The Barrels, Hereford

Located towards the periphery of the town centre, this is an attractive looking pub with something of a Tudor design perhaps with a white façade and black brickwork up each side and around all the doors and windows. A bar door to the side had some attractive stained glass in, whilst there were further stained glass windows to the front, although these looked to be much more modern, one depicting a couple of guys drinking pints and a barmaid serving. Internally it’s arranged in to a number of separate rooms around the central bar counter, although all were broadly similar in terms of décor. It’s looking a little tired in places, not exactly tatty perhaps, but it could do with a little TLC. The flooring was sanded wooden boards, with rough plasterwork on the walls and ceilings. The ceilings had a few black beams, and there were a number of old black and white photographs around the walls. There were also some sections of exposed brickwork, perhaps where an old fireplace had ben previously, and wood panelling on the lower part of the walls in many places. Seating was mostly fitted and padded benches around the permitter, as well as regular chairs and small padded stools. A couple of TV’s were up on the wall although these were not in use on our visit, and the bar counter had a number of barrel ends affixed to the front which was something of a feature. Rooms at the rear included a pool table, darts board and a couple of games machines. Beers on tap were all from Wye Valley with their Butty Bach, HPA, Wanderlust, Bitter, Hopfather and Wholesome Stout. Ciders meanwhile were Thatcher’s Gold, Stowford Press, Rekorderlig Strawberry & Lime and Rosie’s Pig. The barman whilst not unfriendly, was not particularly welcoming either, and overall I felt rather underwhelmed by this.