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The Mechanical Elephant (Wetherspoon)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - DogBolter Dark Porter |  | 1 |
| Moorhouse's - Black Cat Mild | | 1 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Dr Sunshine's Special Friendly English Wheat Ale | | 1 |
| Arundel - Stronghold | | 1 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Seasider |  | 1 |
| Burton Bridge - Burton Porter | | 2 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 3 | | 1 |
| Nelson - Golden Galleon |  | 2 |
| Jennings (since closure now brewed at Marston's) - Golden Host | | 1 |
| Shepherd Neame - Spitfire (or Spitfire Amber Ale) |  | 1 |
| Nelson - Powder Monkey |  | 1 |
| Springhead - Cromwell's Hat | Not Tried | 0 |
| Stonehenge - Eye-Opener | Not Tried | 0 |
| Theakston - Cooper's Butt | Not Tried | 0 |
| Otter - Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Cairngorm - Wildcat | Not Tried | 0 |
| Nelson - Spanker | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Marston's - Old Empire IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Abbot | Not Tried | 0 |
| Marston's - Burton Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Marston's - Pedigree | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Ruddles Best (was 3.7%) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Nelson - Loose Cannon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hopdaemon - Skrimshander IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Butcombe - Brunel Atlantic IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Best Bitter (use Marston's entry now please) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Nelson - Friggin in the Riggin | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
10 Jul 2009 (Blair)
The usual meeting point before heading onwards to the wonders of Margate. Really busy tonight which was good to see. Got to the bar to see they had all pumps on the go with a variety of interesting beers. However, one by one the barman informed me that they weren't actually on. Wetherspoons really need to sort this out, it's a real pain.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Seasider | 4.30 | | Nice light and fruity ale. A classic summer beer in my eyes. |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Best Bitter (use Marston's entry now please) | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Pedigree | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Old Empire IPA | 5.70 | Not Tried |
19 Jun 2009 (Blair)
Fairly quiet for a friday night, actually had a reasonably pleasant atmosphere which was quite refreshing. Only had the one pint before we headed off.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - DogBolter Dark Porter | 5.60 | | In great condition. Rich and chocolatey with lots of fruit. One of the better porters. |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Best Bitter (use Marston's entry now please) | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Pedigree | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Nelson - Spanker | 4.20 | Not Tried |
16 May 2009 (Pedro)
Arrived 11:15 long wait queuing at bar, this improved before I left at 3:15
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moorhouse's - Black Cat Mild | 3.40 | | Very very good nick, could have drunck lots of these ! |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Dr Sunshine's Special Friendly English Wheat Ale | 4.20 | | New one for me and very very very good ! |
| Burton Bridge - Burton Porter | 4.50 | | Only beer available when I arrived, but was very good, so better than good but maybe not excellent. |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Pedigree | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Ruddles Best (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Cairngorm - Wildcat | 5.10 | Not Tried |
15 May 2009 (Blair)
I was pleasantly surprised with the crowd in here tonight, not the usual bunch of yobs and hooligans. I do wish the staff would turn the pump clip round when a beer goes, it's really annoying. Had a good few pints then headed clubward.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burton Bridge - Burton Porter | 4.50 | | Rich dark porter with lots of roasted malt. Quite smoky almost charcoaly, in a good way. |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Best Bitter (use Marston's entry now please) | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Pedigree | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Otter - Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried |
03 May 2009 (Blair)
Dragged here against my will, I knew it would be awful being a bank holiday sunday and my fears were proved correct. Full of exactly the types of people I try to avoid round here. Just kept my face forward and didn't make eye contact with anyone, then made a quick exit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennings (since closure now brewed at Marston's) - Golden Host | 4.20 | | Sweet with a little hop and a floral aroma. Meh. |
| Theakston - Cooper's Butt | 4.30 | Not Tried |
10 Apr 2009 (Ian)
Great breakfast. It's a pub in Margate, what the hell do you expect? I did like the bar manager though. Very good, multiple order taking.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson - Golden Galleon | 4.30 | | Perfectly ok golden ale. |
10 Apr 2009 (Andrew)
Ian and I came here prior to the Thanet Beer festival so Ian could stock up on a Farmhouse Breakfast. The pub seemed to be inhabited by CAMRA types milling around waiting for a plausible time to go join the mile long queue at the Winter Gardens. As pub interiors go it was a bit like a site-portacabin on a minor building site but the staff were efficient and the beer range was quite good I thought.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson - Golden Galleon | 4.30 | | Golden beer surprisingly enough. Dusty mandarine orange flavours. Watery sweet and earthy hop finish. |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Best Bitter (use Marston's entry now please) | 4.00 | Not Tried | Do they really still brew this? |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Pedigree | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Ruddles Best (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Nelson - Friggin in the Riggin | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Springhead - Cromwell's Hat | 6.00 | Not Tried | |
| Stonehenge - Eye-Opener | 4.50 | Not Tried |
13 Mar 2009 (Blair)
I once again found myself in the ghetto, so my only choice was to come here for a quick one. The usual crowd of yobs and chavs, we just sat in the corner and kept our heads down.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arundel - Stronghold | 4.70 | | I have to hand it to them, this was fantastic. Rich and chocolatey with plenty of malt to back it up. Really good. |
| Shepherd Neame - Spitfire (or Spitfire Amber Ale) | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Pedigree | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Ruddles Best (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Butcombe - Brunel Atlantic IPA | 5.00 | Not Tried |
03 Mar 2009 (Blair)
I hate having to come to Margate, the prospect of it generally fills me with dread. It was actually ok though, I bumped into a few friends and they actually had some reasonable beer on. I won't be rushing back just yet, but it wasn't a horrific experience.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 3 | 5.00 | | On surprisingly good form. The barman informed me that apparently the No 3, 5 & 7 are named as such because that is the number of pints of each it takes to get drunk. I had 4 and I was so he's close... |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Shepherd Neame - Spitfire (or Spitfire Amber Ale) | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Burton Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Pedigree | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Ruddles Best (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Nelson - Loose Cannon | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Hopdaemon - Skrimshander IPA | 4.50 | Not Tried | Coming on as I was leaving. |
26 Sep 2008 (Blair)
This may be the last time I come here at the weekend. The music was ridiculously loud and pretty awful, the beer selection was poor, just not a pleasant experience.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd Neame - Spitfire (or Spitfire Amber Ale) | 4.20 | | Not all that much better than the powder monkey. I drank about half of it and then left the place sharpish. |
| Nelson - Powder Monkey | 4.40 | | Smelled and tasted of vinegar. The barman begrudgingly changed it after I asked him the second time. |
About The Mechanical Elephant
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 1 |
| 37 |
| 46 |
| 21 |
| 8 |
The pub is found in Margate, Kent, CT9 1XJ.
Typical Wetherspoon's, on the sea front, although at one time was a Lloyds No.1 Bar at the weekend thus got pretty busy and had music playing loudly at the weekend. Since early 2013 the formerly dance floor partitioned off area for weekend music has been converted to carpeted bar seating to make this Wetherspoon traditional through and through. 10 handpumps in 2 banks of 5.
We have visited this pub 91 times, seen 149 different beers and tried 84 of them.
Postcode: CT9 1XJ