Lutterworth Pub Crawl

In which I spend a couple of hours visiting the pubs of Lutterworth, at the southern edge of Leicestershire.  There will be Bass.  And empty bars.  And Superman on the loo.

Hopping off the bus, I was just a couple of minutes along the road from the first pub of day, The Unicorn, open from 10:30am for breakfast and Bass.
By the time I was arriving at 11:45 there were half a dozen locals settled in the bar.

The Unicorn (29 Church Street, Lutterworth, LE17 4AE)
This is a solid traditional town pub, it's appearance slightly spoilt due to the original corner entrance being blocked up.  Instead, the way-in is through the door to the side, followed by the gamble whether to go left or right.
To the left is the public bar, log fire burning, golf on the TV, Northamptonshire skittles in the corner and picture of Jamie Vardy on the wall.  What more do you need?!

Real ales available at the bar were Greene King 'IPA', Sharpes 'Atlantic' and Bass. 
Not too much time needed to dither in this instance.

My clandestine pub photography is well and truly clocked

Half a pint sunk in the bar, I took a stroll through to finish the rest in the lounge bar, getting me a very suspicious look from the staff for choosing to sit in two different seats in one visit.
This side of the pub is a little more homely with some bench seating next to the bar, historic pictures of Lutterworth covering the wall in preference to Jamie Vardy.  Beyond the central fireplace were tables ideal for eating, and I really should have eaten - simple pub grub at brilliant prices.

Leaving the Unicorn, I strolled through the drizzle, around by the market square, then down the hill to the Fox, which was billed as the village pub in the town.
I could see some lights on, but not much sign of life, so was hopeful that the 'come in we're open' sign hanging on the front door was right.

The Fox (35 Rugby Road, Lutterworth, LE17 4BN - web) 
It was - I strolled in to find an open-plan lay-out with two different sides...
To the left was the bar, with it's pastel-shade wooden frontage and Six Nations flag display; a handful of small tables and stools along the wall.
To the right of the front door was the more restaurant-like section with chunky brown leather seats and cutlery laid out on the tables, deterring me from sitting there.
And not a customer in sight.

 

The landlord was on the phone to the internet provider for the duration of my visit, telling the IT helpdesk to hold on one second whilst he poured me a Bass.  More Bass!

I grabbed a dinky stool opposite the bar counter, where the TV showed the news with the volume up.
What fun!  Doom and gloom on the 24-hour news channel or earwigging a speakerphone conversation with the IT helpline.

I think I was happiest viewing the artwork in the Gents...

Mild Sailor Jerry smut in the Gents

As with most places I go, The Fox can't be judged properly by my visit at an unsociable hour and would likely be completely different another time.
The Bass was okay, but not quite up to the standard of The Unicorn.

Back up the hill along the ridiculously busy road, I took a quick tourist shot of the town hall, then onward to the next pub.

Just past the market square, on the main road, is the fairly impressive looking Greyhound, an old coaching inn dating back to 1758.

The coaching archway led to a charming courtyard where someone's obviously got green fingers...

Greyhound (9 Market Square, Lutterworth, LE17 4EJ - web)
Heading through the door, there's the hotel reception desk which was enough to make me briefly wonder if I was in the right place.  The bar is in the front room to the right, with the receptionist hopping out their seat to relocate behind the counter ready to serve me.

Just the one other punter, who didn't take long to quaff his Guinness and leave after I bowled in disturbing the peace.

Doom Bar and Citra on the hand pumps, alongside a welcome Leicestershire-local, Dow Bridge Brewery 'Acris', making for something a little different.  And very nice it was too.
I did like the bar of the Greyhound, with some grand old rustic furniture and classic paintings.

Not fully capturing the matching cushions and curtains in this shot

I left the Greyhound and had a quick wander to check the micropub in the vague hope that Facebook's opening hours may be the right ones.  No such luck.
All other sources of information suggested I'd need to hang around two hours, possibly three, for the Real Ale Classroom to open it's doors. That wasn't going to happen on this grey and rainy day.

So, a quick check of the bus times led to confirmation that I could squeeze in a half pint at the Shambles...

Shambles Inn (10-12 Bell Street, Lutterworth, LE17 4DW - web)
This old inn looks the business with thatched roof and whitewashed frontage complete with wooden beams running through it.  Yet I managed to take the least appealing picture possible.
Then did the inside no justice either by taking one solitary photo of the beer range.

