The Anchor, Brampton, Chesterfield

Dark and dull opened-out place with laminate floor. Three cask on, two being from the South. My Woodfordes Once Bitten lived up to the name (NBSS 1.5) and I noted that some else’s Jaipur went back as not being right. As I had a funny feeling about the place on entering so I only got a half, which I dumped and scarpered rather than arguing the toss. Not worth the bother and a mystery GBG pick especially given the nearby Tramway was much better but isn’t in it.

This pub is included in the current CAMRA GBG, so it was included in our recent Pub’s Galore crawl of Chesterfield to take a look. Unfortunately, the resounding question in everyone’s mind as we left was “Why?” Firstly, let’s give credit where credit is due, in that they did open for us just before their advertised weekday 4.00PM opening, to accommodate our crawl. Internally it was clearly a public and saloon bar set up back in the day, but now one long internal space with the bar across the middle section. The left-hand end still resembles a public bar set up and is dominated by a pool table and large flat screen tele, whereas the right-hand end is far more comfortable and lounge like. We chose to sit in the tables in the middle opposite the bar, which can best be described as, a bit in the middle. Three ales and two ciders on the five ale pumps on the top dispensing Thornbridge Jaipur IPA and a couple of Autumn seasonals in the form of Woodforde’s Once Bitten and Elgoods Poltergeist. I went for the Elgoods Poltergeist and it appears that I dodged a bullet as the rest of the group reported that the Woodforde’s Once Bitten was very poor and the Jaipur was sour and undrinkable. The Jaipur was changed for the keg version without quibble and the pump clip reversed, and overall there was a suspicion that the required pulling through of the lines from the night before may not have been done diligently enough, but it is only a very small suspicion and wouldn’t have accounted for the rank awfulness of the Jaipur anyway. Shame really, because this was the one small blip on an otherwise excellent drinking day around Chesterfield

Facebook page of The Anchor - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Anchor - www.facebook.com

The previous descriptions still stand up unsurprisingly, a bland interior with white and green Artex, pool and darts. There were five pumps including two pseudo ‘real’ ciders, my half of Woodforde’s Once Bittern, £2.05 a half and not good. One for tickers only.

The pub exterior has a bit of brewers tudor ,the interior is a long open plan room with a pool table and darts to the left with high tables,traditional seating opposite the bar and then two long dark leather bench seats leading to doors to a dull looking beer garden.We were the first customers in and it was quiet. Three handpumps offering Elgoods Poltergeist,Woodfordes Once Bitten (NBSS 2.5) and Thornbridge Jaipur IPA which had a strong vinegar tang despite being clear.This was changed without push back and also the clip was immediately reversed but the two halloween themed beers from east Anglia were dull brews .The keg Jaipur IPA was acceptable. An unexciting pub with a dull ale range means this was a one off crawl visit most unlikely to be repeated.

A long thin one room pub just down a side street from the main drag but very visible from it. One end has a games room with pool table, the centre houses the servery and towards the back is seating and an outdoor drinking area with picnic tables. Five pulls with a range of three local beers and two ciders, plus a couple of T-Bars of fairly usual stuff. Quality of my Thornbridge was middling. As with many pubs a lot of interest is in the little details often missed, you always have to look beyond the obvious for the little items and features that may have a story. It’s got the banquette seating and cast iron based tables of old pubs but there’s a lot of sad modernisation has gone on, pace tall seating and big screens.

Side-street pub with hints of Brewers' Tudor on the gable ends and above the central entrance doorway. A dark and traditionally decorated bar with oddly sparse furniture is located on the left-hand side, but it is housed within quite a large building so there must be another room at the other end. Rear patio garden. Three cask ales - TT Boltmaker, Djambo Untrained from Bentley Brook and Castle Rock's seasonal Tackle This! - on the five handpumps, along with Lilley's Peach cider and Broadoak Premium perry.