The Colombia Press, Watford

Prefered this of the two Wetherspoons in Watford.Just the usual style of pub from this chain.Lots of outside seating.Tried the Rebellion -overthrow.Great conditioned beer

Lloyds No 1, with a large rectangular bar featuring a mix of furniture, distinctly modern decor and an industrial-looking ventilation system. Also has a few patio tables out front. DJ booth to rear, but just background music when I visited. Fair selection from ten handpumps, including Nethergate Old Growler (a bargain £2.20) and Broadside as a manager's special at a remarkable £1.70.

This pub, on Watford’s rather glum pedestrianised High Street, takes its name from the printing press used to print the first edition of the Watford Observer. Watford has a long association with the printing industry, but is perhaps just as well known nowadays as the headquarters of the Wetherspoons pub chain, of which this is one such example. The place is actually branded as a Lloyds No 1 outlet, but could quite happily sit alongside some of the more modern Wetherspoon branded pubs. You enter into a pleasant front seating space under large windows that don’t allow too much light in because of an awning outside that acts as a shelter for the decent amount of street-side seating. The servery appears on the right hand wall with a large neon sign on the bar back. A row of high tables and stools run opposite, between a series of large structural pillars that break up the room a little. Comfier seating can be found along the left hand wall underneath a selection of swirly modern artworks. Beyond the bar is a wooden floored seating area with comfy padded banquettes to the left, padded high backed benches to the right and standard tables and chairs in between. A DJ booth in the rear corner acts as confirmation that this is indeed a Lloyds Bar. To the rear, a carpeted space provides overspill seating, mostly in the shape of high tables and stools. The whole pub has been painted in a fairly neutral colour scheme and feels a bit bland, with the odd TV screen here and there showing Sky Sports News breaking up the monotony. I counted ten handpulls which were dispensing six guest ales, three ‘Spoons regulars and one cider. I gave the Vale Wytchert a try and thought it was in excellent condition and was a little surprised to find that the pub hadn’t been listed in recent editions of the Good Beer Guide. The staff were friendly enough, having just fought their way through the worst of the pre-match rush prior to a game at Vicarage Road. I found this place smart and clean but a little lacking in character which made settling down difficult. It’s not that easy finding good beer around town, so this may be worth visiting out of necessity rather than anything else, but I think next time I’m in the area, I’ll give the other ‘Spoons a chance.

This is the smaller of the two Spoons in Watford High Street and is a Lloyds No 1 so they had quiet background music on. On my "early doors" visit there was only one other punter, another old git who appeared to be falling asleep over his coffee. It's the usual shop conversion but has a wooden floor rather than the customary carpet and together with the trendy lighting, exposed air conditioning ducts and flashing gaming machines it looked more like Dr Who's Tardis than a pub. All six pumps were in use and in fact had a much more imaginative selection than the larger nearby Spoons with eighteen pumps. I could have had any four of the six on offer but settled for the Yeovil Glory at £2.09 which was in good nick. This place was better than I expected it to be but I'm not sure that I'd like it of an evening, especially at the weekend.

During the day it’s usually the more refined of the two Wetherspoons in Watford but has an inferior beer selection. Having said that there is probably less call for it as the clientele is predominantly made up of lager boys and lunching girls. The presence of a large screen and a number of TV’s for live sport attracts the former. I suppose it’s possible that the former attracts the latter. I wouldn't go near it on a weekend evening, that's when the younger crowd take over and the ale is replaced with alcopops & shooters and the TV sport with thumping music.