Beers to note - August 2017

August wasn't a busy beer drinking month. At the beginning of the month I did manage to try a few different brews down in Cornwall but the last 3 weeks of the month were busy at work which prevented any school night drinking. This also shows in the more standard ABV of the beers compared to July 2017.


Lushingtons (Skinners) - 4.2% | Cask Pint

Not sure if drinking closer to the source makes the beer taste better or is potentially fresher, but this beer was a fine accompaniment to a wonderful pub meal, without having any overpowering or off flavours.




Cali American Pale Ale (Tiny Rebel) - 5.6% | Keg Half Pint

I happened across this beer part way through my London Drinker deliveries. I hadn't seen it before, so had to give it a go. It was a hopped fruity APA that went down oh so quickly. If I hadn't been delivery the mags I would have had turned it into a pint.

Unfiltered Lager (Fullers) - 5% | Keg Pint

I wasn't sure what to expect with this from Fullers. I half expected it to be an unfiltered Frontier as that is their lager, but thankfully it was a completely different pilsner style lager which was hazy.



Small Batch Brews Baobab (St Austell) - 5.2% | Bottle 330ml

I picked this beer up at the Eden Project when down in Cornwall. I was intrigued by the label and what it said Baobab adds to the beer. To be fair, I couldn't tell what it added to the flavour, but I must say this was an nice Wit Bier.

Lager (Truman's) - 4.5% | Keg Half Pint
I not been a fan of the Truman beers I've come across in both keg or cask. I seen the beer but avoided it and ordered something else. However after getting talking to the barman I decided to give it a try and I must say this is the best beer I've tasted by Truman's so far.

Beers to note - July 2017

Again delayed in getting my July beers to note up on the blog. July was a busy month with the good weather meaning I was able to tuck into a nice variety of beers. I note that most of the ones that managed to be in my list are more high percentage hitters, which might be due to having better flavour in the hotter weather. I've also got one from the different dispensing categories (can, bottle, cask and keg). Below are the beers that stood out most for me during this month:

Antwerpen Stout (Guinness) - 8% | Bottle 330ml
My first beer of the month and what a beer. I'd been hunting down this bottle for a while and finally happened across it in Tesco's. This beer also goes by the name of Guinness Special Export Stout. The beer poured a much darker colour than Guinness and packed a much bigger punch in the ABV but was great.


Mizmaze (Downton Brewery) - 4% | Cask Pint
This beer is labelled as an English bitter but it's actually very light and sweet and goes down a treat.


Brixton Porter (BrewDog) - 5% | Keg Half Pint
Happened upon by chance on one of my pub tours in Brixton. It has a roasted aroma with massive roasted malt taste. Entered my list of good porters.



Clwb Tropicana (Tiny Rebel) - 5.5% | Can 330ml
Fresh, fruity and yes as you'd expect tropical


Beer Camp Golden IPA 2017 (Sierra Nevada) - 6.5% | Keg Pint
I had quite a lot of Sierra Nevada beers in July due to a few pubs running a Sierra beer festival. They had perhaps a keg of each and it would all change regularly. I managed to have this Golden IPA at two different pubs the first time as a half and the second as a pint, and it was beautiful. There wasn't a hop hit but the fresh fruity taste is immense.

JW Lees DIPA - S.E. Drink Fresh (Cloudwater) - 9% | Keg Half Pint
This was quite pricey at £6.50 for the half but as an occasional treat this was worth it. The alcohol doesn't overpower the citrus notes coming through, and sadly the half did go quite quickly.

London Pub Tour 61 - Covent Garden: Prince of Wales, Sun Tavern and The Cambridge

It was time to deliver some London Drinkers and at the same time had a beer or three and note them in my London Pub Tour. After picking up my box from the Union Tavern near Westbourne Park station I made my way towards Covent Garden and my first stop the Prince of Wales (WC2B 5TD). As is common in this area of central, this is a Taylor Walker turned Greene King. There is a main entrance on the road from Covent Garden and a side door on the route from Holborn. From the main entrance the bar is on your right situated against the wall, but zig-zagging in and out. The walls are painted dark with a patterned wallpaper between windows. Even the bar follows suit with the wood bar being painted dark. There are about 15 tables in the pub with some high tables opposite the bar and low tables for the rest of the pub. The place is busy and there are no spare seats. It appears to perhaps be the pre-theatre drinkers, as no food is being consumed.

