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Idle Valley Tap, Retford
Retford
DN22 6EF
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Idle Valley Tap
We had 50 minutes to kill whilst changing trains in Retford. It's a 10-minute walk with a canal lock to traverse from the station down to this pub. We did contemplate what would have happened if the lock would have been in use when we were making our return rush to the station.
The Idle Valley Tap is a simple-looking building from the outside. Inside, it was quite lively on our Saturday lunchtime visit. There is a single open-plan, but slightly sub-divided room. We couldn't spot any TVs, but there was a pool table at the rear. There is also an outdoor area beyond that.
We were immediately with the real ale range. There is an impressive line-up of 8 cask ales including 2 house beers (Idle Valley Pale & Idle Valley Red), brewed by the Welbeck Abbey Brewery. Also on were Fyne Ales Zest & Off The Clock, Beartown/Northern Monk Cheeky, Wilde Child Gimme S'more, Rat Ratsuma & Aldwark Eight Million. We also tried the Beartown Inception, which was another keg offering. There was no real cider.
I sampled the Gimme S'more and the Zest. Both were good beers in excellent condition.
Service was friendly and they automatically offered us CAMRA discounts. We must obviously look like the type! I was surprised that the pub was so busy. We had propped up the bar, with only a short stay planned. But a few groups arrived whilst we were there, already adding to a sizeable crowd.
Despite being a bit of a bonus pub on our way to a crawl of Worksop pubs, this was the highlight of the day for me and makes me look forward to visiting a few more of Retford's hostelries sometime in the future.
On 6th August 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about Idle Valley Tap
Not a brewery tap but opposite the canal basin, eight pulls but a lot devoted to Bradfield, two beers badged as Idle Valley beers and one from Welbeck Abbey were on; Welbeck Abbey is where Idle Valley beers are brewed. Decent but unexciting would sum up the Idle Valley beer. It’s a large, squarish, bland, white room although with a pool table and fridge magnets stuck to RSJs, I don’t suppose people come here for the décor. There’s a large open space to the rear/side which leads across to the Ship.
On 14th August 2022
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about Idle Valley Tap
When is a tap no a tap? The brewery is no longer brewing!
Traditional pub with some benches outside. Nice staff - who in a first, actually ask you to check the machine to make sure the value is correct before doing contactless.
On 12th July 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Idle Valley Tap
Traditional pub on the way into town from the station (unless you know one of the non-obvious shortcuts over the canal). Unremarkable interior, doing reasonable early evening business shortly after indoor reopening as the coronavirus restrictions ease. Not longer a genuine tap, but six different real ales were available from the two banks of four handpumps, including two from Welbeck Abbey: Idle Valley Pale (£2.85) and Cavendish.
On 3rd June 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Idle Valley Tap
The former brewer at Idle Valley is, I have been informed, now involved with the Brew Shed across the way. Idle Valley beers are now brewed by Shiny Brewery and at the time of my recent visit there was only one of their beers among the eight hand pumps. I expect they'll get around to changing the name of the pub before long...
All beers are priced at £3, and there's a sameness about the beer styles as well, with three described as American Pale Ales, four others being in the pale and golden end of the spectrum and just one dark beer, the Idle Valley Indolent Philosopher. I'm glad to say that the back door which was left open on my previous visit was tightly shut this time, and there's a solid fuel stove as well.
Date of visit: 24th November 2017
On 29th November 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Lester Ford left this review about Idle Valley Tap
The Idle Valley brewery tap at the start of the high street and was my first stop on a Saturday night of ticking the 4 pubs that appear in the 2017 GBG.
Just after 6pm and the pub is packed and I mean really packed. There was a large group of women playing pool and enjoying their selves, many couples and a few groups meaning there was no spare seats.
On the bar there was 8 ales on with 6 from Idle Valley my pint of their Mild Revolution @ 3.6% was as you would expect very decent.
I understand the pub has recently been renovated and the style is very minimal but works. There's an open fire with burning logs.
I only stopped for 1 beer, writing this after visiting the other 3 this is by far the best pub from the guide in the town. If I ever return to Retford this will be the one pub I head for.
On 12th April 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 80 recommendations about 78 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about Idle Valley Tap
Best pub of the day for me. Eight beers on hand pumps and Jaipur on keg. Two beers that caught my eye were both Idle Valley offerings - Unpretentious Declaration @ 5.6% and Indolent Philosopher @ 5.3%. I had the first which was a good beer. Just the one room with a pool table at the rear. Definitely would return to this one.
On 12th February 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Idle Valley Tap
Although Springhead Brewery had plans to reopen the Anchor as the Ginger Pig, these fell through and it has now in fact reopened as Idle Valley Tap. There are eight hand pumps, of the modern stainless steel variety, plus a handful of craft keg taps. All but one of the beers were Idle Valley, with weird names like Torpid Expression and Vacant Gesture. Imagination is to the fore in some of the beer styles, too. The landlord gave me a taste of the coconut flavoured Coconut Shy PA and the equally undrinkable Vacant Gesture, a blonde beer that uncannily recreates the taste of a 1970s lager and lime, and which I was assured sold six barrels a week. Torpid Expression is described as an eccentric bitter, but this seemed fairly ordinary to me. The mild, illustrated with a picture of Che Guevara on the pump clip and called Mild Revolution, was the best of those that I tried.
With stone flags on the floor and the back door to the toilets and car park left open, this was a cold pub at this time of year. It has been done up very smartly and it's good to see a pub that had fallen into disuse revived so enthusiastically.
On 24th March 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Anchor Inn
The Anchor Inn is a plain looking town pub that is on the corner of a busy road junction.
When i went in this pub it had a few different rooms,we had a drink in a fairly nice lounge which was carpeted and had comfy seating.
There was one real ale on the bar this was Home Ales bitter and this was a nice drink.
I dont know what beers this pub has on now.
Pub visited 15/8/1982
On 15th August 1982
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]