Welcome/Croeso!

 

+++LATEST UPDATE JULY 2019+++

As I don't get up to Aber much at the moment, take this as a mothballed site for historical amusement. Maybe one day in the next year or so I'll manage to get up there again inbetween stints manning the real world.

Welcome to Quinno's thoroughly biased - but hopefully informative and humorous - guide to all the pubs in and around Aberystwyth; the Good, the Bad and the Downright Strange. This is a not-for-profit site, so if I praise somewhere/slag it off it is my own personal opinion, nothing more. Feel free to leave comments, stories, corrections/clarifications on the site...comments are moderated so it may take a little while for yours to appear. I only check in once a week or so.

Enjoy the site, 
Quinno.

Updates

• Shenanigans at the Student Union
• CWRT MAWR BAR TO CLOSE! - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-19982128
• After my May trip, the pubs on the Aber-Aberaeron bus route were visited so write-ups are now online for the Royal Oak in Llanfarian, Black Lion Llanrhystud, and the Llanon pubs - Central Hotel and White Swan.
• There's a new pub in the offing for Aber!
• At long last, the first downloadable Aberystwyth Pub Crawl booklet!
• Latest update on the Bay 
• All change at the Llew Du!
• Ceredigion CC have all of Aber's old pubs listed. See RIP - Pubs of the Past for further info
• Added functionality - Pub crawl map and pubs list now located in static pages on the menu bar above this post, below the blog banner.

In development

• Writing up all the Machynlleth pubs

NB - Top photo is very cool. Unfortunately I can't link to the original as I was a bit drunk when I downloaded it. Whoops.

Aberystwyth Pubs Map and downloadable trail

Well here it is, finally - the downloadable Aberpubs pub trail! Download it, print it out, and off you go. This is the first version and is very much a work in progress, so be nice.  As I say in the gumpf in the booklet, this is a hobby and the stuff written in it shouldn't be taken as gospel - it's merely a guide. Corrections to bluemondayuk@hotmail.com please!

Download here:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/7rqgnrp6x618h1c/Aberpub_Aber_pub_trail_to_web%20V1.0.pdf


Most (though not all!) of the town's pubs are featured on a nicely compiled downloadable map over on Aberystwyth.org.uk, which rather compliments my own trail, I think. Grab it here: http://www.aberystwyth.org.uk/foodanddrink/aberystwyth-pub-map.pdf


Tips for using the pubs Gmap:

• Use the arrow keys to move around the map (or use the grabby hand cursor icon - like you would in a pdf document). Use the + and - keys to zoom in and out of the map.
• Click on the name of any of the pubs listed on the right-hand-side in order to be taken direct to its location on the map.
• Want to print it, or want the map to display full-screen? You can access it by clicking this link
• NOTE: Googlemaps are best viewed in a Firefox browser. If your IE browser doesn't work on this page, why not download the best browser on the 'net for free, here? You won't be disappointed.

Map Channels - My thanks to them for being able to easily embed a Google Map into my blog. Check 'em out.

Aberystwyth - Aber Vaults (was Weston Vaults)

Formerly known as Weston Vaults

Address: Thespian St, SY23 2JW. Tel: 01970 626110 [gmap] 

Pubs Galore page
Ceredigion CC historical pub info page

Last APG visit: 19/05/2012 (for a quick viewing, the last 'proper' visit was mid 2011 so most of the review comes from then)

Background: Small two-roomed bar at the bottom of the hill opposite Death Junction. Recently given a complete overhaul - stripped wood floor, squiggly mirrors, black and white pictures, blue bead strip lighting etc

Student factor: Previously, few students went here but the new overhaul is aimed squarely at them – which given that the place is the second pub they encounter on their way down the hill, is probably a good call.

Atmosphere: Well, we were the only two in here early Friday evening, apart from two middle-aged locals which I imagine are not quite the clientèle the place is aiming for. The wide open door in the front bar which is inches from the junction made for a cold and uncomfortable feel along with the muted lighting.

