Victoria Hotel, Nottingham

The Victoria is a grand old red brick building that must surely have been built as a station hotel even though direct access between the Northbound platform and the pub garden is via a gate mentioned below or a footbridge for the other platform. I went in the room on the right which is a square room with a tiled floor, benches, tables & stools and had a roaring fire. The five hand pumps here had Everard's Tiger, Burton Bridge Bitter, Blue Monkey Ape Ale, Hop Studio Barolo and Adnam's Ghost Ship. I went for the Ape Ale (£3.70) which was excellent. This is a fine old pub that has been well restored and is highly recommended. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked here so it's a strong 9.

The Victoria is a large pub located directly next to Beeston train station and is house in a very impressive old building that had been derelict for a long time. Thankfully it has been wonderfully altered into one of the premier real ale destinations in Nottingham. As you enter there are rooms to the left and right that are divided by a wall and served at the back from a long bar that runs the entire with of both rooms. Further on from the left room is a dining are for the home cooked food that is served daily, there is no menu because the food is made on a daily basis and is taken out once it has ran out giving a great variety every time and is of really good quality. There is a fantastic selection of real ales available and beer quality is always spot on and unlike some pubs have a vigorous checks and balances system to monitor every beer to make sure it is never kept in too ling. On my last visit there was : Castle Rocks Harvest Pale (£3.10) Fullers London Pride (£3.30) Everards Tiger (£3.30) Holdens Black Country Bitter (£3.20) Caythorpe One Swallow (£3.10) Burton Bridge Golden Delicious (£3.20) Lancaster Southern hemisphere Hopped Ale (£3.20) Full Mash Séance (£3.20) Hop Back Citra (£3.20) Scribblers One Brew Over The Cookoos Nest (£3.60) Welbeck Abbey Nightingale (£3.70) Caythorpe Dark Gem (£3.10) and daleside Stout (£3.30). a fantastic range and the few we tried were all great, open fires and a terrific beer garden that hosts live music, a proper destination pub that I urge anyone to seek out.

Still a 9. Nothing has changed at the Vic for a very long time except that the gate to platform 1 of Beeston station is now unlocked and you can get direct access to the beer garden and pub beyond. The rise of some fine drinking establishments in Beeston has not diluted the popularity of the Vic and it still gets very busy. An excellent first and last stop if you do a rail trip to Beeston, which I strongly recommend, given that there are now at least 7 decent real ale pubs in the town, a good Spoons and a new micro, soon to be joined by a second.

When i first visited the Victoria back in the early 80s the pub was a keg Ansells tied house,things have improved vastly since then. Once inside i went in the room the the right,this was a square shaped room,there was comfy bench seating along the front and left side of the room,with a couple of small round tables in the middle of the room,there was a real fire on the go,in one of those burner cotraptions,there were lots of brewery related posters and placks on the walls,i did like the old Kimberley brewery metal plack that used to be outside many of their tied houses. The floor was tiled. There were five pumps on the bar,i had a drink of Fyne Maverick which was a really nice darkish beer that went down well on a cold day,the other beers were Fyne Highlander,Ossett Silver King,Caledonian Flying Scotsman and Everards Tiger bitter. I had a quick look in the room to the left which had another bank of handpumps,i noticed Castle Rock Harvest Pale. I fely very comfortable and warm sitting in the right hand room. This pub is well worth the walk from Beeston town centre. Pub first visited 2/11/1982 Recent visit 28/1/2014

