Ye Olde Rose & Crown, Stafford

Pub SignMan left this review about Ye Olde Rose & Crown

This is a cracking multiple room pub that acts as a flagship venue in the town for the Joules brewery. You enter via a corridor which leads to the front bar, through a doorway to the left, or to an open seating area straight ahead. The front bar is a tidy little space with some nice etched glass panes, a large Joules mirror, ample chair and low stool seating and a smart brick fireplace on the end wall. The rear room extends a long way back, through a stone floored space with lots of high tables and stools as well as several more comfortable, lounge-style options. Timber clad walls have been decorated with lots of nice breweriana, making this a pleasant spot to settle down in, and a lit fire on the back wall made it all the more appealing, so I was a bit surprised to find the room entirely empty, with all customers clustered around the bar area for the evening's quiz. To the left is a rear bar, with a brick floor, low wood panelled walls with red and white uppers, some great enamel adverts and a big Joules pub sign. The servery is to one side and has a simple counter with a high shelf bar back unit. Some sort of sheltered garden space can be found to the rear, but I didn't bother to properly explore in the freezing temperatures, preferring to keep close to the fireplace instead, but from what I could see, it looked to have lots of extra seating.
There were four Joules ales on handpull - Pure Blonde, Slumbering Monk, Pale Ale and Penny Pincher. The staff all seemed very pleasant, albeit they were as wrapped up in the pub quiz as their punters. Either way, I got a decent pint of the Pale Ale and enjoyed watching the locals fret over questions that I knew the answers to!
I was really impressed with this place and perhaps my only regret is that I didn't see it in full flow - the whole pub was in deep concentration for the quiz, do the atmosphere was a bit stilted. It felt like a great pub to settle down in for a few pints, with a number of well put together seating areas, and I would definitely use it a lot if I was a local. A must do for anyone visiting Stafford.

Date of visit - 18th January 2024

On 17^th June 2024 - rating: 8
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