Drinks range: Various spirits and mixer combos, along with ‘goldfish bowl’ drinks. No real ale, of course though a range of standard bottled beers are now available. To be fair, on our latest May 2012 viewing, the barman was helpful and accurate in telling us to go to the Ship & Castle for it!

TV/Music:  Chart music with a muted telly showing Pointless in the main bar. Back room houses another TV (tuned to some random footy match).

Other stuff: We liked the back-lit V shapes at the bar front that changed colour. The interior sports new banquette seating and a weird mix of new black tables and old bar stools from the old Weston, which are incongruous. Quizzer in the back room.

Quinno’s verdict: Time will tell how it fares, but it seems to be in direct competition with Harry’s. With students having to fork out even more money for tuition fees next year this place will need to be on its toes. CMStudent also has a well-written take in the comments below.

Old comments for Weston Vaults
3 comments:

Anonymous said...Wasn't too bad a few years back but nowadays the sleazy boyfriend of the landlady won't leave you alone if he's working. Landlady does a lovely Sunday Roast at a reasonable price but only go if you can stand the boyfriend's squeaky voice disturbing your meal. Be careful there as the boyfriend also has a tendancy to get violent when drunk.
1 July 2008 11:09
 
Anonymous said...
This is so true! He is a right sleaze! Not to be trusted! She's no better though! (What a man!)No atmosphere whatsoever in the pub.. If it was the last pub left in aber I don't think I'd drink there! You may think different but... 
7 September 2008 13:51 

PN said...Has had a mini- refurb and was good enough to sponsor a pair of uni football teams last year. Landlord (Stan) is a legend in his own right. Not the best quality drinks, but unassuming and a good place for a laugh with a small group. Also good for the crack of being pestered by the local drunks for a game of pool.
21 August 2010 15:28 

Aberystwyth - The Academy (Yr Academi)

Formerly known as Three Jolly Sailors; "a notorious den of iniquity..."

Address: 52 Great Darkgate Street, SY23 1DW. Tel: 01970 636852 [gmap]
Pubs Galore page
Facebook page 
Ceredigion CC historical pub info page 1
Ceredigion CC historical pub info page 2

Open: 12pm-1am Sun-Fri, 11am-2am Sat

Last APG visit: 04/03/2011

Background: Massive derelict old chapel (called St. Paul’s, trivia fans), given a very expensive and unholy refit as a massive two-level bar (and as many speculated at the time, a club waiting to happen; but the local council seem to have put a stop to that idea...for now). The most impressive pub in Aber, façade-wise. Inside had a refurb in Sept 2008 though it's fairly similar as before, except the middle partition downstairs has been removed - see pics of the new-look inside below.

 

Student factor: A classic student bar, but it attracts more than enough locals to stop it getting too up-it’s-own-arse.

Atmosphere: The acoustics of the old chapel design mean that it only needs a few people in to give it a better atmosphere than the number warrants. Usually a pretty good vibe most evenings during term-time and there’s enough seating to keep people in for a good while, rather than downing two bottles of lager and leaving. Suffers a bit when the students aren’t in town. The previous lack of air con which meant that the place got like a sauna upstairs looks to have been rectified post-2008 refurb.

Drinks range: Fair, now has an ale on and the prices have stabilized a bit. Service is notoriously variable, as are the amount of staff on duty. The ale can occasionally be a more unusual choice (Breconshire Brewery during November 2010, though it was just rotten old Felinfoel in March 2011) so worth giving it a go. Sells absinthe, if you really want a bad time.

TV/Music: Had a bank of TV screens cobbled together to make one big screen (so 1997…) which has now been replaced by the usual big screen. Otherwise, usual pre-clubbing style music.

Other stuff: The old preachers pulpit is a DJ booth, not that it ever gets used much given the dreams of clubbing have been dashed. Food, pool, quizzer and table football are available, as is some nice outdoor seating during summer. Pub is wheelchair-friendly. The upper balcony is a great place for people-watching, and looking down girls tops.

