United Nations of Beer

Duke of Duckworth

by Emily Urquhart
(Beer Delegate, NL, Canada)

Duke of Duckworth pub
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
Visit the UNOB's Newfoundland and Labrador Beer Guide

I've been to the Duke of Duckworth once before: it was raining then and it's raining now. Pouring actually, and it has been all day.

The rain, in fact, is what prompted this pub stop-in at the end of a long Friday afternoon spent holed up in a library study room the size of an outhouse. So I call in on my friend Scotty, named by her country of origin, and we amble downtown to cozy ourselves in to a couple of bar stools in a pub that swears allegiance to the Queen (which Scotty, I must add, does not.)

The entrance to the Duke is off a staircase that leads from Duckworth down to Water Street in St. John's. It's the kind of Friday-after-work joint that lures a good mix of lawyers, bureaucrats, musicians and the occasional artist and serves an equally disparate mix of brews including foreigners like Guinness and Heineken and locals from Quidi Vidi Brewing and Storm. There's even a dark house ale called Duke's Own.

This Delegate couldn't face the darkness (maybe it was the rain?) and opted for the light, in the form of a Storm Brewing Island Gold Ale (click for review).

It's a glowing and refreshing pint, not overly carbonated and smooth on the intake. Satisfying, yes, but on a rainy Friday afternoon quickly slipping in to night, it's best to down another before even thinking about dinner.

Next, we order two pints of Quidi Vidi Honey Brown. Scotty is skeptical when our fare is delivered, thinking it looks a bit lighter than usual. But after smelling the bouquet (borrowing from the expertise of our wine Delegate colleagues), the deep honey aroma assures us both that this is indeed what we're looking for.

As always, the Honey Brown does not disappoint and provides fulfillment matched perfectly by a two-piece fish and chips with a side of vinegar.

Bliss, really. The study carol forgotten, a beer-fuelled evening lies ahead.