Questions from the Floor

Are you dog friendly/child friendly?

We welcome all species and ages as long as they are well behaved, and don’t annoy the other customers. However, it is worth noting that we are not licenced to allow children on site after 9pm, and that we are not designed as a “family friendly” pub.



I'm bringing a friend who doesn't drink beer. Do you sell x/y/z?

We aim to have something for most people, hence we do also stock bottled lager, wine, gin, whisky, soft drinks etc. However we do not sell anything that is not the best possible example of its type, and everything on the menu is hand-picked by Chris or Susie as being something they would be happy to drink themselves.



Do you do food?

We don’t have a kitchen so we are unable to do hot meals. However, we do sell pork pies and scotch eggs from Taylors of Darlington, and vegan friendly sausage rolls from Bean Social, as well as Pipers Crisps, Olly's Olives, peanuts and pork scratchings.



I'm vegan, what can I drink?

Always double check with staff. Although many draught beers are fined in the tradtional manner, many are now unfined and the staff will be able to tell you what is suitable. Traditionally made cider does not use finings, and many of the bottled beers are also unfined



Do you sell gluten free beers?

Yes! We sell GFPA from Allendale Brewery and Bad Kitty from Brass Castle as permanent lines, which are both certified as gluten free. We also get draught gluten free beers regularly which will be listed on the blackboards, or ask the staff.



Can you get my favourite beer from Obscure Brewery in Far Far Away?

Maybe – we always welcome suggestions (please write them up on the suggestions board in the pub), and where we can, we do take them up. As we use a large number of suppliers both direct and wholesale, we have the ability to get a lot of different things. However, there are many beers that are simply impossible to get, not produced for cask, or are out of production.



How do I know you’ll always have a beer I’ll like?

Well, really you can’t. However, we always have a range of styles – for example, we aim to always have something dark (porter, stout, dark mild etc), something pale and low strength, something hoppy and something malty. We then cellar them until they are at their best – if the Landlord or Landlady would take it back to the bar, then it won’t go over ours. It is very rare that we won't be able to find you something to your taste.



If I don't like a beer, can I return it?

We do our best to make sure you get a beer you’re going to enjoy in the first place and encourage you to ask for a sample or ask the staff if you're not sure. We also try our best to catch the last pint out of a cask before it goes over the bar, so hopefully this won’t ever be an issue. However, if you do have a problem please speak to the staff and they will change it for you.



How do you choose the beers/ciders?

It’s one of the hardest and most fun jobs! We buy based on all sorts of things: we aim to buy 50% local and 50% non-local, and within that we aim for a range of styles as described above. We like to get old favourites back, but we also love getting new beers by recommendations from customers or from brewers we trust are going to be good. We buy from the larger regional breweries like Timothy Taylors or Fullers, as well as tiny breweries - our only criteria is that we think the beer is great.



Do you take card?

Yes, and its even contactless, with no minimum spend!

Don't worry though, we've no intentions of going cashless any time soon.



I really like this beer but I'm driving. Can I take some away with me?

You certainly can! All our draught products are available in 2 or 4 pint containers to take away. We also sell the bottled beers for you to take away.



I'm having/going to a party and wish to impress my mates with my excellent taste. What can I do?

We can provide draught beer in bag-in-boxes. These are ready to drink - we do all the cellar work for you. They come in 18 or 36 pint sizes (if you want less we also sell the draught products in 2 and 4 pint bottles). We try and fullfill all requests for BIBs but if you want a specific beer we require at least 2 weeks notice to allow us time to order it.