Molly Malone's, Taunton

A large Victorian back street pub previously The Malt and Hops.  It has an Irish theme, but it’s more than a bog standard Irish bar.  The ground floor has been opened out to form a single nearly-square bar with a counter in one corner around the stairwell.  The Irish theme comes from the various paraphernalia dotted around the walls, and the fact that the landlord is actually Irish.  There are various table arrangements, though this is a boozer, not a gastro, and there is a comfortable seating area with Chesterfield sofas around an original fireplace in one corner.  There is allegedly a garden, but this is open to debate as the piece of ground which could fill this roll is currently more like a scrapyard.  There is a pool table at the rear end, plus some gaming machines.  The staff were friendly, but it was fairly quiet when we visited so it’s hard to say what the typical clientele might be like.  Alongside the usual megakeg offerings were three handpumps, one dry.  The ales on offer were Otter Amber and Dartmoor Jail Ale, both in very good condition.  I’d definitely include in a crawl for the beer.