The Rodney, Warrington

The Rodney is a large pub adjacent to Warrington Wolves stadium so I imagine the Large U-shaped bar gets mobbed on matchdays. No handpumps to be found. I thought that rugby fans liked a bit of real ale, or maybe that’s just Union supporters from the more refined south. Lots of keg is available, both standard and premium. Televisions are located throughout and around the back of the bar is a projector screen. A daytime quiz show was muted on most televisions whilst commentary from horse racing on the projector could be heard. There are much better options in the area so I’ll not be revisiting here.

The Rodney is a bit of a walk from the town centre but is slap bang next to the rugby stadium. Back when it was listed as serving real ale, this was a contender on a pub crawl of Warrington I did with a friend about three years ago, but it was in the opposite direction from the train station to the rest of the pubs we wanted to do, so time constraints meant we skipped this one. I noticed a few months ago on WhatPub that it is no longer listed as serving real ale, so as I had a bit of time to kill in Warrington today I thought I would check it out for myself, just to satisfy my curiosity more than anything. Indeed The Rodney is keg only, the most interesting of the keg options being Sharps Atlantic (which was off), Jennings Fine Line and Staropramen, in addition to the more standard stuff including smooth flow bitter. I went for the Fine Line which wasn't bad, and at £2.50 for a pint can't complain about the price. Although I did order a half and was served a pint... Sports TV and live entertainment are advertised. No sign of a food menu but there was that slight kitchen odour lingering so I suspect food is offered, at least for part of the day. A pool table is present. Regulars were crowded round the bar and one of them seemed to have the task of pressing a bell to get the barmaid's attention when a new customer walked in when she was off elsewhere. At just before 5pm most of the customers were older blokes, possibly retired or semi retired, along with one chap who had perhaps knocked off work early and was trying to move away from the "pub" sounds around him when taking a call on his mobile phone. Also at the bar was a chap who bore some resemblance to Phil Mitchell (although less red faced). Despite looking large from the outside it actually feels fairly small on the inside, probably because it is quite open and has a central and fairly large bar. The gents toilets were clean but dazzling bright compared to the more subdued lighting in the pub. I can't see this becoming a regular haunt of mine but I'm not sorry I tried it.

Pleasant enough place. Right by Warrington Wolves rugby ground so if you're into rugby expect to see pictures of rugby players.