Brighton Visit - Brighton Beer Dispensary, Royal Sovereign, North Laine Brewhouse

So I had a work function down in Brighton and decided to make the most of the trip and researched pubs to visit. Luckily I was based right on the seafront near to the i360 attraction, which meant I was only a short walk from the high street and a big selection of pubs.

When I arrived in Brighton and walked from the station to the hotel I was surprised at the vast number of pubs I passed, and hadn't expected this town to yield so many establishments. Though sadly I wouldn't be visiting any of these places as I had already determined the places I was going to pop into.

As 5:30 rolled around and the meeting drew to an end, I knew I had till 7pm to visit one or two places before having to come back for a group dinner. I immediately decided to head to the Brighton Beer Dispensary (BN1 3EG) just off the high street and about 10 minutes walk away. The pub itself was easy to find and was thankfully not too busy, which is one thing you can always be unsure of at that time on a Tuesday. Sometimes locations are absolutely empty or surprisingly packed. I was soon to learn that Tuesday's are a very busy affair in Brighton due to it being Student Night.

Brighton Beer Dispensary

Upon walking in I was presented with a much larger selection than I had anticipated. There were keg taps and ale pumps on the bar along with keg taps on the back wall, ales on gravity and cider. I noticed the blackboard showing there were 15 beers and 3 ciders available for selection. I opted to go for Freshman which is brewed by Brighton Bier, the owners of the pub, at £5.10 for a pint. I wasn't expecting to see that type of pricing outside London for a local produced beer but then it is the whole craft market, and if I'm okay paying that in London then why shouldn't I pay that elsewhere. The beer itself was hoppy but within my drinkable range, as I'm not one for overly hop beers (prefer my malts).

I took a seat in the conservatory extension due to the main bar all being full (hence no photos). There were at least 30 people in the main bar area and the conservatory was beginning to fill up as well. The first drink after a long meeting always goes down well and this one was no exception. I studied the menu and decided to buy two halves from two breweries I'd never actually heard of before. I order half of the Best Bitter Bramling Cross from True North Brew Co. and half of the Poker Face from Blackjack Beers. The first was not a very powerful bitter, and was quite weak in the flavour sense but was nontheless easily drinkable. The Poker Face was much better: Floral and light, and I could certainly have had another, but I needed to be making my way back closer to the hotel and perhaps pay a visit to another pub.

On my way from the hotel I had passed a few pubs but one had caught my eye with its frontage, this was the Royal Sovereign (BN1 2HE). Walking in you are presented with the rear of the horeshoe bar, and a feeling it is more restaurant than pub. Walking round to the side and front of the bar where you finally see the beers on offer I seen they had four ale pump but with only two on (With two ales that I hadn't heard of before). Alongside this there was a selection of 7 keg craft beers and 5 lagers however, not so mainstream but more along the lines of Cobra, Pravha and Staropramen. I opted to try one of the ales which was B-46 from Greyhound Brewery, I believe the other ale was Amber Eyes.

There was a massive fire roaring away to one side of the pub which everyone seemed to have gathered around so I headed to the quieter seating area on the opposite side. It then struck me that the lighting in the pub was very...red, and I noted the thai food menus, so  i wasn't far off with the restaurant feel. The pub itself had a mixed age groups and was quite large. There was a big outside area for smokers and inside they had put pump clips along the walls and sheet music for famous songs.The beer itself was fine though not one I would rush back for. Sadly I didn't have an opportunity for any further beer 'tasting' as I needed to show my face for the dinner.

After the dinner I headed out with some of the others from the meeting to catch the second half of the European football matches that were on. We were aiming to go to Molly Malones but ended up at Yates. I haven't been in a Yates for years (Leicester Square) and this one was decorated and ready for Christmas and looked quite bright and inviting though still looked rough around the edges (Wooded chipboard on part of the floor that must have been broken). I had a pint of Revisionist Craft Lager which I've had before and forgotten that I was not a fan of, so stuck to the Guinness thereafter. Instead of playing the football match sound they played club music mixed with some Christmas hits. I left shortly after a fight nearly kicked off between two lads, over what, I've no idea. I had one more place that was on my must visit list and it was 15 minutes walk away, North Laine Brewhouse (BN1 4AA).

