The Flying Standard (JD Wetherspoon), Coventry

In the 2027 Good Beer Guide. Absolutely rammed on a Saturday afternoon - lots of Fulham fans, who judging by the time, did not realise that the ground is a fair way out the city. Not a single table to be had anywhere but after quick service at the bar (an excellent Exmoor Red for less than £3), I headed to the small upstairs and found a single stool and ledge (it had a number, but too small to be a table) on the way to the ladies loos.

First and second floors on a mock Tudor building ,you enter into a smallish bar area with two ranks of handpumps and mainly high tables in a low ceiling space while up a couple of steps (or chair lift) to a large square dining style area.Up the staircase to a seperate,more comfortable lounge with another servery at a lower level but the ale choice up here is just the Trio of Doom and a single guest,so buy downstairs unless you like dross. Besides the regular Trio of Doom ,the guests on my visit were Exmoor Red,Maxim John Bull Stout,Rebellion Knucker,Byatts Octobock and Burning Sky East India Porter ,NBSS Very Good.That's a good mix of styles and strength among the guest ales and given the conditioning and friendly service I would be happy to return expecting to fine good ale.

The Flying Standard is a large Wetherspoons that is housed in an enormous mock Tudor building with lots of café seating out front. The interior is split-level with raised seating in the front right and sunken seating to the left. A curved serving counter that runs across the rear faces a sea of high tables, many of which were taken during a recent midweek late afternoon visit. Upstairs is a smaller split-level bar where a paved terrace can be accessed to the side. Standard and premium keg were available across the two bars with two banks of six hand pumps downstairs and a bank of three upstairs that were drawing the usual three suspects alongside Sharp’s Sea Fury, GK Old Speckled Hen and Byatt’s Brewery’s Dragon Pop IPA.