Coach & Horses Inn, Chepstow

This is a popular Brains house in the centre of Chepstow, handy for the bus station. The pub has won multiple CAMRA awards in recent years, but sadly my visit was timed shortly after the departure of the long standing landlord, so I was a little concerned as to whether I would be seeing the pub at its best. The place seems to have undergone a bit of a refurbishment, with what looked like a recent paint job outside and some spick and span furnishings within. You enter into a part carpeted, part quarry stone floored main bar area with the servery on the rear wall. To the left is a fair bit of standard seating around a nice fireplace with an impressive curved lintel beam, a huge picture above and horse brasses flanking its sides. A large TV screen was notable here, which despite being turned off on this visit, was clearly used to show various live sporting fixtures. The servery has a tongue and groove counter and a modest part-tiled bar back but is, in the main, fairly unremarkable. A couple of standard tables stand opposite, under the front windows which have interesting frosted top panes with 'Eclipse Bottled Ales' picked out - a rather enigmatic legend given that the Brewing History Society has no records of an Eclipse Brewery. Steps lead down to a lower carpeted area with fixed bench and standard seating plus a single button backed sofa. There is another fireplace here with a small stove inside and a pub mirror above. There is also a second large TV screen, also turned off with music playing quietly instead. An upright piano stands next to the servery and from here there is access to a rear room which I didn't explore properly but seems to offer plenty more seating and a dartboard. Brains beers were understandably in the majority at the bar, with SA, SA Gold and Rev James all on during this visit, although guests in the shape of St Austell Tribute and Wye Valley Golden Ale added some welcome variety. In fact, the Wye Valley was on offer at just £2.00 a pint, which I was pleased to take advantage of, especially as it was in good nick. The welcome was friendly, although there was only the one other customer in on my late afternoon mid-week visit. I thought this was a good traditional ale house with a well presented interior and friendly staff. My initial impression was that the new owners are keeping up the standards set before them, making this one of the more appealing options in town.

Camra award winning pub on the road from the town centre to the racecourse. 6 real ales and food served.