NQ64, Newcastle Central, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Official site of NQ64 - nq64.co.uk

Official site of NQ64 - nq64.co.uk

This U-shaped bar and smokehouse is Newcastle's most significant contribution to the UK's craft beer bar scene, offering around 30 beers and the odd cider, primarily on keg dispense. I'm told that some cask ale is also available, but despite consulting a huge beer board on the rear wall, I was unable to fathom which brews might be on cask. A look towards the bar didn't help either, with endless rows of shiny, unbranded taps giving no clue as to what they might be dispensing. The beer range comprised a few well known global brands (Heineken, Amstel), some obscurer lagers (Anchor, Birra Moretti) and lots of stuff from local breweries and national micros (Cullercoats, Pressure Drop, Almasty, Wylam). I was quite chuffed to see one of my all time favourite beers available - Summer Wine Diablo IPA - and decided to give it a try. It tasted like it was the keg version, but poured hazy and tasted a bit washed-out and not like the hoppy beast I remember, making me wonder if I'd been served the correct beer. The U-shaped servery is to the front of the main room, facing towards the back, and has an interesting wood fronted counter with marble top and bar back. There is parquet flooring throughout and a pleasing decorative tiled ceiling, whilst the walls have been wood panelled with some sections decorated with meat and smokehouse themed images and some interesting bespoke lettering artworks. There are a lot of high tables and stools around the perimeter of the room, especially down the right hand side and the room extends into what appeared to be a restaurant space to the rear. Here there were bare brick walls with lots of artwork on show and plenty of additional seating. Lots of listings magazines, flyers and CAMRA magazines could be found in the window sills and there was music playing quietly enough throughout my visit, although the place was packed following a match at St James' Park, so the din drowned it out a bit. I thought this place had a bit of potential but ultimately found it all a bit confusing. I wasn't clear on how my beer was being served or indeed whether I had the right beer, and if I did, I wasn't too pleased with the condition it was served in. Not all beers are priced as pints, leading to Brewdog-style complex maths conversions when buying a round and the place has a weird hybrid feel, stuck somewhere between traditional pub, modern craft beer bar and smokehouse restaurant, without really being any of the above. It's worth a look for the wide range of options, but it just didn't quite click for me.

Very modern bar in a decent looking building. There's one main room as you enter and another small area up a few steps to the rear which was set up for food on our visit. A horseshoe shaped bar has a massive array of taps (at least 30). Most of these are dispensing craft keg or lager. However, three of them had cask ale on. There's a large blackboard on the wall listing all the beers including the price and some of them are indeed very pricey. Beware that some of the beers listed are for 2/3 of a pint rather than a pint. The barman was very friendly and gave us tasters of the beers without being asked. The beers we had were all in good nick though and whilst a little expensive £3.80 & £4 a pint is a regular feature in some of Newcastle's pubs. We stay just up the road from here when we're in Newcastle, so we'll definitely be calling in again.