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! 👌

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! 🍻

2 New Pubs for me in London.

In you go Paul! 😁 Indeed, handily opening at 10.00 at weekends, I was introduced to The Marquis Cornwallis, 31 Marchmont Street WC1N 1AP (website) for our first pint. A wee bit upset that we had recently missed their having the excellent Thornbridge Jaipur there 😣 and giving a miss to the pointless Doom Bar that was on one of the handpumps, we went for the reasonably consistent Timothy Taylor's (website) Landlord (4.3%). Landlord is a pale-ish amber Bitter, brewed with WGV/Goldings, Savinjski Goldings and Fuggles hops, producing a slightly fruity citrus flavour. It's a pretty easy to drink bitter... sad about the Jaipur not being on!

Having been joined by B at the Cornwallis, and Paul having something to eat there, we next moved on further along the road to the Lord John Russell, 91-93 Marchmont Street WC1N 1AL (facebook); opens at 12.00 weekends, at 11.30 weekdays. This is a pretty decently priced pub considering where it is, and had a couple of Sambrook's ales, and crafty keg beers too (website), the brewery now being situated inside the old Young's Ram Brewery complex in central Wandsworth. Good as their beers are, and Paul appeared to enjoy a few pints of their 4.2% Pumphouse pale ale, I have drunk their ales before, but there was something new for me...

I can't remember ever drinking an ale from The Exeter Brewery (website), and certainly never this ale, and I did used to live in Exeter too, so I had to try their Lighterman (3.5%). This was a very pleasant amber session ale, brewed with Goldings hops, and basically does what it says on the label, a traditional bitter, light and easy to drink, if you like bitter beers. I do 👍

So there you have it, 2 new pubs for me in central London, the first named after an 18th century British General and the other (better value/cheaper) after a 19th century British Prime Minister.

Cheers folks! 🍺

Putney & Tooting for Wimbledon!

Because of railway strikes, I travelled to London on Friday and back again on Sunday, so that I could attend a football match on Saturday, had to, see near the bottom. So I stayed at my brother's home, and Friday saw me in Putney, first off at Ghost Whale, 134 Upper Richmond Road SW15 2SP (website), a bottle shop and bar that also sells 8 keg 'craft' beers. I enjoyed pleasant discourse again with staff member Ray, from L.A., who I mentioned before (blog).

I returned again, a wee bit damp on Saturday, and I hadn't written many notes this weekend past, and I deleted some photographs I had meant to help jog my memory, oops, but on Friday I did imbibe the Belgian Abbey ale from St Bernardus (website) ABT 12 (10.0%), simple reason explained below next photograph. ABT 12 is a quadruple style ale (to do with strength), it was a deep dark red/brown/rust colour, a slight perfume to the aroma and taste, sweeter than I usually drink, with caramel and a hint of chocolate in the taste, but dried out slightly at the finish, had to be done, and not bad at all, but one shouldn't drink too many! 😉

Oh yes, and I did write notes of the first beer I drank on Friday, which was from Devon brewer Utopian Brewing Limited (website), their Bohemian British Lager (4.2%). It's brewed as a pilsner style, and, quite frankly, it does what it says on the tin, although I had it from the tap, it's a light crisp fruity lager, simples... See, I do drink lager sometimes!

So why the Belgian beer, and this Belgian beer photographed above from the Brown Dog in Florida? Well, it was Stacey of The Brown Dog, 215 St Joe Plaza Drive, Palm Coast, Florida, USA, FL 32164 (website), who reminded me by posting on their facebook page that Friday was the Belgian National Day national holiday (website), only a coincidence that I was online whilst at the Ghost Whale! Anyway, so I decided to have a Belgian beer to celebrate, top photograph, and Stacey sent the immediately above photograph back whilst I was still there on Friday, nice one! I have written about the excellent Gulden Draak a year ago (blog), and also Stacey contributed a guest blog about The Brown Dog a year ago too, cheers!

I then visited The Bricklayer's Arms, 32 Waterman Street SW15 1DD (facebook), which has 12 handpumps, 11 for ales and one for cider, and they do have quite a few ales from West Yorkshire based brewery Timothy Taylor's (website), although I prefer to drink their beers when I'm in West Yorkshire, notably at The Fleece Inn in Haworth (website). On the Friday I had a couple of ales, one from the South East London based Original Small Beer brewery (website), who specialise in lower alcohol strength beers, their 2.3% Organic IPA. It was a wee bit fruity, hint of orange, quite dry, slightly sour, I noted 'not bad' but I didn't have another.

