Author Archives: hoppkins

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Bugmans Bar (Warhammer World, Lenton, Nottingham)

Bugmans is not your average pub.  Where there are a lot of pubs who concentrate on the selection of beer available (which is admirable) there are others who are more generic in selection but make up for it with other things like food and entertainment value. Bugmans is a Dwarf Bar.  There i said it, it’s like stepping into a medieval tavern, a dwarvish one to be exact.

Bugmans is not exactly city centre material however it’s quite quick and easy to get to and if you walk back to the city centre along the canal you come to some other great real ale locations.

The emphasis on the fantasy look stems from that this pub is latched on to none other than Warhammer World, Games Workshops flagship location which encompasses main offices, factory and free gaming area (Which while we are on the subject looks like the inside of a CASTLE) The basic idea being you can come play games using your models on their professional built tables and have a jolly good time. Other sights are the Games Workshop museum and a decent size shop to buy stuff (with the usual over excited workers inside).

But enough about Warhammer World. Bugmans. Oh yes.

This place looks seriously cool. It’s modelled to be a stereotypical dwarf tavern. Anvils, hammers, beer barrels, dead things mounted on wall…its all here.

Now first things first, Bugmans has 1 real ale at a time along with a German pilsner, other generic lager etc. They DO have Wychwood bottles in the fridge which does count for something. The beer is usually a renamed Nottingham Brewery Ale (or so i suspect) with the latest “Troll Brew” at 3.8% being what I assume is Nottingham Bitter. Very tasty, very drinkable.

Trollbrew!

They have cakes, tea, coffee, etc and the cakes are very decent. Hugest flapjacks i’ve even seen.

The food however is exceptional and one of the things bugmans do very well (which is handy since your going to be there a while if your playing Warhammer). Their burgers are numerous, tasty and well priced. The fatman burger is a terrifying combination of almost everything cookable.

The full English breakfast priced at a reasonable £4.99 is always hot and always decent. Wetherspoons is bigger and cheaper but sometimes comes not so hot which can ruin it.

gin all it makes for a decent package, while the real ale selection does let it down I guess but the other B-list drinks they have (Like the pilsner) and Wychwood go some way to making up for this. The staff are always friendly, the toilets are squeaky clean and one last thing…

The board games. Some bars like The Ropewalk give you boardgames etc to play. Bugmans has easily the largest selection of boardgames of any pub. There’s a pool table, vending machines and a cash point. In the end it’s a pleasure to sit in Bugmans with such effort to detail on the decor and great food and decent drink. Definitely worth a try.

To get to Warhammer World it’s easiest to get a bus to Queens Medical Centre and then walk for 5-10 mins. Or the canal from Town (which the Waterfront bar is on) will lead you right there. To get there:

Public Transport from City Center

From the city centre or the train station, a taxi ride takes about 10 minutes, and should cost about £6. Ask to go to Games Workshop, Willow Road.

To try Nottingham’s public transport please use www.triptimes.co.uk to plan your journey with local services.

You can also take a 30 minute/2 mile stroll or cycle along the canal walkway. Walk from the city centre with the canal to your right and once you pass under the bridge marked with a commemorative Lenton Lane plaque head up the steps to rejoin the road. Turn right and we’re just along the road with the big Space Marine Statue! A bike rack is near the main entrance.

From Nottingham city centre Head west on Castle Boulevard – the A6005, away from the city centre. Take the first exit at the roundabout, over Abbey Bridge. Turn left at the first set of traffic lights, onto Gregory Street, just before the church. After about 1/4 mile, turn right onto Willow Road, and Games Workshop is immediately on your left.

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A sad farewell to Kimberley Miners Welfare

Miners

 

Recently the Kimberley Miners Welfare closed after 80+ years. A sad day for a lot of people who frequented this great place to meet friends, play bingo and have a drink. Sure it only had one real ale on per time, it was usually kept well so they already were getting one thing right Wetherspoons could fail on some nights when they had 4 times that many guest ales.

