Albion Brewery Bar, Northampton

Modern alehouse and micro-brewery housed in an old 'converted' brewery building, so quite an unusual history with a re-reversal of fortune. Anyway, the both elements are housed in what could otherwise be something of a barn beside the taller main building, but the central partition breaks things up a bit and there is plenty to look at. The bar features traditional furniture and lots of breweriana plus bar billiards, a form of table skittles, etc. Clear view of the brew plant, with a group visit in the offing by the look of things when I visited. Six Phipps (NBC) beers, including the IPA (£3.40) and one under its Hoggley's brand, plus a local guest and a cider from the eight handpumps.

The Albion Brewery Bar is housed in an old brewery building. Once inside there is a large square shaped room to the front,with the bar on the right side as you enter the room,there are lots of normal tables and chairs for seating,the front area of the room is up one step where there are more normal tables and chairs,there are some settees to the left,you can see the new brewing plant behind the bar to the left,i did not see the room with a bar billiards table and Northants skittle table. There is a very good choice of real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Phipps Diamond Ale which was a very nice well kept beer,the other real ales noted Phipps Gold Star,Red Star,India Pale Ale,Diamond Ale,Hop Harvest,there were a couple more i failed to note. I thought the room was too big for my liking,i thought the beer choice was good and the two i tried were on top form,but is this a real ale drinking barn. Pub visited 1/10/2016

An old re-converted brewery (Phipps NBC). Very impressive and over two rooms. Main room has vaulted ceiling, reclaimed old furniture, loads of Phipps breweriana. There is a dedicated games area with bar billiards and Northants skittles. Behind the traditional bar (reclaimed fittings) via an oak and glass partition is the in-house brewery which also doubles-up as a function room, 8 pumps, with 7 ales and a cider. All the ales were theirs bar one from Twisted Brewing Co. I tried the Stout and the Red and both were highly tasty and in excellent shape. Was exclaiming to Desmond just how good this place was when a voice piped-up saying ‘glad you like it!’ and he turned out to be the proprietor who was holding court. A jolly nice chap he was too and we chatted to him for 5 minutes. This is an absolute corker and is also two minutes from the Malt Shovel, a pub to which this is now a serious contender for ‘best in show’ in Northampton. 9.5