London Pub Tour 25 - Stockwell: Phoenix and Feeleys

On this pub tour I had a pub in mind that I wanted to go to which I hadn't been to before. Once again I was going slightly out of the way to go to a Harveys. This Harvey's is The Phoneix (SW9 9AR) which was a 10min walk from Stockwell station.

The pub stands on the corner of the main road, and as I arrived some light snow was beginning to fall. I entered through the corner door and immediately noticed how empty the pub was. This gave me a chance to look round and explore. The bar is on the back wall facing out onto the main road. It stretches round a corner into a small area with some tables. The main bar area had one large table directly in front of the bar with smaller tables against the outside walls. There were rugs placed under some of there tables and the odd poof placed around. There was a more comfy seating area through the arch were there was an open fire place and on the walls were some stag and deer heads.

I went to the bar and only two of the four hands pumps were on, offering up Old Ale and Sussex Best. On tap there was Blue Moon, Amstel, Birra Moretti, Heineken and Guinness. I also noticed out of the corner of my eye two Harvey keg beers on tap these were Malt Brown and Gold Bier. I had heard Harvey's had created some keg beers so I thought I best try them. I went for the Malt Brown first, which took a while to pour as it was quite active, but came out looking good. This was a lovely sweet brown ale with an excellent toffee taste. Whilst drinking I noticed they offered Growlers to take home and also a reward card scheme.

So next up was the Gold Bier. I had to wait for them to change the keg on this one, then it poured nicely, none of the issues like with the Malt Brown. The Gold Bier was refreshing and light but certainly wasn't snow/sleet weather, and it definitely wasn't as good as the Malt Brown. Both the keg beers cost £4.10 for a pint which is very reasonable for London prices. Before leaving I bought two cans of Harvey's Sussex Best (Yes, cans!) as I wanted to send this on to a friend abroad, as he was missing his Harvey's.

I left the Phoenix and the snow had stopped falling. I made my way northwards along Union Road to a pub that I'd passed many times but never considered going in. Feeleys (SW8 2RF) is an independent traditional Irish pub. It's set back from the road with some cars parked in the driveway in front. As you enter you will notice the pub feels smaller inside than expected but this is mainly due to the walls/layout and lack of lighting. The bar is a large horseshoe that goes through the three divided sections of the pub. On the bar were some disused hand pumps, along with a selection of standard mainstream beers (Not much choice so I can list them all: Guinness, Guinness Extra Cold, 1664, Strongbow, John Smith and Fosters). I  opted for a pint of 1664 at £3.90, as I wasn't in the mood for a Guinness.

Photo by Ewan Munro

The bar had a wood floor all the way around. The standard sofa seating was against the walls with small tables and some additional chairs available. Some bar stalls, which were in use, at the bar. I remained in the main bar where the entrance is, as the next section had a large group of ladies and some kids. There was a friendly dog wondering around, though not sure if it was a pub dog or a customers. Everyone seemed to know each other as them came and went. An old man came in and asked two of the guys on stalls at the bar if they knew who we were. They said nope, and I chipped in with some friendly banter, but got no response. And this is where the pub majorly fails for me. It's fine having a locals or regulars pub, but before anyone becomes one they must enter as a stranger for the first time. I'm very open to going into pubs as an outsider and don't expect to be welcomed with open arms and make new friends or even get into conversations with regulars. That this regular seen some new faces and started asking if people knew who we were is a sign of a pub that is not welcoming and will struggle with time. After this a lady came in selling fake DVDs and the customers started browsing through them. I finished my pint off quickly and left.

Sadly Feeleys was disappointing, not because of beer selection, as I'm certain this would make a nice place to watch the 6 nations with the TV screens, the Guinness and hopefully a crowd, but because of the whole outsider or new person fear. Thankfully the Harvey's pub was great and I'm glad I was there for two. I certainly want to revisit the Harvey's and hopefully they will have the other two hand pumps in action with some more fine Harvey's ale.