The Brewhouse itself has ample seating, and could easily hold a few hundred. When I arrived it had just turned 11pm and there were a few large groups of university students on the bench seating nearest the bar, but they left shortly after (Hope it wasn't me that scared them off). The Brewhouse was open till 00:30 though I wasn't planning to stay till close. Behind the bar and slightly up above eye sight you can see all the brewing equipment, still looking nice and shinny.

Time Hope

Black Rock Stout

On tap there were a selection of ales from the brewhouse along with beers from other breweries. The pump clips for each in-house beer were polaroids of staff which didn't quite grab the attention of the eye.  I decided to try two halves of their own brews: Black Rock Oatmeal Stout & Time Hop (£2.15 each). The Black Rock was a solid stout but I wouldn't consider it sessionable. The Time Hop didn't seem to have much hop kick but was very citrusy and went down a treat.

The Brewhouse at this stage was emptying out and only 6 other customers were drinking. I seen a poster advertising £3 pint nights for every Friday in November, which certainly seems a bargain price, and is no doubt when the place is rammed.

I decided to call it a night and head back to my hotel, but not without taking a walk along the coast to get some sea air to help give a good nights kip.

London Pub Tour 2 - Lambeth: The Windmill, Tamesis Dock and The Rose

For my next pub tour I started slightly south of where I finished off my previous one in Westminster. The reason for this was when in the Marquis of Granby I seen a pub I'd never been to just over the river in Lambeth.

So I set out via the 507 bus from Victoria on a rainy day with quite a bit of traffic on the road. As it was raining quite heavy I didn't have my phone out for directions and was relying upon memory. As I walked up Lambeth High Street (a very misleading name, no shops at all on this road, which one would expect from a high street) I began to doubt I'd taken the correct road, yet I still pushed on. Then up ahead, a lit up pub sign became visible. I'd arrived at The Windmill (SE1 7JS).

The pub is quite large inside, and a few others had braved the weather and were drinking already. The barman was very friendly and made conversation about the rain, which had just soaked me. There were four ales on tap (Pride, Doom, Landlord and Sharp's Atlantic) none of which took my fancy. I then spotted they had Blue Moon Belgium White on tap. This was the first ever American 'craft' beer I ever had and so I had to have a pint for old time-sake (I declined the addition of an orange slice). The beer still holds up well and it is something that I would drink again.

I sat down in a corner near the pool table and surveyed the pub. It felt to have four distinct areas.
The bar area - with a bar up against the wall and no chairs or tables in front of it.
The pool table area - with an advertising board and plenty of seating around the window
The seating area - doesn't need more description, all the sofas and chairs in the big area opposite the bar
The higher seating level - up some steps to a higher seating level and a TV showing sky sports

The Windmill was an okay pub, though perhaps needs a revisit on a better weather day to experience the atmosphere. I headed off out into the rain and walked the short distance to the River Thames and my next stop, the Tamesis Dock (SE1 7TP).

I've visited this moored boat on the Thames many times through the years, but mainly on fair weather days. I've never really sat inside the boat near the bar as sitting on the deck provides you with perfect view to watch life on the Thames and the seagulls on the sand below. I noticed straight away the beer selection had changed since I last came here 5 years ago (when I worked in the Vauxhall area). All the beers on tap were of the craft variety and as being on a moored yet moving ship, there was rightly no ale. I opted for a pint of Adnams, Jack Brand Ease Up IPA for £4.70 and took a seat on the bar level.

The beer had the usual Adnams flavour with extra hop than normally found in their pints. There were a few customers downstairs drinking, though my only experience of the downstairs previously was for use of the facilities. I sat back and relaxed inside the boat with the sound of rain outside and voices rising up from he deck below. I could have easily stayed and relaxed with another Ease Up IPA however the show must go on, and I had one more pub I needed to visit.

As I walked up to the Rose (SE1 7TL) I could see the large number of people inside drinking. Compared to the previous two establishments, this one was heaving. I noticed that the pub signage was missing from the outside, and upon walking in could see they'd done this pub up since I last visited. The central bar looked great as always, though the pub seemed to have turned very gastro with a young professional, suited crowd.

