London Pub Tour 39 - Victoria: The Beer House, The Shakespeare and Sloe

The Beer House(SW1V 1JU) in Victoria station is directly opposite platforms 1-5. There is a small 'outdoor' area, by which I mean there are some tables outside the front of the pub but which are underneath the roof of the station. As you enter the bar is on the left wall and stretches down to the staircase at the far end. Directly opposite the bar are some high bench tables. Towards the rear there are some low tables. There is an upstairs to this pub which is like a mezzanine , offering a view over the balcony at the front of the bar and out into the station. The floor of the pub is wood effect lino, with the walls a dark cream wood colour with some areas of exposed brick walls. There are some TVs in the pub which were all showing Sky News. The pub wasn't busy for a Saturday afternoon with about 20 people inside and out.

As this is a Greene King pub there were three hand pumps which were all offering up GK beers (Speckled Hen, IPA and GK House selling as Beer House). The tap front is more varied offering up the usual suspects (Amstel, Guinness, Peroni, Stella) alongside Yakima Red, Schiehallion, Affligem and Pilsner Urquell. I ended up purchasing a pint of Yakima Red for £5.85. The beer was okay but I feel it tastes better in bottle format. Being in the station the pub is sometimes frequented by underage pigeons which appear to have learn their lesson now.

I made my out of the train station (just) to the bus station area and into the Shakespeare (SW1W 0RP). The Shakespeare is a large corner pub with entrances on the main road and bus station. The pub was a Taylor Walker, now Greene King, and as such has a slightly neglected look. Entering from the bus station you come into a lower floor dining area. Taking a step up takes you into the main pub area and directly to the bar which runs along this back wall. The rest of the pub is to your left with a large mix of high and low tables scattered around and between wall posts. The pub has a vinyl white ceiling wall paper, the floor is wooden and the walls are the standard Taylor Walker mismatch of fake wood panels and pattern wall paper. The pub seems to be quite a catch for tourists unlike the other station pubs and they seemed to make up the majority of customers today.

I wasn't planning to go for an ale due to not being a GK fan but the choice was made all the more easier by only 1 of the 4 hand pumps being on (and it was Speckled Hen). On the keg front there was Fosters, Stella, Guinness, Heineken, 1664, Peroni, Truman's Pale, Blue Moon, Wimbledon's Brave and Sambrook's Pale Ale. I decided to look at the bottles and see if there was anything worthwhile and noticed the bottles they seem to be promoting in all the Greene King pubs. The bottle beers are by Craft Academy, which is run by Greene King. The bottles have a terrible plastic wrap around them do they stand out with bright colours. I picked up a bottle of Bitter Sweet which cost £5.90 for only 330ml. Nowhere on the bottle does it state Greene King, so they appear to be deliberately hiding their name. The beer was a 6% black IPA, which surprisingly tasted less Greene King than their normal beers. There wasn't much of an after taste but the beer was enjoyable.

After easily finishing off the bottle I made my way back into Victoria station and down to platform 16-19 area where my final stop of the day was. Sloe (SW1W 9SJ) is your original typical station pub where people will stop for a swift one or two, or pop in if there is a delay. No ales are served here and the bottle selection is just sol or cider. The beers on tap are Fosters, Stella, Heineken, London Pale Ale, Peroni, Amstel and Guinness. At the front of the pub are some low tables with soft seating armchairs. As you progress in you reach the bar area where opposite are two high tables with seating. Then at the rear of the pub running along the back wall is a long cushion seating with around 5 or 6 tables and chairs.

The bar was actually empty of this visit as the rugby had now kicked off and Sloe doesn't have any TV screens. Apart from the two barmaids, I was the only one in the pub. Almost all the beer taps were off due to having a busy Friday the night before so my choice was made for me and I went for a Stella. The pub is quite dark as no natural light is able to enter due to its location inside the station. Their beer cellar is in the door marked 'the engine room' and is small, perhaps another reason they were low on beer. The staff though used this as an opportunity to clean the lines, which is good to see being done. The pub is normally quite relaxing and easy to read a newspaper or book in, and today was more so due to no customers. I only stayed for the one and nobody else entered in that time, though the Foster's did come back on, but I wasn't tempted.

