Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Disappointment of the week with Quinno
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Engineers Arms, Henlow
Henlow
SG16 6AA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Engineers Arms
Love this pub that features in the 2019 Good Beer Guide and deserves to be. We were a coach party of 19 arriving yesterday and were made very welcome by locals and staff. With a massve selection of beers we were pleased to have the tray of 6 x thirds so that we could enjoy so many brewery beers that we do not often see. Blackpit, 2 from Northdown, Nethergate, New River and Potton were our choice. The people of Henlow are very lucky indeed.
On 7th July 2019
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Engineers Arms
Quite correctly the winner of numerous CAMRA awards,this is a destination pub if you are looking for a range of well kept real ale,normally featuring a variety of beer styles.
You enter to the side of the pub into a wooden floor section with one side of the bar counter,the area is surrounded by high tables and bar stools.Three handpumps operate from this side,and on a side wall is the ale menu listing up to 10 ales with a useful note of whether the brew is light,dark or brown to help decision making.
To the left of the entrance is the front lounge occupying the 1930's extension to the original building.This room is carpeted and has leather bound seating and modern wooden tables ;the section of the bar serving this area contains a further five handpumps.Towards the rear of the pub,up a small step is another carpeted lounge with two Sky flat screens,wooden tables and chairs and lots of Derby County memoribilia,many featuring the landlord with various players.This room in turn leads the the neatly paved rear garden with bench seating and a table skittles.
Aside from the DCFC material and a table dedicated to CAMRA publications there is little of interest in the interior,although there are table signs advertising the pub's speciality pies which certainly sounded good.
There is live music and occasional quiz nights and the feel of the pub is of a community local.The ale selection usually features beers from Nethergate,Oakham and Buntingford as regulars supplemented by guests ales from further afield.I have to say that my Oakham The Gentleman (£3) was in outstanding condition ,sadly I couldn't stay to sample the guests from Salamander and Colchester brewery.It is worth looking at the website to see what is on prior to your visit.
A must visit for any beer tourist,I would recommend an extended stay as this is one of the very best ale houses in the South East.
On 15th August 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Engineers Arms
Occupying a position on the High Street of the quietish Bedfordshire village of Henlow is The Engineers Arms, an enterprising, award winning real ale orientated free house.
An L shaped bar serves several drinking areas, including a public bar style drinking area with a tiled floor which, based on my recent Saturday visit, is the haunt of the friendly and welcoming village locals. A doorway here leads to the front bar which is a more comfortable and carpeted room, traditionally decorated and furnished. In this room we see several old pictures of the pub in days long gone and we realise that the unusual curved frontage of the pub – which doesn’t look desperately attractive in my view – is in fact a later addition to the original building. It’s a former Charles Wells House and we see several framed invoices relating to beer deliveries in those days. Throughout the pub, beer related memorabilia, mirrors, posters etc abound, together with a bottled beer collection, reflecting the real ale emphasis.
A separate area towards the rear of the pub is decorated with numerous signed framed pictures of Derby County players – eg, Roy McFarland, Peter Shilton, Nigel Clough – many accompanied by the landlord, Kevin, who is obviously a keen and enthusiastic supporter. We also see several enamel signs from the former Baseball Ground ( eg – Block B, Seats 23-34 ) and signed shirts, reflecting the fact that the pub has, in the past, sponsored team players. A picture of George Best reveals that he is ( or was ?) the president of the Engineers Arms Football Club. Unusually, on the other side of the room, under a smallish TV, are signed photos of former Hartlepool and Sheffield Wednesday teams. There’s also a few boxing photos, including a photo of the well known occasion when Henry Cooper floored Mohammed Ali, and some England cricket team photos.
On the real ale front, there’s 10 pumps spread over the two bars, which, on my recent visit, were serving beers from Buntingford, Burton Bridge, Kelham Island and Newby Wyke, inter alia. All 5 beers tasted by me were in good condition, especially the Buntingford Highwayman IPA - £ 2.80p, although I was a bit disappointed by the Kelham Island 45 RPM.
The pub offers what it refers to as “Six Appeal” – a tray of 6 different real ales in 1/3 pint measures for only £5. Numerous posters advertise forthcoming beer festivals – including the 15th Henlow Beer Festival, which is to be held at the pub between 20-24 October 2010. Over 100 traditional real ales, ciders and perries are advertised as being available over the period. The pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular and displays numerous CAMRA branch awards.
Disappointingly, dotted around the pub are notices ( I counted three in total ) inviting me to post a review and leave a rating on a certain neglected and discredited beer/pub related website, which hardly needs naming here. You will be pleased to hear that I won’t be doing so.
