OAKHAM.

Founded in 1995, Davis’es Brewing Company was formed through the collaboration of two friends, Tony Davis formally Head Brewer/Production Director at Ruddles Brewery and Mike Davies of Davro Fabrication. With Tony’s 30 years of brewing experience behind them, and Mike’s engineering and steel fabrication expertise at their disposal, the two set to work on a derelict Victorian grainstore situated next to Oakham Railway Station. This old three storey building offered the potential of becoming an ideal traditional tower brewhouse. Raw materials start at the top and the finished beer comes out the bottom, all through the natural gift of gravity. Following renovation of the building and the lowering into position of the large fermenting vessels, copper and conditioning tanks, the brewery tap opened its doors in September 1995. The 15 barrel brewhouse plant with its capacity to brew 60 barrels per week, started brewing its first brew, 'Cooking Bitter' a few months later. Enough of the spiel, now to the pub.

The pub is next to the railway station entrance and looks like its name - a grain store - so not an architecturally stimulating building, but that's by the by. Outside there are benches for summer seating and this is where they also have the ales for their annual beer festivals (15-20 ales). Once inside the bar is on your right and the stairs to the toilets are in front of you. It is a long wooden bar that has duplicate pumps on it. They usually serve three of the Grainstore ales plus the occasional seasonal beers. All were kept well and served with or without sparkler on request and you can have beers served via swan necks (North end of the bar) or not (South end) as you wish. This latter point is not obvious at first and you don't get asked which you want, but steam on in and say and you wont be disappointed by the beers. Seating is a mixture of tables and chairs/stools/benches. The decor includes the history of the building and they have made a focal point of the iron pillars supporting the upper floors (brewery tap upstairs). There is no food served here other than baguettes at present, but the centre of Oakham is just down the road. Access for the disabled is good, though we didn't see the disabled toilet on this occasion. You can see the brewing facility at the far end of the bar through a partly glassed door. It is also down this end of the pub that they have live music a couple of times a month. You can tour the brewery by arrangement along with bind tasting and a traditional ploughman’s buffet for groups. They also do polypins to take away. They also have a screen for live sporting events. Authentic pub games are available including; bar billiards, darts, giant Jenga and bottle walking.