Brass Monkey Beer Boutique, Middlesbrough

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Facebook page of Brass Monkey Beer Boutique - www.facebook.com

PSM has given a detailed description to which I can only add a little. A reasonable micro with 3 pulls, Landlord as a regular and guest beers today from Rudgate and Three Brothers, there are also three kegs from Dortmunder, Leffe and Guinness. It has out side and upstairs seating areas, although relatively basic there’s a wood burner, a barometer collection and various green mans. Served by friendly chatty staff although on this visit it was fairly quiet with the‘boro at home. Modified micro status as it serves wines and spirits, but has no electronics downstairs.

This is a two storey micropub in the heart of this pleasant little market town. Entering via a front door with a nice ‘green man’ knocker, you find yourself in a compact main bar area that is small even by micropub standards. The servery is over in the rear right corner and some very limited seating options have been arranged along the front wall, with a little bit of standing room in between. It’s certainly a cosy little bare boarded space, but with such a small capacity, it’s hard to know if you’d get much of an atmosphere in here. Our visit was on a bright summer’s day, so the room was pretty much empty, with punters mainly sat out on the good-sized front patio area, which comprised a few benches along the front of the building beneath some colourful hanging baskets, and a decked area beyond the pavement with five or six more tables served by plastic chairs, with potted plants dotted around and a few large umbrellas for a bit of shelter. I would imagine that on colder days, the pub’s focal point would switch to the first-floor seating area, accessed by a staircase to the left of the bar. This was quite a pleasant room with bare floorboards, red painted walls plus one with large leaf-motif wallpaper and some very hard backless benches with a few cushions to help soften the blow. The benches served some stylish tables with tops made from irregularly-shaped bits of wood, supported by a few low stools. Décor includes some mirrors, a few barometers and a TV screen that was showing the afternoon’s live football fixture with the commentary audible, which was a bit unusual for a micropub and even more so given the fact that we were the only customers sat up there. They just had the two cask ales on the go when we arrived – Taylors Landlord and Half Moon Moonlight – but seemed to be doing a good trade in craft keg, wine and bottled beer. The very friendly landlady took our order and then brought the drinks upstairs to our table once it was ready. My pint of the Moonlight was in good condition and we enjoyed relaxing here, watching the world go by from the first-floor windows. This seemed like a decent micropub that bends a few of the ‘rules’ to ensure they serve a broader section of the local community. Some well kept cask ale and interesting bottles should keep the ale enthusiasts happy, but it also felt like somewhere you could take people who aren’t usually big fans of pubs, especially if the weather affords the chance to grab a seat outside. A good addition to the town’s pub scene.