No, I then went for a very different more traditional bitter from North London brewery Redemption (website), their 4.6% Urban Dusk. It had a deep dark chestnut colour, apparently with Bramling Cross hops to add a dark fruity taste (hopslist), but my notes say 'It looks like a bitter, it tastes like a bitter, and by golly it is a bitter' also 'very good' 😊

And I returned here on Saturday too, when I drank the East London based Five Points Brewing (website) Railway Porter (4.8%), which was very good indeed. Brewed using Goldings hops which give sweetness and spice (British Hop Association), and all things nice 😉 but the darker and roasted malts influence the taste more, as you would expect. It was rich and dark, had plenty of body, and with hints of chocolate and coffee in the taste, it was very good.👍And I shan't go on about whether it should be called a porter or a stout, because I've discussed that many times before, eg blog, but, as a friend pointed out, calling it a stout would betray the name Railway Porter, but maybe it edged more towards a porter anyway... 😏

I walked a few miles to Tooting earlier on Saturday, and had to take this photograph as it reminds me of Wolfy Smith, "Power to the People!" (youtube), you maybe have to be of a certain age to understand why. ✊ OK comrades (oops!), when the programme was on tv I went out with a lass for 2 years, who lived behind nearby Amen Corner (there's another link to popular culture of the past), which is just down the road from the Broadway, and we called ourselves the Tooting Popular Front as a laugh, so it did really exist and wasn't just made up by the writers. 😁

Anyway, back to pre-match drinking, which started at a pub I hadn't visited for many years, The Castle, 38 Tooting High Street SW17 0RG (website), where I followed in the 3 young women pictured in front of me (it's a busy pavement, it was the least busy photograph I managed to take!). It's certainly moved on to be a very foody pub, although haven't many?!? But it did have the England women's football match on television, and Cornish brewery St Austell (website) Proper Job (4.5% in cask), which I have written about many times, eg blog. I must admit that I was a little disappointed, although this is one ale that is better, and stronger, in its bottle-conditioned version (5.5% & blog), and drinking it in a pub just reminds me...

The Tooting pub I had originally planned to visit before the match was The Selkirk, 60 Selkirk Road SW17 0ES (website), which looks a fair size from the outside, but with added on bits, 'tis very big inside! I chose this pub because I had never been in it before, it's on a side street just off the High Street, but I saw it online, and I lived in Selkirkshire when I worked up in the Borders for a couple of years in the late 1980s, 'twas fate! Roomy inside, though with a few divisions, so not just one cavernous room, very friendly bar staff, also chatted to other customers, and a few other football fans, so it wasn't just the rain that kept me inside longer than planned.

Only one cask ale, and one draught cider, the ale was Timothy Taylor's Landlord, and, as I said above, I prefer to drink their beers up int' north, but I had a pint, and Landlord is what Landlord is, a decent enough bitter, gentle with the hops. But they did have quite a few crafty kegs on too, so I had a pint of Greenwich based (S.E. London and of Greenwich Meridian fame) Meantime Brewing (website) fizzy Anytime IPA (4.7%). Unsurprisingly, an American style IPA (APA), brewed with Cascade (hopslist), Centennial (hopslist), Ekuanot (Yakima Valley Hops, I believe also known as Equinox - hopslist) and Mosaic hops (hopslist), producing a light pale bitter, with tropical and citrus fruits in the taste. Now, I own up that I didn't take any notes, my apologies, but I was too busy having a life and chatting... 😁

And, I just had to have another drink before I left, because one of the bar staff said she loved these half-pint glasses (and their pint glasses too), and because the rain was coming down quite seriously outside the pub! And this is a lined-glass, in fact there is a wee bit over the measure here, although it didn't look like more than half a pint, but it was, cheers! So, from North London based Beavertown Brewery (website) Neck Oil (4.3%), who own up to using an enormous variety of hops in this session APA, although maybe not all at once (?!?), including Columbus (hopslist), Centennial (hopslist), Simcoe (hopslist), Amarillo (hopslist), Galaxy (hopslist), Vic Secret (hopslist) and Mosaic (hopslist)! As you could imagine, no doubt, this ensures a cornucopia of flavours, a wee bit too cold and fizzy for me, but very drinkable indeed!

And the reason behind my visit to London for the weekend? It was to go to a pre-season friendly match at AFC Wimbledon's new ground in Plough Lane SW17 0NR (website), and I have a bit of history going to the old Plough Lane ground when they were in the Southern League, and why drink in Tooting beforehand? 'tis far enough away from the ground to not be overcrowded on match days, and near enough to walk to in about 15 minutes. As you can see above, the proof of my attendance, and I got there quite early still, and the ground was still nearly empty, but the attendance was 5,138 for a pre-season friendly, and that's a fair turn-out for a friendly. 👌

Postscript. I bought a couple of 500ml bottles of the very tasty St Austell Proper Job (5.5%) this morning, cheers m'dears! 😉