National Beer Day (+ Dark Beers Part 4)

This dark treat is a collaboration between Brouwerij Kees of the Netherlands (website) and Tuletorn (meaning Lighthouse) of Estonia (website), their Marble Cake (10.5%), described by them as a "Baltic Chocolate Marble Cake Pastry Porter." My notes say: "looks good, great chocolate aroma with a hint of liquorice. Taste? Big very dark chocolate flavour, nowhere near as sweet as I expected, with a dry finish, luxurious!" I liked it very much. 😉

From Burnt Mill Brewery of Ipswich (website), their 8.4% Obsidian Flow Imperial Stout. The hops used for these darker beers are not usually shared by brewers, but there seems a suggestion that Wai-iti hops (hopslist) have been used by Burnt Mill to add further complexity to this impressive stout. They suggest roasted coffee, liquorice, dried fruits and cinder toffee (honeycomb, like in a Crunchie Bar) in the taste. I noted "gentle chocolate in the aroma with a hint of liquorice, and darker chocolate with hints of coffee and liquorice in the flavour, with a dry finish. Plenty of body, as expected, initially bitter-sweet, but not really sweet at all!" If that makes sense? Notes are written as I'm drinking and interpreting, and yet another very good stout. 👍

Another strong collaboration, this time between Sinnister Brew of Scotland (website) and Bereta of Romania (website), their Tactical Frivolity, a 12.1% Imperial Pastry Stout brewed with coconut and vanilla! It pretty much does what it says on the label, plenty of flavours, with dark chocolate adding to the vanilla and coconut, I said "luxurious!" Nowt more to add. 😁

Finally, from Siren Craft Brew of Berkshire (website), renowned for their extra-specially tasty stouts (eg Caribbean Chocolate Cake blog), their 13th anniversary Imperial Stout, Shattered Mirror (9.1%). Brewed with "Cacao, Vanilla, Toasted Coconut, Coffee, Deconstructed Rum Barrels (presumably either spirals or chopped stave chips as in the CCC series - blog again), and Lactose." That gives you an idea of how much variety of flavours could effect the taste! 

Indeed, the aroma is BIG, big chocolate particularly, with hints of coffee, coconut, caramel and vanilla, and the taste doesn't disappoint or let it down. Similarly though, and I shall copy my notes directly for this: "Rich, thick and luxurious, with a big dark chocolate flavour from cacao, and hints of rum and vanilla." Well, that was what stood out for me, and very enjoyable too. 😋

So, all in all, 4 excellent stouts, Happy Beer Day! 🍫🍺

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! 🍺

Siren CCC Caribbean Chocolate Cake Series

I had to drink these 4 beers from Berkshire brewery Siren Craft Brew (website) as soon as I saw the cans in Hastings Eel & Bear (blog), drinking one on the day, and the other three at home in the period leading up to Christmas, as you'll see from the other photographs. These beers are the 4 from their 2025 CCC (Caribbean Chocolate Cake) Stout series, apparently they brew something new every year, and they have been developing these series since 2013. There are a couple of uniquely used in Britain (at least they were) additions to these beers: they use wood infusion spirals (The Malt Miller), including "Cypress Wood and the distinctive spicy notes of Amburana" plus Cacao husks as well as nibs, in the maturation, producing big flavours! 😁

The first was the 7.4% Dark Chocolate CCC Imperial Stout, and I'm going to be using some similar terminology as I go through these, so let's start off by saying they are all pretty luxurious! 😉 As well as the aforementioned ingredients, Sabro hops (The Malt Miller) and lactose is added to all the brews, and coffee and liquorice to this. They say a "Tropical Stout with Cacao & Cypress Wood" and my notes say "I was surprised there was very little aroma, but boy, very much dark chocolate flavour, not very sweet at all, amazingly dry finish and refreshing!" Quality!

