First Review - The Fat Cat - Setting the standard

I'm going to put it out there - the Fat Cat is in the top 3 best pubs in Norwich, if not the best. Located in a quiet residential area, it has won many awards including the 'pub of the year' award from the good pub guide and CAMRA for 6 different years. It is a fairly small pub but the beer list is far from small. They usually have around 35 real ales on tap and then a selection of fruit beers, ciders, lagers and wines and spirits as well.
What makes the pub so appealing to real beer drinkers is the fact that they have their own brew available on tap and it's not just some juice than they've knocked up quickly in the back room. The 4 different house beers that are on offer are brewed in Norwich at the small brewey in the Brewery Tap pub in Lawson Road. They are all very popular and offer top class taste. Personally my favourite of their own brews is the Fat Cat Honey Ale, quite bitter with a sweet undertone, very easy to drink, quite light at 3.8% and very refreshing. Always served at the right temperature with a foamy, bubbly top just to cap it off.

The pub also offers ales from brewers across the country with regualr slots for Elgoods, Castle Rock, Woodfords, Adnams and a range of other breweries and micro breweries. Last night I sampled a pint of Burton Bridge Golden Delicious. Obviously had a slight apple taste but very bitter and very tasty. Another one which seeemed to fall back all to easily. The beers that I drink more often than not are light in colour and not so thick that they make you feel really full. The Golden Delicious was very good however, I also had a taste of a regular beer in the Fat Cat - Oakham Inferno. This is a fantastic ale, again at 4.0% quite light and perfect for a session. Not difficult to drink, lots of citrus flavours but still bitter. Really refreshing and one you could easily sit and drink in a beer garden for hours on end.

So, if I refer back to the few things that I said would make a good pub:
Good, tasty beer - well the Fat Cat certainly has this, in abundance. The beer is well cared for and not just thrown in for the purpose of mass sales. The lager tastes how it should and not old and sweaty. All of the fruit beers are kept well and you just feel that you can order your drink in the peace of mind that you know the barperson will return with a quality drink, whatever you order.
Atmosphere - the pub is always bustling, a hive of activity. There are, of course, the regular drinkers and also a collection of students who are probably attracted to the prices and the strong drinks available. The place is clean and tidy with a traditional feel, lots of hanging items on the ceiling and lots of old pub decorations and artwork on the walls. There is no carpets so there is no horrible smell of old, stale beer that has been spilt.
Choice - don't really need to talk much about this. The pub has a mass collection of real ales, popular largers, a large choice of spirits and whiskys, fruit beer, fruity wines, ciders, weak drinks and very strong drinks, 50 different bottled beers, something for everyone really.
Company - the pub only shows the main sporting events of the year and less football than other places so it's refreshing not to have the loud mouth, thuggish football fans around, swearing and talking trash all the time. Also the promotion of the ales rather than lagers or cheap alcopops means the crowd is generally a bit older which means getting involved in a discussion is easy and everyone is friendly. The bar staff are well informed and drinkers themselves, not just some minimum wage kids. There is no loud music so it is a very sociable place to be with friends and other drinkers.
The beers that are on offer in the Pub really show that the place is dedicated to real drinkers who want to sample good tasting beer and not just a beer which has been bought in to provide an alternative.
For more information the Fat Cat website is www.fatcatpub.co.uk and they have a facebook page and are located at 49 West End Street, Norwich, NR2 4NA.