The Brewery Tap, Norwich

Official site of Fat Cat Brewery Tap - fatcattap.co.uk

Official site of Fat Cat Brewery Tap - fatcattap.co.uk

The range of beers available in Norwich's top alehouses never ceases to amaze me and I think it's fair to say that the 'Fat Cat' pubs lead the way with a staggering selection of drinks available in each. This particular venue is situated next door to their own Fat Cat Brewery, so it is only right that the range here focusses more on their own beer. Options on cask on this visit were Fat Cat Wild Cat, Cougar, Bitter, Honey Ale, Cecil's Revenge, Curly Cat, Hell Cat, IPA, Marmalade, Porter, Puma and Stout plus permanent guests in the shape of Oakham Bishops Farewell and Adnams Southwold Bitter. A healthy list in itself, but in addition to this, a further 20 ciders and perries were listed on blackboards around the bar area, nine craft keg beers from the likes of Beavertown, Mikkeller, London Fields and other such micros could be viewed across the taps and there were fridges packed with interesting bottled beer options plus a decent wine list. I had a tough enough time choosing from this lot, but to further complicate matters there was a beer festival in progress in a tent in the beer garden, where countless additional cask ales were being dispensed. I only had time for one pint, but I would imagine I would need to devote several weeks in order to sample everything on offer. Eventually I plumped for the Hell Cat - a decent, fruity blonde ale in perfect condition. The pub is an unusual place, set inside a barn-like building with a straightforward single room interior. There are flagstones throughout and the servery runs down the right hand side of the room with the tap room visible through a window at the far end. High stools and drinking ledges fill the space opposite the bar whilst hard banquette booths run along the facing wall. There is a raised seating area to the front with standard tables and chairs and a similarly furnished space can be found to the rear, near the taproom windows. The décor is pretty eclectic, with lots of old pub signs throughout which look excellent, some old cash registers in the windows, hops everywhere, casks, jugs, tankards, brewery signs and mirrors all vying for position and a couple of huge (street?) lamps. Much of this is suspended from the beams, under the gabled roof, whilst to the rear there are some interesting photos of the brewery on the walls. The garden seems very nice, but with the beer festival taking up a lot of the space, it was difficult to get a proper feel for it. Where's Wally pictures have been hung above the urinals in the gents toilets, giving you something to do whilst taking a leak. They've also amusingly captioned them 'Where's Willy?' in a bid to encourage you to keep track of your aim! This is a remarkable place which, with its extensive ale range and interesting décor, demands repeat visits. I found it cosy, welcoming and exactly the sort of place I could happily spend several hours working through all those lovely beers. Much like its sister pub, the original Fat Cat, this is an essential port of call for any visit to the city.

Have to agree with Gill this pub is truly superb. There were ten ales on gravity and eight on handpump on our visit. Staff were friendly and passionate about their beers. I asked for a cob, but unfortunately they were all gone. The only problem we had was trying to leave. The Dark Star Hophead and Phoenix Arizona kept us here for a good while. Looking forward to another visit.