Burton is the home of brewing. The National Brewing Centre was opened by the Princess Royal in September 2010 and with a history of Bass, Worthington and Marston’s Pedigree firmly etched in the town’s DNA then there is plenty to admire from a beer perspective.
There is a wonderful smell (if you like that sort of thing) when you walk by the behemoth known these days as the Molson Coors factory.
(Carling Park!)
One of the offshoots of this is that, generally, you can get a decent pint of ale in pretty much every pub in the town irrespective of its style.
There has definitely been an influx of new arrivals in recent years that have improved the scene and there have been some worthy additions to the GBG from this neck of the woods.
However, like anywhere, there have still been a lot of pubs that have bitten the dust in recent years so it is pleasing to see an old favourite still going strong close to the shopping centre slap bang in the middle of town.
170 – The Anchor Inn DE14 3QN was bustling at 3.30 on a Saturday afternoon and with 10 o clock opening every morning and its earliest finish being midnight on a Sunday, then it knows its audience.
There is a choice of Pedigree (Marston’s) for your ale drinkers at £3.10 and I reckon, in the 45 minutes I was there with my shopping bags, the split between Carling and Pedi was about 50/50.
Bench seating and a great mix of ages made you feel as though there is a real atmosphere in this place and quiet it isn’t. There was a darts board and ITV Horse Racing was on one channel whilst on the TV at the back of the pub it was Grandstand (or whatever it’s called these days!)
A real mix of couples, young blokes, old blokes, casual, smart meant this boozer appeals to all sections of society.
A bit of sixties music was in the background and with a dance floor in the back of the pub and Vodka Jellies on sale at the weekend then this pub might have a different dynamic later on a Saturday night.
Apparently it is a Grade II listed building and used to be part of the Anchor Brewery back in the late 1800s, which is further proof of what a brewing mecca this place is.
A crackling atmosphere on a Saturday afternoon in a pub that hits the spot and it doesn’t feature on many ale trails but well worth a visit.
Life After Football 
The 1970s nostalgia of seeing Tommy’s Fish Bar. School carol service in the afternoon preceded by a visit to Tommy’s.
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Fantastic! It’s good to see some things never change 😀
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It’s always good to see a Fish & Chip Shop next door to/near a pub, but why do they all seem to close so early these days? I seem to remember, on many occasions, rolling out of the pub and straight into the chippy for a bag of chips (and possibly a saveloy)…purely to soak up the alcohol, of course! Nowadays they all seem to close long before the pub shuts.
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I was always a sucker for pie chips and gravy! Solihull which is fairly average does have the added bonus of a chip shop open till very late 👍 most pubs in suburbs tend to shut at ten now which isn’t great for post booze munchies 😀
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“(Carling Park!)”
I saw that on the sign above the front door and was going to say something. 🙂
“and with a dance floor in the back of the pub and Vodka Jellies on sale at the weekend then this pub might have a different dynamic later on a Saturday night.”
You’ll have to go one Saturday and then compare it to the Stamford and Warrington. 🙂
“which is further proof of what a brewing mecca this place is.”
Agreed. I found that out partly through Pete Brown’s book Hops and Glory. His description of the mystical spring waters of Burton (Andressey Island?) and how it helps to make bitter taste the way it does has me resolved to get there some day. 🙂
Cheers
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