Cask and Barrel

March 23, 2008
An OK place, pretty standard interior, with average service. 10 beers on cask of which 5 was new to me - now that is seldom.

September 17, 2007
Standard scottish pub. Decent beers, decent service. I would not mind visiting again, but there are better places.

September 2, 2007
A busy neighborhood pub with, I think, 10 different cask ales when I was there which makes it the largest selection that I’ve encountered in Edinburgh. The beers came from various breweries, nothing terribly rare, but a wide selection. A bit direct service. Good condition, apparently high turnover. Kinda classy looking boozer that happens to serve food if such a thing exists.

August 27, 2007 [ Updated September 3, 2007 ]
Visited with the RBESG 2007 crowd. Both cask ales I had were served too warm, and were not in the best condition. They had quite a few handpumps, but serving real ales at correct cellar temperature and in good condition is more important. The bartender seemed not overly enthusiastic about having guests in his pub! Otherwise this was a nice looking pub.

June 3, 2007
We were only 2 of 8 people in the place and its quite big, however the grumpy bast*rd bar manager seemed as if he couldnt be bothered doing anything. Had to ask for another beer even when standing looking at him with an empty glass in my hand. Better selection in here, a beer made for them by hadrian and border.

September 17, 2006
Big lively pub with very good selection. I counted 10 hand pumps - 4 guest ales. Bottled Belgiums too. One of the essential bars in Edinburgh.

September 6, 2006
Bustling, lively pub with bare board floors, lots of brewery memorabilia stuck all around the walls a good range of cask ales on handpump, maybe as many as ten at a time, although some are permanent residents. Buses 8, 13 and 17 pass the front door. Has one of the biggest ranges of beer in the city, well worth a visit and on a decent crawl in the newtown.