The Queen of Iceni - JD Wetherspoon

In my opinion most Wetherspoon bars present a bit of a dilemma. On one hand they are cheap, lively, they have the favourites in stock and they are located all over the place so you know what you are going to get. On the other hand they are usually full of strange looking and strange acting people in the day and young, heavily alcohol fueled locals in the evenings. Also the quality of beer from the pump, in my opinion, is very suspucious. I'm not sure what is what in the back at Wetherspoons but I have heard rumours that they buy in the beer in mass stocks for a cheap price because they buy it when it's close to reaching its best before date. Like I say, I don't know if this is just rumour or if it is true but it is something that I can began to think about as I took the first sip of my pint in the Queen of Iceni, Lloyds bar in the riverside complex in Norwich.
I had got myself a pint of Woodfordes Wherry - usually a fine ale, locally produced and well respected but the pint I received yesterday was, well how else do I put it, AWFUL. I am a fan of Wherry I think it's a great beer and although it isn't my favourite in the world I would still go for it above most others, especially when in a place like Wetherspoons, which doesn't have the best selection of real ale.
It was thick, very dark, pulled by an amateur and had that old, stale taste that is unfortunately common place in a lot of Wetherspoons bars that I have visited. This experience upset me so I ordered a pint of Carling just to see if the lager was the same. It was. Far too cold, and in a dirty glass, with that horrid after taste.
The thing is I kind of expected this from Wetherspoons but because it is so cheap and a popular haunt for a lot of my friends I will probably go there again. Not for a casual drink but for a proper sesssion. I will play it safe and go for bottled beers and ciders though, as I do think that Wetherspoons does serve a good range of bottles at great prices.
So what else was there about the place? Although the beer didn't taste great, there was a wide selection as you would expect a Wetherspoons. The atmosphere was quiet with plenty of people eating. I can only say I would never recommend any food from Wetherspoons to anyone after seeing some of the stuff that was put on peoples table and through my own experience. In the evenings I know the Queen of Iceni is more of a party bar with loud music and because if its large size it gets lots of clubbers drinking themselves silly before they go on to dance the night out somewhere else.
It's not the best pub in the world and the beer isn't great but its handy location, its cheap prices and selection of bottles make it one that you would maybe visit for a party night out.