London Pub Tour 38 - Pimlico: White Swan and Morpeth Arms

It was Paddy's day I decided to keep it local to work and visit two nearby pubs that I knew wouldn't be overly busy. My first port of call was The White Swan () a Greene King pub near to Pimlico station. The pub is on a corner street with the front facing the main road and the side facing into a cul de sac. The front door on the corner had been decorated with a red telephone box poster (no idea why). There was a green mat on the floor leading all the way to the bar past many multi colour balloons that were up. I assuming this was their attempt at St. Patrick's Day though non green balloons and union jack flags with a small green walkway doesn't quite scream St. Patrick's Day.

There are lots of low tables and seats in the pub at the front and rear. There are two raised seating areas, one at each end of the pub, which are carpeted. There is sofa seating along one of the side walls. There are no stools at the bar. The pub is quite dark and not much light gets in normally, but with flags and balloons it felt much darker, and wasn't helped by the lights seemingly dimmed to the level that their practically off. The pub was busy but not rammed however, it did take a while to order at the bar due to only two bar staff working. On the bar there were 10 hand pumps which were in two separate blocks of 5. Both sets sold the same ales which were IPA, Little Haka, Belhaven Grand Slam, London Glory and 1730. The keg offering included Stella, Spartzan, Heineken, Over Easy, Fosters, Amstel, Peroni, 1664 and Hells. After quite a wait I went for a pint of Little Haka which was by the Little Brewing Corp. This was the second beer of theirs I had, with the first being a keg beer, and I wasn't disappointed. The beer was only 3.5% but as it used New Zealand hops it had an amazing smell on the nose, and this comes through in the light, sweet and bitter taste. This was certainly a session beer to enjoy a night on.

I opted to move on to my next pub Morpeth Arm (SW1P 4RW) a Young's pub right near the Thames. The pub lies on a busy main road that runs along the Thames and unfortunately its on the wrong side so as no river side views. The pub itself looks very nice from the outside with the white rendering matching the local building style. I entered the pub through the main corner entrance behind the outside gates and benches. The bar is then diagonally across from you in the next corner in a rounded L shape. The pub was busy and there was standing room only left. Generally there isn't much seating in the pub with the front area holding about 8 to 10 tables which were all taken. The side space of the pub beside the bar is mainly standing due to being a narrow space and the route to the toilets.

The pub had five hand pumps, all on, offering up Young's Special, Gold and Bitter, Grandstand and Hop Stuff's Fusilier. The keg beers included London IPA, London Lager, Hells, 1664, Guinness, Peroni, Fosters, Estrella and Aspall's. There was a very good selection of bottle beers from London breweries including Mondo and Yeastie Boys, alongside the Well's beers such as Banana Bread Beer, Double Chocolate Stout and Sticky Toffee. I spotted a bottle of Digital IPA by Yeastie Boys and immediately opted for this. I couldn't believe my luck that I had selected another New Zealand hopped beer which had that same amazing sweetness and beautiful aroma, but this also had an excellent hop kick to it. As the bottle was only 330ml it went down quite easily and I added on a half of the Hop Stuff Fusilier from cask. Sadly this was quite a gritty bitter and wasn't to my taste.

The Morepth Arms like most of the Young's estate have re-branded their sign outside to be focused on the first letter in the pub name, and have relevant symbols then included to build up the letter. I'm not a massive fan of this style by Young's but it's certainly different and stands out from other signs, currently. Surprisingly for Young's the pub interior is carpet with red walls. There is a downstairs cellar area which can be hired for private parties or dinning at Christmas. Within the pub they actually have a screen showing the CCTV from the cellar as it's rumoured that a ghost walks the cellar. Although this is a much smaller pub than the White Swan and it was just as busy, the bar service was excellent and queuing was kept to a minimum. But that's what happens when you have 3 to 4 bar staff on a St Paddy's day.

