The lads long awaited and much heralded return to the public house. Bring forth the barrels and let there be ale.
248. The Angelic, Liverpool Road.
A good simple and traditional pub with ample leather based seating and large inviting windows. No special features to note but a good selection of taps that more than adequately dispensed the liquid we desired.
Beers :
Stone and Wood Pacific Ale - hazy as f..., sweetness on the nose, melon flavours, like Robinson fruit cordial.
Brewdog Pale Ale - quite cloudy and pale, strongly bitter, grapefruit.
247. The Islington Town House, Liverpool Road.
A tidy and decorative pub with a healthy atmosphere despite Covid restrictions. Nice selection of taps viewable from our premium near-bar seats.
Beers :
Lucky Saint (0.5%) - hazy, yellow, a poppy beer, light, no depth but pleasant enough.
Camden Pale Ale - semi clear, an orange hue, sweeties on the nose, OK, a standard pale ale.
246. The Brew House, Torrens Street.
A very worthwhile visit to a this brewhouse that featured 4 of their own brews alongside several other interesting picks. So much so, a double plank of thirds was called for. Social distancing was correctly observed and the barmaid provided excellent ale-ducation during our selection process. Meanwhile the pub exuded a positive family atmosphere and was clearly popular.
Beers :
Triple AAA Amber Ale - slight cloudy, not much aroma, slight liquid cleaner taste, nothing to write home about.
Arc Angel Session Ale - dark brown, smokey like liquidised cedar wood, quite chilled, slightly aqua, mildish.
Chaplin American IPA - very hazy, bitter to the nose, very bitter, lots of fizz, light, tickles the tongue.
Spandau B Golden Ale - a little cloudy, a bit hoppy, a bit of bitterness, full flavoured but drops sharply, caramel textures.
Westwood Pale American Ale - super cloudy and rather Amber, textured and light, no strong flavour or aroma, but pleasant and would certainly accompany a good roast.
Hotblack Desiato 8am Craft Stout - sort of mahogany coloured, nice mild-ish sort of flavour, light for a stout.
245. The Castle, Pentonville Road.
Staff here at the Castle very kindly raised the portcullis for us to invade another groups reserved table long enough for us to sample a couple of their offerings. Choice perhaps slightly more limited than it might have normally been but enjoyable nonetheless. A modern vibe rather than the preferred traditional.
Beers :
Duara Damm - a nice lager, very cold, wishy washy due to the gluten free nature, not so fizzy as expected, nice flavour unmasked by lack of fizz.
Young's London Original - slightly cloudy, medium Amber, no head, very citrus aroma, sweet notes, quite full at the beginning but tails away nicely, completely flat, lacking flavour for one lad.
244. The Old Red Lion, St John Street.
Our first pub on our return providing intrigue and showing the kind of limitations we now face thanks to the disease. The pub opted for red neon on red paint on entry. A large sign greeted us saying "STOP!" and directing us bar-wards. Inside smelled of the past. The tables and couches had been well worn in and were well moulded to the bottoms of the drinking faithful. An aged but decent pub dedicated to the committed drinker.
Beers:
Meantime Brewery London Pale Ale - hazelnutty amber appearance, bitter, well rounded, smooth and mellows at the end, nice aftertaste.
Brewdog Punk IPA - pale, Indian and pale, gassy, more gassy than the Hindenburg, surprisingly medium bodied, smooth, tasty.
