August 2025. Norwich.
A night in Norwich, whose Arts Centre is one of my favourite gig venues in the country, along with Leeds’s Brudenell and London’s Lexington.
But with no new GBG entries in the centre, how do you gainfully spend an hour before the first act?
Well, no serious pub blogger should say he hasn’t been to the Fat Cat (either of them) for nearly a decade, so despite the call of the new (?) crafty Mad Cat next door,
I succumb to Norwich’s best known boozer.
It is gorgeous, full of room for groups and solos and the odd loner,
largely unchanged through the years,
but what really stands out is how the young the crowd is (largely drinking on the pavement outside).
And they’re genuine young people, not the students from up the road at UEA.
Lots of female pint drinkers, one of whom makes my mind up for me by ordering the house Tom Cat (£4.40),
a pint so cool and chewy I’m contemplating whether it’s a 4.5 or 5 from the first sip.
I decide on a 4.5, following recent edits from CAMRA that fives be reserved for the new Boddingtons, but this really is a startling pint in the same way that the Kelham Island Tavern’s Blue Bee (ah, but which hop variant ?, asks Will).
I won’t lie, the sheer volume of hand pumps always worries me, and there’s a fair bit of Beavertown and bottled trade, but the Fat Cat’s cask is what still sets it apart.
retiredmartin 
Got to be 20-odd years since I was in the Fat Cat. Doesn’t seem to have changed much.
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No, it doesn’t.
I’ve been in 4 times and had once thought it was a “ooh look lots of handpump” place (you don’t have that problem up your way) but I’ve had great cask recently.
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As far as I know, there’s one handpump in the whole of Shetland. Maybe that’s taking “one is plenty” a bit far.
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Kiln Barley apparently has a pump, and the Berwick Brewery tap has a couple. I will have to investigate.
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Should have said “working handpump.” The Kiln has one but not in operation as far as I know, and the Lerwick Brewery Tap has one. It’s a shame as Shetland had a few cask outlets back in the day. The Spiggie Hotel, the Barclay Arms, Captain Flint’s and the Baltasound Hotel public bar come to mind. All gone now.
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I really need to get to Lerwick, you know. A big gap in my UK knowledge.
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its pretty much identical to how it was when it opened nearly 35 years ago imo, which is a good thing btw because it works and hasnt tried to chase a trendier beer crowd, the only thing that really changes is the bar staff.
and its been 20 years since they started the Fat Cat Brewery too, Tom Cat is a very good beer, been finding that as a goto pint lately, more to do with lack of golden ale alternatives in summer, but its a decent substitute, and if its fresh on its sublime.
but Im not quite sure what theyre doing at the Mad Cat, or what its real purpose is, didnt have enough time last FC visit to have a nose around it, maybe for their city wide beer festival idea, if I get up there Ill take a closer look.
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I hadn’t heard of the Mad Cat, see it only opened in May ’24. Seems enough trade for both. What did Mad Cat used to be ?
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The Blue Bee American Five Hop was missing from the Kelham Island Tavern for a few weeks, and it turns out the reason was that the tables from the pub garden had been taken to the brewery to be refurbished and the fumes from the varnish contaminated the brew, which had to be thrown away. A new batch was on last night and in tremendous form. (Sorry, didn’t make a note of the hop varieties.)
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Contaminated brews are all the rage.
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Lactose and plum juice are becoming obligatory; a whole can of table varnish would be a bit challenging, I reckon.
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I remember when crisps came in greaseproof paper bags, and tasted of whatever else the stores sold if it smelt.
Tsk.
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