Free Beer! Who am I to refuse?

So, free beer, however, a lager, though a "new wave craft lager!" Well, my brother only had a voucher from Fullers Brewery (website) for a free beer at the excellent Salutation in King Street, Hammersmith, whereas I had a voucher for here, and at another local pub... So we had to have what we had to have, or pay for something else, so what did we drink, free 'n' all?

This was our free offering at the Salutation, Fullers Frontier (4.5%), and, as it was the hottest day so far this year, and we had been walking for quite a few hours up and down the River Thames Middlesex and Surrey towpaths, it was incredibly refreshing! It was certainly hoppier than your usual bog standard lagers, and I have to admit to quite enjoying the taste; £4.55 a pint for those who had to pay...

I had another voucher for The Dove, down by the river, still in Hammersmith, a pub I love for its history, ambience, and for sentimental reasons, memories of friendships with previous staff members and others. However, Fullers have whacked up the prices here, OK for tourists, with a weak £sterling, and, it would seem, many wealthier local people (Hammersmith and its environs has gone up-market price-wise, beyond my means now, sadly), so I rarely visit now, but great to take advantage of the free voucher, cheers! Same lager, but £5.05 a pint, 50p more expensive (and a half would be marked up to £2.60, I guess, scandalous!), and, as my brother didn't have a voucher, I shared the cost with him of his pint, I'm nothing if not fair...  

I was also recently fortunate to meet up with the local rep for the Salzburg brewery, Stiegl-Brauwelt (website), who gave me a bottle of their Stiegl Bier (4.9%), a very decent lager, nice flavour, I remember (I have to own up, I've lost my tasting notes, sorry, but I did enjoy drinking it!). This is on draught at my local, the Dolphin Inn, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings, at the moment, at £4.10 a pint, better than London prices! But, remember, Mark, the landlord there, tends to change round the 3 crafty kegs/lagers he sells, but I'd be surprised if it doesn't return once sold out. 

Anyway, a change for me, but cheers for the free beers!

23rd October - SW6 and W6

Two blogs about Tuesday, one covering Parsons Green and Hammersmith (this one), and one to come to cover Stamford Brook and Turnham Green (tube station), ie W6 and W4. I'm starting at The White Horse on Parsons Green for this blog, a pub with good memories, particularly when I popped in before visiting my mum (RIP) many years ago. At that time, they regularly had Traquair House Ale (7%) served as a cask ale, not an easy ale to find as it's usually only available in bottles and still available in bottle here. Anyway, the gentleman behind the bar at the time said "Sorry, it's not on yet, but, if you don't mind, I can bring it up from the cellar", I snapped his hands off! I'm always happy to have ale straight from the cask, and it was absolutely gorgeous, so I had 2 pints; this pub has always been one I like to visit, sadly, not often enough!

Good lad behind the bar today too, very interested in his ales, and good chat. Can I get away from it though?!? Sussex Best was here! Anyway, a number of other ales too, 6 in all, including one of my old favourites, Oakham JHB (3.8%), and they'd just had Dark Star Smoked Porter (5.4%) on too. The White Horse is having an Old Ale festival on 23-25 November for those lucky enough to be in the area, with the restaurant being converted into a 'festival' hall bearing over 60 ales! See the website for more information.

 

2 excellent Fullers pubs in Hammersmith, as you'll be aware of by now, down by the river, The Dove, with the usual London Pride and ESB on, plus Gales Seafarers, which appears to be regular here now rather than Chiswick Bitter, and one of my favourite Fullers' ales, the 5% Bengal Lancer, excellent! Great service from Blake behind the bar, I just escaped as a coachload arrived (well, it seemed like it, though you'd never get a coach down here), met the manager, Matt, very briefly too, and Blake suggested a pub I'd never been to before in Goldhawk Road to visit, The Raven, cheers for the specific info Blake.

I then went on to Stamford Brook, more in my next blog, but towards the end of the day, also visited The Salutation, Kings Street, Hammersmith, my second favourite Fullers pub, and both in Hammersmith! The above photograph is of the entrance hall, it's certainly a building with interesting architecture, and particularly wonderful tiling outside and here.