Quinno’s verdict: Offers enough to keep most punters happy for a drink or two and is excellent as a warm-up venue for a late night to follow.

Aberystwyth - Angel Inn

Address: 57-59 Great Darkgate Street, SY23 1DW. Tel: 01970 617878 [gmap]
Pubs Galore page
Facebook page
Ceredigion CC historical pub info page

Last APG visit: 18/05/2012

Background: Welcome to the great unreformed pub in Aber. Split into a front bar and large function room at the rear, this is a place that was one of the original Gang of Eight* to hold a post-11pm late licence in Aber before that nice Mr Blair’s Licensing Reform Act.

 
Student factor: Big in the back room when the various theme nights are on. Otherwise, it’s often home to craggy locals and menacing people of dubious origin in the front. I never thought the Angel would ever be fashionable but this place now seems to be in vogue with a number of the less pretentious students now - a few years ago they wouldn't have been seen dead in here (though the strikethrough statement above still applies on Fridays!)

Atmosphere: Interior had a light makeover a couple of years back and isn't quite as dark and shabby as before. They've also opened up a the right-hand side of the front bar a bit more. I’ve seen fisticuffs in here on more than one occasion, so be prepared to duck.

Drinks range: Getting better. Snakebite & black/whiskey territory here mainly, though there's some Corky's which always goes down well. Token ale (Hancocks HB) of variable quality; last visit I went for Navy Rum!

TV/Music: There is a TV that gets intermittently used in the front bar. Mainly people go for the late-licence back room – (latest set-list: Monday – Indiesoc (discountinued); Tuesday – RocSoc; Wednesday – PunkSoc; Thursday - Reggae Night; Friday/Saturday – Locals Now That’s What I Call Music compilation ho-down). Back room also hosts the occasional live band. Aber monoliths The Mighty FUOD put on a legendary performance in here back in 2003. The back room is a pretty good venue on a busy night (see below, Aber Indiesoc night):

 

Other stuff: Front bar toilets are the worst in Aber, very Trainspotting (I can promise that the image below is un-doctered in any way) although the ones in the back room have been overhauled and aren't too bad now. 

The newsagents next door used to stock the biggest hoard of porn I've ever encountered - one shelf for UK, one shelf for foreign and a special section for shrink-wrapped - someone had fun filing those. Seems to have gone now, blame the internet. However the Angel soldiers on with a dirty nudey quizzer. Classy. We couldn't help ourselves last time and had a go - someone had got so excited previously by it there was a johnny wrapper on the floor directly underneath. I made sure to wash my fingers afterwards.

Quinno’s verdict: Has improved a little over the last couple of years, but to be honest I wouldn't bother to go beyond curiosity value.

NB- The Gang of Eight with a late licence between 1997-2005 were: Aber Student Union; The Angel; The Bay; The Boar’s Head; The Glen; K2; Pier Pressure and Rummers.

Aberystwyth - The Bay (Y Bae) - CLOSED

 +++NOW CLOSED+++

 

+++NOW CLOSED+++

LATEST NEWS JAN 2013 - it's gonna be a Premier Inn! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-20817186

Address: 35-37 Marine Terrace, SY23 2DX. Tel: 01970 627115 [gmap]
Pubs Galore page
Facebook group#1; Facebook group#2 

Last APG visit: 20/01/2008 

From my staff source:

"Time to clear some stuff up: The Bay wasn't as successful in the last year as previous ones, as no-one came down to us most nights 'til about 3, and we weren't making the money, so Brains didn't close a successful pub. The company own the lease, and still have a significant period of time on it. For the time being they have just emptied the place (eg the pumps, cellar coolers, tills etc), and all that's left is a shell of a building, and there is no news on what they are intending at the moment, but it doesn't look like it will come back in its recent state, if at all. Upstairs is in a bad state of affairs, but that had nothing to do with the closing, it hadn't made any difference for the past few years, so why should it of now. Soundproofing was sorted last summer, with no financial help from Brains themselves, like the rest of the pub over the last few years."

