Beer writer Pete Brown embarked on a nationwide tour of some of our finest and most unusual pubs for his new book, simply titled The Pub, to be published on August 18.
Pete visited hundreds of pubs across the UK (I met him randomly while he was in Cornwall) looking for houses which ooze atmosphere, for whatever reason — food, architecture, location, people or décor, for instance.
On his blog, Pete explains: “For all I’ve written about pubs, I’ve never really done pub reviews. This book is one of those coffee table, picture-led affairs with lots of gorgeous photography of old inns, pubs signs and real ale casks. But I also wanted it to be much more than that.
“The book contains reviews of 300 pubs across the UK. Two-hundred and fifty of these are short, 80-word listings, but 50 of them are double-page spreads featuring longer essays. Rather than just say what beers are on or what the décor is like (information which would quickly go out of date and is better sourced from websites), I’ve tried to review each of these pubs on its atmosphere, which is, after all, the main reason we choose one pub over another.” Read more of this blog entry here
The publisher, in its promotion for the book, says: “The best pubs are those that always have a steady trade at any time on any day of the week, and where chat flows back and forth across the bar. They’re the places where you want to drink weak beer so you can several pints and stay longer.
“Some are great Victorian palaces, others ancient inns with stunning views across the hills. Some are ale shrines, other gastropubs (though they probably don’t call themselves that any more).
“A precious few are uniquely eccentric, the kinds of places that are just as likely to have terrible reviews on Trip Advisor as great ones, because some people don’t realise that the outside toilets, limp sandwiches on the bar and really disturbing full-size mannequin glaring at you from the corner are all part of the charm.
The Pub, subtitled A Cultural Institution — from Country Inns to Craft Beer Bars and Corner Locals, will be published by Jacqui Small on August 18 at £22 in hardback.
