Cambridge Pubs Part 2

Previously on "A Bitter Bloke: Cambridge Pubs"

• I went to some pubs in Cambridge.
• I enjoyed an ale or two.
• An old man was spotted.
• I ate a pig.

And now the continuation of "A Bitter Bloke: Cambridge Pubs"

A bicycle in Cambridge? What a strange and unusual sight!

Our jolly jaunt through Cambridge took us to the Kingston Arms, a cosy little pub and probably my favourite of the pubs we visited in Cambridge. Walking in we were greeted with a L-Shaped room with a small bar containing a tremendous amount of hand pumps. Tasty looking food was also available but unfortunately I didn't get to try any. Adding to the "charm" were the booths which appeared to have been stolen from a 70's snooker club. I half expected to see Hurricane Higgins sitting in the corner supping a pint. But then I would have realised it was a ghost and would of run from the pub screaming. I went for a pint of Buntingford Delta, an American style ale which was really rather good, with an excellent and very pleasurable hoppy taste coming through. When we returned on Sunday things got even better as they had the Mighty Oak Oscar Wilde available. This was in tip top condition and every element that made it the Champion Beer of Britain 2011 shone through. A perfectly judged balance of coffee and chocolate flavours.

Sadly the pubs size cannot cope with the popularity and there were plenty of the dreaded "Reserved" signs on the tables when we visited on Sunday. Reserved signs are for restaurants, not for pubs. Unless the Reserved is there to warn people that the people sitting at the table are quiet and unassuming. Even with this minor annoynace I really enjoyed both visits to the pubs. There were posters on the tables asking punters to vote The Kingston Arms as Cambridge Pub of the Year. I hope they get it and wish them luck.

The final pub we visited was The Devonshire Arms. This pub has recently been taken over and renovated by the Milton brewery and was looking good. Although small and unassuming from the outside there's actually a very large room at the back with a real fire, so plenty of space to enjoy a pint. I had a great pint of Sparta, a refreshing pale bitter. The Lovely Jemma asked me what I was drinking and I somehow resisted the urge to slam my pint onto the table and bark "This. IS. SPAAAAAAAAAAARTAAAAAAAAA." Probably because I was a bit tipsy by that point and had forgotten the name of what I was drinking. Still it was a excellent and very tasty pint. Gerard Butler would of been proud.

Overall I really enjoyed all four of the pubs we dropped in to in Cambridge. Now I'll have to do a real ale jaunt around Oxford and find out which one is truly better. All I know is, whoever wins, my stomach loses.