Places like the Miners Welfare are not so much about the drink but the atmosphere, I think it’s safe to say without being ageist that most of the clientele of the Miners Welfare were over 50 with a spread below this age maintaining membership. Atmosphere created by the relaxed attitude of the staff, children were allowed in and often met up with other children from other patrons, food would often be brought in from outside without being frowned upon by staff.

Local acts would play on the stage at the back, ignore if you want, sing along if you want, get up and dance if you want! Some were good, some not so good but all were greeted with applause at the end.

The drink selection was mostly generic with 1 guest real ale, they did a mean can of Tango if you fancied a soft drink. The real kicker about this place being gone is it represents (in my opinion) the archetype of the Old English Tavern. A place to meet, talk, drink and eat…a central hub of activity for a community.

Not just someplace to swill lager and watch Sky Sports. Plenty of activities were played here instead like bingo, open the box (finding that key is impossible…) quizzes and stuff which brings people together…not just draws their blank gazes to a TV. I’m not sure who I’m aiming my disappointment or scorn at exactly, only that the “big guys” have contributed to the downfall of someplace like this. Places like this are important for communities, I doubt there are many other local places some of the “older” clientele would like to go to now.

Clubs are becoming a dying breed. Having been a member of at least 4 in Ilkeston/Kimberley I can say that Nottingham on the whole will be worse for more of these closing. However price hikes, higher beer duty and recession make it hard for places which are not centered around profit and competitiveness to stay afloat. The local word is the miners is now being considered as a building project for apartments. So suburbia claims another victim after 80+ years of being open.

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Blue Monkey to open flagship real ale pub, “The Organ Grinder”

View our exclusive look inside by clicking here

BREAKING NEWS!!

UPDATED PIC AS OF 25th May 2011

Looks like The Organ Grinder is coming along!

 

Recently on the way to work I noticed a certain closed down pub near Canning Circus (*COUGH* The Red Lion) had a familiar logo in the window as below:

Ok, its blurry…I was in a bus so sue me…if you need a further clue as to which brewery is taking over this pub how about this

If you need more clues then you must be colour blind. I dont mind hiding i’m totally stoked about this being a huge fan of the Blue Monkey Brewery…

Blue Monkey have taken over ownership of the red lion pub near canning circus and are totally rennovating it into a real ale haven. John from Blue Monkey kindly shared this press release with us.

Stay tuned for more news as we get it and obviously stay tuned for a review of the pub as soon as it opens!

PRESS RELEASE FROM BLUE MONKEY AS OF 17th May 2011

The Organ Grinder Comes to Canning Circus!

You may well have heard the rumours about Blue Monkey opening a pub in
Canning Circus, and we can officially reveal that they are true. The Red Lion
at the bottom of Alfreton Road (opposite the Running Horse) has been bought
by the brewery. They have renamed it ‘The Organ Grinder’, and are investing
a significant amount of money to totally renovate it and turn it into a Mecca for
real ale fans. The new pub looks set to build on Canning Circus’s cracking
reputation for real ale, and should be a real boost to the area.

Blue Monkey’s John Hickling said “We’re currently doing all the structural
stuff that’s been neglected for years, such as re-tiling the roof, sorting out the
electrics and installing a new heating system. Next we’ll be moving on to the
décor, which needs a lot of work. We’re aiming for a proper ‘pub like’ feel to
the interior, but with a modern twist – anyone who knows how grotty the pub
was when it closed six months ago will be in for a pleasant surprise! I love
real fires in pubs, so we’ve opened out the old fireplace and fitted a lovely cast
iron log burner, which will be roaring away come Autumn.”

“I’d like to think that Blue Monkey has a great reputation for brewing
consistently good beer, and I’m absolutely determined that we’ll carry that
forward into selling and serving beer in a first class pub. So the first job was
to rip out all the beer dispense equipment which was filthy, and start from
scratch. Unusually, we’re paying for all the cellar and dispense equipment
ourselves, so we’ll not be in any way tied to a particular brewery or distributor
– it will be one of only a few genuinely free houses out there. The plan
is have the best range of ales in Nottingham, kept and served in perfect
conditions. I think we’ll launch with 8 ale handpulls, maybe 10 if I’m confident
that the turnover of beer can justify it. The pub has a massive cellar, cut
deep into the sandstone, so it’s perfect for a real ale pub – having plenty of
storage space we’ll be able to make sure the beer is really well conditioned
before it goes on sale. Obviously we’ll have plenty of Blue Monkey beers
on, but also about half the pumps will be given over to other great breweries
from near and far. I want to make the ale range really distinctive, so we’ll be
going to quite some effort to bring in beers that you won’t find anywhere else
in Nottingham. As for other drinks, we’re still finalising the details but we’ll
definitely have several unusual real ciders and perries available, a distinctive
range of keg beers that you’ll not find elsewhere and a quality wine range
available for the non ale drinkers.”

