Cheers, me duck

It's been a while since I was last out and about in the middle of Nottingham. This LeftLion article detailing 11 "proper pubs" in the city centre has whetted my appetite for a trip back to my old stomping ground sooner rather than later.

Top of their list, as well as top of my list to investigate, is the revamped Angel in Hockley, which now boasts its very own microbrewery. The closure of the Old Angel looked like depriving the city of a classic room-above-a-pub gig venues, so it's good to hear that the refurbishment hasn't come at the expense of live music, with the upstairs room due to reopen shortly.

The Trip and the Kean's Head were both shoo-ins for inclusion (though I've always found the former slightly guilty of trading on its reputation), and I've heard good things about the Cross Keys, handily placed across the road from somewhere else I've yet to visit, Nottingham Contemporary.

Of the others, I'd like to try the Herbert Kilpin and the Canalhouse in particular, and feel duty bound to check out A Room With A Brew too, given the publishing/literary theme of the micropub itself and Scribbler's Ales, the local brewery that supplies much of its beer.

Presumably Brighton has its own equivalent of LeftLion, and if it does, it's a fair bet that any such article about its best city centre pubs wouldn't feature the County Oak, recently reviewed in all its glory by the Pub Spy for local paper the Argus.