Vine Inn, Nantwich

The Vine Inn is a wooden floor pub with a seating area at the front that is faced by the front end of the bar that supports five handpumps. This is a Hydes pub so these were drawing Hopster, Lowry, Original and Ralf + Alf’s Made in Paradise. The fifth handpump was being used to display the available CAMRA discount. To the left of the front seating is a raised area that houses a dartboard and a couple more tables. Steps lead up to the main length of bar along the right hand wall where there are three more handpumps, with the addition of Ralf + Alf’s Legger and a premium and standard keg range. At the rear are more steps that lead to a carpeted dining area. Televisions are located throughout and there is a BT sport sign in the window, but World Championship Snooker was playing via BBC during a recent Thursday evening visit. This was muted in favour of some background music. I found the service to be polite and would have no problem returning to this pub.

I instantly liked this pub, both inside and out. The pale stone flagged floor gave the pub a light airy atmosphere. Several Hydes beers were on sale with a couple of guests. My 4.4% Lacons Legacy from Great Yarmouth was very nice.

Fairly bland split level Hydes house, ok beer quality a few dodgy punters like the daft UKippers sat next to me as I enjoyed Hydes bland attempt at an APA and a microwaved lasange. Not as bad a pub as that suggests, there is a wide range of Hydes beers and it's popular, just bland. Split into three areas, counters in the front and middle with another seating bit to one side and a dining area at the back.

An attractive black and white exterior, this is not Brewer's Tudor, more the older style of local building. Inside the pub is split level following the terrain, unusually you enter up a sloping section, the first area is stone flagged, has a proper fireplace and has the bar towards the rear. Then up a couple of steps to a boarded and tiled area where the bar continues through. Beyond, again up a couple more is a rather intimate area with a log burner and comfortable seating. A separate semi-open side area with a glazed roof is accessed off the main bar to one side has a dartboard. A sign suggested a garden somewhere but I didn't investigate. Some exposed brickwork, timber clad beams, wooden boarded walls stained green plus areas of bookcase wallpaper. There are five handpumps, the pub mainly serves Hydes beers from Manchester unusually. Hydes Original, Manchester's Finest, Celsius Summer Ale which was double clipped with a Welsh farmhouse cider, I assume it's in a box somewhere, then Wentworth Light Nights and Beer Studio Citra Chinook (£3.10). Monday has an offer on cask, 50p off a pint. Decent value menu, Steak and Hydes ale pie with spuds or chips, £7.95, chip butties £3.50, burgers from £6.95. A nice atmosphere, the four areas allow you to choose your ambience, cricket on TV, low level pop type music played. A nice Nantwich pub on the way out of town well worth walking out to and doubling up with The Leopard further up the street.