All being well, the pub will be opening in late June. At the time of going to
press, a manager is still being sought for the pub so anyone with solid pub
management experience, a great personality and a passion for real ale should
get in touch with John at Blue Monkey if they fancy a new challenge.

 

 

 

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Blue Monkey Limited Edition Ale: Infinity (Pale Ale)

Blue Monkey recently released (and due to the lateness of my posting have maybe withdrawn but lets hope not!) a new limited ale called “Infinity”

I had the pleasure of coming across this ale randomly and was not disappointed, it lives up to Blue Monkeys consistent excellent selection completely.

Infinity

A lovely straw coloured pale ale at 4.6%, slightly hazy but beautifully refreshing with that great citrus flavour which im assuming come from those incredible New Zealand hops which are becoming so popular.

I would literally say this is one of my ales of the year so far and hopefully WONT be the limited edition the landlord assured me it was (maybe a petition to Blue Monkey is in order)

I spotted this written on the chalk board in the Old Angel in Nottingham however it was already off. Whether or not this beer is still in circulation is a mystery but if you spot it GET IT WHILE ITS AROUND.

CHEERS!!

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Review: The Kean’s Head (Nottingham)

The Kean’s Head is a small but bustling real ale pub owned by Castle Rock (makers of the Award Winning Elsie Mo and delicious Screech Owl) situated in the Lace Market of Nottingham (and down the road from where I work….very handy)

Outside

Named after “Edmund Kean” a noted 19th century actor. Anyway enough of the history lesson.

Outside

The Kean’s Head is a remarkably small pub and fills up quickly and with good reason. The interior is rustic and comfortable with sofas, comfy chairs, stools and regular tables.

But onto the good stuff. The beer selection is pretty darn good.

Pumps

Usually stocking 2-3 Castle Rock beers and another 1 or 2 guests. The beer is kept (in my opinion) in top notch condition. Although the guests are little on the pricey side it runs the usual Castle Rock brewery 8 ball scheme where if you fill a card with stamps from different beers you get a free beer.

Aside from the real ale there is a great selection of other stuff for those who fancy a change such as Cherry and Raspberry Beers, Oyster Stout, Duvel and a few other continental beers.

One of the real eye poppers of the Kean’s is their fridge full of bottles. It’s literally one of the best selections of … well everything I’ve seen in a long time. You’ll have to excuse the below photo being blurry, often taking these photos is a covert affair as it can raise some eyebrows.

Bottles

But you get the jist, this fridge is full of stuff. Ranging from the most of the “Brewdog” range to “Coopers Sparkling Ale”. There are plenty of the stronger trappist beers, fruit beers all the way to American microbrews rarely seen in the UK.

inside

All in all this is great for a chuckle if the real ales currently on don’t meet your fancy.

If spirits are your game then they have a pretty mind boggling array of spirits from around the world. Not for the faint hearted due to the cost but it’s the perfect thing to top a night off. I myself am partial the Islay malts (the Japanese whiskey is worth a go too!)

The food at the Kean’s Head is more expensive than your average pub fair but with good reason. It’s delicious and well done English/Italian food. You’ll find a large selection ever changing on the board as below, its definitely worth a try.

Food

All in all the Kean’s Head is an excellent pub with a great selection worthy of a place on any pub route.

To find the Kean’s Head follow this google map

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Review: The Salutation Inn (Nottingham)

The Ye Old Salutation Inn is one of the Oldest Pubs in the UK, I say “one of” because 2 other nearby pubs lay claim to the same title and rather than get involved in this argument ill be straight and say CBA.

