Secret Drinker reviews The Goat at Frognall

As someone who had their first beer back in an age where professional sportspeople were allowed to neck pints and drag on fags while taking part in the greatest moments of their careers, I’m more than old enough to remember the golden age of alcohol adverts.

And by that I don’t mean Bill Werbeniuk, but the actual ads that were beamed into tens of millions of homes during the primetime TV slots.

From the badly-drawn Skol vikings glugging away to the Miller Lite He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother skit to those gutbusting Carling Black Label sketches (the Mission: Impossible squirrel or the Nick Kamen in in the laundrette pastiche, anyone?) a new advert for your favourite booze became something of a watercooler conversation starter long before we had watercoolers.

Years ahead of Peter Kay’s John Smith’s running bombs we had the Tetley bitter men, while for the more highbrow upmarket yuppies there was always skating Martini girl and Rutger Hauer supping Guinness in a sauna.

But the one series of ads that really seemed to resonate were the Hofmeister ones, where we were told ‘for great lager, follow the bear’.

The bear - some kind of Arthur Daley-esque geezer dressed like a New York B-boy - was the original lad, living it up large at Great British events while accompanied by a Grandmaster Flash soundtrack.

Yes, they were as daft as they sounded, but they worked and throughout the 80s and beyond you’d struggle to go to a party where someone didn’t step out of their Ford Capri proudly brandishing a four-pack of the stuff in its distinctive yellow tins.

And then, quicker than you can say ‘the water in Majorca don’t taste like it ought-ta’ it seemingly vanished overnight.

So I was delighted to spot Hofmeister Helles on the pumps at The Goat during a recent trip to Frognall.

Maybe it’s me not going to the right places, but having not drank (or seen) anything bear-related in - I’m guessing - 30 years I had to give it a go, despite an intriguing selection of ales also on offer (don’t worry, I’ll be going back to try them out).

Inside, The Goat is an attractive pub-restaurant, rustic in its look, from wooden beams to tiled floor to its bare (not bear) brickwork.

It’s neat, it’s clean, it’s cosy. It’s everything that attracts people of all ages to enjoy a meal or a pint.

The selection of books - including numerous Good Beer Guides - made me want to just pick one up and lose the rest of the day there.

This would normally have been easy as, despite the dining area being shut, there were plenty of pews available as a table of diners - the tail end of the lunchtime shift - were the only other punters in the place.

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But sadly, this was the school holidays and I’d been roped into looking after two people of an age where sitting still for long isn’t an option (such is the generation gap that the younger oik told me this pub couldn’t be The Goat as ‘Messi is the GOAT’).

The books on hold, it was to the beer garden with my drinking companions.

Outside we were greeted by picnic tables lined in orderly rows and - my saving grace - a giant climbing frame and some smaller plastic Wendy houses.

While the kids played I had my first Hofmister in decades and spent my time, you guessed it, remembering as many old 80s booze ads as I could.

Returning my empty glass to the bar on the way out things had picked up a little in the bar with a few drinkers arriving and chatting away merrily.

A nice pint in a nice pub. I’ll have to follow the bear more often.

THE GOAT, SPALDING ROAD, FROGNALL, PE6 8SA

DECOR: A lovely country pub feel. The books were a nice touch, as was the kid-friendly equipment out back in the beer garden. 3/5

DRINK: As if you didn’t know already… a pint of Hofmeister Helles (ABV 5%) a very nice, rich pint. 4/5

PRICE: The drink cost me £10.90… but that included two Fruit Shoots. 3/5

ATMOSPHERE: Quiet inside when I arrived, but it was at a quiet time and things were picking up as I left. However, you’d be amazed at how much noise two under 10s can make on a slide. 3/5

STAFF: The gent serving was dealing with other issues in the kitchen so it was a very brief interaction. 3/5

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