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Beer of the Week (w/e 12th May 2024) with Mobyduck
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Will Larter
Submitted on Friday, 8th March 2024
With picture contributions to 11574 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (19 more images)
Detail Pages
The Bobbin, Lancaster
Lancaster
LA1 1HH
Served areas
Reviews of The Bobbin (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about The Bobbin
This is a large, opened out pub located right next to the bus station, making it a handy port of call if arriving into or departing the city. Inside, there's a bare boarded room with a few pillars and bits of old wall here and there, but for the most part, it's a large single space which had an echoey, drinking barn feel to it on a quiet Monday night. The bar is to the left and has a partially decorative, dark wood counter front with a brass hand rail and a simple tongue and groove panelled bar back, with some glazed tiles below. These are not as impressive as those in the tiled entrance porch, which are highly decorative and have a nice mosaic tile floor and curved entrance door in support, suggesting how great the pub must once have looked. Standard tables and chairs now fill the vast, cold interior, with low stools in abundance and more of the same in a dark, raised space to the right, under a dartboard. There's a pool table to the rear, under some dated looking wallpaper, with a juke box and slot machines also present and correct. TV screens around the room were showing a live football match with hip-hop tunes playing in the background. The pub seemed to have segregated itself along age lines, with a young crowd over to the right and a few older coupes to the left - I ended up sat in the middle, at a table with beer bottle tops inlaid into its surface, although this was more due to the lack of available seats elsewhere than an attempt to keep the demographics in balance.
Four ales were available at the bar - Bowland Gold, Vocation Heart and Soul, Hawkshead Windermere Pale and Moorhouded Squid Ink Stout at £2.05 a half. Three ciders further enhanced the range and I noticed they were offering a 15p discount to CAMRA members. The Ink Stout was in reasonable condition although the service was more functional than friendly.
I couldn't quite warm to this place, despite the healthy ale range, and found the visit a little underwhelming, mainly due to the impersonal interior and frosty welcome. I may well have just caught it at a bad time - Monday night on a snowy January evening probably isn't the best time to judge any pub - but I came away a little disappointed either way and would be interested in giving the place a second chance the next time I'm in town.
Date of visit - 15th January 2024
On 12th May 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3126 recommendations about 3126 pubs]
Will Larter left this review about The Bobbin
One of the best pubs for real ale in Lancaster and worth the short walk to the far side of the bus station. I counted eight hand pumps on the bar when I was here in April, with two ciders from Lilleys and five beers (see photos), with a sixth line being cleaned while I was there and the beer being pulled through as I was leaving. My half of Pale Yan from Westmorland Brewery was very good, easily NBSS 4, and at £3.80 per pint one of only two beers I came across on this visit to Lancaster that was below the £4 mark. Well worth a return visit and if I find another beer of the same quality I reckon the pub will go from 7 to 8.
Date of visit: 8th April 2023
A further visit towards the end of last year found a very good Lakes Brew Pale (NBSS 3.5) and more recently an incredible Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted (NBSS 4.5), priced at just £3.90/pint (see photo of blackboard for all cask beers and prices on this visit). So I've upped this pub's rating from 7 to 9.
Date of recent visit: 3rd March 2024
On 8th March 2024
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3774 recommendations about 3507 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about The Bobbin
i still like this pub, but as I was sat here today I realised this is my first ever visit in daylight and without live music! five or six tables with Wetherspoons-like all day customers but it was probably busier outside. Few ales on, sports on the TV and heavy metal from the jukebox . odd mixture but it’s a bit different from the usual and I like it for that.
On 6th June 2021
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1058 recommendations about 1023 pubs]
View more reviews of The Bobbin (9)
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- Facebook - The Bobbin
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Bobbin - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 26 November 2015 by Aqualung .
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 26 November 2015 by Aqualung .
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 26 November 2015 by Aqualung .
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 08 September 2016 by ROB Camra
- CAMRA Discount : Yes - 15p per pint - last updated 13 August 2023 by Will Larter
- Car Park : No last updated 26 November 2015 by Aqualung .
- Darts : Yes last updated 12 May 2024 by Pub SignMan
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 08 September 2016 by ROB Camra
- Function Room : No last updated 26 November 2015 by Aqualung .
- Hot Food : No last updated 26 November 2015 by Aqualung .
- Jukebox : Yes last updated 13 February 2015 by Will Larter
- Karaoke : No last updated 26 November 2015 by Aqualung .
- Live Music : Yes - Thursday - last updated 08 September 2016 by ROB Camra
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 08 September 2016 by ROB Camra
- Micropub : No last updated 26 November 2015 by Aqualung .
- Pinball : No last updated 26 November 2015 by Aqualung .
- Pool Table : Yes last updated 13 February 2015 by Will Larter
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 26 November 2015 by Aqualung .
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 08 September 2016 by ROB Camra
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 08 September 2016 by ROB Camra
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 08 September 2016 by ROB Camra
- WiFi : Yes last updated 08 September 2016 by ROB Camra