The Shambles was spacious, with multiple areas - pool table to the back, cosy spots just inside the front door, dining tables to the side.  It had a fairly mixed crowd and was by far the busiest place of the day.
The chap who'd departed the Greyhound earlier was settled in an armchair in the front and gave me a nod - "On a pub crawl are you?" he asked, "Good on yer!"

With my Banks's Bitter, I perched on an uncomfortable high stool near the bar and contemplated a fairly successful visit to the town.  
As a teenager, I spent four years being ferried back and forth to Lutterworth on the school bus (and based on the number of factual and grammatical errors in my average blog post, a fat lot of good that did me!)  So this had been a bit of a walk down memory lane.  
The Real Ale Classroom (opened by a couple of ex-teachers) would have given me the chance of a smart school days orientated blog-post title, had it been open.
Oh well, suppose I'd better just call it 'Lutterworth Pub Crawl' then...

Stewed to the Gills - Leicester Pub Crawling Pt2

Day two in Leicester.
The plan for this day included a micro pub or two, a bit more Everards beer and a revisit to the craft beer fest, all topped off with a fine curry.

For starters we were heading out of the centre so that we could take in a couple of Beer Guide pubs in the suburb of Aylestone.
Here's the route...

Late morning, we trekked down the riverside path along the Soar, the King Power Stadium across the other side of the water...

Nope - I preferred Filbert Street

The path took us past graffitied light industrial buildings, before we reached a peaceful, leafy nature reserve.  
Leaving the river at the point Braunstone Road East crosses it, a five minute walk took us to the thriving (well, they've got a chip shop and a Tesco Express) centre of Aylestone.

Ale Stone (660 Aylestone Road, Aylestone, LE2 8PR - fb)
This micro pub, converted from a shop in 2017, is owned by the same folks as the Blue Boar in the city centre.
We arrived just after noon on a Sunday, with a couple of tables of regulars already settled in and giving us a cheery welcome.

There were five cask ales on hand pumps, with another half dozen pump clips stuck to the upraised bar hatch, which the barman told us was part of bank holiday beer festival.  
Ooof - too much choice for the first pub of the day.

I eventually plumped for a half of 'River Runs Free' from Liverpool micro-brewery Neptune. 

The festival beers were poured straight from the barrel in the temperature controlled room through a glass door behind the bar.
And with a great choice and beer in good condition, I figured I should make the most of it and popped back to the bar later for a chocolate orange stout by Ossett Brewery (a nice stout, but strangely devoid of both chocolate and orange flavours).

We back-tracked towards the river again, then down a side street to the Black Horse, nicely visible from a distance thanks to some fine painted signage on the brickwork.

The Black Horse (65 Narrow Lane, Aylestone, LE2 8NA - web)
The pub was looking great, even with the ominous grey clouds above it. 
Other than the usual Everard's ales there was a Castle Rock 'Elsie Mo', which was my pick having not had this beer for some time.

A bit of Sunday lunch later we were ready to move on, but not before a visit to the facilities provided a bit more un-PC artwork for the blog...

Mild smut in the Gents, no.47 in an ongoing series

Leaving the Black Horse we had a fair bit of walking ahead of us, through streets of suburban Leicester that don't see many tourists.
Some 45-minutes or so later we found our second micro pub of the day...

Queens Road Tap (109 Queens Road, Clarendon Park, LE2 1TT - web)
As with the Ale Stone earlier - this micro also opened in 2017 after conversion from a former shop unit.
In this case it's owned by Derbyshire brewer Tollgate, who have a small chain of outlets handily shown on a painted map on the pub's wall.
We're in proper micro territory here: one small WC to the side of the bar in which you could probably carry on your conversation with those outside; a single basic room with half a dozen tables and no TV or other distractions.

It was a straight-forward walk from here, up through Victoria Park and past the De Montford Hall.

A youthful PropUptheBar squeezed down the front 
to see Iron Maiden and Motorhead in here. 

There are a couple more beer guide pubs in the vicinity of Victoria Park, but we decided to leave these Everards pubs for another time.
Instead, I fancied the Parcel Yard...

Parcel Yard (48a London Road, Leicester, LE2 0QB - web)
At a glance, this appears to be another micro pub, with it's unassuming single shop unit frontage right outside Leicester train station.
But pass through that first room and a quite magnificent interior reveals itself.

This was formerly the sorting office and parcel yard for British Rail.  With high ceiling and skylight to the rear, the main bar room is a pretty spectacular place to have a drink.  There's a range of different decor with booth-seating to the side, tall tables at one end and the odd bit of quirky rescued furniture dotted about.