Update – November 2013 Enjoyed a good pint of Mordue Five Bridges Bitter in here recently. Other beers on included Kelham Island Best ( £ 2.90p ) , Everards Tiger, Batemans XXXB ( £ 3.10p ) , some Oldershaw Beers plus some Castle Rock beers. Remember to look in both bars to see the full range of available beers. There’s a large covered beer tent at the back, which provides much needed additional space. The pub appears to have a good cross section of customers of all ages, helped by the fact that there’s distinct drinking and eating areas. Various attractions were advertised – eg Live Music plus Tapas on 14 November and a Rhythmn and Blues Band on Sunday 17th. I was very impressed when I first visited this pub in July 2009 ( review below ). My opinion has not changed after this latest November 2013 visit. ORIGINAL REVIEW - JULY 2009 Marvellous Victorian red-brick pub adjacent to the northbound platform of Beeston railway station. The building dates back to 1899 and still advertises Ind Coope & Co Burton Ales high up on the building exterior. The room on the right as you go in is the public bar. This had a tiled floor, a wooden bar and etched windows proclaiming "Red Bar" and "Vaults". This room houses a fine collection of brewery posters and mirrors. Of particular note is a splendid full size St James Bar Worthington Ales mirror and posters from defunct breweries such as Holt Bros of Burnham, Somerset and Simpson & Co of Baldock, Hertfordshire. In this bar, you hear the occasional sound of the non-stopping high speed trains hurtling past ( Beeston is on the main line between Leicester and Nottingham ). In this bar, there's 5 handpumps. On my recent Monday lunchtime visit, these were dispensing Adnams Broadside ( £ 2.80p), Fullers ESB, Everards Tiger, Batemans XB and Bays Bitter ( £ 2.40p ) from Torbay in Devon. On the left is the main saloon bar. This comprises a number of interconnecting rooms which, whilst still retaining a traditional feel, gradually seem to get more food-orientated the further through that you walk. The food choice is wide and varied and is a step up from normal pub grub. Of particular note in this bar is a splendid picture of Queen Victoria and etched windows denoting "Smoke Bar". There's additional pumps in this bar, which add to the range on offer. These included Holdens, Ottershaw and Copper Dragon on my visit. Both the Copper Dragon and the Bays Bitter ( from the other bar ) were in good nick. There's no TV's or distractions anywhere in the pub and mobiles are thankfully banned. There's a large outside tented area almost on the platform. The pub offers regular themed food evenings and other events. The pub is a CAMRA GBG regular nowadays. This is a superb "must visit" pub in my book. If you're staying in Nottingham, as I was, it's £ 1.90p off peak day return and I thought it was worth every penny.

This is an imposing Victorian hotel built next to Beeston train station. As you approach, the large Ind Coope signage serves as a reminder of who the pub was originally built for, and the foundation stone can be seen from the pavement with its inscription dating the pub back to 1899. The main bar is located in the centre of the pub, to the left of the front entrance. The room is referred to as the Smoke Bar and has woodblock flooring, wood paneled walls and some nice etched glass windows. The room extends further to the left through two other areas, both of which appear to be set up for dining. Each area has its own fireplace and beer bottles are displayed along high shelves. There are some interesting bits of brewerania in these rooms including a Nottingham Brewing Family Tree, a Cains pump clip collection and the story of the Everards Brewery. To the right of the front door there is a quieter bar called the Vaults which has a nice brick fireplace, a lot more brewerania including a large Worthington’s mirror and banquette seating with heavy iron base tables. At the rear of the pub there is an external covered passageway which leads to the toilets and a garden which is adjacent to the railway. The central room has been covered in various blackboards which detail the beer, wine and food options in great detail as well as various special offers. The beer selection is split between the two bars with the full range listed on the bar back. On my visit, the choice was Oldershaw Caskade, Rudgate Ruby Mild, Lincoln Green Tuck Porter and Hood Best Bitter, Holden’s Golden Glow and Black Country Special, Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Kelham Island Best Bitter, Brewsters Decadence and Dancing Duck Ey-Up. Four cider/perry options were listed as well and there was an interesting keg range offering beers from Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic among others. I tried the Tuck Porter and Golden Glow, with the former in particular being in great shape. This is an excellent, well run establishment with plenty of good beer and an interior that is well worth exploring. The pub seems to dare you to enter the train station without popping in beforehand and having now seen what’s on offer inside, I’m sure I’ll be missing a few trains in the future.

This excellent real ale pub has been a local of mine since it re-opened the best part of 20 years ago! The beers are always excellent and the food although pricey is of an excellent quality and dosn't include anything with chips. The toilets are always clean and well stocked with soap and towels. The pub has regular live entertainment in the large marquee that covers the rear paved beer garden. Beer festivals and special occasions like the jubilee bring many more beers to the bar, sometimes as many as 50! On these occasions, a tempory outside bar is brought into use. Great place for an after work pint and plate or for a long Sunday lunch session and a far cry from it's old incarnation of a flat cap and whippet boozer selling Stones and Carling.