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Image posted by Will Larter
Submitted on Wednesday, 29th June 2022
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Detail Pages
The Vat & Fiddle, Nottingham
Nottingham
NG2 1NB
Served areas
VatandFiddle
Monday, Monday, Monday....noone likes Mondays, so how about something to make it a little better?
Drink in for take… https://t.co/2C98s3UdH8
2:04 PM Jan 30th 2023 from Twitter for Android
Reviews of The Vat & Fiddle (Average Rating: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Vat & Fiddle
With time to spare between trains, I decided to take the 3-4 minute stroll from Nottingham railway station to the Vat & Fiddle, which is Castle Rock's brewery tap.
It fronts the brewery, but even as a standalone pub, it is worthy of a visit in its own right. Drinking space curves its way around the long bar, which has around a dozen handpulls dispensing both Castle Rock beers and guests. Craft beers are also well represented. A Vault City takeover had recently been held and there was another one from Kernel looming large. Boxed ciders are also available.
With plenty of staff on hand, service was fairly quick in the main. Hot snacks were also being served on my lunchtime visit.
Standard Castle Rock beers on were Harvest Pale, Elsie Mo, Screech Owl, Preservation & Our House. Also from Castle Rock were Door of the Cosmos & Just Can't Get Enough. Guest ales were Loud Shirt Like Clockwork, Turning Point Swim To The Moon & Light of the Elder, Lenton Lane Pale Moonlights & Pentrich Crimes In Citra.
Ciders were Weston's Old Rosie, Snail's Bank Rhubarb Cider, Torkard Floppy Tabs, Sneinton Fifth Element & Newton Court Original Farmhouse Scrumpy, whilst craft beers all from Vault City were Raspberry Blueberry Bubblegum Bottles, Maple Vanilla Choc Chip Stout, Even Cloudier Double Dry Hopped & Strawberry Supernova.
My first visit here in just over 5 years, this is quite possibly Nottingham city centre's best pub. It is well worth missing a train for!
On 14th November 2023
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Steve C left this review about The Vat & Fiddle
The Vat & Fiddle is Castle Rock’s Tap with picnic tables in the car park at the rear overlooked by the brewery behind. Seven of the twelve hand pumps were drawing CRB beers, I went for Bold as Love which was well served. The guests on during a recent Wednesday visit were Little Brewing’s Rambler, Northern Monk’s A Little Faith, Cloudwater & JW Lees’ Piccadilly Star and Redwillow’s Faithless. Standard, premium and craft keg was also available and there’s a food menu, the burger is priced at £13. The staff were all very friendly and I will certainly revisit when next in Nottingham.
On 7th August 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Vat & Fiddle
In contrast to the Canalhouse, whose threshold I had not crossed in almost a decade before my recent visit, there has only been one time I've been in Nottingham that I have not gone in the Vat & Fiddle for a beer, and that was when I turned up here half an hour before kick-off at Meadow Lane and found Luton Town fans four deep at the bar. More recently I came in here the day after a Luton Town game at the City Ground, and found myself unexpectedly sitting almost opposite a friend of mine from Luton who had missed the match because of Covid but had tested negative the morning after and got straight on a train to come here.
On a more normal day this time, and last pub of a crawl before my delayed train back to Sheffield, but it was busy enough, with 10 beers on at the time of my visit, and maybe a dozen drinkers, and the beer - Castle Rock Preservation - was superb. In fact I said as much to the young lass who had served me (I could tell that she thought I'd clearly had a few) and then decided to go on WhatPub to give it NBSS 5 (which I have only just remembered to do). As others have mentioned, it's the Castle Rock brewery tap, it's less than five minutes from the station, and being pretty handy for either of the football grounds makes it a must for a pre-match drink - unless all your mates have turned up before you and have completely blocked the bar, that is.
Date of visit: 22nd June 2022
On 8th July 2022
- rating: 10
[User has posted 3745 recommendations about 3482 pubs]
View more reviews of The Vat & Fiddle (25)
Nottingham 11.11.11 by Gill Smith
Nottingham's Brewing Highlights by Mark Davey
Pubs Galore is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
- Official site of The Vat & Fiddle - www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk
- Facebook - Vat and Fiddle
- Twitter - VatandFiddle
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Vat & Fiddle - whatpub.com
Netherfield, 3.67 miles, 1 hr 10 min walk (show)
Beeston, 3.78 miles, 1 hr 12 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 14 November 2013 by Pub SignMan
- Bar Billiards : Yes last updated 12 November 2011 by David McNally
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 08 September 2023 by Will Larter
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 08 September 2023 by Will Larter
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 08 September 2023 by Will Larter
- Car Park : No last updated 18 July 2013 by Alan Winfield
- Child Friendly : Yes - Until 21.00. - last updated 26 November 2020 by Tris C
- Darts : Yes last updated 14 November 2013 by Pub SignMan
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 26 November 2020 by Tris C
- Function Room : Yes last updated 26 November 2020 by Tris C
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 18 July 2013 by Alan Winfield
- Live Music : Yes last updated 14 November 2013 by Pub SignMan
- Micropub : No last updated 02 October 2015 by ROB Camra
- Pinball : No last updated 14 November 2013 by Pub SignMan
- Pool Table : No last updated 14 November 2013 by Pub SignMan
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 14 November 2013 by Pub SignMan
- Real Ale : Yes - Castle Rock brewery tap. - last updated 26 November 2020 by Tris C
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 26 November 2020 by Tris C
- WiFi : Yes last updated 26 November 2020 by Tris C
