The Five Swans (JD Wetherspoon), Newcastle Upon Tyne

Official site of The Five Swans (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Five Swans (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

This place really does have an awkward layout. I entered from the John Dobson Street side and there are two areas with low seats and chairs. To get to the bar you have to traverse a short staircase. I don't have a problem with that but the idea of having to carry a pint downstairs is very offputting. I found a room to the right of the bar but there was a table of shouty students nearby. I managed to live with that for the short time I was here. The bar has two sets of five hand pumps which had the JDW Trio of Doom, Adnam's Broadside, Rudgate Volsun, Allendale Adder Lager, Maxim Samson, the JDW footbore Defender, Vale Gravitas and Great Newsome Holderness Dark. I had time to try the Adder Lager and the Volsun both at £2.55 and both were in excellent condition. Despite the noisy students and the stupid layout I liked this one and would happily return.

Big rambling 'Spoons with a mish mash of rooms, the counter is particularly badly placed in a long narrow space at a higher level than the rest of the pub. Usual 5+5 pull set-up and although the beer was in fair nick there wasn't much variety, other than the standard two there were a couple of pale hoppy ones at 5%+. Returning later to wait for a bus, Batemans XXXB was on for a bit of variety and jolly nice it was too.