While Mansfield Road in Sherwood is home to a few decent watering holes, for anyone looking for a more interesting brew to quaff, your best bet would be to stop in at the cavernous ‘Spoons. But there’s no need to fight the throngs of Curry Club devotees and hyper kids any more, with the arrival of Beer Dock.
A little bottled history: Owner, Os Morgan, took it upon himself to bring good beer to Sherwood and, after talks with former ‘Poacher head honcho Sam, who had recently opened a shop in Crewe, brought the Beer Dock name to the former Natwest on Mansfield Road. The result is what Os calls a “bottle shop and tap room” or “off licence and micro pub”.
It’s a pleasingly barebones deal – five taps dispense keg and cask beers from the back (bank vaults make for great beer cellars, apparently), vintage German beer festival benches are arranged in the middle of the room, and metal racks and fridges house the bountiful bottles (between 400 and 500, from Alaska to Belgium and back). It’s like an Aladdin’s cave of beer, if Aladdin had stopped knocking about with monkeys and genies to develop an effective beer cataloguing format.
I joined the Friday post-work crowd, starting with half a Lincoln Green Archer (4%, £3.50 per pint) and Tatton Brewery Blonde (4%, £4) – both decent session pale ales. But I was after the real hit of hops that craft beer promises, and Manchester-based brewery Cloudwater delivered with a super-citrusy Hopfenweiss (5.2%, £4.50), while the rich aromas of Belgian abbey ale St Feuillien (6%, £5) took me back to the bars of Bruges.
Most interesting, surprisingly, was the Brooklyn Lager (5.2%, £4.50). Sure, Brooklyn is a staple of nightclub fridges, but on draught, it’s a completely different monster – hoppy, malty and deeper umber in colour, it’s complex and gorgeous. The range on tap is constantly changing, and the barman ensured a return visit by recommending upcoming beers from excellent local brewers Black Iris and Totally Brewed.
After a few cheeky halves, I was feeling a bit peckish. Luckily Beer Dock has a range of bar nibbles to make any snack fanatic go weak at the knees – posh Pipers potato crisps, cured meaty bits, and even a fresh basket of Dave’s Delicious Pretzels (£2) on Fridays and Saturdays.
There’s no other food, or indeed any other drinks, or entertainment, but there’s a time and place for scampi, cab sav and fruit machines. Beer Dock is simply a place to salute great brews, and it does it very well. Shariff Ibrahim
513 Mansfield Road, Sherwood, NG5 2JL. 07975 755364
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