On 9th November, over forty SCBF48 volunteers enjoyed a celebratory trip to Nottingham. An early start meant we arrived as the pubs opened. Using the map provided, we split into smaller groups and spread across the city centre in order to sample the beery delights available. Personally, I visited three breweries, a couple of micropubs with football references and several other establishments.
The three breweries, Angel Brewhouse, Neon Raptor and Liquid Light provided a range of beer styles, some strong esoteric keg offerings at the Sneinton Market home of Raptor contrasting with more traditional offerings at the Grade II listed, Angel: Angel Delight Pale 4.9% and Hung, Drawn and Quartered Porter 5.2%. Liquid Light operate from an industrial unit on the edge of the city centre, a site which you struggle to find by accident. Their cosy tap room included four cask ales all at the very reasonable price of £3.50/pint, or less. We appreciated the 1972 quote from Ziggy Stardust: ‘Beer light to guide us.’
Partizan, a micropub named after Partizan Belgrade provided Elusive Brewing Leaves (4.2%). Copious memorabilia include a framed programme from an Inter Cites Fairs Cup game at Elland Road in December 1967. Disappointingly, the Kilpin café, named after, English expatriate, Herbert Kilpin, the founder of AC Milan, had neither cask beer nor a reference to the Rossoneri.
Traditional pubs visited included the grade II listed Bell Inn, the small unspoilt Dragon, a Castle Rock renovation, the Fox and Grapes, one-roomed Kean’s Head and a family-run free house, King William IV (King Billy). Overall, an enjoyable day: good company, good pubs, and good beer.
