Three Wise Monkeys, Ipswich

Pub SignMan left this review about Three Wise Monkeys

This decent sized pub with a prime town centre location is the second bar from this Colchester based brewery. Inside, we find a very simple, single room set up with a bare boarded interior, lots of exposed brick walls and the servery to the front right. The bar has a simple wood panelled counter front and white tile bar back with plenty of taps for craft keg, mostly from the eponymous Three Wise Monkeys brewery. High tables and stools run opposite but regular tables and chairs can be found to the front and down the left-hand side of the room, where the pub extends a long way to the rear, offering a few massive button-backed sofas along the way. There are some branded windows to the rear with loads of potted plants on the sill and the whole pub has lots of beer and brewing themed stuff on display, mostly in mural form, as well as a TV screen showing a load of promotional guff. Exposed utilities give the bar the obligatory industrial feel, although I felt like this was offset by loads of plants everywhere you look, so it didn’t feel like your typical Brewdog knock-off.
The three cask options were Three Wise Monkeys Ten Thousand Lies and Road Hog Best Bitter plus Colchester Brewery Sweeney Todd. The barman was a nice bloke and took some time out to explain the brewery set up and talk me through the beer options I ended up with a pint of the Ten Thousand Lies, which was okay, but I didn’t get the impression that the ales got a lot of throughput, so I left feeling that I might’ve got lucky.
I quite liked this pub, which feels a bit out of place just off the town centre’s big, pedestrianised main shopping street, but it offers something a bit different, combining a grand, modern interior with some local beer and a welcoming atmosphere. It’s not rivalling the town’s top alehouses any time soon, but it’s a good addition to the local scene and makes a solid stopping off point for anyone moving between the town centre and the decent pubs further North.

Date of visit - 8th December 2024

On 28^th March 2025 - rating: 6
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