I called it quits for the pub tour here as I had elsewhere to head to meet mates for a few Guinness, as tradition requires.

London Pub Tour 37 - Victoria: Cask and Glass, The Colonies and Phoenix

Photo by Ewan Munro

So it's back to the Victoria area again where they're still plenty of pubs between the station and Westminster that I need to survey. My first port of call today was the Cask and Glass (SW1 5HN) which is close to St James's Station and Buckingham Palace. This pub is a Shep Neame pub on a street corner behind a small restaurant/shopping area in Victoria. The pub itself is tiny inside with the majority of the space being the large footpath outside which provides space for the drinkers to stand. As you walk in through the door the small bar is directly in front of you. To you left the pub becomes even more narrow and has soft cushion seating for about 6 people. To the right there is more seating but still probably a stretch at 15 people and some room for people to stand just to the side of the bar. Once you have 20 people in this pub it can be considered packed. The pub interior is dark wood with a carpet floor. The walls are filled with portraits and pictures and higher up the wall there are old Shep Neame Bottles and merchandise.

As a Shep Neame the lagers on offer were Guinness, Asahi, Oranjeboom, Whitstable  Bay Blonde and an Symonds Cider. There were 4 four hand pumps offering Whitstable Bay Pale Ale, Master Brew, Spitfire and Hog Island. I hadn't come across Hog Island before so opted for a pint of that. Hog Island is brewed by No. 18 Yard Brewhouse which is a subsidiary of Shep Neame. This seems to be a common theme now with big breweries opening up small brewhouses without any mention of them name attached. The pint had a good lacing but didn't taste anything like an American Pale Ale as advertised and more like a British one. As the pub wasn't busy I was easily able to grab one of the cushioned sofa seats and there were 4 older guys just down the other side drinking. This pub is very much a fair weather pub and as the sun had gone in and it's wasn't looking like it would be busy. This is a nice pub to visit when it's not too busy, so generally between lunch and after work or on a bad weather day early in the week.

As I finished my pint the pub did start to become slightly busier and as expected it was because the sun had started to reappear. I left the pub and walked mere metres down the road to my next stop The Colonies (SW1E 6PR). This is again a Taylor Walker pub which had completed its conversion to a Greene King. The pub is suited in the middle of a street with housing either side, but unfortunately due to development the building to the side had been knocked down and was now a building site. This has an impact on the pub as the rear of the pub is a large tarmac space with lots of benches which connnects onto the road behind. The sun normally shines through but due to the building site, the sun was blocked. I can only assume it won't be long before they consider selling off part of this rear space as it is quite large. To give an idea, the length outside is actually larger outside than the pub inside.

Upon entering the pub the bar is to your right, and you might need to navigate any crowds that gather at the tables by the front door. The pub was very busy with what looked a work function. I'm assuming the work function had started a few hours back as the people seemed quite merry at this time and were already ordering shorts. The bar stretches along the side wall and had 5 hand pumps, of which only three were on offering Boltmaker, IPA and 1730. On the keg front there was Aspalls, Becks, Fosters and Guinness. I bought a pint of Boltmaker and packet of crisps and made my way back through the work party and up the steps onto the raised seating area to go out the back door. I easily found a table and sat and drank my pint whilst watching the elder barmaids looking at a bench near the rear end on which school kids were gathering. The due went over to the bench to ID all the kids who were from a local 6th form. Any without ID were told they were unable to stay on the premises and made to leave. It made for enjoyable viewing particularly attempting to guess which seemed underage and shocked at ones that supposedly weren't.

It started to get cold so I walked inside to finish the last part of my pint and return my glass to the bar. I then walk back past the Cask & Glass which was now rammed and the pavement outside full of bodies. I made my way a few hundred metres towards Buckingham Palace but stopping shy at the Phoenix (SW1E 5JA) which is at the rear of Victoria Shopping area. The Phoenix is a large pub run by Young's under their Geronimo's brand. The work crowds were in here as well and all the tables were taken. The pub was very spacious though with some semi circle booth seating on one wall and large tables along the other wall. It was busier than the colonies but as more open plan it feels more spacious. The bar is against the back wall in the far corner as you enter from the front. There were four hand pumps dishing out Doombar, Grandstand and Young's Bitter with the final pump being off. The keg offering included the likes of Estrella, Amstel, Heineken, Peroni, Guinness, London IPA, Hells, Camden Pale and Flatiron.

