The Eaton Cottage

The Eaton Cottage on Unthank Road is one of the pubs in the golden triangle area that I am more fond of. I offers good beer, a relaxed atmosphere and it is close enough to town and my home.
I recently went in to watch the mighty Norwich City take on Arsenal. I had thought that since the game had an early kick off the pub may not be overly busy but it was full which was good and added to the atmosphere. When I say it was full I don't mean it was literally bursting at the seams but it was more like all the seats were taken and the standing areas were full of football fans. There was enough room to get to the bar/toilet/door so it was still comfortable.
I sampled a pint of Wainrights from Thwaites which was very good, perfect temperature and a very good taste. At 4.1% an easy going drink which could have easily been consumed all day long. I also tasted a pint of London Pride which most ale drinkers will be familiar with. I do think though that Pride is very inconsistent, some places will serve it perfectly but some in some pubs it will come to you and taste rather dark and like a stout. The Cottage, fortunately, serves an excellent pint of Pride and this, to me, shows a pub that cares a little bit more about the beer it is serving.
To finish I tried a local pint, Tipples Moonrocket. Very citrusy but clean and crisp. Slightly stronger at 5% meant it had a little bit of a kick which was appreciated. Definitley one I would recommend to anyone.
The Cottage is a good pub overall, it shows major sports, which I have been critical of in the past but it is a little more cultured with local punters and a few students filling the seats. The beers are good and well looked after and there is also a wide variety to choose from. Inside the pub the front bar area kind of looks like someones living room but it is big enough and organised enough to work as a good seating area. There is a good outdoor terrace with a T.V screen and the pub is in an easy location for all to get to. Without a doubt this place should be a stop on anyones list while drinking around the edge of the city.

The Bread and Cheese

The Bread and Cheese is one of the more interesting pubs I have ever been into. It is like stepping back 30 years, into a completely different time. This pub is more like an old fashioned social club than a proper public house. The clients are mostly of retirement age. I wouldn't say this is a bad pub but there are a few things that really do need improving and updating. The bar is old fashined, made from very thin materials, almost like "put together yourself at home bar". The decoration is well out of date, although you get this in a lot of pub it is perhaps to far in this place. The televisions are miniature and never actually show anything. The music is usually just a radio with Norwich FM or Heart FM on which is just awful and the beer tastes like it will give you a stomach problem which brings me to the final point - the day after I was in the Bread and Cheese I had a serious gut ache. This could be down the the fact that because the Bread and Cheese only serve one real ale I had to drink lager all night.
It is interesting that a pub like this is still in business as we see them close all around us every day and considering there is no real pull to draw customers into the Bread and Cheese I am fearful for the future of the place when its current customers start to die off (which probably wont be too long).
It doesn't seem to do nice food or show any sports however they do have entertainment with local singers in on a saturday night. It is nice to see that there is a local pub which still has a customer base who are loyal and turn up to drink but this pub is going nowhere soon.

Twitter!

I will be adding beer reviews to Twitter and rating them regularly. This will make it easier to recommend quality beers without having to review a pub that has perhaps already been discussed.

Check back for reviews of: The Bread and Cheese, The Perseverance, The Hog in Armour, Delayneys, The Temple and some of the modern bars in town such as Vodka Revoloution, Essence and 100 Nights.

Stay tuned for the Twitter feed which will be up shortly.

Two more very impressive pints!

Another Norfolk Brewer, The Humpty Dumpty Brewery and another fine beer. A bit darker, but not by much than I usually go for. Recently voted the Beer of Norfolk 2010 and considering the competition from the other players such as Chalk Hill, Grain, Wolf and Elm Tree it has done well to achieve this accolade. It is no less than it deserves as it has a fantastic taste. It contains a combination of pale and crystal rye to sparkle it up a bit and it really makes for a good beer. The Fat Cat often have it on gravity and I would give it a go anytime!

Another beer from Grain Norfolk Brewery which makes it onto my list of favourites! I have to say that Grain are fast become my brewer of choice when it comes to real ale. Described as "A full bodied and hoppy pale ale. A strong bitter taste with resinous finish with a hint of citrus" you can definitely feel the citrus and because it is so light it is perfect for drinking with filling you up too much. I recently had a pint in the Kings Arms in Hall Road, Norwich and enjoyed it so much that I bought a cask for myself at home! A must try of any of the Grain beers.

The Earlham Arms - Previously the Schoolhouse, The Fountain and The Pickwick

Not the best pub around, when it was the Schoolhouse it was very much marketed towards students and when it was the Fountain it was pretty much a restaurant so there isn't a great deal of interesting history about the place. Now it is one of those pubs which is in an ideal location and just upsets me that more has not been done to make it a top establishment because it does have the potential.
On the plus side they show every single Norwich City game live and serve Norfolk Grain beer, which I think is one of the finest local breweries around. The last beer I had in there was a pint of Summertime.

This is really a fine beer, one of the best I have tried in recent weeks. Described as "a ludicously light summer ale, with fruity hops and a full mouthfeel" and I have to say I agree. This is a very light beer and perhaps too easy to drink! This pint was the highlight of my time in the Earlham Arms which was over crowded because of the football and when there is no football on the place is dead. Not too bad in terms of price and a fair selection of drinks to choose from but not a place I would put on my list of recommendations.

The Eagle - Newmarket Road

The Eagle on Newmarket Road is a pub which I have always had a problem with. It has never been a pub for real drinkers, a lack of ales and more of a 'foody' feel have detered me from venturing there too often. However, the pub used to get away with it by having an outstanding restaurant but in the last few years it has undergone serious change. I'm not sure if it is because of new owners or just a change around from the managers but it has changed into one of these 'gastro pubs' where you will find middle aged women eating olives, thinking they are extremley cultured. The food has gone massivley downhill and the wine selction is poor. There is no ales on tap and only two lagers to choose from. The pubs attracts customers with a large garde, ample parking and new interior decoration, which I feel has taken away some of the charm that the building used to have. It is expensive and better for a coffee than any alcoholic drink. Not one I would recommend.

The Trafford Arms

The Trafford Arms is one of those pubs which unfortunately I fear for. Currently it is doing good business with a strong customer base and loyal, local, regulars. They serve a good range of ales, a good range of lagers and also home cooked food. There is a pool table and darts and some live sport. However, the pub is unappealing to younger people, it is a little out of the way and the decoration makes you feel like you are in someones living room. Don't get me wrong, I like this pub. The Woodfordes Wherry is perfectly served and the food is well priced and generously served but I just feel that this pub could die out over the next five years. It is lively at lunch times and at the weekends with a friendly atmosphere so I would recommend it for a visit.

 

The beer is well priced with most ales still under £3 and most lagers under £3.50. Although it is not a city centre pub I feel that more could be done with it to maximise the profit and the customer experience. It does feel a little dated, which in some circumstances can add to a pubs character, but this is not one of those circumstnaces.