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I am an English teacher at a vocational college in Germany. I know a bit about the English, English history and of cause of English beer. I like old English pubs and it is a pity that that more and more pubs have to close because it has become difficult to run a pub profitably.
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Age: 74
Sex: male
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evaluator has been registered on this site since 23rd October 2009
The Bell Inn, Nottingham
Most Germans who like beer also like traditional English pubs. As an exception to my compatriots I also like traditional English beer, cask beer. So whenever I am in an English town I explore it to find the right pubs with the right beers.
I recently stayed in Nottingham for a few days. There is a keen competition among four pubs which claim to be the oldest pub of England or at least of Nottingham (Bell Inn, Royal Children, Salutation Inn and Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem). The pub my wife and I liked most was the Bell Inn. In the following I would like to explain why we did this choice and not why we did not select one of the others.
Whenever you enter a pub you have got an instant feeling (gut feeling) whether this pub is a pub you like. In modern words it is the ambiente that creates this impression. Is the pub dark, is there a lot of brightness by lamps or windows? How does the floor look like e.g. is the carpet clean? Are there empty glasses standing around? How does the bar look like? Cleanliness is vital for a proper pub. What about the staff? How do they look like? Are they decently dressed? What about a proper haircut? How does the small talk situation start if you order your drinks and food? Is there any help? Are there recommendations in general and for the day? What about the choice of traditional ales? What about the menu?
I could add some more important evaluation aspects but that will do for the moment.
So we compared the above mentioned pubs and came to the conclusion that The Bell Inn was our favourite: We felt comfortable and relaxed whenever we went there. The staff were nice, friendly and helpful. I had the chance to compare the offered traditional ales by giving me small amounts and not a complete half pint. The choice of meals was good and the quality excellent. The plates were immediately taken away after the meal We did not have anything to complain. As I was so much interested in getting more information on real ale and the technique behind it the landlord finally showed me the beer cellar which was in the caves under the pub.
23 Oct 2009 19:52