BITE user comments - mic_mac
Comments by mic_mac
The Three Stags Heads, Wardlow Mires
Is the landlord a bit of a gruff bugger? Undoubtedly. Would the place be better if he was smiley & welcoming? Perhaps, but only marginally!
Contrary to reports, he's not in the hospitality industry - he & his wife are professional potters (some pieces are in the V&A) - they choose to live in an amazing ancient rural inn. Unlike most people who turn a pub into their home, they decided to keep the pub open, albeit only at weekends, cooking simple local produce, serving cracking cask beer & bottled cider, welcoming walkers, pottery fans, pub-lovers, musicians, etc into this unspoilt gem, 'working museum' of a pub.
The young barman is welcoming & gives good service (though I'm unused to being called "Me Ducks"!) but the food was a bit hit & miss last night (dry meat in otherwise lovely beef stew, overcooked roast duck) but for beer & cider quality, atmosphere, live folk music, friendly customers & a truly amazing place, it must be one of only a handful of truly unspoilt pubs left in the country.
If you're robust enough to take the slight 'rough' with the incredible 'smooth', then don't let any of the bad reviews here put you off (just close the door when you come in & switch your phone off).
3 Oct 2010 12:31
Great pub, welcoming friendly place, very well-kept beer & interesting range, good conversation - not much more you could want really!
Just off to sign the e-petition - if you've enjoyed this place, please do the same.
20 Oct 2009 12:24
The Fox And Hounds, South Godstone
Oh & any idea where that Morris Mayhem seasonal is brewed? - The pump-clip says "Westgate Brewery, Bury St Edmunds", but they seem to have accidentally missed off the name of the actual company!
Just an oversight, I guess, although they did the same thing with their Bonkers Conkers beer & several others too - how forgetful, eh? (though they remembered the names of Ridleys & Hardy & Hanson, despite having closed those breweries down years ago - very odd)
16 Sep 2009 01:32
The Fox And Hounds, South Godstone
"please ignore mic_mac's "I've not visited this pub" axe-grinding . . ."
Well, one man's axe-grind is another man's "explaining the truth of the situation" - e.g. someone mentioned Greene King guest beers - as far as I know they simply don't do guest beers, at all, apart from one special dispensation in Sussex, after a long & ugly battle to deny locals their local tipple - search google for "Greene King Lewes Arms".
If this is a really good pub, as most seem to agree, great, I'm happy to see that despite all of the doom & gloom in the industry, someone can create a popular, pleasant & successful pub, while remaining part of a big brewery pub chain.
16 Sep 2009 01:26
After a bit of a rough patch (change of manager / cellar staff?) this pub is definitely back on its feet in terms of beer quality.
As to beer range, it's not a massive choice (outside of the regular festivals), but it's really good to always see at least one or two local beers on the bar, usually from Geo Wright (nr St Helens), Spitting Feathers (nr Chester) or our own Betwixt Beers, from Birkenhead.
Keep up the good work!
26 Jul 2009 07:32
The Fox And Hounds, South Godstone
I've not visited this pub yet, but would like to comment on the comments.
"Greene King IPA - superb"? - That would be a first ever for me, but I'm open-minded what good cellar-skills can do to another-wise mediocre beer.
"do note it shuts at 9pm"? - website notes opening times: Mon- Fri 12pm-11pm; Sunday 12.pm-10.30pm (from foxandhounds1601(dot)com)
"The guest ale was very nice"? - I didn't think GK did true guest ales in their pubs? - was it perhaps Old Speckled Hen or Ruddles, Ridley's, or Hardy & Hanson, or something from the mysterious Westgate Brewery, BuryStEd? (all of these are brewed by Greene King in BuryStEd, mostly after they bought & closed down the original breweries).
24 May 2009 11:38
"Got anything to say about this pub?" - well, I did have, but it didn't get posted up for some bloomin' reason!
I had a long-winded moan about how 2 Christmases in the past few years I've tried to get into the place for good Thai food & excellent beer, but it's been closed.
The most recent of these was on Boxing Day & I rang up to check the place was open ("yes, no problem - no need to book!") only to turn up to find a private party about to start & the place closed to all but the ex-pupils of a local school!
Poor show.
I still like the place (when I can get in!)
5 Apr 2008 19:31
Just a great place - can get busy, but worth getting in early, getting a seat, downing a few pints & not budging 'til closing time - aaaah, perfection! (The Alex nearby is v good too, though)
20 Jan 2008 02:59
CarolineNo - is that all you ask for in a pub, a full glass? - my, you're easily pleased, eh? ;~) Happy New Year BTW.
