The Victoria Hotel, Durham 21st August 2007

A beautiful old pub which was recommended as the place to go in Durham, The Victoria had an impressive array of real ales to try.

Big Lamp Big Lamp Bitter (3.8%): Interesting standard bitter with complex malt flavours.
Durham Definitive (3.9%): Sweet and fruity with citrus tones, particularly grapefruit. Very pale coloured with a good delicate flavour.
Big Lamp Old Durham Dark (4.0%): Gently rounded taste to this Moorish mellow dark beer.
Wylam Gold Tankard (4.0%): A golden beer without a huge amount of flavour and slightly more alcohol than the taste caters for.
Big Lamp Old Arthur (4.2%): Incredibly good hop character, this pale beer tastes like a regular bitter. Brewed in memory of a recently departed pub regular.

This was one of those pubs that when I walked in, I felt immediately at home. Each of the three bars was decorated in a different William Morris wallpaper with many pictures on the walls including several of Queen Victoria herself. With the wood panelling the effect was very cosy Victorian parlor.

I counted 52 whiskies including many interesting single malts at the bar. The only incongruous feature was a topless calendar!