The Salmon, Leicester

Not going to add a score to this - I think it depends on how familiar with BCA pubs you are. If new, then you may love the nod to tradition, with roaring fires, cobs, multiple and bewildering selection of many cask, pub games, tv with sports on at a low level. However, if you are a veteran of many locations, you may be tired of the exact identikit makeovers where everything looks exactly the same. The electronic beer board, the carpets, the colour scheme, the glassware. They are popular and I love my local but when you travel and instantly connect to the wifi, even though you've never been there before you maybe wish for a new experience.

The Salmon is a backstreet pub just to the north of Leicester city centre in a much more multi-cultural area. It's a Black Country Ales pub, one of two in the city and I'd say that whilst they are both very good, this one is marginally the better one. Similar to Quinno below, I hadn't been here since 2014. With a good amount of time available to us in Leicester this time around, I tried to arrange a crawl around a re-visit to the Salmon. The Salmon has a much more traditional feel than most Black Country Ales pubs. Its corner location means there is a circular bar with seating pretty much all around it. A passageway leads from one side to the toilets and an outdoor area. With a few quiet afternoon drinkers and a young barman, it didn't quite suit our group of drinkers which had gradually been swelling during the afternoon and now numbered 10. I was conscious that our arrival had increased the noise levels in the pub and had therefore altered the atmosphere. But I don't think we were too unruly at this stage! Black Country Ales on were Fireside, BFG & Pig on the Wall. Guest beers were Mallinson's Nelson Sauvin, Roman Way Hibernia, Phoenix Keltek, Hancock's HB, Leatherbritches The Bounder & Fixed Wheel Chain Reaction. Also on handpull were a cider (Snail's Bank Pig Squeal) and a perry (Purbeck Katy Perry). Cobs were available, either ham or cheese & onion. Between our group, we soon polished off what was left. There were certainly a rather thick slab of cheese on mine. Sky Sports News was showing on a TV in one corner. This is another of Leicester's best pubs.

The Salmon is a small pub with a relatively large U-shaped bar that makes the seating down either side quite cosy. The slightly larger right-hand side of the pub is more public bar like with a dartboard on the rear wall. I noted six hand pumps around this side that were drawing three offerings from Black Country Ales alongside Coach House Brewing’s Post Horn, New Brew Session IPA and Salamander Brewing’s Gothic Stout. Another six hand pumps are found around to the left where Sharp’s Atlantic and Newbridge Brewery’s Big Lizzy were available alongside Gwynt y Ddraig’s Happy Daze and Lilley’s Gladiator ciders. A selection of standard and premium keg was also available. An empty and clean food container was sitting on the bar so I expect premade rolls are available during the day. Each side of the bar has a TV listing the available beers and Sky Sports News was also muted on at least one more screen. There was some background music playing, but it was so low I think it may have been from a flat upstairs. Out the back is a covered decked area with some seating. I found the service to be friendly and the stout was good so I would recommend this place to others.