Arriving at the grand Victorian Leicester station it is only a few steps into The Parcel Yard, run by Steamin’ Billy Brew Co and a welcome sight with a high ceiling, memorabilia and worn sofas as well as a fine pint.
It was probably a bit early in the trip to visit The Globe, established in 1720 and serving local brews from Everards including the classic ‘Tiger’ (4.2% copper ale). With an historic but comfortable interior, excellent beer and location it is probably as near to George Orwell’s ‘ideal pub’ The Moon Under Water as you could find. High praise indeed.
Meanwhile over on the other side of the city centre the Phoenix Arts Centre have real ale on tap unobtrusively holding its place amongst the café bar surroundings. Nearby is The Musician pub; the one room goes back a long way to form an intimate but still spacious venue – home to a variety of music most days. The hall of fame side wall is a challenge to identify the many faces (this may require a bit of updating to reflect the current stars?). The real ale offering is limited but given that music is the priority there was enough choice for the thirsty.
The Sir Robert Peel is another long established Everards pub, comfortable and reassuringly dark as the rain fell on a March afternoon. Nearby outside the window there is an enormous student accommodation block, jarring with the timeless ambience of the pub building. The very drinkable ‘Golden Hop’ (3.5% “…A refreshing, zesty beer..”) brought a taste of spring.
Further along the road and very close to the De Montfort University was The Bowling Green, an old building recast as a fairly typical Stonegate house, aiming to please everyone with some sports screens, quiz, extensive food and a clientele of all ages (but mainly students?). There was commitment to real ale too, with Marstons ’61 Deep’ 3.8% Pale ale. (61 metres is the depth of the well at the Brewery…).
In the same area is the memorably named Two-Tailed Lion, with a distinctive modernist interior and hidden casks of many real and craft ales including Vocation Brewery’s session IPA ‘Heart & Soul’ (4.4%). Football fans began arriving for pre-match drinks here and especially later at The Kings Head, some drinking a pint of Small World Beers ‘Home from Holme’ 4.0% (A Summer Pale, “with punchy citrus and fruit flavours”). It was a heady atmosphere – supporters were mixed in their predictions but Leicester City won 4-0 to end a sequence of poor results.
A brief taste of what was available in Leicester; each pub had something to offer but The Globe is the undoubted jewel for the real ale fan…
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