The Grapes, Oxford

A rare new Oxford tick for me.... quite an outstanding range of cask and keg. Sunday night, and you can only wonder about turnover with just a handful of other punters in. Jaipur and Harveys Sussex Best making you choose between your favourite children. Unless you stay for two.

Curious-looking place, with a narrow frontage under a sharply pitched roof, and quite unlike any of the neighbouring buildings. The semi-traditional interior widens out as you go further back to the a L-shaped layout. Eight handpumps on the counter, featuring three cask ales from Craftsman Brewery - including the Chocolate Orange Stout - plus rare trips south for Vocation Heart & Soul and Make it Luminosa from Brew York, and an unusually long journey in the other direction for Harvey's Sussex, plus three draught ciders. Numerous crafty keg beers from taps on the bar-back too. Overall, much better than I was expecting.