86 unique beers from 73 different breweries (source Untappd)
Best Beer
Leigh Brewery, SS9 9%
Peerless Brewery, Oatmeal Stout 5%
Best Bottled Beer
Old Ford, Export Stout 6.5%
Best Food
The Angel, North Shoebury. All of their food is divine.
Best Service
No change here, Hush in Southend, as ever.
Best Stocked Bar
Marina Hotel, Lagos. Amazing array of gins, whiskies and other spirits.
Friendliest Locals
St Machars Bar, Aberdeen. Sat in there to watch the Cricket World Cup final and got bought whiskies by the locals. Amazing, generous people.
Worst Pub
Saddlers Arms, Cardigan. Beer tasted of pipe cleaner. Not enough places to sit. The dart board was missing and the table skittles broken. Struggled to get out as the furniture was re-arranged so that the floor could be mopped. Other than that it was lovely.
Worst Beer
Belhaven Best at The Abercrombie, Aberdeen. I've had it elsewhere and it was alright so I think it was just in that place.
Worst Pub Food
Vegetarian Pizza from The Twelve Tellers, Preston. The resulting 'Preston Pizza Poisoning', as it will forever be known in our house, made me miss work the next morning and resulted in a very uncomfortable train ride back to Essex.
Most disappointing beer trip
Sagres, Portugal. Because the brewery simply didn’t exist outside of my imagination. I found out that Sagres beer a con big trick so that Heineken can charge premium prices for distinctly unpremium beer brewed 150 miles away from where the label suggests. That'll teach me to get seduced by lagers.
I wonder what was on a vegetarian pizza that made you so sick. Thats worrying
I had it at about 10pm, reckon it had been hanging around for a while.
Thought Derby was great for proper beer. Highlight was a chocolate orange stout (much nicer than it sounds) in The Tap, and Business as Usual by the Derby brewing co. Very good away for an overnight. Hope to do it next year
Had a stunning pint of Gipsy Hill's Huddle at The Beer Shop in Nunhead yesterday. i do love those NE IPAs. I know a lot of brewers think NEIPAs aren't a style of beer, as such, but I love them. Huddle was brewed exclusively for The Beer Shop, so can't be found anywhere else. Cracking little micropub it is too.
Thought Derby was great for proper beer. Highlight was a chocolate orange stout (much nicer than it sounds) in The Tap, and Business as Usual by the Derby brewing co. Very good away for an overnight. Hope to do it next year
There are a glut of decent boozers right by Derby central station for ale, Chesterfield sofas and wing back chairs. And bubbles spa for a bath and a wank
Had a stunning pint of Gipsy Hill's Huddle at The Beer Shop in Nunhead yesterday. i do love those NE IPAs. I know a lot of brewers think NEIPAs aren't a style of beer, as such, but I love them. Huddle was brewed exclusively for The Beer Shop, so can't be found anywhere else. Cracking little micropub it is too.
Anyway talking of taking the piss, with some trepidation I would like to open up a discussion on non-alcohol beers. Up until now, I have treated them all with contempt, and would rather order sparkling water. However my holiday on the German coast, where some fine breweries lurk, took an unexpected turn when a doctor diagnosed the strange boil on my bum as a tic-bite and immediately put me on heavy duty anti-biotics, with an associated warning about drinking alcohol.
As it happens I had recently read this article in the Guardian about how one of my favourite German breweries, Stortebeker, was doing very well with no-alcohol beers, and they had produced a NA version of their Atlantic Ale, which is one of my favourites (even if I think it is misnamed, as it has the colour and taste of a continental IPA, not at all what we call an "ale"). So I tried the NA version and have to say it is great. A beer I can drink on its own merit. Unfortunately as yet I haven't found any other to match it. Jever Fun turned out to be not bad. But Bitburger 0.0%..dire. But then so is the normal Bitburger.
I found that article interesting in how it describes the two different approaches to brewing a no-alcohol brew. The other thing I have found (because the doctor didn't exactly say no alcohol, just to be very sparing), is that if you order a normal beer after drinking a couple of NA beers, the normal one seems to have a funny taste, namely the alcohol.
Anyone else got any observations on NA beers, anybody got any that they would actively choose to drink on merit?
Brewdog are doing free refills on NA beers this month. Tempted to go to the one near me at work and try the stout.
I know I put this on the takeover thread, but it really belongs here as well. It’s very good if you like Rodenbach. Closer to the old Grand Cru than the ordinary.
Boss Brewery right by the ground last night was worth a visit, excellent selection of beers and a nice friendly place, would recommended popping in next time, certainly beat the Harvester/Frankie & Benny option
No, thankfully. Got four pubs around the Green. Nun's Head and Beer Shop are both great. Plus it's got the Ivy House, which is fantastic. Not a bad place to find yourself at all.