Sally

If I’m honest however I would say the Salutation is the “least modernised” of the pubs which lay claim to the title and represents an authenticate English pub to the tee. To give you an idea of how old this place is it was built in 1240, lets not beat about the bush, that’s bloody old.

pete

The interior is made up of a lot of stone and a lot of old timber which makes a beautiful change to the usual modern pub interiors, its obvious the owners have been careful not to change the old feel of this pub.

inside

Beneath “The Sal” are caves (Nottingham is known as the “City of Caves”) which date back to the 9th century which people are free to take a look at (assuming Pete the landlord is in a good mood likely) and are usually given to “LARP” and role-playing geeks (and to be clear I myself in the past have role-played occasionally)

Inside 2

Keep your eyes peeled for the resident ghost which is apparently a small girl (no really..)

The pub is broke up into 4 main rooms. 2 smaller rooms near the entrance are nice and cozy, the main bar is a quite large room with a great jukebox (usual MP3 one with a zillion choices, however is usually dominated by rock/metal)

The upstairs is a large room usually for functions or karaoke and live bands. I had my wedding reception up there (for a small fee Pete kindly put on a barman and a barrel of Nottingham: EPA which was sublime) which was fantastic.

The Salutation has a great selection of beers on, usually with a great backup of real ciders and a myriad of bottled beer/cider and spirits (They even have the Dan Akroyd vodka in a skull bottle)

To be clear the selection in the Sal rivals wetherspoons for sheer volume

Selection

There is usually at least 3-5 real ales on as well as the usual fare. The beer is always kept excellently with a great selection usually rotating daily. The Sal doesn’t appear to favour any brewery over another with guests from The Nottingham Brewery, Blue Monkey (Pete seems to have a monkey fetish), Milestone and many more regularly appearing.

Occasionally there is a beer festival and about 10-15 barrels materialise in the main bar.

CAMRA discounts apply here if you’re a member.

Another great point of the Sal is the food. You would be forgiven for looking at the beer stained folded sheet of paper with the menu printed on and thinking “cripes”. The reality is The Sal has a great chef and do some great food at decent prices.

The Chilli the salutation do is literally the best I’ve had anywhere. Its nice and spicy and well worth a try. The burgers are handmade and excellent.

While the Salutation is primarily a rock pub (Its motto is “Rock and Ale”) don’t let that put you off. The Sal is a friendly pub, with friendly staff, great food and ale.

Just what you should expect from a real ale pub.

Click here for google maps location

Cheers!

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Review: D.B.A (New York City, USA)

Another great bar in NYC which is off the beaten track so to say which myself and Mrs.Hoppkins  set out to find is D.B.A.

What D.B.A stands for is a long standing mystery it seems, or perhaps the landlord just winding everyone up. But common theories are:

Don’t Bother Asking
Drink Better Ale

As much as i would like to think its the latter I’m sure the landlord is cackling behind the bar the whole time at the hilarity of the gag….possibly….who knows….anyway

First off if your looking to get to this bar prepare for some confusion unless you’re actually from New York. Me and my wife came out the subway and immediately set off in the wrong direction. After we got our bearings and found a good landmark to work from (Katz Delicatessen from “When Harry Met Sally”) we found the place.

DBA

This small and dark looking bar holds possibly the largest beer selection I have seen in any pub in any country. It is phenomenal…

As you can see from the below pic it doesn’t end at beer…they stock a gob smacking selection of Whiskey, Tequila, Vodka…you name it.

Woah

I dived in and had half of an excellent Japanese Beer (which tasted distinctly Belgian) which was matured in sake kegs. It was veeeeeery heavy but absolutely delicious…and cold…which in the heat it was that day was a pleasant thing i can tell you (About 32 degrees Celsius plus and very humid)

sake beer!?

The bar is quite small, dark and cramped but since you can drink at the bar and there are numerous small tables and a nice beer garden its not an issue. For its size the bar is stocked like its ready for war…on your liver.

I would of got a picture but I’m not sure people sitting in a veeeery dark room would of appreciated a camera flash going off in their eyes.

