Twisting My Barrel - Further Coventry Pub Explorations

A brewery, a micropub, an Irish boozer, craft ale and a Spoons (always a Spoons!) - variety was the spice of life on this Coventry pub crawl.

We last visited Coventry in March 2020, when I finished my post:
" I'll be back to tick off Twisted Barrel and the pubs to the west of the city on a future visit."
And that's exactly what we did, albeit a year later than expected.

We began with a walk in the drizzle from the train station, past the town hall, under the ring road and onto Far Gosford Street.

Twisted Barrel (Fargo Village, Far Gosford Street, Coventry, CV1 5ED)
Towards the end of Far Gosford Street, the brewery and it's sizeable tap room are situated in the Fargo village complex along with boutique shops, food outlets and arts spaces.   

The bar has a couple of hand pumps, which gets it a place in the beer guide, alongside over a dozen taps on the rear wall.
Loads to choose from, but the autumnal grey skies called for dark beer, so I went with a solid 4.5% stout called 'God's Twisted Sister' (odd name, but I'd be back ordering something to do with Pom Pom Girls a short while later).

Just how many pictures of stainless steel brewing kit do I need?  Yet still, I always photograph a brewery

Mrs PropUptheBar went off in search of street food from the wide choice in Fargo, whilst I popped back to the bar, chatted football with the barman and came away with a tasty marshmallow porter.

Making our way back to the centre, the next stop was a recently opened micro pub...

Hops D'Amour (67 Corporation Street, Coventry, CV1 1GX - web)
Named after late 80's pub-rockers Dogs D'Amour, I assume, although I'm not sure if there's any particular reason why.

This is a fine micro pub, one simple, unfussy room, friendly folk in charge and a superb choice of beers on either cask or keg. 

I opted for the 3D 'Saviour of the Universe' - I could tell you I picked it because of the promised complex floral citrus flavours, or my fondness for Slovenian hops.  But I picked it because it's got a Flash Gordon pump clip, of course! 
Served in an oversize tulip glass and in great form.

Finishing up at Hops D'Amour, we consulted the map and made our way westwards into the suburbs where the remaining pubs on my list lay.

Nursery Tavern (38-39 Lord Street, Chapelfields, Coventry, CV5 8DA)
If I'd have checked What Pub beforehand I would have known in advance that this pub has recently changed hands and had a refurb.
Wow, it was shiny and new! 
Which is a challenge for me as I do like old and scruffy.

The Nursery Tavern is a three roomed pub in a terrace in the old watch-making district.
On the bar was a choice of 'London Pride' or Purity 'UBU' - the UBU for me.
There were only a handful of folk in on a Saturday afternoon and being unsociable souls we avoided all of them, settling in the window seat of the immaculately decorated, deserted lounge bar.  

Fearsomely new and shiny - not a scuff on the carpet or upholstery!

Departing the Nursery, we headed a short way up the road, past the Craven Arms (I wanted a picture of the super-early Christmas decorations in their window, but the scary fellow scowling out from under the tinsel scuppered that).
Then down the road to the Hearsall Inn...

Hearsall Inn (45 Craven Street, Chapelfields, Coventry, CV5 8DS - web)
The Hearsall was bustling and full of life, with a wide range of characters settled both inside and out.
The real ale choice provided a quick deliberation between Church End 'Goats Milk' and Bass.  Gotta be the Bass.
We grabbed a pew at the end of a table, watching the football scores come in on the TV screen in the corner (wow! aren't Cov doing well?!).

The Hearsall Inn was superb - everything that a locals pub should be on a Saturday afternoon.

At this point we had a decision to make...
Make a 1 mile trek across to Earlsdon to visit Wetherspoon and complete all the current Good Beer Guide pubs in Coventry.
Or back to the centre to visit the spectacular looking Spire Bar, now run by the local Dhillon's Brewery.

Mrs PropUptheBar consulted Untappd and spotted a craft beer outlet on the same road as Spoons. 
Mind made up. 

Beer Gonzo (3a Earlsdon Street, Earlsdon, Coventry, CV5 6EP - web)

This was a bottle shop which we initially assumed was closed due to it looking completely deserted.
But stepping through the doorway at the back of the shop we found ourselves in a busy little basic bar room, with two staff busily pouring beer from a superb and quite lethal beer selection. 

8 beers above 10%...uh oh, we're in trouble

With all tables inside occupied, we took our drinks out to the couple of picnic tables in the rear yard.  It's a thoroughly unattractive spot, but we were happily enamoured by the beers we'd picked and not here to judge beer garden of the year. 

My pick was Belgian craft beer heavyweights De Struise Brouwers and their fantastic 'Clash of the Titans Reserva' - a12% Barrel Aged barley wine.  Oh yes.

Then I followed it with the 'Bourbon Oaked Imperial Milk Stout', 10%, by Up Front Brewing of Glasgow.  Oh yes, again.

We'd been very pleasantly distracted by Beer Gonzo, but managed to pull ourselves away and head back to the Wetherspoon's pub.
It was certainly a good looking one...

City Arms (1 Earlsdon Street, Earlsdon, Coventry, CV5 6EP - web)

The mock tudor building dates back to the 1930's, with Wetherspoon taking over the pub in the year 2000.  It would once have had several separate rooms, but has been transformed into the recognisable open plan design.

We grabbed some food to soak up those hefty ABV beers, along with a very nice pint of Silhill Brewery 'Super Star', brewed nearby in Solihull.  Still enjoyable after the barley wine and barrel aged stout, so it must have been good.

There's a lady in this picture who's dressed to be stealthily disguised as soon as she steps back onto the Wetherspoon carpet

Not for the first time, Coventry had made for a good pubby day - breweries, micros, great beers and an unexpected craft bar which made us very happy indeed.