I visited the Capitol Pub in Forest Hill last week. A large pub created within an old cinema. The cinema opened its doors to the public in 1929 and later became a bingo hall before converting to a Wetherspoon’s pub. I found it worth a visit for the interesting interior, the great beers on offer and the value for money. It was good to see beers on sale from a brewery that is local and not one of the big names. I had two beers from this brewery, the Southwark Brewing Company, and they were both excellent. I started with Southwark’s Bankside Blonde and finished with their Bermondsey Best. With a CAMRA discount the price came to under half of the price of a pint in most pubs in the London suberbs.
I highly recommend a visit to this pub. Website:http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-capitol-forest-hill

Today I thought I would try the food here as well as the beer. I had a simple burger that was superb and the beer was wonderful. There were several different Leatherbritches Brewery beers on and my favourite was The Bounder. The bounder refers to the late actor Terry Thomas. Other beers on offer included a pale ale from the Borough Brewery, Bread & Butter from the Vocation Brewery and 1215 Magna Carta from the XT Brewery. It is amazing how they can offer so many decent, well kept beers. The Borough Brewery is based not near London Bridge as I thought but in Lancaster. Interestingly the 1215 Magna Carta that was brewed for the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta had a pump label that referred to it as Magna Carter!

I can highly recommend a visit to The Mansion House pub in Kennington.  Website: http://www.oakalondon.com/about.  This is Oakham Ales’s Flagship London pub and serves their beers on cask and keg. It also has beer from some other small breweries.  The pub has a Pan Asian dining room attached.

At first sight I was put off by the website and the appearance of the pub.  It gives the impression of being a bit “posey” and modern looking.  Also, I had tried Oakham Ales before and wasn’t impressed.
However, this pub was excellent. The beers were superb with JHB being good and Citra being excellent.

The pub was empty when I arrived but filled up with all types of people during the afternoon. It appears to be quite a locals’ pub with what seemed to me to be a nice clientele. For example I noticed a large group of professional looking women out for a sociable drink, a group of what appeared to be beer connoisseurs and an eccentric looking old woman who had just been shopping.

The bar staff were excellent being friendly and knowledgeable about the beers and the history of the pub. They even brought the beers over to our table when we had finished a round. They gave good and useful advice about the different ales on offer.

Finally, another pleasant surprise was the price. The cask beers I had were all below average London prices so you don’t get ripped off here like you do in some of the more expensive London bars.

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

Started at The Parcel Yard Fullers Pub in King’s Cross Station on a Friday Evening.  Couldn’t get a seat but the pub is quite spacious so this wasn’t a real problem.  Several beers on offer and I Chose Fuller’s Seafarers.  A nice pub to visit if you don’t mind standing and it has toilets if you are waiting for a train and don’t want to pay to use the station loos.  Website: http://www.parcelyard.co.uk/

Next pub was The Star of Kings in York Way.  The entrance is not very inviting and I didn’t expect to get any decent beers.  I was wrong as they serve a good range of “craft” beers including some from the Hammerton Brewery.  I had an excellent pint of Hammerton N1 Pale Ale.  Friendly and helpful bar staff.  I Highly recommend this pub. Website:  http://starofkings.co.uk/

King Charles 1 pub in Northdown Street was our next pub.  A cosy pub with friendly staff.  Not a great range of beer.  I had Cottage Southern Bitter which was average.

The next pub was better for beer than the last.  This was The Queens Head in Acton Street (near Gray’s Inn Road).  Website: http://queensheadlondon.com/  It was close to Pie Day so we all ate a pork pie.  Nice traditional pub decor and very good beer.  I had a pint of Redemption Brewery Trinity Light Ale.  It was excellent.  I recommend this pub.

Popped into The Flying Scotsman pub in Caledonian Road and wasn’t impressed with the beer.  Had strippers on (unbeknown to us) but you will be delighted to know that we didn’t stay and watch.

We finished in a pub near to a private estate that had some good beer but I thought it was kept badly so my Timothy Taylor Landlord was undrinkable.  I’ll add the name when I find it.

Last Friday I met four friends for a pub crawl around Trafalgar Square.  We picked this area at random from three others using a four sided dice.  The idea was to start at a pub close to Charing Cross Station and then pick a pub suggested by each of us by throwing the dice.