If you drink at the bar you get a complimentary cheese platter at certain times (Check website@ DBA Website for details of times of any offers)

Despite the majority of the beers on offer being bottled there is a pump selection seconded only by the Bree Louise in Euston, London (UK)

Not even Wetherspoons has a real ale selection this wide and this place is 1/10th of the size of an average spoons. The beer was kept beautifully and although the price is high, its the price you pay for excellent real ale (more importantly in my opinion the price you pay for great ale you have never seen)

Another redeeming feature of this great bar is they have a sit down pac man machine (Dr Lovesale will appreciate this I’m sure being a fervent pac man lover)

In short this is a bar not to be missed if you swing by New York which has a great selection, great atmosphere with friendly staff.

Easiest way to get to DBA is:

Subway
# F Train – The Second Avenue stop is closest to d.b.a.
# 6 Train – Take the #6 to Bleeker Street and walk to First Avenue.
# R Train – d.b.a. is equally close to either the Prince Street or 8th Street stops.

CHEERS!

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Interview: Blue Monkey Brewery

The Blue Monkey Brewery are a small and relatively new  microbrewery originally based in Ilkeston but whom have now moved to newer and larger premises in Giltbrook, Eastwood.

Blue Monkey

They have already wowed the brewery community by winning no less than 3  medals in the 2009 SIBA awards for:

Overall Champion of the Competition with “Blue Monkey – Guerrilla” (Gold)
Porters, Strong Milds, Old Ales & Stouts with “Blue Monkey – Guerrilla” (Gold)
Strong Bitters  (5.1 – 5.5%) with “Ape Ale, Strong Ale” (Bronze)

I was fortunate enough to get an insight into how Blue Monkey came about and a bit about them from John @ Blue Monkey

1) When did you first start brewing?

What kind of brewing was it? Was it a kit? How did it go?

When did you switch to mashing and what made you switch over? How did that turn out?

I started brewing about three years ago in my kitchen.  I did all grain right from the start, as the point for me was to learn the full process and to try to make better beer then I was buying elsewhere.  I don’t think you can do that with kits.

2) What made you pack up the IT business for brewing?

I was just bored of sitting at a desk all day doing something that didn’t particularly interest me.  I found myself sitting at my desk at work daydreaming about my next brew rather than working, which led me to wonder whether I’d be better of brewing for a living!

What was the biggest challenge of starting up Blue Monkey?

Getting the funding together, and taking the big step of quitting a good job to do it.  After that step, everything else falls into place simply because you have no choice.

3) How did your family react when you told them you were opening a brewery?

I think they thought it was just another ‘scheme of the week’ until I actually quit my job.  Then they thought i was nuts!

4) How have you coped with the recession, increases and other misfortunes of the economy?

We’ve had no problems at all.  I started the business right at the start of the current recession, so it’s all I’ve known.

5) How are you finding the new premises?

Brilliant.  We were so cramped in the old place, so it’s great to get some breathing space!

6) Any tips on novice brewers hoping to move into the world of microbrewing and replicate your success?

Brew great beers and get the branding right, and you’ll be OK.  It’s surprising how many start-ups don’t seem to get this.  Also, it’s not as cheap as you think it is to set up a brewery- I’ve had a lot of people come to visit me who want to get a brewery up and running, and they all have totally unrealistic budgets!

7) How do you view other similar sized microbreweries? As competition? Or allys against the evil forces of huge commercial breweries?

A bit of both, really.  It’s a very friendly industry, and whilst other small breweries are very much our competitors we also help each other out.

8 ) Whats the farthest afield one of your beers has travelled?

I know a few have gone to Norway, but thats about it.  We dont do bottling yet, so we are limited to how far a cask can travel.

Keep your eyes (and Bananas) peeled for more news on the Blue Monkey Brewery here on Nottsbrew!

For more info on Blue Monkey you can goto their website here Blue Monkey

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Review: The Dewdrop Inn (Ilkeston)

The Dewdrop is a pretty special pub to me being one of the pubs I’ve frequented for about 15 years and has aside from one “dark time” been a consistently excellent real ale pub (as shown by the frequent CAMRA awards)

Located on the outskirts of Ilkeston next to the train tracks it was first known as The Middleton but later changed the The Dewdrop Inn.

