2 - Blackfriars to Euston Pubs - from Holborn

Starting where I finished with my last blog at the Princess Louise, 208 High Holborn WC1V 7EP (website). This Grade II Listed pub was built in 1872 and named after Queen Victoria's sixth child, with the fabulous interior redesigned in 1891, it really is worth visiting for that alone, and not just for the loos! 😉 It's a Samuel Smith (from Yorkshire - website) pub, so everything they sell is Sam Smiths basically, wine, spirits, crisps, oh yes, and beers... 🍺

And what do you drink if you're an ale drinker? Their 4.0% Old Brewery Bitter, and yes, it's drinkable, and apparently brewed with traditional English Fuggle (hopslist) and East Kent Golding (hopslist) hops. Go to their own page for their opinion, me? Personally, I'd describe it as slightly malty, not very bitter, unchallenging, and easy to drink, as previously suggested.

From the Princess Louise go back to the Holborn junction and turn left up Southampton Row, then third right at Theobalds Road, then immediately left up Old Gloucester Street to Queens Square, and at the corner is The Queens Larder, 1 Queen Square WC1N 3AR (website), and yes, you are in Bloomsbury! A Grade II Listed building, early 18th century, and pub since 1710, named after George III's Queen Charlotte, who assisted with his care as the king stayed with, and was treated by, his physician Dr Willis in Queen Square (named after Queen Anne). 👑

There were 3 handpumps, 2 I remember included Fuller's (website) London Pride (4.1%), which when in form is pretty good, but it does need to be sold quickly as it doesn't last too long in opened casks (cellar experience there folks!). Brewed with English hops Target (hopslist), Northdown (hopslist), Challenger (hopslist) and East Kent Golding (hopslist), and I'd describe it as a slightly malty and bitter traditional session bitter, easy to drink. There was also Timothy Taylor's (website) Landlord (4.3%) from Yorkshire. Landlord is a pale-ish amber Bitter, brewed with Whitbread Golding (hopslist), Savinjski/Styrian Golding (hopslist) and Fuggle (hopslist) hops, producing a slightly fruity citrus flavour. Another pretty easy to drink bitter. 😁

A few doors away is The Swan, 7 Cosmo Place WC1N 3AP, a Greene King pub (website), originally from the 18th century, but rebuilt in 1931. Unsurprisingly the usual Greene King ales available, but I enjoyed the 4.3%  Timothy Taylor's Landlord, described above, cheers! 🍺

Carry along Cosmo Place to Southampton Row, turn right and walk up to Euston Road and turn right (the easiest route, but you can meander through back streets, and more complicated), along on the right, across from St Pancras Station is The Euston Flyer, 83-87 Euston Road NW1 2RA (website). A much newer building converted into a pub about 30 years ago. This is owned by Fuller's of Chiswick, West London (website), where we met friends from Sheffield via St Pancras Station, and B came down from Manchester this time, so across from Euston Station.

Here, we were all disappointed with the beers, Pride for Paul and Ian, whilst I drank their 4.2% Golden Hour, brewed with Harlequin hops (British Hops). As I said, for a Fuller's house it was disappointing indeed, so I'll pass on how they describe it: "golden ale, the hops delivering tropical citrus notes with a touch of candied fruit." This was actually our first port of call on the day as we walked in the opposite direction towards Holborn, but that didn't fit with my Blackfriars to Euston theme, and we talked B out of drinking here when she arrived! 😞

For you, dear reader, I'd suggest alternatively drinking around the corner at the Skinners Arms, 114 Judd Street WC1H 9NT (website), with 6 cask ales and 4 crafty keg beers. Historic too, and I shall have to go there myself in the not too distant future, cheers folks! 👍

Don't forget though, that there are many things that can go wrong drinking alcohol, be aware of limits and potential physical, social, and legal factors. The drinkaware website offers advice, tools to help, where to get support and 'facts' you may not be aware of. Stay safe folks! 👌  

1 - Blackfriars to Euston Pubs via Holborn

I'm doing this in 2 parts as we did this on 2 different days, coming at Holborn from 2 different directions, virtually South to North here, it'll be obvious as I go on. 😁 3 old favourites here and 1 new pub for me, starting off with The Blackfriar, 174 Queen Victoria Street EC4V 4EG (website), virtually under Blackfriars train station. A Grade II Listed Art Nouveau building of 1875, built on the site of a medieval Dominican Friary, and redesigned Arts & Crafts style about 30 years later. The image of the empty interior below shared with many thanks to Ann Laffeaty (London Pubs).

