Great British Beer Fesitval - Guest Blog

It’s the morning after the night before. I wake with a sorry taste in my mouth and a thirst that would struggle to be quenched by drinking the contents of a reservoir. The discomfort is all worth it though, for the previous afternoon we (i.e. James and I) had been unleashed at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF). More than 700 real ales, ciders and beers all under one roof - I can’t think of many better ways to spend a Friday afternoon.

We met at 13:30 at Bodeans (an American restaurant) in Tower Hill - to line the stomach and have a cheeky beer to get the ball rolling. Bodeans is a great place to eat and drink – the beer menu is generous and the food is fantastic. We both went for IPAs – James opted for the Goose Island and I went for the Moosehead. Both were served with frosted glasses to keep them cold, something neither of us had experienced in the UK and we were very grateful for them too. The beers were fantastic, as was the food.

We arrived at the beer festival at 15:00 and were met by the usual CAMRA stewards on the doors. Apparently CAMRA are keen to attract more young people but they need to shake-off the stereotypical ale drinker image (especially on the front door). After passing through the gate we headed for the first bar – both of us went for Yorkshire ales. I went for the Wold Gold from the Wold Top brewery and James went for the Rudgate Jorvik Blonde. We both tested our taste buds to see if we could pick out any of the flavours marked in the book. Needless to say we failed miserably. Both beers were very pleasant though I must say.

I can honestly say that every beer we had we would have again. The only one I struggled with was the Fuller’s Vintage ale 2008. The 8.5% ABV was a bit too strong after drinking mainly 3.5%-5% beers throughout the day. I would imagine it would be a very nice beer to accompany a nice, rich meal though – all the same, not really one for the casual half-pint.

The main reason we were there was to attend the ‘Master Brewers Tasting’ after James had received two tickets from Henrietta as a gift. It is here where I offer my warmest thanks to James for offering to take me and also to Henri for buying the tickets in the first place. The tasting basically consisted of 100 real ale fans sitting in a room tasting 6 beers from 3 breweries (2 from each) whilst the master brewers from each one spoke about the beers and their breweries. They also took questions. The breweries being represented were Youngs and Wells, St. Austell, and Amber Ales. While it was good to hear from master brewers at the two larger breweries I, personally, found it more enjoyable listening to Pete from Amber Ales as he was sat in the room as a listener 5 years prior, and had been inspired to start his own brewery. 

Beer of the day came from the Thornbridge Brewery – the Jaipur IPA. With its citrus-honey flavours, it’s very pleasing on the palate, and at 5.9%ABV it’s not to be taken lightly. Its quaffable nature mixed with the strength means it has all the ingredients to fuel a monster hangover, although it is a hangover I wouldn’t mind sampling (I’d very much like to spend a Saturday afternoon in a pub which serves this beer – cue James to arrange a visit to Cask Pub and Kitchen, Pimlico).

Bar of the day was the ‘Young and Upcoming Breweries’ bar, which was sponsored by J.D. Wetherspoon. For all the bad words people have to say about Wetherspoon pubs (and rightly so in some cases) you can’t fault them for their promotion of real ales. Walk into any ‘Spoons pub and I guarantee they’ll have at least 3 random ales on tap. Whether they’ll be well-kept or not is a different matter but at least they’re trying. James and I both had a couple of beers from this bar, my favourite being the Flack’s Double Drop, from the Flack Manor brewery in Hampshire. James went out of his way to break my rule that we should only have one stout each (rule put in place as we’ve had our fingers burnt by awful stouts on numerous occasions at previous festivals). I’m glad he did break the rule though because the Dark Peat Stout from the Raw brewery in Derbyshire was a tasty drop.

All-in-all, the day was fantastic – certainly one of the best beer festivals I’ve been to. It certainly put my faith back into the GBBF as well, as in previous years I’ve thought it to be a bit too commercial. This year there was less presence from some of the bigger breweries and more beers from smaller breweries. As mentioned briefly earlier, CAMRA have got some work to do if they want to attract younger members but it certainly seems they’re doing something right. I’d also like to thank Pipers Crisps for having constantly topped-up bowls of complimentary crisps – they went down a treat in between beers. A perfect day all-round and we weren’t even too drunk to make it home before midnight.

 WOODY

Riverside pubs

Pubs on rivers always have a certain draw to them and a natural geographical advantage.  Sitting by a river at a good pub in the summer enjoying a pint on the banks is a beautiful thing.  Seeing the swans, ducks or other water fowl, seeing fish leaping, listening to the sound of the river or just enjoying the scenery is a great way to spend an afternoon.  There are a great number of pubs along rivers in the UK and I’d love to hear from people about what they think is the best one.  Just thinking of a few that I have been to The The Trout Inn in Oxfordshire is a cool pub with good food and ales right on the upper reaches of the Thames with a big pub garden overlooking the river as it winds its way across the countryside.  One other pub that has diversified to make the most of its river side setting is the Peat Spade Inn in Hampshire located on the river Test in prime fishing territory.  They hire out fishing equipment to tourists and experienced anglers along with providing them with a good quality packed lunch made with local ingredients.  Across the county there must be loads of good pubs long our nations rivers and all the pubs along the canals too that sprouted up in the industrial age.  

