The Fat Cat, Colchester

I popped in here prior to AFC Bournemouth's Friday evening match against Colchester (partly because there is a bus to the stadium that leaves from outside) and had high expectations for my first visit to a Fat Cat pub. The interior is L-shaped, with a few seats at the front, a relatively narrow strip down the side, and a more open area with additional seating to the rear. The walls were wood panelled and there wasn't really a lot of interest on display, which left it feeling a bit cold and impersonal. The staff were pretty friendly and I got chatting to some of the locals who seemed like a decent bunch, but I got the impression that it was only the football crowd generating any kind of atmosphere and that once the match-day bus departed, the pub would be a bit lifeless. There were 5 ales on hand pull, with a sixth pump displaying a turned clip. Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold, Woodfordes Wherry, Sharp's Doom Bar, Nethergate Sweeney Todd and one other were complimented by a further selection available from the tap room, but to my shame I only spotted the tap room about ten minutes before I had to leave, so I don't know how many beers were on offer from there. My Brewer's Gold was in pretty good shape and my companions enjoyed pints of a Belgian lager, the name of which I neglected to record, with Leffe also available on tap. This has the makings of a great pub, but I found it was lacking in atmosphere and character. Having said that, it's clearly a real ale destination pub and for that reason alone, I'm sure this won't be the last time I visit.

I was looking forward to my initial visit to the Fat Cat having been somewhat overwhelmed by the ales in its Norwich namesake but my early evening Saturday visit found little more than a rack of empty barrels and reversed pump clips (5 of the 6 were unavailable). Before I had even tried to ask for a pint listed on the overhead board the barmaid read out a long list of those that were not available and of the ones that were left, there really wasn’t much choice by the standards that I was expecting. The blame was apparently down to Colchester Utd being at home (they run a shuttle bus from the pub to the ground) but since this presumably happens at least once a fortnight, I would have expected the pub to be a bit more on the ball and have sufficient supplies at the ready. On a normal day I think it’s fair to assume that the ale range would be among the best in town and I certainly had no need to criticize the quality on the single beer I did try (Wolf Golden Jackal). The pub itself has a quite compact L shaped interior with some quite narrow drinking areas although it does seem to be a bit more spacious to the rear where there is an alcove with some pew seating and a further extension housed under a pitched roof. A small external yard won’t be of much use to anyone other than the “quick fag” customers. The front section has a window through which the tap room and its racked (empty, grrrr) barrels can be viewed. The general décor is quite plain and basic with bare floors, exposed brickwork, solid furnishings, a few nostaglic adverts and the old pub sign mounted on the wall. There was a good babble among the punters with no music and a sole silent TV showing Sky Sports News (before its recent withdrawal from Freeview). I do get the impression that I caught them on a bad day at the office and I would expect my rating to vastly improve on a return visit but for now, it must rank as a bit of a disappointment.

Beer range unrivalled in Colchester. Great on matchdays. The Honey Ale is one of my favourite beers.

This is a well run pub similar to the Fat Cat in Ipswich but not as good. There were 6 beers on when we went and 1 of them was completely lifeless. The other though were OK and the staff made up for as they were more than helpful