Five Great Places to drink Real Ale

Nestling in the heart of poet John Clare’s Helpston, The Bluebell Inn is truly the heart of the village, where locals and visitors alike receive the warmest of welcomes. As a free house there is always a variety of beers, lagers and ales on offer. And as you would expect from a traditional village pub with a passion for pleasing its patrons’ tastebuds, this means inclusion of that most traditional of English art-forms – real ale. Favourites include Adnams’ Ghostship (4.5%) brewed with a selection of malts. Hoppy, biscuity and lightly fruity, with citrus notes. And Tribute (4.2%) from St Austell’s Brewery. My partner insists that were John Clare alive today, he would be moved to praise its malty base and orange and grapefruit flavours in verse. But don’t take his word for it. Visit The Bluebell Inn and decide for yourself!

The Thirsty Giraffe

The Thirsty Giraffe is a pleasant small micro pub, run by friendly and knowledgeable staff. They serve a wide selection of seven or eight draught traditional ales, several still ciders, and bottled Belgium beers. There is a very happy and friendly atmosphere, and everyone is made to feel at home. They also have several events: a cheese night, cycle rides visiting other local pubs, wine club and raft race. The Thirsty Giraffe also puts a lot back into the local community of which it is very much a part. It has limited opening hours: Wed 3pm to 9pm, Thurs 3pm to 9pm, Fri 3pm to 10pm, Sat 3pm to 10pm and Sun 3pm to 7pm.

The Vine Inn

19 Church Street, Market Deeping. They have been serving beer at The Vine for more than 150 years. Alison Lord, in her book Church Street Market Deeping (published by Deepings Heritage, 2021), notes that there was an earlier beer-house called The Vine closer to the church. Today’s compact bar area is augmented by a beer garden with covered and open areas. A framed photo in the bar shows the pub in corporate Watneys livery, before it became a Charles Wells of Bedford pub. It is now a popular free house with five hand-pumps dispensing a house ale, a permanent choice and three guest beers. The latter can include beers brewed by Bowler’s across the river at Deeping Gate. A chalk board lists forthcoming beers from a varied number of breweries throughout the UK. No wonder that The Vine continues to represent the area in CAMRA’s The Good Beer Guide.