Ceredigion CC are forcing Brains to make good dilapidation and hand back the building. Good. Brains have been a pretty shitty outfit. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13523654

Old review below for posterity:

Background: Believe it or not, this was a deathly-dull hotel bar 15-odd years ago. It’s now a jam-packed student dive. The last of the great ‘seafront plub’ generation from the 90’s still left standing (the Boar’s Head, Glen and the Seabank having fallen by the wayside), multi-roomed (everyone has their favourite place) with a bar at the front and a cobbled-together dancefloor at the rear and also downstairs, with sweat dripping from the ceiling and running down the walls. Post-plub aftermath has diluted it’s core appeal, there’s a few more mainstream types in there now than before. Usually charges a token entry fee after 11, so get down there early doors if you’re pikey like me.

Student factor: 100% - traditionally scruffs, Indie kids, rockers, EMO-saddo’s and alcoholics, though it's getting more and more mainstream each time I go, slowly turning into the Glen circa 1999. Now open until 3-4am. Christ, I remember when 2am was considered the height of decadence…

Atmosphere: After 11pm, this is the possibly still the place to be for a night out in Aber. Genuine student-types, a sticky, squelchy floor and grotty bogs. Make sure you have a download before you get here, because the toilet pan will be plastered in faeces and vomit by midnight. Has lost something since the smoking ban, mainly the cancerous fog – some nights you couldn’t see from one end of the dance floor to another. Bay regulars of years past had lungs of 60 year old chain smokers. Some of the old fittings have been removed, which makes it a bit less homely than before and more bland - shame.

Drinks range: Limited but cheap. Most people in here drink the legendary Snakebite and Black (aka diesel; goth juice) which is ½ lager, ½ cider and a splash of blackcurrant juice to those of you who don’t get out much. Gained notoriety in the late-90’s for being the first place in west Wales to sell the newly-legalised absinthe, and continues to sell similarly meths-based concoctions which are more suited to disinfecting hospital wards than being drunk. Queues on a weekend can be horrendous – get to know a member of bar staff, it can prove mighty beneficial when attempting to catch their eye amongst a hoard of 50 other people clamouring for more alcohol. Used to give out a free vodka with each drink in the earlier hours of trading (which got poured straight into the Snakey B to make it 'turbo') but the local plod have put a stop to that.

TV/Music: There are TV’s which are switched to whatever the barmaid was watching before the rush started. Sometimes it’s VH1, other times it’s S4C. But as we know, the main attraction here is the music, which is (or was?) usually modern alternative, Indie, 60’s and jukebox classics - although recently many more English townie centre nightclub choices are appearing at the weekends now which is bizarre; you now have to put up with what seems to be a poor attempt at Dave Pearce's Dance Anthems or Tim Westwood's Gangsta Megamix for a few hours before they put the decent stuff on the decks on a Saturday night.

Other stuff: A basement bar, which used to successfully host themed evenings (Indiesoc, Punksoc, various ‘proper’ dance music gigs) but they were sacked off to the Angel for some reason, (hard to think why as I know for a fact that IndieSoc made a fat wedge at the bar) and it's now been refurbed and re-opened with a more trying-to-be-trendy music edge. Upstairs also used to have a pizza hatch (toppings loosely-based on a national theme, so you’d order a 6” Welsh, or whatever) which was ace, again a strange decision to axe it - although rumour reaches me of some sort of sexual 'corruption' of the pizza oven. Has a demon quizzer in the back room and a knackered pool table. The hand dryer in the gents bogs looks like salvage from the Titanic and makes more noise than a 747 on take-off, but apparently has now been removed and is lying in the staff room - can someone do the decent thing and auction it on ebay please. Oh and Aled, landlord and occasional mayor of Aberystwyth.

