The Organ Grinder, Nottingham

I wasn't quite so enthusiastic about this pub as some others have been - but there's no doubt that it's a good pub. I guess because we were in there on Friday evening it was very busy and thus perhaps not so comfortable as at a quieter time. Anyway, it's got the look of a traditional pub with traditional seating, and with a raised area at the back on the left. I thought it seemed larger than at first sight. We managed to get a few seats next to the real fire at the front on the left, and near the bookshelf library. They could have done without the glittering fairy lights, but that's just my opinion and maybe the kids like these flashing lights. Of course they had on a range of Blue Monkey ales. I can't remember which one I had, but I do recall that it was OK. We (that is the person whose round it was) were lucky to benefit from a Friday deal whereby all pints of real ale are £2.50 a pint between 4.30 and 7.30. Perhaps that's why it was so busy. I saw no sign of food. I'm surprised that I've managed to avoid visiting this pub in all the years that I've been coming to Nottingham. But I do expect to visit this one again.

A Blue Monkey pub with many of their real ales on sale. One room with the bar on the right side. Unfortunately the Ape Ale went of during being pulled, which was a shame, but credit to the girl behind the bar who noticed it. A suitable replacement was nevertheless found.

The organ grinder is the newest pub in Canning Circus that took over from the former Red Lion. Once inside there is one open plan room with wall divides of were there used to be separate rooms with the bar running along the right hand side with more seating to the back on a raised back room. There pub is completely hard wood floor and is very cosy with cushioned traditional seats. There is also a nice outside drinking area up a flight of stairs that is good for sunny days. On the bar is an extensive range of Blue Monkeys beers and the odd guest or two. On my visit there was Blue Monkey Guerrilla (£3.30) BG Sips (£3.10) Winter Woolly (£3.60) Ape Ale (£3.40) Chip Chimaney (£3.10) Infinity (£3.30) and Funky Gibbon (£3.10), the guest ales were Dark Star Winter Solstice (£3.10) and Doombar (£2.85). The funky gibbon way in a nice shape and very tasty and this is a very nice place to start or end the Canning Circus run, It has a proper pub feel and the open fire in winter makes it feel like a log cabin in winter with all the hard wood flooring and furniture, great at Christmas time. The only slight downside is the usual presence of Doombar on the bar which makes no sense to me whatsoever, especially charged significantly cheaper that their own brewed beers?!? Overall another great pub in Canning circus and one well worth seeking out.

This place was my main reason for coming to Nottingham but I had been so impressed by the previous five pubs that it had a lot to live up to. It's an original pub called the Red Lion as can be seen from the earliest picture but the fact that it's a terraced pub makes it look a bit like a shop conversion. It was my final stop of the Canning Circus group of four pubs. Inside it's a single room with the bar on the right and wooden floorboards. It was relatively quiet on my late Saturday afternoon visit. The bar has nine hand pumps which on my visit had seven Blue Monkey beers, Grain Oak and Doom Bore. I tried three Blue Monkey beers, Marmalape (£3.15), Infinity (£3.15) and Chocolate Guerilla (£3.40). All three were in great condition although I wasn't that impressed with the possibly experimental Marmalape which isn't even mentioned on their website. There were also two ciders and a perry at the blanket price of £3.60 despite the perry being a full 3% higher ABV than the ciders. It's a pub that shouldn't be missed but somehow I didn't find quite as good as the Loughborough one and I'm not sure exactly why. It is GBG 2015 listed.