Cheers to best pubs in county
GUIDE HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR SUPPORT TO HELP INDUSTRY RECOVER
THE best pubs to go for a pint in Nottinghamshire are celebrated in the 2022 Good Beer Guide, which encourages readers to support their local pubs and breweries in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 70 Nottinghamshire pubs feature among 4,500 nationwide in the 49th edition, considered the definitive beer drinker’s guide to the very best pints in the most picturesque and friendly pubs.
While last year’s edition captured data pre-covid, the 2022 guide shows the ramifications of 18 months of lockdown had on the industry.
Camra has been calling on the Government to go further with its support package for pubs and breweries, to help mitigate the damage done to a sector in recovery and still scarred by extended closures.
The 73 Notts pubs – including eight new entries – are among 394 listings from the East Midlands this year.
Drinking holes in Nottingham city centre, towns and villages across the county feature – from Lambley to Blyth, from Eastwood to High Marnham.
Micro pubs including the Abdication in Arnold and Ginger Giraffe in Underwood make the grade, alongside pubs operated by Nottinghambased Castle Rock Brewery such as the Lincolnshire Poacher in Mansfield Road, and the Fox and Grapes in Sneinton.
The Royal Oak, Car Colston, is one of the country inns featured. Set within a former hosiery factory, it’s located on one of England’s largest greens, and serves Bombardier, Wainwright and two changing beers.
“The pub has a cosy bar with comfortable seating and a real fire, a separate, generously sized restaurant and a function room.
“Four beers, all from the Marston’s range but often less- heralded brews, are available in the bar. Food is served lunchtimes and evenings. There is a skittle alley to the rear, a beer garden and camping facilities,” says the guide.
In Carlton, the Brickyard in Standhill Road, has five changing beers – often from Lincoln Green, the brewery which renovated the former social club in 2018.
The guide says: “Although fairly small, there is plenty of seating and a snug at the back to the right of the bar. The pub contains a number of items of Hardys and Hansons memorabilia, including a scale model of the former brewery cleverly built into a table. Craft beers are also sold.”
There’s a shout-out to Notts’ 47 breweries, producing real ale on our doorstep. Those highlighted include Full Mash, Stapleford, Cat Asylum in Collingham, Lincoln Green in Hucknall, and Nottingham’s Neon Raptor and Castle Rock.
The foreword for the 2022 edition was written by James Blunt, bestselling singer and owner of the Fox & Pheasant pub in Chelsea. He has thrown his support behind the Great British pub and reflected on the industry’s struggles during the coronavirus pandemic.
He highlights the importance of pubs to communities and encourages Brits to get back to the pub to support their locals, writing: “Whilst, in recent years, there might have been a trend for people to drink cheap supermarket beer at home, those people have been locked away for the best part of a year, and now those people want out.
“They can taste real beer from the tap, and food cooked by a pro, and they can meet legally and joyfully.”
Despite being hampered by lockdowns and restrictions in the early part of this year, thousands of independent beer-loving volunteers worked together to compile this year’s entries, helping to identify significant trends and themes locally and nationally.
Camra’s national chairman Nik Antona said: “After the struggles of the past 18 months for the industry, it is great that The Good Beer Guide figures are showing the resilience of pubs and brewers in the face of strife – a national increase in brewery numbers after they dipped last year for the first time, as well as over 500 new pub entries.
“This is great to see, especially coupled with the news from the Government’s latest budget, including the announcement of a new, lower rate of duty for draught beer and cider.
“However, the industry is still vulnerable in the aftermath of Covid-19 lockdowns. Breweries still face issues around costs of goods, lack of business rate relief and silence from the Government on Small Brewers’ Relief reform.
“We are calling on the Government to make sure the new draught duty rate applies to containers 20L and up so that all our small and independent brewers can benefit.”
The Good Beer Guide 2022 is now available from shop1.camra.org.uk/ product/the-good-beer-guide-2022, priced £15.99. There is an updated app version available for download on both IOS and Android devices.
Camra members can order the guide at a reduced rate of £12 plus p&p. To join, visit join.camra.org.uk/