The White Horse, Atherstone

Just to clarify a couple of things from below, Phillips & Moriarty were taken over in 1924 by a Burton brewery that was a subsidiary of Mitchell and Butler so ended up as part of the Bass Charrington abomination rather than the Watney one. Steamin' Billy started as a brewery but gave it up fairly quickly. Their old school beers are currently brewed by Belvoir. As noted below this consists of a small front bar area which winds through to two other area with more seating. Steamin' Billy have done a good job on this refurbishment making it a pleasant place to stop. The four hand pumps had the three house beers (Tipsy Fisherman, Best and 1485) plus a guest Letherbritches Lemongrass & Ginger. I went for the Leatherbritches one (£3.30) which was in reasonable nick and the Best (£3.20) which was sour but replace by the landlord with one drawn straight from a new cask in the cellar. Overall I quite liked this place.

A welcoming front bar greets you on entering, helped when we visited by a roaring real fire. It's a comfortable spot and small enough to encourage general conversation. I didn't explore beyond in detail and, given it's dedicated to food, am unlikely to but the details are well documented below. The pub is owned by the Steamin' Billy brewery which was reflected in ale choice: Stemin' Billy Billy, Tipsy Fisherman and 1485 alongside Adnams Lighthouse as a guest. Steamin' Billy is a new brewery to me and, unfortunately, I didn't find a pint to suit although all were in decent nick. A nice place to stop by on a chilly evening but I think that I'd struggle to stay for a session.

Now a Steamin' Billy Brewing pub, this attractive-looking establishment has a semi-modernised interior. The front part is furnished and decorated in an alehouse style, with a slightly more contemporary look to the two partially opened-out rooms beyond the bar. However, there turns out to be a whole other dining area further back which must double the size of the place. Four real ales available on handpump, with three of their own beers - including a sadly disappointing Tipsy Fisherman (£3.40) - and Adnams Lighthouse.