A Grand Day Out…in Nottingham

On the lead up to Christmas me and a few or my more intellectually challenged University mates decided to go for a day out in Nottingham to see if we still had the stamina to managed an ‘all-dayer’.  Obviously I knew that the ales were going to merge at some point after lunch and that the details would be difficult to get down. I therefore armed myself with a Cancer Research pen and 2010 Diary and met at the 10am rendezvous, The Bank pub, for beer and breakfast.

Bass in The Bank

The Bank is what I would dub a Weatherspoons rip-off. The breakfast menu was almost identical to Weatherspoons and the range of beers available was similar. I was therefore able to order a pint of Bass to go with my Americano and Large Breakfast. I couldn’t  remember whether I’d ever actually  had Bass before but I knew that it used to be very popular with my Dad’s friends out of  a can. The lightness suited accompanying a large meal and my initial impression was of an relatively sweet toffee flavour but this was tempered by the development of a more peppery body. The existence of these flavours was I think testament to how well the ale was kept and I have since been disappointed when having the same pint at The Wobbly Wheel near Banbury where none of these subtly complex flavours appeared from ‘the same’ pint.

This accolade cannot be bestowed on The Roebuck which was our next point of call. Perhaps suffering from being amongst the  pre-lunch drinkers but I didn’t feel that either of the ales I tried in here were being served to their full potential. The Magpie Best, from the local Magpie Brewery, should have presented a decent hoppy flavour but offered no distinctive flavours, equally the Marstons Burton Bitter offered a coppery flavour rather than the ‘delicate hops and malty biscuit’ that the brewer headlines.

My notes for the Day were avidly kept in here

After the disappointment of The Roebuck I nearly hung up the diary for the day, luckily I didn’t. We were just about to enter the best pub of the day. The Bell Inn is part of the Greene King group but had an extensive range of Nottingham Brewing Company ales. I could easily have stayed in the place all day to sample the wide range of draught and bottled tipples that would have tickled the fancy of almost everyone I know. Erdinger and Hoegarden, Aspalls Cider, the already mentioned Nottingham Brewery Ales all accompanied the Greene King offerings.

I sampled the Nottingham Brewery Legend, which has a strong malty flavour. Far and away eclipsing the two ales I had had in the last pub. Next my day got the Hop blast I was waiting for with the Extra Pale, the hops not necessarily being extra strong but being brought to the fore by the subtle complimentary body of the ale. Finally I tasted Cock & Hoop which was not as prominently hopped as the Extra Pale and it brought in a more complex flavour with vanilla notes. My final drink in The Bell was a Greene King XX Mild. This beer was a lovely dark mild sweet and smooth to fully release the deep malt flavours. This was really drinkable and my glass was empty in super quick time.

The Bell Inn serving local beers

The last pub of the day was The Dragon which served Adnams Bitter and Broadside but is not an Adnams pub. Details of the pub can be found on their website, the place is quite small and narrow and reminded me a bit of Leeds’ North Bar. I opted first for a Broadside as it had recently been suggested against a post I had written about Old Hooky as a similar tipple.

Castle Rock, another local ale in Nottingham's pubs

I found the beer to be quite floral and light in flavour although quite heavy in texture and probably not a beer I would go back to as a ‘session ale’. I could therefore see the similarities suggested to Old Hooky, however I do not feel the flavours have the same rich spiciness. The final beer of the the day was to be a Castle Rock Brewery Harvest Pale. The Landlady told me that she sells a lot of this Blonde Beer, I can see why.  A little hoppy but very crisp and drinkable, especially when returning to a lighter beer from the Broadside. This would be a great way in for anyone looking to flirt with Hops or a quality session option for more Hop Hungry drinkers. It is also available bottled.

And so the diary was retired and evening bars were explored. It was great to have a day out somewhere different and explore the ales of the Nottingham area. Some of those that I tried weren’t to my taste and some were a joy to my taste buds. Writing about the day the main thing that comes to mind, and is very much to my taste, was the amount of locally produced ales available in Nottingham City Centre.  I would recommend a trail day out in Nottingham to any beer explorer, if my experience is anything to go by you won’t have to go far to get a flavour of the place.