The Lamb, Newport

Nice brown tiled frontage though the interior is a fairly small and bland affair, done in mushroom and turquoise with screens showing an 80s music channel. Bigged-up by the local CAMRA branch and there were five pumps; Doom Bar, Bass, Tetley Gold, Bootleg Lawless and one unclipped. My Bootleg wasn't great though being unfamiliar with the brewery it wasn't obviously terrible enough to make a big fuss. It's tidy enough but the only ale in an otherwise pedestrian beer range being below-par put me off. There are better places for the hardened pub bagger nearby and I doubt I’d feel the need to go in next time. 5.5

Official site of The Lamb - www.thelambnewport.com

Official site of The Lamb - www.thelambnewport.com

I’m always put off by pubs with half the letters of its name missing and even more so when they have mobile police stations parked outside but the sign outside advertised local ales so that seemed a good enough reason to pop in. The smallish single room interior was more than a little rough around the edges with basic furnishings, a few drinking ledges and banquttes with ripped upholstery. Despite its overall tattiness I found its unpretentious approach quite refreshing from the trendy plastic bars that these days seem to dominate city centres. A TV set over the door was showing live rugby I was expecting the worst when the few punters congregated at the bar watching rugby immediately attempted conversation regarding where we were from but to be honest, they were actually quite welcoming and chatty. There was only the one ale available but it was as advertised, a surprisingly good Tiny Rebel Fubar which was probably the best pint I had on my extended weekend in the area and at £2.60, not exactly wallet busting. I can understand peoples reservations if they are thinking about a visit but from brief stay, you’ll do a lot worse nearby.