Admiral Benbow, Shrewsbury

Open plan L shaped interior not as expected from the outside with its nice etched windows, a make over in the 80s or 90s has modernised it but not too badly. Four pulls on each face of the counter although on one face the clips are doubled or trebled up, giving a choice of 8 or 9 ales and a couple of ciders. Décor is middle of the road with carpeting, benches, stools and sewing machine tables, but lots of candle power . Silent as a grave when I dropped in apart from the 80s/90s music which won’t please everyone. At least the beer was fine, the pub being a long time GBG entry.

This good real ale pub dates from around 1800 and is now a privately owned free house, it is named after the heroic Royal Navy officer John Benbow who was born in Shrewsbury and considered by many to be the 17th century equivalent of Admiral Nelson. The interior has two small rooms, a public bar at the front with an L shaped brick bar counter on the left opposite the entrance, a tiled fire place in the left hand wall, several paintings of Royal Navy ships on the walls and two large flat screen TVs which were not on during my visit. At the back of this room is a door which leads to an L shaped corridor where the second room can be found on the left, this is a cosy lounge area with a serving hatch from the main bar and a dart board on the back wall. Also at the back of the public bar is a door which leads out to a small patio with a couple of picnic style tables and lots of flowers. Regular ales are the house beer, Benbow IPA, Ludlow Gold and Six Bells Cloud Nine with five changing guest beers usually from Shropshire and the neighbouring counties, Its also worth mentioning that there were three Ciders and a Perry on hand pull (GBG 2010). Forgot to ask who made the house beer but it was very good regardless, all beers seemed well kept in my opinion. A great traditional pub for good beer, the landlord runs a tight ship (sorry, couldn’t resist) and does not allow groups of lads aged under 30, although common sense is used when younger people are accompanied by mature adults. I got a bit of a 70’s/80’s vibe from the interior which is a shame as this Georgian building must have been internally renovated at some point. Definitely a place to include on a pub crawl if you enjoy real ale, I shall return.

This place has a great reputation for real ale and its easy to see why , 8 on during my visit , 6 Bells Old Castle Dark and Cloud 9 ,Shires Dabley Gold ,Ludlow Gold, Wye Valley HPA , Salopian Hop Twister ,Shropshire Brewery Stout and the pubs own Benbow IPA along with a choice of 6 ciders theres plenty to go at , i had a Ludlow Gold and very good it was . Where the pub falls down is the atmosphere , a lot of the locals seem content to keep themselves to themselves and there is hardly any banter , its not quite a Slaughtered Lamb but you do get some strange looks if your not known , overall well worth a visit just for the beer , just dont expect a jovial atmosphere

One of the best options in town for Real Ales but that cannot disguise the fact that the pub itself is fairly plain and quite dull. The main bar is divided into 2 areas with a slight nautical theme. One side of the main bar has a wine bar feel with candle lit tables that seem wasted without a few romancing couples glancing into each others eyes. The other side is a bit more pubish but on the whole there isn’t really much that catches the eye. A glazed corridor leads to a small rear back room containing a dart board with its own serving hatch to the main bar. The beer garden is a pleasant bonus but the main draw is the ales, all sourced from local(ish) breweries. Shropshire Pride, HPA, Ludlow Gold, Gertie Sweet, Old Recumbant and the pubs own Benbow ale, certainly a few unusual beers worth exploring. In addition there were 2 Yarlington ciders (7.5% and 7.8%). The pub was alarmingly empty on my visit (in contrast to the Coach & Horses a few doors down that had a healthy bustle) but a visit is worthwhile for the beers alone. Just don’t expect a pub brimming with atmosphere or ambience.

Decent pub , large selection of real ales and a couple of ciders , very popular but does lack a bit of atmosphere

Nice brick exterior, though the inside is a little threadbare. The memorabilia is naval in theme, which suits the pub - Benbow being an admiral who died during the War of the Spanish Succession, against the French, in 1702. The pub gives friendly service and a big choice of everything from real ales to bottled lagers (didn't see any French ones!) I had the Old Castle Dark MILD, which was quality and the Shropshire Stout, which wasn't so nice. Great pub, always to be visited when in Shrewsbury, especially with the Coach & Horses next door.

Average just about covers it. Nice comfortable bar/lounge with indifferent Banks's/Marstons beers. About the best beer on sale is Guinness - nuff said. Recently seems to have changed hands as they had Tetleys on yesterday (15th July 2008) - never mind! Good atmosphere when crowded, which isn't very often. Garden at rear. Large municipal car park nearby.

Please don't mention this place as you'll get me all excited. Very near the town centre so forget about parking. Very good selection of local real ales - does real cider & perry too. Perry - that's what the ignorant call Pear Cider. Cider comes from apples, Perry from pears & ale from heaven. Can't remember ever seeing any lager (from Hell - in Switzerland they even call it Hell bier) in the place - wow! Has an entry in CAMRA Good Beer Guide.