Eldon Arms
Nestled in a quiet backstreet on the traffic island that is created downtown by the (A4) one-way system (London and Kings Roads) is this pleasant suprise. The Eldon Arms.
Midweek the inside the Eldon Arms was packed with the Ladies darts teams. The garden also looked pretty busy judging by the glasses returned to the bar by the very polite Reading University Agricultural students who had graduated earlier that day. I didn’t notice any music, there was a quiz (gambling) machine near the bar but no-one using it.
I tried the Henry’s Original IPA (3.6 ABV). Well kept, tasty and sufficiently weak for me to quoff 2 pints after work midweek. Result! Certainly an improvement on the more shop-purchasable ubiquitous, similar strength, Boddingtons.
Upon hearing of my expedition to this hostelry a local celebrity wrote:
hear you are paying a visit to the Eldon Arms. Good choice! It’s a lovely little old-fashioned backstreet pub, traditional and with friendly staff. I’m told that Anne and Brian are Reading’s longest-serving landlady and landlord, although I’m sure Bernie and Jane at The Retreat (a short stroll from The Eldon) are also hot contenders for this title.
The Eldon Arms is a Wadworth tied pub, so the selection of beers is mostly restricted to this brewery, but the choice is fine within this range and well kept. My favourite is Bishop’s Tipple, but at 5.5% ABV it’s not to be chugged too quickly! If you’re after something lighter and more summery, try the Horizon. Avoid Pint-Size Mild, if they have it, unless you like mild; personally, I don’t get on with it and this West Berks brew is a good reminder of why
I used to visit this pub frequently on a Wednesday night for their pub quiz, in the days when I worked at the Prudential and had the luxury of rolling in at 10 the next morning. Now I have to drive to south Oxfordshire for 8:30am I don’t go so often! Their quiz is quite a different experience from The Lyndhurst one as it is set and presented by the person who won it last week! It’s a bit like the Eurovision Song Contest in that respect. I’ve won it a couple of times and it’s quite fun to set it, as long as you have a fairly clear week and plenty of time to put it together! I’ve also deliberately pulled back to second place at least once to avoid having to set it when I knew I hadn’t the time! I really must go again soon
Well, that’s all I have. Feel free to ignore all of the above if you want to enjoy the experience of visiting with no preconceptions. However, if you’re reading this sentence then it’s probably too late
Happy pubbing
July 4th, 2008
Oh how I enjoy a drink of wadworths ’6x’ a strong
full bodied bitter. Most years you will find me at fairpost Croperdy convention festival near Bambary, Oxfordshire.
At this festival Beer is supplied by Wadworths, not by the ‘barrell’ by by the ‘Tanker’ gigantic pipes feed the 100 yard bar. Each year 20,00 festival goes enjoy the challang of drink the bar dry. Most years we succeed. Hic, Hic horay!
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July 4th, 2008
sorry. it’s Fairport not fairpost.
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