Next is the, again 7.4% Milk Chocolate CCC Imperial Stout, with vanilla added to this brew. They say a "Tropical Stout with Cacao & Cypress Wood" and my notes, "Says 'Milk' Chocolate, but has smooth real/darker chocolate flavour with a hint of vanilla." I thought it was pretty good too, but I added no superlatives for this. 😏

The third beer was the slightly stronger 8.4% Deconstructed Barrel CCC, with Bourbon 'Barrel Aged Cacao' added during maturation and also aged on chopped 'Barrel Staves'. They say "Tropical Stout aged on Bourbon Barrel Staves" and I wrote "BIG Chocolate flavour, hint of Whisky and Vanilla in the aroma, Dry Finish, Excellent!" 😊

Finally, the rather strong 14.0% (Darth By) CCC, apparently brewed with Emperor's Brewery of Leicestershire involvement (website), with vanilla and spices (not specified) added. They say "Imperial Tropical Stout with Cacao & Cypress Wood" and I noted "Subtle Chocolate Aroma with a hint of Coffee and Vanilla. Incredible Dark Chocolate taste +++ Rich and Thick. A dry finish after a sweet initial flavour." Luxurious indeed, loved it, cheers! 😋

PS. Just realised that I have had a CCC before, a 2024 version (blog). 👍

London Circular Walk: Tower & London Bridges

You could start this circular pub walk at either of the bridges, but I've started this blog at Tower Bridge because my favourite drink of the day was imbibed here, twice. 😉 So, behind Tower Bridge Road in a small back street is The Dean Swift, 10 Gainsford Street SE1 2NE (website), open from 12.00 noon every day of the week, until 23.00, excepting Sundays, when it closes at 22.30. The pub was built in the 1850s, and was originally called The Bricklayer's Arms, but was renamed for the Irish satirical writer and cleric, Jonathan Swift, who became Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin in 1713, hence Dean Swift, although I can find no connection to Swift locally or to the pub. And I've still not been able to finish reading Gulliver's Travels, ever!

This former Truman's pub, now a freehouse, has 20 'craft' beers available, including 2 cask ales and a variety of crafty keg styles. The cask ales were from Sussex brewery Burning Sky and their Plateau (3.5%), an excellent pale ale with hops from New Zealand and the USA (website), and the ale I drank 2 pints of (2 visits, first and fourth), from East London brewery Five Points Brewing (website), their 4.0% XPA, an American Pale Ale style, brewed with Citra (hopslist), Galaxy (hopslist) and Sabro (Hop Breeding Co) hops. This produces a pale beer with plenty of citrus and forest fruits, particularly grapefruit, bitter with a refreshing dry finish, excellent!

This was actually our last pub before heading across London from London Bridge tube station, thus why I drank the cider, as I wasn't sure the 3 ales available would be able to compete with the XPA I'd just drunk, and I had had an extra pint than Paul, so just a half for me. 😏 So, The Raven (website), 218 Tower Bridge Road SE1 4PR (The Dean Swift is virtually around the back of it), which was built on the ramp leading up to Tower Bridge around 1900, and was previously an Adnams pub called The Bridge House, changing its name to The Raven in honour of the Ravens of the Tower of London in 2019, and there's a stuffed raven at one end of the bar! 

And indeed, I had a half pint of a cider from the award winning Sandford Orchards in Devon (website), from their 'Vintage' cider collection they've been developing since 2017, and launched in 2021, the 8.4% The General, named after Sandford's Ten Thousand Gallon Oak Vat built in the 19th century, and now used for ageing their ciders! A little sweet to start, juicy with nectarine and apple flavours, but slight tannin and sourness to the finish, pretty good!

Simon The Tanner, 231 Long Lane SE1 4PR (website), named after a biblical character, Simon of Joppa, and situated in an area where tanning leather used to be prolific (Southwark News), note nearby Tanner Street too; opens at 16.00 Monday to Thursday, and at 12.00 noon Friday to Sunday. The pub dates back to the 18th century, in 1780 being called Simon of Joppa the Tanner, and it has even been a Shepheard Neame pub since, but it is now now a freehouse.

The only cask ale they had was from Reading brewery Siren Craft Brew (website), their 3.8% Memento, brewed with English hops, not divulged, and dry-hopped with U.S. Cascade hops (hopslist), presumably what makes it a 'modern best bitter.' I have to admit that I didn't really notice the Cascade in the taste, I just thought that it was a pretty basic 'best bitter.'

