Old Silk Mill, Derby

Quinno _ left this review about Old Silk Mill

Think this one has had a tarting-up since my previous visit 15 years back. Bit upmarket these days but nicely done – ‘modern boutique’ below is a nice pithy summation. A plethora of ales, I was here for the Bass which delivered the best drop of the day (NBSS 4).

September 2010
An attractive building (with a massive mural on one of the side walls) that gives way to a newly-decorated interior. This is a fairly basic, knocked-through affair that is in good decorative order, with a nice dark wooden bar. A wide variety of ale was available from some excellent smaller breweries (from the likes of Blue Monkey, Purity, York, Oakham and, er, Sharps Doom Bar plus Bass from a jug) and two ciders (Westons and the not-so-real Addlestones) though choices were swiftly whittled down to five after three went off during the first round. All those I tried were in excellent shape, best-kept of the day for my money. I did note there were some barrels racked up elsewhere though these were not drawing. Staff were very friendly and knew their stuff. Food was not available though apparently you are welcome to bring in your own and they’ll provide crockery and cutlery. Unusually for this sort of pub, reggae was the background music of choice. Perhaps lacking a bit of character but it’s a good bet if you’re an ale fan. Rated 8

On 17^th September 2025 - rating: 8
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