Getting served at the bar is easy and I'm presented with a choice of either Greene King ales (IPA, Old Speckled, London Glory, Golden Breeze and Amplified) or keg (Aspalls Suffolk, Fosters, Over Easy, Peroni, London Pilsner, Big Bang, Blue Moon, Guinness, Heineken, Stella). Going against all my normal instincts I go for a pint of the GK Amplified ale, which is a beer being sold in conjunction with Radio X, so has a big green foam mic on top of the hand pump. It was your bog standard GK ale and came in at £5.10 for this central tourist area. The only positive being that at least 20p was being donated to charity. I finish my drink standing and drop off some magazines before heading on.

As I walk past the Sun Tavern (WC2E 9JD) I note it's not so busy and decide to pop in, even though its not on my delivery route, it has been a while since I've drank here. The interior has been renovated and is very modern. I think the decor is actually nice. The bar is on your left as you enter and on the right are a few rows of tables each with a nice lamp above. The lighting throughout the pub is great and the actually lamps and shades themselves look good. The pub also has an upstairs area with its own bar. Some of the walls upstairs are exposed bricks but much like downstairs most of the walls are wood panelled and painted an off white. I remained downstairs as the pub was quite empty and took up one of the tables on the side wall. On the bar there was Amstel, Heineken, Birra, 1664 and Symonds cider. I can't remember the ales on display because soon as I seen Old Peculier from Theakston. The pint was nice but I think perhaps again the bottle version out does it. I perhaps should have taken more photos or notes but was in a slight rush to get my deliveries done. I left the Sun Tavern and dropped off the magazines at 4 more pubs before arriving at my final drop off for the evening.

The Cambridge (WC2H 0DP) is a Nicholson's pub based just off Shaftsbury Avenue and on the edge of Soho. The outside of the pub is black and there were some tables available for seating. Walking in through the closest entrance to Shaftsbury Avenue takes you in the side door. There are stairs up to a dinning room or you can continue straight on into the bar. The bar run all along the back wall and is a beautiful mahogany wood as you would expect from a Nicholson's. On keg there was London Lager, Hells, Peroni, Amstel, Carling, London Pale Ale and Guinness. On the 6 available hand pumps were Pride, Doombar, Hiver, Trooper, Rev James Rye and Sharp's Atlantic. I've had Hiver previously in bottles and this was my first time seeing it on tap so I went for a pint. The Hiver is a honey IPA and it certainly does have a honey taste to it, though didn't quite feel it was IPA in style.

The bar is laid out with some high tables and stools in front of the bar then the remainder of the seating running under the windows. The seats under the windows are cushioned and all have tables and chairs opposite. The ceiling is decorative and has a chandelier hanging from it. There is quite a bit of space in the pub though I wouldn't say much seating downstairs. The pub is busy with tourists, theatre goers and after work drinkers. Me, I was just glad to have finished dropping off the 140 booklets I had.

London Pub Tour 60 - Belgravia: Antelope and Bag O'Nails

I visited the following two pubs on alternate days, and they were the only ones in the surrounding area I needed to tick off. The first pub the Antelope (SW1W 8EZ) is situated just of Sloane Square. This is a Fuller's pub which has the appearance of a small back street boozer. The pub was built in 1827 and gives off a feel that it hasn't changed much. Walking through the front door and the island bar is to your side and takes up most of the space in the pub. There are some benches with tables under the front window, and then a little snug area at the rear with books on the walls and soft seating. The snug area is carpeted whilst the rest of the pub has wood flooring. There is a room to the left of the entrance that is more geared up towards dinning and has about 6 tables. The whole bar has wood panelling to either waist or shoulder height, with the remainder wallpapered. The ceiling is also wood panelled and large red velvet curtains drape over the windows.

