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The Organ Grinder, Nottingham
Nottingham
NG7 3JE
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about Organ Grinder
We visited the Organ Grinder on the opening day of their 3 day Bank Holiday Beer Festival.
Arriving at 6, the pub was busy and stayed so throughout the evening but the atmosphere was friendly and everyone queueing at the bar was very polite. This was probably helped by there being plenty of bar staff on, so the wait was short, most of whom were attractive young ladies and all were knowledgeable on the various beers available.
On the handpumps were: BG Sips, Guerilla, Infinity and Sanctuary as regulars with the Ape Ale listed having already run out by the time we arrived and replaced with 99 Red Baboons. Additionally, for the festival, there were four specials on handpump including the excellent Organ Grinder. Everything we tried was in tip top condition and flew down. Also available were several interesting keg beers, which I assume are always there, including Brewdog Punk IPA and Magic Rock High Wire.
Some 30 beers were also offered upstairs for the festival including offerings from, amongst others, Thornbridge, Magic Rock and Saltaire. The quality of these suggests that Blue Monkey have a lot of confidence in the quality of their own ale and rightly so.
My view is obviously taken on the basis of a one off event but I found the Organ Grinder to be vibrant and friendly with a great selection of beers. Not only do Blue Monkey brew some of my favourite beers but they know how to run a pub as well. My first, and probably last, stop if in Nottingham.
On 9th May 2012
- rating: 10
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Organ Grinder
ORIGINAL REVIEW Nov 2011
A small pub now owned by the Blue Monkey brewery and showcasing their excellent ale together with a few guests ,this is a welcome addition to the local real ale scene.
Soup describes the interior well,yet I felt it didn't quite match up to the undoubted quality of the ale on offer.However that wouldn't stop me returning time and again to neck some tip top beer.It deserves a longer stay than my pub crawl visit.
UPDATE
Spent an evening here with their beer festival in full swing.The interior is larger than I realised with a raised back room with sofas and stools leading to a courtyard which has a higher level up a flight of stairs.This in turn leads to another room where beer festivals are held.This substantial outside area would be a real winner in good weather.Outstanding ales as you might expect.
On 7th May 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Organ Grinder
Short and sweet review this one.
Will agree with everyone else. Great pub, great beer.
And for all young males in the early 80’s who fondly remember the only decent German pop song ever made, and found the foreign lead singing lass with hairy armpits strangely erotic, 99 Red Baboons is a fantastic beer name. Has to be tried for old memories sake.
On 21st November 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2110 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Organ Grinder
This was formerly known as the Red Lion that was purchased, re-furbished and re-opened as the Organ Grinder by the local Blue Monkey Brewery in 2011. Eight different Blue Monkey beers were available on my visit alongside two guests as well as a number of interesting premium keg products and three ‘proper’ ciders. The quality of the two I had was excellent, though the barman was rather stand-offish. The interior is a fairly bland affair with a large bare-boarded floor area by the bar and a couple of drinking zones that lead off it that play host to a few tables and some leather banquette seating; in the left hand area there was a wood-burning stove located in the old fireplace next to a built-in bookcase. Despite the excellent beer I didn’t really warm to this place much (perhaps I was spoiled at the Hand & Heart?). I’d certainly pop back for the Blue Monkey again mind you.
On 17th November 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Organ Grinder
Formerly the Red Lion until the end of June this year, when Blue Monkey purchased from Enterprise Inns. What a great job they've done too! On handpump four from the Blue Monkey stable, three rotating and one permanent featuring Batemans XB. No Carling, Fosters or Bud, you can purchase some American lagers and Belgium Blonde beers. I went for the Blue Monkey Evolution, Dartmoor Mallards Duck and Dive, Magpie Thieving Rogue and Caythorpe Dover Back. Will defo return.
On 16th November 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about Organ Grinder
A first time visit for us to this Blue Monkey tap, and I agree that it is a welcome pub in this part of Nottingham that is increasing in real ale outlets. Love following Soup Dragon on here as he describes everything so well. We actually popped in twice and managed to get Blue Monkey Magic first time round which had been replaced by Evolution on our second visit. Both excellent, along with the Liverpool Organic Jade.
On 14th November 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
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Soup Dragon left this review about Organ Grinder
A terraced 'Blue Monkey' pub, the upper half in plain brick with blue lintels above the windows, with the lower half in blue with large windows.
The interior is an irregular shaped open-plan room. The decor is a mix of cream and olive green wood panelled walls, with a white ceiling and a wood floor. There is a brick fire place in one corner, which had a stove burner and there is red perimeter seating along with standard tables and chairs. There are lots of old photos on the walls, along with some posters and a large 'Blue Monkey' ape, which confused a couple of the PG crowd, who thought it was a mirror. There is a little library and a bit of chopped wood to give it a modern twist. There was no TV that i saw and there was no background music. The service was fine and the clientele mixed, apart from the invading Pubs Galore lot.
Beer; usual tap stuff with several continental lagers, along with Blue Monkey BG Sips, Evolution, Original, Guerrilla, an excellent 99 Red Baboons, as well as Liverpool Organic Jade, Magpie Thieving Rogue and Bateman's XB.
Absolute quality. My first visit but it certainly won't be the last. Another pub you could stay in for hours - simply go.
On 12th November 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Organ Grinder
The Red Lion used to be a Whitbread tied house, it is just off canning circus.
This is a small one roomed pub the bar faces you as you go in,the seating is quite comfortable and the last time we went in here there were four real ales on the bar but over the last couple of years the pub has been going downhill and it is now up for let.
We used to like having a drink in here as it was one of the smarter pubs on alfreton road.
Update 7 October 2011
This pub has changed name and the inside has altered quite a lot with the bar moving from the rear of the pub to the right hand side,the pub has bare boards and leather bench seating around the edge of the pub plus a small seating at the rear of the pub which is slightly raised.
This is now a Blue Monkey tied house and there were 9 real ales on the bar i had a drink of Blue Monkey BG Sips and this was a very nice well kept pint,there were four other Blue Monkey beers on the bar these were Ape ale, Evolution, Gorrila and Magic,the four guest beers were Goffs Tournament, Pirbeck Hardy Harvest Pale ale, Church Damson and Deliah and Batemans XB.
The pub was quite busy on our dinner visit and i quite liked the atmosphere here.
This pub is well worth a visit.
Pub visited 8/10/2011
On 8th October 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Organ Grinder
Doesn't look much from the street, but go within and wonders await you! The refurbishment is a slightly curious mixture of traditional and modern but it works well enough with its range of small seating areas on two levels. There is also a patio beer garden out back, well lit on a warm September evening. There was a good crowd in, giving a good atmosphere, but the bar staff were on top of things. I counted nine handpumps, with a good range from Blue Monkey plus a decent selection from other small breweries. My pint of 99 Red Baboons (£2.70) was first class, and on the basis of my first visit I certainly would recommend this place to anybody who likes good beer.
On 24th September 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Organ Grinder
Now bought by Blue Monkey brewery and refurbished and renamed the Organ Grinder. It's now one main room with a small raised area at the rear and a drinking patio up two flights of steps at the back. Fairly modern and mininalist, but it looks like it's still a work in progress in places. Excellent range of cask ales on the bar with 5 from Blue Monkey and 2 guests when we called on a Sunday afternoon. I had a pint of 99 Red Baboons and the other half had BG Sips, both were in top condition. The friendly barmaid topped off a good pub experience and we'll certainly call in again.
On 5th September 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3223 recommendations about 3134 pubs]