Love Your Local: Oldest micro pub in Derbyshire with unique beer selection and fantastic community

Dan Smith, 42, who used to work in IT, took over The Real Ale Corner on Chatsworth Road, Brampton, six months ago with his partner Laura Jobes, 46.

Dan said: “I saw a ‘For Sale’ sign in the window and thought that looks like something that I could get involved with, so we did the deal and bought it. It’s the first time we’ve been running a pub but it has been fantastic from day one.

"It's a really fantastic community. When people think of real ale and craft beer, they often think of the stereotype of an old man with a beard. But we have such a diverse mix of people of different ages and we have a balance of men and women who want to try different types of beers.

"What I really like about it is the way that everyone in the pub comes together. It’s so small that if someone walks in, they may have to sit at a table with people they don't know because there's nowhere else to sit. But they'll strike up a conversation immediately. It's a really sociable little venue.

“The pub has been running for 14 years, and since we took over, I met people who've had friendships from the pub for those 14 years. They started meeting here and some of them even went on holidays together later! It’s a really good way for people to get together in the local community.”

Since taking over the pub, Dan and Laura have refurbished the venue and introduced a wide range of new beers – some of which you can’t get anywhere else in Derbyshire.

Dan, who is originally from Hertfordshire, said: “One of the things is that I've tried to bring with me some of the beers from a bit further down south that I used to drink before I came up here, which you can't get anywhere else in Derbyshire. So there's been a shift in terms of not just having the same beers on that everyone else has got locally.

“As I've only lived up here for a couple of years, I didn't know all of the local breweries, and I didn't know which local beers to get on. It took a bit of time to go and try them and meet the brewers, understand their history. But people here have been so receptive to both local beers and the ones from further away.”

Beers from Tring Brewery that Dan offers in his pub are one of his favourites. They are a traditional brewery that supplies mainly Hertfordshire and the surrounding counties. The Real Ale Corner is the only place in Derbyshire that offers their beers.

Dan has also launched many exciting events including quiz nights and 'meet the brewer' events where owners of local breweries visit the pub and talk to a ticketed group about the history of their breweries and the products they offer.

Dan said: “The quiz nights are all booked until the New Year. We are a small pub, there are about 20 seats, but we can get 40 people in sometimes. It's often busy and every Friday night is absolutely packed.”

He added: “At the moment, we're just going through the process of relaunching our online shop. We've got thousands of followers on social media, and a lot of them aren't local anymore. It's often people who've come to do the Brampton Mile, and they popped into the pub and loved the place – but they live too far to come in and get a drink.

"We're trying to help some of the local breweries who don't have a big presence nationally to get a bit more reach, so they can distribute across the UK through our website.

"In the run-up to Christmas, we will also have special edition beers in the pub and offers in our online shop. We will offer 12 beer packs, Christmas Advent boxes, gift packs and more.”