There aren’t many towns in the Beer Guide that come as a complete surprise these days. Dunbar was a pleasant surprise, Glenrothes less so.
Prudhoe isn’t a complete shock. Despite being the first settlement into Northumberland along the A695, and being surrounded by greenery, it’s got more in common with Tyne colliery towns like Blaydon than cosy Hexham and Corbridge.
For many years it was best known for the Colony, a giant Mental Health hospital of a style familiar to residents of Fulbourn.
Now, of course, it’s best known for a micropub with a funny name.
Actually, that’s not true. An award winning coffee shop was just closing for the day, and a single High Street seemed to contain five Italian restaurants and three chippies, My kinda town.
But you read this rubbish to see pictures of handpumps, so here are the four (count them) in Wor Local (that’s Geordie for beer £2.80 a pint).
You’ll know my general views on micropubs, but I loved this one (and not just because the Moghul Black IPA was wonderful and £2.80 a pint). Perhaps there’s a perfect set of circumstances to visit a micro, where you’re not crushed to death or embarrassed by silence.
Wor Local was relaxed and chatty, with plenty of seating options, each with their own wooden mousetrap and draughts on the table. And there’s two loos.
The Guvnor brought out a little bowl of cheesy Wotsits, the non-micro blokes talked about hire v buy options on ankle grinders at Jewsons,
“Aye. All it needs is regrouting“.
You don’t hear that in Bexley.
A Proper Pub.
I never did find out what that box marked “Draughts” is for. Is it an ashtray ?
retiredmartin 
Reminds me of the one a good few years ago now, when myself and a friend visited a retired fisherman turned painter called Jimmy Thomson of Amble. He had a private studio at his home and one of the paintings on his wall was of a splendid fishing coble leaving Amble harbour. My friend remarked on his appreciation of the painting and Jimmy, in broad Northumbrian replied, ‘Aye that’s wor coble.’ To which my mate replied, ‘Who’s boat is it?’
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Yes, avoid any cask that is on special. It means someone is on the way down to change the barrel.
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Ankle? angle grinders, fella
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You haven’t lived in Prudhoe, fella. Old debts and all that.
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Some kind of Timeslip ,cazy prices from over a decade ago .
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It’s a dreadful slur on somebody I don’t know at all, but the mustachioed gentleman at the bar made me instantly recall Viz’s “Real Ale Twats”. Haven’t read a copy in years, wonder if they now have a hipster equivalent?
I always think of the “special” price as being more “We’ve accidentally ordered something that the average homebrewer would pour straight down the sink; even our hardiest regulars won’t touch it with a barge-pole; it’s been on for a fortnight”.
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I suspect it’s not that bad, but it will be the slowest selling or closest to going – they have a policy of always having a special on at £2 a pint. Seems to work for them though!
Like most, though, I would never order it, nor would I discount something at our pub for the same reason!
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On the other hand, the Room with a Brew (dreadful name, good beer) flogs ALL their beer on a Sunday for £2 (think) so it doesn’t sit in the pipes till the pub reopens again later in the week. It was great.
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Those little bowls of cheesy Wotsits don’t look as good as the Bombay Mix that one might find in Leicester.
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“Whatever are they for ?”
To keep your hands busy when not drinking, since smoking isn’t allowed anymore. 😉
“hire v buy options on ankle grinders”
I’ve heard of ankle biters (another version of twild I believe) but not ankle grinders. All I can imagine is some very small dog getting, um, amorous. 🙂
“Is it an ashtray ?”
Nah. Since it’s a micro-pub, perhaps it’s for micro-glasses… of draught of course.
Cheers
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Your take on ankle grinders is convincing.
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“But you read this rubbish to see pictures of handpumps” –Well first of all it’s not rubbish, I object to that. But okay, the pictures of handpumps are a nice little bonus, I’ll admit. 😉
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“Rubbish” is the word kids use for “life affirming literature”, a bit like “sick”.
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