Another fan of Gypsy Hill. In the top 3 of London breweries.
Had some great beers over the festive period apart from breweries previously mentioned on here, Three Hills (Northants) Neon Raptor (Notts), Fieldwork (CA) Homes (MI) Ology (FL) Dancing gnome (PA)
Beer of the festive period runner up Zygoat - amundsen - pastry stout Winner DDH pulp by fieldwork- IPA
Visited the Long Pond briefly Saturday evening around 9pm or so. No sign of Mine Host but two young lads were doing a very good job and the beer and atmosphere, as ever, were excellent.
I’m working over in Farringdon this month and have stumbled upon the dovetail, anyone been here before?
its the bollox
well, we were meant to be going there on 6th December after a team night at Farringdon sports bar and turned up for our meal,and they said we dont do food. Our Muppet manager had actually booked their sister pub/restaurant.
we wandered off to get a cab, but stumbled across the brewdog pub around the corner so ate/drank there instead.
had started a thread about the beers we should try as well so gutted to miss out.
I’m working over in Farringdon this month and have stumbled upon the dovetail, anyone been here before?
its the bollox
Not familiar with that one. If you haven't already, try the Jerusalem Tavern, an 18th C pub just up the road from the station. There's also The Eagle on Farringdon Rd, which was one of the first ever gastro pubs, but don't let that put you off; lovely airy pub with a great lunch.
the dovetail in farringdon definitely does food as i was reading the menu whilst I treated myself to a Monday pint today, not sure what time they stop serving food though, could be a lunch time menu.
quite a decent looking menu for a small pub to be fair.
the dovetail in farringdon definitely does food as i was reading the menu whilst I treated myself to a Monday pint today, not sure what time they stop serving food though, could be a lunch time menu.
quite a decent looking menu for a small pub to be fair.
Just had a look online and it does look good. Fortunately, the fact that it is a Belgian pub will no longer have the former associations that might have left a bitter taste in the mouth...
I’m working over in Farringdon this month and have stumbled upon the dovetail, anyone been here before?
its the bollox
Not familiar with that one. If you haven't already, try the Jerusalem Tavern, an 18th C pub just up the road from the station. There's also The Eagle on Farringdon Rd, which was one of the first ever gastro pubs, but don't let that put you off; lovely airy pub with a great lunch.
it's just off of Aylesbury street. had vedett on tap and its possibly the cleanest crispest pint I've had in the last 12 months.
they also have loads of other beers on tap including guest beers as well as loads of bottles
As I can now get a train direct from Maze Hill to Farringdon, I'll have to pop up there for a spot of lunch with the lad, assuming he's actually out of bed by then.
When I was in Swansea the other week, I popped into Brewdog and had a pint of 'Cybernaut'. Really nice, and the barman was really knowledgeable as well (they have to pass exams on Real Ale, Craft Beers, foreign beers etc to work there!).
Brewdog's 'Clockwork Tangerine' is also a really good craft beer.
Doing dry January (mainly to arrest a slide into alcoholism, but a handy excuse however faddy it makes me look) but went for a ruby with a mate and then went to the pub. Pretty revelatory... He lives in a village so I was able to drive, couple of Cobra Zeros in the restaurant, then a couple of alcohol free Bitburgers in the pub. Altogether, they weren't too bad. Also, got change from a fiver for the two in the pub, couldn't believe it! So used to London prices.
Might even see if I can string this alcohol free evening malarky out for a bit longer
Comments
Unfortunately there is a 6 weeks'ish break whilst I'm out here.
Very good away for an overnight. Hope to do it next year
https://www.brewdog.com/blog/we-are-opening-the-worlds-first-alcohol-free-beer-bar
Beer of the festive period
runner up Zygoat - amundsen - pastry stout
Winner DDH pulp by fieldwork- IPA
its the bollox
Maybe better than when Mine Host is in attendance
Our Muppet manager had actually booked their sister pub/restaurant.
we wandered off to get a cab, but stumbled across the brewdog pub around the corner so ate/drank there instead.
had started a thread about the beers we should try as well so gutted to miss out.
https://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/87273/belgian-beer-advice#latest
There's also The Eagle on Farringdon Rd, which was one of the first ever gastro pubs, but don't let that put you off; lovely airy pub with a great lunch.
quite a decent looking menu for a small pub to be fair.
they also have loads of other beers on tap including guest beers as well as loads of bottles
Brewdog's 'Clockwork Tangerine' is also a really good craft beer.
Might even see if I can string this alcohol free evening malarky out for a bit longer