Moving on though. Due to a series of unfortunate circumstances I am currently very much a transient between the fair city of Nottingham and the considerably less fair but considerably more southern locale of Portsmouth, my aforementioned hometown. On a recent stay in the best city in the Midlands, I took time out from my busy schedule of cursing my own existence to explore some of the pubs in the area immediately next to Nottingham Castle and extending up the hill in the direction of Derby Road. I have visited a couple of the pubs in this area before but never for blog-related reasons so I decided that the time had come to set this right.
My journey began on a temperamental Wednesday afternoon, at The Castle Inn.
This is not the same Castle that featured in my trip around the Sneinton area. It is instead a much older, stylish building located opposite the gatehouse of Nottingham Castle. The frontage of the building is original brick and the building itself sits at the junction of the main thoroughfare and a smaller, narrower side street. To the front, the mocked up frosted glass boasts a date of 1980 for the current premises but the building, and its use as a pub, date back a lot further. To one side are mullioned windows. Internally, the pub is broken up into smaller sections by the use of small sets of steps. The seating is a mixture of chairs, stools and sofas. The bar is central and L shaped and boasts 6hand pulls, 2 of which are out of use at the time of my visit. The 6 options available are London Pride, Shipstone's Bitter, Doom Bar and Tribute. I decided that Tribute was a good option, being one of my favourite ales and I was pleasantly impressed when it was served in a jar with a handle. It was also in very good condition, which is always nice to see and the whole experience was made all the more enjoyable by the Johnny Cash being pumped from over the sound system. All in all, it was a good start to the day.
My next stop was unplanned on my original itinerary but I took a stab, out of curiosity more than anything else and I'm pleased to say that my faith was rewarded. Opposite the Castle Inn, is the Crafty Crow.
I'm amazed that no-one had told me about this place yet, for reasons that will soon make sense but I get the sense that it hasn't been open very long as I'm fairly sure that it was being constructed/renovated the last time that I was in this part of town. Situated in the building that used to house BZR nightclub, Crafty Crow is the tap house for Magpie Brewery. In addition to this, they specialise in independent British brewers and craft beers. The large, open plan interior is filled with modern décor but with a certain artistic flair to add to the atmosphere. The bar is very large and located right in the centre of the room. Aesthetically it's impressive with empty kegs and an old brewing vessel incorporated into the design of the bar. A fridge to one side is chock full of bottled beers and there are more available on draught from pumps mounted onto the old brewing vessel. There are also 10 (count them!) handpulls, dispensing a variety of goodies. On this occasion, the offerings consisted of Magpie Pale & Nightbus, Flipside English Crown, Growler Suffolk County, Wentwell Jeremiah Mild, Copthorne Cherry Porter, Mallard Drake and Eden Challenger. I swung for a pint of Nightbus (4.2%). This ale was brewed especially for the Trent Barton bus company by Magpie Brewery and is a heavy hopped ruby ale with a base of caramel malt. It went down very well as did my experience of the Crafty Crow as a whole. I would urge anyone who hasn't ventured here yet to make an effort to do so as it is definitely worth it.
Further up the hill from the castle lies my next stop, The Roundhouse.
As the name accurately describes, this is a tall, circular building in Royal Standard Place. The present building was built on the spot where, during the English Civil War, Charles I raised his standard and asked the people of Nottingham for their support. In more recent times, it was part of Nottingham General Hospital which I am unsure whether still operates. Any readers with a knowledge of hospitals, feel free to enlighten me! Inside, the décor is art deco which fits very well with the general feel of the place. The seating is incorporated well into the shape of the building and there are several really cool character features including some amazing ceiling art. The bar is curved and includes 6 handpulls, 1 of which is not in use at this stage. Available for the ale drinker are Mr Grundy's Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, Mr Grundy's Blighty, Dancing Duck Dark Drake and Round Heart and Tim Taylor Landlord. I took a chance here and decided to try the Blighty. At 4.5% this is a mild, with strong flavours of coffee, a caramel aroma and a creamy head all contributing to a smooth finish. I sat at the bar enjoying my mild, and taking in my surroundings. I have visited here on a couple of prior occasions, most recently on a date, and I never fail to be impressed by it.
Inevitably, because it's England in May, the weather was never going to hold out and the heavens opened as I was on my way to the next location. Even though this wasn't far, by the time I arrived I looked like I'd been for a brisk swim in the Trent. Or, probably more accurately, survived the sinking of the Titanic. I was now at Nottingham Playhouse to investigate Cast, the bar for the venue.
