BITE user comments - Monstermash
Comments by Monstermash
Very comfortable pub, around 5 well-kept real ales (including offerings from Three Castles Brewery and West Berkshire Brewery), excellent and friendly service, and good food too. If I had any criticism it would be that the ale is on the expensive side, and the refurb and extension work has resulted in fake beams and a rather too extensive interior, I expect designed to maximise seating capacity for dining. A good pub though, and worth going to just for the ales.
30 Sep 2013 14:48
Ain't Nothin'but the Blues - this is a great blues music venue, small, intimate, chilled, though yes it does get busy later on in the evening. There are normally several real ales on tap and I've never been disappointed with their quality. Adnams seems to predominate, normally supported by another ale.
11 Jul 2013 15:39
The pub is under new ownership and management, though retains its lively community feel with a good crowd of locals. There are usually one or two well chosen real ales available, and there always seems to be some kind of activity going on; but on the downside, the pub has made almost no effort with the interior, which is basic to say the least. To sum up I'd say the pub is rough, but a rough diamond.
17 Apr 2013 15:17
The hotel bar had one real ale, Wye Valley bitter, perfect condition and temperature and one of the best pints I've had in a long time. Seemed like a good formula, serving one good session (3.7) ale, and not try to be over ambitious. For a hotel bar it had a good atmosphere. I hope people support this grand old Victorian hotel that!clearly seen better days.
14 Mar 2013 10:44
A friendly ,welcoming and relaxing pub with a passable but unexciting range of cask ales - mainly Adnams and what appeared to be a guest. The bottled range was more interesting (and expensive) and included Kernel and St Peters. The cask beer I tried was served in excellent condition, and in a dimple-glass mug by default - nice touch I thought. I'm amazed that to-date this pub is rated as 9/10 - it's pretty good, but I'll give it 7.
1 Nov 2012 13:38
OK point taken, you would expect an Ale House to be focussed on cask ale, and when I visited the were only two - Dark Island and Deuchars - prices were at the upper end and the measures at the lower-end. Nevertheless, both ales were excellent and in suberb condition.
The bar staff were immaculately dressed and managed the pub with great style and precision. They made me me feel very welcome and well looked after.
The traditional Scottish food accompaniments were excellent and good value. Stovies and Bridies are a must try for those uninitiated.
In spite of first appearances, this is a real classic and must-visit pub.
10 Oct 2012 16:41
This pub has been transformed dramatically with a thick veneer of plastering and paintwork. It remains a sports bar, with TV screens everywhere you look. The interior, with it's purple shades and lighting effects does in fact offer a pleasant and almost club-like ambience. The ales weren't my favourite but were in good shape.
4 Oct 2011 15:59
This establishment is now transformed beyond recognition. The interior decor is imaginative (in a good way), and the place is clean, light, efficient and friendly. The Butcombe (�3.30) was in great form, and there was Doombar besides (which I couldn't be be bothered to try). There's some good food available too - neither cheap nor extortionate.
Well worth a visit - for the Butcombe and market square location if nothing else.
4 Oct 2011 15:51
The Briton's Protection Hotel, Castlefield
Just loved the Victorian layout and decor.; it's a very special venue that's well worth a visit. The beer was OK but certainly not outstanding. Robinsons Union and Tetley cask is nothing to get excited about, but the Coach House Brewery's Dick Turpin was pretty tasty. The bar menu is appropriate to the venue and I'd like to have tried one of the pies!
1 Jul 2011 14:46
A friendly landlord, the kind you'd have confidence in. Pretty much exclusively Shepherd Neame, but it's a great beer and perfectly kept and served here. Otherwise, there is a steady food menu and a good local crowd who appear to make the most of what is on offer here.
14 Jun 2011 15:31
A great traditional pub, once renowned for its beer quality. While the previous comment surprised me, I have been to the pub recently and on two sequential occasions received bad pints (one flat and and the other distinctly beyond its use-by date). The pub is a favourite haunt of the local CAMRA group - I can't see why someone doen't get on top of it.
14 Jun 2011 15:19
Consistently good beer recently, and some cool events arranged for October. Keep it up and the pub will be the best in Hampshire again!
19 Oct 2009 14:48
A very friendly inn, sadly stuck with Greene King, albeit well-kept. Good food, and regular live music at weekends.
3 Aug 2009 15:22
Under new management, currently with live music on Sunday nights.
3 Aug 2009 15:16
This is the definitive community pub, with lots going on, a great crowd of locals and superb landlord. You can rely on at least two well chosen real ales being on, consisitently served in good condition. The decor leaves something to be desired, and could do with a facelift.
24 Jul 2009 14:59
This pub definitely plays a role for a sector of Alton's community, but it is rough and there is no real ale served. Good for an early or late pint, and tacky weekend disco.
24 Jul 2009 14:54
A great pub for locals, visitors and beer enthusiasts alike, with a wood decor that imparts a sense of warmth and rustic charm, and a respectable collection of ales kept mostly in good condition.
The pub is effectively the brewery tap for Tripplefff, the nearby microbrewery responsible for a collection of award winning ales. As such, it's a pity that all the ales aren't consistently served in excellent condition at the Railway Arms. On occasions I've seen some pretty marginal pints served, and wondered why on earth the landlord hadn't checked them before serving them to his customers. I've never been served a questionable pint at the Eight Bells in Alton, and I have tasted Tripplefff's Alton Pride served better elsewhere in town, so it can be done!
There is also a lack of any sense of anything happening at the pub, other than a monthly music evening which gets good reports.
I love everything about Tripplefff and the Railways Arms, but the pub needs to up its game.
24 Jul 2009 14:49
The Eight Bells, Alton
A new landlord and some new ales. A more relaxed atmosphere now, and the quality of ales is back to the high-standard that was once expected of the Bells.
16 Jan 2014 21:42