Passport to Pimlico?

I could have called this blog just Pimlico, but I had to get the film pun in, not hilarious I know, but that's me folks. 😉 Anyway, very close to our port of entry to London, Victoria Railway Station, again we first visited the Victoria Taps, 27 Gillingham Street SW1V 1HP (website), for breakfast and a couple of pints, and the friendly Spanish manager is a welcoming senorita/senora! 👍 Built in 1828 and originally called the Warwick Arms, it was enlarged towards the end of the 19th century, and changed its name to the Victoria Taps earlier this century. Open from 10.00 every day of the week, although you can't buy alcohol before 12.00 on Sundays, but where we usually start drinking if we're in the area for the another obvious reason...

Not too expensive for beer, and a great value brunch, the above costing just £9.00. That's not for just the 2 fried eggs, 2 rashers of bacon, 2 sausages, 2 hash browns, flat mushroom, baked beans, tomato and a slice of toast, as there is a deal where you can get a pint too, making it £9.00 instead of £7.50 (price of the Full English Breakfast). Paul ate the 'Boss Benedict' seen in the background, costing  £6.50 (so just £8.00 with drink), and a souped up Eggs Benedict, which I had on my previous visit, also superb value and quality!

We each started with a pint of St Austell Tribute, a 4.2% pale slightly bitter ale (website), brewed with Fuggles (hopslist), Celeia (hopslist), and Willamette (hopslist) hops; Willamette is a hop I used to be very familiar brewing with in my days working at the old Kelham Island Brewery. Tribute was first brewed after the solar eclipse of 1999 and was called 'Daylight Robbery' at its inception. Because of the English and U.S. hop mix, it's not 'traditional' as such, but a slightly darker version of modern pale ales, gentle citrus, and very easy to drink. Inch's Cider (website) was in the choice of £1.50 add on drinks, including lager and pale ale (not cask), and wine and soft drinks. So, suitably satiated, we ventured on towards Pimlico. 😋

On reaching the Grade II Listed White Ferry House, 1A Sutherland Street SW1V 4LD (publove), we were surprised at the number of youngsters from abroad hovering around, I'd forgotten it is a hostel with 74 beds, as well as a hostelry! 😂 First licensed in 1832, and re-built in 1894, the pub offered hotel accommodation, probably from when, and possibly why, it was rebuilt (CAMRA).

Only 1 cask ale served at a time here, I believe usually ales brewed in London, and there was on offer, from Sambrook's Brewery, now situated in the site of the old Young's Ram Brewery, at 1 Bellwether Lane SW18 1UD (website), their 4.5% Junction. This is a 'Premium Bitter' brewed with Challenger (hopslist), East Kent Golding (hopslist), and Bramling Cross (hopslist) hops, and named after the famous Clapham Junction Station, nearby in Battersea. Junction is an amber ale, with a malty, nutty and fruity hop aroma, and a big malty flavour, slightly sweet to start, but a nutty and strong bitter aftertaste. This is a very traditional English bitter, nice one! 👍

Getting closer to Pimlico tube station is the Cask Pub & Kitchen, 6 Charlwood Street (corner with Tachbrook Street) SW1V 2EE, which has been trading here since 2009, being "London's first craft beer focussed pub" (website). The building is Grade II Listed, I kid you not, but as part of the Thorndike House Lillington Gardens Estate (Historic England). If you want to know anymore about the history of the Cask Pub & Kitchen have a read of London Drinker. 

From among 10 cask ales, from near and far, and we were offered tasters too, cracking service many thanks, I drank Waves Away, a 4.6% Pale Ale produced in East Sussex by Burning Sky Brewery (website); NB think Mark Tranter finessing Dark Star Hophead, but now with his own brewery. 👌 This is an American Pale Ale (APA) style ale, brewed with Citra (hopslist) and Mosaic (hopslist) hops, producing a big bodied pale ale bursting with tropical and citrus fruit aromas and taste, with a lovely dry bitter finish. After such a good version of a completely different style of beer at the previous pub, this was an outstanding version of an APA, Mr Tranter certainly knows his hops. Sadly we ran out of time for more ale... 😣

So, onwards to Pimlico tube station and the Victoria Line, cheers m'dears! 😁

The Bricklayer's Arms, Putney

I very recently drank in this old favourite pub of mine with my brother, and enjoyed an excellent ale, and it's great to see 200 years old The Bricklayer's Arm's, 32 Waterman Street, Putney, London SW15 1DD (website) well back to form. 👍 I have only just realised, as I'm writing this, that I hadn't visited for 3 years (blog), and I used to visit regularly pre-Covid, where does the time go!?! Opening times are 14.00-23.00 Monday-Thursday, 12.00-23.00 Fridays and Weekends.

Originally opened as 'The Waterman's Arms' in 1826, on the site of an old coaching inn, to provide refreshment to shipbuilders in Putney, changing its name towards the end of the 19th century to The Bricklayer's Arms. This was probably related to the amount of construction locally due to the extension of the District Line (overground/underground line, not just a Womble joke 😉) to Wimbledon in the 1880s. Closed for a while during the Covid Lockdowns, it was saved by Chris Walsh and his family in 2020, it is a genuine family run pub, cheers Chris!   