Proudly presented on the bar were 5 hand pumps offering up a selection of Fuller's Ales: Pride, ESB, Oliver's Island and Seafarers (x2). The keg selection was quite small offering Frontier, Guinness, Veltins, Amstel, Honey Dew, Cornish Orchards and 1664. I went for a pint of Veltins Pilsner which came in at £5 on the nose. Most people in the pub were eating and the snug and front bench areas were taken, so I ended up sitting on a free table in the dinning area. There is also a dinning room upstairs though not sure if its open everyday. As I sat drinking my pint I gazed through to the main bar where there are old cricket and rugby team photos on the walls. Also there is a history of the pub's cricket team's wins. The majority of people in the pub were men in suits, who are guess are regulars or there on a business lunch.

The second pub I visited was certainly more touristy considering its the closest pub to Buckingham Palace, and on the route between the Palace and Victoria. The pub is the Bag O'Nails (SW1W 0PP) another Greene King convert from Taylor Walker. The pub resides on a busy intersection on the one way system around Victoria, so its not surprising that no one was sat on the seating outside. Walking inside and the noise of the traffic does still flow in, making the pub perhaps not a tranquil place for a pint.

The bar sits on the back side wall and had six hand pumps offering GK IPA, Bag O'Nails Best (GK House), London Glory (x2), Trooper, Amplified and one pump advertising Old Rosie Cider. Keg wise there was Peroni, Guinness, Aspall, 1664, Punk IPA, Amstel and Orchard Thieves cider. I went for a pint of the Bag O'Nails Best which as I suspected was just the standard Greene King House. I stayed for a second pint having the Orchard Thieves cider which was certainly very carbonated. The packet of sweet chilli crisps certainly helped drink it down. I didn't note the prices but the ale didn't break £5 though the cider did.

The pub itself has lots of clear space around the bar. The floor is wooden except for raised tiling around the base of the bar and at the rear of pub where it is carpeted . Rows of high tables run from the entrance along the windows on either side. Next to a small pillar opposite the bar are two small tables. The carpeted area contains 8 small tables and at the end sits an open fire place. Above the fire place is a TV on a news channel. One thing to note is the union flag which is all over the pub. When i first arrived there were about 3 people in the pub, but this increased to 10 by the time I left, though all of these were tourists.

London Pub Tour 59 - Bayswater / Paddington: Union Tavern, Metropolitan, Cow and Cleveland Arms

It was time again for London Drinker magazine delivery duties. So on a day off from work I headed down to the Union Tavern just a short walk from Westbourne Park station. Unfortunately the magazines weren't due in till the evening, so rather than waste the few hours I had set aside for magazine delivery, I opted to visit a few nearby pubs. I obviously started at the Union Tavern (W9 2BA) which is a Fullers owned pub which sits alongside the Grand Union Canal. The pub has recently undergone a refurbishment which has brought out the green tiles on the outside of the pub which were previously covered. The windows and doors have had all the paint peeled off and sanded down. I forgot to take a photo of new outside, so on my next visit I'll take and update this blog.

Once inside the bar is directly in front of you and the keg taps stand out. The taps used to be on the back wall but now stand on the bar in these huge fonts. Above the pump clip is a clear perspex glass which houses the beer. Through this you can see the colour of your beer. I'm not sure how these exactly work though understand the beer visible is pulled through and so is replenished, and goes empty when keg has run dry. I'm assuming the beer is still kept cool as the sun shining through would certainly warm it up. In total there are 12 keg taps and 5 hand pumps. The kegs options on my visit were Pride Unfiltered, Treason West Coast IPA, 21|03, Beatnik, Neck Oil, Frontier, Hepcat, Chiron, Kernel IPA, Crate Cider and Black Cab Stout (One tap was broken). On ales only 4 were on: Pride, Crate Golden, Signature Session and Guardsman. I opted for a pint of Beatnik which came in at £5.60 for a 3.8% beer.

On the left hand side of the pump there is bench seating running under the window with quite a few small tables available. To the right of the entrance there are some high long benches with stools to sit upon. The rest of the floor has either low tables with seats or more bench seats under the windows. The pub is shaped like a U but there is more room to the right. On the right hand side this is also a projector beaming onto the walls the beers currently available and upcoming events. You can if you want, walk down the stairs to the canal-side area where there are lots of picnic benches under a large canopy. During the hot weather this is where everyone disappears to, though having to climb up the stairs to order a round can be off putting.

