The Babington Arms is one of the best Wetherspoon pubs in the country, a free house with about 16 cask ales and food service. Food service is key on Sunday, since it is hard to find it at other pubs. I love the selection, and I love the Sunday roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. I had the JD Lees Dragon Fire to wash it down. The jet lag is a killer, but it is nice to know you have a place to go where you know what you are going to get: Decent food and a great selection of beer, followed by a good night’s sleep.
The next night was a walk back over to the train station for two great pubs, the Brunswick Inn and the Alexandra Hotel. The Brunswick brews their own beer, and I ordered their Emerald Express and a Dark Star Over the Moon. Ordering in ½ pints may seem less than manly, but it does allow me to try more beer. Next door is the Alexandra Hotel, and I was getting hungry by now. I got to try a Bateman’s Salem Porter and a Castle Rock Gatekeeper (it is a Castle Rock pub, and swears never to sell its beer in a Wetherspoons) along with a pickled egg and a pork pie. The pork pie was a bit of an adventure for me, served cold and partly filled with gelatin (not pork fat, that’s later on in the week). I would have to say it was less than delightful, so we went Walk-a-bout where I was able to get a BLT (mmm, bacon).
Tuesday was a bit of an adventure, watching a bit UK football and then exploring a different part of town. The Falstaff Brewery is stuffed in a rougher neighborhood, and we received the evil eye when we went in. Scary crowd, so we went immediately to the back. I got their Fistful of Dollars and their Norman Bates (their Rocky Horror themed beers were a previous series, I love the names of their beers), both well balanced English bitters. I also got a bottle of their Super Nova, a malt liquor that weighed in at 13% ABV (wow!). We escaped back to the hotel, and went to the Brewery Tap right across the street. They brew Derby beer, and I enjoyed the Bees Knees and Fancy That. Good beers, but no real food. I did get some homemade pork scratching; hard pork rinds with a ½ inch layer of pork fat (turned my stomach something fierce).
So we had no real meal for the previous two nights, so I decided to correct that trend and go to the Olde Dolphin Inne. I got something basic, corned beef hash and eggs. Hash and eggs went great with a Spire Amarillo bitter on cask, and I was happy. For a better beers selection, we went across the street to the Flower Pot. The Flower Pot is a free house, and has a great beer selection. I got the Blue Monkey Evolution and a Ringwood Old Thumper. Old Thumper was a treat since Shipyard brewing in Maine brews their recipe and uses their label (the UK version on cask was much better).
For Thursday we wanted an even better meal, so we went to the local carvery, the Cooper’s Arms. I started with an asparagus appetizer, a Blackhole No Escape! on cask, the roast beef with all the trimmings (including horseradish sauce). It was delicious! It was a nice break from the constant pursuit of different beers, but I know it will only be a short break.
Friday, TGIF, and we were ready to relax. Matt and I went on a pubcrawl, hitting some local fun spots that we had missed earlier in the week. We first stopped at the Smithfield, where we got to try an Oakham Inferno and Scarlett Macaw. Next it was off to the Exeter Arms for a Dancing Duck 22. Our next stop was the Silk Mill for a Beowulf Finn’s Hall Porter. And finally (for me at least), we stopped at the Standing Order for dinner and to meet our RR friends. I got nachos, and a Freeminer Deep Shaft Stout. It was a little too heavy for my last beer of the evening, so I headed back to the hotel to get a good night sleep (even if no one else did).It was a good week, visiting all of the places that I knew of in Derby. Now it was time to branch out, and explore some new places. - 5782/10690
"A meal of bread, cheese and beer constitutes the perfect food." - Queen Elizabeth I
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