Reading: Nag's Head, Russell Street

In article , MadCow writes

Too many!

In message , Roy Bailey writes

I expect it'll be too many in the longer term, maybe it's a stunt to get people to make a first visit there. Even 20-30 years ago it used to be a grimy dismal unloved and unlovable pub, made worse by Morlands knocking the two bars together and by the tenant mistreating the beer. The walls and ceiling are now painted white (it's non-smoking) with some original carved woodwork stained dark and not much on the walls. It looks as if it's waiting for a community to develop and form its character.

If successful it will make a very welcome addition, given the all too many barn-bars that have opened up. Its not too far from Sweeny Todd's pie shop either :-)

I'll make it a call-in stop when taking son to the footie.

And Roy, no beers are too many if they are served well, maintained in good condition and turnover is sufficient.

John B

Ang on a mo. You can never have too many hand pulled beers on a bar, only a ditherer would say that :-)

My local has 9 beers on in summer, one of them gets changed to a real cider for the winter and I always take my chance at trying two beers every day. Sometimes I miss out on one that lasts only a few hours, but I get another chance a few weeks later.

Next time I get to reading, I'll take a look at this pub (wife has relatives in the town centre.)

Dave

You can all too easily have too many to turn them over quickly enough to maintain quality. I've come across too many pubs with twelve varieties of tepid dishwater.

In message , John B writes

Even closer to Sweeneys is the Horse & Jockey, Castle Street (across the IDR roundabout) now owned by a local residential landlord and keen to develop a community pub. The little tour created by these two plus the Butler, Chatham Street, is attractive enough to lure RA drinkers across the IDR. The area has a lot of childless adults in need of watering holes, so the permanent community support should be there.

Not my local landlord, though he did pull at least 4 halves of Spikes on'tway trying to convince himself that it was a protein haze that was clouding the beer.

In discussion with him at lunchtime, he admitted that his real ale trade was well up on last year and I can agree with that, with the ever changing light coloured beers that he has put on the bar. 18's of Coniston Bluebird have changed between XB and the normal Bluebird almost within 24 hours. If you have never tasted Bluebird Bitter, you are missing the flagship of light coloured beers. It is light, crisp and clean. Very light on the tongue.

Dave