Beers to note - January 2017

So there were less pub visits in January than a typical month, mainly due to friends being on Dry January or just not going out due to over expenditure in December. Alongside this I didn't drink too many beers outside of the pub. Just to put this into perspective I had a look through my Untappd stats and for last year my average number of drinks a month was 58 (which obviously doesn't take into account measure e.g. halves, 330ml or pints). For January 2017 my drink total was a lowly 39 which did include a few bottles. So below are my beers to note from January 2017.


Santa Paws (BrewDog) - 4.5% | Keg Pint
This was the beer I used to break my New Year duck and ensure I don't follow Dry January. A Christmas beer in January is normally to be avoided after a certain stage by 2nd January is acceptable. I had this beer previously in bottle format but the keg version was far superior as the flavours were more powerful and better aroma. I hope BrewDog have this one out again next year as its definitely one of the seasonable beers I will look for next year.






Organic Cherry Ale (Samuel Smith's) - 5.1% | Bottle 355ml
I didn't even realise this beer was 5% until checking it out for this list. I do like Sam Smith drinks and these fruit beers are no exception. The only problem with them is the high price they always charge, but the beers are always amazing. Cherry has to be one of my favourite as the smell and taste are so perfect, and what I expect from a fruit beer. It's actually quite refreshing to drink, though certainly not sessionable.






Cake Boy Hazelnut Ale (Meantime) - 5.0% | Keg Pint
This beer is from the Pilot Series that Meantime brew and was a special one for the winter period. They have done a fantastic job in capturing that amazing hazelnut taste when sipping the beer, along with some nice malt and chocolaty-ness. This is a beer I would recommend to try but again not something I would consider sessionable.







Hibernate (To øl) - 6.0% | Bottle 330ml
This was one of those beers that you pick up to try and once you open, you wish it was in a bigger bottle or you picked up more. This was a beautiful hoppy wheat beer and I'm not sure what else to say. If you can get your hands on this, do!






Sussex Best Bitter (Harveys) - 4.0% | Cask Pint
This beer is always a beautiful drink, and never disappoints. Harveys brew some wonderful beers but this as a flagship is flawless, and when served in perfect condition in cask cannot be beaten. Easily sessionable.





Old Ale (Harveys) - 4.3% | Cask Pint
Another Harveys beer, and again a great pint served in perfect condition. The beer is dark but light and easy to drink. I haven't tried the bottle version which is a lower ABV of 3.6%, which I'm concerned could impact the flavour, so would suggest sticking with the cask if found. Easily sessionable.







Coconut Porter (Old Hands) - 6.0% | Cask Half
The beer pours dark. There is no real aroma coming off the beer but the taste of the beer is distinctly coconut. The coconut came through and fitted perfectly with the beer. I wouldn't say this was a refreshing pint but I did enjoy the coconut taste which they perfected.

Ægir India Pale Ale (Ægir Bryggeri)  - 6.5%| Can 330ml

I firstly liked the design of the can, which was eye catching. Also the ring pull takes off the whole top half of the can like on a soup can. I admit I did pull a bit too hard and split a little of this precious liquid. It was a nice hoppy pale ale, and one I wouldn't mind trying again, maybe in keg format....a trip to Norway beckons I reckon.

London Pub Tour 17 - Belgravia: Orange, No. 11 Pimlico Road and The Rising Sun

My next London Pub Tour was back in the work grounds. My first stop was The Orange (SW1W 8NE) in Belgravia. This is a pretty building from the outside with its white facade. The main door into the bar is on the corner and is curved, which is a really nice touch. You walk into the small bar area with the bar directly ahead of you. To your left are a few tables for seating, whilst to your right (Which is directly opposite the bar) are a few 2 seater tables. The Orange was a brewhouse, and was one of the new wave of breweries in London, though am not sure when it closed, but think it was probably before my drinking days. The pub is now owner by Cubitt House and also own the Thomas Cubitt nearby. Unlike the Cubitt the orange does feel more open to causal drinkers, hence a bar area, whilst the Thomas Cubitt seems more restaurant like. The Orange has some function rooms upstairs and a hotel, and to the side of the bar is a large dinning area, and I understand that they do quite a good Sunday roast.


