The Kings Head, Carlisle

Bar hangers are alive and well in Carlisle. Thought the plague had put pay to them. As a result, its very hard for the uninitiated to get a glimpse of what is on offer. What was found was a good pint of Esthwaite Bitter. Good Beer Guide 2021. The pub is a bit identikit old pub. Some bench seating, some high tables/stools. A small, very plain ourside courtyard. Clean and functional. Won't stay in the memory for long.

Slick restaurant style or perhaps over zealous, plague management; table service only and you can’t see the pump clips. The “conductor” rattled out the beer choice a bit quick so other than a sub 4% bitter I haven’t a clue what I drank. I was assured, Monty Python cheese shop style, it was very popular in these parts. Well kept but not a beer I’d make efforts to find again. The interior you ask? Well an old place, the outside promises much, internally it’s sanitised oldness , carpet on the upper level, tidied up woodwork, the odd plastic beam or two. Old photo decor, there’s a juke box but no screens or machines I could see. GBG listed but then there’s a lack of candidates in Carlisle.

This is an old pub in the largely pedestrian centre of Carlisle. It's fairly small and open plan with wooden floors and the bar set in the middle. There are areas with seating and tables either side of this. On a Saturday lunchtime it was packed. It was difficult seeing what was on the five hand pumps but there were two Yates beers, a Theakston's bitter, a cider and Fuller's Firecracker. I had failed to spot the name George Gale on the pump clip so it was only when I returned to London I discovered it had come all the way from Chiswick. I didn't note the price but it was over three quid. I thought this was a decent enough pub but would probably have enjoyed it more if a seat had been available.