Crown Inn, Nottingham

I didn't think this looked very promising as I approached it thinking it looked like a suburban barn. It's the exact opposite in fact. I went straight into the tiny narrow bar area on the right and stayed there only discovering before I left that it is a maze of different rooms and areas. It's all been well described below. Although not all fourteen beers were on there must have been a dozen so I will just mention that the house Ashover Crown Amber & Pale were under three quid while the two I tried Wild Beer Millionaire and Salopian Lemon Dream were £3.50. Both of these were excellent. Other beers included Bass, Nottingham, Everards, Squawk, Whim and Kelham Island. I thought this was a superb pub and would gladly visit again when I will try and find a seat in the "confessional".

Splendid old multi-room interior, including the tiny 'Confessional' off the public bar at the front, a snug to the other side of the passageway, a 'smoke room' and what is now the main bar in a newer part of the pub to the rear. Up to 14 real ales available, with regulars such as Sunchaser and Tiger from Everard's, Brown Ales The Hustler and Leatherbritches Scoundrel (£2.60), supplemented by a range of guests in different styles. Part of the 'Project William' partnership scheme. Well worth a detour.

The Crown is a wonderful early 19th century pub that, despite some major changes over the years, retains an excellent multiple room interior. The pub is best approached from Middle Street, where the entrance door leads you into a passageway that forms part of the original building – a series of small rooms known as the Shambles. To the left of the entrance is a snug with banquette seating running around three of the walls. To the right there is a small room called the Whisky Bar which has enough space for three tables and a few local photographs on the walls. From here you can access a tiny 8ft by 5 ft snug known as the Confessional which is believed to be the former off-sales section and now has the one table with a hatch to the bar. Moving to the end of the passage, past the servery with its sliding glass screen, you reach the Games Room, which is the last of the original rooms and still has what used to be an external window on the back wall. This room has various sporting images on the walls, a number of trophies on display plus a dartboard and collection of board games. The pub was extended in 1976, so the remainder of the interior comprises this newer section. From the games room there is a lobby type area which leads outside to the large car park and a pleasant outdoor seating space which has plenty of picnic style benches. There are more trophies in this lobby area and a stuffed fox is mounted over the doorway which leads into what is now the main bar. This is the lightest room in the pub and is partly carpeted, compared to the quarry tile flooring in the older rooms. Various bits of brewerania line the walls as well as a number of CAMRA certificates including the East Midlands Pub of the Year awards mentioned below. The whole pub was very clean and actually smelt very pleasant upon entering. The gents’ toilets, which are decorated with enamel beer adverts and an ancient looking set of scales, were particularly well kept. The beer selection is vast and there are a number of blackboards to help when ordering, visible from most, if not all, of the various access points to the bar. The line up on my visit comprised Leatherbritches Cad, Bounder and Scoundrel, Elland Curiosity (£3.20), Mr. Grundy’s Golden Dawn, Tring Lord Derby, Everards Tiger and Sunchaser, Bradfield Farmers Blonde, Fullers London Pride, Oakham Inferno, Naked Brewer Palindrome Porter and Nottingham Bullion. In addition to all of this there was a list of seven real ciders and perries. This pub ticks just about every box and is an essential port of call if you are in Beeston and well worth making the short trip out from Nottingham for. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and will do my best to make a return visit sometime soon.