Alexandra Arts Company, Rugby

Just around the corner from the Seven Stars, this is another fine back street boozer, complete with its own microbrewery in the beer garden. Presenting itself as a classic, down to earth, two bar pub, you enter through doors denoted 'Lounge' or 'Bar' into the main front bar, via a porch with some nice decorative glasswork. The lounge is carpeted and forms an L shape with a servery running around the corner. Sturdy banquettes furnish the right hand wall, whilst pew and standard chairs fill the front and left sections. Two tiled fireplaces create some nice visual distraction, with one stood underneath an elaborately mounted mirror. A corridor down the left hand side of the pub is lined with some interesting old photos of the town and leads to the rear bar which is something of a recreation room, thanks to pool and skittles tables, a dartboard, Wurlitzer juke box, slot machines and a TV screen. Standard tables and chairs run around the perimeter of the room, allowing plenty of standing space elsewhere. A large garden can be found at the far end of the corridor, where you can enjoy the sun from one of the numerous picnic benches or spy on the brewer who operates out of a small building to one side. Numerous CAMRA awards line the walls, bearing testament to the pub's fine ale policy. Three of the in house Atomic Brewery beers were available on this visit - Strike, Spectrum and Reactor, as well as Abbeydale Deception, Fullers London Pride and Blakemere Freshly Squeezed. I gave the Spectrum a try and thought it was in very good shape. I tried another Atomic brew on a return visit after the main crawl, but failed to note what it was, although I do remember it was in similarly good condition. This place might not have the polished appearance of the Seven Stars and it can't match their extensive ale range, but I thought it had a bit more character to it and got the impression that it would make a lively local. This is another must-visit pub in Rugby and worthy of its Good Beer Guide inclusion.

This traditional pub seemed very much a locals pub,two bars ,the rear bar being accessed via a passage way inside one end of the pub.I only noted 6 handpumps,but may have missed another one as 7 are reported below, however there were three from the very local Atomic Brewery available, I opted for the Spectrum,a well kept pale beer. A nice enough pub and well worth stopping for a couple.