Harry's Bar, Alnwick

A new bar in a former shop, quite a small one, but the available area has been extended down a couple of steps into a room that has been stripped back to bare stone and a large brick fireplace, which looks like it would have been the site of a kitchen range. There's loud music blasting out into the street, probably to keep people away, as there was plenty of room at 9pm on a Tuesday, but the lass serving told me it was only loud at the front. The back room is very narrow but has lots of mirrors and a painting on the back wall (literally on the wall, not hanging there in a frame) of a 15th century battle, so it seems like a bigger room, and quite pleasant if you can ignore the man in chain mail with an arrow sticking in his neck. Four hand pumps are in view on entering, and my half of Ossett White Rat was very good, but £5.80/pint. By 9:30 it was starting to fill up, which made the music seem a little quieter, but these young people were all shouting at each other, so it's time to leave

Small bar with a couple of small rooms. One contains the bar and most of the customers. However, a second room to the rear and down a couple of steps, serves as overflow seating. 4 real ales were on - a couple from Black Sheep (Best Bitter & Riggwelter) and a couple from Greene King (Abbot & Mischief Maker DDH IPA). My IPA was surprisingly tasty for a Greene King beer. Craft beers were Two By Two Simcoe Ekuanot IPA and a rather strong (11.5%) Tempest Melding Minds. I found this bar quite atmospheric on my midweek afternoon visit, but I would imagine it could get uncomfortably crowded at peak times. A large dog was doing its best to occupy all available floor space!

A relatively small bar in a former shop unit, it’s quite attractive looking with it’s stone facade, large windows etched with the pub’s name and gold lettering up above. It certainly looks more like a proper pub that many shop conversions, and this impression continued inside as well. Internally it consists of a larger room at the front, and a smaller one down a couple of steps at the rear. It’s got a traditional appearance with much exposed brickwork on the walls, a few old beams on the ceiling that were plastered in old beer mats, and a wood panelled bar counter off to the left. To the right was a wood burning stove in a brick chimney breast, and there were plenty of old brewery mirrors on the walls as well as a few other odds and ends. A glass shelf unit inset in to the wall at the rear contained various spices of knight’s armour, including some head pieces, a glove and some goblets. It felt far more traditional and pub like than many premises that have been pubs for decades, they should certainly be commended on doing an excellent conversion. The rear room was broadly similar in style, but included a large mural of a battle scene on one wall. Beers on tap were Black Sheep Riggwelter, Tempest Pale Armadillo, Belhaven 80 Shilling and Tempest White Light. I was pleased to see Thatcher’s Gold bar runners on the window sills at the front of the pub, but then very disappointed to find only Aspall’s on. Apparently, they used to do Gold but no longer do. Other than that though, and perhaps the rather noisy ambience, I thought this was a decent little pub and well worth checking out.