Cambridge – Calverley’s Brewery (2nd Visit)

This was the final pub of the day when my friend Nathan and I had our little pub crawl around nine venues in Cambridge last weekend. It’s the slightly hard to find Calverley’s Brewery taproom, a location that I’ve visited before in 2019.

Things have changed substantially since when I last visited, with the opening of this much larger taproom on site, all of which was stables until Calverley’s took over here in 2013. When I visited before, the arrangement was a little more parochial, with a much smaller space available for customers. There was something really rather lovely about feeling part of the brewing process back then as it’s a bit more detached in this larger room, but it’s great to see what progress has been made. There’s also a larger open-air section as well for the warmer months when sitting outside is a bit more viable.

The beer menu. We did debate also ordering in one (well, more likely two) of the pizzas from Scott’s All Day who are located nearby, but we opted for a slightly cheaper option of a Sainsburys Meal Deal for the train journey home. The reviews on-line of the taproom are very positive and there are some ciders and soft drinks for the non-beer drinkers.

I went for the Big Dawg, a very decent Double New England IPA, as well as the Big Porter, which was a little less decadent and rich tasting as I’d hoped. I liked the surroundings of this set-up though, with the service being friendly and attentive. The location was clean and organised, with a relaxed ambience. It’s not necessarily the easiest of venues to find, but the signage is improved from my last visit and I’m pleased that they’re doing well. For anyone needing a drink before catching a train from Cambridge railway station, this isn’t too far of a walk to make. Pleasingly, this is also still listed in the Good Beer Guide.