The Swan Inn, Stone

The Swan Inn has a central bar counter that supports premium and craft keg alongside Carling and nine hand pumps that were drawing Acorn Brewery’s Yorkshire Pride, Coach House Brewing’s Old Priory, Wily Fox Brewery’s Dark Flagon Rum Porter, Vocation’s Heart & Soul, Beartown Brewery’s Affinity, Derby Brewing’s Dashingly Dark and Tropical, Oakham’s Citra and Lymestone Brewery’s Pounamu. I opted for a pint of Tropical and found a free table in the square seating area to the left. The pub was busy so I ended up sat at a small table in the corner where I noted that the entire old beamed ceiling is covered with old pump clips. There was also a real log fire in the exposed brick fireplace which added to the atmosphere. Unfortunately my pint had turned, so I took it back to the bar and it was swapped for a Vocation, no questions asked. Now being mobile I took this opportunity to sit in the right-hand side of the pub where there’s more seating, including a long table that sits along the rear wall behind the U-shaped right-hand side of the bar counter. There was some background music playing, the likes of Mumford & Sons, which I don’t mind. Out the back is a decent beer garden, hopefully it will stop raining at some point this year so that it can be enjoyed. I liked this pub and will certainly return if ever in Stone again.

Multiple local Camra branch pub of the year, and you can quite see why - a traditional alehouse with a real focus on decent beer so it doesn't matter one bit that the furniture is mostly plain and decor limited in much of the four-part opened-out 'J'-shaped layout (along the lounge part is more comfortable). Excellent choice from a total of nine handpumps, including two from Acorn - Barnsley and Gorlovka - plus Holden's Golden Glow and six less usual beers such as my Bradfield Farmers Brown Cow (£2.79, with 10% Camra discount). NB - Also has welcome real fires at each end, so an ideal spot for a winter evening.

This is an excellent free house with nine hand pumps. There was a friendly atmosphere and welcome, with a real fire at either end of the building. The range of beers on the bar was astonishing (see photos), with several beers and a couple of breweries I had not come across before. I only had a half, as I was trying to catch up with some people I'd arranged to meet, but the beer I had was in very good condition and I'd be more than happy to return here another time.