The bar area in the Orange is very much sanded down wooden floor boards and bar, therefore a much lighter wood colour. The bar has a large selection of wines and spirits but also does have a few surprises when it comes to beers. They have 3 hand pumps serving up Adnams Lighthouse and two of their house ales, Journeyman and The Cubitt 1788. Both the house ales are made by Canopy Brewery in Herne Hill, which I have been meaning to visit for a while. On keg they offered Amstel, Guinness, London Lager, Peroni and 1664. Alongside this they always serve a rotating Meantime beer, and quite often from the Pilot series, and thankful this visit it was a pilot one. Without hesitation I paid for my pint of Cake Boy Hazelnut Ale. The beer didn't have much aroma to it, but boy did they get that hazelnut taste spot on. A very enjoyable brew which I understand was for the winter season, and it went well on this cold January day.

I'd had both the house ales previously and the pub started to suddenly get busy, mostly with suits, so I left it at the one and moved on. I don't think my next stop qualifies as a pub but nonetheless I shall include it on this blog (and start to work on my definition of a pub going forward). The venue was No 11 Pimlico Road which was just a minutes walk away from the Orange and was much emptier, in the sense of, only bar staff empty. No 11 Pimlico Road is certainly more resturant than pub, but it could even fall under the classification of gastro pub. There were plenty of tables, some reserved, with mismatched chairs. There was some comfy seating as well thrown in for a good mix. The venue is large and upon walking in and stating your just here for drinks, you can walk straight to the bar. There are bar stools available, and you may also sit at the table if you wish, but I decided to remain at the bar.

There was only one hand pump on and this was serving Redemption Pale Ale. Considering it was still early January and this place probably hadn't been busy, I assumed the ale wouldn't be in good condition and gave it a miss. On tap we had Kozel, Goose Island IPA, Pilsner Urquell, Peroni, Becks, Guinness and Franziskaner, which is quite a good varied selection. Looking in the fridge I seen a very small bottle selection of 3 craft, 3 standard and 2 ciders, but the craft beers caught my eye. I selected a bottle of Wu Gang Chops The Trees by Pressure Drop. I really liked the bottle design, though didn't realise until pouring that it was a Hefeweizen. The beer was okay for a Hefeweizen, being light and wheaty though there was a lot of herb flavours coming through which was unexpected, but turns out that was the style. I guess this would match well with food, but on its own towards the end part of the bottle it was slightly less enjoyable. As this beer was only 3.8% and 330ml, and the bottle selection was small, I stayed for another bottle but of a different beer. This time I selected Pale X No. 2 by Howling Hops which was a much higher  5.2%. Both in aroma and taste there was a wonderful citrus taste, which wasn't overpowering. It was a fresh and balanced beer.

No 11 Pimlico Road

Two more guys had come in and taken seats at the bar ordering the Goose IPA but otherwise the venue was still deserted. Rather than try the 3rd bottle beer (which I really can't remember the name of) I moved on round the corner to the Rising Sun (SW1W 8PZ), a large Young's pub situated on a main road, which isn't too busy. I assume their main custom in previous years would have been soldiers situated at Chelsea Barracks. Their main custom still comes from Chelsea Barracks, but now it's the builders. There is some seating outside on the main road, and a small patio out back as well. Inside the pub is spacious with plenty of seating. Upon walking in the bar is straight ahead of you. To both your left and right are seating areas of equal size, and straight ahead behind the bar is an additional seating area which also doubles up as a function area and can be partitioned off.

Inside Rising Sun

The ale selection was a choice between Young's Bitter or Christmas Ale. On the keg front there was Foster's, Amstel, Estrella, Peroni, Three Hop, Coast to Coast, London IPA, Heineken and London Lager. I selected a pint of Meantime's London Lager at £5.75, and also a portion of Pork Scratchings from the jar. The bar man topped up my pint without asking, which is also good pub etiquette. The pub had wood flooring all the way around and all the walls paneling to waist height. There were some modern art photos on the wall, along with some historical vanity fair framed pages. The pub is cosy and very much a traditional boozer, but I suspect that once the development is complete and the workers go, then they might invest in making this more up market and gastro to attract the new residents and workers nearby.