Angels Micropub, Belper

Pub SignMan left this review about Angels Micropub

Squeezed into a tiny, unassuming building just off Belper’s market Square, this is a cosy little micropub that was doing a roaring trade on my Saturday afternoon visit. The pub has a simple layout across a single, split level, bare boarded room with the servery close to the entrance and limited seating around the rest of the perimeter. Tables and chairs occupy the lower level, opposite the bar, whilst benches fill the upper section beneath a large mural of a local mill. Elsewhere, the décor includes a picture of the pub painted across one wall, a stuffed toy deer head and a large angel mural above the bar. The servery is essentially just a hatch, with all the beer poured from the barrel in a temperature-controlled taproom out the back. The pub was hosting a ‘Dark Beers Festival’ when I called in, so the place was packed out (which doesn’t take long in such close confines) with loads of beer tickers in evidence, plus larger groups who took up vast swathes of seating, creating a buzzing atmosphere, even a short time after opening.
The cask options on this visit were extensive and obviously focussed on darker brews, with the range comprising Thornbridge Lowline and Jaipur, Oakham Citra, Little Critters Sleepy Badger, Brass Castle Fat Rascal, Wild Child Quintessential Confection, Titanic Plum Porter reserve, Blue Monkey Guerrilla Stout, Exmoor Beast, Ossett Treacle Stout Extra, Lenton Lane Seismic Activity, Navigation Siren’s Luring and Urban Chicken Urban Peaked, plus nine cider and perry options. Phew! In the end, I can’t recall which of these I ended up with, but I recall that it was in excellent condition and had this not been my first pub of the day, I might have been tempted to linger and try a few more.
This struck me as a friendly, well run micropub that perhaps suffers a bit from its own success, as I was forced to stand awkwardly in the middle of the room, in lieu of anywhere else to sit or perch, so I ended up rushing my visit a bit and never felt all that relaxed here. That’s a shame, as it seems like a great place and should most definitely be on anyone’s itinerary if looking to check out some of the best pubs the town has to offer.

On 18^th July 2023 - rating: 8
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