I headed back towards Westbourne Park station for my next pub the Metropolitan (W11 1AB). The pub is named after the Metropolitan Railway Company who built the adjacent station. Strangely its now owned by Greene King but under their Metropolitan brand. The exterior of the building is amazing with the varying red tiles and the area above painted a blueish grey. The large arched windows at the front are definitely railway like. There is a large pavement area out front, though am not sure if they have permission to put tables out here for use. Stepping inside and you're faced with an horse shoe bar with a wood top and red painted front. The bar has three hand pumps with only two in service offering up Portobello Spring Ale or GK IPA. There is more choice keg wise with Estrella, Hells Unfiltered, London Pilsner, Amstel, Guinness, Aspalls Harry Sparrow, Beyond the Pale, West Coast Pale, Camden Pale and Hop House 13. I keep it sensible and order a half of the West Coast Pale by Redwell which comes in at £2.85. The beer is a straw pale ale with the standard American pale ale taste.

As it's just after lunchtime on a Tuesday I'm not surprised there is only one other person in the pub. On the right of the entrance are a few tables, whilst on the left are some american dinner style seats. There are bar stalls all around the bar, with a few small tables along the wall. The bar does take up majority of space but there is still lots of space between tables and bar to allow for standing and moving. There are tiled walls along with painted walls, and some shelving with inanimate objects. I believe there is a rear patio garden but I didn't explore this.

As this pub tour was unplanned I actually passed my next pub whilst looking for a cash machine, and back tracked to it afterwards. The next stop was the Cow (W2 5QH) which looks quite attractive from the outside, and has a self contained outdoor area which manages to match the pub's decor. Upon entering you are greeted with the colour red from the upholstery on the stools and seats to the lino flooring and even the drip trays.

The pub stretches back much further than you'd expect but becomes narrower the further back you go. At the front the place feels very much like a pub with the stools at the bar, the beer taps and the cushioned bench seating to the right. As you walk down the pub the bar suddenly turns into a kitchen with a fish display and the end part is set as a dinning area with photos on the wall and a fire place in the middle of the rear wall. A sunlight sits above this area providing light in summer and warmth in winter.

On the bar there were 4 hand pumps with only two in action dispensing either Pride of Boltmaker. The keg taps though were more interesting Guinness, Cow Lager (own beer), Pauline, Neck Oil, Hoegaarden, Hogans Cider and De Koninck. I went for the De Konick measure for which the barman said, it comes in this glass and then preceded to pour into a glass with a half pint measure. The head then reaches up might higher into the glass before receding and giving you a measure of maybe 350ml. Unusual measure but an amazing beer, however priced at £5.30!

The pub certainly starts to feel more like a restaurant with mirrors on the ceiling with daily specials written on them. There is some football memorabilia on the walls, but otherwise its either posters or strange murals. There is an upstairs to this pub, though am not sure what is up there, or even if its open for the public. There were only three other people in the pub, all of whom were only drinking. After leaving the pub I did attempt to go to The Westbourne over the road, but this was closed under 5pm.

I decided to walk towards Paddington and stop by the pub where I originally used to collect London Drinkers before it was closed for refurbishment. The Cleveland Arms (W2 6DT) had only just reopened and this could be seen by the workmen still fixing odds and ends, and walls looking like they still required painting or cleaning. The outside of the pub still looked very much the same, though the entrance door had moved to the right. Upon entering there is now a large horseshoe bar rather then a straight bar against the side wall. Not all the taps had pump clips on so I walked around the bar to check. In keg there was Reveller Orchard Pig, Guinness, 11|18, Velveteen, Peroni, Halcyon and Assassin. There were also four hand pumps, though only three were on with Proper Job, Landlord and Jaipur. I went for a pint of Velveteen (£5.50) which was advertised as a milk stout and had a sweet nose bitter taste. It didn't feel so milk stout but it was bloody good. I took my pint and wander to the rear of the pub due to the front only having only table with armchairs by the window which were occupied.

I was completely surprised by the rear of the pub as the room was so much bigger than previously. There are wood panels to the ceiling on some of the walls, with the rest having it till waist height. The decor, photo frames and furniture all blend perfectly in what feels like a study. The flooring throughout is wood and with more light coming into the rear through the new windows. The ceiling in the pub looks wonderful and you can tell time and attention to detail were involved.

