MoCa, Matlock

This bar attached to the Cromwell Hotel (now closed) was once the cheap lager/problem drinker centre for this small town in the Derbyshire Dales, but now it's the centre for real ale excellence instead. Quite a transformation. I called in here at opening time on Saturday when it was fairly quiet. I just tried a half of Oakham Winter Wraith, a classic 4.5% porter that went down a treat. At the time there were five other ales on hand pumps: one each from Abbeydale, Kelham Island, Brampton, Blue Monkey and Dancing Duck. After a walking tour of Matlock Bath, Starkholmes and Matlock Green I returned for a second beer and found that two of the six ales had changed. On this occasion I had the Brampton Griffin, which was a very refreshing pale bitter. After watching the football at the nearby Causeway Lane ground I was back for a celebratory beer or three, at which time another two beers had been changed, and I had Abbeydale Baubles, a fairly ordinary malty beer, and revisited the Brampton and the Oakham just to round the day off. As one of my Luton mates pointed out, after I had introduced him to the pub, I had become a regular in just one day. All beers were priced at £3.00 a pint, with a special Real Ale Rack - four one-third pints plus a bowl of cheese chunks - priced at £5. The atmosphere is closer to cafe bar than pub, with grey painted walls minimally decorated with a few B&W photos of pop groups, bare boards, chunky pine tables and matching chairs. There was subdued music of the indy kind when I paid my earliest visit, but as it got busier around match time this had vanished beneath the general hubbub. I expect it's quieter here when Luton are not in town, but this is clearly the place to be if you're in Matlock and fancy a well kept pint or two of real ale. My problem now is finding an excuse for my next visit.