Archive for the ‘Surrey’ Category
The Sovereigns in Woking
Nov 19th, 2009 |
The Sovereigns in Woking is part of the Ember Inns chain but is definitely a cut above the normal Ember Inns pub.
Some two to three years ago it suddenly reinvented itself as a real ale heaven. No more aggro – no more burining downs – just somewhere adults can go to have some safe fun and get some good beers. I sometimes visit on my way home from London as the atmosphere is so welcoming. They do quizzes twice a week and other special events.
It’s a large pub inside with many different areas. There’s also a canopy out the front for the smokers, and a small balcony out the back with a fine view of the car park.
The Sovereigns has in the recent past been the local CAMRA group’s pub of the year. There are 6 handpumps and the beer choice changes constantly although Deuchars IPA seems to be fairly constant.
At the moment they are doing ‘Tasting Racks’ for £1.99. Basically you can choose 3 of the real ales available and they give you a third of a pint of each. So effectively £1.99 for an eclectic pint – not bad eh? As I write this I’m drinking the Stonehenge Danish Dynamite – a gorgeously light and slightly fruity beer. I’ve also gone for the Mordue Coffee Porter and the Hop Back Red Ember – I’ll be enjoying those in a few minutes. Put with the pint of Arundel Autumn Old I had earlier which is a fine malty dark beer, this is shaping up to be a lovely session when it’s just supposed to be a pint on the way home…
Apparently these tasting racks are now a permanent feature and other Ember Inns are doing them too. It works here in the Sovs (Woking vernacular) as they have a good real ale turnover – less so in other Ember Inns I’m told.
Have you got a like minded Ember Inn near you?
The Keep in Guildford
Sep 30th, 2009 |
The Keep is a bit of an overlooked gem in Guildford. It is situated in Castle Street close (not surprisingly perhaps) to Guildford Castle – so a little south of the main centre of Guildford.
The Keep is a single room pub and the interior has a modern feel with a wooden floor and bare brick walls. There appears to be another smaller room out the back. It’s only when the smokers light up that you realise that it’s actually the small courtyard garden. On my first couple of visits to the pub I swear I hadn’t noticed that. The interior photo shows the courtyard garden off the back of the pub.
From a real ale perspective the main reason for visiting the Keep is that they stock beers from the nearby Surrey Hills Brewery. As I’m writing the notes for this post the Shere Drop is tasting lovely. Don’t expect a massive selection of beers at the Keep though.
They don’t sell a lot of real ale and I think having one or two excellent beers is better than having many tired tasting varieties.
On my last visit I ate here for the first time. I had a burger with salad for £4.50 which was pretty good, but maybe would not have satisfied those with larger appetites.
The sad thing about my visits to this pub is that hardly anyone ever seems to go there. As I write these notes it’s 7:30 on a Thursday evening I am the only customer apart from the wargamers who have retreated upstairs. Why are the good pubs in Guildford so overlooked?
Good Beer Guide Launch
Sep 13th, 2009 |
Went to the Varsity Bar just outside Guildford on Thursday night for the local CAMRA group’s launch of the 2010 Good Beer Guide. The venue was chosen as the Varsity Bar has been in the guide for 10 consecutive years now – a reward for selling a wide range of superbly kept beers. There was a special presentation to commemorate this.
Last night the beer options included King’s Red River, and Shere Drop and Gilt Complex from the Surrey Hills brewery – all fine beers.
I’m not sure if it’s the quantity of beer that I drunk but the GBG seems so much heavier than previous issues. Investigation will start at the weekend as to which pubs are no longer in.
There was some mention of the price of the GBG. CAMRA members could get it for £10 at the event last night and the non-members price is £15.99. However some will have spotted that it’s available for £7.99 from Amazon at the moment. Apparently this is less than cost price and it is not possible to prevent Amazon from selling it at a loss. It’ll be interesting to see how long that price sticks.