Impressive inside and out, with nooks and crannies galore, I loved going to this pub mostly in my teens from work with special friends. Sadly it's now a Nicholson's pub, sorry I can't remember what I used to drink here in my youth. But on my last visit I drank from Cornwall St Austell Brewery (website) their 4.5% Proper Job (5.5% in bottles, and a superb bottle-conditioned ale it is too! Blog), which I don't believe is as good as the bottle-conditioned version 😮 but it's still very agreeable. This was the brainchild of Roger Ryman, who sadly died 6 years ago R.I.P. (blog), when he joined and transformed the brewery as Head Brewer in 1999. Proper Job is brewed with Willamette (hopslist), Cascade (hopslist) and Chinook (hopslist) hops. It is a pale golden ale, with a citrus fruit aroma and taste and a dry bitter finish, and very refreshing too!

We then visited, around the corner from Ludgate Circus, The Old Bell, 95 Fleet Street EC4V 1DH, sadly another Nicholson's pub (website) that I used to visit in my teens, working very close by at that stage of my life. Grade II Listed and built in 1678 by Sir Christopher Wren to accommodate the masons who were working on re-building St Bride's Church (and other buildings damaged by the Great Fire of London in 1666, 360 years ago!); there is also a door at the back of the pub immediately opposite the church in an alley leading to Bride Lane.

When quite a few of us had lunch there in my youth, they used to sell Cask Conditioned Worthington E, and debates about whether it was the same as Draught Bass or not have abounded, but I can assure you they were 2 different ales, and Roger Protz agrees with me (website). 👍 Indeed, I last drank cask-conditioned Worthington E (4.8%), definitely not the keg version 😂 at what was then the Cask & Cutler in Sheffield about 20 years ago (now reverted to its original name the Wellington), when it was being brewed by Bass Museum Brewery in what became the Bass Museum of Brewing (no longer, thank you Coors!), and pretty decent it used to be too, very sad that it's not brewed anymore.

Anyway, this visit saw me have, from West Yorkshire brewery Timothy Taylor's (website) a pint of Boltmaker, their 4.0% Yorkshire Bitter, brewed with Fuggle (hopslist), Whitbread Golding (hopslist) and Styrian Golding (hopslist) hops. Boltmaker is dark copper coloured with a hint of citrus and darker fruits in the aroma, with malt biscuits and fruitcake to taste, finishing off with a gentle bitterness. It's a while since I've imbibed this and I still like it!

Down Fleet Street into the Strand, and behind the Law Courts towards Lincoln's Inn Fields, is The Seven Stars, 53 Carey Street WC2A 2JB (instagram) which was a new pub for us, although very well known by others it would seem! Quite a delight on the day, friendly bar staff, welcoming, and the food looked great. Dated 1602, this Grade II Listed pub unsurprisingly has a very legal theme to the decorating paraphernalia and posters hanging on the walls.

Here, I drank from the East Anglian brewery Adnams (website), their Citrus Pale Ale Ghost Ship (4.5%). As I've said before a fair few times, this is a pale sharp refreshing ale, brewed with Citra hops (hopslist), and as you would expect, it has a subtle citrus flavour and a nice refreshing dry bitter finish, also, as I've said before, in my opinion this is Adnams best ale. 👍

Crossing diagonally Lincoln's Inn Fields behind The Seven Stars and you reach Holborn, where the Princess Louise is at 208 High Holborn WC1V 7EP (website). I'm leaving more of this Grade II Listed pub to my soon to follow blog detailing a route via pubs from Holborn to Euston, but will tease you with a photograph of their famous Grade II Listed Victorian gents toilets, and there are tiles all the way down the stairs too, and I kid you not, the loos really are specifically listed! 😁

Cheers folks! 🍻

Don't forget though, that there are many things that can go wrong drinking alcohol, be aware of limits and potential physical, social, and legal factors. The drinkaware website offers advice, tools to help, where to get support and 'facts' you may not be aware of. Stay safe folks! 👌

Hastings Tap Takeover 2-4 October 2026

Hastings Tap Takeover 2026 is being held next weekend at 19 venues, including from the Crown and Jolly Fisherman in Hastings Old Town, to the Prince Albert and Eel & Bear in the town centre, and the Tower and Prince of Wales in St Leonards, all with different breweries! (website)

Don't forget though, that there are many things that can go wrong drinking alcohol, be aware of limits and potential physical, social, and legal factors. The drinkaware website offers advice, tools to help, where to get support and 'facts' you may not be aware of. Stay safe folks! 👌

September Whisky of the Month

The whisky of the month for September is a wee bit of a mystery, because Marks & Spencer keep it a secret which distilleries make their whiskies (website). 😯 But, regular readers will be aware I particularly like Irish whiskeys, and from Scotland I usually prefer their Speyside single malt whiskies, so here is the Kenmore Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky for review. 