This venue belongs to the Steamin' Billy pub co who have a number of outlets in the East Midlands.  As one of the founders is Bill Allingham (the youngest brewer in the country when he was at Leatherbritches in the early nineties) they've complimented the pubs with their own Steamin' Billy beer range.  This was once brewed in the back of one of the pubs but is now contract brewed at Belvior.
As such, I figured I'd have on of their own beers whilst here.

The previous day we'd discovered the craft beer festival that was happening in the market square and, never ones to turn down a beer fest, we headed back to Brew Beat for a second visit.

The choice of beers had changed a fair bit since the previous day, with the numbering system becoming increasingly complicated.

I'd sensibly turned down the strong beers so far on this trip, so it was time to put an end to all that and order the strongest on the list: Clocking Off brewed by Grimsby's Docks Beers.
They actually had this labelled at 11% but further investigation (and taste, and the fact that I was still walking straight at the end of the night) revealed this to be an 8% chocolate stout.

A DJ encouraged a rather entertaining bout of dancing before Liverpudlian/Mancunian band SuperGiant took to the stage with some decent funky sounds.
Good enough to encourage me to stay for another - this time local brewery Round Corner and their 'Hopping Spree' American IPA.

The arrival of a wedding party brought some stylish dress sense which put my old clobber to shame

Enough craft beer - we made our way to Welford Road and a curry house recommendation.

It's unusual that I ever make it for a curry - the contents of this blog may give a clue that I generally tend to fill myself up with beer.
I was glad I left just enough room to made it to Shivalli.   
We ordered a fine spread of food which was all thoroughly delicious and satisfying.

So, still space for one last pint?

Kings Head (36 King Street, Leicester, LE1 6RL - web)
Another Black Country Ales pub.
They've appeared in the past three posts and they'll appear in the next one too.
I should get a loyalty card.

The Kings Head was the kind of comfortable, laid-back pub in which you could sink into the cushioned corner seating and take your time with your pint.
Because you're full of curry.

There was a Sunday evening poker game taking place on the other side of the room and a good number of other customers, some making use of the roof terrace.

Sipping my Black Country Ales 'Chain Ale', I figured this was a fine pub in which to finish our Leicester weekend.  We'd ticked off 11 of the cities 16 current Good Beer Guide entries - just enough left to necessitate a return visit.  I'd fully re-evaluated my grumpy teenage assessment of the city - it's turned into a pretty fine place with plenty to keep the weekend visitor entertained.  We'd had two days of varied venues and great beer, making for a rollicking bank holiday weekend success.

Leicester Pub Crawl

August Bank Holiday weekend found us in Leicester.

Put on the map for some by the Foxes Premier League trophy and indie rockers Kasabian...

But really made famous by Gary Lineker and Showaddywaddy.

Fresh off the train, we headed to the Ale Wagon for a lunchtime pint.

Ale Wagon (27 Rutland Street, Leicester, LE1 1RE)
What a great place to start.
Sitting on the street corner, this was originally the Queens Hotel before being taken over by Hoskins & Oldfield brewery in 1999 and being renamed the Ale Wagon.
It seems there was always a plan to produce Hoskins beers on-site, which may explain the random bit of brewing equipment in the corner of the main bar.  As it is, the beer is contract brewed by Belvior.

I was a bit stuck to know which of those beers to pick, with four Hoskins ales on cask, as well as some good looking guest beers and kegs.  I opted for the 'HOB', which was exactly the kind of quaffable, foamy best bitter I was looking for - good stuff.

The main bar is charming in its simplicity.  Just a great unspoilt town boozer, with a handful of early-doors customers on the ales and a fine soundtrack of 70's rock and soul classics.

So, a fine pint of good old traditional best bitter to start the day.
How long could I keep Mrs PropUptheBar in the proper pubs and away from the craft ales?

Not long.

Brewdog (8 Friar Lane, Leicester, LE1 5RA - web)
MrsPropUptheBar was enticed by Brewdog on two fronts...
1. The chance to get some decent grub, thus discharging her responsibilities of making sure we eat and not try to sustain ourselves all day on marshmallow stout.
2. The 'new brewery showcase' which she'd spotted on Untappd, thereby offering some lesser seen craft ales and delaying the time before she'd have to have an Everards Tiger.

The striking red-brick building was formerly offices before becoming the unappealingly named Varsity, a Banks's bar in 1997.   It's been part of the Brewdog empire since 2015 and has everything you'd expect from the chain - industrial style decor, video games, decent soundtrack of alternative music, and the billboard listing a long choice of beers.

