London Pub Tour 13 - Old Street: WIlliam Blake, Masque Haunt and The Artillery Arms

Due to Christmas and Boxing Day falling on the weekend, I had Monday and Tuesday off work. On the Tuesday I decided to head into central London and in particular Old Street, to visit some of the pubs there. Everything didn't go to plan with the first three pubs I actually walked to being closed, obviously because everyone in the city had the day off and therefore there was no reason for the pubs to be open. I was walking towards one last group of pubs to see if they're open, and if not it was a sign to head onto other pastures. Luckily I spotted the William Blake (EC1V 9BP), and the lights were on, meaning there was life inside.

Upon walking up the steps and through the door, I thought I'd just walked into a spoons based on the carpet, the bar and hand pumps facing me, and the long open plan seating to the right. But at look at the drinks on the bar and the staff uniform confirmed it wasn't, and the spoons was actually just a few doors down (my next stop). On the bar there was a large selection of lagers from Fosters, Amstel, Heineken, to Punk IPA, Hop House 13 and Samuel Adams. The pub also had 9 hand pumps spread out across the bar, with Doombar repeated 3 times, hobgoblin twice and they also had a pump clip for Santa's Cider from Lilley's, Now I know Lilley's ciders are always very sweet, so sweet that they sometimes just taste like juice, which makes them very easy to drink. As it was 6% I went for half a pint however, the guy behind the bar told me that unfortunately the Santa's Cider was their mulled cider. Then he said that he didn't actually use the whole box and had still had the box down in the cellar so he could go get me a half. He actually came up with the box and poured me a half and put the box in the fridge in case anyone else was wanting it straight rather than mulled. That was very amazing service, as I would have fully understood if it was their mulled cider only. Whilst I was waiting for him to collect the cider from the cellar I have looked at the large bottle fridge behind the bar and seen something I definitely wanted, so alongside the half of Santa's Cider I also got a bottle of Icelandic Pale Ale by the wonderful Einstock.

I took a seat at one of the high tables opposite the long side of the bar. Against the wall were booth style seating. At the end there was a large function room that could also double up as a dinning area, and had retractable doors. I only noticed at this stage the seating around on either side of the front entrance which went upwards towards bay windows. It certainly looked impressive and could see these being reserved on busy nights with groups wanting an area that could be a bit more private. The put wasn't that busy and have rugby showing on TV. There were at most 10 people in the pub which felt weird for a pub of this size. The bar itself was long which with the size gives an insight into how busy this venue must get.

Taking in the surroundings I tucked into the Santa's cider which was very sweet as expected but very drinkable. Next up was the Einstock! I've had their Toasted Ported previously (and have a bottle at home as well) which was a great drink, so was looking forward to this beer. It certainly didn't disappoint and lived up to my hype and expectations. I'm not a massive hop head, but do appreciate hoppy beers, but I do like to have a nice smooth drink that lets the flavour just pull through with massive IBUs, and this is one of those beers. Now all I need to do is hunt down their White IPA (Been told they sell it in Waitrose?) and maybe see if I can find their Wee Heavy as well.

After these drinks I wandered a few doors down to the Masque Haunt (EC1V 9BP) which is a spoons. The pub was busier than the William Blake but still plenty of seating. There were from what I could see 6 ales on including the obligatory Greene King's (IPA and Abbott) along with J W Lees Plum Pudding, Butcombe's Chris Moose and a collaboration ale called Het Anker Belgian Blonde. Although tempted by the J W Lees I didn't actually feel in the mood for an ale following on from the Pale Ale I just had so selected a pint of Bravo by Wimbledon Brewery which was on keg. This beer was hoppy but felt less hoppy than when I had it previously and was better than I remembered. I had selected an empty table by the window but after a few minutes a group came by and said that was their table and they had just gone to play the quiz machine. Now considering the pub was empty I couldn't be bothered to argue about the fact they left a table with nothing on it, to clearly indicate you someone was still sat there, and instead moved one row further back (which they could have easily done).

The pub on the outside was undergoing development so had scaffolding, which made the pub feel slightly darker due to reduction in light. The pub is on a corner and stretches down quite far with a raised seating area at the far end. There isn't much width the bar though. There was wood paneling around the inside bits other than the bar area, with the rest being glass facing out towards the scaffolding. A few odds pictures and sketches hung on the wall but I didn't bother examining whether they were related to the pub name or area.

After finishing up my pint I head about 5 minutes south to The Artillery Arms (EC1Y 8ND) a small Fullers pub on a street corner. Upon walking into the pub the first thing you notice is the small bar in the middle. It's a strange site to behold such a small bar that seems only suitable for one person to work within. The word surrounding it is very decorative and matches the feel of the pub. The pub itself inside is quite small, and on this visit there were only the bar keep and two others in the pub that I could see. It turns out there was also a group in the function room upstairs keeping some of the other staff busy. I can tell this place would get packed quickly due to it's size but thanks to it's location there would certainly be drinker's outside before 9pm.

Five of the six hand pumps were on, all offering Fuller's ales only sadly (Pride x2, Seafarers, ESB and Oliver's Island) considering above the bar were a load of pump clips showing non-Fuller's ales that had been sold as guests. On tap they had Peroni, Amstel, San Miguel and Guinness. I opted for just a half of the ESB which was on fine form. Sadly the pub was a little too quiet for my liking, but then again this was a bank holiday, so what was I expecting. I imagine this place could have a good atmosphere early on in the week, whilst not being rammed, and the design of the bar to me is quite unique. So it was just the half here before heading off towards Moorgate. Sadly the pub I was planning to head here was alas closed, so I decided to call it a day and get on the train at Moorgate. Overall the pubs were good but I would definitely need to re-visit them.