Mon to Tues, free if you spend £300

I ordered a pint of the Caledonian Three Hop Lager for £4.90 forgetting how much  I actually don't like that beer. There was no seating available so I made my way further back down the pub where I realised it wasn't quite as busy as it had first seemed. Sadly it was the usual story of everyone hanging round the bar area that from the outside made it seem busy. I found a corner with a low table to stand in and done what any sensible person would do and pulled out my phone to read the news and not make eye contact with anyone. The crowd around the bar left shortly after, for which I'll take the credit, for lowering the tone of their pub. I'm not sure if it was with the crowd going or maybe someone walked past me, but my nose pricked up at the wonderful smell of mulled wine flowing from somewhere. It was at this stage I realised that I never come to the Rose this early in the evening before and definitely not this sober. It was always a late hangout spot once you've had a few at the Tamesis and maybe the pub had always been like this and I'd just never realised due to my state.

Well it is with that thought that I finished up my pint, walked out and looked up at where the sign used to be and remembered that I used to call this pub the Black Rose because the pub sign used to be black with a red rose on it....

London Pub Tour 1 - Westminster: Albert, Munich Cricket Club, Low Slow & Juke and Marquis of Granby

I work near Victoria station in London which has provided me with access to a wealth of pubs that are only a few minutes travel away. Although when you in one area too often you can find yourself not regularly visiting or ever having gone to some of the pubs actually within walking distance. The Albert (SW1H 0NP) pub in Victoria happens to be one of these pubs.

Not my photo, a stock free use one

This is a large victorian corner pub that's would be impossible not notice and register was there. And obviously I've noted it, it's just I always had somewhere else I wanted to try which left this place on my list of unvisited pubs. So to correct that wrong I went along to final check out the innards and tick it off the list.

Now this is a Taylor Walker pub, like so many in the Victoria area, and unfortunately Taylor Walker pubs are now owned by Greene King. Taylor Walker pubs always had a good selection of ales, and I don't think I've seen one of their pub's with less than 5 hand pumps, all with different ales. The ales they selected would come from a large array of breweries ensuring that there was at least one drink you could settle on. Sadly since Greene King took over I've seen the selection drop down to mostly the Greene King range (Greene King, Hardy's and Hansons, Belhaven etc..) which is disappointing since I'm not too fond of Greene King ales (Something about the taste running through all their brews).

Hidden amidst the Greene King.....Titanic

So imagine my surprise upon walking into the Albert and starring right out at me is Titanic's Chocolate and Vanilla Stout. I've not had this version of the Titanic stout before though last year discovered the wonders of their Plum Porter (yum yum). So I immediately opted for a pint of this from the very eager barman who was queuing up orders from the punters. The beer was a beautiful colour and the aroma's coming off it were very enticing and the flavour did not disappoint. It wasn't quite on the same level as their plum porter but I'm not letting that distract from the good pint it was.

The Albert itself was decked out in Christmas ware and was at that comfortable busy where nearly all tables are taken although only 2 or 3 people per table. Although, it was only once I'd taken my seat that I realised there was a dinning area at the back and upstairs, which absolutely makes sense for a large Victorian pub of this size. I can certainly say having a Titanic Stout on a cold dark evening, in a large Victorian pub filled with Christmas lights shall now become my bellwether for the start of the Christmas period and not the Coca Cola advert.

it's just not cricket

I left the Albert after the one as I had a few more pubs I'd not visited in a while that I needed to get to. My next stop was at the Munich Cricket Club (SW1H 0HW) on Strutton Ground only a few minutes walk away. Now the last time I visited this pub it was called the Old Monk Exchange. The pub is actually in a basement and I can fully see why they've converted it into a Germany style beer hall (loosely). At first glance not much had changed. The tables had been replaced with benches and Munich/German memorabilia adorned the walls, and as expected the beer selection was all German. Now my knowledge on German beers is not great but they did have quite a few brands I'd never heard of including Löwenbräu, hence why I opted for a pint, though I selected the Oktoberfest version at 6.1% compared to the original at 5.2%. (This was after one of the staff members had finished swearing at I assume her manager, saying she refused to do something, very nice welcome to the pub)

I grabbed an empty bench, which was very easy considering only 6 other customers were in the pub, and enjoyed the surprisingly easy drinking pint. I had to wander back up to the bar to double check it was the Oktoberfest version as it certainly didn't have any hint of a 6%-er. I will most defintely come back to this pub to sample a few more of the German beers that I've not had before though it's not top of my list.