Live entertainment is offered at weekends and, on the day of my visit, I was unfortunate ( or perhaps fortunate ?) to have to leave before “Geordie Elvis” put in an appearance.
There’s a covered beer garden at the back and several seats outside at the front on the pavement.
As the afternoon wore on and the pub started to fill up, it became evident what a fine community orientated local this is, yet one that still reserves a warm welcome for the passing visitor. Notably, even the pub dog was quiet and subdued and failed to irritate me at all.
How do you get here, I hear you ask ? Well, it’s approx a 20 minute walk from Arlesey Station ( on the Kings Cross – Peterborough line ) across the fields. It also seems to be on a bus route with a stop opposite the pub.
The pub is well worth making a real effort to get to.
On 15th October 2010
- rating: 9
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Engineers Arms
Super little pub, with ten real ales on and a friendly atmosphere. Not surprisingly, it has won plenty of awards and the effort put in really shows. Lots of interesting memorabilia, but inside and out in the rear (non-smoking) beer garden. Excellent pint of Golden Plover from the nearby Buntingford Brewery on my all-too-short stay.
On 21st September 2009
- rating: 9
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Archie Tekt left this review about The Engineers Arms
I don't know why people like this pub. It is dingy, tatty and smelly. I had heard rave reviews of this place and so visited with some friends a few months ago. The music was very loud - so much so that everyone was sat outside, despite the cold, and we found the pub to be very clique-y and unfriendly. We were very disappointed and will not be going back.
On 26th October 2008
- rating: 2
[User has posted 3 recommendations about 3 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
train man left this review about The Engineers Arms
Not as good as my first visit. One beer insufficiently pulled thru, then served in the glass that had contained said thru-pull, another beer vinegary, although a lady in the bar was glad I pointed it out as she took the opportunity to also change the half she had been suffering in silence! Also, the tv was ludicrously loud for screening grand prix practice, what's that all about? I wouldn't discourage anyone, & the choice was still 8 beers, but this visit was unfortunately timed.
14 February 2008
First the important stuff: 10 handpumps, 9 were on, all £2.50. TT Landlord, Northumberland Legends of the Tyne (#2, David Craig), Caledonian Try'd & Tested, Oldershaw Decadence(6.3%), Bateman's XB, Everards Pitch Plack (stout), Marston's Sweet Chariot, Stonehenge Sign of Spring (green! presumably early production for 17Mar), Buntingford Challenger, plus 4 Westons real ciders from the barrel, plus belgian bottles. When the Challenger came up short of its best the Burton guv'nor was called & he took it off and set about cleaning the line there & then, impressive. Food includes locally sourced pies, but none were available yesterday, just pizza. Various weekend music all leaning toward blues & soul (proper – not that shite that today's youth call r&b), and 8Mar will have ‘Dr Busker' at the piano for a trad singalong. ‘Meet the Brewers' features a visit from 5 local breweries 20(?)Feb. Decorated with jugs, beerfest steins, knickknacks, photos, has a book corner behind door to main bar (like large snug) covering sport, beer, travel, insults… Chico the springer spaniel watches over proceedings. The football team had George Best as president, so the beers aren't the only reason for famous drinking around here.
Having reflected on my exasperation of missing a last pre-train beer due to a protracted card payment at the other bar, I would like to say to the landlady that I was unaware that I swore but, if I did, I apologise. Top pub, by the way!
On 6th July 2008
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 412 recommendations about 411 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Richard Byford left this review about The Engineers Arms
What can you say about a pub that is probably the best in the world, well England anyway! A great selection of real ales that change frequently. They hold a beer festival at least once a year.
Great atmosphere, tasty pies, roaring fire. If you have to die in a pub, do it here and pass away with a big grin on yer face.
Oh, and did I say I like this place?!
On 8th February 2007
- rating: 10
[User has posted 14 recommendations about 14 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Engineers Arms
A cracking pub, with a huge host of well-kept guest ales (10, including Sarah Hughes' delicious Ruby Mild) along with ciders and all that kind of funny stuff. The landlord (Derby County nut) is very hospitable and the staff are friendly. As there was no food on (usually does pies) he directed us to the local fish & chip shop, whilst he sorted out some plates, cutlery and condiments for our return – excellent service. There were lots of pub events advertised, sports groups and board games by the bar. Also probably the best pub Gents I’ve ever been in, soap, towels and free smellies provided without a bog troll in sight – wow! Also boasts a tidy beer garden and SKY sports.
Well worth seeking out, a real gem and one of my favourite ever pubs. I hope I can get back there before too long.
On 8th October 2006
- rating: 10
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]