The surroundings of the bar are very contemporary and the bar itself carries out some quite cool colour changing light effects. The handpulls, of which there are 3 are arranged at random points on and behind the bar and are made of chrome, which in itself is quite interesting. My choices here are Shipstone's Bitter, Flipside English Crown and Navigation Traditional. Navigation beers are always a good option and the Traditional was in good condition. I stayed here for a little bit in hopes of drying off and also had the time to take in the majesty of the Sky Mirror which does exactly what you would expect from the name. Eventually, with my pint glass empty and clothing slightly less drippy, I once again braved the elements.
Next up was a place that is well known as an excellent venue for ale in the local area. It has featured in the blog previously as part of an entry about a story telling evening. I am of course referring to the Hand & Heart.
Built into the cave system and with a conservatory above, the Hand & Heart has built up something of a reputation for good food and great beer. It was quiet when I arrived here but this was Wednesday afternoon so that's almost to be expected. Of the 8 available hand pulls, 2 are out of use but the remaining 6 offer up a good mix of Black Iris Stout No.3, Mr Grundy's Olive Branch, Black Hole Aleien Invasion, London Pride, Maypole Little Weed and Dancing Duck Round Heart. I decided on the 3.9% Olive Branch and it proved a wise move. This ale is golden and heavily malted with hints of coffee and a smooth finish. It was almost a shame when I drained the last of it!
I had one stop left on this particular tour and, luckily, I only had to go next door to the The Hawksley.
Though the interior of this premises is modern looking, you only have to look behind the back bar to see the caves that permeate the area. In this case the caves even permeate the nostrils as you can smell the damp coming from underground. It's not an unpleasant smell though thankfully. The seating throughout is mostly tables accompanied by either wooden chairs or red leather sofas, and the walls are decorated with photographs of local sporting legends. 1 of the 4 hand pumps is not in use but the others offer up a selection of Landlord, London Pride and Harvest Pale. I went for the latter and it was in excellent condition. I had plenty of time to reflect on my afternoon of exploration before I went back to my hotel and there was lots to reflect upon. The day had been productive, the venues interesting and the beer good. Generally, I have no reason to complain about a day well spent and a job well done. In future blogs, I may attempt a more far-reaching comparison of Nottingham ale pubs versus Portsmouth ale pubs in an attempt to see which city has it better off, although I have a hunch that I already know the answer. I shall be attempting to investigate as much ale-related in Portsmouth and its environs before my inevitable and glorious return to Nottingham (why fight it?) and I also hope to keep investigating the Nottingham area too. This should give a good indication of the key differences in different areas, not just in terms of breweries and beers available but also attitudes towards ale consumption around the country. Besides which, it's fun!
And it's not like I have much else to do.............
This is not the same Castle that featured in my trip around the Sneinton area. It is instead a much older, stylish building located opposite the gatehouse of Nottingham Castle. The frontage of the building is original brick and the building itself sits at the junction of the main thoroughfare and a smaller, narrower side street. To the front, the mocked up frosted glass boasts a date of 1980 for the current premises but the building, and its use as a pub, date back a lot further. To one side are mullioned windows. Internally, the pub is broken up into smaller sections by the use of small sets of steps. The seating is a mixture of chairs, stools and sofas. The bar is central and L shaped and boasts 6hand pulls, 2 of which are out of use at the time of my visit. The 6 options available are London Pride, Shipstone's Bitter, Doom Bar and Tribute. I decided that Tribute was a good option, being one of my favourite ales and I was pleasantly impressed when it was served in a jar with a handle. It was also in very good condition, which is always nice to see and the whole experience was made all the more enjoyable by the Johnny Cash being pumped from over the sound system. All in all, it was a good start to the day.
My next stop was unplanned on my original itinerary but I took a stab, out of curiosity more than anything else and I'm pleased to say that my faith was rewarded. Opposite the Castle Inn, is the Crafty Crow.
I'm amazed that no-one had told me about this place yet, for reasons that will soon make sense but I get the sense that it hasn't been open very long as I'm fairly sure that it was being constructed/renovated the last time that I was in this part of town. Situated in the building that used to house BZR nightclub, Crafty Crow is the tap house for Magpie Brewery. In addition to this, they specialise in independent British brewers and craft beers. The large, open plan interior is filled with modern décor but with a certain artistic flair to add to the atmosphere. The bar is very large and located right in the centre of the room. Aesthetically it's impressive with empty kegs and an old brewing vessel incorporated into the design of the bar. A fridge to one side is chock full of bottled beers and there are more available on draught from pumps mounted onto the old brewing vessel. There are also 10 (count them!) handpulls, dispensing a variety of goodies. On this occasion, the offerings consisted of Magpie Pale & Nightbus, Flipside English Crown, Growler Suffolk County, Wentwell Jeremiah Mild, Copthorne Cherry Porter, Mallard Drake and Eden Challenger. I swung for a pint of Nightbus (4.2%). This ale was brewed especially for the Trent Barton bus company by Magpie Brewery and is a heavy hopped ruby ale with a base of caramel malt. It went down very well as did my experience of the Crafty Crow as a whole. I would urge anyone who hasn't ventured here yet to make an effort to do so as it is definitely worth it.
