The Lion & Key, Hull

This was only the second of two original pubs visited in Hull and for me was easily the best of all hostelries visited. I made two visits here both late evening and managed to find a seat even on the Friday. As noted below there is bric-a-brac everywhere, countless pump clips all over the walls and ceilings and a bank of hand pumps that I failed to count and failed to note the beers but I suspect most of them were from Yorkshire and some were from the in house Cathead. On the first visit I had the Neepsend Chinook Stout (£3.60) which was really outstanding and I was gutted to find it gone the next night. However the same brewer's Stout (£3.50) was on and that was also outstanding.

Old Town alehouse in a building with a narrow frontage, with a traditional-style interior crammed full of bits and pieces but notably the vast array of pump clips / beer mats on the ceiling and an imposing bar-back. Excellent selection of 14 real ales on handpump, from near and afar, but I risked a Kissing with Confidence from Revolution (£1.70, half) which was in good form. As with several other nearby establishments it is not as authentic as it appears, but definitely worth a visit in any case.

Ex Irish pub, full of crap inside and possibly the most amount of mounted pump clips on the ceiling I've ever seen. What else was there…a jumbo cart wheel on ceiling, a lovely bar back with Edwardian style ‘Direct Importers, Tinned Fruit and Choice Preserves’ signage and a Flavor Flav jumbo clock on a chain. To the rear is a patio with awning. 16 pumps, I gave up writing down what was on each one, suffice to say it wasn’t exactly Doom Bar or GK IPA stuff. Having heard that there was an in-house brewery (Cat Head) I decided to try their mild and it was a horrific phenol brew, more like Cat Piss. Hastily switched over to beer brewed by people with tastebuds and got a Great Heck Dave, much better and in very good nick. The dreadful homebrews aside, this was an interesting place with plenty to see and plenty to drink, so is worth a visit for that alone.