Leicester – Black Horse

On my little visit to every Good Beer Guide listed pub in Leicester (and some others as well), this is the Black Horse on Foxon Street.

My heart lifted as the pub felt traditional, the staff member offered a friendly welcome and the environment seemed laid-back and comfortable. It was immediately apparent on looking at the beers offered at the bar that this is an Everard’s pub, indeed one that they’ve operated for a long time as is evident at https://pubhistoryproject.co.uk/2019/11/07/black-horse-braunstone-gate-foxon-street/. There were no dark beers available, so I went for half a pint of the Tiger from the brewery.

I struggled to get any flavour out of this, a bit too generic for me. Comparing this to the range of different options run by chains such as the Black Country Ales, the choice is very weak. I’m not convinced that offering the same three beers in nearly every pub, with no guest beers, is ideal, but I’m sure they know their customers. I’d add that the staff member did mention that they had bottles of Titanic Plum Porter in bottles, which is one of my favourite breweries, but I was looking for draft options. However, I appreciated they’d put an option on and the staff member was helpful.

In the pub’s favour, the staff member made an effort to build up a rapport with me, so the customer service was spot on. I suspect that someone moving to the area and going in here to make friends would be pleased, so on that key measure, I’m pleased to see that this pub is in the Good Beer Guide. But, if it was down just to me (which I accept it’s not), more beer options would really be very lovely.