Norwich – Brewery Tap
This is another pub that I’ve visited many times, but never made the effort to write about, but since it’s in the Good Beer Guide and I’m trying to visit every pub in it (I accept that’s a forlorn task), now seems an appropriate time. It’s part of the Fat Cat estate in Norwich, but it’s got a more modern and contemporary feel to the whole arrangement.
There was a small queue when we arrived, but it was efficiently managed and the staff were fully in control of the situation. We had to wait whilst Nathan waved at all his friends in the pub beer garden. Perhaps this is how the late Duke of Edinburgh felt when the Queen was waving to her admirers whilst he stood behind waiting to get in for the food and drink. Anyway, after that faffing about, we were seated and it transpired we were seated underneath a heater. I liked this a lot.
I mentioned yesterday that the Artichoke has pretty much the best selection of beer in Norwich, but the Brewery Tap really isn’t far behind. The highlights of the beer options for me were the Extra Brownie Pints from Brew York and the Raspberry Gose from Yonder Brewing. But, the selection of beers was well balanced and there were some exciting little numbers in the “coming up” section of the on-line menu. Ordering was via staff coming to the table, and that all worked pretty efficiently, with the beer knowledge being excellent. The pub deserves to be full with such beer, staff friendliness and staff knowledge, which it was throughout most of the night.
Nathan spent much of the evening pressing the little button to turn the heater on, partly due to pressure from me and partly due to pressure from another table. That heater did though make things much easier throughout the evening, as inevitably it got quite chilly when it got dark and heading towards closing time.
The food menus. I’ve never eaten food here before (other than crisps, although I think I’ve eaten crisps at just about every pub in Norwich), but food seemed to be going to a lot of tables, so it felt almost impolite not to join in (or that was my excuse on this occasion).
Dr. Pepper is one of the best soft drinks going as far as I’m concerned, so the pulled pork soaked in that nectar from the Gods seemed a decent choice. And, it worked beautifully, the portion size was filling and the pulled pork was tender and had a rich taste. The chips themselves weren’t overly exciting, they were just, well, chips, but the topping more than made up for that. Some of the food prices, such as the burgers, are a little punchy, but it was served hot and tasted fine. The food was served until 21:00 and the staff helpfully went around telling customers when the last orders were, an opportunity we took advantage of.
Another rather lovely visit and I like the thought that has gone into the food, the service and the beer selection. Incidentally, I note that CAMRA say “you’ll find a working set of traffic lights, which indicate whether the bar is open or not”, which I’ve never noticed before, but I’ll look out for when customers are allowed to visit the bar and actually sit inside.
