Tap & Mallet, Loughborough

Decent enough pub, but another with six hand pumps and nothing above 4.5% ABV. Shame.

Last pub before the station and unlike many of the other good beer pubs in town, the Tap was deserted at 7pm. We had a couple of decent pints and played some pool before legging it for the train. Not as good as other pubs locally, but still worth a visit.

I had a bit of a flying visit to this one on the way back to the station. It was a large single room with a rather prominent pool table and some board games stacked in a corner. The beer selection was disappointing compared to other pubs I had been to. I noticed Bateman's XB and Black & White, Brewster's Hophead, Abbeydale Deception and a cider. I went for the Abbeydale Deception (£3.10) which was in great nick. Bateman's beers seem to be popular in Loughborough but having two on in a GBG listed Free House didn't quite seem right.