Our devotion to customer satisfaction is paramount and this is reflected by our highly knowlegable staff, daily variation of our cask ale and extremely high quality standards with respect to the products we sell. From the point of delivery to the point of sale, nothing is overlooked in our ongoing quest to providing you with the perfect pint.
During 2008 we were proud enough to have served up over 680 different guest ales to our discerning punters, a selection to please even the most die-hard of tickers. Whilst we readily admit that not all beers appeal to everyone's particular taste we also offer a much copied "No Quibble Guarantee," whereby if you are not keen on a particular pint we will happily exchange it for something more suitable. As well as sourcing an eclectic range of traditional bitters, we are also the only establishment in Tyneside (to our knowledge) that can always be relied upon to provide at least one unusual premium stout or porter, and we always endeavour to supply one or more "hard to find" cider or perry from the West country. With the exception of our only regular tipple, the superb session bitter, Caledonian Deuchars I.P.A. (3.8%), all beers are supplied in 9 gallon barrels (firkins) to preserve the freshness and quality of the beer at the tap. As a consequence, some of the most popular are not on sale for long, so don't blame us if you miss out on a long awaited tick. (We have been known to empty a full barrel of Thornbridge's Jaipur in under two hours).  For the less educated of suppers/John Smiths drinkers, we display a chalk board above the back-bar which advertises all beers currently on sale as well as providing a wee insight as to the flavour and characteristics of each particular brew. In addition to the ales on tap, we are also more than happy to oblige you (with the exception of matchdays when it gets a tad busy) with a cellar-run, for a sample of what is tapped and ready downstairs. All we ask is that you do not request a cellar top-up!  Always open to suggestions and advice, we welcome anybody's recommendations when it comes to new products. If there is a certain ale which we have not yet stocked but you believe to be worthy of a place in our cellar, then please let us know and we will try our best to obtain a barrel. Although our enviable range of guest beers remains second to none, there are a selected band of brewers from around the UK whose products are consistently so magnificent, that by popular demand we simply cannot resist ordering them on a regular basis. Following mutual analysis, independent consultation and many dedicated sessions of heavy drinking, Neil, Barry & Ian have compiled their current top 5!! NB - Local suppliers all feature on a following page. CURRENT FAVOURITES  Thornbridge - As if the delectable Jaipur I.P.A. (5.9) was not a good enough reason for all other brewers to simply call it a day and admit defeat, Thornbridge had to go one better and release the most amazing beer known to man, the St. Petersburg Imperial Russian Stout (7.7). Bursting at the seams with chocolate, roast malts and coffee flavours this is a truly unforgettable bevy. A previous tee-totaler & health freak, Neil now quaffs 8 pints of the stuff every morning with his full English. Since their inception in Oct 2004, Thornbridge has won an incredible number of festival awards for such a relative newcomer to the brewing scene. web.mac.com/jaipuripa/iWeb/thornbridge/brewery.html 
Rudgate - Founded in 1992 and is located in the old armoury building on the disused WW2 Marston Moor airfield in Tockwith near York. Their 15 barrel brew plant is capable of producing over 60 brewers barrels per week and they are renowned for use of only the finest natural ingredients, including their own strain of Yorkshire brewing yeast, and hops sourced from as far afield as New Zealand. Now encompassing the Marston Moor brand, they have brewed 2 previous Champion Beers of Britain (Viking 3.8), and most recently (2009) their multi-award winning Ruby Mild (4.4). At least two new beers are produced every month under their superb “Brewer’s Choice” label and if ever there was a brewery to get the ticking brigade aroused then Rudgate is one of the heavyweights. www.rudgate-beers.co.uk
 Highland Brewing Co - Rob Hill's beers have firmly established themselves as a regular favourite at the Arms and are thus rewarded as the recipient of more brewing awards in the last 2 years than most micro's could hope for in a lifetime. GBBF 2008 - Silver (Best Bitters) & Bronze (Strong Bitters), & an astonishing 4 gongs at the SIBA Scotland Awards 2008. Due to the recent massive hikes in diesel, Rob now loads his barrels onto a home-built kayak and paddles his way from Orkney to the Newcastle quay side. Stopping off at L*oy*s bar for a dodgy breakfast and a pint of cloudy dishwater, he then proceeds to roll the casks up Westgate Road to our place. In the short amount of time not spent on the water he has managed to handcraft a unique range of wonderful ales including Orkney Best (3.6), Scapa Special (4.2), St.Magnus (4.5) and the supreme Orkney Blast (6.0).  Yorkshire Dales - Yorkshire Dales Brewing Co. was set up in Oct 2005 by head brewer Rob Wiltshire. In Feb 2007, having outgrown their original premises, Rob opened a new 5-barrel plant at a converted milking parlour at Askrigg within the heart of the Dales. They supply to free-houses across the North of England and brew a diverse range of quality milds, bitters & porters. incl Buttertubs (3.7), Ribblehead (4.3) & Whernside ESB (5.2). In 2007 Askrigg Ale (4.0) won awards at both the Cambridge Beer Festival and Leyburn Festival of Food and Drink and more recently Rob has been concocting an incredible number of one-off monthly specials. Rob takes care of all brewing/tasting, deliveries, P.R., accounts, etc. and allows himself a 10min teabreak once every 48 hrs. www.yorkshiredalesbrewery.com Brew Dog - Every now a then a new brewery comes along that simply blows away all competition and the most recent candidate for such praise comes in the form of Brew Dog. Their plant is located in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire and production kicked off in April 2007. Serious dedication from partners (in business)James Watt and Martin Dikie has resulted in such a sublime range of ales that we are lost for words. The fact that they are already exporting gems such as Peroxide Punk (4.0), Punk IPA (6.0), Physics (5.5) & Riptide Stout (8.0) to Japan and the USA speaks for itself. Our beer festival in Feb 2009 was one of only a handful of outlets in the whole of the UK to feature an ultra-rare cask of Brew Dog's Divine Rebel 12.5%. www.brewdog.com At this point we were going to compile a list of our least favourite beers/breweries but after consultation with our legal advisors have decided that this is probably not a very good idea after all. However we know who you are!! |