We started at The Harp Pub in Chandos Place.  This deserves the many CAMRA awards it has achieved and always has a great selection of real ales on offer.  For example, Harvey’s Best and Beers from The Dark Star Brewery.  It is always packed full of punters and because the pub is quite small it is a bit of a squeeze to fit in.  However, There is a room upstairs but it lacks the character of the bar area.  Also, with a little patience a seat often becomes available.  Despite the popularity, service is always remarkably quick and the staff are always very friendly.  A pub I can highly recommend.  Website: http://www.harpcoventgarden.com/.

The dice chose the Lamb and Flag pub in Rose Street next.  A bit of an out of the frying pan into the fire choice on a Friday evening regarding getting a seat.  However on arrival we managed to find four seats around a table next to a lovely warming fire.  I chose to drink a pint of Fuller’s Seafarer’s Ale.  A really delicious and light beer.  The pub has lots of character and we met an American couple who were interesting to talk to.  One was a visiting lecturer from a college in Tennessee (a dry state) who specialised in William Blake.  Another highly recommended pub.  Website: http://lambandflagcoventgarden.co.uk/.  Apparently Charles Dickens used to drink here.

Another throw of the dice led us to The Chandos pub in St Martin’s Lane.  This serves Samuel Smiths Beer.  Rather boring beer and pub but not too full. We did not stay long.

The next dice throw led us to The Two Chairman pub in Warwick House Street off Trafalgar Square.  Website: http://www.twochairmen.com/ This is one of my favourite pubs because it is often fairly quiet even on a Friday evening.  The beers are well kept and always include one of my favourites- Timothy Taylor Landlord.  I nearly picked a different interesting looking ale tonight but loyalty to Tim Taylor got the better of me.  We met another couple of Americans in this pub.  A Mother and Son who had decided to go for a beer whilst the mother’s daughter went to see Phantom of the Opera.  After a jolly half hour or so we threw the dice once more and it pointed us to the pub next door.

The next pub was quite a find.  The Admiralty Pub in Trafalgar Square is a Fuller’s pub so there is no problem obtaining a good beer here.  I had a pint of Seafarer’s Ale again.  This pub has lots of character and very friendly bar staff.  We met a very charming girl here which led to lots of mirth.  It was a fun way to wind down the evening.  I will certainly revisit this pub and give it a big thumbs up.  Website: http://admiraltytrafalgar.co.uk/

The last pub of the evening chosen by the dice was close to Charing Cross Station.  It is the Ship and Shovell in Craven Passage.  This serves Badger Beer from Hall and Woodhouse.  I had Tanglefoot which was OK but not particularly interesting.  We arrived here quite late just before closing and the bar staff were a bit grumpy.  However, they cheered up a bit when they knew that we were no trouble and had every intention of leaving when asked. The pub is interesting in that it has two parts either side of an alleyway; so it is really two pubs.  Its name derives from Sir Cloudesley Shovell an Admiral who died after his ship struck rocks.  There are some interesting legends surrounding the events that led to his demise.  The website is: http://shipandshovell.co.uk/

Looking forward to the next time we meet which will be around the Temple area as decided by the dice once more.

I tried a new micropub called the Longpond recently.  It is located in Westmount Road, Eltham, SE9.  This has the same format as other micropubs I have visited with a small room containing several benches and stools, and a small bar.  The beers on offer were excellent in taste, value and variety; including the superb house beer called Pond Life and Hopstuff Fusilier.  Hopstuff is brewed in Woolwich and brews some very good beer.  This micropub also has an annexed room which is decorated and furnished to a similar style as a traditional pub.  This is an excellent idea because it breaks up the formality of the main seating area and provides a less ordered room where more people can squeeze in and get a seat.  The service was friendly and although it became quite busy I would highly recommend this venue.  The unfinished as I write this website is: http://www.thelongpond.co.uk/ or the facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/thelongpond.

Last Tuesday I met a friend in the Flying Boat Wetherspoon’s pub in Dartford, kent.  This has to be the best value pub chain in England and each round of two Doom Bar beers cost £2.98 with the use of CAMRA 50p discount vouchers.  Compare this with central London prices of £4.50 a pint and it is easy to see why Wetherspoon should be applauded for the way they have maintained a good beer selection at a very reasonable price.  Not only that but the buildings used by Wetherspoon’s pubs are often very interesting and ornate places to visit.  The Flying Boat is an old car showroom and was used in the war to build floats for the Flying Boats.  To top off more praise for Wetherspoon’s pubs we both had a very acceptable Piri Piri chicken with chips, coleslaw and corn on the cob with a pint for about £7 each.  The website is:  http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-flying-boat.

