The Brewery Tap, Sudbury

Official site of The Brewery Tap - thebrewerytapsudbury.co.uk

Official site of The Brewery Tap - thebrewerytapsudbury.co.uk

There's a definite locals vibe in the Brewery Tap, with a buzz of regulars and a host of very reasonably priced Maldon Brewery ales from the pumps, though the presence of a keg font serving Taylor's Hopical Storm was something of a surprise (cask TT Boltmaker was also available). There's a number of keg fonts, and a cold room behind the bar offers further delights (ciders and Hopback Citra when I was in town recently). The pub comprises a simple enough space, a little chilly as winter gets going, with the lengthy bar right in front of you as you come in. There's a bar billiards table at the top of the room and sufficient tables to go round. The ale quality was excellent (and well ahead of the new brewery tap at the other end of town). Its a good place to be and worthy of a stop-off at least, with an extended session well worth considering if you're in Sudbury.

The Mauldon's Brewery Tap is a detached pub just off the main centre of Sudbury. Inside it's a single L shaped room with wooden floors and a slightly raised area at the back that had an obstructed dart board and a covered bar billiard table. It was quiet on my midday Thursday visit. There are six hand pump which had one unused, Robinson's Wizaard and four Mauldon beers. I missed the fact that there were a few other beers served on gravity from the back. I went for the Mauldon's Blackberry Porter (£3.10) which was in good nick. This one is well worth a look and is GBG 2017 listed.

On handpump, Mauldons Micawber Mild, Moletrap, Silver Adder, Black Adder, Suffolk Pride, Mid-Summer Gold, also, on gravity (tap room visible thru small window beyond bar), White Adder, Pride, Bombardier, & RCH PG Steam. Modern, minimalist feel on entry with bare-board floor to dark wood bar & a few ‘tall' tables, but turn left to a mix of seating, various table sizes, solid wood chairs & nice free standing settles. Beyond the bar, the rear area is furnished with a couple of nice large pine tables served by bench settles, there is a dartboard rear right and adjacent bar-billiards table (covered, on our visit). Even here, though, despite the odd photo of the old locale, the white walls above light painted-wood panelling feel a little stark & naked, this made more obvious with the windows all around the L-shaped pub providing so much light – I had to think that more wall decoration and, maybe, hops adorning the whitewashed beams around the bar, would lend a softer, lived-in, homely effect. Outside a paved courtyard beer garden had new picnic sets, part covered by giant umbrella. I loved the blackboard at the bar offering filled rolls (£1.50), pork pies (£2), saltbeef or hot-gammon baps (£3), ploughmans (£5), how often we want such an easy fix, & how rarely it is found! Otherwise, cutlery is offered for bought-in take-aways and menus for the local ‘Kohinoor' are available on window-sill. The resident long-haired german shepherd has a bear-like appearance, but is very friendly. It seems churlish, given the good ale line-up, to complain about restricted choice, but the pub web-site was still announcing a 35-beer festival 17-21Jun even though it had, apparently been cancelled 5 weeks previously. I wish the incumbents well with their new-born twins, but the guv stating that ‘I had more important things on my mind' & ‘the website is the brewery's responsibility' did not exactly douse the flames of frustration after making a specific journey from London. 19 June 2009 WARNING! The advertised beer festival (17-21Jun) is not now happening.