Hops d'Amour, Coventry

Shop conversion micropub in a 50s block and on what turned out to be one of the hottest days of 2026 we worshipped the stiff aircon like a Inca to a deity. Modern in décor, unvarnished wood planks, a surprisingly high ceiling and lots of stuff on the walls. Five cask over six pumps and my Twisted Barrel Coventrian was in great shape, best beer of the day by a nose (NBSS 4.5), supplemented by an array of craft beers and real ciders. One to prioritise.

The café seating outside the front of Hops d ’Amour was all empty despite hordes of commuters rushing past late on a recent midweek afternoon. Inside there were less than ten people in the single room rectangular space where seating runs up the left and right-hand walls to a counter across the rear. Reviewing my picture of the ‘Beerboard’ I see that there are five hand pumps that were drawing Northern Monk’s Cuppa, Bang the Elephant Brewing’s Raptor Rap Battle, Three Acre’s Skylark Stout, Rat Brewery’s Posh Rat and Blue Bee Brewery’s Superdelic Pale. There were also seven craft keg lagers and a lot more cider options. I ordered a Pint of the Rat and sat at one of the tables opposite a large collection of canvases depicting different people, I imagined they were all the locals, but I think probably not. The grey carpet was less interesting, reminding me of my days waiting for my JSA in Kentish Town in the late nineties. I noted lots of old pump clips above the front door, and that the doors close early at 22:00 every night, except Sundays when it’s even earlier at 20:00. Just before I left two old boys decided to break into song which wrapped up my visit to this decent micro.