There is also a downstairs seating area which is much larger and more open than upstairs, though this appears to be more setup as a dinning area, particularly as this is where the open kitchen is. Overall I would say the pub was managed to keep its important elements, feel more open and larger, even with the bar taking up more space. I can only say that these weren't the plans I understood originally laid down, but it has worked out for the better. The beer variety is still there and hopefully the regulars return.

London Pub Tour 58 - Battersea: Powder Keg Diplomacy, The Beehive, Churchills and The Plough

The sun was shining, the weather was hot and it was Friday, we all know what that calls for, a few beers. I decided to make my way to Clapham Junction, as it's only one stop away from work on the train, and hit the pubs slightly further away from the station on St John's Hill. My first stop was the Powder Keg Diplomacy (SW11 1TQ) which is a Gastro pub decorated in what Whatpub.com describes as a colonial style. The royal blue frontage stands out from the surrounding shops and there were some tables and chairs outside to make the most of the beautiful weather. The front french windows had been opened up to allow more air to flow through the pub. Inside the pub the bar is situated against the right wall. I was greeted and then offered a seat at the front, but opted to stay out of the direct sun and took one of the large bench booths directly opposite the bar. There are about 5 of these booths alongside the bar area, with some more seating in front of the french windows. There were two hands pumps on the bar with the beer names written on tags which were hanging awkwardly, meaning I couldn't see what was on offer. On the back wall were 6 taps which again were hard to see and all looked the same badge. I ended up opting for a bottle as there were visible and easier than having someone run off all the beers and not knowing what I was purchasing. I selected a bottle of Paradise Pale Ale from Redchurch brewery. The beer came in at 3.7% was lightly carbonated, low fruit levels, smooth and gentle on palate. Not bad for first beer after work.

I decided to have a poke around and look at the rear of the pub which has a conservatory setup for their dinning. it does indeed look like something you might have seen in Colonial India, and in the sunlight looked beautiful. The white with dark wood and the green foliage certainly balance nicely. The front of the bar is decorated differently with worn wooden floor boards and hanging filament lamps but retains the dark wood look along with mirrors on lots of the walls. The wooden walls are painted white and there are some paintings opposite the bar which are woodland / forest themed. There were only 5 customers in the bar at this stage, though it was still early doors. The barman brought over a glass of chilled water for me, which came in handy for a bit of hydration. I tried again to look at the beers but gave up and decided to wander down to my next stop, The Beehive (SW11 1TH).

The Beehive is a small Fullers pub, probably one of the smallest I've seen of theirs. Again there was outside seating on the road, with three small tables, and the frontage was also a wonderful blue. Upon walking in you realise both the size and lack of seating/tables. There were two church pews opposite the bar, one high table with seats at the rear and thankfully stalls at the bar. Again the pub wasn't that busy with about 5 people inside, and by the time I had left 7 people outside.

Being a Fullers pub there was of course ale on, and all of it Fullers. There were five hand pumps offering across them Pride (x), Seafarers (x2) and ESB. On the keg front we had Frontier, Sierra, Honey Dew, Peroni, San Miguel, Fosters, Stowford Press and Guinness. Fridge wise there wasn't many options. I opted for a refreshing pint of Stowford Press at £4.95. The card machine was playing up and I ended up paying in cash, though I had withdrawn this cash for the next pub which I knew charge for card purchases, so this was slightly annoying. The Stowford went down a treat as you would expect in this warm weather.

The pub has a traditional pub decor with dark mahogany wood, some bee related prints on walls and the dark wood flooring. Sky and BT are both shown and food is served, though am not sure on the menu. There was a small fire place opposite the bar and also some lights hanging in birdcages. The pub was surprisingly cool inside considering there appeared to be no fans or air conditioning, which I put down to its darker appearance keeping everything cooled.