The Trout Inn at Tadpole Bridge

Tadpole Bridge

Thinking closer to home again now about pubs on the river in London, I certainly would not profess to know them all and in fact I’m sure there are a great number that I’ve not been to yet.  Just off the top of my head I know there a few on my list for this year such as The Dove, The Gun and The Prospect of Whitby.  Being a city dominated by the river Thames it’s hardly a surprise that there are pubs along the river front.  

The River (not my pic)

So you are probably wondering why I am going on about river side pubs so much today…   The reason is on Saturday night I went to the Founders Arms located by the Tate Modern to the west of the millennium bridge.  The pub was on my list and having only been there once before I was eager to go back for a proper visit.  The first thing you notice about the pub is that it is clearly a fairly new building plonked right on the south bank.  It’s a fairly ugly edifice to be honest.  Outside is a patio along the Thames with the usual pub benches, they have created a bit of atmosphere (and warmth) with flames that spring out of the patio around the benches.  The seats outside are the prime location for the pub and even on the evening when I was there when it was pretty cold people were still sitting out there.  The views are of blackfriers bridge now a train station and across to the city and St Pauls.  It’s a good view but I’m afraid that’s about the only positive thing I can say about the pub.  Upon entering you will notice that its owned by Youngs who have given it the air port lounge feel.  It’s also more of a bar than a pub with loud generic music with a thumping baseline repeating over and over.  When I was there it was full of pissed up blokes.  I’d say the cliental is pretty chav as far as that works as an analogy.  A bunch of skin head eastern Europeans were getting stuck into some heavy drinking while other groups cracked on with jeager bombs, vodka lemonades and anything else that would get them pissed up as quick as possible.  Lager drinkers dominated and with only three ales on tap not much choice for anyone who didn’t want fizzy tasteless beer.  The general cliental seemed to have the devolved in terms of mental capacity.  The two pints of courage I had were Okay but not that well kept.  We eventually got a seat by the window and sat at the sticky table and shouted at one another over the music for a while.  Food was being served and it looked grim, lifeless frozen re heated meats and microwave foods came out looking limp and un appetizing.  I was glad I had eaten down the river already.  I guess if the customers are all hammered then they wont be too fussed about what the food is like.  To add a little perspective I should mention I had been once before and had a similar experience so I was not overly surprised.  Another point to make it that I do see the point of pubs like the Founders Arms, I’d not make out like I’ve never been on a night out with a bunch of blokes looking to get drunk far from it and on those occasions the Founders Arms is the sort of place we would be looking for (except for the prices).  So to sum up what I thought of the pub… Souless, over prices, loud, uncomfortable and not worth visiting.  I am shocked the Good Pub Guide have it as an entry and not at all what I would class as a good pub!!

The Founders Arms

I know my riverside pub experience has not got off to a great start on this journey what with not being a fan of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich and definitely not being a fan of the Founders Arms but I know there is some good stuff to come!  The last point I would make is a positive one as there are a number of better pubs in the area around the South Bank that can be visited and while they may not all meet my high standards for a ‘good pub’ are much better than the Founders Arms.  For example the Anchor Bankside and the The Old Thameside Inn  and the Doggets right on the river with great views.  The Anchor probably being the best of these three.  I might get around to doing a proper review of some of these in time. 

So pub fans do not be disheartened by the Founders Arms and do try to visit some of the other riverside pubs in London when you get a chance.  I’m looking forward to getting to the rest of the river side pubs on my list. 

***New Pics added below, I had to go back from a work drinks so took some new pics.

The View

The pub

The bar, four deep

Still a rubbish pub!!

West End Drinking

Hopped on the train from South East London was an uneventful journey with the usual mix of weekend shoppers and people speaking loudly about their personal lives on their phones.  I happened to be sitting next to a man dressed like a spy!  

Definitely a spy!

I wandered out of Charring Cross and into the Princess of Wales the usual meeting place.  As always they were supplying a good selection I had a very nice pint of Gunpowder Mild from the Coach House Brewing Company.  It was in my opinion one on the best milds I’d had for a while.  It was such a nice refreshing easy to drink pint with the right amount of flavour and hoppy notes.  I bought the Stoat a pint of White Horse Village Idiot just so I could say when he arrived that I got him a pint that reminded me of him.  

