Round Twenty Three

31/12/16


One hundred pubs. A full century. And two fat cigars. Solid pubbing and a happy 2017!!!

100. The Bunch of Grapes, St Thomas Street.

Not our intended 100 but a really good pub with a great new years atmosphere and some interesting bar snacks. Tankards. Dim-lighting. Nice and old.


Beers:

Truman's Zephyr - amber, light cloud, no head, sweet smelling, phwwooaarrr, lovely taste, medium bodied, very fruity, sharp, bitter aftertaste, yeah nice.

Young's London Gold - amber, clear, hoppy but bland, nothing much in there, like bread and butter.



99. The Old Kings Head, Kings Head Yard.

A nice cosy pub and very well attended. Good selection of ales and good space at the bar. They love their plant-life here and the mix of wood panels, stone and the hanging pictures make a nice attractive drinkery.


Beers:

Harvey's IPA - dark amber, clear, very little head, bitter nose, not big on flavour, light citrus, a bit hoppy.

Timothy Taylor's Boltmaker - dark amber, small head, medium cloudy, interesting, very smooth, bitter middle, underlying fizz, not massive on taste, liners for a short while.



98. The Southwark Tavern, Borough Market.

Nice pub though perhaps a bit bare. Nice hanging lanterns and good selection of ales in a nice area. Plenty of drinkers here on a regular basis.


Beers: (in half tankards)

Great Heck Brewing Co. Dave - light stout, dark, nutty and a bit smokey, no real head, medium to heavy bodied, doesn't linger, very solid beer.

Saltaire Blonde - very light and clear, holds a good head, smells like it will be bitter but didn't come through, brief undercurrent of sweetness, inoffensive, lacking in flavour.



97. The Old Thameside Inn, Clink Street.

Such a good pub on the riverside and with an underground feeling thanks to the dark brick interior though it is ground level. It all adds up to great atmosphere, no doubt helped by Christmas/New years cheer. River inspired ales on tap and a nice balcony to sit and drink outside.


Beers:

Meantime London Pale Ale - clear, amber, doesn't hold its head, microbubbley, very cold, very fizzy giving way to average taste, tails off quickly, bitter.

Aegir and Adnam's Breweries Longboat - oooh yes, a red, clear, heady, combination scorcher, grabs your nuts, sweet and sensual, smooth with a tickle of fizz, walnutty, excellent beer.



96. The Barrowboy and Banker, London Bridge.

A familiar and quite large presence on the southside of London bridge. Always packed and fairly so. A good beer selection. Dining space on the open upper floor and limited compartments exist below for more private sessions. Portraits hang on the walls. A very good pub although perhaps too popular for regular visits.


Beers:

Fuller's Jack Frost - dark reddy colour, slightly cloudy, good solid head, could stick a flake in it, not much of a stench, sweet mainly coming in at the end, grapey, smooth, empty bodied.

Fuller's Bengal Lancer - light, amber, light head, sweet, starts off with more of a fizz, dips a little in the middle, tastes like a bengal tiger that's been lanced.

Round Twenty Two

12/12/16


95. The Porterhouse, Maiden Lane.

A pub that sparked deep debate. A maze of a pub, very modern and a big fan of bronze. Walls made of glass cabinets full of a huge range of bottled beers. Amazing choice of beers. Lads divided between tradition and modernity.


Beers:

Porterhouse Oyster Stout - smoother head than Kim kardashian, dark like a murderers mass grave, light as far as stouts are concerned.

Porterhouse Plain Porter - less dark than the crusades but still dark, very smooth good strong head, porter smell, thick and full bodied, meaty and carries a bitterness throughout but tails off quickly, subtle sweetness at the end.



94. The Wellington, Wellington Street.

A nice pub clinging onto its historical links. Has a large portrait of Wellington on the walls. Big open windows and high ceiling.


Beers:

Thornbridge Wild Holly - dark with red tones, cinnamon smell, very wintry, light to medium, smooth, cranberry, like a brandy sauced Christmas pudding.

Vocation Bread and Butter - amber, clear, lightly headed, sweet smelling, strongly bitter at the start, light but not tremendous, floral.



93. The Freemasons Arms, Long Acre.

Memorabilia on the walls, some freemason history, clean and modern with throwbacks to times gone by, important figures of history and hooks for your coat on the bar.


Beers:

Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger - dark, very red, not much nose, whisky edge, thick flavour, like a polo mint, a good winter beer

Shepherd Neame Late Red - quite dark, maroon, light head, very little to it, empty bodied, a hit in the middle but not promising much, watery and thin.



92. The Cross Keys, Endell Street.

Beautiful frontage with ornate wooden carvings and floral decorations. Inside was dark and moody, bronze implements on the ceiling and a great vibe.


Beers:

Redemption Pale Ale - sweet nose, very smooth, light bodied, sweet texture, long tail, clear and orange tinted, a bit like paint thinner.

Windsor and Eton Guardsman - smokey like someone having a cigarette on battlements, cloudy, orange amber, smooth, bitter.



