please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Oh yes,old photo, no longer tied to Adnams.
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Cracking local, no longer Adnams. Old fashioned boozer, Colchester no 1, marstons new world, hook norton lion, flack manor hedge hop. Well kept, good range available. Well worth it. Friendly landlord and customers, pool table, dart board.
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Is this the pub that there are rumours about closure?
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In town recently for the Sheffield Wednesday match, a longish walk from the main railway station took me to The British Grenadier, a smallish street corner Adnams tied house to the south of the town centre.
It's a rather basic affair with one smallish room on the angle of the street corner and a separate pool room behind. It's very much a regulars pub and I don't imagine they get too much in the way of passing trade, but I received a very warm welcome from Simon and Linda, mine host and her ladyship.
Despite being an Adnams tied house, the pub has clearly been able to sell a good range of guest beers, as evidenced by the pump clips on the walls in the main bar.
The pub is evidently CAMRA friendly and displays a number of local branch award certificates. A good selection of CAMRA branch magazines - including the latest issue of London Drinker - was available.
Beers on were Adnams Bitter, Extra, Broadside and, as the guest, Gales Seafarers. Both the Bitter and Extra ( � 2.80p and � 3.10p respectively ) were in reasonable form, but tasted slightly too chilled.
The pub is listed in the 2010 CAMRA Good Beer Guide, where we learn that the pub was recently saved from closure by the persistence of the landlord and landlady.
I do hope this pub can keep going.
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Had a pint in there Sunday - four ales available, proper pub, ale was good quality - great location. Pubs like this are historic and should be retained at all cost.
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First visit to Grenadier since 26 April 2008, the last game at Layer Rd, and since the pub was saved from closure by the campaigning landlord. Nothing has changed which is good, the range of Adnam�s beers plus a couple of guests. The Butcombe Gold was very good, but surprisingly pricey at �3 a pint, as the other guest was Everard�s Tiger, and for some reason Pink Floyd was playing on the juke at gig sound levels we headed off. Still good and glad to see the pub still going. 7/10
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Smaller lay-out than my beer-misted memory had me believe, but none the worse for that. I didn't record the ales available but do need to mention the late afternoon entertainment yesterday - the licensees' daughters were on vocals, accompanied by guitar, and were really rather good, well done them. Good local buzz about the place.
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Thank you Love_Good_Ale for recommending this to me. A decent town-centre pub with good beer and a no-nonsense approach. Just what a pub should be. Well worth coming in, and I'll certainly be back.
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Stopped in here on Saturday lunchtime. Great range of well kept beer. Only a few locals in but it was quite early. No nonense, ale pub with a warm welcome.
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I see Ade has now become a regular now after the closure of the Pink Panther. Shame on him !!
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So Adnams want to focus on food and wine now? What a surprise. I've seen some of Adnam's refurbished pubs around Essex and they are a depressing sight to behold - clinical, formulaic wannabe All Bar Ones.
It is a shame, as 'normal' Adnams pubs are some of the best around. I wish the Grenadier all the best.
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Penultimate stop on Saturday�s crawl so things are a bit hazy by now. I can just make out that 4 handpumps offered Adnams Bitter, Broadside, Oyster Stout, & Mauldons Cuckoo. There was a dartboard with its own space, ie not crowded by tables, & I think we endangered the local populace by having a couple of games of �tactics�, sorry folks. Quiet, so we got a chance to briefly discuss the sad news of the Adnams disposal with the friendly landlord/lady, I wish them and the British Grenadier all good fortune for the future.
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I am sure this will probably get removed but check out the Colchester Evening Gazette Video taken in the pub after their latest award - Colchester CAMRA's Pub of the Year 2008.
Add usual codings in front of
gazette-news.co.uk/video/index.var.18872.0.0.php
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Hello Simon I told you it was me - where are those Christmas Ales???!!!
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Beer Festival next weekend 14th - 16th December.
Adnams may have given up on the pub but certainly the Landlord and Landlady have not. Simon and Linda are still doing a sterling job.
Only a small pub beer festival. Normally 4 handpumps are in action but 8 will be available during this period.
