please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Good, friendly pub on the outskirts of the town centre. Around 5 ales on draught, all interesting from small breweries. There was also a range of bag-in-a-box ciders. There were some interesting looking keg beers but I didn't try them.
The staff and locals were very welcoming. It's a drinkers' venue with no food but my family was made to feel at home. The chip shop opposite is a great place for some after-beer grub.
Well worth seeking out if you're visiting Colchester.
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Excellent range of beers and the ones I had all well kept. Friendly locals and good atmosphere. 8/10.
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Thriving real ale pub. Good range of interesting and well kept beer - often with a Yorkshire influence (landlord is a Yorkshireman). Pleasant beer garden out the back. Toilets are the only negative.
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A great pub. Lots of choice and well thought out. Downside is that it smells of toilets. You won't get served unless you're a local when it's busy. Has a smoking shelter that isn't exactly legal so if you're a non smoker don't use the garden. Beer in great condition plus some craft in bottles. Real cider too!
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Last port of call on Saturday 18 starting at the Odd One Out, New Inn, Purple Dog, Foresters and ending at the Victoria.
Last time I came here I was disappointed with the beer choice. This time for all of us there was no choice, we didn’t even look at the other options because they were serving the truly wonderful Colchester Brewery Double Drop Brown ale, ecstasy! I could have happily sat in here all day drinking this beer which along with the Colchester Cream Stout and the Nottingham Sooty Stout is in my top three best ever ales. If only we’d started off here! Though we wouldn’t have got much further. Had a relaxing pint in the comfy sofas before heading off reluctantly to the station back to the beer desert of Hemel Hempstead, where I’d happily transport any of Colchester’s real ale pubs to be my local. 8.5/10
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Welcoming atmosphere with a decent mix of customers - hip older types were especially well represented. Good selection of unusual ales, a number of real ciders and knowledgeable staff. A proper new-style town pub, and none the worse for that.
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A disappointing trip to see the mighty U’s humbled 4-0 by rock bottom Notts Co., though it was the beer that was surprisingly disappointing, the 0-4 was not. Two pubs visited the Victoria and the Bricklayers. Our first drink was the Victoria, which on my previous visit had the wonderful Colchester brewery cream stout, heaven in a glass. The beer range this time was for me a big let-down, two milds (my mates love them so they were happy), personally I’m not a fan of 99% of milds (apart from one or two notable exceptions, Maple Mild for one) for me it’s a homeopathic ale, a pint of water with some colouring and a memory of beer; the other beer was a golden ale, a Belgian type fruit beer, and something else which was calling itself an American red beer. I did actually have the Voodoo Mild which while served well was a typical mild, almost tasteless and with no depth or lasting taste – my mates had both, the other being Captain Oates mild and they thought they were fantastic. I also had the American red, which was perfectly served but did have a strong fruity, sharp linger so I couldn’t drink more than 1 pint. I’ll definitely go again, but will hope to see a wider selection of ales. My mates would have stayed there and drunk the mild dry, but sorry I can only give 6/10 for the choice.
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First visit here, outstanding, as a pub should be. Had quality Colchester Brewery stout (x2) and Farmers Ales Pucks Folly (Maldon) which was also great. The latter went while I was there and landlord put on new barrel, tested it and took it off as not happy - good skills. Will make bee-line for this place when next in Colchester.
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Popped in on the way to another dismal U's home performance on 20 April (0-0). A lovely sunny day so we crowded into the drinking area at the rear and balanced our beers on some empty kegs. There was only one choice of beer for all three of us, don't know what else was on as we were drinking the Colchester Brewery Colchester Cream Stout. Heaven in a glass. 10/10 for the beer. 9/10 overall.
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A really welcoming local and another good option if you are on your way to and from Colchester United Football Club. No food of a Saturday though -- perhaps this Essex tiown has the slimmest people in Britain? A wide selection of ales and some good CAMRA literature are accompanied by a crazily piled set of board games. A cosy den indeed.
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Remains my favourite pub in the area and, as others have said, it continues to get better and better!
