An assortment of different places from the central parts of Newcastle when I was there between Christmas and New Year, with a few where I was paying my first ever visit. Read on to find out about the best beer I'd had all year, a first-time visit to a pub that I had actually been to before, and a possible sighting of a musical legend....
Now I know of some bloggers (no names, no pack drill) who regularly write about pubs they visited weeks or even months ago. Myself, I usually write about places I have often visited just days before. However on this occasion, in the interests of not over-featuring one particular area I decided I would follow the example of my esteemed colleagues and hold back on writing this piece from the North East for a week or two, having written one just before Christmas and then mentioned the area and some of its pubs and beers next time. But nearly a month on, I have returned with a somewhat random assortment of pubs that I visited over the couple of days I was based in Newcastle, although they are generally within the walls of the old city. I had come up to see some of the family, and coincidentally my brother and sister-in-law had also been staying in the city for a few days. I drove up on the Friday before New Year into increasingly wet weather, and with roadworks on the motorway just before I left it at the Angel turnoff, my satnav decided to play up. So I was on my own, but fortunately having visited the hotel several times over the years, I managed to drive through Gateshead, over the bridge into Newcastle, and get there without any issues. Yay!
Bag dropped off, and I was out again. The rain was holding off as I walked towards the Broad Chare, the nearest pub to my Travelodge. Set just back from the Quayside on the street of the same name, it is housed in a converted former warehouse. With its stripped wooden floors and exposed brickwork it is an attractive and relaxing place to go for an afternoon pint, although it can get busier in the evenings and at weekends. They have a house beer, The Writer's Block, a pale, refreshing, and hoppy beer brewed by the Great North Eastern Brewery, which is what I went for, plus 3 guest ales likewise on hand pump. I retreated to a high stool across from the bar to enjoy my beer (NBSS 3.5) and take in the friendly atmosphere. Food is a big deal here, but not in an intrusive way for those who just want a drink; bar snacks are availably throughout the day, whilst an upstairs restaurant serves traditional pub food of high quality, with a Bib Gourmand rating from the Michelin Guide and regular inclusion in lists of the country's top gastropubs, the latest of which, only in the past few days, had seen the Broad Chare listed at number 23 in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs. But to its credit it still has the feel and friendly welcome of a great pub.
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| Broad Chare, Newcastle |
And from there I called in the wonderful Crown Posada but having written about them regularly I will keep it short this time. I enjoyed a pint of Bliss Pale Ale from McColls (NBSS 3) with the pub in a fairly quiet state in a late afternoon lull, but then I decided to head up into the city to check things out there. (I did call in there again later in the evening for a nightcap on the way back to the hotel when it was somewhat busier and had an excellent pint of Jarl which was well worth a rating of NBSS 3.5).
I left the pub and turned left up Side and headed up the hill, but instead of following the road round as it went up towards Grey Street, I shot up (not literally, I hasten to add!) the steep little road that brings you out at the side of the castle and not far from the cathedral. I was aiming for Westgate Road, which leads off from Neville Street not for from the station. As I set off up that road the drizzle that had been in the air since I'd left the Crown Posada started to intensify and within a couple of minutes the rain was bouncing down. I found shelter under some scaffolding for a couple of minutes, but then after checking the CAMRA app I discovered there was a pub close by.
The pub in question was the Mile Castle, a large Wetherspoons house, and whilst regular readers will know I don't generally beat a path to their door, with the rain coming down heavily I decided it was preferable to be in a warm pub with a beer rather than sheltering under some scaffolding, where some large drips were already starting to filter through. History is never far way in this fascinating city and this huge pub is named after the Roman forts that were built every mile along Hadrian's Wall. I walked through the door, passing a couple of hefty Friday night bouncers, their shiny plastic ID cards in bands around their arms. It was very busy with the dregs of the afternoon drinkers joined by the Friday teatime crowd, but when I found the bar I got served fairly quickly by a friendly lass. I went for a half of Double Maxim, a 4.7% brown ale brewed by the Maxim Brewery of Houghton-le-Spring, who arose out of the ashes of the former Vaux brewery in Sunderland. Double Maxim was one of the old brewery's beers, and it is essentially the Mackem equivalent of the famous one from Newcastle. It was decent enough I thought, well balanced with plenty of flavour, and worth a 3 rating on the NBSS scale.
I decided to venture outside, and with the rain still coming down I sheltered in a doorway as I rang my brother to arrange a meet up later. Plans made, from there it was only a short walk to the next place. Tilleys Bar was situated on a corner near the local theatres, and looked quite busy as I peered in through the window. I walked in, the bar was straight ahead in a large room with several TVs showing sport on TV, and from a choice of 4 hand pumps I went for a pint of Anarchy Blonde Star. I found an empty table back near the door, plugged my phone into the charger, and looked around. It all seemed vaguely familiar, and it dawned on me that I had been here before, back in a time long before my daughter moved up to the area, and I had had a spare hour before I caught the train home one afternoon when I had been in the city with work. The beer was pleasant enough without being outstanding (NBSS 3), and the pub was friendly and welcoming on this damp and miserable night.
