Dice & Barrel, Belper

Facebook page of Scran & Barrel - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Scran & Barrel - www.facebook.com

Smart, modern bar on the main drag through town, with a simple, compact L-shaped interior. The place has a shop conversion feel to it, with bare boards throughout, large shop-style windows to the front and a servery down the left-hand wall. The bar has a modern timber fronted counter and plain wall bar back dominated by a huge blackboard in an elaborate frame, which lists the full draught range, with the keg taps mounted to one side. The room has been furnished with basic tables and chairs, although a few high stools serve a drinking ledge under the front window, and the place was packed when I arrived early on a Saturday evening, with not a free seat to be found. Decorative modern art pieces add some visual distraction and look quite good in the overall context, whilst plain mirrors and a few random nick nacks fill the remaining wall space. Food is available and a quick glance at the menu suggested that this wasn’t your usual run-of-the-mill pub grub – the place is obviously very popular, so be sure to pre-book if you plan to eat here at the weekend. Three handpulls were offering some obscure micro-brews, with Pentyrch Big In Japan, Echo Chamber After Echo and Black Lodge Running Out Of Alibis available on this occasion alongside seven craft keg options and a real perry. The staff were really nice and my pint of the Big In Japan was in good condition and went down pretty quickly, although this was partly due to the fact that I had to stand awkwardly at the end of the bar, as there was no room anywhere else. Belper has a nice mix of traditional and more modern bars and this definitely falls into the latter category. Whilst it doesn’t have the character of some of the more established pubs around town, it still offers something a bit different and felt like a good place to try and find a new beer or two, although avoiding peak hours might be best from a comfort perspective.