First and last pub, maybe, and if you've read this all the way through you should get the gist. The Shipwrights Arms, 88 Tooley Street SE1 2TF (website), is a Victorian pub with a wonderful exterior and interior, inside there is a classic central island bar and a tiled mural of shipwrights at work among its features. There was an older pub on the site previously by 1792, the Ship Wright Arms, and it was re-built in 1884, slightly changing the name. They have the handpumps for up to 6 cask ales, but only had 4 different ales when we met up there. 

We both drank the Cornish brewers Sharp's (website) Solar Wave, a 4.6% 'Hazy IPA' brewed with hops from the USA, but the hops are not specified (the pumpclip was askew, by the way, the image is not because of me). Hazy, as they say, not too thick though, and with plenty of tropical fruit flavours, not bad. Sadly for me, what I was interested in drinking was the 4.0% Southwark London Pale Ale, but it was only put on just as we were leaving, life, eh?!? 😒

I admit that my record here looks weird as I arrived in London early, and checked on the pubs and took photographs as I had an hour to spare before meeting up, hence the extra pint too. 🍺 But the order here is a circular rout, wherever you start, and The Shipwrights Arms is just along from London Bridge Station entrance, so the best place to start and/or finish, I suggest.

Of course, we passed other pubs too, but time was short, and we wanted to stay sober!

My favourite of the pubs we visited was The Dean Swift, mostly because the 2 ales available were much more to my taste, and on my first visit I chatted with the manager, who is very knowledgeable about his beers, the locale and its pubs. I was a wee bit disappointed with Simon The Tanner, which was the only one of these pubs I'd visited before, and written about a couple of times, on my previous visits it was a little bit rougher around the edges with interesting stuff on the walls, see my older blog, it's a bit more polished now, and sadly there was only 1 ale available this time. The Raven was a bit noisy for me, but they were setting up for karaoke later in the evening, pleasant enough though, and all the pubs had friendly bar staff. As I pointed out, The Shipwright's Arms is closest to the station, very friendly bar staff, but take note that you are provided plastic 'glasses' to drink from if sitting outside, we stayed by the bar and were served in eccentric glass glasses. 😁 Anyway folks, cheers for now, and until the next time! 🍺

Summer's Coming... However, 4 Darker Beers!

I thought I should get in a few darker beers before I became completely fixated with the paler light summer beers. 😉 2 of these I sampled as crafty keg ales at The Jolly Fisherman in Hastings (blog), and 2 in bottle; you'll be able to work out which is which. The first (above), from Scottish brewery Harviestoun (website), their 10.5% Ola Dubh (which means 'black oil' in Gaelic), which has been matured for at least 6 months in 12 year-old Highland Park whisky barrels, and is significantly stronger than their bottled version. This was the most complex of this blog's beers, brewed with East Kent Goldings, Fuggles and Galena hops, with a hint of coffee in the aroma, and chocolate in the taste, and the whisky comes through in the flavour too, pretty good!

My first bottled beer is from St Peter's Brewery (website), their 5.0% Plum Porter, with 'natural plum flavouring' added. A big fresh plummy/blackcurrant aroma and taste, slightly sweet, but surprisingly 'light' to drink. It's a very deep dark red colour, and not bad at all.

I had been quite upset when I heard, not too long ago that their London-based pub, the historic Jerusalem Tavern, had closed down. However, I'm pleased to report that I more recently discovered that the pub has reopened under new licencees as The Holy Tavern, 55 Britton Street, London EC1M 5UQ, and with longer opening hours than previous, but still selling St Peter's ales in addition to others (website). Opens: Mondays-Saturdays 12.00 noon to 23.00, and 12.00 noon to 21.30 on Sundays.

The other dark ale I had at the Jolly Fisherman was from Siren Craft Brew (website) and their 7.4% Caribbean Chocolate Cake (above), the chocolate flavour coming from adding 'hand-roasted' cacao nibs to the brew, consequently a big chocolate aroma and taste, with a hint of coffee in the aroma, and hints of orange and coconut to the taste. I thought it was 'pretty good' which is what I wrote in my notes unsurprisingly! 😉

My second bottle beer, and last for this blog, was from Guinness and their 6.0% West Indies Porter (website), not quite as impressive as the stronger Guinness brewed in Nigeria, but tasty all the same. A very deep opaque red colour, with a slight bitterness and chocolate in the taste, and a hint of coffee in the aroma. Another dark beer that was not bad at all, cheers!

Paler ales to come soon... 😁