Nolan's, Hull

I only had time for a very swift pint after my train to Hull to see the Leeds Rhinos was half an hour late, so only got an impression of the place. It seems different from when it was called Vintage under different ownership, though apart from some green-painted walls, the Irish theme mentioned in the previous review went right over my head. The wall above the bar does have a sort of history of the site on the wall above the bar counter, alongside a lot of pump clips on the ceiling. There are photos of a couple of shop fronts (both jewellers: Barnby & Rust, and John Fearnley) and then the Vintage facade plus a recent shot now that it's Nolan's, with Cask Ales Free House prominent in both windows. My beer was from local Aitchesons: Earl de Grey EPA 4.5% (NBSS 3.5, £5/pint)- their website is at pains to point out that it's named after a long gone pub of that name, and nothing to do with Earl Grey tea. (The pub was carefully demolished and preserved with a view to reconstructing it. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce7ldxzp5pgo). I didn't get my usual shot of the hand pumps because of bar hangers, but there's one on the pub's Facebook (see post dated 30 August), with YBH Ey Up and Ratman and Robin the other beers.

Nolan's was our first stop after checking into our digs for the night (and having a couple of drinks in the excellent White Hart downstairs from them). Having featured in the 2024 Good Beer Guide, Vintage changed its name (and presumably ownership) and now has an Irish theme to it. The room is wood panelled with black and white pictures of old Hull pubs on the walls. There is also a vintage map of Hull on one wall. Walls are painted green, floors are bare boards and there were a huge number of pumpclips on the ceiling. A TV was switched off with music playing loudly. Being in the lively main nightlife area of the Old Town, there was also a bouncer on the door. The bar still serves a couple of cask ales. For our visit, there was Ossett White Rat and a fairly moorish Three Brothers Cookies & Cream Milk Stout. In addition, there were a couple of bag-in-a-box ciders on the back of the bar - Courtney's of Whimple Silly Cow & Purbeck Bushey Berry. Keg beers included Beavertown Neck Oil & Theakston Barista Stout. I think this pub's location means that a Saturday evening visit here is unlikely to be peaceful. Whilst it was lively and noisy, I enjoyed the drinking environment, the beer was decent and they offered traditional cider too. Worthy of a visit.

Facebook page of Nolan's - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Nolan's - www.facebook.com