This coincided with England's heatwave #2, the temperature already past 30°C by 11am. This meant...
1. An element of concern over cask quality
2. The poor folks of Lincoln being subjected to my legs on show
3. Knowing that the trek up Steep Hill would to be a stinker
Having arrived pre-noon, it's an inevitability that I'd start the day in Spoons. Not the celebrated one in the old cinema though. I headed down to Brayford Wharf and its modern glass-fronted waterside buildings, home to the Odeon, Wagamama, Nando's and the like.
The first thing I had to commend the Square Sail on was some very effective air-conditioning.
The second, a decent selection of guest ales - a trio from Notts brewery Milestone: 'Fletchers', 'Summer Breeze', or 'Summer Lovin'. Double summer action.
My pint of Summer Lovin' was a little on the chill side to be honest, but still received a satisfied "aaahhhhh" after the first long refreshing sip.
Less commendation for the rather dull industrial surroundings, perhaps with the exception of a giant Lincoln mural on the back wall.
This is a modern and functional branch of Spoons, previously a Lloyds No.1 although I don't think there's any difference now is there? The high-ceiling gave it a spacious feel, with an additional mezzanine floor offering more seating for a decent pre-lunch crowd.
Right...let's tackle that uphill climb.
I made a detour to the Usher Gallery - free-of-charge and providing another spell of air-con relief. There's some great stuff in this small gallery, including Lowry's painting of Lincoln and Matt D. Wright's Papestry - an incredible 6-meters of immaculately detailed drawings of buildings on Steep Hill and Bailgate.
Leaving the gallery, I tackled the steepest bit of the climb to the castle and cathedral and saw those same buildings for myself.
A little further on was the Good Beer Guide-listed Morning Star.
Right...let's tackle that uphill climb.
I made a detour to the Usher Gallery - free-of-charge and providing another spell of air-con relief. There's some great stuff in this small gallery, including Lowry's painting of Lincoln and Matt D. Wright's Papestry - an incredible 6-meters of immaculately detailed drawings of buildings on Steep Hill and Bailgate.
Leaving the gallery, I tackled the steepest bit of the climb to the castle and cathedral and saw those same buildings for myself.
A little further on was the Good Beer Guide-listed Morning Star.
A sign outside the pub advertises 'Beer Garden, ample car parking, and secluded cathedral views'. It looks like the car park has been assimilated into the garden, where you can indeed see the cathedral and where most of the Friday afternoon customers had chosen to sit. But I'd just walked around three sides of the cathedral, so didn't require a secluded view, always happier to take a seat inside a pub that's new to me.
'BG Sips' for me - a beer I like but which was suffering in the heat and far too warm.
The Morning Star is designed for socialising and pub chat without any piped music or TV screens interrupting. Sat in the corner I could earwig the locals discussing how much you needed to spend to get a decent bottle of wine...£8 will be quite sufficient, apparently. The same cost as the pub's advertised forthcoming Swiss Fish Supper.
Good value, but I've no idea what makes it Swiss? And it seems to come with bread and no chips, which is just wrong.
I decided to seek out Blue Monkey beer elsewhere and handily their Organ Grinder venue was a short distance away, back near the cathedral.
Located in a building dating back to 1895, this was previously Beerheadz, prior to Blue Monkey opening in August 2025. It has the feel of a large micro - a single rectangular room with raised stage area by the window, bar at the back, and spartan decoration.
This was another pub with welcome air conditioning, less-welcome Oasis playing in the background, and three solo drinkers socially distanced from one another.
Six cask ales on offer...
I admitted to the young lady behind the bar that the grinding gears in my head were contemplating the pros (not many) and cons (many) of picking the cask 8.4% double dry hopped IPA, priced at a remarkable £6.00 a pint. Repect for her response that it was 'probably a bit early'.
I ended up with the brown and twiggy 'Coopers' traditional bitter (£4.00). A satisfying proper beer in great condition.
I ended up with the brown and twiggy 'Coopers' traditional bitter (£4.00). A satisfying proper beer in great condition.
I often seem to mention pubs filling up during my visit.
This time I have photographic evidence...
This time I have photographic evidence...
I really liked the Organ Grinder and could happily have settled here for longer and delved into the tempting keg beer list.
But I refused to be beaten by the heatwave and was determined to continue on to two central Beer Guide inns.
I walked downhill along Priorgate and Pottergate (perhaps one of Oxford's excess of Hogwarts tourist tat emporiums can relocate onto such an aptly named thoroughfare). Pottergate arch is at the road junction at the bottom of this route, the whitewashed frontage of my next pub across the road.
But I refused to be beaten by the heatwave and was determined to continue on to two central Beer Guide inns.
I walked downhill along Priorgate and Pottergate (perhaps one of Oxford's excess of Hogwarts tourist tat emporiums can relocate onto such an aptly named thoroughfare). Pottergate arch is at the road junction at the bottom of this route, the whitewashed frontage of my next pub across the road.
