Kings Lynn
- A Real Ale
Gem
On a recent trip to
Kings Lynn, Chris and I made sure our Good Beer Guide was the first item in the
suitcase. We sensibly selected a hotel right in the centre of town handy for
all the pubs.
The first stop was the Fenman, opposite the Railway Station, which had some interesting railway memorabilia on the walls including a picture of Liverpool's Overhead Railway. We sampled the Greene King IP A and Abbot Ale, both in excellent condition. We then went out of our way to find an Elgood' s pub we had passed on the way into town, even though it was not in the Good Beer Guidebook. I ordered Elgood's Pageant but it immediately spluttered to a standstill and the only alternative was Elgood's Smoothie. This was disappointing, but fortunately almost every pub we passed, seemed to be selling Real Ale. We selected the White Hart which had Wolf Granny wouldn't like it, a beer I have ' wanted to try for quite a while. When I asked the manager why the pub was not in the Guidebook, he felt that they did not offer sufficient choice to really warrant inclusion in the guide. He certainly was not offended by being excluded from the Guidebook and even recommended other pubs for us to visit. Staying in the town centre meant we were certainly spoilt for choice and even our hotel sold Adnam 's Bitter.
Up bright and early
we selected a sight seeing stroll that would finish on the outskirts of town at a pub
called the White Horse. It was certainly worth the walk with the sensational Durham
Light Ale from the Darwin Brewery in outstanding condition. Chris was particularly drawn
to Bateman's Blackbeard, which will probably go into her next Desert
Island selection. They also had Rebellion Red and the ubiquitous Greene
King IPA.
We noticed in the Good Beer Guidebook that the Ouse Amateur Sailing Club had won the CAMRA National Club of the year for 1998 and that they would admit CAMRA members. It was easy to see why they had won this award not only because they gave us such a warm welcome, but also because the range and quality of the beer was outstanding. The beer is poured straight from the cask, beer festival style, which meant a trip into the back room every time you ordered a beer. They had plenty of beers from the region including a wide range from the Wolf and Elgood Breweries. Elgood's Barleymead was my particular favourite. This club is a must for any real ale aficionado that visits Kings Lynn. Ron who was working behind the bar in the afternoon was particularly friendly, chatty and hospitable. He also chose, ordered and looked after the beer. He let Chris sample a few of the beers that ~ were due to come on next a privilege that was not extended to me!
Another absentee from the guidebook, was the Crown and Mitre selling Woodforde's Headcracker, Norfolk Nog and Nelsons Revenge, all in excellent condition. At the moment it only opens in the evening because they cannot find a cook and consequently are unable to attract sufficient clientele during the day. I almost offered my services as the not so naked chef. We also dropped in at the Wetherspoons during the beer festival and enjoyed Exmoor Beast and Hopback's Nessies Nector - both delicious. I even claimed my free pint courtesy of "What's Brewing". The barman looked at it as if to say, "what the hell is this?" But he did not hesitate and with a smile, gave me my free pint, which I drank with an even bigger smile.
The Good Beer Guide
was useful in finding some gems but there were many other wonderful pubs to be
found by just wandering around the town centre. We would certainly recommend
King's Lynn for a beer break even if though our priority was really the history
and culture of , the town. Pete and Chris Kincart