The Beehive seems a very traditional local pub but as stated wasn't that busy. My next stop the Churchills (SW11 1TQ) though is in every sense of the word a busy local pub. The pub has a distinctive yellow and black frontage. Again the width of the pub is very similar to the Beehive and Powder Keg, though it is far large in length and also houses a patio garden at the rear which was roaring with people. Upon entering the front of the pub was vacant and all the crowd were gather around the bar which is situated more towards the middle of the building. Frustratingly this was just your regulars crowd hanging around the bar drinking and talking, making it impossible to order. It's a slight pet peeve of mine people blocking up the whole bar where there is space elsewhere. I'm all for stalls at bar, but at least keep one section free for people to place orders. After finally managing to squeeze through and get attention I had to place an order greater than £10 to use the card machine, damn you Beehive for not having a working card machine. Due to reasonable pricing I ending up coming away with a pint of Becks (£3.95), a bottle of Courage Light Ale (£2.10), a pack of scratchings (£0.90) and a drink for the barmaid.

I walked further down the pub past the bar and took a seat on one of the side on tables situated against the wall. The seats are enclosed booths with a table and wood/glass partition, and some books in a rack above, very nice. Horse racing was on TV though not many paying attention to it. There was a good mix of men and women, and didn't appear to be your entirely after work crowd. I would say there were about 30 or more people in the pub. The floor is carpeted which helps keeps down any noises and the wallpaper was a patterned red/brown on bottom half and white on top. Fans on the ceiling were running and I noticed a sky light letting in the much needed light halfway down the pub. Like a lot of pubs, the food served is thai food, though I didn't see anyone eating at this time on a Friday. I note I hadn't mentioned the beer options so it's worthwhile mentioning ale is sold here, with three hand pumps which were offering up Golden Hen and GK IPA. Keg wise was small with Guinness, Becks, Stella, 1664 or Fosters.

After finishing my two drinks at Churchills I walked back towards Clapham Junction where my final pub laid in wait. The Plough (SW11 1SY) is a modern pub on a street corner under a new-ish development. Young's have gone for an industrial look with exposed brick walls, wood floor boards, metal pipes showing on ceiling and funky lighting. The pub is very airy and light, with plenty of space. It wasn't very busy with only about 10 people in the pub, the majority of whom were female. There is a large open space in front of the bar, and the bar is quite large. Air conditioning was on, and as there is neither an area outfront or in garden, I could understand why the pub wasn't so busy


On the bar there were 6 hand pumps, with only 4 on, which gave a repeated offering of Young's Bitter or Gold. Keg wise there was Meantime Brewery Fresh Lager (Supplied from the tanks to the side), Founders All Day IPA, London Pale Ale, Peroni, Estrella, Hells, Birra, Guinness, Neck Oil, Four Pure Pils and Waddlegoose Cider, so quite an offering. I went for a pint of the All Day IPA coming in at 4.7% at £5.20 which was okay, but nothing to rave about.

I must say the bar itself, for a modern pub, does look very slick. There are some sofa seats to the left of the entrance, which act as a divider before the dinning area facing the open kitchen. There are the chandeliers and element bulbs hanging down, but most importantly no high tables. There is a DJ booth which looked like was being prepared for later that evening, though it didn't stopped them pipping out quite loud music. Even a foosball table for the lads later on into the night. Though I did note a sign stating they show TV programs on certain days for joint viewing e.g. Game of Thrones, when new episodes are out.

And with that I had finished my pint and started to make my way back home. Four pubs, with two gastro and two local. Each had their own nice internal design whether going modern or traditional, though on this very hot day for some strange reason the customers appeared to be hibernating.

London Pub Tour 57 - St Pancras: O'Neills, Skinners' Arms, Scottish Stores and The Driver

It was time for a night out hitting the pubs in Kings Cross. My first stop was the ubiquitous O'Neills (NW1 2QS). The pub sits opposite British Library and was handy for a meeting point due to not being overly busy. There were tables outside under the canopy, and the entrance to the pub was on the corner. An open space greets you with a raised seating area to the right, the bar on the same level against the back wall, and a scattering of tables (small and large) in between. The floor is a highly polished wood floor with some decorative tiles on the floor. A large wooden barrel is available for resting pints on for those standing. Closer to the bar are high tables whereas the rest of the pub are low tables. A few columns break up the route to the bar. The walls have a grey and white wood panels whilst the higher half is painted dark grey. Clocks on the wall show different cities times.