Quinno’s verdict: Formerly legendary. People lost more hours of their life in here and had more good nights than you will anywhere else in Aber. However, is its power on the wane now? It used to have a toe-to-toe rivalry with the Glen, which created plenty of choice and almost tribal-like loyalty. I'm not seeing that now. Perhaps it's the fact that this place was once family-owned, but has since been acquired by Brains**...management pressure from Cardiff-based suits?

*-Thanks to the Boy Demetrius for this info. **-Though it has mysteriously disappeared from their website listings in the last few weeks.

Aberystwyth - Belle Vue Royal Hotel

Address: 23 Marine Terrace, SY23 2BA. Tel: 01970 617558 [gmap]
http://www.bellevueroyalhotel.co.uk

Last APG visit: 18/05/2012

Background: A comfy, stuffy hotel bar that appears to be slowly allowing more non-residents in.

Student factor: Some occasional overseas students, though mainly aged residents and well-to-do locals.

Atmosphere: Quiet but relaxing. Lovely views of the seafront if you grab a window seat. Heated like an old folks home, so great during the winter months.

Drinks range: Not so bad, actually. A decent ale range (Welsh micros) over two pumps (though only one one during the quieter periods of the week) get it into the GBG but quality isn't in the same league as the Ship and Castle. Otherwise, a small range of keg and a few spirits, with an interesting whisky selection.

TV/Music: Some loungey muzak, but mainly it's the gentle crashing of the surf outside.

Other stuff: There's posh nosh available. Check out the crazy opposing mirrors that create a weird labyrinthine-feel when you look into them. Trippy.

Quinno’s verdict: If you fancy a relaxing pint in the peace and quiet with a lovely sea view, this could be up your street.

Aberystwyth - Cambrian

Formerly known as The Commercial Hotel

Address: Alexandra Road, SY23 1LG. Tel: 01970 612446 [gmap]
Pubs Galore page
Facebook group
Ceredigion CC historical pub info page

Last APG visit: 04/03/2011

 

Background: Originally a comfy boozer back in ‘97, this place went for a full-on refurb and emerged blinking into the daylight as a binge drinkers paradise – an IKEA cocktail bar. Became massively popular and has remained an integral part of the circuit ever since, though it's starting to get rather tatty round the edges.

Student factor: 75% student. Some younger locals on a weekend, not that you’d notice.

Atmosphere: Veers from dead at 7:30pm to major crush at 8:30pm. Some evenings it will take you five minutes to get from one end of the bar to the other which is lethal if you’re desperate for a slash. Quieter outside of term-time.

Drinks range: Star Wars and University-themed cocktails, with their ingredients, are plastered all over the walls on slate discs; don't be a tool and ask for a menu at the bar. Cocktails are pretty much the only reason to go in. They’re not cheap, but they’ll do the job and they are big – most come in pint glasses. Biggest of them all is the Death Star – two pints of what looks like muddy water from the River Rheidol and one of those will be more than enough to get you bouncing off the walls. Service is normally pretty sharp, the staff in here earn their biscuits. Token real ale (Pride or Hancock's HB) not that it gets drunk much.

TV/Music: No TV, but ‘pumping’ music gets progressively loud during the evening, often ending up at unnecessarily ear-splitting levels after 9pm.

Other stuff: Pool table, which is permanently booked after 7pm. Food is served during the day, Sunday lunch is rumoured to be decent. Toilets often poor. Cambrian was the scene of the infamous hit-and-run egging incident of Halloween 2006 - hopefully the management have learnt to lock the side door on that particular night now.

Quinno’s verdict: Probably the best student bar in Aber. Notice I said ‘bar’, not ‘pub’; this a place for vertical binge drinking only. Don’t expect to make interesting conversation with the person on the next table (or indeed, opposite...). The interior and exterior are now getting pretty grubby, perhaps this is attempting to an invent a new cocktail genre.

