The Old Volunteer, Nottingham

The Old Volunteer or “The vollo” as it is known is a roadside pub In carlton that was given a huge overhaul a few years ago and it became the flagship for the local Flipside Brewery. Before it was a bit of a dingy place lauded for its live music. Since the renovation it is much more of a traditional real ale drinker’s pub. The décor is really nice with lots of wood panelling and features. The bae runs along the right hand side as you enter and the pub is completely opened out to for one large open space. The pub has ten hand pulls evenly split between Flipside and rarer seen guests from far and wide. Flipside ales do not carry the best reputation in Nottingham and news or their recent struggles (Downsizing to a smaller brewery with smaller capacity and letting go of one of their three pubs) only adds to the point. I know of many people who stay well clear of anything they brew but I found their stouts and bitters to be pretty decent and the Dusty Penny at £3.15 with went down ok, The 7.3% Russuin rubel now costs £4.30. There Pale ales however do not impress as much but beer quality in here is of a good standard They also sell some more premium keg lagers such as Starorpmen. Overall this is a great addition to the Carlton pub scene and worth seeking out. The girl happily placed a sparkler on the tape when asked without quibble so that is always a plus in my book. Definitely worth a look especially if there’s something interesting on the guest pumps. .

Absolutely superb Flipside Tap. Nice décor, chatty staff and a decent selection from Flipside and others. We called on a Saturday lunch time in September on a Tap crawl round Nottingham and were not disappointed.

This is clearly an old pub that has been given a fine refurbishment including a sizeable patio / garden which you see when approaching. Inside it's an open room with a long bar on the right, wooden floors and a slightly raised carpeted area on the left like they do in a lot of JDWs. There are ten hand pumps with one devoted to Old Rosie cider. The four Flipside beers were Farthing Mild, Franc'N'Stein, Sterling Pale and Clippings IPA. The five guests were Springhead Drop O' The Black Stuff, Slightly Foxed Bengal Fox & Urban Fox, Elliswood Legless and Intrepid St Bernard I went for the mild (£2.60) and the Clippings IPA (£3.70) both of which were first class. I can confirm the CAMRA discount so I paid 20p less than the prices shown. I thought this was an excellent tap for the Flipside brewery and well worth the short bus ride out from the City Centre.

Thoroughly refurbished pub, partially opened-out with several small seating areas around the bar and a café servery area in one corner. As the Flipside Brewery tap, five of their own beers - including Dusty Penny porter (£3.00) and the award-winning 7.3% Russian Rouble (£4.10) - are available on handpump, plus five more guests. Very busy on a Friday evening, but well staffed and with an excellent atmosphere.