Northampton Pub Explorations

With a Bank Holiday weekend creeping up hot on the heels of Easter, we decided to head for an overnight visit to Northampton.

The best buildings of the town centre were looking superb in glorious May sunshine. 
I was still trying to take my best picture postcard shot of the Guildhall when Mrs PropUptheBar spotted a craft beer bar.  She has an in-built sensor for such venues, although we usually get to go to at least one pub on my list before making a craft beer diversion.

I was busy admiring the architecture...

...whilst Mrs PropUptheBar was ushering me into the craft bar

Maule Collective Taproom (4 Derngate, Northampton, NN1 1UB - web)
This proved to be a spacious, basic bar with comfy bench seating along one wall, sofas at the rear and a small garden out back.  Pictures featuring a range of Maule's funky artwork hung on the walls.  The handful of midday customers were equally divided between coffee and craft beers.

The white tiled bar back featured 20 draft beer lines, with beers available displayed above.

Tempting as the offerings from Arbor and Black Iris were, I figured I'd stick with their own brews, picking the enjoyable 'Dark Maule' oatmeal stout.
This proved to be a good little find and a fine start to the day.

Drinking up at Maule, we wandered around the corner and chanced upon the Northampton Museum, which was advertising a Star Wars Toys exhibition.
One of us was more enthusiastic than the other.

Here's the plan: I'm going to hit 'publish' on the 4th May, hence very topically be including Star Wars toy pics in a post on Star Wars Day.
I might even be able to tempt my old work-mate William to visit the blog - someone who has no interest in pubs but would be salivating over a 1979 Palitoy land speeder.

Not much nostalgia here for me, as I never had any of these toys as a youngster.  I seem to remember I was more excited by Herbie Goes Bananas in 1980 than the Empire Strikes Back.

But I still appreciated this exhibition, even though it waylaid us and we forgot to look at the galleries of shoes that the town is famous for.

Right - back to the original schedule. 
We walked south of the centre and found our way to the Malt Shovel Tavern, located on a main road facing the Carlsberg Brewery.

Malt Shovel Tavern (121 Bridge Street, Northampton, NN1 1QF - web)
This proved to be a fantastic pub with a beer festival in progress.
The Malt Shovel is open-plan, although the chunky brick columns sort of divide the front and back halves.  Breweriana rules, with mirrors, posters and brass signs advertising brewers of yore.

The festival bar was set up in the small back garden, offering some 30-or so beers from Yorkshire.
Outdoors had been taken over somewhat by the red and white striped shirts of Exeter City supporters.  They were in a cheery mood having being guaranteed promotion to League One earlier in the week, the fixture against Northampton being a bid to go up as Champions.

It also helped that Plymouth Argyle were being royally thrashed by MK Dons in the last game of the season, putting an end to their own play-off aspirations.
"Argyle get battered, everywhere they go!" sang the Exeter fans.
"There's only one team in Devon, one team in Devon..."

Of course there is...it's Torquay United, isn't it?

Once their taxis began arriving everything became much quieter and we were able to appreciate the pub soundtrack including the Beach Boys, Springsteen 'Dancing in the Dark', and the Blues Brothers.

I enjoyed a few lovely half pints of beer, a super-cheesy pizza and a marvelous pub visit.
The 'Dexter Milk Stout' from Kirkstall Brewery was my fave from the few I tried.
We had further Northampton explorations to undertake though, so couldn't get stuck drinking Yorkshire ales all afternoon.

Not far to go, just a short stroll down the road and across the River Nene to reach our next destination...

Wonder where the hefty turnstile takes you to?

Pomfret Arms (10 Cotton End, Northampton, NN4 8BS)
Oh look!  Cider festival!
The festival's were lining up in an attempt to derail our itinerary and provide me with a sore head the following morning.  I knew the sensible thing to do was stick to the beers, especially as the Great Oakley ales on offer here were something I don't see every day.  But I haven't mastered 'sensible' and fancied the local cider, in this case a Harefield's 'Coopers Barrel'.

The modernised and colourfully painted rooms of the Pomfret Arms were quiet, with almost everyone electing to sit in the large garden to the rear.   The outbuilding next to our table had the signage for the Cotton End Brewery which used to be in action here until early 2020.
In a wooden hut to the side, a chap in a straw hat spun the discs and DJ'ed to the assembled Bank Holiday punters, providing us with a bit of gentle electronica.

There's something lovely about sitting in a sunny beer garden with a pint of cider, even if it does involve listening to Groove Armada.

We were near to our hotel for the evening, giving us the chance to check-in and drop off bags.  I'd assumed we were staying nearby the University, but it turned out the Sunley Hotel was part of the University in the sleek, modern Riverside campus.
This proved to be a good choice of accommodation and not just because you're able to get Stella for £3 a pint from the Waterside Bar.

 

I was also chuffed to find the table football games dotted around the campus.  On our return later that evening we'd find ourselves hooked in a competitive game on one of these.  I'd try my best to recreate Sam Surridge's Forest hat-trick, but would ultimately have to fall back on lop-sided table excuses for being beaten by MrsPropUptheBar.

But that was later.
In the meantime we had several more Northampton pubs to visit, which I'll cover on the next post.

Craft Beer Brewery