More crafty murk was to be found a few minutes walk away at the.. 

Two Tailed Lion (22 Millstone Lane, Leicester, LE1 5JN - web).
A wine bar in a previous incarnation, this place has a few swanky modern touches, like the planters above the leather seating under a skylight to the rear.  But also the simplicity of a basic pub.  
Great friendly barman - extra points to him for popping over to the table to ask how the beers were and having a general chat about Leicester pubs.

A few doors down the road is somewhere that seems oft cited as being the essential real ale stop in the city.

The Blue Boar (16 Millstone Lane, Leicester, LE1 5JN - web)
They certainly didn't disappoint with the beer choice - with an enticing row of hand-pumps tempting us with offerings from Titanic, Beowulf, Shiny, Twisted Wheel and more.
Opened in 2016, the pub consists of a single, comfortable room, with the cellar visible behind a glass door at the back of the bar.  They were doing a good trade on a Saturday afternoon with all tables full of cheery folk, leaving us to stand at the large barrels where it's happily easy to get drawn into conversation with fellow drinkers.
Great beers, good atmosphere, friendly folk - this is the kind of pub that most of us would like to have as a local.

Probably not the best picture you'll ever see of The Blue Boar, Leicester

Leicester was home to me as a moody, troublesome teenager, so this weekend's visit comes with a touch of nostalgia.  It's been many years since I paid it a visit, so I ambled around pointing out all the changes.

"Oooo, that's new!"
It's not.  It's the cathedral.  An eighteen year old me barely noted the historical bit of town as I hopped off the bus and straight into the record store.

Sadly all of my favourite pubs are long gone.
So long, the Pump & Tap, the fantastically crusty Magazine, the Fourpence and Firkin...
And the Princess Charlotte, where I watched so many great bands in the back room, now a Chinese supermarket...

Already on a sad demise when they axed 'Princess' from the name

Mid-afternoon, we made a walk to check into our hotel, then made our way just to the SW of town and Braunstone Gate where a couple of beer guide pubs were situated.

The Black Horse (1 Foxton Street, Leicester, LE3 5LT)
This Everards pub is gorgeous inside - a traditional pub with lots of light wood, brewery mirrors and clocks on the walls.
But oh so quiet.
We interrupted the girl behind the bar from her weighty paperback, then took our beers - a rather tired Everards 'Old Original' for me - into the front room where we had the pick of the tables.
I guess Saturday afternoon isn't the best time to judge the Black Horse.

There were more signs of life just around the corner in the West End Brewery where, in contrast, we just managed to grab the last table.

West End Brewery (68-70 Braunstone Gate, Leicester, LE3 5LG - web)
MrsPropUptheBar is always recommending I drink halves on these pub crawls.  But I don't think she means half of each of the beers available on the bar.
In proper beer-ticking geekery mode, I asked for halves of the 'West Coast IPA', 'Bowstring Bridge' bitter and 'West End Stout'.
I enjoyed 'em all.   
The West End Brewery was a thoroughly comfortable and pleasant place, with a nice buzz to it. 

Earlier on, in the Two Tailed Lion, we'd learnt that there was a craft beer festival in the centre of town.
Free-of-charge as well, so we figured we'd poke our heads in to Brew Beat.

They had a list of some 80 keg beers, with around 30ish of these available at one time.
The half-poured cups under the beer taps indicated that the vast majority were a shade of murky blonde, so I scoured the list for one of the few dark brews, 'Vertical Stout' by Love Lane Brewery.  Packed to the rafters with coffee beans - that should keep me awake a bit longer.

We had one more pub to head to in the centre of town, tucked in the side streets between the shopping emporiums and bus station.  

The Salmon (19 Butt Close Lane, Leicester, LE1 4QA - web)
I do like a Black Country Ales pub.
I've yet to find one that doesn't have a great pubby feel to it and a good bunch of customers and staff, this being no exception.

You'd think with 12 beer lines that we'd be able to pick the ideal beer but, perhaps proving that too much choice isn't always a good thing, we both managed to choose beers that we weren't especially enamored by.
Nothing wrong with the quality - for me it was a pale ale that was far too flowery and floral for my taste.  That'll teach me to pick the beers I've never heard of.  Except it won't. 

We'd reached the point in the evening that it was advisable to head back to the hotel and get a good nights sleep.
So that's what we did, via a quick foolhardy stop for a half in the Sir Robert Peel en-route.
The next day would bring more opportunities to explore Leicester, all of which I'll write-up in the next post.