Anvil Arms, Barnsley

Facebook page of Anvil Arms - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Anvil Arms - www.facebook.com

The Old Co-Op was the first of the two Darton micropubs to open, and for my money is the better of the two. Very much an alehouse in feel, with its wooden floors, exposed stone wall and large dining tables. There’s also a wood burning stove, a large bookcase, used for storing glasses, a large ornamental clock and that’s about it. Shop front windows and a high ceiling make for a light airy feel. The bar is over to the right hand corner and six ales were available on our visit: Timothy Taylor ‘Landlord’ & ‘Knowle Spring’, Revolutions ‘Marquee’ and the house beers (a.k.a. Grumpy’s Ales) brewed just down the road, by Nailmaker: Blonde, Raspberry Blonde and Port Stout. Eight craft kegs were also listed. Plumping for a half each of the Marquee and the Port Stout, both were in decent nick, but not particularly exciting. Having tried Taylor’s beers many times and not being impressed by sneaky slurps of Mrs aleandhearty’s Blonde and Raspberry Blonde, I decided to try a couple of the craft keg offerings in Vedett ‘Extraordinary IPA’ and Totally Brewed ‘Idaho IPA’. Both undoubtedly had a bit more oomph, but were still slightly underwhelming (£4.80 for two halves). Service from the young barman was brisk and efficient, if slightly cool and there was a good atmosphere when we called on a Friday teatime, with every table being taken. Despite not being totally enamoured with the beer choices, on this occasion, I enjoyed it enough to pencil it in for another visit, next time I’m in the area. Visited July 2019.