THE Oil Basin Brewhouse is a slick little number and no mistake.

Tucked away down Copenhagen Street, you might miss it and wander into a lesser pub of which there are many (most in fact). The Oil Basin stands alone, right up there among Worcester's premier pubs, the more so because there is not really another pub like it in the city. The distinctive triple-skull logo of Wintrip Brew Co flutters in the wind like the macabre flag on a pirate ship but you can be sure of a warm welcome from the captain, Robert Wintrip, after a stormy working week.

He's less likely to greet you with a gruff 'ahoy me hearties!' than a jolly 'hey dude!' and it's worth going in there just for his banter. Mr Wintrip is something of a wit, always ready with a swift one-liner or an anarchic gag which does wonders for the atmosphere of the place.

Perhaps this will blow my cover but we spent some time on my last visit talking about how to tame our unruly eyebrow hair. Mine has been particularly mutinous of late.

This is everything a pub should be - distinctive, personal, friendly and led by someone with passion, drive and charisma.

The feel of the place is slightly Bohemian, a little off-beat, perhaps even rather unusual. The staff here are not afraid to be different or go against the flow. A misfit like me fits right in.

Where else in Worcester can you buy a beer called 'The Butcher's Beastly Best' complete with an image of a crimson-eyed demon butcher hefting a blood-stained cleaver, staring at you menacingly over a severed pig's head?

Fear not. The Oil Basin also caters for vegans (and those with gluten intolerances). Some of the beers are brewed on site and Robert built up his own brewery on a shoestring, serving up such evocatively named beers as Salt Mine Stout and Lady Marmalade. But there are a wide selection of ciders, wines and spirits too.

The clientele, as much as one can generalise about such things, is a cross-section of what I would call discerning (but my no means pretentious drinkers). In my time there I've bumped into students, some dreadlocked vegans, suited city councillors (it's very close to the Guildhall) and a few off-duty police officers with a taste for the finer things in life.

The pub even has a pizza parlour on the first floor (five star hygiene rating). I ordered the 12 inch 'Judge Shred', one of a vast range of pizzas available, costing a very reasonable £9.50. It was freshly prepared and exceptionally tasty, topped with brisket, chorizo, caramelised onion chutney and rocket, a lovely balance of flavours. There was also a choice of smaller size and a 'Goliath' size if you're particularly famished.

The spacious room upstairs is of some antiquity and the pub is a refreshing blend of historic and contemporary styles which complement one another rather than clash.

For a drink I ordered (what else?!), a pint of Mr Wintrip's own brew, The Butcher's Beastly Best which is a taste of beer heaven despite the hellish slogan. At £3.30 I found it very reasonably priced, especially considering the high prices you can pay for much blander branded beers.