31 Dec 2007 16:27
As m�nchened elsewhere - great range of very well-kept beer, but I had 2 little gripes - the inaudible voice or bell calling "time" - had we 3 friends (who'd not seen each other in years) heard this, we would have stocked up with another of their fine beers, but we were given short shrift after having been there for a couple of hours - por show folks. Though whether my mildly p*ssedly inadvertently yet proudly shouting out the tricky anser to one of their quiz questions had anything to do with this, I'm not sure! To SarahHops - yes, it is a bit "barny" & the red lino on the floor doesn't make for a warm atmosphere, but otherwise it's OK. My only other, other gripe/request is for a few more pics of the pub on this website, as they are sorely lacking here ;~)
30 Dec 2007 15:37
scuzzy, slightly unwelcoming, yet somehow really charming mad hobbit-hole of a pub. Great beer & private little seated cubby-holes make this the weirdest high street drinking experience. Highly recommended to all but those seeking to impress a prim boy/girlfriend, & don't tell too many people, as despite it's ramblingness (& mine) it really is quite small. Best wishes, Frodo.
30 Dec 2007 15:28
oh, after all my woes below, I do like the idea of their insisting on "NOT" using a sparkler (I've never heard of that 1 before) - more power to their not-overly-stressed elbows! You'd never guess I'm a fan of pubs that decide to keep that carefully naturally created CO2 in the beer, rather than knocked to death thru a sparkler!
30 Dec 2007 15:17
to bagheas - it does seem odd that no-one has reviewed the stork (price st, just off hamilton sq) - IMO consistently the best B'head beer pub (beer range & quality),plus beautiful old building - original blue glazed tiles, smoked brewery windows & mosaic floor) & a pretty friendly atmosphere. I'll go in the next couple of weeks & write a fresh report.
28 Oct 2007 10:57
To Zaphod (I never know which head should I look at while I'm responding?) - unless things have changed drastically since I was last there (admittedly a good while ago) then the beers were anything but weak or bland - are you perhaps comparing them to the best of the "out there" US micro-brews, or by most beers available in UK, as compared to the latter, the beers at ZeroDegs were much better than most (i.e. mass-brewed ales & lagers) & up there with the best of craft-brewed UK beers. (I have heard that colder & fizzier is more the order of the day now, but neither are terrible things in the appropriate beer/weather) cheers MikeMcG (former ZeroDegs brewer)
17 Apr 2007 11:06
"For some reason serves Thai food."
AFAIK the wife of one of the owners is Thai - nothing too mysterious about it really :~)
Not been in a while, but always worth a visit - great food, cracking beer.
I don't know how much the in-house brewery gets used anymore, since they set up an (even!) bigger brewplant out of town (Peterboro that is, not Oakham - just to confuse matters, the brewery name is "Oakham" even though they've been in Pboro for years).
The place is still under threat of demolition as part of the town's redevelopment, but this would be a great shame. To me, culturally important buildings should be incorporated into development where possible.
If you agree, sign the petition at the bar & have a pint of delicious JHB!
12 Mar 2007 13:36
Previous poster says he/she doesn't like the stout being "nitrokeg" - AFAIK it's not - last I heard all ZeroDegs beers are (unlike most mass-brew stouts) unpasteurised, unfiltered & naturally carbonated - i.e. real beer, even the lagers, wheatbeers & stout. (though, unlike most real ales, some are naturally carbonated to a higher rate than a cask beer - more appropriate for the lagers & wheatbeer & they are all served from giant plastic bags inside horizontal cylindrical tanks, pushed to the bar by air pressure - weird but it works & keeps the beer fresh!)
The glass rinsers mentioned usually use tap water, if you can taste chlorine in your beer, I'm guessing the tap water in Bristol is not too good!?
Agreed on the daft TV on/sound off - music on situation. The odd industrial feel & architecture of the place won a rare CAMRA new-build design award, but it's not my choice either.
There's a new one opening in Reading, so it seems to be working & I like that it might be moving some younger & other folks towards appreciating decent beer, but in general I'd rather be in a good & warmer-feeling pub or brewpub.
cheers,
Mike
(former ZeroDegs brewer, Blackheath, London)
12 Mar 2007 13:08
The Caledonia, Liverpool
I remember this pub when it had a bizzarrer 1990s makeover into a internet cafe / greasy-spoon / laundrette / pub, so local students hardly needed to leave the place!
It's been left as an open plan pub, but the old washing machines with goldfish inside have sadly gone :-)
What's been added is tasteful decor, a small range of decent cask beers, a friendly welcome, and a small stage for some truly fantastic live music (regular jazz & bluegrass - check Facebook page for details).
It's a great addition to the city.
20 Mar 2011 09:52