Fancy a jar? The top ten real ale pubs in Newcastle

Real ale and craft beers have enjoyed a huge resurgence in recent years and nowhere more so than in Newcastle.

For sure, pubs specialising in hand-made, locally brewed beer are still in the minority, but there are more popping up and many pubs that used to stock nothing but mass-produced big-brand lagers are now installing a hand pump or two.

As Joseph Harrop, the 25-year-old manager of the Cumberland Arms and self-confessed beer lover, explains: "Newcastle has a really exciting and vibrant real ale scene at the moment.

"Breweries that have been going for ten or 12 years like Wylam, Hadrian Border, Mordue and Jarrow are doing some of the most popular ales in the region as well as the classic bitters."

According to Joseph, breweries in the north-east are becoming more innovative and increasingly turning to styles and techniques used in Europe and North America as they look to diversify their offerings, and this can only help make a visit to a real ale pub in Newcastle more interesting.

So in light of this, and following on from our guide to real ale pubs in Edinburgh, here are our top ten favourites that we think anyone staying in a hostel in Newcastle should have on their 'to do' list...

The Bacchus

Having won the CAMRA Tyneside Pub of the Year award three years running between 2009 and 2011, it's safe to say that The Bacchus is a decent boozer!

A great selection of real ales from near and far are on offer, alongside an excellent wine list and decent home-cooked pub grub. It's also right in the city centre, just two minutes away from Grey's Monument.

Owned by the Sir John Fitzgerland group, it was refurbished recently and given a grand ocean liner theme, so it's as far away as possible from the spit-and-sawdust image many associate with real ale pubs. 42-48 High Bridge, Newcastle, NE1 6BX. 0191 261 1008.

The Boathouse

The Boathouse is widely considered to be the best real ale pub in the north-east and last year won the CAMRA Northumberland Pub of the Year award yet again.

With 15 hand pumps dominating the bar, the selection is second to none and its friendly staff know exactly what they're talking about. "We keep looking at what's available on the real ale market," says owner Norman Weatherburn.

"We go to as many beer festivals as possible which is a great way to find some interesting ales and to keep in touch with the people who make them."

Located in Wylam, Northumberland, it can be reached by a short train ride from Newcastle's Central Station or, if you're feeling adventurous, it makes the perfect place to rest your legs after a long walk along the Tyne Valley. Station Road, Wylam, NE41 8HR. 01661 853 431.

The Brandling Villa

Having recently been converted from a run-of-the-mill pub into an independent real ale establishment, the Brandling Villa in South Gosforth has gone from strength to strength and is now hugely popular with locals.

It runs its own micro brewery - the Ouseburn Valley Brewery - out of the cellar, often has gigs on and regularly puts on food and drink festivals, such as its aptly-named SAUSAGEfest, which serves up more than 30 varieties of the tasty tubular tummy-fillers. Get off the Metro at South Gosforth and walk down the hill. Haddricks Mill Road, South Gosforth, NE3 1QL. 0191 284 0490.

The Broad Chare

Nestled away on Newcastle's Quayside, The Broad Chare is a seriously high-class real ale pub that opened in 2011 under the guidance of Terry Laybourne, the only chef to ever hold a Michelin Star in the city.

As you'd expect from the man who set up the likes of Cafe 21 and Cafe Vivo, food plays a big part at The Broad Chare and the pub has quickly become renowned for its incredible home-made take on classic bar snacks like pork scratchings and scotch eggs.

The rest of the menu is delightfully traditional, though not exactly cheap, and there is a regularly changing selection of four different guest ales from largely local breweries. 25 Broad Chare, Newcastle, Quayside, NE1 3DQ. 0191 211 2144.

The Cluny

Located in a converted flax spinning mill dating back to 1848, The Cluny is a top pub with an excellent live music venue attached that regularly draws big names and is often a springboard for up and coming bands destined for big things.

It regularly makes it onto the top 100 list of World's Best Bars, and it's not hard to see why. A large, light and open bar is populated with a great selection of ales and its bottled beer and whisky selection is pretty special too. 36 Lime Street, Ouseburn, NE1 2PQ. 0191 230 4474.

The Cumberland Arms

Having just celebrated its tenth birthday under the current owners, the historic Cumberland Arms has come a huge distance in that time and as well as having a legitimate claim to being the friendliest pub in Newcastle, it is the only pub we've ever been in where punters form an orderly queue to get served.

Renowned as the beating heart of the north-east's folk music scene, the back bar is home to regular jamming sessions and free outdoor festivals are a staple of the summer months. Upstairs it has a music venue that has been known to host the likes of the Beth Jeans Houghton, the Futureheads and Mumford and Sons before they hit the big time.

In terms of real ale, it has seven hand pumps that are constantly changing and its whisky collection is getting larger by the day. The pub is also famous for its real cider and has won CAMRA North-East Real Cider Pub of the Year on numerous occasions. James Place St, Ouseburn, NE6  1LD. 0191 265 1725. 
  
The Head of Steam

The Head of Steam is a sister pub to The Cluny and is located opposite Central Station in the heart of the city. With two floors, the pub's basement is great for gigs and club nights, while upstairs is more of a traditional boozer with a top selection of real ales from local and national breweries.

Like its sister, it also has some great bottled offerings and if you fancy popping your change in the charity boxes, the pub generously doubles whatever its customers donate. Other pubs run by the same group that are worth visiting include Tilleys Bar, LYH and The Central on the Gateshead side of the Tyne Bridge. 2 Neville Street, Newcastle NE1 5EN. 0191 230 4236.    

The Newcastle Arms

Just off China Town in the shadows of St James' Park is the Newcastle Arms, a pub that certainly fits more into the 'old man' definition of real ale pubs than some of those above.

It always has a great range of cask and guest ales to sample and is one of the few pubs in this list to show live sport, with Premier League matches and Six Nations Rugby always shown.

The Newcastle Arms has also won the CAMRA Tyneside Real Ale Pub of the Year three times between 2006 and 2008, coming runner up to The Bacchus in 2009 and 2010. 57 St Andrews Street, Newcastle NE1 5SE. 0191 260 2490.    

The Tyne Bar

The Tyne Bar at the end of the Ouseburn Valley is a top pub with a great outdoor seating area that is sheltered by the arch of a redbrick bridge.

It's well known for its live outdoor gigs (under said archway) that can be filed under A for Alternative - and has the friendly vibe you'd expect from this sort of pub in a city like Newcastle.

Inside, it has fridges stacked full of all kinds of bottled beers, while all of its real ale comes from Wylam Brewery as the Tyne Bar is its official 'tap'. 1 Maling St, Ouseburn NE6 1LP. 0191 265 2550.

The Union Rooms

One of JD Wetherspoon's countless pubs in Newcastle, the Union Rooms near Central Station is the largest by far, residing in the old home of the Lord Mayor of Newcastle.

The national public house giant saved the wonderful building from demolition when trees were growing out of its roof and turned it into a giant beer emporium that is family-friendly and a great place to watch sport.

Like all Wetherspoon's pubs, its prices are more than reasonable, and it has a great choice of real ales with different beers from top-notch breweries spread over its three different bars. 48 Westgate Road, Newcastle NE1 1TT. 0191 261 5718.

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