I selected a pint of Flatiron Red, which I've had before, but couldn't quite remember whether I liked it. The beer was okay, nothing special and I managed to drink it. There is a small outside patio area in the pub which was filled with smokers so I ended up staying inside standing near a post in the pub. The TV was on showing The Chase but with the sound off and music playing but the noise volume was quite high in hear and you couldn't properly hear the music because of this. The pub was decorated with green wood panelling and the area above was painted white. The floor was the standard wood flooring and the tables also wood. This was very much the textbook equivalent of a gastro pub. I even seen the bar staff walk out to table which already had a group sat on it and place down a reserved card for an hour's time, poor show indeed. I finished off my pint, used the facilities and made my way back out in the quieter London rush hour to head homeward.

London Pub Tour 36 - Heathrow: Three Bells and Five Tuns

So on this London Pub tour I've covering two of the landside pubs I visited in Heathrow. The first I visited was the Three Bells (TW6 1AD - T3) back near the middle of November last year. I had popped down to wave off some of the other half's family though they were heading in different directions and had different flight times. So in between the two flights we stopped off at the Three Bells for food and a drink. the pub itself feels quite hidden upstairs in T3 as it's right down the far end from security near the toilets. The pub itself looked very gastro from the outside and this should have been expected considering it was a Geronimo (aka Youngs). Through the large entrance opening (no doors) you can see a large horse shoe bar. on the right of the entrance is a soft seating area with a carpet floor, bookcases, flowers and an open fire. This is a very cosy seating area and as it's away from the main noise of the airport is good to relax. The whole pub has a vintage rustic look, with bookcases or wall features separating areas. The remainder of the pub is normal low or high tables with plenty of space between tables for all the bags.

The pub wasn't too busy and there were plenty of tables and sofas available. As I was eating a low table was justified. The food menu was quite limited and I ended up going for the buttermilk chicken burger. The beer selection was okay for an airport pub offering three hand pumps which at the time were Young's Bitter, Doombar and Bombardier. On keg there was Fosters, Guinness, Becks Vier, Aspalls Suffolk, Peroni, London Lager, London IPA, Camden Hells, Camden Pale and Heineken. I opted for a pint of Young's London IPA which I've found hit and miss with my tastes over time. Sadly this time it was more of a miss and it wasn't so refreshing as the last time I had it, nor did it suit the food so well. We received table service the whole time we were there and the service was faultless. There wasn't a long waiting time to receive the drinks or the food. I could certainly see myself perhaps opting to have a few bevs in here before boarding my flight rather than on the usually more chaotic departure side pubs. My phone was low and there were plenty of charging slots all around the pub, including multiple charging points on all the high tables.

My next visit to Heathrow dropping off family occurred in March and this time at Terminal 5. This was my first visit to Terminal 5 and as a piece of architecture it was beautiful but for landside shops it certainly was bare. Thankfully there was a pub the Five Tuns (TW6 2GA - T5) which so happened to be a Geronimo's. This pub was on the main concourse just a short walk from the security gates but there wasn't much passing traffic and T5 felt quiet. The pub again had a large open front but was a smaller pub than the Three Bells. The pub also lacked the more comfortable seating area that was in the Three Bells. A large horse show bar was straight ahead in the middle with bar stools available. Low tables were on both sides of the bar offering plenty of seating for diners. The tables were closer together and this was due to an area at the front being reserved for bag storage.

