Norwich City of Ale 2016

The subtitle for this post could indeed be 'a cautionary tale'.  When planning a two-day beer trip don't overdo it on the first day.  We'll come to that later.  Norwich is a fine city in many ways but for pubs it is exceptional.  This is mainly a pictorial post which will help to keep me focussed as well as cutting out unnecessary waffle.  I began last Thursday morning before opening time for many of the pubs it seemed, as noon seems to be the time when most of them open their doors even when there are lots of thirsty visitors searching for early refreshment.  It was nice to go for a wander though past familiar landmarks from the times I have spent working in Norwich.       

The Unthank Arms was my local for about 6 months when I was staying during the week at the nearby Arlington Hotel (now called the George) in the early 1990s.  I think the Unthank is still owned by the same people as it was back then judging by the notes from the festival programme.  From the outside it looks the same as it did then that's for sure.  No time to stop for a beer just yet though as it wasn't even 11.00.am.   

Passing the Reindeer, a brewpub during my time in Norwich, a sign of the current owners was in evidence with Elgoods delivering some beer.  I came across the Reindeer after trying to find evidence of the former Adnams pub behind in the area of flats.  I think it has gone and I cannot remember the name of it either.  

Micawbers was a cracking pub where I used to drink copious amounts of Tanglefoot.  Let's hope it doesn't sell that kind of crap now.  I will hopefully find out later.

Not much reason to enter the old Pottergate Tavern.  What was a great city centre dive is now a coffee shop and the tremendous fish & chip shop opposite holds more appeal. 

Finally, a pub that is open and part of the City of Ale trail.  The smallest pub in Norwich, The Vine also does great Thai food I am told.  It always was a pleasant city centre pub for a quick pint.      

There was a decent selection of Norfolk ales so a couple of halves got me started.  The Panther Red (4.1% ABV) beat the disappointing Norfolk Hop Bean IPA (5.0% ABV) by quite a stretch.

  

The Rumsey Wells was the St Andrews Tavern in the early 1990s.  It was a superb pub with a very colourful interior and one of my favourites.  I think it was always part-owned by Adnams but it now appears to be solely theirs.  There was no time to stop for a beer as I was heading out of town.  The plan was to do some of the far-flung pubs during the day as more walking means less drinking.     

  

  

The St Andrews Brewhouse has opened since my last visit to Norwich in 2013.  I was due to meet up with friend and blogger, Nate Southwood, here later so no need to pop in just yet. 

One of my favourite pubs in Norwich.  The Ribs of Beef will be visited later.

Another pub to visit tomorrow.  Not one I am familar with to be honest but the programme hints at a vast beer selection.

Time for another beer then.  This is my first visit to the Fat Cat Tap but I think I went in this pub once when it called The Wherry.  Fat Cat brewed the City of Ale festival beer, a 4.5% golden ale called Kitty of Ale.  It would have been rude not to try this one and it was indeed a nice complex beer, slightly floral with tropical fruit notes.  I also went out of county to try a Centennial Pale from Almasty, from near Newcastle.  The hoppy visiting ale won this one but only just.     

As with the original Fat Cat, the Tap is full of brewing memorabilia. 

That's where the Pottergate Tavern sign went to then! 

Staying out of town, the Whalebone is a pub I have never been in although it was here during my years in Norwich.  It looked very appealing judging by the smart exterior.    

And a lovely interior.

The Moon Gazer Red (4.0% ABV) was a fine accompaniment to a superb sausage roll.  A red ale that was my favourite beer of the day so far.  It more than made up for the disappointment of their Hop Bean IPA earlier.

The pub dog wanted my sausage roll.  No chance.

Still out of town and this is what I love about Norwich.  Even in the quiet backstreets you can come across some amazing pubs.  This one, the Duke of Wellington, I have never even been past before never mind stepped inside.

  

The beer board allows for up to 31 beers to be available at any one time.  Only 18 were available today which was really poor I suppose.  Seriously though, a fabulous locals pub with an amazing choice of beers and my half of Humpty Dumpty Sunrise (4.2% ABV) seemed a bit pathetic really but with places to go I could consume no more.  The beer was great with plenty of complexity from what was essentially a dry citrusy bitter.  

The White Lion was an excellent Tap & Spile pub in the 1990s and after a period of closure it has been revived by Cambridgeshire brewer, Milton.  A brewery I am not familiar with but they had five or six of their beers available so I tried a couple of them.  The Cyclops (5.3% ABV) was dry, fruity and hoppy but the best of the two was the Nero (5.0% ABV), a lovely smooth stout.  

Always good to see a bar billiards table.

A lovely interior.  They have maintained plenty of character in this two-bar pub.    

When I first visited the Fat Cat in the late 1990s it was love at first sip.  It was definitely my favourite pub ever at that time and it really hasn't changed at all I am delighted to say.

      

It still has a fantastic range of beers, including some of their own of course.  They had not branched out into brewing when I first came here.  This was my local for a couple of months in the late 1990s and it wasn't long enough.  I stayed fairly local with my beer choice.  The Metropolis (3.9% ABV) from Colchester was a decent golden ale but the Black Pig (4.2% ABV) from Old Cannon was a fruity mild not really to my taste.  Having said that I am sure it is still the best brewery in Bury St Edmunds. 

A fabulous interior with nooks and crannies and interesting breweriana at every turn.

Multi-award winning.

  

Sadly, the Norwich pub scene is also diminishing and it was no surprise to see former pubs converted into 'Esco Express' supermarkets.  This one was called the Dial House I think.  Not one I ever went in though (and never will now thanks to Tesco). 

