The Alexandra Hotel, Derby

The Alexandra used to be a Shipstones tied house it is now a Castle Rock tied house and the inside of this pub still has two rooms. When i go in here i usually go in the left hand room which has all the handpumps but when i went in here recently the pub seemed to going through a bad patch there were only two real ales available all the other pumps had no beers or clips on,there was also a notice saying "We are no longer taking part in the one over the 8 promotion". I had a drink of Castle Rock Harvest Pale which was a decent drink i car'nt remember the other beer but it was a Castle Rock beer. There were no for sale signs outside.

A new and rather boring looking façade leads to a nice two roomed pub concentrating on real ales and continental beers. There is a friendly, enthusiastic and, some might say, eccentric landlord who certainly knows his beers. The sort of place where you are bound to get into conversation if you are on your own. Handily placed quite close to the train station and just up the road from the Brunswick Inn.

Built in 1871, this hotel was primarily built to accommodate travelers arriving at the nearby Midland Railway Station. The emphasis has now shifted from beds to beers as this is one of the great Derby Ale Trail pubs. Being way down the list on a quite hefty pub crawl, fine details such as the number of hand pumps or the contents are lost in a haze of drunken thoughts and a mass of unreadable scrawls on the reverse of beermats, suffice to say there is a terrific selection and the beers were probably in better condition than I was. The building itself seemed to lack any real character although rail enthusiasts will be undoubtedly creaming themselves over the railway artifacts, old photos and locomotive plates. There is a small beer garden but with minimal seating (but then it was getting pretty chilly at night). For a Friday night it was woefully empty meaning a fairly laid back, relaxed if rather subdued ambience. Despite the number of ales, I'm not sure I could spend a whole night here, especially given the other pubs in the vicinity but it nevertheless is one of the major players with the Derby Beer Tourists and is worth seeking out.

A detached Victorian reddish rendered pub, with a slight nod to the Gothic styled arch. The interior has two rooms and i didnt see the lounge. The bar, in white and wood panel, with green seating, had a nice wood bar, and copious amounts of railway memorabilia, so i was pleased. There was a dart board and the music played was easy stuff and at a decent level. Service was good, the clientele more mature and it was hardly empty at 7ish on a week night. Beer; tap stuff, with 7 hanpulls with a decent Castle Rock Black Gold and Milestone Black Pearl. There was also the untried Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Hambleton Nite Thriller, Springhead Bare Bones, Burton Bridge Golden Delicious and Purity Mad Goose. Mr Hackwood enjoyed a continental beer, brewed at some non-abstaining monastry, which was about 10-12%. He enjoyed it - i looked scared. A great place. Closed earlier to our dismay, it was a good call to return prior to catching the train.

Red roughcast covered detached pub close to the station. Fairly plain interior but with seven handpulls of microbrewers beers plus a range of interesting foreign draughts and bottles. Inevitably a blackboard lists the full menu. One room is decorated with railway memorabilia. A destination for ale lovers and close to the Brunswick which has a similar status. Be aware that opening time is 3pm Mon-Wed.