The service here wasn't as great and it took a while for drinks to be delivered and having to chase for items missed. I opted for the fish and chips though regretted that choice as I've realised I'm not a huge battered fried fish guy any more. Someone ordered the pie which look very small and more pastry than filling. The pub offered a similar range of beers on keg which included Amstel, Peroni, Guinness, London Lager, Heineken and Aspalls Suffolk. There were only two ales on which were a choice of Doombar or Young's Bitter. I opted for a pint of the Meantime Lager which went down very nicely on this hot day. After finishing my drink I did order another but this time from the bottle selection and as I was seeing off my other half's family I opted for Erdinger Alkoholfrei. As a 0% beer it was quite tasty but obviously lacking in the alcohol taste you would get from the regular Erdinger. When about half way through the beer I just so happened to turn around the bottle and notice the expiry date on the back which stated October 2012! The beer was 5 bloody years past its best before. I informed the waitress that the beer stated it was well past it's best before although it didn't taste off to me at all. She checked and confirmed the rest were past their best before as well so I'm guessing they hadn't sold any of these since opened the pub. I got it taken off the bill but did finish the rest of the beer as it didn't taste skunked at all.

So two different terminals with landside pubs run by the same company but two totally different experiences. The Three Bells was enjoyable and relaxing whilst the Five Tuns was, well poorly run. Lessons to note are at Terminal 5 head straight through to the air side pubs.

London Pub Tour 35 - Chelsea: World's End Market, Sporting Page and Kings Arms

So it was time to head back to Chelsea and visit some more of their pubs. My first stop was the World's End Market (SW10 0LR) which is on the main road next to the estate named after the pub, World's End Estate. I've passed this grand building many times which stands out from its surroundings. The pub is grand and stretches upwards with the distinctive red brick design you see in Sloane Square and Victoria. The entrance to the pub is round the side and I easily found this due to two guys walking out for a ciggie. The bar is a few steps in front of you upon walking in and is quite small. There are bar stalls around this small bar, which is where the only customers were all sat. It was at this stage I realised that the pub had become a gastro pub and beyond the bar area was lots of tables entirely for the restaurant. An open kitchen was at the rear with an ice display which sea food would be placed on soon. There was nobody eating in the restaurant and only six people drinking in the bar area. Although mainly a restaurant you can just sit and have drinks, which is exactly what I done, though I did fail at the first hurdle as although they had 5 brass beer taps, none of them had any names that I could visible notice. I asked the barmaid what was on offer and struggled as she quickly said 5 beer names back to back. I could make out Spitfire but didn't fancy that so just ordered the blonde. I believe all the beers were Shep Neame and this distinctly tasted like Whitstable Bay Blonde, but I can't guarantee that.

I grabbed a bar stall and sat at the bar with the others and gazed around the pub. On one wall they had a fishmonger and butcher mural. The rest of the walls had clean white tiles from ceiling to floor. On the floor along the bar there were black and white tiles whilst the remainder of the floor was wooded. There was a comfy looking green sofa all along the outside walls, and from the ceiling hung copper plated lights. The whole decor of the building was beautifully done it's just this no longer felt like a pub. My stay in this venue was short, and made all the more shorter by the man in the glasses seated at the far end of the bar giving me a dead eye stare the whole time. His eyes never seemed to come off me, which just made me feel creeped out and uncomfortable. I quickly drained my pint and left.

I walked through the back streets of Chelsea praying my next stop would be more pub like and welcoming. My next stop was the Sporting Page (SW10 0BH) which I knew showed sport not just because of its name, but as someone I know pops in here. I imagined more a back street boozer than what I was actually graced with. The outside of the pub is painted in a grey charcoal colour and there were some tables outside which were full of drinkers (hence why my picture is side on rather than front on). The outside has gas heaters which is why it was popular. The front entrance doors into the pub are different in that they're coming out towards the street in a V. Upon walking into the pub the bar is straight away and runs all the way down to the side wall on the left. There are a few tables in this space and some stalls at the far end. The majority of the seating though in the pub is off to the right where it's slightly more open. There was a large chalk board on one wall advertising the ales on now and coming soon. There were 6 hand pumps with only three on offering up a choice of Wandle, Junction or Coaster. The coming soons were Twickenham's Naked Ladies and Truman's Swift and Runner. On the bar there was a selection of lagers including Amstel, Estrella, Guinness, Camden Hells, Camden Pale, Neck Oil and Gamma Ray. There was also a Moment of Clarity from Siren which is what I went through.