I made it back to the Reindeer then.  This brewpub was the Norwich equivalent of the Firkin pubs when it opened up and I have spent many a fine evening in here.  It was run by the late Wolfe Witham, who went on and founded the Wolf Brewery in 1995.   

It still has a fine interior with a great range of beers.  The Brass Castle Session (3.5% ABV) was ok but the best beer was the local Bullards No.5 Red Best Bitter (4.0% ABV) which was a well balanced red ale.    

    

  

Near to the Reindeer we have another building that is no longer a pub.  I think I went in this one once which I think was called the Barn.  I won't now be able to pay it a second visit.

Arriving at Micawbers again there was time to pop in for a quick half of Humpty Dumpty Swallowtail (4.0% ABV).  I thought it was a forgettable golden ale but I was probably just in need of a break.  Talking of forgettable golden ales, I was glad to see that H&W Tanglefoot was nowhere to be seen.   

So that concludes phase one.  There was time to find and check-in to the Travelodge before heading out to the St Andrews Brewhouse to meet Nate.  To be honest if I'd fallen asleep I might have stayed sleeping for hours and day two might have been better but that's life.  

It was great to see Nate again and for anyone who doesn't know him you really must read his excellent blog.  Click here for some Booze, Beats & Bites.  We met at the St Andrews Brewhouse and I ordered my City of Ale programme offer of free three thirds (try saying that when you're pissed).  I tried the Cork Cutters IPA (4.3% ABV), the Tombland Porter (4.8% ABV) and the Brewhouse Black IPA (8.1% ABV).  The first was forgettable, the second was fruity and a little sour and the third was magnificent.  Best beer of the day by far.  

        

The pub is a modern beer bar with craft keg taps and cans.  Scrubbed wooden floors and bare brick in abundance.  Very appealing and from their website I learned you can be a brewer for the day here.  I should probably have signed up for that on day two of my visit.  Next time perhaps.   

Nate had a plan for me to complete one of the seven City of Ale pub trails so we moved on to the Wild Man.  This used to be a Tolly Cobbold pub that I rarely went into back in the day but it is still a smart city centre pub.  The beer choice must have been quite poor though because I had a half of Moorhouse's White Witch, a bog standard 3.9% ABV blonde ale.

Next up was the Sir Garnet.  This pub I enjoyed on my last City of Ale three years ago and they were serving the fabulous Lacons Encore (3.8% ABV).  Lacons were launching back then and I have not seen their beers available anywhere since then.  Encore is a superb hoppy session bitter.   

At the next pub, the Coach & Horses, Nate's lovely young lady, Sam, served us.  It is a pub I am not too familiar with yet it is a lovely traditional pub, more like a country pub than one normally found in a city centre.  New Norwich brewer, Boudicca, was on offer so I went for that one.  Golden Torc (4.3% ABV) was a decent golden ale but things were now beginning to get a bit hazy shall we say.    

The next pub was a quick one in Micawbers for Nate to get his ale trail stamp before going to the Plough, a pub owned by the local Grain brewery.  I seem to remember it was a lovely pub with plenty of smart wooden tables and the beer, their 4.8% ABV Rye Pale Ale, was delightful. 

The rest of the evening sort of got pieced together next day.  I remember going back to the St Andrews Brewhouse to pick up my completed Ale Trail pin badge and deciding I had better go back to the hotel.  However, looking on Untappd I had checked in beers at both the Mash Tun & Gin Palace and the Rumsey Wells.  A quick message to Nate confirmed to me that we did go into these pubs so I must apologise to him for whatever I did or said in these places.  Hopefully nothing embarrassing.  

Day two had not started too well then but I was convinced I'd be feeling better once I'd had something to eat.  Two bacon rolls were consumed during a trip to the Glasshouse, one of four Wetherspoons in Norwich, although I didn't have any beer.  I was really not feeling like drinking for some reason.

It was a short trip to the Ribs from the Glasshouse and I ordered a half of Spiral Stout (4.6% ABV) from Boudicca.  It initially tasted like poison but by the end it was actually a very nice stout indeed but my tastebuds just weren't appreciating it.  Still not wanting to drink I decided to go for a wander and take some pictures of some old haunts along with one or two new places.

Not even the prospect of some evil keg could entice me to drink.

The former Edith Cavell now appears to be just Cavells.

 

At one time this was about the only place you could get real ale in Norwich.

Another former Adnams pub.

Used to be La Rouen and sits at the top of Rouen Road where I lived in a flat which was a bit noisy in the early 1990s due to the constant drilling and digging for the foundations of what became the Castle Mall opposite.

Another former Adnams pub on Ber Street.  This one was called the Horse & Dray and it was a fabulous local I often went in.  The nearby Thorn Tavern has also disappeared.

This Indian Restaurant was once called the New Inn.  

 

The former Cricketers opposite the old New Inn is looking very sad.

This was one of my favourite pubs.  For a while it became a Woodforde's pub called Billy Bluelight's I think but I'm glad to see it is looking well looked after and back to its former name.

The King's Arms, opposite the Freemasons, always looked a bit tatty but it is still an excellent pub.

Once I reached the Rose, one of my favourite pubs in Norwich, and still having no inclination to drink any more beer, I decided to head to the station and get an early train home.  There were a few pubs I missed out on this time but you always need a reason to go back.  Some pubs may have gone but Norwich still has an abundance of great places to drink.  City of Ale is a fabulous event and it is somewhere that should be on your list of places to go.  

Cheers, Glenn