Aberystwyth - Castle Hotel

Address: South Road, SY23 1JW. Tel: 01970 612188 [gmap] 
http://www.castlehotelaberystwyth.co.uk 

Pubs Galore page
Ceredigion CC historical pub info page

Last APG visit: 18/05/2012

Background: Originally a two-roomed backstreet pub with a lounge and public bar (and one of the main locations in Malcolm Pryce's Louie Knight books), this watering-hole has had two makeovers in the last 15 years which have all but removed the original soul of the place, including the lovely old Victorian bar. Now it’s laminate floored, chocolate coloured sofa lounge-bar thing, specializing in being the last pub in Aber to close each evening morning. It tends to get busy - you guessed it - when the other pubs are chucking out and this place is still open. 

Student factor: The late-licence means that you get a bigger mixture of peoples these days compared to 10 years back, including some of the more well-known soaks from a particularly well-regarded Uni department who try to nick your drink when you aren't looking and pour it into their own. 

Atmosphere: Holds quite a good atmosphere late, but the new incarnation is still finding its feet during the daytime as the more clinical interior finish means that it can no longer feel busy with just half-a-dozen people in.

Drinks range: The ale range varies; there's usually a couple of unusual ones (Hop Back has been sighted previously) on in good variable nick - I get the feeling that the beer is put on and then not checked, so if it's fresh, you're in...if it isn't, it's Sarsons. There's also an interesting* keg lager - Tuborg. Hecks cider was on in May 2012 which was a welcome sight as proper cider is still difficult to come across outside of Spoons and the Ship.

TV/Music: In a victory for APG, the 'trendy' song lyrics have been removed from the walls and the jukebox no longer has the shame of having Robbie Williams' scribblings stationed above it. There used to be live music on a Friday in the form of local bands of builders who thought they were a cross between Stereophonics and Status Quo, not sure if this still happens post-refurb.

  
Other stuff: The biggest new thing here is the award of a late (very late) licence - currently, the Castle is allowed to serve drinks until 2am between Sundays and Thursdays and until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, and has a licence covering live or recorded music till 1am any night of the week (yes, I've clearly copied that from the Council's Licensing website). They're now actively pushing the hotel aspect of the place, check out their sparkly new website, though I'm not sure who would want to stay in a room above a late-licence drinking den? I have spent a night there and the room itself was pretty good (see below) and clearly sound-proofed - except for the rickety old sash windows, which of course meant that the utterance of every drunk entering/leaving/having a smoke outside was audible almost as loudly as if you'd been standing next to them. Fail.

Otherwise, there's an active dart board and pool table and also apparently food is now available. Look out for the lethal metal pole in the middle of the pub (see bottom), you’re not a proper student drinker in Aber until you’ve walked into it by accident whilst blotto. Oh and the toilets have finally been done-up - there's now even Dyson Airblades, how very metropolitan.

 

Quinno’s verdict: Clearly now trading on the late licence to make it profitable, the place seems to be finding its feet and I'm happy to have been proved wrong when I previously stated that "I'm not sure it can survive much longer if the hotel aspect doesn't work out". It's a worthwhile trudge from the Ship & Castle to finish off your evening with a few games of arrows. Louie Knight might be horrified by the new look though.

* - interesting in that I don't drink much lager....

Aberystwyth - Consti

Address: Constitution Hill, SY23 2DN. Tel: 01970 617642 [gmap]
http://www.aberystwythcliffrailway.co.uk

Last APG visit: 06/03/2011

Background: All there used to be at the top of the iconic Constitution Hill was the Camera Obscura and a small, draughty Nissen Hut serving tea, coffee and old Mars Bars. In a sign of the times, there is now a super-shiny fully functional bar-restaurant, double-glazed and ready to cater for your every whim (well, not quite, but you get what I mean). Be aware that the bar is only open when the connecting Cliff Railway is - 7 days a week from mid-March until early November, from 10am to 5pm. So don't turn up at 8:30pm in the middle of January expecting a pint.