The Moment of Clarity cost £7.60 which I felt was very steep for a below 5% beer. The beer was enjoyable and I would order again, though perhaps not here. I went to find a table to drink my beer but noted that all had reserved signs, which is something I dislike in pubs. They did however at least have a time on the reserved signs, so I sat on one of the tables which gave me an hour, if required. I looked around the pub in more detail now I was sat down and realised that the bar was actually painted in a dark colour and had tiles on the back bar. Over in the far right hand corner there was a small area hidden around the corner, though I never seen/checked how big it was. On the walls there were some fake bookcase wall papers which I never understand why pubs use. Though across all the other walls were paintings and memorabilia from Horse Racing, Tennis and other sports. This was a really nice cosy pub and I would certainly return though perhaps try a more mainstream beer or perhaps ale. I did note that they had a nice selection of craft beers from both local and America, though I might steer clear of those.

I finished up my pint and left to head north to the main road for my final stop the King's Arms (SW10 9PN). The outside of the pub immediately stood out with its light wood. Walking into the pub and the place stretches back quite a bit and is nice and wide and airy. The bar is straight ahead against the side wall and stretches back the majority of the way. This is a Young's pub though they on their 3 hand pumps they offered Grandstand, Ghost Ship and Young's Bitter.On the keg front there was Chelsea Blonde, Beyond the Pale, Guinness, Yakima Red, Hiver Honey Beer, Amstel and Peroni. I went for a pint of Beyond the Pale by the London Beer Factory. The beer was a nice pale ale that I drank but I'm not sure would hunt out again.

All the tables were taken so I found a space out of the way at the of the bar to stand and drink. The clientele were all young though mainly sitting solo at tables. The interior of the pub was beautiful which tiles on one side and exposed brick on the other. There was a sky light at the rear letting in more natural light from above. There was a red leather sofa running along the exposed brick wall.

I sadly didn't stay too long as I had to make my journey home from Fulham Road and could rather have done with a seat than standing. I did thoroughly enjoy my pub tour today for the decor of all the pubs I visited which were all different but beautifully done. It doesn't surprise me that this three pubs were in Chelsea as that is where customers have money, so the pubs have done themselves up to compete with the restaurants.

London Pub Tour 34 - King's Cross: The Fellow and Bar + Block Steakhouse

I was back in King's cross and decided to pay a visit to a pub I'd never been before and in the process also visiting a bar directly across the road. So my first intended port of call was The Fellow (N1 9AA). It was later in the evening and the place was quite busy. The pub is just down the side of Kings Cross station near platform 1 and around the new developments. The pub looks quite grand on the street corner and well maintained. The pub is a gastro pub and was filled with young professional people, and majority female. It was busy but I did still manage to grab a small table by the window. The music was playing quite loud, but I'm guessing this was due to the time of the night (about 9pm). The floor was wood and the walls also had very worn wood on them. The outside wall had sofa seating all the way along it, with tables and chairs opposite. The pub was large and the bar itself was quite sizeable. On tap there were three hand pumps but only two were on offering up Doombar or Wild Goose. On tap there was Amstel, Longhorn, Freedom Four, IPA Unfiltered, Camden Pale and Pale Unfiltered, Guinness, Birra and Symonds Cider.

I opted for a pint of the Freedom Four and retreated back to my table for both a chat and to have a better look at the pub. The pub has been done up well and certainly looks pleasing to the eye, though the music was now beginning to annoy as to chat involved shouting. The beer Freedom Four from Freedom Brewery was ok, nothing much stood out from it. It was at this stage I wanted to move on to another pub, but the venue across the road had caught my eye. It wasn't appearing in my searches as a pub but they had a bar and it didn't look so busy/noisy. So I finished up my pint and went across to what was the Bar + Block Steakhouse.