This seems to be Lincoln's oldest pub with records suggesting it opened the doors to punters in 1701, a fairly modest date for a city with such ancient streets and buildings.
Other than some wooden beams, it doesn't feel especially olde worlde within, a grating soundtrack of bad modern pop music, TV screens, and games machines not helping.
Beers you've heard of from Castle Rock, Sharp's and Timothy Taylor's. Lilley's cider perhaps not a bad idea on a bright summer day. But I ended up with the fourth cask whose pump clip is hidden behind the Madri glass in my picture.
This was an Arkells World Cup-themed 3.7% pale ale name 'The Showboater'. All the way to Lincoln to drink beer from Swindon.
No local ale in my next pub either.
No local ale in my next pub either.
"A pub is not just about the ale", says the CAMRA website listing. Wise words, which I don't think every CAMRA member has grasped. Here it's all about the community atmosphere which was in full effect on a Friday afternoon when plenty of folk seemed to have used the hot weather to warrant clocking-off work early.
Cask ales on offer were St Austell 'Tribute' or Timothy Taylor 'Landlord' on this occasion.
The Tribute was in fine condition and absolutely hit the spot.
There were a good number of customers, many of them in the garden, all of them regulars I suspect. I could have gathered numbers for repairing the roof, landscaping the garden, and re-wring the electrics from the various polo shirts being worn, Lincoln's tradesfolk in evidence enjoying an end-of-week pint. Another couple of chaps made their entries into the forthcoming meat raffle which was much a much more complicated process than I would have imagined.
There was a decent soundtrack including Cyndi Lauper, Thompson Twins, The Farm, then Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday' on request for someone's special day.
"Ain't nuthin' wrong with Stevie fuckin' Wonder", confirmed the chap at the next table.
Now for some local beer.
I made my way to the bus station, dilly-dallied in Co-Op picking some snacks and almost missed the 17:50 PC Coaches service to Oak Paddock Farm. The twenty-minute trip took me out to the suburb of North Hykeham where I'd never have found Poachers Brewery had it not been for the sign. The brew kit and tap room are basically down a driveway, behind a house and next to a vegetable patch in the back garden.
"Ain't nuthin' wrong with Stevie fuckin' Wonder", confirmed the chap at the next table.
Now for some local beer.
I made my way to the bus station, dilly-dallied in Co-Op picking some snacks and almost missed the 17:50 PC Coaches service to Oak Paddock Farm. The twenty-minute trip took me out to the suburb of North Hykeham where I'd never have found Poachers Brewery had it not been for the sign. The brew kit and tap room are basically down a driveway, behind a house and next to a vegetable patch in the back garden.
Opening times are somewhat limited...
So I was chuffed to have made it, first customer of the evening. Now I've ticked it, feel free to put it in the Guide!
There were three of their own cask ales on the bar, plus a Bee Sting and national-brand keg lager and cider.
I am still mystified as to how anyone can keep three cask ales when they're only open five hours a week.
I am still mystified as to how anyone can keep three cask ales when they're only open five hours a week.
But I have no complaints about the two I tried.
Firstly the 'Teddi Boy' a 4% pale ale, then back for tasty 4.5% 'Hykeham Gold', both priced at a n amazing £3.00 a pint.
It was thoroughly pleasant sat on the picnic benches with the micro brewery beer, a band setting up for later in the evening, a handful of local customers gradually arriving.
Firstly the 'Teddi Boy' a 4% pale ale, then back for tasty 4.5% 'Hykeham Gold', both priced at a n amazing £3.00 a pint.
It was thoroughly pleasant sat on the picnic benches with the micro brewery beer, a band setting up for later in the evening, a handful of local customers gradually arriving.
I made a ten-minute walk down the main road back towards town, reaching the retail park which has the Centurion pub on the corner of it.
Is this the equivalent of Reading CAMRA sticking various Tilehurst boozers into the beer guide? It doesn't jump out as the most obvious of entries, but has graced the Good Beer Guide for a few years now.
The Centurion is exactly what you'd expect from a modern pub by a retail park aimed at families and diners.
Perfectly fine to settle in with a pint - plus the menu offers some good value pub grub - but not somewhere you'd want to divert from the centre's real ale pubs to visit if you have limited time.
The cask range was a trio of big names: the now slightly lesser-seen Sharpe's 'Doom Bar', a different Timothy Taylor option - their 'Golden Best', or Leeds Kirkstall 'Three Swords'.
The cask range was a trio of big names: the now slightly lesser-seen Sharpe's 'Doom Bar', a different Timothy Taylor option - their 'Golden Best', or Leeds Kirkstall 'Three Swords'.
Stagecoach charged me £3 - £1 dearer than the outbound PC Coaches trip - to get back.
That's a taster of Lincoln's pubs - more to come in the next post when I explore the High Street hostelries, storm the castle, and find a beer named in honour of a tank.
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