Rat Race Ale House, Hartlepool

Situated in the former newsagents at Hartlepool train station, this is a self-styled ‘micro-pub’, promoting real ale and the art of conversation. The small single room layout has enough space for five tables with some pew and low stool seating. To maximize space, the staff take your order from your table and dispense the beers directly from the barrel, with no need for a servery. The room has a bare concrete floor which made the place feel a bit chilly rather than cosy, on an admittedly freezing winter’s evening. The walls have been covered with a large pump clip collection and some interesting bits of brewerania including enamel beer adverts, mugs, taps and posters, as well as the inevitable bits of railway memorabilia which include paintings, signs and a small station clock. There is also a small selection of books for swapping or just thumbing through. I’m not convinced that this qualifies as the smallest pub in England, as the Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds felt a lot smaller, although I understand that the latter now has a first floor seating area which may disqualify it. This place is, however, one of the pioneers of the micro-pub concept which seems to be gaining in popularity in these times of austerity. Four ales are listed on a board to the left of the main entrance (you can also enter from Platform 1) and on my visit they were Colchester No 1 and Metropolis, Consett Stout (£2.70) and Yeovil Posh IPA. These were supplemented by a cider and perry, both from Broadoak. The board also listed various snacks whilst small cards on each table detailed a range of ten or so bottled Belgian beers. I gave the Stout a try and it was a really good pint that went down very easily after my epic journey here through the snow from London. The pub keeps unusual opening hours, so you should consult the website before planning a visit, although it does now open on match days. This is certainly an interesting pub, in which it’s easy to strike up conversation with friendly locals whilst enjoying a well kept pint. Although my proposed crawl around Hartlepool was curtailed by my travel delays, I still suspect that this is by some distance the best place in town for the real ale drinker.

I had been looking forward to calling at this new ale house, and was not disappointed yesterday when 4 of us called in. Superb real ales and NO LAGER. Shame it has to shut on match days but it is so small that it would not cater for a football crowd, Enjoyed Barngates Tag Lag and Hop Back Fuggles. Conversation with others in the room is great as it is so small you feel everyone is in a front room of a house. Brilliant.