Beers to note - February 2017

I'm a bit late in posting this as I had the in-laws over for two weeks which meant I haven't had time to write up. In February I managed to sample 51 different beers. Some were good (Which will be listed below) whilst others were not to my taste. One beer in particular that I had bought and was expecting good things from but which turned out to be the first beer in ages I was unable to complete and pour away was Flat White from ABC. I honestly tried to drink the beer but it was just tasting like coffee and wasn't enjoyable, and I struggled, even with it only being 330ml from a can. Thankfully I enjoyed the below beers a bit more, but we all have different tastes so I've no doubt others will have found the Flat White right up their street.


Brugse Zot (De Halve Maan) - 6.0% | Bottle 330ml
After a hard days work this was a nice beer to tuck into. It was a nice straw colour and have a fruity aroma and taste. At 6.0% though I'm leaving the other bottle for another time.




Bengal Lancer (Fullers) - 5.0% | Cask Pint
Lancer is one of my favourite Fullers ale. It's not too hoppy and has a nice malt flavour coming through. Although I believe its no longer a seasonal, I normally only see it on cask in the winter period. The bottle version though is readily available in London and comes in at a higher 5.3% ABV.






Davy's Old Wallops (Charles Wells) - 4.2% | Cask Pint
This was in my December beers to note and it's back here again. The beer was once again in fine form and easy to sup. It was made all the more enjoyable by the basement setting and the metal pewter it was served in.

Malt Brown (Harveys) - 4.8% | Keg Pint
My first Harveys keg beer and I was very impressed. This brown ale had the right sweeteness balance to it and went down a treat. I didn't realise it was coming in at 4.8% but I certainly think you could have a few of these in a night.







Chimay Blue Grande Reserve (Bieres de Chimay) - 9.0% | Bottle 330ml
I do like the Chimay beers and this was certainly a good one. Yes you can feel the percentage but it's not a burning or over powering taste. This one was so enjoyable I actually had another after, which I would suggest is not a good choice if the wife is expecting you home by a certain time.



Hertford Castle (McMullens) - 5.0% | Bottle 500ml
This is the first McMullen's beer I've had in a while that I could drink all night. I like McMullen's but have gone off their beer as the taste is just not right. This bottle version of Hertford Castle though was spot on. It was a nice sweet Pale Ale. I hope I can come across this on Cask soon.





Scrum Down (Sambrook's) - 4.0% | Cask Pint
A very decent Irish red ale from Sambrook's. It may be seasonal for the rugby but it had a nice sweetness to it with no bitterness. The only thing letting it down was the head retention but that could be more pub specific than brew related.






Little Tenderness (The Little Beer Corporation) - 5.4% | Keg Pint
First time I've come across this brewery. Beer had a roasted dark malty beer taste to it even though an amber. Slightly Smokey as well. Nice and different.











Barbarossa (Ilkley) - 5.0% | Keg Half Pint
Another red ale in the list. This one used Australian and New Zealand hops, but for me there wasn't a massive hop hit (Which is a good thing) and everything was nicely balanced.

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.

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 19 - Wandsworth: Cat's Back and The Ship

Heading south of the river again and this time to Young's Territory, I arrived at Wandsworth Town station. My first stop though was not a Young's pub, and wasn't near the station either, but was one I wished to visit again as part of my London Pub Tour. I made my way about 15 minutes following part of the Thames path to the Cat's Back (SW18 1NN) which is halfway between Wandsworth and Putney, and situated right near one of those new Thames developments.

Sadly I never made it to the Cat's back under the previous owners when there were interesting tit-bits all over the pub, but since 2012 this pub has been owned by Harveys, and is one of only three in London. When I arrived outside the pub, I could see one of the workers outside cropping up wood for the fire. Upon entering the pub the bar is directly in front, to the right and left are tables with seating. On the right at the end of the bar is the open fire, which the worker was tending to. To the left in the corner facing towards the road is a piano, which had a sweet machine atop. The pub has vinyl wall paper on the bottom half of the wall, whilst the top half is either a plain colour or pattern paper. The flooring is wooden block flooring.

There were about as many customers as staff when I walked in and it remained that way for my visit. On tap at the bar there was Guinness, Peroni, Thatchers, Blue Moon and Staropramen. But I wasn't here for the keg stuff, I was here for the cask. There were 5 taps, though one was separate from the other bank of 4, and may have just been a prop. Only the bank of 4 had ales on offering up Sussex Best Bitter, Old Ale, IPA and Wild Hop. I of course started with a pint of the excellent Sussex Best Bitter and it did not disappoint. The body, mouth feel and flavour were all on spot, and made even better sitting opposite a nice crackling open fire.

Harveys is a brewery whose beer I always enjoy, but sadly don't have often enough. My last pint of Harveys was at the GBBF in summer last year, and it was their monsterous Imperial Stout, which likewise is an amazing beer. I was hoping they might have sold bottles at this pub, so I could take a few away, but alas no. After finishing up my lovely pint of Best I thought I'd give Wild Hop a try. Unfortunately this was just out, and so I selected Old Ale instead. The ABV on this is slightly higher at 4.3% and the price was 20p more at £4.20, though still a great price for London. This was a dark beer that was still light and smooth to drink. Not as good as the best, but certainly a well made beer. As I sat down and supped my pint I noticed an extra bit of furniture, the large old suitcase on top of the bar, which I thought a strange addition to the pub, and wonder if it was a nod to the Cat of old.

After finishing up my pint I made my way back along the Thames path towards Wandsworth to The Ship (SW18 1TB). This is a Young's riverside pub, that was at one stage the closest pub to where I lived. Unlike some of the other Young's along the river here, this one is an old pub that has stood here for over 200 years. The outside has a raised decking area with seating, providing a wonderful river spot in the good weather. To accompany this there is an outside bar at busy times, and a burger shake. But as we know this is January, and the outside was empty and everyone was inside.

There are two parts to the pub. I entered via the smaller part of the pub where you see the final tip of the large horse shoe bar. There was one person on this side, and though I normally enjoy sitting here I opted to walk through to the main bar area. Walking through to the main bar, you actually leave the old original pub building and enter a large conservatory. It has all been tastefully built and when the rain is pouring down outside, its a good place to wile away the time. There are a number of function rooms in the pub, in the original building. Connected to the extension is a private dinning area serving up a different menu to the rest of the pub. There was a very nice fire light in the middle of the extension, that added a bit more to the feel of the pub.

On tap there was the usual Young's selection of Estrella, London IPA and Camden Pale, but there was also the addition of London Lager Brewery Fresh and Camden Hells Unfiltered. On Cask they were serving up Pure Gold, Special, Bitter, Winter Warmer, Pump House and Broadside. But I had already been taken by the Camden Hells Unfiltered. To be honest, the pint came out looking very clear and couldn't tell much difference between this and the filtered Hells. Also following on from the two lovely Harveys pints, I don't think this drink stood a chance. I took a seat, though it was had to find one what with the pub being practically empty, yet every table having a reserved sign for people who were due (and even overdue) within the next 30mins.

I think the Ship is a nice pub, and it just depends on the day and the crowd you get. Similarly with the Alma nearby, which I hope to cover in a London Pub Tour, along with some of the other Wandsworth pubs in the next month. So for today it was just the two pubs, but it was all for the Harveys anyways.