I made my way to the bar and wasn't surprised to see the ales on offer were Pride, Tribute and Doombar. Keg wise there was Meantime, London Lager, Tiger, Guinness, Hop House 13, Peroni, Heineken and a few more. I went for a pint of London Lager at £5.20. I Managed to grab the last small table halfway between the bar and door. The pub was busy and noisy with a mixed young crowd. After quickly finishing up the beer I made my way to the Skinners Arms (WC1H 9NT).


The Skinners Arms are a Greene King pub just down a side road from Euston Road. The pub entrance is on the corner and leads into a darken pub with a carpet floor. Outside the pub there were some tables which were in full use. As a GK pub there of course hand pumps and yes GK IPA was on one of them. The other pumps offered up Sambrooks Session, TEA, Barnsley Bitter, Watneys Pale and something called plough (no idea).

Keg wise there were a few GK own drinks such as Yardbird, Over Easy and East Coast. Alongside these were the standards such as Guiness, Stella, Becks and the new boy on the screen, Bud Light. As I started on keg I decided to continue, so opted for a pint of Over Easy. The bar was quite busy but again was lucky to find the last available table, from where I was able to have a proper gander at the interior of the pub.

Photo from Skinners Arms Website

The pub has a very high ceiling and up towards the top there are some stained glass windows. Hanging to the side of these stain glass windows are some proper curtains. The bar sits on the side wall with a rai
sed seating area opposite. In front of the raised seating area are some stalls with a ledge for resting pints on. The tables in the pub either have seats or low stalls. The pub has wood panelling till waist height with a traditional looking patterned wallpaper above. Away from the main bar there is a little hidden side area with more tables. The whole colour scheme of the pub certainly makes it feel like an old boozer, and the carpet and wood furniture will keep it warm during the winter months, helped by the open wood fire.

I only stayed for the one before walking down Euston Road just past Kings Cross station to the Scottish Stores (N1 9DU). Unbelievable this was my first time in the Scottish Stores. The pub was quite busy at 9pm with people queuing either side of the island bar. Around the outside of the bar the floor was tiled with the remainder being wood. The main bar area completely wooden, with the colour being quite a light wood. There are partitions around the island bar with stools and tables available in some. There is no art work hanging on the walls and the layout and design feels much like a Sam Smiths. But unlike a Sam Smiths there is more than one choice of ale on. The Scottish Stores have 8 hand pumps, although only 6 were available on this visit. They stock as standard two ales from Ripple Steam Brewery which on this visit were the Best Bitter and Ripple Gold. I went for a pint of the Best Bitter which was lovely and smooth with a white creamy head atop.

The pub has an upstairs roof terrace, which I don't bother trying to find, and an additional room to the side which is more modern. The additional room to the side had more space and served food and also had a blackboard showing all the wines and keg beers available. At this stage seeing the offering of a different variety of Scotch Eggs was too tempting and I opted for a Black Pudding one and a Pork and Chorizo, which went perfectly with my second pint of Ripple Steam Best Bitter. The pub was starting to empty as it was nearly closing time, so doing what every beer person does, I looked up on WhatPub.com to see if there were any pubs still open.
My venture for one more drink led me up to The Driver (N1 9RY). There were only a few bouncers on the outside and upon walking inside the bar area was completely empty. The bar was on the back wall and was L shaped and two hand pumps offering up Box Steam Tunnel Vision and Portobello Star. Keg wise there was San Miguel, Guinness, Poretti, Mahou, Carlsberg, Tuborg, Grimbergen and Somersby Cider. For this last drink I stuck to lager and went for Poretti which I've had previously.

As stated before the bar was deserted and not a sole was to be found. But there was a lot of noise coming from upstairs, and the pub had four floors, so I decided to explore. Sadly all the floors above were for private parties, so the only place I got to explore was the roof top bar. There wasn't much of a view and it was mainly used as a smoking area or to grab some fresh air and a drink quicker. I went back down to the ground floor bar, and sat and relaxed in the quiet-ish environment. The decor of the pub was looking very nice in the dim lighting after quite a few drinks. It had soft sofas, pink pin striped chairs, and the biggest feature a stags head on the wall. I think I might have to revisit here during the daytime and perhaps not after so many drinks, so I can give it a proper review. I realised it was time to call it a night when the missus swung by, and I left without any hesitation.