This 40.0% whisky "comes from the shores of the River Spey" and is naturally coloured apparently, that is from the barrels it is aged in, and retrospectively not much more than the required 3 years I imagine. The aroma has hints of vanilla, caramel, toast and coffee, and tastes of fruitcake, caramel and butterscotch. This is a strangely 'rougher' whisky than I expected, but still quite easy to drink, though I'm a wee bit disappointed with it. Oh well, sláinte! 😌

Don't forget though, that there are many things that can go wrong drinking alcohol, be aware of limits and potential physical, social, and legal factors. The drinkaware website offers advice, tools to help, where to get support and 'facts' you may not be aware of. Stay safe folks! 👌

CAMRA & Pub Closures

I had a mixture of emotions on reading the editorial written by Tim Hampson in the latest edition (hard copy being a member, and keeping up the subscription 😉) of CAMRA's BEER magazine (website), advised that we are losing pubs in Britain at the rate of 2-3 a day! However, he reminds us that this is nothing new and has been the case continuously for the last 40 years, down from 80,000 pubs back in the formative years of CAMRA to about 40,000 now. 😞

Where I live, bars and pubs are opening/reopening quite regularly, and I believe that in towns and cities the good pubs will continue to do well, it is mostly the worst pubs that disappear, and here the worst of the cull appears to have already been carried out. I do worry for people living in smaller villages though, where the village pub is often the centre of social life, often opposite or very close to the village church. So, get out there folks and support your local, good luck! 👍

 

Don't forget though, that there are many things that can go wrong drinking alcohol, be aware of limits and potential physical, social, and legal factors. The drinkaware website offers advice, tools to help, where to get support and 'facts' you may not be aware of. Stay safe folks! 👌

Happy Oktoberfest 2026!

Started yesterday (19th of September to the 4th of October), Oktoberfest in Munich gives people the chance to drink some amazing German beers! Last year a pub near to me in Hastings held its Oktoberfest at the same time, but this year they are giving priority to the Hastings Tap Takeover (2nd to 4th October - website). Rumour has it that their Oktoberfest will be held soon.

As I said in my blog about Oktoberfest last year, Oktoberfest developed from October the 12th in 1810, which was a celebration for the wedding of Prince Regent Ludwig of Bavaria, later King Ludwig I, and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, with festivities continuing until the 17th. It was enjoyed so much that an event was organised the following year, but the event was cancelled from 1813 due to the Napoleonic War, returning in 1819. A number of Oktoberfests were cancelled later on during the 2 World Wars of the 20th century, but the start of the event had already been brought forward to September in 1872, basically to ensure that the weather was warmer, usually finishing on the first Sunday in October. More of the history of Oktoberfest is shared on their website. Prost! 🍺

 

Don't forget there are many things that can go wrong drinking alcohol, be aware of limits and potential physical, social, and legal factors. The drinkaware website offers advice, tools to help, where to get support and 'facts' that you may not be aware of. Stay safe folks! 👌

Beer and Biltong in Hastings

Beer & Biltong (facebook) is now open in Hastings St Andrews Mews TN34 1SP (open 10.00 to 17.00 Wednesday to Sunday), and good to see biltong back on sale again in the Mews too. The biltong side of the venture is supplied by Sussex Biltong (website) back in the Mews, and mighty fine it is too, especially the garlic version for me, and many others it would seem! 😋

They serve soft drinks, of course, 2 keg beers (more of below), and the 5.0% Castle Lager in bottle (website), which I've never drunk before, so I had to try it for research purposes. 😉 Castle Brewery was set up in 1886 and brewed as South African Breweries since 1895, but has been a subsidiary of AB InBev for the last 10 years. Brewed using South African ingredients, including Southern Star (hopslist) among the hops grown in the Waboomskraal Valley. Not too much aroma, but very easy and refreshing to drink, slightly bitter with a hint of nuts in the aftertaste.

The 2 keg beers are brewed locally in Guestling by Racketeers Brewing Company (Experience Sussex) or they're on Instagram. I couldn't find out what hops are used for the 3.7% Pale Ale but their 5.2% APA is brewed with Amarillo, El Dorado and Simcoe, apparently, I wouldn't be surprised if similar hops are used for this (hopslist). The Pale Ale is pretty much what you'd expect from U.S. influenced pale ales these days, light and refreshing, hints of tropical and citrus fruits, very easy to drink, not bad at all.

The 4.3% Amber Ale is a wee bit more complex, and brewed with Amarillo (hopslist) and Centennial (hopslist) hops apparently, meaning hints of citrus and tropical fruits in the aroma and taste for this slightly more malty beer. Gentle bitterness, and very easy to drink, very decent.

Decent quality beers and biltong, town centre prices, and worth visiting indeed, cheers! 👍

Don't forget there are many things that can go wrong drinking alcohol, be aware of limits and potential physical, social, and legal factors. The drinkaware website offers advice, tools to help, where to get support and 'facts' that you may not be aware of. Stay safe folks, cheers! 👌