The Hop & Cleaver, Newcastle Upon Tyne

This place is more than well described below and if I'd read about it in advance I might have concluded that it was a trendy expensive place that I wouldn't like. It turned out to be the exact opposite although on a Thursday afternoon it was quiet. The young female staff were very friendly and were happy for me to sit near the bar in the dining area even though I wasn't eating. The bar has six hand pumps which had one unused, Liverpool Craft Brew #56, Hop Cleaver Hapsburg & Bosch, Arbor Basta Rosse and Cullercoats Fortification. I went for the premises brewed Bosch which was a 5.5% smoked porter at £3.10 a pint and in first class condition. I preferred it here to the more famous Crown Posada nearby and would happily return.

This is a large atmospheric old building in the Quayside area, housing a bar, smokehouse and brewery. You enter into a sizeable front seating area with plenty of high tables and stools and a few upturned barrels on which to rest your pint. To the right there is a small room signposted 'Taproom' which had low stool seating, a nice little fireplace and a series of beer taps which you can apparently pour your own beer from, should the walk to the bar be too daunting a prospect. Steps to the rear of this space lead up to the main bar area with the servery along the left hand wall, split by an old wooden pillar. There is a lot of old exposed brickwork and gnarled wooden beams and pillars throughout, which give the place a sense of history and make it quite an atmospheric spot to relax in. Beyond the bar is an uneven stone floored dining room with a long banquette down the back wall and standard tables and chairs through the rest of the space. Four ancient looking pillars with rope wound around them stud the mid-section of the room and there is plenty of old, battered looking stone and brickwork on show, with a wood store high up on the rear wall. A door to the right takes you through to the small on-site brewery and from here you can access their sister pub, Redhouse, which is next door. Opposite the bar there is a pleasant courtyard with decent looking garden furniture and a few plants and again from here you can access the neighbouring pub. I popped in here to grab a bite to eat and enjoyed a burger from the notably meaty menu. I also felt compelled to try some of their own beer and had a choice of Hop and Cleaver Portly Stout, Copper Head, Pale Face or Red Horn. I gave the Portly Stout a try and thought it was okay without really blowing me away. Other cask options were Anarchy Knuckle Dragger, Bandwagon Orange Wit Beer, Electric Bear Livewire and Saltaire American Nut Brown, whilst keg and bottle drinkers were catered for with a wide range of options. This is another excellent pub from the chain behind Redhouse and Lady Greys. I thought the interior was an excellent use of an unusual old building and the diverse range of enterprises being undertaken such as the brewery and smokehouse, is to be applauded. I had to cut my visit here short due to needing to head off for a train home, so I'd be very keen to make a return some time.