I visited two pubs last Friday and was impressed with the beers served in both.

The first pub is called the Ivy House.  It is a cooperative set up by a group of locals.  I would look at the website for more information on the history and development of this pub: http://www.ivyhousenunhead.com/.

I reached the pub from Nunhead Train Station.  A fifteen minute brisk walk through the impressive Nunhead Cemetery helped develop a good thirst and the pub is close to one of the cemetery exits; the one opposite to the station end.  The beers were very good and the bar staff friendly.  I had a nice pint of Magic Rock Ringmaster Pale Ale and a pint of Pale Ale from The Kernel Brewery.  This was also good if more expensive.  It was described to me as being a keykeg.  It looks as if it is a keg beer because of the tap but it is a keykeg beer which means the beer is in a sterile bag that is compressed out with gas.  The gas does not touch the beer because of the bag.  CAMRA have accepted this as a real ale as long as there is yeast in the keg to allow secondary fermentation.  I highly recommend the Ivy House pub and I will be returning soon.

The second pub I visited was the Montpelier pub in Peckham.  Website: http://www.themontpelier.net/  This is a short walk from Peckham Rye train station.  Do not be put off by the main road that runs to the front of the station.  If you turn to the back of the station you will find a very gentrified part of Peckham with some good pubs and restaurants.  the Montpelier was lively and busy with friendly clientele.  I had a pint of Harvest Pale from the Castle Rock Brewery which was nice but I think it was a blonde beer rather than a pale ale.  There were several good beers on tap including Harvey’s Best for those who like well known traditional real ales.  I highly recommend a visit to this pub.

Going off the beer track a bit.  I found a very nice Indian restaurant close to this pub called Ganapati.  http://www.ganapatirestaurant.com/.  I mention it because the food was different.

Last Tuesday I arranged to meet a friend in Dartford, Kent.  We were intending to meet at the Wetherspoon’s Pub called the Flying Boat.  I had some unused CAMRA vouchers to spend and the food is cheap and edible.  However, a work colleague suggested that we try the Dartford Working Men’s Club.  I have membership of the WMCIU and I am a CAMRA member both of which enable entry to this club.  It was a good suggestion because the club has about fifteen different real ales on cask together with a range of ciders.  The bar staff are very friendly and knowledgeable and the price of a pint at about £2.60 is great value.  I can see why it has won a CAMRA club of the year award in the past.  The decor is typical working men’s club which I found quite nostalgic and comforting to see that some things stay the same.

The club is host to the Dartford Folk Club (BBC2 Folk Club of the Year 2008) and I suppose this is why the beer turnover is large enough to support such a large range of beers.  The Sunday roasts are cheap and this is something I might try in the future.  Apparently there are a large number playing bingo on Sunday lunchtimes so it is possible to turn up and get a roast whilst everyone else is playing bingo.

The beers where very good.  My favourite was Leatherbritches Return of the King; a beer special to commemorate the formal burial of King Richard the Third.  I also had a pint of London Pale Ale from the Southwark Brewery. This was not as good as the Leatherbritches beer.  Strangely the two fixed beers at the bar are Courage best and Spitfire.  Courage is one of my least favourite beers and Spitfire is not much better but they are always on tap as they are popular with the regulars.

I would highly recommend a visit to this club.  You will need to be a member of CAMRA or CIU; although I am sure you could sneak in if you have neither.

No website apart from this information site: http://www.wmciu.co.uk/kent_ciu/dartford_working_mens_club.htm