Round Ten

23/05/16

Light it up! Light it up!

40. The Ship, Hart Street.

Much awaited pub on a good street for pubs. Just looks nice, feels nice, serves beer. Barrels preserved for tables, a very old and attractive interior. Barman appreciated the interest in the taps.

Beers: 

St. Austell Brewery Proper Job - mild sweet aroma, medium cloud, a little ripper, lingering bitterness, reasonably pleasant.

Caledonian Deuchars - quite flat, dull dark, light bitterness, emptiness in the middle, hints of a whiskey taste.

39. The Crutched Friar, Crutched Friars.

Really great and different pub, standing out from many in it's layout. Flower baskets are well kept outside and the central brick-floored and arched entranceway is nicely lit, extending into a choice of left or right bars and dining areas. Quite possibly a former stables. Convincingly and lovingly now serves ale.

Beers: 

Woodforde's Norfolk Wherry - tickles on the tongue throughout, slightly cloudy, ambery orange, pleasant, appears denser than it tastes, nutty.

Robinson's Trooper - darker amber orange, no distinguishable smell, very sweet, summery berries within, sits around on your tongue for a while.

38. Still and Star, Little Somerset Street.

Nice pub with the promise of sandwiches and good bar snacks to be washed down with a nice though not huge selection of cask ales. Like the display of flags above the bar.

Beers: 

Sambrook's Wandle - darkish amber, bitter finish, placid texture, smooth and light, pleasant whilst not landing too many punches.

Adnam's Lighthouse - dark amber, rounded nose, mild, tasty, smokey, pleasant, nearly rounded, full bodied.

37. The East India Arms, Fenchurch Street.

Lovely pocket-sized public house full of hops, malt and barley with a touch of yeast. Full of city drinkers and clearly not designed for large parties. Leather back wall benches were great.

Beers: 

Shepherd Neame Spitfire Gold - golden, fruity nose, intense beginning, slopes off in the middle and end, watery, lacking continual flavour .

Shepherd Neame 1698 - very fizzy, reddish amber darkness, strong flavour, citrus sweetness, especially at the end, every gulp is like an adventure.

Round Nine

16/05/16

36. The Duke Wellington, Toynbee Street.

Beers: 

Well's Bombardier - brownish, spiky start, smooth body and finish. 

St. Austell Brewery Spring Fever - light and bouncy, slightly fizzy, sweetness, fluffy 

35. The White Hart, Whitechapel High Street.

The second White Hart of the evening. This one less interesting but a worthy drinkery for sure. Spacious bar, sport on TV and good ale. Decoration enough on the walls. Generally appealing.

Beers: 

Sharp's Atlantic - sweet and tangy, bit of a hill, cloudy, lovely stuff.

Hogsback Brewery T.E.A. - dark red, heady, smooth, mild, slight liquorice flavour, rides nicely on the tongue.

34. Indo, Whitechapel Road.

Quite a hole in the wall. A slither of a pub. Well attended and a wonderful collection of wall art and trinkets of many kinds behind the bar.

Beers: 

Dark Star Brewery Six Hop - dark amber, sweet smell, very sweet, sharp bitter beginning with a hoppy, fizzy finish. 

Thornbridge Galaxia - very pale, sweet smell, spacey, inoffensive, fruity, light.

33. The Blind Beggar, Whitechapel Road.

The very pub that notorious gang leaders the Cray twins shot a rival gang member. Cuttings and photos on the walls tell a brief tale of how it unfolded. Perhaps an undesired reputation but quite significant. The modern Blind Beggar is quite trendy, has pub games, a quite out of place water feature in the beer garden and a pub moggy.

Beers:

Jenning's Brewery The Beggers Belief - full start, like an unfinished story, no ending, pale amber, flavour is fine.

Sharp's Doom Bar - brown, heady, incredibly mild, slightly heavy.

32. The White Hart, Mile End Road.

Sweet open and wooden pillared pub with fantastic old leather-bound and brass buttoned chairs and old barrels used for tables outside. High ceilings allowing for large windows for plenty of light. A pleasing environment. Barmaid thoroughly unimpressed with odyssey antics.

Beers:

First Chop Brewing Arm Syl - stouty, very bitter, heavy, dark, lingers for ages.

First Chop Brewing Arm Extra Love - light orange amber, bitter but gives way to the mango sweetness.

Round Eight

15/05/16

31. The Golden Lion, Broadway, Bexleyheath.

Beers:

Hogsback Brewery Hogstar - Hoppy, malty and lagery.

Innis & Gunn Original - smoothness, sweet, light, lively at the start, rides nicely on the tongue. 

Round Seven

9/05/16

30th pub cigar time ;)

30. The Old Tea Warehouse, Creechurch Lane.

Not a bad place at all. Tucked away a bit. Has a few separate areas to it all open to the large windowed frontage.

Beers:

Truman's Swift - lighter amber, lemony, bitterness, tail tastes a bit like a Parma violet, light fizz.

Greene King The Hoppy Hen - nutty red colour, very very hoppy, soapy, unkempt.

29. Hamilton Hall, Liverpool Street.

A very grand old pub next to the station. Very high ceiling with lots of echo from the many other beer connoisseurs within.

Beers:

Ithica Beer Co. Ithica - walnut brown, nutty, solid body, strong aftertaste, warming.

Hambleton Ales Nightmare Porter - black as the night, very stouty, very heavy, chocolatey, full, crescendo of taste.

28. Dirty Dicks, Bishopsgate.

Diverting somewhat away from it's historic past, Dirty Dick's has gone full neon. Still, the interior is much better. Like being in a 18th century trade ship.

Beers: 

Young's Special - dark, clear, reddish tint, very smooth, a little bit fruity.

Hop Stuff Fusilier - clear, ambery red, flat top, liquorice smell, lots of character, hoppy fizz throughout, punchy. 

27. The Red Lion, Eldon Street.

A slim pub with nothing to hide. In that sense it's a little plain. Sport on TV.

Beers: 

Black Sheep Monty Python's Holy Grail - clear, amber, pungent, peculiar, hoppy at the end, thin bodied.

St. Austell Brewery Tribute - amber, very cloudy, sweet smelling, sweeter in taste, smooth throughout.

26. The Lord Aberconway, Old Broad Street.

A really great start to the night. A lovely looking pub that fits very well into it's city surroundings. Great bar and great atmosphere!

Beers:

Brains The Reverend James - smoother than Stevie Wonder's soulful tones, dark, red tint.

Orkney Brewery Atlas 3 Sisters - slightly bitter, dark amber tinted, hoppy tip of the tongue ending.