Pole Fair Pub Crawl 2022 (Pt.2) - The Fly by Bar

You left me (metaphorically) stuck halfway up the Greasy Pole (right), searching in vain for the fabled Fly by Bar at Corby Pole Fair with its promise of genuine Craft Beer. In Corby!...

I'd already quizzed my mate Ben, here with his family and already at least one pint down at The Cardigan by the time I arrived. A true beer professional is Ben, and part of the brewing team at Braybrooke Brewery near Market Harborough. A brewery that was supplying some of their top quality authentic euro-style biers to the Fly by Bar, so Ben would definitely know where the bar was. Definitely!

Needless to say Ben didn't know where the bar was. In fact Ben had absolutely no idea where the bar was, the bar that was selling his beer! Well, perhaps not quite the beer professional I thought he was. Luckily someone did know where the Fly by Bar was, and it turned out it wasn't even in the village, though thankfully it was in Corby.

A queue well worth joining

A short walk against the, by now, substantial flow of traffic brought me to West Glebe Park, site of many-many queues for top Gourmet Food, and the mighty Fly by Bar. The queue for the bar was quite long by now, but super-efficient staff meant it moved at a remarkable pace. Two of Braybrooke's bottled beers, and a canned Craft Ale were on offer amongst other more mainstream offerings. I was taking no chances so got one of each and immediately joined the queue for the toilets. That, I say, is professional 'beering' out of the topmost drawer! Ben could learn a lot from me...

Around 2pm the moon exerted it's unearthly influence and the tide of people turned dramatically. Either that or word had got out that the Medieval Jousting was about to kick off. Jousting for a Pig I shouldn't wonder, the swine! People were flooding into the park by now, the Fly By Bar and foodie trucks in Glebe Park were clearly the happening place to be on a Pole Fair evening, and folk were keen as mustard to secure their little patch of heaven, with loaded fries, ahead of the impending human deluge.

With queues building to 'Biblical Epic' levels, it was time for me to beat a retreat, once again against the flow of traffic, and return to the safety of the village. Straight into the welcoming embrace of the Ex Services & Social Club following a tip-off from local DJ and enthusiastic 'clubber' Chuck Middleton. You can read all about it here if you wish.

It seemed wrong to come to Pole Fair and not have a pint in The Cardigan though, but as it was I never got to see how my buddy Jim was progressing in the queue, because friends Baggie Pete and Saxy Jane offered me a welcome and timely lift home that I simply couldn't refuse. Straight home at that! Straight home via a pint at the Knights Lodge, and two more at the Royal George in nearby Cottingham. If there's a 'straighter home' than that I'd be keen to know, but I very seriously doubt it!

Now the Fly by Bar is a very important tick on my Every Pub In Corby quest. A pop-up bar it may be, but it's a reassuringly regular one, as throughout the Summer it's part of the monthly Street Food Fridays on West Glebe Park. Street Food, Beer, DJ's, Fun & Games for the kids, and other family-friendly shenanigans. And it's a free and easy event within easy walking distance of town and village, you could even come by train from your lesser towns and cities. There are three more dates left before the weather turns indoory (right), so it's well worth popping over on the last Friday of the month for a bit of beer and scrattle.

I popped along early-doors for the end of June event, a necessarily rushed affair of Braybrooke Keller Lager and Jerk Chicken from BoxFood of Northampton, which was absolutely delicious I must say, beautifully cooked, but I'll perhaps take my own Hot Sauce next time as I'd have liked a bit more of the old fiery lip-tingle.

Funky music, games for the youngsters, just a really nice Summer evening vibe. These Foody Friday events are taking off everywhere, we caught one on Ely market square recently, and I note from our local Corby Telegraph newspaper that Fly By Bars are now in the process of setting up a monthly Saturday event in nearby Kettering, nr Corby. All part of the Corby areas growing reputation as a true Beer Town. Didn't I tell you it was!...

All you need to know about West Glebe Park