Chequers, Grantham

A long thin place not very well lit except in a snug area by the front window. It’s modern cafe bar in style with light colours and stylish furniture, the punters didn’t quite live up to the surroundings on my lunchtime visit but perhaps it’s different in the evenings. To the right is a snug area with leather sofas and some comfortable armchairs, the counter is located middle right with bar stools and drinking shelves opposite, at the back is a dart board and machines, there is a big screen high up.  Looking up there you can notice some older nice features. There is also a more hidden seating area behind the counter in a corridor running back to the toilets. Above one end of the counter is a collection of pump clips as oddly for this type of place it offers cask beers. Four handpumps are found at one end of the counter, one with Weston’s cider, a beer from 8 Sail and one from Zest Brewery (a pretty good IPA), nowt on the last one. The rest of the counter is occupied by a quintet of T-Bars serving a mix of cider and kegs, the beers ranging from good to Carling and John Smiths Smooth. The fridges are full of the kind of bottles the uncouth swig without the benefit of a glass.

Chequers is a thin bar with sofa seating in the front window to the right of the entrance and a serving counter midway along the right-hand wall where it faces some beer shelves up the left. At the rear is a room with stools and sofas, but I remained around the bar where I noted four hand pumps, three of which were in operation drawing Castle Rock’s Harvest Pale, Deuchars and a Weston’s Vintage Cider. The Deuchars was a bit wishy-washy but drinkable. There were three or four locals in and some background music was playing, but not a lot else was going on. Maybe better when it’s busier, but based on this visit I’ll not be rushing back.

Down the pedestrianised Butchers Row,,The interior benefits from a high ceiling giving an airy feel.There is a front seating area with a mix of furniture including some worn sofas.The flooring was pine throughout.The bar sits in the middle of the building and has an array of pump clips on the ceiling close by.The rear has a snug area,more sofas while you can wind around the rear of the bar back to the front.It's not plush and has a whiff of damp but given the chalkboard discounted shots and prosecco offering I expect the core audience will be younger folk who like loud music.It was more subdued on Monday lunchtime but at least there were 2 real ales with another clip reversed.Both the Zest Atomic IPA (NBSS 3.5) and Bakers Dozen Stamford Pale were in decent nick. A good pit stop and should be included in any real ale tour of town,the 2022 GBG entry seemed warranted.

Contempory wine bar with 4 real ales & music

A bit of a nightclub rather than pub. R shaped interior which was dark and dingy (or a ‘cosmopolitan contemporary bar’ if you are the local CAMRA branch). Four pumps with two ales; Bakers Dozen Straight Outta Ketton (poor) and Castle Rock Harvest Pale (under-par) plus Lilleys Mango cider. A half of each of the ales didn’t get us a GBG-quality serving which is unfortunate given this one is, er, GBG listed. Usually I’m happy enough to live and let live with more unusual places but I thought this one was poor overall, I wouldn’t see the need to return next time.