ReviewMicropub in a quiet side street near to the town centre. It doubles as the brewery tap for the Metalhead Brewery.
Locals crowded round the bar seemed a little shocked to see a stranger walk in fairly late on a weekday evening. But I was soon welcomed into the pub and into the conversation by the friendly barmaid.
4 Metalhead beers were on at the bar - Motorhead Porter, Axl Gold, Little Red Rooster & Pretty Vacant. A guest beer was Three Brothers Feel The Rhythm. However, my attention was drawn to the list of ciders on a blackboard next to some fridges. Initially, it was difficult to work out which ciders were bottled and which were in the precariously stacked bag-in-the-box ciders behind the bar. Either way, it soon became apparent that there were far more ciders being sold than were listed on the board.
Amongst those on offer were Lilley's Wild Dog, Fire Dancer, Bee Sting Perry, Mango Cider, Sunset, Somerset Scrumpy Dry & Medium Dry, Rhubarb Cider, Lemon & Lime Cider, Darkcider, Crazy Goat, Apple & Blackberry Cider, Peach Cider, Tropical Cider, Cherries & Berries, Pina Colada Cider, Raspberry Mojito Cider, Woo Woo Cider, Passion Fruit Martini Cider, Pear & Raspberry Cider, Gingerbread Cuder, Collider & Pear & Raspberry Cider & Weston's Old Rosie & Family Vintage.
After studying all of them, I decided I'd had all of them previously. Instead, I opted for the Motorhead Porter, which turned out to be an excellent choice and looking round, almost everybody in the pub was enjoying it. The barmaid explained that it was an experimental brew and I would say that it was a real success. I hope they continue with it, as it was easily my favourite beer of the day.
Once involved in the conversation, the barmaid revealed that they had another unopened box of cider out the back, which was one that I hadn't previously had (Monkey House Strawberry & Lime Cider). Before long, the box had been cracked open and samples were being offered around the pub, which I thought was a really nice gesture.
The friendly nature of this pub makes it the place to head to if you find yourself in Blyth. I had my favourite beer of the day here, my favourite cider of the day and it was easily my favourite pub of the day.
