The Flowerpot, Derby

Oddly shaped bar with stage room at the rear, opened out, carpeted & red paddied benches. Rather average but good ale choice

The Flower pot is not looking its best at the moment as it is covered in scaffolding and stripped back to the brick externally. In fact on first sight when we checked into our digs opposite I thought the place had closed down, but was relieved to see the “Open as usual” sign written in Crayon pinned to the front door. Internally I was surprised to find a smarter pub than I was expecting from the outside vista, although it is still tradition with a lived in feel as commented by others. And agree the library section at the back is a nice spot on the large sofas. Fortunately I had given up with attempting to take written notes by this point on the crawl and photographic evidence on my iphone of the chalk board beer list allows me to confirm that Raw Anubis Porter, Purbeck American Pale Ale, Whim Harrington IPA, Frontier Ramification, Black Iris Bleeding Heart and Sunflower, Big Rabbit Wild West Country, Rat Brewery Gunpowder Rat and Ashover Font were available on the pumps alongside Marstons Pedigree and Doombar. And then Whim Flowerpower and Blue Monkey Infinity were available from the cellar. This pub appealed to me, not least because as also mentioned the Flower Pot is also a leading venue for both tribute and former bands, as both Dr Feelgood and Nine Below Zero are playing in December, to ply their trade.

A popular live music venue,which is also known for a wide selection of real ale.Check out the board listing the choice as some of the real ales arent displayed on the handpumps but come up from the cellar . I missed the opportunity to have a Whim Flower Power as a result !I noted 7 handpumps around the bar,and my Black Iris Bleeding Heart was in good nick.The decor is a bit worn but that is probably the vibe that the owners want to create,laid back and relaxing.Worth including on a real ale crawl.

Update – November 2013 Still very much a live music orientated pub, with an apparent emphasis on tribute bands for groups, some of whom even I have heard of – eg The Who, Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Slade Headless no longer brew on site ( brewing is now done by Black Iris ) , but otherwise my earlier review below is still current and the pub continues to offer a good range of real ale which, on my visit, included Whim Hartington IPA ( very moreish ), Blue Monkey, Hobgoblin, Pedigree, Liverpool Organic, Oakham Bishops Farewell and, from the on site brewery, Black Iris Sunflower. It's a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular. Still worth a look in when in town, irrespective of whether you’re a music fan or not. It’s only a short walk from Ye Olde Dolphin, which is on most people’s list to do. ORIGINAL REVIEW - APRIL 2009 The Flowerpot is Derby CAMRA's pub of the year for 2007 and is situated on the edge of a busy road junction in the City Centre. The deceptively small frontage belies a much expanded interior inside. The pub is the home of the Headless Brewery and rows of beer casks can be viewed through an unusual glass screen in a bar at the back. Immediately on the right as you enter the pub is an area that looks like it could be part of the original pub. Here are some pictures and framed prints, including one detailing Derby County's football fixtures in 1914/15 when such teams as Glossop, Clapton Orient and Woolwich provided the mouth watering opposition. Also look out for an amusing framed caricature in another part of the pub of everybody's idea, apparently, of the archetypal "beer ticker". Regular live music is featured in another room towards the back of the pub. The pub is a keen supporter of local micros as well as its own on site beers. The imaginatively named King Street Ale brewed on site was a good tasty pint. In conclusion, unless you're a big fan of live music, The Flowerpot does not strike me as a particularly memorable or inspiring pub, as a pub in itself, but it is certainly worth making the effort to seek out for its splendid beer range

Great pub, full of great beer. There is a little beer garden out the back, which just catches the late sun in summer. What more do you need?