It was another nice day and not busy at work so I popped out for a long lunch and a few beers. This time I went further afield to Aldwych with my first stop being the Edgar Wallace (WC2R 3JF). The pub sit on a cul-de-sac and is generally busy outside with drinkers after work. On this lunch visit it was quiet with two people outside drinking and five people inside, two of whom were eating. Upon entering the pub you are met with a large size nutcracker. Turning to your right takes you into the pub. The pub inside is quite dark and not much light comes in through the square lead windows. The bar is just on your left and does goes back to the rear wall but is separated by a pillar. The lagers are displayed on both parts of the bar with the ales only visible on the bit of the bar behind the pillar. The keg beers on offering were Heineken, Staropramen, Birra, Amstel, Guinness and Symmonds. There were 8 hand pumps but only 5 were on: Brewers Gold, Wakatu, Hopfest and Landlord. I went for a pint of Wakatu for £4.35 from Southwark Brewery. Again this was another disappointing New Zealand hopped beer that was lacking the flavour and aroma I would be expecting.
I sat on a table at against the rear wall so I could have a good look at the pub as a whole. There are about dozen 4 seater tables around the pub all on the carpet floor, with space for standing at the bar. The ceiling is filled with pump clips through the years. I actually spotted an old cardboard pump clip for Strongbow draught. The newer pump clips are just above the picture rail on the walls. The pub walls are adorned with old advertising including cigarette adverts and alcohol posters. On a high shelf there were a variety of old Persil boxes and some home brew kits. The window shelves were full of books. By the bar there was also a board showing ales coming up soon and which also confirmed that all ales are £4.35 for a pint and £2.30 for a half. I do understand a slight difference in prices for pints and halves and this is along the borderline of what might be acceptable price difference to account for time, cleaning and wastage. The pub itself is a treasure trove of old advertising but it was time to move on to pub number two.
Just a few doors down on the same street is the Temple Brew House (WC2R 3JF). The outside of the pub is grey and upon entering you see three large stainless steel brew barrels to your left. You go down the stairs and turn and your enter the large pub space. The pub has an industrial stripped back feel with lots of space and areas seeming incomplete. Upon entering on your right is a long bench style table with seats which I guess is guess for brewing talking. On your left is the main seating area with some booth seating. All the tables are wood tops but have a worn down/reclaimed feel. The main showpiece though is the bar which is straight ahead and is a concrete bar with a wooden top.
At the bar you immeditaley are presented with 6 hand pumps all serving their own brewed beer under the Essex Street Brewery brand (Named after the road the premises are on). On my visit only 5 of these were on which were Brewhouse Small Batch Spring Golden Ale, Calcutta Club, Brown Toast Porter, Red Eye and Tempale. Behind these hand pumps there is a tap wall serving up 13 beers which are a mix of their own brews, London beers and mainstream. On this visit the taps were offering Amstel, Heineken, M.A.C Pale Ale, Hells Unfiltered, House Cider, Affligem, Essex Street I.S.L, Kernel Pale Ale, Cloudwater Pilsner, Boundary Chilli Stout Filthy Animal, Catch, Gamma Ray and Sambrooks Pale Ale.
Being presented with so many choices made it difficult to decide what to go for. I knew I wanted to try one of their own brews so I went for what appealed to me the most and that was the Essex Street Indian Steam Lager (I.S.L). It cost £4.80 and I was surprised to see what appeared to be a Red Ale, which was very nice. No one else was in the pub apart from the bar staff, a repairman and two guys who were checking out the space for a work do on the coming Friday. It was only when sat down drinking I also realised the large bottle selection available which included their beer of the week - Weird Beard Holy Hoppin Hell at 9.7%! There was acoustic music playing quietly in the background and I noticed hops hanging from the ceiling. They appear to have a key keg packaging facility on site, and I understand they also have a smoke room which is used by their kitchen to smoke whatever their chef desires. The top half of the walls in the pub also displayed previous guest beer pump clips. I wish I could have stayed longer for more beer, but I guess I'll have to come back to sample another time.
I had to move onwards to tick off one more pub before returning to work. Again just a few short steps away is the George (WC2R 1AP) a Greene King pub operating under their Metropolitan brand. This was the first time I had encountered a Greene King pub under this brand and I was pleasantly surprised, but it then begs the question of why they didn't convert some of the Taylor Walkers into this style. The George was built just before the turn of 20th Century and has a mock tudor beam exterior. It sits directly opposite from the Royal Courts of Justice and is certainly a beautiful looking pub. Upon walking in the pub had more of a Nicholson's feel with the varnished wood floor, the large wooden barrel for standing around and the large bar and space around it. There were some tables in the front bay window area, then some high tables opposite the bar, with the majority being at the rear of the pub. The pub also has a restaurant operating upstairs under the name Pig and Goose though it seems people can order from a normal pub menu downstairs, as it was a mix of diners and drinkers. The whole pub had a modern feel but also kept true to it age.
What made it feel less Greene King was the selection of ales. I was expecting to be presented with all Greene King ales and maybe one guest but surprisingly this wasn't the case. There were 9 hand pumps which offered Headless Cavalier, Old Dairy, Black Eel, Renegade IPA, Up and Udder, Fusilier, Common Pale Ale, Hogs Wallop and GK IPA. On keg there was Cote Breton Brut Cider, Hells Unfiltered, Peroni, Amstel, Guinness, Truman's Pale, Punk IPA, Neck Oil, Hop House and Camden Pale. I had no hesitation in choosing my drink which was the Black Eel by Twickenham Brewery for £4.60. The beer poured very dark in a lovely straight stein. The beer had a good taste to it and wasn't heavy at all. This was an excellent example of a Black IPA. As all the tables were taken in the pub I had to stand and drink this beer at the bar, but I'm glad I chose such a good one.On my journey back to Victoria I reflected on the three pubs I had visited. The Edgar Wallace being a perfect example of a privately run pub which has its own quirkiness to it whilst serving a good selection of beers. The Temple Brew house offers unique brews and a wide array of keg beers, and having another brew pub in central is always a plus point. But most surprising of all was I found a Greene King pub that I actually liked and which offered a varied selection in ales. All three pubs today are certainly worth a re-visit sometime soon.
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