Our initial impression of Stratford, however, was that many of the pubs and hotels, although very attractive and traditional, were mostly chain controlled - Fuller's and Greene King in particular. We were staying at the lovely White Swan Hotel which Fuller's bought 4 years ago and tastefully refurbished to a high standard. Four hand pumps - London Pride, ESB, Oliver's Island and Red Fox.
Immediately across the road is the oldest pub in Stratford - the 15th century Old Thatch Tavern, another Fuller's outlet. We scoured the streets looking for anything more interesting and found the quirky Keys and Kitchen which had Woodforde's Reedlighter and Robinson's Hop Gun - hardly local, but a bit more interesting anyway.
The One Elm was also pretty funky - we had lunch there and it had some interesting beers - although I can't remember what they were now. Should have taken a photo. The real find, from a purely drinking point of view, was the Stratford Ale House, which has apparently been going for 3 years now. It's a small place and certainly nothing fancy, but an ever-changing selection of ales, served straight from the cask, gravity fed. Loads of beer magazines to read, including CAMRA newsletters/magazines from at least 20 other CAMRA areas. I guess this is a regular pit stop for visiting CAMRA members.
After Stratford, it was on to Cheltenham and we stumbled upon the Brewhouse and Kitchen (http://www.brewhouseandkitchen.com/venue/cheltenham/), just across from our hotel on the edge of the new development called, funnily enough, the Brewery Quarter. It's only been open 3 months and it's designed along the lines of the modern American brewpubs, but very nicely done - and they feature 8 handpumps, 6 of which are brewed in-house:
Definitely worth a visit - we went twice - and I would certainly go back again if we were ever back in the area. Their samplers are three one-third pints, but they also do what they call a Beer Masterclass, where you sample 8 ales in a couple of hours for £20. Additionally, they have Brewery Experience Days, which have to be booked in advance.
We had a couple of so-so beers at a couple of so-so pubs, instantly forgettable, but had an interesting experience one evening at The Stable. It advertises outside as "Pizza, Pies and Cider", but it has a couple of real ales on handpump as well. I went for the cider sample tray - 5 different types, of which I found 3 of them to be palatable. Not something I will repeat, however. They have more than 20 ciders available at any one time:
Of course, there's a Wetherspoon's - The Bank - and it's one of the better ones I've been in - quite comfortable and decent beers. It was the start of their Real Ale Festival and I was able to try an Oregon beer - Ninkasi.
The best find of the weekend, however, was CAMRA's National Pub of Year 2015, the Sandford Park Alehouse:
Great selection of beers, nice surroundings, good food and a nice beer garden too.
The One Elm was also pretty funky - we had lunch there and it had some interesting beers - although I can't remember what they were now. Should have taken a photo. The real find, from a purely drinking point of view, was the Stratford Ale House, which has apparently been going for 3 years now. It's a small place and certainly nothing fancy, but an ever-changing selection of ales, served straight from the cask, gravity fed. Loads of beer magazines to read, including CAMRA newsletters/magazines from at least 20 other CAMRA areas. I guess this is a regular pit stop for visiting CAMRA members.
After Stratford, it was on to Cheltenham and we stumbled upon the Brewhouse and Kitchen (http://www.brewhouseandkitchen.com/venue/cheltenham/), just across from our hotel on the edge of the new development called, funnily enough, the Brewery Quarter. It's only been open 3 months and it's designed along the lines of the modern American brewpubs, but very nicely done - and they feature 8 handpumps, 6 of which are brewed in-house:
Definitely worth a visit - we went twice - and I would certainly go back again if we were ever back in the area. Their samplers are three one-third pints, but they also do what they call a Beer Masterclass, where you sample 8 ales in a couple of hours for £20. Additionally, they have Brewery Experience Days, which have to be booked in advance.
We had a couple of so-so beers at a couple of so-so pubs, instantly forgettable, but had an interesting experience one evening at The Stable. It advertises outside as "Pizza, Pies and Cider", but it has a couple of real ales on handpump as well. I went for the cider sample tray - 5 different types, of which I found 3 of them to be palatable. Not something I will repeat, however. They have more than 20 ciders available at any one time:
Of course, there's a Wetherspoon's - The Bank - and it's one of the better ones I've been in - quite comfortable and decent beers. It was the start of their Real Ale Festival and I was able to try an Oregon beer - Ninkasi.
The best find of the weekend, however, was CAMRA's National Pub of Year 2015, the Sandford Park Alehouse:
Great selection of beers, nice surroundings, good food and a nice beer garden too.
No comments:
Post a Comment