London 6th - 8th March 2013

I arrived at Clapham Junction on the 6th, and departed from Clapham Junction on the 8th, as you can see, a bit wet then, so a trip to The Northcote, Northcote Road, now it's a nice safe pub to visit, and not just for me, but a very woman friendly environment, together with a wide range of customers, young and old, as well as my age, in the middle a bit, haha, and, of course, male and female.  I was served a pint of the ale shown below by the delightful Ruby, who has been present on a previous visit too, and she asked me to mention their having a young Brazilian lad working behind the bar too, presumably, for my female readership?

So, apart from the obvious, other ales included Youngs Bitter (3.7% and called 'Ordinary' by us older Youngs drinkers, or someone like me who worked in a Youngs' pub in my yoof, when their ales were still brewed in Wandsworth) and Sharps Doom Bar (4%). I'm sure I must have drunk this before, anyway, I tried a pint of the Adnams Ghost Ship, a 4.5% reasonably pale coloured bitter, though not quite the "ghostly pale ale" the brewery describes it as, but a decent bitter nonetheless; and, of course, a pint of the local Sambrook's Junction, a 4.5% medium coloured bitter, what I always think of as a typical London bitter colour, I'm sure you know what I mean, and it tastes like a typical London bitter, very nice too, cheers! 

Previously, my brother, The Routemeister, had met me in The Candlemaker, Battersea High Street, on the 6th, where Kathryn appeared shortly after our arrival (I think that's how to spell her name, sorry if I'm wrong, K) and we were served by a very friendly Antipodean, Holly, who also has family links to South East Sussex. We each had a pint of the Sambrook's Pale Ale, a nice pale and hoppy 4.2% bitter from the local brewer.  They also had available the same brewery's Wandle, a 3.8% session bitter, Kings IPA (5.2%), which I'd have loved to try, but a bit strong for the middle of the day, and their own brewery, Laine's Best Bitter (4.1% and reported on before).  

Finally, we had a drink at The Bricklayer's Arms in Putney, where there were still many ales on from their 'Yorkshire Beer Festival', too many to mention now, but have a look at their website (site) for more information. We had a pint each of Great Heck Brewing Dispensible, a 4.5% pale beer, we were a little disappointed with, as, frankly, it needed more hops. Also, I was a wee bit upset I'd missed the Kelham Island Pale Rider, though I was to drink their Easy Rider at my local, the Dolphin, in Hastings, less than a week later (both ales I have brewed when I worked for Kelham Island). 

 

Cheers!

9th October and 2 new pubs, and microbreweries, for me

2 'sister' brewpubs I heard about a couple of weeks ago, so I had to visit as I'd been given the opportunity!   

The first is The Lamb Brewery at Turnham Green, and please don't get confused like me and think it's near the underground station in the road called Turnham Green, because it isn't, it's actually at Turnham Green itself (I didn't realise the Green wasn't by the station, not one of my usual West London haunts, I confess).  This brewpub sells 6 ales from handpump, though has 12 handpumps in all, so potential for beer festivals etc. There was only one of their own ales on handpump Tuesday, Lamb Dark Ale, a 4% bitter with a strong aroma of honey from the malt, but a dry aftertaste, very nice.

 

They also had guest ales, such as Sambrook's Junction and Powerhouse Porter, and 2 of their own beers on keg, ie a 5% American Pale Ale, which I sampled, and was very tasty, plenty of flavour, and a 4.8% Pilsner. More information can be found at their website.

From the outside, The Lamb didn't look very large, but it goes back a long way, and has a fair sized dining area to the side, near the back, too!  Apart from the gleaming brewing equipment which is in front of you as soon as you enter the pub, my image of the pub was very comfortable, clean, with varnished bare floorboards, wood panelling and glass. I liked the feel of this place a lot.

Also, the barstaff were very friendly, and the helpful barmaid gave me plenty of information about the microbrewery, ales, etc, and directions to their sister pub at Kew Green, The Botanist (website), which we walked down to via the Thames towpath.

 

The Botanist appears to concentrate more on it's own real ale, compared to The Lamb, with all 6 of the ales on handpump being their own brews.  We tried 3 of the ales on offer, OK Bitter, a 4.2% what I would call a traditional bitter from London and the South East, Q Gold, a more flavoursome 4.5% bitter that I thought would be paler than it was, and my favourite of the session, Maximus, a 6.2% hoppy, malty, amber ale, delicious! 

The overall feel at The Botanist was of an airy, clean modern bar, not really a pub feel to it, and it was enormous, stretching out through about 4 shopfronts!  Of the 2, I preferred The Lamb, but The Botanist had my favourite ale, maybe because it concentrated more on its own ales?

 

The ales were pretty good, nice flavours, and varied styles, but some beer at both pubs was a bit hazy, nothing wrong flavour-wise, but some customers may be put off by the presentation... Whatever, I enjoyed myself, so cheers!