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A rare visit to my home town to see the mighty U’s put on a predictably miserable display. Luckily I fortified myself by visiting the New Inn and the Victoria. The second stop en route to the WHCS was the Victoria, I’ve been here a couple of times since it started to provide quality real ale and we all started on the local mild which was rather good as I’m not a fan usually, the second pint was a golden ale and though good was a mistake on my part as I’d been on porter, mild and dark bitter so far. My first visit to this pub in 1977 resulted in me getting no further than the door, with the barmaid shouting out that they didn’t want art students in there – I was quite insulted because I wasn’t! It’s certainly a lot better now, and far more welcoming. It’s also very handy for catching the shuttle buses to the WHCS. 8/10
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18 months since my last review and the pub has gone from strength to strength. Now 5 hand pumps in the back bar. Crouch Vale 'Brewer's Gold' is the only permanent ale, with a wide range of, mainly local, guest ales from the likes of Colchester, Harwich and Sticklegs Breweries - but also further-travelled ales from Yorkshire and elsewhere putting in an appearance (e.g. Sheffield's Kelham Island). Tasters are freely offered before a pint is bought.
The front bar now has a wide range of real ciders and perries on sale.
Occasional beer festivals, barbecues, quiz nights, band nights and general fun evenings make this a convivial place any time you visit. No TV blaring out nonsense, but a great jukebox which can play any hit that there's even been. The locals ensure an esoteric selection of music is kept playing. No generic R 'n' B pap here!
The pub's slogan is 'A proper pub' and it certainly is that, thanks to the efforts of Sheena and Andy and the excellent bar staff Ian and Emma.
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own a musical instrument? why not pop down friday 15th april about 8 and join in and busk or jam with the others? fortnightly friday night jams,accoustic or amped up,p.a. supplied
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Great local real ale pub,with very welcoming hard working hosts. Sheena and Andy have transformed the place into a traditional pub,(real fire re-instated) and have introduced a wonderful music scene catering for all tastes.At least three, real, well kept ales,a wide selection of bottled beers and lagers.
I've lived nearby for twenty years but never used to frequent,but now i think i could be called a regular.Some great (slightly mad) characters get in there to make your visit even more interesting.......love the place!!
Oh yeah.......check out the cheese nights
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What a change from previous visits some 3 years ago? Not a hint of Real Ale back then but now 3 handles currently offering a selection of the Regions finest Ales, all in great condition. Crouch Vale�s �Brewers Gold� and Woodfordes �Wherry� are permanents, plus a 3rd changing ale that has recently been Tipples �Redhead� and is currently Farmers �A Drop of Nelsons Blood�, plus a Real Cider from Thatcher�s.
There�s great live music to chill out to on Sunday Afternoons and the Roast Potatoes on the bar are absolutely fab!! Regular Jam Nights are also held and well worth dropping in for.
Mein Hosts are Sheena & Andy who hail from Yorkshire, but don�t hold that against them! :-) They�re a very welcome addition to Colchester�s thriving Real Ale Scene!
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As McIntosh has said, the Victoria has vastly improved since Sheena and Andy have taken it over. It is bright, clean and has a welcoming atmosphere. They now have three real ales on pump which are well looked after. The pub is also hosting various music events, including open mike nights and sets by local artists on Sundays. This pub certainly ticks all my boxes!
This may read a bit like an advert but I can assure readers that it isn't.
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This pub has had a proper makeover and, like I said, I wanted to post a good review, so here it is! A lovely couple have taken it over and it is now the best pub in the area, with friendly locals and good beer. I will certainly be popping in regularly now.
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This pub has been refurbished and has reopened as a local pub for everyone.
At the helm are a friendly northen couple, and a warm welcome is assured.
Well worth poping in to see the change that has taken place.
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Now appears to be closed. It has had whitewashed windows with little signs saying "closed for refurb" for about two months, but no sign of a refurb. Now a "To Let" board has appeared on the front so it looks like this is definitely closed.
Hopefully someone will take it over and brighten it up, so I can post a good review. It is in the ideal location for a post-work beer for those heading from the town to the station. If it was made welcoming I am sure people would start to use it. But it'll probably become flats.
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I went in here on a Saturday afternoon and I was the only customer. The landlady was feeding coins into the fruit machine like a woman possessed, there was a young man eating fish and chips out of the wrapping at the end of the bar, and a disinterested barmaid behind the bar. Decor was dingy and dark which only emphasised the row of flashing machines. One of those rip-off cash machines was bolted to the bar counter.
If you were the only customer, you'd think that you may get some pleasant chit-chat from the staff about what you're doing in the area, etc, but not here. I drank my �3.10 pint of Guinness and left. Avoid.
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