MSN reports the top craft beer pubs that are a must-visit if you find yourself in Oxford
The Library
Open at 4 pm midweek and hosts gigs/DJ nights, The Library is more dimly-lit bar than pub. This one though is serious about all things ale. Its fridge feature a regularly changing array of about 20 beers from craft luminaries such as Siren, Fourpure, Norwegian's Lervig and even a gluten-free beer, Omission, from Oregon's Widmer Brothers. At the rear of the Library there is a cosy beer garden with a wood-burning oven which, on Tuesday nights, produces quality pizzas.
The Kite
On a residential side street near the railway station, the Kite is owned by the brewing giant and pub chain, Greene King. But, unusually, as well as Greene King's ropey beers - its IPA and faux-craft creations such as East Coast - the Kite also sell beers from top-notch Long Crendon brewery, XT.
The Jam Factory
Festooned with pot plants, knick-knacks and bunting, this whitewashed ex-factory unit is a bar, art gallery and restaurant. Two cask pumps carry traditional beers from local brewers, while the Factory's 12 keg lines feature the likes of Brewdog's 5 am, benchmark wheat beers from Schneider Weisse and Weihenstephan, and eight beers from Cotswold Brewing Company.
Thirsty Meeples and 1855
In Oxford, the search for exceptional beer can take you into some unusual places. The swanky wine bar 1855 is in the Oxford Castle Quarter, where the remains of the Norman castle and its historic prison have been colonised by various bars, restaurants and the Malmaison hotel. It sells eight bottled craft beers from brewers including XT, Cotswold, Camden Town and Siren. Look out for the latter's Half Mast IPA, a beer which, despite its 2.8% strength, is outrageously tasty.
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