King's Head certainly impresses second time around

My last post mentioned moving on to what would be the final Norwich pub of the day, and that was going to be the classic King’s Head. Situated a short distance across the river Wensum from the castle, cathedral, and main shopping areas, this was going to be my second visit to the pub, the first having been a decade earlier. That was in April 2013, when I was in Norwich for a long weekend, in order to attend that year’s CAMRA Member’s Weekend and AGM.

I wrote at the time, and it was good then to get to know the place properly, and to explore and enjoy the delights of its many pubs, particularly as that visit represented my first proper trip to Norwich, despite having made several fleeting visits to the city in the past. The King’s Head was high on my list of pubs to visit, primarily due to the extensive range of locally brewed, cask ales it stocked, along with its self-proclaimed status as a “keg-free zone.”

Looking back at that first visit, it was late in the afternoon of my first day in the city, after having already visited several other pubs beforehand. I wrote at the time that the King’s Head was slightly different from what I’d been expecting, but apart from describing the place as “impressive,” I didn’t elaborate further. I based myself in the fairly basic, front bar enjoying a few of the extensive range of beers which the pub had on sale, chatted with a couple of locals about football (a subject which I know very little) and beer and pubs, (a subject I know quite a bit more about), with a local CAMRA member.

I mentioned the larger bar to the rear and, from what I found last Wednesday, this seems where the real diehard locals meet and congregate. The King's Head has been licensed to serve beer for over 300 years but by the start of the new century had become a rather run-down biker's pub in desperate need of a change in direction. Two new owners set about restoring the historic building to its former glory and the current licensee picked up where his predecessors left off, when he took on the King's Head in 2013.

Today, some of the best beers and breweries in East Anglia are showcased at the King's Head, and the ever-changing offerings keep even the most discerning cask ale aficionado intrigued. With no hot food, no electronic music, no TV, no fruit machines, and not even any gas to get the beers to the bar from the cellar, the pub thrives as a keg-free zone that is mercifully free of the fancy food, flashing lights and televised sport that so many of its competitors rely on.

This then, was how I found the King’s Head, when I walked in through the doors last Wednesday afternoon. I was greeted with the question, “What would you like, young man,” a term of address that certainly brought a smile to my face. There were six ales on tap, all cask-conditioned, of course, along with a selection of European, bottled beers. I spotted beers from the likes of Schlenkerla and Kloster Andechs on the blackboard, but stuck with the cask, kicking off with Little Green Men from Lowestoft-based Green Jack Brewery. I have friends back in Tonbridge, who are huge fans of this brewery, and I’m sure they will be jealous, when I describe this American Pale Ale as the beer find of the trip.

Later on, I switched to a dark beer, in the form of Mr Winters Vanilla Latte, a milk stout, from this Norwich-based, micro-brewery. Another fine beer, and here was some good conversation too in the cosy and convivial atmosphere e of that front bar. During the odd lull in the conversation, I flicked through the pages of the latest Norfolk Nips, the magazine of the county's CAMRA branches. The basic, simple, town-alehouse formula, certainly seemed to be working its magic, and meanwhile, in the back bar the more serious drinking, and banter seemed to be taking place. In addition, bar billiards and darts can be played here.

According to the photos on my phone, I departed the King’s Head just before 5.15pm. It had been a long-overdue visit, and I was please to renew my acquaintance with this classic, community-focused pub, with its excellent ale, and convivial atmosphere. I made my way back to Norwich station, via Tomblands. the cathedral precincts, and Prince of Wales Road. The latter was looking quite quiet and respectable, although that was likely to change later in the evening.

At the station, there was time for coffee and cake, before boarding the 19:00 London-bound train. Like the outward train, it wasn’t exactly crowded, and as we headed southwards into the gloom of the gathering dusk. I’d walked my socks off that day and had seen a side of Norwich had isn’t always visible to the casual visitor. By making the King’s Head my final stop, I had definitely saved the best until last, and this time around I felt I had finally understood its special appeal to lovers of old, town pubs.