Blue Ball, Hungerford

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Quinno _ left this review about Blue Ball

Popped in as our walking group had missed the 2 hourly Sunday train back to the Ding, so thought I’d catch up on the other two pubs in the village. The main bar has had a refurb in an unappealing grey shade which when dimly lit on a grey day felt pretty unappealing. The rear room remains quite attractive but it laid for dining, so you can’t really retire in here with your pint. Two ales on, Doom Bar and a decent Ramsbury Gold (NBSS 3.5) which did a bit to lift the spirits.

June 2013
A brief revisit last week. Internally little has changed from my original visit. As the sun was out I explored the large grassy rear garden which was very pleasant. Full of kids toys so perhaps it gets a bit like a crèche on occasion? Three ales on and the two sampled were in decent shape (though I forgot to note exactly what they were, Ramsbury was at least one of them). The lone barman seemed rather overworked. A decent place and it’s worth popping in. Rated 6.5

October 2010
Ten minutes walk from the station, this is a pub that retains an essence of its original layout. There’s a public bar as you enter, whilst a couple of steps off to the left gets you in the plush lounge – new brown leather sofas, dimmed lights and thick red carpeting, all very pleasant. The walls are of exposed brick and covered in artwork. Food appeared to be available until around 8:30pm. I was told of a big garden area but it was a bit dark to go exploring. Three ales were on offer, including a couple of unusual choices (Caledonian and Wychwood autumn beers) coming in a handled mug as standard. Condition was decent, if unspectacular. Local cider was also available from Tutts Clump and Ciderniks, most welcome to see. Beware the pricing policy – two halves came close to £3.50, whilst a single pint was around the £3 mark. That put a bit of a dampener on what I would otherwise say was a nice village pub. Rated 6

On 11^th February 2020 - rating: 6
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