The Rose, Maidenhead

Built in 1881, this front of this pub is very much firmly in 2011, with plenty of screens for sport (including a large one above the bar) and overly loud music. The front bar has clearly been refurbished in the last few years (laminate floor, white walls) and on my Saturday afternoon visit was home to plenty of well-lubricated blokes shouting above the din of music. The corridor leading off from the left hand side has a room off it to the right which is the dining area. 2011 stops abruptly here and returns to 1971 as it looks like an old seaside resorts cast-offs. The corridor eventually leads out into a courtyard area for smokers. Perhaps surprisingly, there were three ales on the pumps, with Pride and Rebellion available, the Binghams Twyford Tipple being off. Both the Rebellion and Pride were surprisingly good and two of the three ales being local was a real surprise. Whilst this place really didn’t do it for me on one level the beer was good so I might be tempted to pop in again next time.