The Organ Grinder, Nottingham

Official site of The Organ Grinder - bluemonkeybrewery.com

Official site of The Organ Grinder - bluemonkeybrewery.com

One of Blue Monkey brewery’s pubs, the clue's in the name, finished in their usual ale house style. It's not changed much in the many years I’ve been coming here. Blue grey lower panels and woodwork, cream plaster, bench seating at wooden and cast iron based tables. A couple of old barrels and bicycle ads complete the fairly minimal decor. Nine pulls, mostly from Blue Monkey of course, two from elsewhere. There are three ciders and 8 kegs mostly prosaic ones.

Brewery Tap for the Blue Monkey brewery selling the full range of their beers. We tried the BG Sips and Infinity IPA. Both were excellent. I would happily return - especially as there are so many good pubs close by.

I wasn't quite so enthusiastic about this pub as some others have been - but there's no doubt that it's a good pub. I guess because we were in there on Friday evening it was very busy and thus perhaps not so comfortable as at a quieter time. Anyway, it's got the look of a traditional pub with traditional seating, and with a raised area at the back on the left. I thought it seemed larger than at first sight. We managed to get a few seats next to the real fire at the front on the left, and near the bookshelf library. They could have done without the glittering fairy lights, but that's just my opinion and maybe the kids like these flashing lights. Of course they had on a range of Blue Monkey ales. I can't remember which one I had, but I do recall that it was OK. We (that is the person whose round it was) were lucky to benefit from a Friday deal whereby all pints of real ale are £2.50 a pint between 4.30 and 7.30. Perhaps that's why it was so busy. I saw no sign of food. I'm surprised that I've managed to avoid visiting this pub in all the years that I've been coming to Nottingham. But I do expect to visit this one again.

A Blue Monkey pub with many of their real ales on sale. One room with the bar on the right side. Unfortunately the Ape Ale went of during being pulled, which was a shame, but credit to the girl behind the bar who noticed it. A suitable replacement was nevertheless found.

The organ grinder is the newest pub in Canning Circus that took over from the former Red Lion. Once inside there is one open plan room with wall divides of were there used to be separate rooms with the bar running along the right hand side with more seating to the back on a raised back room. There pub is completely hard wood floor and is very cosy with cushioned traditional seats. There is also a nice outside drinking area up a flight of stairs that is good for sunny days. On the bar is an extensive range of Blue Monkeys beers and the odd guest or two. On my visit there was Blue Monkey Guerrilla (£3.30) BG Sips (£3.10) Winter Woolly (£3.60) Ape Ale (£3.40) Chip Chimaney (£3.10) Infinity (£3.30) and Funky Gibbon (£3.10), the guest ales were Dark Star Winter Solstice (£3.10) and Doombar (£2.85). The funky gibbon way in a nice shape and very tasty and this is a very nice place to start or end the Canning Circus run, It has a proper pub feel and the open fire in winter makes it feel like a log cabin in winter with all the hard wood flooring and furniture, great at Christmas time. The only slight downside is the usual presence of Doombar on the bar which makes no sense to me whatsoever, especially charged significantly cheaper that their own brewed beers?!? Overall another great pub in Canning circus and one well worth seeking out.