Dog & Partridge, Bury St. Edmunds

Situated virtually next door to the Greene King brewery, I found this place to be one of the better GK pubs in a town that is littered with them. A decent selection including the elusive St Edmunds Ale (IPA / Abbott / Speckled Hen make up the numbers) although on my initial visit a few months earlier they only had IPA available – inexcusable given that they could lob a few fresh barrels over the fence. It was my quest for the St Edmunds Ale that saw me directed here and it would seem that, at the time, this was the only place in town that stocked it. I tried both the Northern and Southern heads and the difference is very apparent. Apparently the Northern variety is the most popular. As for the pub, the 17th Century building was originally called the Mermaid and the house next door was originally the home of Greene Kings chief brewer. The interior has an unusual layout with a small front bar and a larger, conservatory type bar at the rear. An unusual front passage at the front of the pub leads to a couple of side rooms with pool and decent size plasma screen. There are various small nooks and crannies that are used for rather unimaginative purposes and could really be put to better use. At the rear is a large paved beer garden that backs on to the Brewery. Worth popping in even if you are not particularly a Greene King fan although my visit was before the previous posters mention of it being refurbished.