The Barrel, Ross-On-Wye

Originally dating back to 1792, the Barrel probably takes its name from a nearby coopers business. The pub did at one time have its own brewery but this was closed in 1927. Whereas most pubs expand in size over the years, the Barrel has actually become smaller as it once also occupied the space to the right as you look at the pub. The interior is now condensed into a long narrow main bar, slightly larger at the front than the rear. From the outside it doesn’t look too promising and to be honest my visit was more from a completist angle than having any great desire to pop in. There isn’t a great deal of character within despite the low beamed ceilings and exposed brick walls and pillars. Overall it has more of a sports bar feel than a traditional pub with the front section housing a table football game on a slight raised area to the left of the entrance and a dart board to the right. At the rear is a second dart board and beyond, according to writing on a ceiling beam, a beer garden although I didn’t venture that far. For a pub with a specific brewing history it was disappointing to find not even a token ale, just the usual suspects on keg so I downed a Stowford Press being the best of a boring batch and eparted. There’s little here that would appeal to anyone beyond the pub’s small band of regulars and given that the place was virtually deserted at peak time on a Bank Holiday Saturday evening, I don’t think there’s even many of them.