The Mansfield Arms, Alloa

Very traditional 2 bar pub, well-described by previous reviewer. I will only add it was both Good Beer Guide and Cask Marque listed at time of visit.

Official site of Devon Ales & The Mansfield Arms - www.devonales.com

Official site of Devon Ales & The Mansfield Arms - www.devonales.com

I found the Mansfield Arms pretty much by accident as I was cycling through Alloa on my way from Tillycoultry to Clackmannan (don't ask). Initially stopping for a photo, I decided to go in for a drink when I saw that they brew their own beer here: Devon Ales. The pub is Cask Marque listed, but only one of the beers is served from the cask, the others being kegged in the Scottish fashion. The beers are Thick Black 4.2%, 90/- Pride 4.8%, 70/- Original 3.9% and Choppers Best, which I presume is an 80/-, though the ABV is not mentioned on the pump clip (said elsewhere to be 3.9%). There are two quite separate rooms: to the right is a lounge or dining room which was well-populated with women and occasional children eating chip-based meals. I hurriedly skedaddled to the other much more pleasant room: the public bar. This is a basic wooden-floored room with a large bar counter, red cloth-covered bench seating, a fireplace with a grate (not lit) and various brewery mirrors and signs adorning the walls. Definitely my sort of pub room, this one, and I'd have been interested to stay longer and try the other beers, even though they were kegged, but needing to remain upright on my bike dictated a different course of action.