The Alb – Public Bar Review

That’s another week nearly over and it’s time to get into that weekend feeling!

A fair few of my followers will also have heard the news that the hospitality sector in the UK is reopening tomorrow (Saturday 4th July) as the lockdown is eased even further.

I am going to guess majority of you are really looking forward to getting back to the pub for that well-earnt pint!

I, on the other hand, will not be returning back to the pubs anytime soon, this is basically just down to the fact that I am not in the position to step into a pub whilst the virus is still circulating!

Moving away from the lockdown gossip, I want to bring you today a Public Bar review on a cosy pub that I’ve ventured into many times!

Today’s post is on The Alb!

History

The Alb is a beautiful cocktail bar/hotel which is situated on the border of Wales in the town of Shrewsbury, it was established in October 2012, the pub provides a fantastic selection of cocktails as well as freshly quality prepared food.

The pub is a family run business which is owned by James Hitchin.

The decor consists of zany artwork, comfy sofas and a remarkable back bar to boast about.

The pub is located primarily next to your everyday needs, it sits opposite the towns bus station, the train station is roughly a 5-minute walk and towns high street is also located closeby.

Doesn’t this pub look so beautiful, the only thing that I wasn’t too keen on was the beer garden being on the front instead of the back.

The bar is not overly massive, but there are plenty of small little rooms inside the pub for your seating needs.

I am not totally sure how big the hotel is upstairs, but I can work out there are roughly around 5 to 10 rooms or just below.

At the back end of last year, The Alb served two regular Cask Ales, however, since it’s refurbishment both of the handpumps have now been scrapped.

There is though a vast amount of craft beer available on draught and the fridges are well stocked with cans of different ales.

The review that I am bringing to you today was from before the refurbishment so I was really lucky to get a pint of one of the real ales, but I was shocked at the same time.

The Alb does provide that friendly atmosphere with a fantastic service from the team and you can’t complain how charming the pub looks from the inside and out.

In February 2020, the UK suffered a whole month worths of rain which in Shrewsbury called torrential flooding, the River Severn which runs near to the pub had a severe bank burst which caused half of the town to be closed as well as The Alb.

I think you can clearly tell how bad it was, the pub is situated on the right of this picture, travelling throughout the town was mayhem!

Review

Since meeting Isobel, I tend to meet Isobel at her workplace which is in Shrewsbury, I always travel down by train, I know a lot of you may think why do I travel all the way from Burton to Shrewsbury, truth is I don’t drive and I love seeing my girlfriend so I am fully committed to travel all the way down to her work company because I do really love my girlfriend.

After leaving the train station, I always make my way towards the bus station which drops me off at Isobel’s work company, before I walked over to the station I found this quirky pub called The Alb.

It looked really pretty from the outside and in fairness so did the inside, it was worth a shot, the bus I usually get was arriving at the station in 30 minutes.

Inside the pub, you step into a small bar area which has snug room towards the right and further down the end of the pub there is like another chill out room.

The inside also looks completely spectacular and very cosy, this is an updated picture since the pub went through its new refurbishment.

I do really like the bike on the back wall, it brings the character of the pub to life, it also provides a gorgeous rustic feel.

The pub doesn’t offer onsite parking, however across the road from where the pub is there is a gigantic car park, so you won’t need to worry about travelling around the whole of Shrewsbury looking for somewhere to park.

I started to scan the bar, there was a wide range of lagers available and plenty of bottle products as well.

On the two handpumps, there was The Alb Golden Ale and The Alb Bitter which were shown at 4.0% ABV, I believe both beers were home-brewed and provided by the pub.

I decided to go for the Alb Bitter which I was really looking forward to but then I was shocked by the price.

£4.00 for a pint of Real Ale, I couldn’t believe it, I was stunned, this has been probably the first time I’ve ever paid for a real ale which was so heavily priced.

To be fair the beer wasn’t that overly great, it tasted really flat and it was really powerful on the bitterness side.

I felt like it needed some sweetness to it, I wasn’t really impressed, I finished it but I couldn’t have more than one pint!

It was a real shame, but I will admit there are beers out in the world which aren’t up to your palates liking.

However though I really did enjoy my visit, the pub was really adorable and the staff were so friendly, so I would happily come back again but I hope the pricing is dropped ever so slightly.

Ending

This is a great pub and I really want to go back, I would also like to try their food, but I’ll have to see what happens.

Due to being no real ale served inside the pub now, when I do decide to go to The Alb I will more than happy try any of the craft ale cans that the pub provides.

I would also like to recommend this pub to you, but please bear in mind that there is no onsite car parking and also please be wary of the pricing, because that did really catch me out.

Although, I will believe you will enjoy the atmosphere inside and if any of my followers get the chance to sample any of the food, by all means, please do let me know how it tasted.

Thanks for taking the time to read my latest Public Bar Review post on The Alb, I hope you’ve enjoyed it.

I wish you all a fantastic weekend and please remember to Stay Safe!

Cheers

The Cask Connoisseur