 

Sadly, Amy has moved on, and is now managing elsewhere, good luck to her, I'll miss her! The manager is now Mary-Francis or Fiona, I believe, but the manager wasn't around today, not sure about my notes, but I think the other name is of the person who is now her deputy! Anyway, ESB, London Pride, and the crackin' Bengal Lancer on here, and, yes, I drank the Bengal Lancer, have to take advantage whilst it's in season, cheers!  

Wednesday 26th September, West London W6

Train from Hastings to Victoria, 211 bus (passing the Royal Brompton Hospital, where my Dad died many years ago) to Hammersmith, a stroll down to Hammersmith Bridge, walk westwards along the north bank of the Thames, and you reach The Dove (see website), built in the early 18th century and originally a 'coffee house', I believe. Also, the 'local' of a hero of mine, William Morris, who used to live just yards further along the river, a few years ago though (in a big house).

This is one of my two favourite pubs in Hammersmith, a much visited by famous people Fullers house, sadly though, no Wild River on now as it is a seasonal ale, and the Summer Ale that was on, is also near the end of its season, being replaced by Red Fox for the Autumn. I really like Wild River, nice and bitter, meets my love of bitter ales, however, not being on, I thought I'd try the Summer Ale, not having drunk it for a few years (Of course, they had London Pride and ESB too, 4 ales in all)... Very easy drinking, but lacking the hops to suit my palate, oh well, as ever, friendly discourse at the bar and an enjoyable visit.

 

Incidentally, it has the smallest bar room in the World, Country, London, or whatever, cute little 'snug', some would call it, and also a wonderful balcony at the back, overlooking the river, which can be gorgeous, but also can get very busy, thus noisy in good weather, or for the Boat Race!  I also met the manager, Matt, but later on at the Salutation... 

 

So, I wandered back past Hammersmith Town Hall to King Street and the Salutation Inn (see website), my other Fullers love of the Borough!  To give my taste buds a bit of a wake up call, I had ESB here, always a blast of malt and hops; they also had London Pride and Gales Seafarers, Gales ales being brewed by Fullers now.  Amy, the manager was behind the bar, and I remember her from just over a year ago, on her first day here, when she gave me 2 free pints (a story for another day, but there was a good reason, not just my warmth and charm, lol), and I have seen her since, obviously.

 

Anyway, I had a good chat with Amy, and Matt from The Dove, when he arrived too.  These really are the best 2 pubs in Hammersmith, as far as I'm concerned, not just for the beer and food, but also the histories behind the pubs, and their individually unique architecture. So, I was in good cheer when I moved on to my third pub of the late afternoon, The Duchess of Cambridge, on the roundabout at the Stamford Brook end of Goldhawk Road; thanks to Paul for his advice about this pub.

The Duchess of Cambridge is  a 'sister' pub to the Bree Louise at Euston, similar set up regarding real ales and ciders and perries, food, though from a slightly different perspective, and 50p off for a pint of ale if you're a CAMRA member (I knew there was more than one good reason to re-join CAMRA); I believe they also give discount to students, go to their website for more information.

So, up to 15 ales on, 6 from handpumps and 9 gravity fed (14 when I was there) and 9 ciders and perries gravity fed. Also a selection of craft bottled beers and lagers, positively brimming with good cheer!  I was very ably served by Alice, the friendly barmaid, for most of my visit, and I met the landlord, Simon, before I left.  I shan't mention every ale, particularly as they regularly change, but just the ones I drank on Wednesday, though you'll get the idea from this photograph.

I met a group of Reading fans who were going to the QPR League Cup match too, who seemed reasonably happy with the pub, so welcoming to away fans as well as QPR fans.  I will add this pub to my website very soon.
 

