The Roebuck Inn, Burton On Trent Town, Burton on Trent

The Roebuck is a long and thin pub that was rammed with all the tables in the front, up the right opposite the serving counter and at the rear by the dartboard being used. I think someone was setting up for a quiz at the rear which explained all the bits of paper on the tables. The counter supports standard and premium keg and six of the eight hand pumps were in operation drawing Old Peculiar, Bass, Burton’s Reservoir, Fuller’s ESB, GK Abbot and Pedigree. The service was polite and the Bass was good so I see no reason not to return to this popular pub.

I'd walked from the station into town past this pub when I first arrived. Whilst it is the first pub along the road to open each day, I was still slightly too early for 2pm opening initially. Returning later in the afternoon, I found a fairly traditional single room pub with bare floorboards and quite a few customers (all male). For a 2024 Good Beer Guide pub, I was slightly disappointed with the beer range. Bass, Theakston Old Peculier & Marston's Pedigree are the regular ales. Guests were Timothy Taylor Landlord & Brain's The Rev James. However, the boxed cider range made up for it, with a choice of Weston's Old Rosie & Lilley's Mango Cider, Rhubarb Cider, Strawberry Cider & Cherries & Berries. A decent, traditional pub. But there are better further along the road.

The first pub you see as you walk into the town centre from the station, and quite distinctive due to its unusual, curved frontage and the old Ind Coope pub sign. Opened out at some stage to leave a single room with various seating areas around the bar and at each end, all parts with semi-traditional furniture. Decent selection of real ales from seven of the eight handpumps, including a fine Gates Burton Ale (£1.80, half).

Handily placed for the station, the pub sign is topped by the ‘Hand’ logo used by Allied for their Ind Coope pubs, the symbol originally coming from the now revived Allsopp’s. As described, the interior exhibits some interesting green carved or moulded friezes around the interior perimeter. I didn’t imbibe here as it was a bit early, but all seemed tickety-boo and in all it would appear that it would make a great start to a crawl.