Ship Inn, Stonehaven

Official site of the Ship Inn, contains menus - www.shipinnstonehaven.com

Whitewashed old stone building on the harbour side with a restaurant housed in a linked modern building next door. The public bar is a long single room with the counter at one end to the side and benches, tables and chairs opposite, there is a sitting area at the other end of the room. Décor is loosely nautical with a divers helmet, boat lights and salty pictures adorning the tongue and groove. There is a nice mirror over the fireplace advertising East India Pale Ale from the defunct Devanha brewery. Two handpumps on the bar serving well kept Scottish microbrewery beers from Inveralmond and Deeside, Scotland's keg favourites from Tennents and McEwans alongside UK kegs from Stella, John Smiths, Guinness and Strongbow with Staropramen bringing up the rear. There are also 80+ malts displayed on the bar shelves. Service is good from the nubile young barmaids, and the restaurant service didn't clash with the bar service. Slightly pricey with a 3.8% ale at £3.05 but there were still a good few older locals in despite this being the north east where people are notoriously careful with their bawbees.