I started with, gravity fed, Close Brewery Castillo, 3.9%, pale and dry session bitter, a pleasing start to my visit, though could do with a few more hops for me (you will be aware of my love of bitterness and dry ales). Then I had a pint of Westerham Summer Pearl, 3.8%, not quite so pale, but a real bitter in taste, probably my favourite drink of the day, again, gravity fed (notes for those who love frothy pints and live in the North, you probably wouldn't be happy with the gravity fed ales here). My final pint was from Pontypridd's Otley Brewery 07 Weissen, a 5% European style beer served from a handpump, dry and full bodied, pretty good; I will return, cheers!

 

 

Wednesday 15th August, great ale and disappointment too...

We were thinking about another long walk today, ie 15th, but only managed about 6 miles or so in total... the rain put us off...

But, not before we stopped at the excellent, as ever, Dove, by the Thames in Hammersmith. I love this pub, probably in my Top Ten of pubs, a Fullers house, where we drank the excellent 4.5% Wild River, sat overlooking the Thames out the back, well, generally enjoyed ourselves in a very laid back fashion.

We also went inside for a while, and this is a very atmospheric older pub, but my brother, the 'Routemeister', decided to take an amusing (to him) photograph, cheers Dan!

From The Dove, we went to the other great Fullers pub in Hammersmith, the Salutation in Kings Street, where we drank more of the excellent Wild River, well, you have to when it's on, as, apart from the London Porter and darker ales, this is, in my opinion, the best bitter they brew... There! I said it, I even prefer it to London Pride.

I also love the front of the Salutation, and the tiling inside, which gives it a unique decoration. From here, though, we headed back along the Thames to Putney and we made our first ever visit to The Cat's Back, a Harveys house in Wandsworth!

Now, as you'll realise, even though I live in Sussex, I rarely drink Harveys, but this meant I had to. We tried the Olympia Golden Ale (4.3%) at first, a golden ale, but sadly, about to go off... so, the wonderful Natalie, the landlady, poured us out some Tom Paine (5.5%), an ale the Routemeister said I should drink, my respecting the man himself an' all... A very good darker ale, though not tasting too heavy, but quite bitter, nice one!

Oh, by the way, they also had the ubiquitous, at least down in Sussex, Sussex Best and Sussex Dark Mild, though they do change their ales regularly. We'll be back...

From here we returned to the Bricklayers Arms, as described yesterday, still had the Fyne Ale on, so happy to appreciate that again, and it is crackin'!

I had a pint of Kelham Island Pale Rider at the Falcon, Clapham Junction, just before I caught my train back to Sussex; having brewed this ale myself, I hardly recognised it! It's either had a recipe change, big time, or they'd served up the wrong ale from the pump in error, or, frankly, something had gone wrong? Drinkable, but not the Pale Rider I remember... Dave Wickett would be turning in his grave RIP.

When I got back to Hastings at 22.30, sadly, Frank's Front Room wasn't open, looking like it had just closed, so I dropped into Pissarros, where another lovely barmaid, Lucie, served up a pint of Long Man Long Blonde, and I met my neighbour, Robert, to have a chat with.  Now, I've appreciated Long Man ales so far, but this wasn't great, I suspect it was on the way out... not completely my day today then!

Oh well, next time... Cheers!

Pub of the Day #5, Salutation Inn, Hammersmith.

Wandered from Victoria Station to Loftus Road to watch QPR v Villa yesterday, had a few drinks in The Salutation Inn in Hammersmith, where, not so long ago, we met up with a load of Villa fans who were at Fulham that day. Ironically, we played Villa yesterday, but not before I had some London Pride, though without the Villa fans company this time.


Met up with a few friends, enjoyed the warm day in the beer garden, but remarkably quiet there. Also, met an old mate who I know from another Hammersmith pub, but not football-related, which made the time fun.
I did moan at the barmaid for pulling a short measure even after I asked for it to be topped up! She said "It should have a head on it", I said, this isn't up north, this is London! Anyway, she poured out a full pint, but later brought out 2 pints to us in the garden 'gratis', obviously felt guilty (or had spat in them), or both...
The match? 1-1, poor ref as usual, maybe more about that another time...