DOOM BAR RULES IN BANBURY

At times on this site I feel like the nation’s only advocate for Doom Bar, a bit like the only person pleased with the sacking of Gary Monk.

But despite two rave reviews for our No. 1 beer last year (Sawbridgeworth and Winchester, fact fans), it’s normally a dull old thing, even in GBG pubs.

But on the way from Dudley to Maidenhead, I got the chance to get an expert opinion on Doom Bar from resident beer sommelier Mrs RM.

In the immortal words of Jimmy Webb “By the time we got to Banbury we were famished“.

I quite fancied visiting the Italian place where Mudgie had famously bad service recently, but it was a case of the closest place will do.

The Three Pigeons wouldn’t have been my choice, a bit polite/fussy/dull on my visit. To be fair, it’s a restaurant, and we had to fight to avoid being sat away from the bar.

Just look at this cracking line-up.

Luckily I was driving, so I was able to get away with a J20.

Fans of casual sexism will be delighted to know the lovely barmaid instictively stuck the pint of Purity Gold in front of me. #WomenDrinkPintsToo

Mrs RM felt strangely impressed by the dullest beer in Britain, so impressed it didn’t touch the sides. Perhaps the soundtrack of Elton John and Ed Sheeran sped us along.

A couple our age came in. The chap said “Oooh. Tribute!”. But not in an ironic way. Some folk in Oxon have yet to taste Bass, you know.

The food was superb, lamb and risotto scoffed in about 10 minutes. But Mrs RM was making the most of my chauffering, just as Pubmeister has just done in Pontfaen.

“Have the Doom Bar” I urged. We have a strange marriage, I often think.

She did. It was decent. 3.5, I thought. Good on North Oxon CAMRA for putting quality over range I thought.

The couple who’d come in after us ordered and downed a second Tribute, and left before us. What can it all mean?

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

12 thoughts on “DOOM BAR RULES IN BANBURY”

  3. “I got the chance to get an expert opinion on Doom Bar from resident beer sommelier Mrs RM”

    Hopefully her fee was reasonable.

    “Luckily I was driving, so I was able to get away with a J20.”

    You didn’t say that about driving to the Dyffryn Arms. 😉

    “the lovely barmaid instictively stuck the pint of Purity Gold in front of me”

    Yikes!

    “But Mrs RM was making the most of my chauffering, just as Pubmeister has just done in Pontfaen.”

    That Pontfaen one will haunt you for some time to come alas.

    “We have a strange marriage, I often think.”

    So do we. (kidding!)

    “What can it all mean?”

    They’ve been reading Si’s blog? 😉

    Cheers

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  4. Sixteen months ago I had a few hours in Banbury and after a few pubs I concluded that I would have best just staying in the Old Reindeer with its proper Hook Norton beers, real fire and nice Sunday lunch.
    I’ve heard that a micropub opened there ‘on the cheap’ has since closed but so too has Stafford’s second micropub, but it’s not just them as all sorts of premises aren’t currently doing too well.

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  5. Could equally have been in the words of Joni Mitchell. The first and original Woodstock’s not that far from Banbury either, is it?

    So, here beginneth the “By the time we got to” song tickers’ sub-thread…

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  6. I don’t think it’s a quality over range thing, Martin. They have a range here. Okay it’s a very samey, dull range, but obviously the quality is decent. Just think what you could do with three wickets in a place like this? As Paul alludes, the excellent Hook Norton is local. I have yet to be impressed with Purity beers who seem to be getting otb in lots of places these days.

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    1. Yes, Purity is a contrast with Doom. Clearly I’m not bothered about range and local beers, just quality.

      It was interesting to see a couple just come in for a couple of pints when there’s two GBG pubs either side, but obviously real people don’t go to pubs for the choice.

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