As expected there was no loud music playing, there was also no queue at the bar and plenty of seating. This bar-restaurant was very large offering up american diner style seating to all customers. The resturant was in the rear and the front was bar only. The bar was large and spacious and we weren't the only customers in there. There were no ales on offer but there were taps offering Guinness, Becks, San Miguel and Meantime Lager and Pale Ale. I skipped choosing a tap beer and instead selected a bottle I hadn't seen before which was Pacifico Clara by Modelo. This was a very sweet beer, with the style of Mexican Pilsner.

I only had the one drink here as time was moving on and I needed to get home, and this was just a short stop. Now I've included this place in my pub tours blog although rightly I know it's not a pub, but thought I would include for completeness sake, otherwise it would have just been a short blog on one noisy pub. I've also decided to include some pictures I took of the place below. I haven't eaten there so unable to confirm if the food is any good, nor the price.

Beers to note - March 2017

I'm still playing catch up due to losing the first two weeks of March for write ups, though am now into my March write ups, and hoping to keep up the good post rate. During March I managed to sample 69 beers with 39 of these being 'new' to me (56%). These beers were consumed in 44 different locations, mainly pubs, of these 21 were 'new' to me. I'm using the term 'new' as I'm basing the data on Untappd data which I only started using about 18 months ago. So although I may have had a beer or visited a pub before, I'm considering it 'new' if it was before 18 months.

Of those 69 beers I had in March the below are the ones that stood out most for me:


Guinness Rye Pale Ale (Guinness) - 5.0% | Bottle 500ml
I think I remember the press release about the newest beer in the Brewer's Project from Guinness but had put it to back of mind and not thought of locating it. I happened to be in Morrisons looks for a bottle of Draught Guinness Original when my attention was brought to the Rye Pale Ale. I picked it up without hesitation (along with the Guinness Original). The beer tasted good, as it was both light but spicy. The beer tasted miles better than their Hop House 13 and is definitely competing with the West Indies Porter. I can't wait to taste the next in the series as they've tended to be quite good.



Honkers Ale (Goose Island) - 4.3% | Bottle 355ml
I've seen this a few times in pubs but never gone for it as I'm not a massive fan of Goose Island IPA. Well I was certainly surprised by this beer, firstly with it being a bitter and secondly tasting so amazing. Such a shame this was only 355ml as I could have done with a 500ml version.






Dave (Great Heck) - 3.8% | Cask Pint
I didn't have great expectations for this beer as the venue itself wasn't that great and it was served in a doombar glass. But the beer shone through the venue and delivered its wonderful malty taste. And at 3.8% can easily be sessioned.






Moment of Clarity (Siren) - 4.7% | Keg Pint
The price I had for this abv beer seemed quite high but it was worth the money in the taste it delivered. The beer was slightly hazy but came through with a tropical fruit taste and the hops. Not a session beer, particularly at the price I paid.



Little Haka (The Little Beer Corporation) - 3.5% | Keg Pint
Perfect example of new world hops in an ale. Light and bitter yet a sweet after taste. Best of all was the amazing fruity aroma the beer gives off, which makes it even more enjoyable to drink. At 3.5% and with a nose like that, it's certainly night out material.




Digital IPA (Yeastie Boys) - 5.7% | Bottle 330ml
Another brilliant example of new world hops this time in a stronger beer. The nose is still there but not as powerful but the flavour is sweet and hoppy.




XB (Theakston) - 4.5% | Bottle 500ml
I've had a few Theakston beers in my time but I don't think I've ever had this classic, and I must say its now become a favourite of mine. It was a nice bitter with some good malts coming through.







Ram Rod (Charles and Wells) - 5.2% | Bottle 275ml
I've always liked the Charles Wells small bottle beers such as Ram Rod and Light Ale. I know they're aimed to be used in mixtures such as light and mild but on their own they're excellent tasting. The Ram Rod is particularly enjoyable as the 275ml is a perfect size for the high ABV.