Marlbororough Arms, Chester

Will Larter left this review about Marlbororough Arms

An interesting building with a name that is apparently the result of a signwriter's error. We called in during what we thought were opening hours, though the shutters were closed and a chair was propping the front door open, so it was no surprise to be told that 5pm was when they would be open. My drinking companion was lucky in having a train to catch at that time, which left me to find some very odd beers. Three of the four were from Stonehouse brewery in Oswestry, and I've had their very good Station Bitter a few times before, so plumped for a half of that. It had a very odd taste, a little bit sweet, a little bit sour, and nothing like the classic bitter that I remember. After a couple of sips I approached the lass behind the bar and said that I didn't think it was right. She asked if I wanted something else instead, so I went for the Sunlander, a blonde from the same brewery, but this was just the same. It would be a strange infection that affected beers being served from different pipes, so maybe it was a problem with the yeast at the brewery, but it would be unprofessional to let beer in this condition leave the premises. While I pondered this a young man came in and asked for a pint of the Station Bitter; he was obviously a regular and the lass said to him, as she handed it over, "tell me if this is ok?". He said that it was, so I just walked out. Could the beer in the pipe have had an infection but not enough had been pulled through before serving me? I couldn't summon up the energy to have that conversation with someone who had already got me figured as an idiotic timewaster. I decided to walk to the nearest Craft Union pub to get my taste buds checked.

On 20^th May 2025 - rating: 5
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