Over the years a number of landlords have passed through its doors to being us to the present landlord and the Erewash Chairman of Camra John Cooke (A retired police officer with a sharp wit and a good eye for ale) and his delightfully hippy looking wife Yvonne (Who has an equally sharp wit so mind your manners!)

The Dewdrop is remarkably spacious in the same way Dr Whos tardis is. The rooms do not appear especially large however the sum of the parts forms a spacious and always well stocked pub. The interior is relatively untouched and has a distinct 1940’s feel to it and has been excellently maintained.

There are 3 rooms (4 if you count the hallway which has a few chairs)

The first room contains a pool table (and for once there is enough room to take shots….can’t stand places where you have the cue near vertical to take a shot) an excellent jukebox with some of the finest trash you will ever hear (Sigue Sigue Sputnik anyone?), an LCD TV if the cricket is on and plenty of seats. The decoration is the usual beer mat come ancient beer bottle fare however the range of the decoration shows the length of time this pub has been around.

Although you can’t see the pool table in the above photo you can see the jukebox….everyone’s seen a pool table…how long has it been since you saw a 7 inch jukebox like that? Exactly..

The smaller room has a real fireplace which is occasionally lit making for a small quiet room (with tons of kids toys which never get apprehended by adults….honestly) This room can comfortably sit 15 or so people (might get a bit noisy though…)

The larger room is where the fun at the Dewdrop is found (Dr Lovesale has seen some sights…) a much larger room with a glorious fireplace which is frequently lit especially in winter (And where many a crisp packet is tossed) The decor is again the usual fare but makes for comfortable pub.

The hallway is a great place to sit for a quick pint if your passing through and if your into fruit machines there is a 10p a go machine which is good for a laugh.

Now…the beer….that’s why your reading I’m sure….

Frankly the beer at the Dewdrop is usually excellent. John keeps beer in excellent condition and sources beer from a wide area meaning (bar the usuals such as Bishops Farewell) there is usually a great selection to keep you going.

There are usually no less than 5 real ales on at one time (including the regulars) Bishops Farewell is one of my favorites and thankfully a regular here, a beautiful malty pale slightly cloudy beer with floral notes.
The other beers are usually a nice selection of dark, pale and everything inbetween.

There is a great lager (and i mean an ACTUAL lager not Stella/Carling/Fosters/<insert generic lager>) called De Konig (if memory serves) which actually tastes nice and European, well worth a try.

There’s a wide selection of bottled beers on offer if you fancy take out or just something different (Usually Oakham or Funfair) and if you fancy taking out one of the real ales on offer you can buy one of those great milk carton jobbies to take out with you.

CAMRA members can show their cards for a discount (I’m sure you were expecting nothing less from the pub owned by the CAMRA chairman of Erewash)

Food…..not often I get to write about food, since most pubs serve such generic fare it’s not worth mentioning. But the Dewdrop serve up some classics which while simple….are just great. They serve up a nice selection of cobs…huge ones…with slabs of cheese….ham..salad or whatever you fancy. My father in law can attest to the ham cobs being great…and he is quite sparing with his praise on that particular topic. Occasionally soup and rolls is served up which makes for a great winter warmer alongside a formidable barsnack selection.

Now i love my bar snacks and the Dewdrop I’m pleased to say does not disappoint. Nuts, crisps, bombay mix etc….all there…waiting to invade your veins with that glorious fatty goodness.

Book lovers may be interested to know that the Dewdrop is part of some scheme which allows you to “borrow” books on the basis you register with a website and record where you took it from and left it.

In short The Dewdrop is a gem of a pub which are these days in short supply with great ale, good food and more importantly an excellent landlord who knows his beer and is enthusiastic about it (which these days goes a long way) Although i do frequent Wetherspoons you can’t help but feel the whole experience is somewhat sterilised by the lack of real “publican” with personality.

The Dewdrop is located slightly hidden away on Ilkeston Junction. Since im so pathetic with directions see the google map below for details:

Click for Google Map Location

The address is

24 Station St,
Ilkeston,
Derbyshire
DE7 5TE
0115 932 9684