Losing Some Credibility
Wed 23 May 2007
I'm away from Leeds this week on training so this post is coming to you from Reading. Yes - that's the same Reading where Oscar Wilde wrote the Ballad of Reading Gaol while incarcerated (so I'm not entirely sure why I was surprised when I passed HMP Reading this afternoon).
You may know that I'm a bit (or a lot, depending on your point of view) picky about beer so the next sentence will come as a shock. I'm posting this from Varsity in Reading - and, you know what, it's actually more than OK!
Let's get this straight - there's no real ale on offer, but there IS well kept (maybe they get through a bit!), cold Kronenbourg, a large non smoking area, and free wi-fi (which is why I went in in the first place - my cheap skate hotel wanted to charge me £4.99 an hour!). It's ... civilised.
Varsity bars offer a loyalty card for £2 and you get 25% off your drinks. Given that a Kronenbourg is £2.75 you'll make your money back pretty quickly.
I'm still in shock.
Stumble It!
I'm away from Leeds this week on training so this post is coming to you from Reading. Yes - that's the same Reading where Oscar Wilde wrote the Ballad of Reading Gaol while incarcerated (so I'm not entirely sure why I was surprised when I passed HMP Reading this afternoon).
You may know that I'm a bit (or a lot, depending on your point of view) picky about beer so the next sentence will come as a shock. I'm posting this from Varsity in Reading - and, you know what, it's actually more than OK!
Let's get this straight - there's no real ale on offer, but there IS well kept (maybe they get through a bit!), cold Kronenbourg, a large non smoking area, and free wi-fi (which is why I went in in the first place - my cheap skate hotel wanted to charge me £4.99 an hour!). It's ... civilised.
Varsity bars offer a loyalty card for £2 and you get 25% off your drinks. Given that a Kronenbourg is £2.75 you'll make your money back pretty quickly.
I'm still in shock.
Labels: pubs, reading, varsity
Stumble It!
posted by Alex at 4:53 pm
Stumble It!
5 Comments:
Try the Lodden Brewery (local) bitter.
I didn't see any Loddon beers in Varsity but their range looks quite impressive. I'll keep an eye out for it.
One thing I also forgot to mention is that I was very impressed by the service at Varsity. I only went in three nights, but on the first night I was offered help with my wi-fi connection if I needed it, and on the third evening the barman recognised me, remembered my drink and had a chat!
you know, its possible sometimes, just sometimes, to be pleasantly surprised by things like this. Take for instance, Wetherspoon's. I dont drink there myself but when i have (about 5 times in my life) i'm always a little suprised at some of the beers on offer - moorhouses', for instance. They had a beer festival a coupla months back and the stuff they were offering was none too shabby. ...i guess the moral is not to always judge on rep/looks alone! and im as guilty as anyone!
Talking of Wetherspoons ... I don't know if the one in Leeds does this but I did notice the one in Reading had some kind of bargain real ale night on Wednesdays where you could get pints of various real ales for something ridiculous like £1.59. I'll have to wander past this weekend.
Meanwhile, check their list of real ales! If you spot it, I'd recommend avoiding the Pandemonium. A friend bought it at a beer festival ... :)
you see, that's a pretty good real ale list! one can only hope that its not lost on the regulars and that these are the beers being sampled as opposed to the 'usual suspects, eh?
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