Malt Shovel, Beeston

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user reviews of the Malt Shovel, Beeston

please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.

Small but fantastic Looking Pub. Open Plan works much better than the old (bar and lounge) layout all those years ago. Good guest beers on tap - trouble is they always seem to be "off" halfway through the evening. Plenty of Castle Rock though, which is consistently mediocre. Staff friendly but slow - but then again there are often only two of them and the place does get very busy. Went for Sunday lunch there and found the landlord to be very accomodating for the needs of small children.

Wed night quiz has gone downhill over the last year: Donna used to do a decent quiz every week, where you always had a laugh. Quiz now left to well meaning amateurs, i.e. one of the bar staff (who struggles, bless him) or the winning quiz team from the week before!

BEWARE: winning quizzers now have prize witheld from them until the following week and are "asked" to set the quiz the week after in order to collect their prize 7 days after. And if you don't (or can't) be there to set the quiz they won't give you your prize! Bizarre!

In 2o years of quizzing I have never known any pub to do this. Request it maybe but not demand that you host an evening of entertainment for them as a pre-condition of being allowed to have the prize you won 7 days before. And they are not particularly polite about it either (particularly the landlord). Shame as this used to be one of my favourite pubs in Beeston - still is, but not for the quiz.
moribund - 6 Oct 2009 10:23
Nott Brewery Rock Bitter & Rock Mild, Black Sheep, Bass, Davenport’s Cloud9. Open plan, albeit with a dividing wall separating the dartboard area from the rest, one of the local lads on the tour reckoned it was an improvement on the previous layout with smaller individual rooms (surely not?, says I). TV in one corner was screening some shite that has no right to be on in a pub (no, not the England game!), but otherwise the staff were friendly & found us some darts, & punters nr the board made way & had a nice banter.
trainman - 9 Sep 2008 14:07
Good pub. Had a good pint of Black Sheep. Bogs stink.
Tigerdrinker - 7 Sep 2008 22:01
I went in here with a group last saturday. it was quite busy, but we got some seats. The service wasn't that quick but they were working hard, so I didn't mind.

The beer was excellent and local ("Rock Bitter") which makes a change to the usual brand names, although they had one or two of those as well.

There were a few tunes on and I liked the atmosphere, happy but not mad and loud like some places.

Decent boozer, better than most in Beeston
mooseo - 21 May 2008 15:19
A bit too busy for my taste, but good range of beers including some Nottingham brewery ones.
Nottinghamian - 10 Nov 2007 13:22
One of my personal favourites for a quiet drink on a Friday evening. It does get a bit smokey inside (roll on June 2007!) but a comfortable bench in the evening sunlight drinking a smashing collection of guest ales (many changed weekly) makes for a perfect start to the weekend! And only a short stroll to The Beeston Tandori afterwards!
pieman2 - 11 Aug 2006 14:43
The pub is located down a side street, just off of Beeston High Street. It has evidently recently been refurbished, and has been done out in a minimalist style with a bohemian feel to it, with a lot of mirrors included in the decoration. The pub serves a wide range of ales from the Nottingham Brewery, with Rock Mild and Oat Stout being my personal favourity.

It is a very comfortable and easy-going atmosphere, with a very private and 'hidden-away' feel about it. Just the place to relax on an afternoon, or in an evening, to drink fine ales and eat well prepared and tasty pub grub. I highly recommend this excellent establishment.
norgor - 2 May 2006 21:25

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