The Tyne Bar, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Quite a decent pub after a walk along the river. It continued the day out in the same manner although I doubt I'll return despite the Free Trade just over the way.

Formerly known as the Ship Tavern, this is a colourful pub and live music venue close to the mouth of the Ouseburn. The pub is pretty distinctive, thanks to an interesting external colour scheme and some prominent Bass signage and I easily found my way here from the city centre by following the footpath along the Tyne until the pub came into view. You enter into a carpeted room with the servery on the rear wall. The bar has a dark wood counter and panelled bar back with some coloured tiles to one side. Pews and chairs have been arranged opposite the bar, with more standard tables and chairs to the right on a slightly raised platform. To the left there is a lounge-style space with more seating and an old Wurlitzer juke box which hints at the pub's musical leanings. The décor spoke of a live music theme, with gig posters, album covers, guitars, photos and other oddities on show alongside some decent breweriana and old enamel advertising signs. Other notable sights included a Tom Paterson (Beano, Dandy, Beezer) cartoon of Morag the Toerag and, apropos of nothing, a picture of a surfing dachshund. As you might expect on a Saturday night, there was music playing at a fairly loud volume and the posters seemed to suggest that the live music predominantly takes place on Sunday evenings. To the side of the pub is a decent sized garden with plenty of seating and some rather convenient shelter provided by the bridge that spans it. The pub has a link to the local Wylam brewery, so their beers tend to feature heavily and on this visit the handpulls were only stocking Wylam brews, with a choice from Red Kite, Angel Amber Ale, Gold Tankard, Galaxia and Proper Bitter. I had a pint of the latter for £3.20 and it was in very good shape. Keg offerings included beers from the likes of Thornbridge and Blue Moon plus a couple of ciders. I enjoyed the alternative vibe of this pub and thought it was one of a number of fine boozers in this part of town. The prospect of finding some well kept Wylam beers has to be a good incentive to visit, but the pub has appeal beyond just music and beer, as evidenced by a strong, ever-growing crowd during my visit. A definite for inclusion on any visit to this part of town.

An attractive looking pub by Byker Bridge. Single room interior which though modernized was quite cosy - blue/green tartan carpet, exposed brick wall, lots of music ephemera, old tin advertising signs and breweriana. A faint US theme with ceiling fans, neon Bud sign and plenty of American music playing (though the jukey was apparently free and had some decent non-US tunes). Live music is big here, three gigs a week advertised. Outside seating is a sun trap and affords nice views of the lock. Only pub I went to in Newcastle that referenced Get Carter, a mural on the beer garden wall. Five Wylam ales on, my choice was pretty so-so, lacking a carbonation and served up by a monosyllabic barman. Noted that all ales were unsparklerized, though the plastic tits we're on top of each beer engine so presumably are added on request. If you’re heading up to Free Trade along the quayside it’s maybe worth a look or perhaps a special trip for the music. 6.5 verging on a 7.