Further up the hill from the castle lies my next stop, The Roundhouse.
As the name accurately describes, this is a tall, circular building in Royal Standard Place. The present building was built on the spot where, during the English Civil War, Charles I raised his standard and asked the people of Nottingham for their support. In more recent times, it was part of Nottingham General Hospital which I am unsure whether still operates. Any readers with a knowledge of hospitals, feel free to enlighten me! Inside, the décor is art deco which fits very well with the general feel of the place. The seating is incorporated well into the shape of the building and there are several really cool character features including some amazing ceiling art. The bar is curved and includes 6 handpulls, 1 of which is not in use at this stage. Available for the ale drinker are Mr Grundy's Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, Mr Grundy's Blighty, Dancing Duck Dark Drake and Round Heart and Tim Taylor Landlord. I took a chance here and decided to try the Blighty. At 4.5% this is a mild, with strong flavours of coffee, a caramel aroma and a creamy head all contributing to a smooth finish. I sat at the bar enjoying my mild, and taking in my surroundings. I have visited here on a couple of prior occasions, most recently on a date, and I never fail to be impressed by it.
Inevitably, because it's England in May, the weather was never going to hold out and the heavens opened as I was on my way to the next location. Even though this wasn't far, by the time I arrived I looked like I'd been for a brisk swim in the Trent. Or, probably more accurately, survived the sinking of the Titanic. I was now at Nottingham Playhouse to investigate Cast, the bar for the venue.
The surroundings of the bar are very contemporary and the bar itself carries out some quite cool colour changing light effects. The handpulls, of which there are 3 are arranged at random points on and behind the bar and are made of chrome, which in itself is quite interesting. My choices here are Shipstone's Bitter, Flipside English Crown and Navigation Traditional. Navigation beers are always a good option and the Traditional was in good condition. I stayed here for a little bit in hopes of drying off and also had the time to take in the majesty of the Sky Mirror which does exactly what you would expect from the name. Eventually, with my pint glass empty and clothing slightly less drippy, I once again braved the elements.
Next up was a place that is well known as an excellent venue for ale in the local area. It has featured in the blog previously as part of an entry about a story telling evening. I am of course referring to the Hand & Heart.
Built into the cave system and with a conservatory above, the Hand & Heart has built up something of a reputation for good food and great beer. It was quiet when I arrived here but this was Wednesday afternoon so that's almost to be expected. Of the 8 available hand pulls, 2 are out of use but the remaining 6 offer up a good mix of Black Iris Stout No.3, Mr Grundy's Olive Branch, Black Hole Aleien Invasion, London Pride, Maypole Little Weed and Dancing Duck Round Heart. I decided on the 3.9% Olive Branch and it proved a wise move. This ale is golden and heavily malted with hints of coffee and a smooth finish. It was almost a shame when I drained the last of it!
I had one stop left on this particular tour and, luckily, I only had to go next door to the The Hawksley.
Though the interior of this premises is modern looking, you only have to look behind the back bar to see the caves that permeate the area. In this case the caves even permeate the nostrils as you can smell the damp coming from underground. It's not an unpleasant smell though thankfully. The seating throughout is mostly tables accompanied by either wooden chairs or red leather sofas, and the walls are decorated with photographs of local sporting legends. 1 of the 4 hand pumps is not in use but the others offer up a selection of Landlord, London Pride and Harvest Pale. I went for the latter and it was in excellent condition. I had plenty of time to reflect on my afternoon of exploration before I went back to my hotel and there was lots to reflect upon. The day had been productive, the venues interesting and the beer good. Generally, I have no reason to complain about a day well spent and a job well done. In future blogs, I may attempt a more far-reaching comparison of Nottingham ale pubs versus Portsmouth ale pubs in an attempt to see which city has it better off, although I have a hunch that I already know the answer. I shall be attempting to investigate as much ale-related in Portsmouth and its environs before my inevitable and glorious return to Nottingham (why fight it?) and I also hope to keep investigating the Nottingham area too. This should give a good indication of the key differences in different areas, not just in terms of breweries and beers available but also attitudes towards ale consumption around the country. Besides which, it's fun!
And it's not like I have much else to do.............
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