So, 9 ales from handpumps, including 3 ales from the excellent Mallinson's Brewing Company of Huddersfield in Yorkshire (website), 2 from Timothy Taylor's Brewery of Keighley in Yorkshire (website), 5 Yorkshire ales (!), and 2 from East London's The Five Points Brewing Company (website). Limited for time, we drank just the one pint, I should have had more, but...

We had the consistent and dependable Five Points XPA, a 4.0% American Pale Ale style ale, brewed with Citra (hopslist), Galaxy (hopslist) and Sabro (Hop Breeding Co) hops. This produces a pale beer with plenty of citrus and forest fruits in the aroma and taste, particularly grapefruit, a gentle bitterness with a refreshing dry finish, quite excellent, cheers! 😁

In addition, as you can see from the photograph in the centre of this blog, they had an ale from Hobsons Brewery of Shropshire (website), and immediately above, their own 'house ale' a 3.7% Session Pale., brewed by another of my favourite's Kent Brewery (website); it looks like they have different styles of 'house ales' from various breweries in different seasons. I've had Session Pale before, it's light and pale, of course, sorry, no idea what hops are used, but definitely from the USA, citrussy, dry and bitter, refreshing, I have said "I could drink this all day" before! 😉

A somewhat artistic image above from when the pub's garden was a bit larger, over 6 years ago.

On that note I shall say, until next time, cheers m'dears! 🍻

April Whiskey of the Month

This month's whiskey is the 40.0% Paddy Irish Whiskey or Paddy's (website), with a history dating back to 1779, which was originally produced by the Cork Distilleries Company, but now is distilled at the new Midleton Distillery in County Cork. The whiskey started being called Paddy in the early 20th century, after their legendary salesman Patrick J. O'Flaherty (Paddy), who sold what became his namesake whiskey for over 40 years, and was known for his generosity buying "rounds and making friends wherever he went" the length and breadth of Ireland. 😁

Paddy's is a blend of triple distilled malt, grain and pot-stilled whiskeys, aged in "three types of" oak casks, and producing a very easy to drink whiskey indeed! It is difficult to describe the aroma as it is very light, with subtle alcohol, vanilla and honey in the aroma. Similarly, great subtlety in the taste too, honey and butterscotch immediately come to mind, with hints of toasted bread, tropical fruits and grapefruit, and with a slightly nutty dry aftertaste. Smooth and, as I said, "very easy to drink" and at an affordable price that won't break the bank either, sláinte! 👍

SOHO!

I used capital letters for SOHO as it apparently comes from a hunting cry (History of London).

OK, a wee variation from recent blogs recording short pub crawls close to Covent Garden from Charing Cross Station to Oxford Street/Tottenham Court Road recently, with 4 pubs we've visited in/close by Soho. Plus, of course, our favourite starter at The Harp, 47 Chandos Place WC2N 4HS (website). I have written about this before, so the next paragraph may be superfluous for you, but there has been a change regarding staff, with new manager Steve, coming in for Paul who recently retired. And many thanks to Steve for noticing us, and others, waiting outside on Good Friday, when he was originally going to open at 12.00 instead of the usual 11.00, yet decided to let us in, including a young German lad who was flying home later in the day. 👍

This pub has been around since 1805, originally called the Welsh Harp, changing its name when Irish lass Binnie Walsh took it over in 1995. She sold it to Fuller's in 2014, after turning it into an excellent free house (my older blog), and good for them for keeping it a virtual 'free house' still; the only difference being London Pride is now available regularly. Indeed, Dark Star APA and Hophead are still regular ales (perhaps their sales influential in Fuller's buying the pub) as is Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter, plus guest ales too. The building was constructed in the 18th century, but a pub had been on the site for many years previous. As far as I can find out, the building itself isn't 'Listed' although next door is, as are the lampposts in Chandos Place!

As usual our first pints of the day at the Harp were excellent, and from Sheffield brewery Neepsend (website), who brew some excellent ales, as I have written about before when visiting Sheffield. This was their 5.2% Hodag, an American Pale Ale brewed with Citra (hopslist), Mosaic (hopslist), Columbus (hopslist) and Centennial (hopslist) hops, and we got what you'd expect from those hops. Big fruity aroma, mango and grapefruit in particular, similar with taste, plenty of tropical and citrus fruit flavours coming through, with a crisp dry bitter finish, excellent! 👍

Chatting with Steve the manager, and I blame Paul for this as he asked for a taste, then he bought a half for me too. From Siren Craft Brew of Wokingham (website), their 6.5% Breakfast Stout Broken Dream, brewed with Apollo hops (hopslist) and with coffee and lactose, meaning a rich sweet full bodied chocolatey stout with hints of coffee, with the hops ensuring it not being too sickly with a slightly bitter finish, indeed, pretty damn good. Rare to get a cask Siren beer, I've drunk more of their stouts in particular from cans, and this was pretty darn good too! 👌

Repeating myself for the next pub, but we turned left out of The Harp, then left up Bedfordbury, walked to the end and turned right, then turned left very soon onto Garrick Street, followed this up to the 6 exit junction, taking the second exit on the left, Cranbourn Street, up to Charing Cross Road. Turn right to quickly find, on your right, The Porcupine, 48 Charing Cross Road WC2H 0BS, by Leicester Square tube station (website). An inn/pub has been on this site since 1725, when the original address was 1 Castle Street, before Charing Cross Road was built in the 1870s, the pub was then rebuilt in 1880. 

