384 pints please! (Hogshead (Kingston-upon-Hull))

Member Name: missbrowneyedgirl

Product:	Hogshead (Kingston-upon-Hull)
Date:	12/04/02 (723 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: warm, friendly, laid back

Disadvantages: sometime full of student types - the cheek of them!...;)

Hogshead, funny old name for a pub isn't it? Well maybe in these times when Hogshead conjures up thoughts of beheaded swine, but hogshead actually has a completely different meaning. I guess you have probably thought the same of the word firkin too. Well a firkin is a small beer cask, holding nine Imperial gallons (72 pints). Two firkins make a kilderkin. Two kilderkins make a barrel and one-and-a-half barrels make a hogshead*. Hence the title of the opinion!

Now it's all starting to make sense, I'll take you back to the job in hand. In fat lets go back a little further to the days when 386 Beverley Road, Hull was a bingo hall and a cinema before that. (In fact it is rumoured that the old cinema is still upstairs!) We are talking about a grand old building here, but it had become rundown. Unkempt and unused, and still bearing the carved in stone letters Mayfair form its good old day, the building was pretty much in keeping with that whole area of the city.

Then, slowly and barely noticeable a change started... Beverley Road has always (or as long as I can remember anyway) been a student area of the City and eventually the pub chains picked up on this. The Firkin took our beloved Mainbrace over (don't worry it's back now!), Weatherspoons opened, an Irish theme bar sprung up, they converted the railway bridge into the Cannon Junction café bar and suddenly the area was abuzz with people.

One day the familiar wooden hoarding went up around the old bingo hall. Most of the 'lercals' (or locals if you aren't one) thanked their lucky stars that they were finally going to demolish the ugly old eyesore but a few months later out popped the Hogshead!
Now this cased a bit of a kerfuffle as there was already a Hogshead pub on Newland Avenue. In fact the 2 pubs resided at either end of De Grey Street less than a mile apart!

Well to cut a long story short, Whitbread pulled some bog-company weight and the exi
sting Hogshead suddenly became the Nagshead (thus losing it's real meaning!) and the Hogshead stood proud! It's a funny looking bar... It's still retains it's slightly unkempt regalia but has replaced the boards and bill posters with large polished oak and glass doors, each giving a glimpse into the wooden warmth inside. It's an odd looking but inviting place, so let's pop in for a quick one!

Actually most of the city, its students and its visitors seemed to pop in for a quick one on the opening night (December 20th 1998). It was such a nightmare that in the end my partner in crime and I turned right around and went home instead of trying to fight to the bar!

However, a few nights later it looked pleasantly quiet in there so we ventured in and my! Were we impressed! The huge chest height wooden bar dominates the centre of the bar and is facing you as soon as you walk in. It holds an impressive range of wines and spirits in the racking at the back plus in true Hogshead style a wide range of 'on tap' and bottled beers. They even have a large cappuccino/espresso coffee machine on one end of the bar, in case you fancy some hot refreshment.

Look around an the seating area spreads around the front, left, right and just behind the bar and comprises mainly of big wooden tables an stools. There are also a few old church pews making booths down the right and the area to your left is a non-smoking area which is more plush than the rest of the bar...;) Right at the back are some comfy low sofas and tables spread in a square around the dominating fireplace. The daily (and Sunday) papers are kept in a rack on the wall and in general the atmosphere is very laid back.

The drinks are very competitively priced but I guess they have to be with that many pubs and bars in one area. The Hogshead nearly always has offers on certain drinks too. Usually bottled beers and alcopops but they can save you a lot of cash if you&#
39;re planning a big night on the demon drink! Also the wines are very reasonable to buy by the bottle and the often have an offer where if you buy 2 large glasses you get the rest of the bottle free.

They also have an extensive menu, which is fairly standard pub food but quite cheap and fairly quickly served. Id's say half of the menu is homemade and half microwave so you'll just have to take pot luck. They also do a VERY GOOD Sunday lunch serving from 12 noon on Sunday but you'll have to be their early in order to get a seat and make sure there is some left! They also serve breakfast between 11 and 1 every day.

Finally I just have to mention the toilets, as they are ALWAYS impeccable. At least the ladies are anyway and that always impresses me in a pub. They do however have two large heavy swing doors to get to them on which I have done myself countless drunken injuries! You have been warned!

The Hogshead is one of the few things I miss about Hull. As I recall here are its best bits...
Summer - sitting outside on the front at twilight watching the bustle of Beverley Road pass by
Winter - reading the Sunday papers around the fire on the leather sofas
So if you're ever in Hull try it, you might like it!

(* Thanks to Sean Desmond for the meanings from The Firkin Info List: http://www.mesklin.demon.co.uk/beer/firkin.text)

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