Unlike Ilkeston, Chesterfield does have a decently placed railway station. The new Guide pubs, Chesterfield Ale House apart, are on the edge of town though. In fact, they’re now listed under the suburbs of Brampton and Whittington Moor, the sort of movement which tends to confuse GBG completists like me. That’s my big issue for the Revitalisation debate, incidentally.
The Brampton mile along Chatsworth Road has long been a favoured Pub crawl, like the rest of Chesterfield combining traditional pubs with modern breweries. I’ve frankly struggled to keep up with the Bramptons and the Barlows; the Taps, Alehouses and Arms. It speaks volumes for the strength of the pub scene that the Peacock can’t fit in the Guide.
The Tap House is one of the newbies, and oddly a Thwaites house with Barlow’s beers on. The Everards Duke William model seems to work well, but as with the Arms the owning brewery’s beer doesn’t exactly jump out at you, submerged by micro-beers that presumably attract the tickers. I wonder what Thwaites and Everards get out of it (apart from rent).
Barlow have got a nice showcase for their beers, which are fine (Pale NBSS 3) without the turnover (on a Saturday afternoon) to show them to best effect. I must have said that in every other post this year.
QUIZ TIME – what else did I not enjoy in this otherwise attractive looking pub ?
A few yards away, the Real Ale Corner had as many customers, despite being essentially an off-licence. There was no cask beer on, the owner bravely judging the beer wasn’t up to standard yet (good man), but that allowed me to take his recommendations for a takeaway. “Something local, bottle-conditioned and strong for Mrs RM” got me (well, her) the excellent Durham Tripel and an IPA from Barlow. A well-run operation.
Chatsworth Road is hard to pin down, a bit like the A6 round Hazel Grove. Smart shops and restaurants to the north, factories and derelict houses to the south. Thanks to Urban Badger for brightening up the empty house near the Tap.
The busiest pub of the new trio is a trudge through the market and past the new football ground to Whittington Moor, which would have meant the Derby Tup in GBG times past. The Castle Rock pubs seem to be dropping from the Guide like flies. Are CAMRA folk just bored by their beers, or is quality actually dropping ?
To be fair the Beer Parlour was heaving, with something of the feel of a Huddersfield Ale House in a Micro building. It wasn’t flash, it wasn’t comfortable, and the Thornbridge wasn’t super-cool (NBSS 3), but it worked for me. Pubs are funny like that.
retiredmartin 
Beer mats rather than tables set for dining?
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Or the lack of beer mats on the wall and ceiling:)
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Ignore my posts. I obviously missed the word “not” in the quiz.
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Looks like it may be the lack of people.
Dick
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Keep guessing both
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Mudgie is along to sort it out – posing tables, of course.
Is “Orban Badger” the Hungarian cousin of our native Brock?
Can’t think of anything like the Brampton Mile in any similarly-sized town.
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Of course.
Middlesbro is developing a modern repuration for it’s sequence of modern pubs (micro may be misused terms) tho thats a zigzag.
Hang on. You tricked me. Hillgate.
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No, Hillgate is still pretty much all trad pubs; the Brampton Mile from the look of it is mostly new breweries and alehouses.
Btw, there used to be a big pub at the top called the Terminus which has now been replaced by flats 😦
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Sorry missed your point. Absolutely right. M’boro def a comparator of sorts.
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Ha Ha.
I’ve got Newbury Tim to sort out my spelling now Mudge, not sure what Tim’s like on railways yet though,
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Love it! Good point re Castle Rock, feel harvest pale isn’t what it was but when Kean’s Head in Nottingham got deguided after my visit, I was outraged. Acid test will be when I visit VAT and Fiddle after zero attendance friendly.
I got it with the posing tables but obviously a few days behind Mudgie and co
Agree re outer town pubs listed under town in GBG. Only been doing BRAPA 2 years and a pub north of Halifax has moved 4 times already.
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Halifax is the prime example, I’m sure the dry ski slope place has been under 3 different headings, but that’s what makes the late August bookwork so much fun !
AGree on Harvest Pale. Had a fantastic pint in STretford Haven (nr Forest) when it reopened,but had dropped a notch last time. Been to a few of their places which much quieter, but think competition from Blue Monkey and free houses the real factor.
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Looks absolutely packed!!!! Yes, liking Chesterfield…definitely a return visit in the pipeline
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“I wonder what Thwaites and Everards get out of it (apart from rent)” – I am told, as far as Everards are concerned, that it’s the profit on the lager, even though they buy it in from a meggakeggery ( and they buy their own beers in now too ).
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Always confuses me when you get a comment on a post that’s two and a.half years old ! Good point though.
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