Student factor: Depends when you go, but there'll normally be a few mixed in with the Brummie tourists and locals on a sunny Sunday stroll. 

Atmosphere: Feels a bit like a canteen in a double-glazing firms office, but frankly the wonderful views from the windows, where you are 430 feet up from ground level, more than make up for it.

Drinks range: Not bad at all - they stock the full bottled range of Brains ale (including Brains Dark) and have Brains Smooth on keg, as well as Carling. Surprisingly, real ale is available (though only Felinfoel or Cambrain Bitter). They also have 45, a 'Welsh Continental lager' (another Brains product) bottled, which tasted OK. Lots of non-alcoholic options available too. Prices are reasonable given the location.

  

TV/Music: Neither, that I recall. There may have been a radio on but I didn't notice as I was too excited about standing in a bar at the top of the Hill ordering a beer.

Other stuff: You can take your beer outside (so long as you return the glassware) which is brilliant on a sunny day as we experienced in April (see pic above). Lots of places to sit and enjoy your drink with stunning views. Just be careful of the wasps in the summer - they get everywhere. There's a function room available to hire. 

Here are some spurious Cliff Railway/Constitution Hill factoids:

• It's the longest electric cliff railway in Britain, and opened in 1896.
  

• It originally operated on a sophisticated water balance system but went electric in 1921.
  

• The carriages travel at a leisurely 4 miles per hour.

Quinno's verdict: They've done a super job on this, and I'd heartily recommend a few beers up here on a warm summers afternoon - the perfect place to revise, I'd wager.

Aberystwyth - Coopers Arms (Y Cwps)

Address: Northgate St, SY23 2JT. Tel: 01970 624050 [gmap]
Pubs Galore page
MySpace site
Ceredigion CC historical pub info page

Last APG visit: 19/05/2012

Background: Small, narrow and pokey, and prior to my graduation the second home of Welsh-speakers, folk musicians and peeling, nicotine-stained posters, this place had a long-overdue refurb around 2006. The Welsh and the folk singers are still there, the posters and nicotine stains are gone. Exterior used to be green, now is pink!

 

Student factor: Some, but it has its share of locals (who get more rowdy as the evening progresses) - it's too far out of the centre for most inebriated fun-seekers. Though given it's comparatively small size, it gets busy quite easily. 

Atmosphere: Has changed somewhat - from peeling, nicotine-stained posters and a Trustafarian vibe, this is now cleaner and a bit more mainstream.

Drinks range: Average. Note to ale drinkers – don’t be fooled by the handpulls, only two of them work. If you order the Felinfoel Stout, they’ll try a Derren Brown sleight-of-hand on you, to sub a dirty nitrokeg in its place without a peep that the real ale version is unavailable and that the advertised handpull is blatantly misleading. Very poor form, especially from a pub that is owned by a real ale brewery!!! All three of the Felinfoel pumps now work and dispense the real deal. Whether you enjoy the output is another matter (I really dislike Feelin Foul ale on a personal level). Pub used to be the home of ‘proper Guinness’ brewed in Dublin, back in the day. If you could taste the difference you should have retrained as a sniffer dog.

TV/Music: Music and Sky Sports. Live music too - seems to host a Welsh Christian folk group intermittently. Used to be gigs played in the room upstairs (cracking gig by the long-departed Moriarty back in the day), but this seems to have dropped off in recent times. There's a working piano downstairs too.

Other stuff: Formerly huge and freezing bogs have had an overhaul, now smaller and considerably warmer. Rear section now has a working fire. Seems to now be the foremost nationalist pub in Aber, no 'Yes for Wales' flyers at the Llew Du, but there were here:

Quinno’s verdict: I've always struggled to feel any real love for the place outside the music nights. The demise of the misleading ale dispense is to be welcomed at least.

Its old green incarnation below, for posterity...