Dog & Partridge, Bury St. Edmunds

A large pub adjacent to the Greene King Brewery, I assume this pretty much serves as the brewery tap with the other nearby pub that carries that official designation seeming to be closed whenever we went past. It’s quite large inside, being divided in to a number of different areas and seems to have something of a chain like feel to it. Much of the décor is contemporary with Farrow & Ball brown paintwork and a sanded wooden floor, but then there are also some areas of exposed brickwork, for example. A large brick fireplace was opposite the bar counter, although this did not look as though it were used. A snug at the front of the pub had much wood panelling on the walls, making it somewhat reminiscent of a hotel drawing room. A number of old black and white photos of the brewery were on the walls. Service seemed a bit hit and miss with some staff serving hot drinks and others seeming to scurry about without actually achieving anything. The menu looked to be a mass produced laminated affair and consisted of a number of sections such as burgers, grills, steaks, chicken, pub classics, etc., with the latter including options such as sausage and mash, hunter’s chicken, scampi & chips, lasagne, beef & ale pie, chicken tikka masala, etc. Most of the main courses were priced somewhere around £9, although many were also available as part of a “2 for £10” deal. A plate of flapjacks was on the bar counter. Beers on tap were all from Greene King as might be expected with their IPA, London Glory and Old Speckled Hen, whilst a fourth pump for St Edmunds appeared to have run out. Another bank of four pumps around the corner were, I assumed, duplicates, but I did not inspect them so there may have been a further selection available. Ciders meanwhile were Aspall’s Suffolk and Rekorderlig Raspberry.

The Dog & Partridge is surrounded by the Greene King Brewery just as the aroma of malting barley envelopes the pub inside. It's a pub that's very much at the heart of the Greene King operation and attracts staff from the brewery at lunchtimes. So you'd expect this to be a celebration of the brewers' art, I think? Sadly, it's the marketing department and the chief accountant who have the upper hand - this is an example of the Flame Grill formula. Heck, on my visit, they couldn't even rustle up an IPA: the clip was turned! That's right, despite the brewery being located on the other side of the wall, Greene King's flagship ale was off. Instead, I had a pint of the pub special 'Dog & Partridge Best' which was not a great pint. Cheap, though: £2.99 got me 9/10 of a pint. So: what else might you expect? I entered from Crown Street and was confronted with a bar offering 3-4 handpumps (one turned - see above), the tall font for St. Edmunds Ale, as well as some standard draft offerings. There seemed to be no indication that the bar extended around the corner, where 4 more ales from the GK stable could be had (or maybe I failed to spot the clues?). There are several rooms inside, all well-looked after. There's also a pleasant beer garden leading through to the quiet Bridewell Lane. Unfortunately, though, the whole place just felt soullessly corporate. The pub seemed to be aiming more at the brewery's middle management and their golfing colleagues than the beer tourist hoping to tap into Greene King at the source.

Dog & Partridge page at a Greene King site - www.gkflamegrill.co.uk

Dog & Partridge page at a Greene King site - www.gkflamegrill.co.uk