I left the Munich Cricket Club and regained signal on my phone. The obvious choice at this stage was to head to the Grafton Arms next door however two Greene King pubs in one day was not to be as I noticed on the WhatPub website that there was a pub nearby that I've never seen nor heard of before, so I went off in search of it.

I found the Low Slow & Juke just off Victoria street on Abbey Orchard Street (SW1H 0EX). This pub was again downstairs and what immediately strikes you is that its hosts live music seemingly of the American New Orleans jazz style. When you reach the bottom of the stairs there is a reception desk which I soon learned was to handle all the table bookings and reserved seating this place has. I just stated I was here for a drink and she nodded me through to the bar.

Inside neon light

The pub had a nice selection of ales, though an even bigger selection of bottle beers. I had already set my eye on the S

team Brewery Lager which I'd never had before. The kind gentleman behind the bar informed me it was happy hour and preceded to point out a range of draft ales/lagers on a reduced price however, my mind was set and I stuck with my Steam Lager. I didn't realise till this moment that the pub is actually owned by Marston's which then made sense of the beers in the happy hour were Pedigree, EPA and Pearl Jet (The new name for Oyster Stout). My Steam Lager had the usual taste coming through as any Steam Brewery beer and was drunk in no time at all.

I decided to not hang around for another drink in case the bookings all arrived and besides I had a final destination to get too and needed to get to a pub a bit closer. I hadn't at this stage decided which pub I'd go to exactly. I did linger outside the Speaker but decided to push on a bit further passing three other pubs before I settled on the Marquis of Granby (SW1P 3RF) a Nicholson's.

The pub was quite full and no seats were available and the bar area full of people. Once near the front of the bar I seen the pump selection wasn't as wide as some of the other Nicholson's pubs, but then I noticed they had some Firkin's on gravity dispense. Of course was going to have the gravity dispense as that's quite rare to find in big London pubs. Unfortunately for me the beer i was drawn to was 'Al Murray Pub Landlord - Dependence Day' which tasted very watery and also of elder-flower.

The gravity drop choices

Houses of Parliament Division Bell

What the beer lacked the pub did make up for. They had their own hand cooked crisps for which you can choose a flavour which they will add into the brown paper bag and shake up for you. I selected good old salt and vinegar and they tasted beautiful. Also the pub had a glass cabinet that they called their 'Beer Library'. Within this cabinet were books, beers and notes of the brewing process which made for an interesting peruse. Though the one stand out feature had to be the Houses of Parliament Division bell. I'd never noticed this when I'd been in this pub before, and it's certainly an interesting feature, particularly as they state its still active.

After finishing off the Al Murray pint I called it a day and headed on my way. I had managed to visit two new pubs and had three really enjoyable beers, which I will certainly call a good evening.

Here it goes...

So I've decided to join in with the world of blogging. You might say I'm late to the game but for me I feel this is the perfect time.

I've never been one to log, record or share everything I do however, I feel I now reached a stage where I want to capture those thoughts and musings and have them written down, hence this blog. I've opted to write my thoughts on pubs and beer because it's something that is just part of me. I love to discover new pubs. Each pub with their unique interior's, pub sign's, atmosphere and at times, differing selection of beers.

I feel nothing can quite beat a good pub and when I see a pub that I've not been to before, I want to enter that pub and discover it's story, the people within and the community it serves. I'm not sure what set me off on wanting to discover new pubs rather than finding a regular and being content, but the need to venture to new pubs hasn't died down. And when in those pubs, of course, there is nothing better than trying something new. It adds to the unique experience of that pub and helps cement the memory, pairing a beer with a location.

Living within London I've covered quite a large number of pubs however there are areas that either I haven't re-visited in a long time or ever. So I'm starting afresh and will write details on all pubs I go to, though if I have been there before or even regularly I will mention it, as I would still like to jot down my thoughts of those pubs at this particular time.

Of course it's not a pub blog if I don't talk about the product which brings me there, the beer. So I will share my musings on the beers I sample however, I'm no expert within the aspect of beer. I'm not one who could identify the hops used or provide a clear definition of the fruits or coffee flavours oozing out from the beer, but I know what beers I like and appreciate all varieties.

I hope this blog will drive me to better log both in photos and words my initial thoughts of pubs and beers.

Liam K