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Little Chester Ale House, Little Chester, Derby
Derby
DE1 3SF
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Little Chester Ale House
Quite liked this micro, the barman was friendly and welcoming and the beer was good. Four ales on handpump, three from Hartshorns, a local brewery who own the pub. The fourth ale was Scribblers Masher in the Rye. There was also three ciders in the cellar.
I went for the Hartshorns Ignite, which had bags of flavour for a 3.9%. I also tried the Scribblers, which was strong in strength and taste. Other bits of info are that the pub was a former bookies, car part shop and a laundrette. There was also an old mahogany clocking in and out machine on the wall. Every local customer entering the pub greeted one another with the words 'Aye Up', proper Derbyshire.
On 13th April 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Little Chester Ale House
Reasonable little micro-pub in a former shop at the north end of Chester Green. There is a limited amount of seating around the compact bar, with another table to the rear, and decor largely comprising pump clips and a few pictures. Three real ales from the nearby Hartshorns micro-brewery on handpump plus XT6 (£2.60) from Buckinghamshire.
On 22nd November 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Little Chester Ale House
This is Derby's first foray into the new trend for 'micro-pubs', having been converted from a former dry cleaning business in late 2012. The interior is quite a bit bigger than other micro-pubs I've experienced, but it's still a very small premises and I can imagine it fills up pretty quickly. You enter into the stone floored main room with modern, frosted glass front windows and a red and white colour scheme. A couple of benches run along each wall and there are a good few comfy looking chairs around the best part of half a dozen tables. The décor is typical pub tat such as brewery mirrors, old photos of the local area and a few maps, whilst I noticed some shelves displaying a collection of mugs and tankards in the front corner. There is a small serving hatch on the back wall with enough room for four handpulls, and a door to the right of this leads you into a second room, much narrower than the first, with a single banquette serving a couple more tables and a slightly longer bar counter. From here you can, rather remarkably, move through to a third area - a tiny space with room for one table and a small barrel surrounded by low stools. The pub was busy, but not uncomfortably so and the staff milled around between the customers, stopping for a chat where possible.
The handpulls were offering three ales from the local Wentwell Brewery - Derby Pale Ale, Judge's Verdict and Justice for Gingers - as well as something called Lazy Landlord Test Brew Bitter, seemingly from a newly formed brewery. Two draught ciders were listed on a board and the staff brought these up directly from the cellar, whilst wine by the glass was also being advertised. Food is available in the form of traditional bar snacks and I noticed posters for upcoming 'cheese nights' on Mondays.
I think I like the concept of micro pubs more than I like actually visiting them, although that's not to say that I didn't enjoy this particular visit. This is a friendly enough place and a good spot to while away a bit of time over a well kept pint, but I'm not sure I'd want to stay for an extended session. Worth the short walk from the city centre, if only for the novelty value.
On 1st March 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Little Chester Ale House
A recent shop conversion, but feeling like a natural pub, despite the slight quirkiness of the layout. Its location on a rounded corner gives it a wedge shape internally, with the bar in a smallish hatch in the wall towards the thin end of the wedge - the fact that the toilet is right at the back means it is a very small toilet, reached via a drinking corridor and a tiny seating area which is too small to call a snug. The main room is small enough, with small benches fixed to the walls, small tables and small chairs. This arrangement allows, by my count, around twenty-five people to sit here without any recourse to laps, though at the time of my visit it was hard to imagine that many people in this one small room. There's a small fireplace too, with what has to be the smallest solid fuel stove I have ever seen.
Four hand pumps on the bar - three ales were on at the time of my visit, and two ciders advertised as being available from the cellar. I had Wentwell Farmhands Bitter, and there was also Derbyshire Gold from the same brewery, plus Imperial Autumn Ale. Beer was very cheap - my half of Farmhands was only £1.25 - and I saw a couple of customers calling in for takeaways, which has got to be an improvement on picking up a slab of Carling cans from Asda. The pub looks out onto Chester Green, so I imagine would get some trade from anyone needing to slake their thirst after exercise, or exercising the dog. It's a 10 to 15 minute walk from the Peacock or the Furnace, and on several bus routes for those who can't manage the walk.
On 22nd November 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3745 recommendations about 3482 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Little Chester Ale House
The Little Chester Ale House is Derbys first micro pub.
Once inside there was a small squared shaped room which had a few small tables and chairs,there was a corridor to the right which also had one table and a few stools in it,the floor was tiled.
There were four pumps on the bar and all in use,i had a drink of Alton Nemesis which was well kept but not to my taste,the other beers were Flipside Copper Penny,4Ts Wise and Muirhouse Smoked Porter,the landlord was getting pints of real cider from the side of the pub
The pub was very busy on my mid Saturday afternoon visit and i ended up sitting in the corridor.
I thought this was quite a nice micro pub that i would happily come back to again.
Pub visited 9/3/2013
On 9th March 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Little Chester Ale House
Very neat little micropub 10 minutes walk from the centre of Derby. It was previously a dry cleaners and opened in November 2012. There are 4 or 5 tables in the main room and a couple of seats next to the bar at the side and that's it. There's also one unisex toilet. A few bits of bric-a-brac around the walls, but it's fairly minimalist. There were 4 handpumps serving changing guests and one for real cider and the two we tried were in excellent condition. There are no other pumps of any kind on the bar. It has limited opening times and shuts at 10 each night. It's a great little place and well worth the walk.
On 8th March 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]