I decided to get some food at this point and went into a quiet Italian place back down the road where they brought me the wrong pizza, but I'd already started eating it before I realised. It was ok, though, so I said nothing, and then it turned out to be cheaper than my original choice! Back out on the streets, I turned off down Pink Lane on which was situated the Town Wall (opening image). This was a pub that I had heard about before but never been to. It occupies the Grade ll-listed Bewick House, which was once the home of Thomas Bewick, the Northumbrian naturalist, artist, and engraver. Its name comes from the historical importance of the site being one of the 24 wards that fortified the original boundaries of the city, with the wall being built between the 13th and 14th century to repel the warring Scots. Whilst much of it has disappeared there are still a few stretches that are intact, along with a number of towers, that can be seen in the city today. Back to the Town Wall pub, which is owned by the locally-based Vaulkhard Group, it is a very elegant place close to the railway station, just around the corner from the Victoria Comet which I'd visited on my last trip. It was pretty busy as I walked in, a central bar serving a number of different areas. There were 6 hand pumps featuring mainly local beers along with several keg lines featuring beers from the likes of Wylam. I ordered a half of Space is the Place, a 3.5% malty bitter from Out There Brewery in nearby Ouseburn. The beer was another pleasant NBSS 3 rating, and I drank it away from the bustle of the bar area sat in a quieter side room, with a large portrait of someone who looked very much like David Byrne of Talking Heads staring down from one of the walls....
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| The Town Wall: Byrne in down the House? |
I had arranged to meet my brother at the Bridge Hotel, Confusingly for the uninitiated there is another Bridge pub, situated close by just off the Quayside, but this is the one situated in one of the city centre's most spectacular locations, near to the castle keep at the Newcastle end of the High Level Bridge, with fine views over the city walls, the River Tyne and the Gateshead Quays. It is run by the Sir John Fitzgerald group of pubs and offers a friendly welcome and good selection of drinks including up to 8 beers on hand pump, served from an attractive bar with dark wood, a mirrored back, and brass footrail. Whilst it was quite busy as I walked in, it was a different crowd to that in the more central places I'd visited; generally older, with guys having a drink with their mates, the odd group of ladies, or couples on date night. I spotted my brother and sister-in-law who were sat in a seating area off from the bar, and went to join them once I had got myself a pint. I'd gone for a pint of Sesh, a 3.9% unfined pale ale from Almasty, which I though was delish, and went down well as were having a catch up, and which I rated as one of the beers of the day (NBSS 3.5). The Bridge was one of the best pubs of the day, and I look forward to visiting again soon. We finished our drinks and headed off on our separate ways.
I had arranged to meet my daughter and family early Saturday afternoon at the Haymarket Metro Station before we went to the Hancock Museum near the university campus, which gave me time to have a couple of pints before they arrived. My brother had visited the Crow's Nest, a large Greene King which was a new entry in the 2024 Good Beer Guide, but hadn't rated it. So with limited time, I decided to leave that and try instead the Three Bulls Head, just down the road from Haymarket, another place that was new in the Guide. I walked into a busy pub, with live sport showing on several TV screens. There were 6 beers available on hand pump and I spotted Hush, a 4.2% hazy pale from Black Storm, so I ordered a half, and managed to find an empty table to sit at. I was intrigued to see Black Storm on sale, as the last I'd heard was that the North Shields-based brewer had called in administrators, so it would seem they are back up and running, which is good news. The beer was refreshing, perhaps a bit sweet for my taste, but it was in good condition (NBSS 3). A couple asked if they could sit at the table as it was getting busier and tables were at a premium, and we had a pleasant chat for a few minutes before it was time to go. Overall, I enjoyed the ambience of the Three Bulls Head.
It was still drizzling and cold when I went back outside. I had time for another drink before the fam arrived, and fortunately just around the corner on St Thomas Street was the Mean-Eyed Cat, an excellent micropub that I hadn't visited for quite awhile. This former newsagents, with its pale duck-egg green painted exterior, is attractively decorated inside in something of a Mexican style with bright colours on the wall along with the eponymous cat featured. There is a sign describing the Mean-Eyed Cat as "a shed with a bar in it." Technically that is what it is, but it so much more than that. This is one of the friendliest places you could visit, attracting a wide mix of discerning customers, and the beer is spot on. There are 6 available on hand pump, of which Cramped from Almasty and Ossett White Rat are permanent, plus 4 guests, and I remember the guy in charge a few years ago telling me that White Rat was a really big seller for them. There are also a number of interesting beers on keg, plus a number of real ciders. There was a real treat on hand pump from Two by Two. Thinking of the time and strength, I only went for a half of the Citra Simcoe Ekuanot IPA, a 6% hazy pale which the guy pulling it told me it had only just gone on that morning. Wow! It was fresh, juicy, and absolutely delicious, and I had no hesitation in rating at 4.5 on the NBSS scale, which was the first time I'd rated a beer that highly for ages. I got a WhatsApp off my daughter saying they would be setting off shortly, so I reckoned I had time for another half, and then another saying they'd be about another half an hour, so I managed another. It was just as well they weren't any later as I would have happily sat here until the barrel was empty! An excellent beer in an excellent little micropub.
And then it was round the corner to Haymarket, where my daughter, son-in-law, and 7 year old granddaughter had just emerged from the Metro. The four of us then disappeared into the gathering murk and spent the rest of the afternoon in the company of artefacts and displays reflecting the natural history and ancient civilisations of the North East before having a lovely catch up over food and drinks which included a visit (at my granddaughter's request) to a Wetherspoons, and so it was to the sprawling Five Swans we headed. Amazingly for me, I'd been in two different Spoons in less than 24 hours. But then I again, I couldn't really complain, over the same period I'd also had some excellent beer within these town walls including the best beer I'd had in 2023....
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