please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Visited whilst doing an excellent brewery tour conducted ably conducted by one of the ladies there. I tried one of the season beers and an Old Peculiar which came within the tour price.
|
god i love a great big fire ,other than that the xb is perfect and so it should be 8/10
|
Although the bar of the brewery, still a great pub in its own right (just a shame it has to close when the brewery closes). Staff very friendly and knowledgable, and need I say that the beer was simply EXCELLENT! Old Peculier? Paradis indeed.
|
We always make a 25 mile journey from our hoiday home in The Dales to visit the Black Bull-in fact we went twice over the Easter week end-we find the staff very friendly and generous with tasters of the six hand pulled beers they have on tap-it's a proper pub atmosphere-unlike the bar at the Black Sheep Brewery-not that I have anything against Black Sheep-one of my favourite beers.
|
Yes it is a bar attached to the visitor centre but as it does all of the things pubs do (apart from food) then it must count if only for the excellent quality of the beer. Needless to say all the ales are Theakstons and I couldn't find one I didn't like. Note to all pubs in the Brighton area - any of these brews would make brilliant guest ales and earn my undying gratitude. Further note to Sainsburys - they all come as bottled beers too.
|
Not really a pub but good ale and a nice roaring fire on a vile day
|
We went on the 3pm Brewery Tour, the last one of the day, which finished here to sample the Theakston range. Included in the tour are vouchers for two free half pints. I tried the Black Bull Bitter and XB which as one would expect were superb, and my wife, who is not normally a bitter drinker, enjoyed her two free halves of the current seasonal ale, Grouse Beater.
Rightly or wrongly, I get the impression that this is just a bar attached to the visitor centre rather than a proper pub. Although nothing was said, I got the definite impression that the staff couldn�t wait for the group to sup up and sod off so that they could go home. I don�t blame them one little bit, but it kind of took the edge off some of the enjoyment of the visit.
|
Great bar to start and finish the brewery tour. Just felt like a nice cosy little boozer, offering theakstones entire range
|
The brewery tour is most definitely NOT better than Black Sheep's tour. Why, because Theakston's is largely mechanised, with just a few people working; whereas Black Sheep Brewery is full of employees, and a lot more fun!
|
Fantastic pint of Coopers Butt (seasonal brew). Black Bull Bitter also spot on, as was Old Peculiar and Best Bitter, you get the drift!
Only disapointments, pub closed at 3pm , and having booked for the 3pm brewery tour, got there 2.15 pm and was told last tour went at 2 pm. Admit it was January but it was friday afternoon and the website said 11.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. Might be better to check to avoid wasted journey!
|
This is the small bar which forms the back part of the Theakston Brewery visitors centre, and is also the last stop on the tour. In itself, it's is actually a very nice pub - the decor is quite dark, with real open fire and possibly the best tasting Theakston beers you can find (you'd expect so, being at the brewery!). There are even traditonal pub games scattered amongst the seating.
Now that the Theakston Brewery is back under family control again, I can see the visitors centre getting busier in the coming years, so get down and have a look around before they change anything! The tour is great (even better than the Black Sheep tour, which is much more slick), and the food available here is excellent. Well worth checking out.
Andy - 23 Apr 2004 13:09 |
