Pub 163, Day 60 – The Hanover

By Rob

It was a hot, sunny day and Andy was in Sheffield. The inevitable happened.

Before setting off, we decided to check if there was someone we could invite/drag along. After the spectacular success of Ashley’s American post, we thought another international guest writer was just what the blog, and its two lazy authors, needed. As luck would have it, my friend Barend answered the call. A Dutch PhD student with a love of beer and a flare for creative writing, he was the perfect candidate.

We’d already decided which pub to tick off first. Somehow, bizarrely, The Hanover had escaped our notice for years. Despite having lived in walking distance of this place since Pubquest began, it wasn’t until the summer of 2018 that I first spied the pub from the main road as I drove by. Given its proximity to my residence at Broomhill, it got the wheelchair-at-Alton-Towers treatment: jumping straight to the front of the queue.

We met Barend just outside the pub, which looked pretty unimpressive – seemingly built into the corner of a residential property, as if someone had decided to turn over their kitchen and living room to public use. It wasn’t much better inside, with one dark and carpeted room and another brighter, but more austere, room on the opposite side of the central bar.

We opted for the latter room, partly because we didn’t want to sit in darkness on such a nice day, and partly to avoid the massive speakers blasting out reggae music at dancefloor level volume (at 2pm in the afternoon, in an empty pub). Not only was our room quieter, but it also housed a pool table, darts board, and washing machine – the classic games room trio.

Eyeing up the fairly limited beer selection, we were delighted to spot ‘The Hanover Pilsner’ on cask. All deliberations were ended as the Shepley Rule mandated our order, and we each tried the refreshingly light, crisp pilsner. On a hot summer’s day, it was precisely what the doctor ordered.

Naturally, we had a quick game of pool, followed by a thoroughly enjoyable and closely fought darts match. Sadly, we never got the chance to have a go on the washing machine.

Overall, we weren’t immensely impressed by The Hanover, but still had a great time.

Hanover pool score: Pubquest 1-0 Rest of World
Pubquest pool score: Pubquest 7-2 Rest of World

Hanover darts score: Andy 1-0 Rob
Pubquest darts score: Andy 1-1 Rob

Pub: The Hanover (2 Clarke Street, S10 2BS)

Rating: 5/10

Pint: The Hanover Pilsner

Brewery: Homebrew

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