Continental secrets

THE Kilpin Beer Café is like nothing you will find in Nottingham. It is truly unique. Hidden away on Bridlesmith Walk you’ll find a pub with an outstanding and very continental beer selection.

Named after Herbert Kilpin, a Nottingham-born footballer famed for being one of the founders of AC Milan FC in 1899, the pub is set over two floors. The ground floor is small and filled with a handful tall bar stools to perch on while you just take in the amazing sight that is the bar. The first floor is quite light and spacious with more relaxed seats and tables.

Of the four cask beers, one is Kilpin, a 3.8% American Pale by Nottingham’s own Black Iris Brewery based in Basford. Expect a crisp, clean and very drinkable pint. The other cask lines try, where possible, also to be from Nottingham Breweries with two beers by Totally Brewed – Guardians of the Forest, another great low ABV Session IPA at 3.8%, and Papa Jangles Voodoo Stout at 4.8%, a complex and quite more-ish stout with hints of chocolate and coffee.

Further highlighting the brewing talent in and around Nottingham, is the mainstay real cider. Made in Eastwood by Simon and Julio (a barman at The Kilpin!) at Langar Cider, Our Orchard has recently won the Nottingham Camra Robin Hood Festival 2021 People’s Choice Award. An unfiltered, very dry flat cider, with fruity and citrus notes, it is a triumph for the brewers and well deserving of its recent accolade.

Now to the beer. Not an inch of the bar goes to waste with 21 keg beers to choose from. A mixture of European delights along with other familiar beers. Some of the continuing keg lines are very wellknown Belgian beers; Delerium Tremens, Brugse Zot and Saison Dupont to name but a couple – Saison Dupont, a farmhouse ale and a cold pint of Pauliner Dunkel being my highlight.

If the kegs impress you, the bottle selection will impress you still further. Again, focusing on German and Belgian beer with German lager, Wheat, Wit and Weisse. Blonde, Trappist, Saisons and Sours. It is a Belgian beer lovers haven. Of the bottles, I had a rhubarb 8% sour ale – Phi, from Alvinne Brewery in Belgium. I love rhubarb, so I just had to try this. Tart, dry with a soft poached rhubarb flavour, it is utterly delicious. I feel there isn’t as large a range of continental beers available anywhere else in the city centre, a wonderful addition to the Nottingham pub scene.