Sandford Park Alehouse, Cheltenham

I was very impressed with this new addition to Cheltenham when I first visited just after its opening some ten years ago and was eager to look this one up again to see how it was doing and was pleased to find it doing rather well. Largely unchanged internally but has a bit more character nowadays with the addition of a lot more beer and brewery related memorabilia, especially in the snug and the bar billiards room. There is now an upstairs section up the staircase which I don’t remember from before. In two sections the larger hand side has a large rectangular table and the other has additional seating. It’s worth popping up here to take a look at the really impressive Courage and Charrington mirrors that are hung over the fireplaces. The garden is now a smart external space, but then it had been a building site when I first visited. What I couldn’t tell, as I visited at lunchtime was whether the pub is too brightly lit at night, which was my biggest gripe with the place on my first visit. The bar is largely unchanged, still with ten pumps in five groups of 2 and 16 taps behind the bar for lagers and craft beers. The big screen that was behind the bar when it opened is gone though, meaning you have to squint at the small keg tap labels or presumably read the daily beer sheet of what’s on them. Easier to see the ales, and in this respect there were 9 on for my visit in the shape of North Cotswold Brewery Green Man IPA, Oakham Citra,Purity Jimbo Best Bitter, Wye Valley Butty Bach,Bespoke Brewing Co Half-Cocked IPA, Redwillow Brewery Weightless Session IPA, Salopian Lemon Dream, Bespoke Brewing Co. Beware the Bear and Bridge Stout. I went for the Salopian and Bespoke Brewing beers and they were both in good condition.

Looks quite grand from outside, an old Regency house I presume. Inside isn’t exactly an Alehouse vibe and perhaps is a little clinical for me, fairly stark and ordered over a long narrow bar and two side rooms. Eight pumps drawing six cask and a cider. My Oakham Citra was good (NBSS 4) though my partner's Purity Jimbo was a bit pump tired (NBSS 2.5) which indicates at least one pump too many as it was pretty busy. Six Nations on the telly and – sadly spotted on the way out! - bar billiards. Whilst it wouldn’t be top of the list for a revisit, I’d pop back in for a game of BB for sure. Former CAMRA National Pub of the Year (!) and GBG’23 listed. 6.5

Not too much like an Alehouse, a bit of restaurant crossed with middle class pub I would say. In the GBG2022, unsurprisingly with ten pulls admittedly with a fairly good mix of smaller breweries if not of styles. 16 keg taps on the bar back and a bunch of wines and spirits. It does have a bar billiards table to the right as you enter. Basically it’s one open room with the remains of a spine wall and some separate back rooms, the counter is rear left. There’s a fairly big garden to the rear. I suspect it was was an expensive Regency home at one time.

2nd visit - where they are running an Oktoberfest for the next couple of weeks. Autentic food and beer. I'll try and remember to return next year - it was excellent.

Camra award winning pub that well deserves its awards. 9 real ales,16 keg and an extensive bottle selection. Quite a plain interior(didn't visit upstairs) with an outside area to the rear.

Sandford Park Alehouse, offering a large range of real ale and tap beers and lagers. Clean modern lines, make this attractive to the younger drinker.