91. The Sun, Drury Lane.

Disappointingly small and bar-like. Generic and European.


Beers :

Brasserie des Sources Bellerose - tastes like a failed European state, sweet smelling, large head, medium to full bodied, relies a lot on its fizz, at the end gives way to a lychee taste.

Duvel Golden Ale - ridiculous to pour, a head on it like a soapy bathtub, very fizzy, cloudy apple looking, tastes very alcoholic (8.5%), consistent taste throughout, sweet leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Round Twenty One

8/12/16

Special Guest week - Mikee's ale reconnaissance lightening squad.

90 PUBS IN THE BAG, TAKE A BOW, PUT YOUR FEET UP, HAVE A CIGAR.


90. The Champion, Eastcastle Street.

An excellent corner pub commemorating sporting greats of the past with memorabilia and stained windows. Lacking on the tap ale front. Adequately wooden interior.


Beers:

Samuel Smith's Sovereign Bitter - very clear, pleasing amber colour, orange citrusy, heady, deep flavour sweet.

Samuel Smith's Yorkshire Stingo - like a toffee apple, very heady, orange and quite cloudy, Christmas pudding flavour, coloured head, full bodied, peaty, brandy aged, doesn't linger.

Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout - thick head, very dark like a black hole, like drinking frazzles, nice plums, chewy, smokey.



89. Coach and Horses, Poland Street

A decent little number embracing the Christmas spirit by way of it's beer offerings. More working man's pub with it's TV screens and gambling machines.


Beers:

Mad Cat Brewery Santa Paws - got head, red tint, quite dark, thick and warming, sharp with a slight tail, flavour doesn't linger but is intense while there, Christmassy.

Guinness Hop House Lager - more bitter than Hillary Clinton on having a recount, clear amber, indistinct.

Hardy and Hanson's Rocking Rudolph - brownish and slightly clear, warming, subtle nose, reddish, no head,



88. The Sun and 13 Cantons, Beak Street.

A pub with a proper pub name. Interesting decorations behind the bar, starring what may be the skulls of a few fallen drinkers. Nice high ceiling too.


Beers:

Fordham Route 1 Session IPA - wheaty overtones, no head, reasonably complex, flavour tales off quickly, medium cloudy, medium flavour, not dependent on bubbles.

Goose Island Chicago 312 - cloudy, amber, very little head, not much in the nose, bittersweet, a lot of bubbles, doesn't linger, and lacking too much flavour, rather fizzy.

Island Records Session IPA - punchy with grapefruit, very bitter, amber, lasting flavour, clear, not much nose, very fizzy.




87. The Old Coffee House, Beak Street.

A confused pub that wants to display anything and everything. On the walls and ceiling are musical instruments, farming tools, framed war and sporting articles, stuffed animals and the framed discographies of Robbie Williams and Take That. Like the decor, their beer tastes were also rather cloudy.


Beers:

Brodie's Shoreditch Sunshine - cloudy, light and refreshing, minimal head, lovely flavour, tropical flavour, a session ale, light and hoppy in the middle.

Bethnal Green Bitter - red somehow, slight head, flat, bitterness but uninteresting, musty, woody, blackforest gateaux.

Brodie's Hackney Red IPA - very cloudy, muddy brown, tastes like murky water, strong, coffee flavour is heavy.



86. The Shaston Arms, Ganton street.

A nice little stumble-upon. Though not stocking killer beers, had two corridors, seemingly separated into sitting and standing. Heaving.


Beers:

Badger's Fursty Ferret - dark amber, no head, quite pleasant, medium bodied throughout, starts off with more than it finishes, very smooth, disappears from the pallet fairly quickly, not overly exciting.

Badger's Tangle Foot - a little darker, no head, very smooth, bit of bitterness, intense flavour but unexciting somehow.

Badger's Leaping Legend - fresh as a spring morning, bright, cold, slight head, bitterness of hops, lingers a little too long.



85. The Shakespeare's Head, Carnaby Street.

Pretty small and limited choice. Basic standard pub furnishings, nice but not a Champions league worthy pub.


Beers:

Portobello Brewery Market Porter - darker than Trumps immigration policies, heady, empty stouty, medium bodied, consistent throughout, sweet.

Taylor Walker 1730 - clear, unfizzy, a fine beer, tickles the fancy, a smokers beer, orange peel sweetness in the middle, alcohol content seems quite separate, elderflower notes?



84. The Argyle Arms, Argyle Street.

A lovely decorative pub, great ceiling! A series of small rooms opens out to a large rear end much like a Kardashian. Interesting artwork. Hops adorn the separator tops, a nice selection of beers.

Beers:

Everards of Leicestershire The Sly Fox -  darker amber, decent head, fruity and sweet, grows on the tongue, the hint of ginger comes in at the end, nice beer.

Ramsgate Brewery Al Murray Dependence Day Colonial Pale Ale - clear, amber, small head, not very fizzy, fair bit of nose on it, empty bodied, reasonably pleasant, bitterness at the start but tails off.