It’s been a long time coming but I’m finally back at Drayman’s Son micropub in Ely.
Owned by the team from the Three Blind Mice Brewery, this is one of the hidden gems of craft beer in Ely.
You can easily miss Drayman’s walking down Fore Hill but you will not find a better selection of beer and cider in the city.
It’s perfectly located between the main square and the river making it the perfect pit stop between the two.
The selection here is fantastic, with popular beers including one of my all time favourites, Beasticus by Harston brewers Brewboard. Naturally, you will see beers from Three Blind Mice but you will also find an ever changing choice from local breweries too. The selection changes weekly so you’ll find something different every time you visit.
There is a whopping selection of ciders from Simon’s Cider, Lilley’s, and Thirsty Cross. Nobody will be left feeling like there was nothing for them!
The pub is small but still feels spacious with an open plan layout. The place started off empty during my visit but soon filled up. The Drayman’s Son clearly has a cult following which seems to be keeping it afloat while other pubs are struggling all over. This is unsurprising as nowhere in Ely offers anything close to this unique level of craft beer experience.
The interior is charmingly decorated in a traditional yet quirky fashion which successfully reflect its local connections with signs from surrounding areas. It’s a real pleasant place to be and offers an original livingroom esc experience unavailable elsewhere in Ely.
Just in case the nights get really wild there are a selection of board games. There was no sign of my favourite, Carcassonne, so I decided to leave the backgammon to the next customers.
I’m a complete sucker for a funny name, so I ordered the Slap In The Face by Totally Brewed from Nottingham. This was a slightly tangy but generally anemic American style pale ale which did not impress me. That’s what I get for ordering a drink based on its name alone.
Naturally, I ordered a Beasticus By Harston brewery Brewboard. This stuff is the real deal! If they can keep this stuff on the board then I’ll be coming back here much more frequently!
I decided to explore the 3 Blind Mice range by going for a pint of Juice Rocket. I thought £5.40 for a craft beer was very reasonable, especially considering the quality. I had a craft beer on the riverfront only 50 meters away which was over £7 and was nowhere near as pleasant.
Juice Rocket has lovely grapefruit notes and being under 5% makes it a perfect sessionable summer drink. This is very much in direct competition with similar craft beer such as Joosy from the Unbarred brewery which I recently discovered in the Filling Station in St Ives. It came to roughly the same price but had a little more depth in flavour but was less smooth, so depending on what you like I would not recommend either way. Juice Rocket had the local connection which (for me) put this slightly ahead in terms of preference.
…a local barfly also recommended Shark In The Bath and since I’m a complete sucker for silly names, I couldn’t resist. This brewer escaped me but this was probably the highlight of my visit. This has everything I was looking for in a craft beer. It was sessionable, had a deep fruity flavour, cloudy, and went down incredibly well. This is something I’ll keep helping a close eye on in the future. I can’t recommend this enough!
I’m kicking myself for not coming here more frequently, especially considering this is local. For anyone looking for a wide selection of cider and craft beer in the Ely area, or for a quirky, yet still warm and inviting atmosphere then Drayman’s Son is the only choice!
This might be my new local!
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