, our next stop was The Old Angel.

 

The Old Angel Inn is one of Nottingham's oldest pubs and has been a number of different things throughout its life. Since the 17th century, the pub has been a brothel, a hotel and the scene of the murders of both a prostitute and a policeman. From a musical perspective, the Angel has been an important stepping stone in the careers of some rather well known acts, including Oasis, Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys. The interior retains a considerable amount of its traditional character with a brick and wood interior and a central bar. The pub is lucky to have survived a fire in the old kitchen area many years ago when the fryers were accidentally left on overnight, so it is a real pleasure to see that business is still thriving. On the bar are 4 hand pulls, one of which is out of use but the other 3 are a good mix of local beers, in this case Magpie Hoppily, Blue Monkey BG Sips and Medieval Crusader. I decided to opt for the Crusader as it wasn't one that I'd tried in the past and the Angel is now the official Medieval Brewery tap. The atmosphere is made even more pleasant by the presence of our friend Danny behind the bar and the fact that we made friends with a beagle in the beer garden. As for the beer, Crusader tips the scales at 4.4% and is a golden, wheat beer with lots of fruity and a characteristic apple taste which is very unusual but makes for a delicious beverage. It's been a while since I visited the Angel and I'd forgotten how much I liked it. The age of the building certainly adds to the character and I'm of the opinion that classic, traditional pubs should be given every opportunity to survive and prosper. History is soaked into the boards of the pub and rears its head every so often in the form of a ghostly little girl who has regularly been heard singing in the pub after closing and has even been known to tamper with the fruit machines.

By this stage, we were more than halfway through our trip and the next stage took us into the historic Lace Market area, formerly the seat of a thriving industrial trade but now home to many of the city's finest agricultural delights and a few good boozers too! We first made our way to the Kean's Head, another pub in the impressive portfolio of Castle Rock.

 

The Kean's Head itself was originally located on Park Drive in Lenton and traded from 1832 to 1963. The current pub on St. Mary's Gate was originally a different building further down the street and changed names towards the end of the last century when it became the Duke of Albany. The pub has been sited at number 46 for at least 15 years. The pub is believed to be named after the Shakespearean actor Edmund Kean (1789-1833). He was believed to be the greatest actor of his time and was commanded by George III to recite at Windsor. He appeared in many of Shakespeare's plays and even became chief of the Huron Indians after visiting and working in Quebec. Kean's last performance was in Covent Garden on 25th March 1833, prior to which his health had deteriorated and his marriage had broken down. He died just 2 months later on 15th May but his name lives in amongst Nottingham's pubs. Inside, the pub is very Castle Rock with a small amount of low tables and chairs, wooden beams on the ceiling which are plastered with pump clips and a bar at the back of room boasting an impressive selection of beers and whiskies. There are 7 hand pumps on the bar, although one is not in use. The others contain a variety of interesting choices including Castle Rock Screech Owl, Harvest Pale and Preservation, Ossett Treacle Stout, Fuller's ESB and Sandford Orchards Devon Mist cloudy cider. I opted for the Preservation and it was perfectly kept and tasting excellent.

With an hour left after leaving here, and 2 pubs left to go, it seemed like we on to complete our mission. Next up was a pub not too far away, just around the corner and opposite the Galleries of Justice. The pub in question is the Cock & Hoop.

 

 

The Cock & Hoop is roughly in the centre of the Lace Market and an upmarket venue with a hotel attached to it. The old stone exterior gives way to a more modern looking interior with a small traditional bar and plush armchairs and benches, surrounded by walls plastered in yet more pump clips as well as a few old photos of the local area, a very old map of Europe and North Africa and a few bits of memorabilia. On the bar are 5 hand pulls, 4 of which are being used to provide Dancing Duck 22, Cottage Brewing Goldrush, Daleside Pride of England and the Iron Maiden inspired Trooper. The Goldrush (4.4%) was my choice on this occasion and it was golden, very fruity and crammed with flavours of peach and lemon. During our visit, we became aware that a couple of rather attractive women kept leaving and re-entering, carrying pairs of shoes and regularly wearing different outfits. It wasn't until we left that we realised that a modelling shoot was taking place in the road outside the pub. We were too busy trying to work out how old the wall map was and listening to entertaining Wurzels cover versions.

Eventually, we decided that we should probably head to our last stop as we had just over 30 minutes of allotted time remaining. Again though, we didn't have far too go as our last location on our tour was Cross Keys on Byard Lane.

 It is known that a tavern called the Cross Keys has stood on this site for at least 200 years, perhaps even longer. Investigations are currently being carried out that appear to date the building to around 1490 or even before this when it may have acted as the brewery and alehouse for the 12th Century St. Peter's Church. The first recorded mention of the pub is in 1799 when one John Levers is named as a resident nearby. The pub is also mentioned in 'A Guide to Old Nottingham' written in 1917 by Harry Gill. The current building is thought to be mid/late Victorian and this is supported by the architecture and décor. The pub is now thankfully back to its old self after a period when it was painted bright yellow and known as 'CKs' back when style bars suddenly became all the rage.

The Cross Keys is known for excellent food and drink and I can certainly vouch for the quality of both. The bar is central with 8 hand pulls, mostly from Navigation Brewery, which owns the pub, and regular guests. The offerings today are Marston's Pedigree, Black Sheep Bitter, Hobgoblin, Black Sheep Golden Sheep and 3 from Navigation (Cricketers Village Cup Gold, Traditional and Classic IPA). There is a lot of seating in the pub, including a smaller area on a slightly lower level down a small flight of stairs. There is also a restaurant upstairs with a fine of choice of traditional and more upmarket food. I went for the Cricketers Ale, which was very good, pale and hoppy with a fruity tinge and an overall smooth finish. The choice of this ale was particularly poignant as The Ashes was on at the time and we settled down to watch Australia doing their best to over haul an England lead. About 15 minutes (or half a pint in) Jade phoned to say she was on her way and I managed to make a valiant attempt to finish as much as I could before my inevitable departure. I didn't quite manage it all in time but Matt enjoyed what was left and I'd enjoyed the day as a whole, largely because I'd managed to stay awake for long enough to fully appreciate the range of pubs we visited. And, if you thought having a few pints was a good idea before going to view a car, you'd be sadly mistaken. Thankfully, I wasn't driving and the car was OK. Just as well, as I've now bought it. Ale-wise, this particular excursion gave us an insight into a few other places and how they do things as well as giving us a much simpler route to follow with the venues in question being much closer together and allowing for considerably less walking time. For me, I'm impressed that I can drink 7 pints in 4 hours and still be ok in the evening, whether or not I'm viewing a Skoda Fabia. It was very much a victory for beer over time on this particular occasion!