Cuckoo Taproom & Bottleshop, Exeter

This small shop converted, craft beer bar with a bit of a coffee house feel to it, has a decent location, just off Exeter’s main retail area, which seemed enough to entice a good mid-afternoon crowd of shoppers, tired parents and beer enthusiasts. The pub has a small, micropub-style interior, with smart modern floorboards and plain painted walls plus the inevitable large floor to ceiling shop windows at the front. Small round tables with metal chairs have been positioned under the front window and down the left hand wall, whilst longer tables run along the right-hand wall with a mix of chair and bench seating in support. The servery is to the rear of the room and has a white tile counter front and dark painted bar back with beer boards that I found a little tricky to read, partly because of the lighting above but also due to a great many bar blockers who prevented me from getting anywhere near the bar itself. The decor is a bit of a mixed bag - an old shop mannequin stands guard in the front window, wearing a pub t-shirt next to a small barrel with a potted plant on top. Shelves to the right hold vases, plants and other ornaments, whilst a large brewery advert dominates the left wall. Meanwhile, a row of fridges to the rear left are well stocked with interesting bottles and cans. A good alternative rock soundtrack played in the background and there was a nice buzz on my Saturday afternoon visit, despite quite a few kids being in attendance. The toilets require a trek all the way up to the second floor, and in passing, I noted that the first floor was being refitted, seemingly to provide an overspill seating area. The beer boards listed at least ten craft keg lines and one cider, but amazingly, only one beer was under 5% abv, with most comfortably in double figures - at those strengths, I had to wonder whether the bar blockers were propping up the bar or if the bar was in fact, propping up the bar blockers. Given that I planned to visit several more pubs that evening, I opted for one of the single digit abv’s, ending up with the LHB Chocolate and Vanilla Stout, which was pretty tasty. I waited forever to get served as the couple in front of me tried samples of pretty much everything going. This is a decent example of a modern craft beer bar with some interesting, if perhaps a little too pokey, brews at sensible enough prices. The upstairs seating area will hopefully alleviate the bar blocking issue, which would make the place feel a bit more welcoming, but regardless, it’s still a good bolt-hole from the nearby shops and a decent addition to the city centre pub scene.

Facebook page of Cuckoo Taproom & Bottleshop - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Cuckoo Taproom & Bottleshop - www.facebook.com

New micropub.