Star Inn, Penzance

Crowlas is but a short drive or bus ride from Penzance and the award winning Star Inn is the place to be for the beer enthusiast. The pub itself doesn't court any great aesthetic merits, certainly more appealing from the outside than within. A traditional style local's pub with a central bar, pool and darts areas and a sectioned off corner type snug, it is quite spacious but it wasn't particularly busy at the time of my visit so the atmosphere was a bit dead. The décor is neat and tidy without being noticeable apart from a strange arrangement of beams and pillars and the mass of beer mats and pump clips that give away the main reason for making the effort. Home to the Penzance Brewery, the beer selection is far superior to any pub for miles with the added attraction of their own brews. I tried their own Crowlas Ale and Gopher Gold, both excellent, and there was a good range of others (Coastal beers seem to feature heavily - Erosion and Hop Monster available on my visit as well as Tring Devils Dyke and a couple of others I failed to note – well you would forget after a pint of Erosion). All the beers are listed on a blackboard to one side of the bar and you can virtually guarantee something interesting from the 7 pumps. If you can't then you really shouldn't be here. Prices were below average and if you are a beer enthusiast and happen to be in the area, the Star should be one of the the first places on your list to visit.

My fave boozer in Cornwall. An ever changing array of beers always in tip top condition and a top couple who run the place. A mecca I hope to be visiting for many a year!