The Victoria Inn, Colchester
It was a Friday evening in early August. The sun was shining and everyone was happy; brimming with Olympic spirit.
My Friday evenings were frequently spent visiting the other half in Colchester, however this week was different. Rather than being picked up from Colchester North Station I wondered into town to meet her in a pub. It was 10 minutes walk from the train station and situated at the bottom of North Hill was the pub in question; The Victoria Inn.
After walking through a narrow path to the main bar facing the back the first thing I noticed was 5 cask ales on tap. What was even more exciting was that I was unfamiliar with every one of them. The bar man kindly offered us tasters of a few to help us decide which is standard procedure with ale but still a nice touch.
Now to the beer…
I started off with a pint of Yankee Pale Ale from the Wibblers Brewery. At 4.9 percent it was a light sweet pale ale. Very refreshing, had a good amount of hops. Perfect in the sunshine.
Next I had a Resistance Dark Mild from The Summer Wine Brewery at 3.7 percent. A glorious dark mild, very smokey and dark but goes down very well. Also had a malty taste, I loved it.
Finally I had a Double Brown Ale from the Colchester Brewery. This one was stronger at 4.6 percent which came through with the fruity taste. It was very brown in colour and with a hint of smokiness made it very tasty indeed.
Alongside the great selection of ales was some interesting bar snacks. We shared a bag of chilli crisps which had a pot of mango chutney inside which was a surprising treat that worked well with the smokiness of my beers.
As The Victoria Inn is a corner property it has the benefit of having a large garden. With plenty of tables and chairs it had an open yet homely feel to the place. But it doesn’t end there! At the rear of the garden is a covered area with more seating available including low sofas which looked very comfortable.
So altogether for great local beer choices, comfortable seating and interesting bar snacks I would highly recommend The Victoria Inn for a good pint and some relaxation.
http://www.victoriainncolchester.co.uk/
http://www.colchesterbrewery.com/
http://www.summerwinebrewery.co.uk/index.html
Jon
About Jon Stone