 

We headed up into the heart of Covent Garden, tourist central for London.  Making our way through the crowds we finally reached the Lamb and Flag.    

Lamb and Flag

We arrived at about 3pm and it was already filling up.  There is a decent selection on tap with Dark Star, Adnams and Youngs all being represented.  We both went for the Dark Star Best.  Being in the centre of Covent Garden I cannot imagine there is a quiet time at this pub so if you come be prepared to have to stand up.  We managed to get some bar stools near the entrance and chatted to lots of people who were coming in on some form of pub based history quiz competition.  We were sitting right by the notice which gives the history of the pub.  It’s certainly been around for a long time and it shows with some interesting pub design elements.  It’s always fascinating to visit pubs that have such an interesting history and famous visitors such as Dickens.   We did have a look upstairs where they have some food which looked to be a mini carvery.  It didn’t smell great, bit like that horrible sprouts smell you get in a Toby Carvery.  But we didn’t try it so won’t comment on it more than to say you can get some food there but remember you are in Covent Garden where there are numerous other restaurants.  Talking of other smells I broke a rule of mine and had a look at some other reviews before writing mine and I noticed they often mentioned a wiff about the place like toilets!  I did notice this and it’s not the first time I’ve noticed it in a pub in London, one of the worst I’d been in for that was the Market Porter in Borough Market.  However I did like the Lamb and Flag but I wasn’t blown away by any means.  I would see it as a decent place for a pint in Covent Garden but not somewhere I’d make a special effort to go to.  It does have the history but it’s not really backed up with any other outstanding features like a wide beer selection, interesting decor or good food.  They probably don’t need to make too much effort to keep going as they get enough foot traffic from passers by who drop in for a beer.  

Bar at the Lamb - it's not that small that lady is just really tall!!

Next pub on the list for today was The Salisbury.  This is a pub that I have been visiting for years.  I have always loved visiting this pub and I had my first pint of Doom Bar here.  From the first moment you enter you realise there is something special about the place by the amazing etched glass all around the pub.  It is the classic ‘gin palace’ style pub.  The Salisbury always has a busy bustling atmosphere due to its theatre district location.  The staff have always been top notch when I’ve been there and service is usually swift even if the bar is busy.  They have a similar range of beer to the Lamb with Sharps Doom Bar, Youngs and St Austell Tribute.  I hope the Doom Bar will always be as good as the first time I visited now that it has been bought out by the beer giant Molson Coors!  We met a few more mates in there and most of us went for the Doom Bar with the exception of Hoody who I’ve not managed to convince to drink ale yet and don’t hold out much hope of ever doing so.   I’m not sure what it is about The Salisbury but it always has that cozy relaxed pub feel to it.  It is a pub that is bursting with character and charm, with good beers and good service it has to be a top contender for best pub in the west end.  

The Salisbury

Some randoms and the etched glass

Overall a good day out at two good west end pubs.  After some consideration (about 6 pints worth) I’d always visit The Salisbury over the Lamb and Flag even though they have a similar beer range and beer snacks The Salisbury has that extra edge that makes a great pub. 

Greenwich Pub Crawl

Having been a bit unhappy with the Cutty Sark we thought it would be rude not to have another pint.  The Stoat had to make his way back to the market for some cake so we took the river path back to the The Yacht.  The pub is owned by Youngs and has been given the usual Youngs pub make over.  But even Youngs can’t spoil the view and The Yacht has made really good use of having such a good view with big windows all along the river side.  The tables up by the window were full so we sat by the fire like old men warming our cockles.  The usual beers were on tap like Old Speckled hen, Doom Bar and Youngs Gold.  Just the one pint of Youngs Gold was had before we moved on.  

There was not even time to put the gloves and scarf on before we arrived at the next pub, the Trafalgar.  The Trafalgar has really improved in the last few years and it was great on the day we visited.  The atmosphere was just what you would look for in a pub, warm and friendly with the enthusiastic buzz of punters having a good time and a good pint.  The beers available on the day were the best we found on the day Adnams Old Ale which was very nice, Adnams Bitter, Doom Bar and Sharp's Own and Slaters Queen Bee. 

The Trafalgar is a good pub in the heart of Greenwich, I’d recommend it.  It’s also got the best views of any pub in Greenwich. 

Starting to feel the ale now we were keen to hit more pubs.  

The Gipsy Moth was the next venue.  The pub has been designed to attract the young and beautiful of Greenwich so is more of a bar style.  It’s a good place for a night out and some drinks.  The have some good beers like Sambrooks Wandle, Doom Bar, London Pride and Liberation Ale.  When we were there though it was a bit like a crèche, children were everywhere screaming and shouting!  The Stoat needed his cake so we saw the back of our pints and went to the market.  

