Newcastle-under-Lyme – Mellards
Most larger towns have a decadent craft beer option where prices might be a little more expensive, but the surroundings are often quieter and the beer selection extensive. After walking past numerous pubs where it almost felt a glass was going to come flying through the door at any moment, somewhere peaceful seemed in order.
Muck Rock is a local street artist and this presents a positive first impression.
The building was an ironmonger’s warehouse, indeed Mellard’s Warehouse which is where the pub name is from, and the restoration process took six years before it finally opened in 2017. This is a very practical use of an historic property and it seemed sensitively transformed.
The beer selection and for those interested in the current selection they are listed on Untappd. The service was prompt and immediate, although they got one of the drinks orders wrong but that didn’t impact me and so I was most forgiving.
A quirky building and it had the peace and calm that I was hoping for on a Saturday night. Not empty, just a little bit refined. I’m not sure if Ross and Liam were quite as pleased with my selection as I was, but they didn’t seem to be disappointed and so that sufficed me.
This is the Lumber Up, Limbo Down from Pomona Island Brew Co, a very agreeable wild cherry and blackcurrant sour IPA.
I was delighted to see that they had a Funky Fluid beer available, my favourite brewery who are located in Warsaw. There was more excitement, and I accept that I need to get out more, when I realised not only was it a beer that I hadn’t tried before, but it was a banana flavoured one. It might sound a slightly odd combination, but a banana stout can work quite well in terms of the flavouring and this was no exception. This 10% ABV beer was smooth, the banana flavour was rich and there were some notes of cocoa in there as well. The banana flavour is perhaps artificial, but it wasn’t cloying and this was a marvellous beer to end the evening on.
This bar is well reviewed on-line and it didn’t let me down, it was just as I expected it would be when I saw it listed on Untappd. It’s located down a back alley that means that they can’t have a great deal of passing pedestrian traffic, but it’s clearly become something of a destination venue over the last few years that it has been open. I can’t quite work out from their Facebook page and they don’t have a web-site, but they seem to serve pizzas during the day as well. Anyway, I’d merrily recommend this bar and would return if I’m back in the delightful town of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
