Mill Hotel, Chester

Yet another Chester canal-side conversion, this is a huge hotel and leisure complex inside, as the name suggests, an old mill. To the right of the hotel's main entrance is their real ale bar, which is a single rectangular room layout with lots of marble-effect topped tables and comfy chairs on a dark wood floor. The walls are fairly plain, with not much of interest and there are some large windows at the front, but otherwise, not much in the way of natural light, especially at the rear, although a door here does lead out to an outdoor seating area alongside the canal. Several TV screens were on showing the African Cup of Nations final although the sound was muted, so no vuvuzela soundtrack could fill the pub. The pub's real strength, and perhaps to a degree, its only attraction, is its strong beer line-up, which included Whim Flower Power, Moorhouse Pendle Porter, Phoenix Cornmill, Coach House Mill Premium and Gunpowder Mild, Deuchars IPA, Crouch Vale Yakima Gold and Facers DHB, with one real cider available as well. This excellent line up is listed on a board behind the bar for ease of reference. I had a pint of the Flower Power, which was a fantastic pint and a sign that these guys really know what they're doing with their beer. Despite the excellent beer, there is no hiding the fact that this is a bit of a boring hotel bar with few other points of interest. It's worth a call on any serious beer crawl, but its main disadvantage is that Chester is full of pubs with great beer in interesting old buildings, and this one doesn't make the most of its heritage.

We have visited this pub for a number of years when in Chester and well worth visiting for the range of ales. however on more recent visits not all the hand pumps are in use. Also it now tends to get very busy especially when a match is on the numerous screens in the bar. A bit of a victim of it's own success really and these days we don't stay very long as would rather not be jostled around when there are no tables vacant.

The pub is a part of the hotel complex, indeed, it is on the ground floor, with a patio next to the canal. The interior is a single room, modern, in dark red, with wood floor, marble tables and high backed leather chairs and high stools - however, much as i dont like modern interiors this is done tastefully - in other words no tosh pictures and twigs, having a few plants instead. Service was fine, the clientele were business types, other residents and me, of course. There was Sky TV, on which i once remember watching the 20/20 cricket world cup. Beer; tap stuff, with 15 real ales and ciders. I tried the Hopback Entire Stout, Phoenix Brewery's Monkeytown MILD and the Northumberland Pit Pony and my friend tried a couple of others. Sadly, they were pretty flat and lifeless. In defence of the place, it has been better on other visits, but it was a disappointment. The choice means you are always going to go, but i will be a little more cautious next time and stick to trying a half of a few different drinks