Old Ale House

the42ndtourist

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5

A smallish pub, just off Lemon Quay, the main sort of square in Truro, but the best I found in Cornwall.

The ceiling is low, with beams that are probably only 6 1/2 or 7 feet off the floor. Black-painted, worn, wood is the look of the pub. Beer posters, coasters cover the walls. Bar towels cover the ceiling. Absolutely delightful. Lots of mismatched wooden furniture. I love the feel of this place.

Quality. Well, I heard some misgivings from CAMRA people about the standards of storage of the casks - so much so that it's beer left out of this year's Good Beer Guide (quite a fall for the former best beer pub in the UK). I didn't see (or taste) any trouble at the service end, however.

Service is efficient and competent (provided you can reach the bar - patrons seem to all cluster around the service points in the evenings). Pints are as near to full as could be asked.

There are always 6 casks racked behind the bar - at any one time 3 or 4 of these will be tapped. They are gravity-fed. Two or three hand-pumps are also pouring ales. Behind the bar is a chalkboard listing the day's ales, frequently Bass, Bombardier, Worthington's, Wychwood, Sharp's, Fuller's, Skinner's (who also provide the house brew, the tasty Kiddlywink). Casks rotate frequently and rarely last more than a day or maybe two. The selection covers a wide range of breweries from all over the UK. Guinness (I think), a lager or two, and Blackthorne cider are also standard on tap. There are no spirits sold. A range of fruit wines (and an excellent mead!) are also sold by the glass. The first time I dropped in here, they had London Porter on tap, which probably sealed the deal for me...

Food, when the kitchen is open - hours are fairly limited - is affordable and excellent. Try especially the hands of bread - perfect beer accompaniment.

All in all, the Old Ale House is probably my favourite drinking establishment on any continent (excluding a couple spots in Belgium, and the Siebenstern brewpub in Vienna).

07-14-2004 16:01:12 | More by the42ndtourist