Thursday 27th September, The Harp, London WC2

On my way back to Victoria Thursday morning, I was determined to visit The Harp, 47 Chandos Place, inbetween Covent Garden and Charing Cross. This pub won the CAMRA National Champion Pub of the Year in 2010, and London Cider Pub of the Year in 2011, but I walked right past it!  OK, I wasn't sleep walking, but the frontage is quite narrow, and there was scaffolding outside, it being redecorated at the moment, the windows were wide open (being of the sort often seen more on the Continent); I shall post a photograph of the outside when the work is finished, which should be by my next visit. But I did find it after walking up the (quite short) Chandos Place, and glad I am that I did!

This is what greets you immediately you walk through the door, a big hint of many ales served here in the past, and the many more to come.  Apart from ales, ciders and pump clips, the overall feeling is of wooden boards, bare floorboards (always a promising sign for a real ale pub, I think) and panelling on the walls and bar itself.  To the right of the bar is the standing area and, downstairs, seating is provided by bar stools and high tables and ledges; including upstairs, there must be about 20 stools in the pub.  Upstairs, there is a seating area with a high ledge along the side with stools, comfortable room for up to about 20, I'd imagine, with 14 comfy chairs at 'normal' seating level tables.

 

Also, a very friendly barmaid greeted me, apparently happy to give my many questions answers, and I did ask plenty, hopefully, not boring her too much, and ensuring I didn't interfere with the running of the pub, but you can find out more at the website.

 

You'll see more about the food on offer on the website, the pub opens at 10.00 hrs, Mon-Saturday, and 12.00 on Sundays; though opens at 10.00 on the Sundays before bank holiday Mondays.  Bottles of craft beers adorn cool cabinets behind the bar, usually 10-12 regularly changing ciders and perries (with 30 or so in the cellar for replenishment), and 8 or 9 ales, a fair old choice!  Again, I'll just discuss the ales I drank, but the usual 'regular' ales are Dark Star Hophead (I could be back at home), Harveys Sussex Best (I can't get away from it!), and Sambrooks Junction and Wandle.

 

Now, I've never actually tried the Junction, despite my coming from and growing up in Wandsworth (this brewery wasn't around then, of course), so I felt I'd have to sort that out... It's a 4.5% bitter, with a medium brown colour, the malt and hops are obvious, malt in the quaffing and hops in the bitter aftertaste.  I also drank a half of O'Hanlon's Stormstay, a 5% 'Premium Ale', again, bitter, a bit dry aftertaste, and easy to drink.  My favourite ale today was the Dark Star Kiwi, OK, and I've drunk it before, but this was even better, and I did enjoy it before.  A well conditioned pale, dry, hoppy ale, with a very fruity 'nose', very slightly hazy, which Dark Star own up to, but hardly noticeable, this was so good!  OK, I know I say it often, but I shall return, and looking forward to it.  

I got back to Victoria, via Buckingham Palace (I wasn't invited in, this time), with plenty of time before my train left, so took advantage of the 50p off CAMRA voucher at The Willow Walk, by the railway station. More expensive than my local Wetherspoons, this is Victoria after all, so, with discount, my ale was £2.39 a pint, instead of the usual £1.49 I pay a 'Spoons, but a decent enough pint of Hepworth Harvest Ale, a 4.5% golden ale.  Though I do have to make a note of the service from one of the barstaff, Lydia, who was an excellent example of customer service, who handled all customers with respect and panache; had to be said.  Great stuff, cheers!  

 

29 Feb - Le Gothique Revisited

After seeing my brother, and my two nieces today, and having a crackin' drink of Naked Ladies at the Crooked Billet earlier, despite the disappointment of no money making, I did have a great day... to be finished off by walking up to Clapham Junction station via Le Gothique, situated within the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building on the edge of Wandsworth Common.

This photo (taken on my last visit as it was dark today) is of the main door of the building, with St George slaying a dragon above, as he did, apparently. This door will be the used entrance (usually you go round the back of the building for Le Gothique) for the 4th Wandsworth Common Beer Festival, 29-31 March 2012, which will be located in the courtyards of the building as well as Le Gothique; go to www.wandsworthbeerfestival.eventbrite.com for more details.

I have talked about the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building and Le Gothique before, on this blog, and also on facebook, so no more here, but if you want to explore further, try www.legothique.co.uk which may whet your appetite...

So, what was Le Gothique like on my second visit, alone this time? Well, it appeared to be thriving, certainly in the early evening, when up to 40 people were present at any one time during my visit, a number going to a play being staged somewhere else in the building. This included women and men, people who had come in after work and locals, and young and not so young. Excellent atmosphere, not too loud, not inhospitable, but easy to cope with alone (not that I'm too shy a person).

Many were eating, some just chatting and drinking, sitting at tables, by the bar on stools, upstairs dining, and with a good service from bar and kitchen/serving staff. Comfortable...

Ales on today included Sambrook's Wandle and Junction, though the Junction ran out during my visit, and Spitfire from Shepherd Neame brewery. The landlord, Mark, is a great character to chat to, and was what I am coming to find his usual friendly and interesting self, yet very business-like, which are good credentials for a publican.

Saw the first half hour of the England v Holland football match on tv before I left, unobtrusive, not too loud, but replacing the nicely volumed music that is usually being played. Then, off up the Junction... Cheers!