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Yes, a very sad decision indeed. This is part of a 9 pub disposal by Adnams from their estate. Both this and The Dragoon in Colchester will be sold next year. It seems completely the wrong time for this to happen with all the extra housing being built on the old army land close by.
It�s particularly sad for me as it�s my local. As previously mentioned this is a 3 times winner of CAMRA�s Town Pub of the Year. You always get a perfect pint of ale here and a pleasant welcome. Simon and Linda have turned this into a perfect local pub. You would have thought that Adnams would have done every thing they could to hang on this talented award winning duo. Especially with the declining reputation of one of their pubs (The H/A) in Colchester that they are keeping.
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A gem of a local- comfortable atmosphere, friendly, welcoming landlord and top quality Adnams beers. So it was very depressing for me, three minutes into my first ever visit here, to overhear the landlord telling a customer that this pub is being sold off by Adnams and as a result has a very uncertain future. I'm a huge fan of Adnams, their pubs are great and I am of the opinion that Broadside is the finest beer in the world. All the more deprssing, then, to find that they are prepared to sell off their pubs in this way, apparently regardless of the fact that this is a multiple winner of CAMRA's 'Town Pub of the Year' award, features in almost every edition of the Good Beer Guide etc. The landlord apparently hasn't been told the reason for the sale, but presumably the bottom line is he isn't making enought profit. If this is the case surely the best course would be for someone from Adnams to suggest ways of making the pub more profitable- I personally would have stayed much longer and spent more money if there had been a lunch menu available, even just a sandwich- clearly any pub depending on drink sales alone is bound to struggle. This isn't the first time Adnams have pulled the rug from under an excellent pub- RIP the wonderful Vine in Norwich- but hopefully the high profile this one has with CAMRA will enable it to survive and thrive as a free house. In any case, good luck to the landlord, and thanks for the superb beer.
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Yep, great place. Landlord takes an exceptional attitude to good beer - you will never be served a bad pint. THey are keen to get new clients to try new ales, and don;t be afraid to ask for a free taster.
Pubs like this are in decline and it's a real shame. Make sure you visit it - I can personally vouch for the Adnams Broadside. You'll also see Woodfordes Wherry on at regular intervals and many seasonal guest ales.
If it's Stella, Krony, or any other chemical rich lager that you're after, don't bother going here. It's Carlsberg, Bitburger, or ale (oh and a Cornish Cider).
New frills, no idiots, no attitude, just great beer and an friendly atmosphere.
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Lovely Victorian pub just a short walk from Colchester Town Station. It�s a tied Adnams pub with usually Best, Broadside and two genuine guest ales. Currently Mauldons 'Micawbers Mild' and Timothy Taylors 'Landlord'. The ale quality in this pub is always excellent as most of the pub is drinking ale. The Blackboard at the front outside displays the current ales and usually those that will be appearing soon. A pole to the right of the bar usually has the pump clips of those beers appearing soon too.
The juke box has a good selection to suit most tastes and ages. Usually this is pitched at the right volume to not impede good conversation.
Pool and darts are available and the pub hosts teams for both.
There is an outside patio area if you are a smoker or fancy a breath of fresh air.
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Usually two Adnams (Best & Broadside) and at least one guest, always well kept.
You will always get a warm welcome who ever you are. Well worth making the short journey out of the town to find this pub.
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Reminds me a bit of 'The League of Gentleman' :
"This is a local pub for local people!"
anonymous - 6 Jan 2007 16:57 |
Best pub in town - best pint in town
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...and still it's a good pub!! Colchester CAMRA Town Pub of the Year for 2006 - Exceptional Adnams always available plus up to 2 guest ales. Well worth seeking out.
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Yup - it's a good pub - still
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Great pub .... but not for people who dislike smoking !!
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A good pub, often frequented by the local CAMRA branch. Consequently beers v. good.
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Fantastic friendly local with great beers and free bar snacks on sundays! Also has a lovely beer garden.
Natasha Gadsby - 26 Oct 2004 18:53 |
A good town pub which has improved greatly since the new landlord took over. Named town pub of the year for 2004 by the local CAMRA branch. It is an Adnams tied house and usually has two Adnams beers and two guest beers on handpump. A friendly welcome is given to all who enter.
Chris Lamb - 18 Sep 2004 20:41 |