After cake we made one last stop off at the Coach and Horses in the market.  It’s quite a small pub with an ‘L’ shape design.  There are some good beers on tap like Adnams Old Ale, and Doom Bar and Sharp's Own.  Looks like Adnams and Sharps have got some good sales people in Greenwich.  We got a seat by the door and looked over at the people sitting by the fire in the deep comfortable looking leather sofas, sipping herbal tea.  Hold up, yes that is right herbal tea!  I can moan about the huge coffee machines taking over good bar space till the cows come home but I can at least understand the need to meet demand.  People like to have coffee after a meal but herbal tea!?  The Stoat and I were not happy about that.  Pubs don’t need to serve herbal tea.  If tourists want to come to pubs they can have a pint or a soft drink or even at the worst and I say it through clenched teeth a coffee but if they want a herbal tea they should go to a sodding tea shop.  This led to all sorts of chat and Le Stoat even made the controversial comment questioning the place of wine in a pub.  I think that may have been due to the seven previous pints.  

After this session several points about this journey have been made clear.  The question of strategy of reviewing pubs and when to visit them is interesting.  Pubs will often change greatly in character throughout the day and this could have a major impact on my view.  Also is a pub crawl an effective method of pub review.  I think that this crawl showed it is not because we got drunk and lost focus unsurprisingly.  It was really good fun though! So if a pub crawl is used I’ll go to the important pubs first, by that I mean the GPG pubs.  

All in all Greenwich has some good pubs that are well worth a visit and with so many in such a small space they make a really good pub crawl route.  

The Stoat

The FIRST pub

Of all 59 excellent sounding pubs how could I choose which pub should start my year long journey.  I was thinking about this for a long time reading reviews, researching histories, thinking I could start with the newest and finish with the oldest but in the end I decided to go start with the Greenwich Union.  The decision was simple, its my nearest 'good pub guide pub'.  I'd been to 'the union' on a number of occasions and even celebrated my 25th birthday there.

The pub is in such a fantastic location being close to Greenwich Park and Greenwich Market it was nice to have a short stroll through the park first to work up an appetite.  The pub is always popular and can be tricky to get a table but we managed to get one fairly quickly.  The place is clearly popular with the young professionals of Greenwich who have young children.  Even though I'm only 26 I have been known to be a bit of an old man when it comes to children in pubs.  I personally don't find it conducive to have chat with my friends and enjoy a nice beer with lots of children screaming around me.  Also breastfeeding just freaks me out.  However I guess being 26 and not having any kids I may change my mind when I want a pint if I ever had any.  The crowd changed after lunch and so did the atmosphere, what I would call a more usual pub atmosphere took over.  The pub is well set out for a pub of that size.  There is a garden which is great in summer.

Being aligned with the Meantime brewery means that the selection of beers is exemplary.  The staff also seemed knowledgeable and even if they weren't the beer menu is probably the best I've ever seen with great descriptions of types of beer.  They've even added in their own inventions for new types of beer like their London Lager described as 'a brand new style  created by Meantime' (there I've mentioned lager).  The pub also stocks a great range of beers from across the world that are good examples of different beer styles.  On the day I enjoyed a nice pint of Brugge Zot from the Halve Maan Brewery in Bruge (which incidentally offers a really good tour if you can ever find your way over the channel).

I couldn't visit a Meantime pub and not have any of the well tended Meantime beers.  Starting off with the London Stout was very enjoyable and a great pint for a cold winters day.  The London Pale ale however was a slight disappointment and did not have as much flavour or bitter finish as some of the better English Pale Ales out there such as a the Marston's EPA.  Not a problem though as it was more than made up for by the Meantime Winter Ale at 5.4% with great colour aroma and taste.

As mentioned I'm a big fan of real ale and have been a member of CAMRA since I was 18.  So I moved on to see how well kept the beer on tap was.  I had two excellent pints, the first, keeping with the London theme a pint of Sambrooks Junction followed by Dark Star Hophead which was my favourite of the day.  It went very well with the Alfred Stubbs pork scratchings they serve behind the bar.

The pub design is modern and my friends and I were lucky enough to get the window seats at the front.  The Union is located next door to the Richard I pub which has a more classic pub style if that is what you are looking for.  Personally I find the Richard I a better pub for general pub outings, its a Youngs pub and have well kept beers on tap.

The food at the Union was pretty good too.  We tried some of their burgers and the fish and chips which were all good, better than most pub food and priced fairly reasonably for London.  

Overall if you are looking for a great choice of beers then the Union is the place for you.  I love beer more than most so I have to say I was very pleased with the choices and quality of the pints.  However I still feel like the Union is lacking something in terms of character.  With great beer a  good location and good food this pub will continue to flourish so if you are ever over in Greenwich pop in and try some of the locally brewed beers.