Blackheath has several good pubs.  One of my favourites years ago was The Hare and Billet.  It was just on the outskirts of the village and so did not get too crowded even on New Year’s Eve.  It also served some decent beer.  As time went on it was refurbished and taken over by one pub group or another and then the beer selection failed to inspire.  A few years ago it was refurbished yet again and the beer selection suddenly increased and improved.  It is once more a pub to go to get a decent pint; with a selection of keg and cask beers.  I had Franklins pale Ale which was superb.  There are always many different beers available to sample first before getting stuck in.  I sampled a small glass of Curmudgeonly Sour Ale and it was absolutely disgusting.  However, good on the pub for providing an interesting range of beers.  My criticism of this pub is that the price of a beer is too high.  Also the food has not been very good when I have eaten here and it is very expensive.  The website is: http://www.hareandbillet.com/.

A quick review of some pubs that I visited in late December 2014.

The first pub is in Bromley, Kent where I met some friends just before Christmas. It is called The Partridge and is a Fuller’s pub.
This pub is spacious and comfortable and, in my experience, always serves a good pint of a variety of Fuller’s beers. I have organised large group Christmas meals here and they have always been up to scratch. On this night I had a few pints of Fuller’s London Pride and obtained a good discount using my CAMRA card. I highly recommended this pub. The website is: http://partridgebromley.co.uk/

The second pub on my list is the Barrel and Horn. It is just around the corner from The Partridge and is a Fuller’s pub in disguise. There is always a very large range of keg and cask ales available at this establishment. They also accept CAMRA cards for a discount on the cask beers. This is one of my favourite pubs, partly because of the beer and partly due to the decor. I drank a pint of Clarence and Fredericks American Pale Ale on this occasion. The website for this highly recommended pub is: http://barrelandhorn.com/

A couple of days after the Bromley pub experience I returned to Petts Wood and revisited a couple of the pubs near to the station. The first was a JD Wetherspoon called The Sovereign of the Seas. It is a spacious and typical Wetherspoon’s pub. I had a pint of Thornbridge Lumford which was very nice and a pint of Minagof IPA brewed by the Caledonian Brewery for a microbrewery based in Guan, It was not to my taste but an interesting beer to try. The website for this pub is: http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-sovereign-of-the-seas
After this I made the short walk to the One Inn the Wood micropub and had a pint of Gadds Number 5 and Kent Brewery Session Pale. Both were excellent. I have reviewed this micropub before and it maintains an excellent standard of beers with friendly staff. It does get quite crowded and so we sat outside even though it was quite cold. They have IR heaters that help stop the chill though. Website: http://www.oneinnthewood.co.uk/

I was staying near York over Christmas and visited one of my favourite northern pubs, The St. Vincent Arms in Sutton Upon Derwent. I like this pub because it always has a good pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord and it offers superb food at a reasonable price. It also always serves Fuller’s London Pride which must be quite interesting for the locals but less so to someone from London. Website:  http://www.stvincentarms.co.uk/

I went to a classical music concert at the Barbican and was fortunate enough to revisit the Royal Oak in Tabard Street near London Bridge.  Website: http://www.harveys.org.uk/pubs-tenancies/find-our-beer/the-royal-oak-london   I have reviewed this before in an earlier post and it is still as good as ever.  I had a few pints of Harvey’s Pale Ale and a fantastic salt beef sandwich which set me up for the concert.  The pub was full but not crowded and had a nice warm atmosphere that contrasted with the cold temperature outside.

I met some friends for a pub crawl around Waterloo last week.  The running joke was that we should meet at 6.15 (think about it). The itinerary had been planned and I wasn’t really that inspired by the choice but I have learnt to not always judge a venue by the website.  The first few pubs we visited were all very much like clones of each other.  Busy and noisy with punters celebrating the end of the week.  A not unpleasant atmosphere and because the beer was good and well kept in all three establishments it was a good experience.  We also managed to get a table despite the crowds.

