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Beer of the Week (w/e 8th December 2024) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by peter ashworth
Submitted on Wednesday, 12th April 2017
With picture contributions to 27158 other pubs
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Detail Pages
The Malt Shovel Tavern, Northampton
Northampton
NN1 1NS
Served areas
Reviews of The Malt Shovel Tavern (Average Rating: 9 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Malt Shovel Tavern
This is an absolutely classic alehouse, ironically located directly opposite the massive Carlsberg brewing plant over the road. The pub essentially has a single room layout, set out across a long yet relatively narrow space, with the servery running along the right-hand wall, although there’s enough partitioning to ensure it feels a bit more broken up and cosy than such a description would normally imply. The room is carpeted throughout, with low panelled walls, cream painted uppers and a decent bar counter with some nice etched glasswork in the gantry above. There is plenty of bench and chair seating in all parts of the pub, some in spots with a limited view of the bar or other seating spaces, ensuring a degree of privacy. The whole pub has been extensively decorated in true alehouse fashion, with breweriana pretty much appearing everywhere you look. The collection includes collections of old branded beer trays, brewery mirrors, old enamel advertisements, beer bottles, a few immaculate brewery posters and some old beer engines, whilst all manner of tankards and jugs hang from the ceiling beams. I also spotted a few curios including one of those old West Country Ales ceramic signs, earthenware in the window sills, soda dispensers, old pub signs, brewery merchandise, malt shovels (obviously) and even an old Part Seven tin. The entrance has a nice modern etched glass pane depicting hops and a malt shovel, whilst the windows have stained glass upper sections and obscured lower panes which blur out the view of the aforementioned mega-brewery. Old 50’s and 60’s tunes were playing quietly in the background and there was a notably older clientele in attendance on my early Friday afternoon visit.
The handpulls were dispensing a good selection of varied ales - Oakham Citra and JHB, Vale Black Beauty Porter, Draught Bass, Lincoln Imperial, Pennine Fright Night, Woodfords Nog and 7 Brothers Red Ale. A friendly barmaid sold me an excellent pint of the Porter for £3.90 and I seriously considered ditching part of my crawl so I could come back and try more of their beer.
I thought this was an outstanding pub - a great start to a truncated day of pub crawling around Northampton. There’s so much to see here that the place practically demands repeat visits whilst the range and quality of the ales mean that you’re unlikely to struggle to find something you’ll enjoy. Great stuff - this’ll be my first port of call the next time I’m back in town.
On 29th December 2022
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3252 recommendations about 3252 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Malt Shovel Tavern
Nice real ale pub just out of the main town, there was a beer festival on at the time of my visit and the place was very well attended, unfortunately my pint of Thornbridge Wild Swan was on the cusp of its use by date, that aside this seems to be a cracking pub.
On 8th May 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2072 recommendations about 2042 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Malt Shovel Tavern
In south end of town on a busy road but worth seeking out. Old signage on the walls, jugs hanging from the ceiling, cosy neat interior, lots of good ales, good service and a fine pub
On 8th November 2017
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1507 recommendations about 1484 pubs]
View more reviews of The Malt Shovel Tavern (11)
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- Official site of the Malt Shovel, includes menu and beer list - www.maltshoveltavern.com
- Facebook - Malt Shovel Tavern
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Malt Shovel Tavern - whatpub.com
Long Buckby, 10.8 miles, 3 hr 28 min walk (show)
Wellingborough, 12.24 miles, 3 hr 56 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : Yes - May - last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : Yes - small basic patio - last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Car Park : No last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 29 December 2022 by Pub SignMan
- Darts : Yes last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 29 December 2022 by Pub SignMan
- Function Room : No last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 29 December 2022 by Pub SignMan
- Karaoke : No last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Live Music : Yes last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 29 July 2018 by Komakino .
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 13 August 2016 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 29 December 2022 by Pub SignMan
- WiFi : Yes last updated 29 December 2022 by Pub SignMan
