Brewdog

I knew there was something missing from Norwich and now it’s finally here. This Fine City has gotten itself a Brewdog bar. I’m not usually a fan of chain pubs. The beer is generic, the theme nights half-arsed and the staff without personality. Brewdog, however, (apart from their hipster-filled venues in London) is a chain I can get on board with. Tonight was the pre-opening, and as I am a Real Ale VIP I got my name on the list (or rather my housemate knew the manager and I asked really nicely.) Brewdog are famed for doing things differently and the Norwich bar was no exception. The place was unrecognisable from its previous incarnations. Bare brick, trendy lights, staff who knew their stuff and an in-house bottle shop (with home brew equipment too!) it was a veritable beer-lovers paradise. I had Vagabond Pale Ale, a Brewdog own beer, which was gloriously hoppy, with a slight citrus bite – the fact that it was gluten free made no impact on the taste either. Don’t expect a cheap pint here (my beer was just under a fiver), or a sticky floor/broken toilet/surly bar staff. But as the saying goes ‘cheap stuff ain’t good, and good stuff ain’t cheap.’