Here is a summary of these pubs:
First pub: Windmill Tavern, The Cut, Waterloo. Beers on offer included Fuller’s London Pride and Sharp’s Doom Bar. Website: http://thewindmilllondon.co.uk/
Second pub: The Anchor in Hope, The Cut, Waterloo. I had a pint of Young’s Original but I can’t find this beer anywhere on the Internet. Website: http://www.anchorandhopepub.co.uk/
Third pub: The Ring, Blackfriars Road, Waterloo. Served a nice pint of Sambrook’s Junction Website: http://theringbarlondon.co.uk/

After trying these pubs we decided to change the schedule and go to an old favourite- The Kings Arms in Roupell Street, Waterloo.  Website: http://thekingsarmslondon.co.uk/

This is a traditional looking pub within an impressive row of quaint nineteenth century houses.  The beer selection as always was very good.  I had a pint from the Late Knight’s Brewery and an Indian Pale Ale from The Beerd Brewery.  The latter was probably my downfall because I didn’t notice that it was so strong (5.9%).  As always I highly recommend this pub.

It is interesting to note that The Windmill tavern, The Ring and The King’s Arms are all owned by The Windmill Tavern Group.

I drink in this pub about four or five times a year.  It was the first pub in Eltham to offer good beer when it was taken over and renovated in 2006.  The good things about the pub include the lovely old Truman frontage and the excellent cosy decor inside.  The bar staff are friendly and there is always a large range of beers on offer.  My only problem with the pub is that I often find beers that are excellent elsewhere taste less than good here.  On occasions I have had to return a beer because it was undrinkable.  If the problem that causes this  could be sorted out then it would be a wonderful establishment.

The website is:  http://www.parktaverneltham.co.uk/home/4563964955

I met a chum in Westerham on Tuesday night. A two hour bus journey followed by a short walk to the General Wolfe Pub. I was a little apprehensive about this pub as it is run by Greene King and they produce my least favourite beers. There were three beers on tap, one from the Whitstable Brewery and two Greene King beers. After a quick taste I decided to have a pint of Greene King General Wolfe beer. It had the distinctive Greene King flavour but was just acceptable to my palate for two pints. We moved on to the Grasshopper pub on the Green. This had three beers including Adnam’s Broadside, Courage Best and Timothy Taylor Landlord. No prizes for guessing which I chose and the TT was as good as ever.

Both pubs were inviting and traditional in the style of decor and architecture. The bar staff were friendly and helpful in both pubs and I would recommend them if you are in the area.

Pub websites:
http://www.grasshopperonthegreen.co.uk/ and

http://www.generalwolfepubwesterham.co.uk/

This weekend some friends suggested meeting in the Orpington Liberal Club for a drink. This club has won many CAMRA awards and accepts visitors who are CAMRA members.  I therefore joined CAMRA and met my friends for a couple of beers at the suggested venue. The club is in a large house with a hall attached.  Inside there is a small bar and several tables spread around a brightly lit room.  There were three cask beers on offer and I chose Tonbridge Brewery Coppernob.  It tasted good and had a distinctive flavour that was very similar to the Tonbridge Rustic I had drunk a few week’s earlier.  The website of this club is http://orpingtonliberalclub.co.uk/

The following day, by coincidence, I found myself in another drinking hole with a political link.  I was visiting friends near Rochester, Kent and we had a couple of pints in the Crown Pub.  This was made famous (notorious) recently by the appearance of the UKIP leader, Nigel Farage.  He was accompanied by Mark Reckless, a Tory MP who defected to UKIP in September 2014.  They were both on the campaign for votes for the up-coming by-election.  The pub was quite traditional with good bar staff.  It was quite busy as one would expect for a Saturday night but we easily found a table.  The beer was pretty boring though with Doom Bar being the best of a limited bunch.  Pedigree and Bombardier were also available but I am not keen on these.  The website is http://www.thecrownrochester.co.uk/index.php#

Just to finish off it is worth saying that Rochester High Street is a lovely town centre with lots of history and many old buildings dating back several hundred years.  The town changes dramatically at night and swarms with groups of young people.  Unfortunately the Rochester pubs have not caught up with the standard of the pubs in London.  The King’s Head had no beer.  Another pub close to it just had Doom Bar and London Pride and had an odd smell.  In my experience, many pubs in and close to London that had a similar approach to beer provision closed due to lack of interest.