The Ale Gate, Alnwick

Will Larter left this review about The Ale Gate

This pub opened about a year after my only previous visit to Alnwick, so it was a must for me. A choice of five cask beers, of which two were local (Anarchy and Crafty Monkey), one was a beer swap from a local brewery to one in Norfolk, which is laudable but not what I was looking for (Wild Eye Intriguing Pale - I think I've drunk it at the George & Dragon in Cley anyway), plus Rev James and Purity Bunny Hop (foreigners, both - and neither of them brewed at their original brewery). So I went for the Stout & About 4% from Crafty Monkey in Hartlepool which was very good and £4.60/pint.

This is a friendly and welcoming pub, though it has a stuffy, almost musty smell to it. It's a large shop with several levels going up the hill behind. The beer store is up two sets of four steps, with the toilets also on that level, to the left - a further seating area is around a corner to the right. Every customer at 10pm on a Tuesday seemed to be in a similar age group to me, except for one man and his son, who may have been about 48 and 13 respectively, who I'd seen in the nearby youth hostel a couple of hours beforehand. I like this pub, and appreciate the effort made to make the acoustics less harsh than such shop units often produce - the ceilings are covered with bamboo fencing panels, which is a nice idea, but perhaps they contribute to the musty smell?

On 7^th July 2026 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 4828 recommendations about 4419 pubs]