Here we drank an ale that was a collaboration between Farnham based Hogs Back Brewery (website) and London based Mondo Brewing Company (website), their 3.8% Juliet Pale Ale, brewed to celebrate International Women's Day (website). Brewed with Cascade (hopslist), Citra (hopslist) and Hallertau Blanc (hopslist) hops, and, as you'd expect, light and fruity, with hints of grapefruit, gooseberries, and forest fruits, not bad at all.

On leaving we crossed Charing Cross Road to Little Newport Street, then soon turning right off here into Newport Place, leading to Gerrard Place, then left onto Shaftesbury Avenue, and turning second right and up Dean Street. On the corner with Bateman Street on the right is The Crown & Two Chairmen, 31-32 Dean Street W1D 3SB (website). The original pub dates back to 1736 and was then called just the Crown, probably changing its name towards the beginning of the 19th century, I can't find out the exact year, but we know the pub was rebuilt in 1929.

Here I drank Bass Pale Ale or Draught Bass as it's more commonly called these days (4.4%), brewed at Marston's old brewery in Burton, which is now owned by Carlsberg, for AB-InBev, confused? This sort of thing can happen when big breweries buy up other breweries, although this is one of the weirdest, the owner of a brand, an enormous international company, having its beer brewed by another enormous international competitor! Couldn't make it up. 😲 I probably first drank Bass poured straight from the barrel (gravity fed) about 40 years ago at the Dolphin Hotel in Plymouth (old blog), but it may have been before that at The Plume of Feathers in Princetown, in the middle of Dartmoor (website), who used to serve it straight from the cask too.

The red triangle of Bass was the first registered trademark way back on the 1st of January 1876 (IPO), indeed it was first brewed in Burton-on-Trent as far back as 1777, Bass, it does have some history! So, Draught Bass (4.4%) is brewed with English hops Challenger (hopslist) and Golding (hopslist), producing an amber, slightly malty, decent traditional best bitter. Bottled it has been close to what an original IPA would have been, destined to travel, but not quite as strong on draught, but bottled it has been between 6.0 and 8.0% mostly since its inception.

We then came out left, returning down Dean Street, but turned next left onto Old Compton Street and then second right onto Greek Street where, on the left, we reached The Coach & Horses, 29 Greek Street, W1D 5DH (website). This Grade II Listed building dates back to 1840, and is claimed to be "Soho's Most Famous Pub" and historically a drinking establishment for writers, artists and poets; indeed, a friend reminded me soon after I originally posted this photograph on social media, that it was where folk from the satirical magazine Private Eye had their famous fortnightly lunches, cheers Stephen! 🍷🍸🍻

Here we drank, from near the South Devon coast and Salcombe Brewery (website), their 4.2% Gold, brewed with Amarillo (hopslist), Chinook (hopslist) and Citra (hopslist) hops. A pale straw coloured ale, with those hops providing a big fruity aroma and taste, citrus with grapefruit mostly and a hint of orange, and more subtle tropical fruits, mango, melon, peach and apricot, with a dry refreshing gently bitter finish, nice one. 😊

We came out to the left, and virtually behind The Coach & Horses, left and left in effect, is The Spice of Life, yet another new pub from McMullen & Sons, a brewery I only discovered last year (blog), despite their existence for 200 years! Anyway, The Spice of Life, 6 Moor Street W1D 5NA (website) was built around 1759, originally called The George, then The George and Thirteen Cantons by 1892, then The Scots Hoose, with a Scottish landlord until the 1970s. The name changed to The Spice of Life in the 1970s, or maybe 1980 when it became a McMullen's pub. It has recently had a rather superb refurbishment with a resplendent interior.

Here I drank their own 4.3% The Spice of Life Bitter, brewed by McMullen's of Hertfordshire, of course (website). Like with the Nag's Head Bitter recently imbibed (blog), an educated guess still suggests this is their Country Best Bitter, as it's the only beer they regularly brew at that strength. 😉 Brewed with Fuggle (hopslist), Progress (hopslist) and Bramling Cross (hopslist) hops, producing a very decent traditional best bitter indeed. 👍

From here you can either go back onto Charing Cross Road and up to Oxford Street and the Flying Horse (blog), or click on Covent Garden in the Labels, which will take you back to pubs I've already reviewed in Covent Garden close by, or wait for me to do more wandering around Soho, or just wander around and see what you can find yourself, there are plenty more pubs in the area believe me! Whatever, enjoy yourselves and have fun folks, cheers m'dears! 🍺