New craft beer taps installed at The Approach — what is pouring now
The Approach has just rolled out a fresh line of craft beer taps, and the bar in the heart of Nottingham now pours more variety than ever before. Regulars who usually arrive for the football or rugby on the HD screens will find a longer, more curious tap wall waiting when they order their first pint of the weekend.
Across two new banks of brass and chrome fonts, the venue is pouring hazy pale ales, fruit-led sours, west coast IPAs and a couple of easy-drinking session ales aimed at anyone who just wants a clean, refreshing half after work. The expansion is part of a broader push to give live music fans, sports crowds and Sunday roast regulars something fresh to talk about between sets and matches.
Why the tap wall just got bigger
The decision to grow the tap wall came after months of feedback from a mix of students, office workers around Maid Marian Way and weekend visitors from across the Midlands. Many of those guests have already tasted their way through a packed UK craft scene that includes names like Northern Monk, Verdant and Beavertown, and they wanted more than the familiar John Smiths and London Pride.
Management listened, and the result is a tap line that balances local breweries with a few national names, plus one or two rotating guest lines that change every few weeks. New pump clips are now being printed regularly, and the team behind the bar has been put through refresher training so they can talk drinkers through the difference between a cold IPA and a juicy New England style, without sounding like they are reading from a textbook.
The lineup on the bar right now
The current selection spans a wide flavour range, from crisp pilsners to rich stouts, with something sitting comfortably between for drinkers who like a bit of both. Most pints are served in third-of-a-pint tasting paddles as well as full measures, which makes it easier to work through the list without overdoing it.
| Style | Typical pour | Strength | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazy pale ale | Cloudy, soft | 4.5–5.5% | First pint of the night |
| West coast IPA | Clear, bitter | 5.5–6.5% | Fans of classic hops |
| Fruit sour | Tart, juicy | 4.0–5.0% | Warm afternoons |
| Session ale | Golden, easy | 3.8–4.2% | Long sports sessions |
| Imperial stout | Dark, rich | 7.0–9.0% | Slow sippers by the fire |
Pints are priced to match the average UK craft market, and the bar is running a soft launch deal on tasting flights throughout the first month. Anyone unsure where to start can simply point at the chalkboard above the bar, where the team has written quick flavour notes in plain English, with no tasting jargon required.
A familiar flavour for visitors from Australia
For Australians travelling through the UK, the new tap wall will probably feel a little like a few well-known bars in Fitzroy or Surry Hills. Cities like Melbourne and Sydney have built a craft culture around hop-forward IPAs and tropical-leaning pale ales, and the new lineup at The Approach reflects a similar leaning. Drinkers used to a Coopers Sparkling or a Little Creatures Pale back home will find plenty of comparable pours on the board.
There is one practical difference worth knowing. Pints in the UK are served in 20-ounce glasses rather than the larger 570ml schooners common in many Australian venues, so the price-per-millilitre maths takes a moment to adjust to. Licensing laws in the UK also vary slightly between venues, and The Approach operates under standard Nottingham City rules, which means last orders at the bar usually land around eleven on a Friday or Saturday.
Drinkers who trained under Responsible Service of Alcohol rules back home will recognise a similar approach here, with staff trained to spot the signs and cut off service where needed. The team has been briefed to keep pours measured, particularly during big football and rugby weekends when the bar can fill up fast.
Practical tips for working the new taps
Visitors trying the new wall for the first time tend to get the most out of it by pacing themselves and asking questions. The bar team has pulled together a few simple pointers that make the experience easier, especially for anyone new to the UK craft scene or returning after a long absence.
- Start with a tasting paddle if the group is curious, since thirds let you compare three or four pours without committing to a full pint each.
- Ask which lines are pouring fresh that day, because hop-forward beers do not hold well once they have been on the tap for a few days.
- Match lighter beers to the start of the night and stronger pours to the second half, particularly during long sports broadcasts.
- Look out for chalkboard updates between visits, since the guest taps rotate and the kitchen match suggestions change with them.
- Save room for the kitchen, as the pizza and roast menu is built to sit alongside the new beer list rather than against it.
How the food pairs with the pints
The kitchen team has paired the new taps with a menu that leans into bar food that holds up next to a hoppy IPA or a rich stout. The Sunday roast, which has always been a big draw, now comes with a suggested beer match on the menu, and the pizza list has been reordered so the more aggressive toppings sit alongside the more aggressive beers.
A couple of combinations work especially well. The slow-braised beef pizza finds a friend in the imperial stout, while the goat's cheese and caramelised onion option pulls nicely against a fruit sour. For anyone unsure, the bar staff keep a small cheat sheet behind the till and are happy to walk guests through the matches without making a fuss.
The match-day experience has also been thought through. Anyone settling in for a Premier League or Six Nations fixture can order a flight of four third-pints, sample them during the warm-up, and commit to a full pint once the match kicks off. It turns the pre-game wait into part of the entertainment rather than a queue at the bar.
What's coming next at The Approach
Looking ahead, the tap wall is set to rotate every few weeks, with the next guest line already booked from a small Derbyshire brewery that specialises in mixed-fermentation sours. A winter stout festival is pencilled in for the colder months, which will give the bar team a chance to dig out some of the richer, darker styles that suit a Nottingham evening.
Big sporting weekends, including Formula 1 races, golf majors and the international fixtures Australian visitors often ask about, are flagged on the chalkboard weeks in advance. Fans wanting to plan a visit can check the what to expect page on the venue's site, which lists upcoming fixtures alongside the band bill and the guest tap schedule.
The venue sits a short walk from the Old Market Square, just off the main tram lines that run through the city centre, which makes it a simple meet-up point for groups coming in from different directions. It is worth booking ahead for the bigger matches, particularly when a Premier League club from Nottingham or Leicester is playing, since the main floor fills up quickly and only a small number of seats are held back for walk-ins.
For anyone curious about how small venues keep their craft programmes fresh, a behind-the-scenes look at how creative businesses structure their mentorship programmes, including mentorship for photographers and other makers who rely on community support, is well worth a read. Drop in this week, grab a flight from the new taps, and let the bar team talk you through what is pouring next on the board.