In Search of the Bishop's Hat

Finished.  My work here in the UK is done.  We finished our meetings around noon and then I caught the train down to London.  I wanted to hit London during the week specifically so that I could visit some pubs in the Financial District, which are closed on the weekends.  To be exact, my entire itinerary for this UK trip was based upon knocking off a certain pub off of one of my many lists.  Specifically, I wanted to see the Ye Olde Mitre Tavern, which was #30 on Beer Advocate’s list of 125 places to have a beer before you die.

The Olde Mitre is a bit hard to find, you need to look for the blue Bishops bonnet on a passageway between Ely Place and Hatton Garden.  The place was quaint, with old timers behind the bar.  Although recently purchased by Fuller’s (it must have been really impressive as a freehouse), they still offered some guest beers.  I had the Gale Seafarer ale and their Festive Mild on cask, to go with my ham and cheese toastie.  We had some Spanish visitors there waiting for Barcelona to play the next night.  For a snack, I had a pickled egg and a gherkin (how sweet).  A nice spot, but it was time to head over to the Jerusalem Tavern.

The Jerusalem Tavern is a St. Peter’s pub (you know, the English bottled beer that looks like it is in medicine bottles), and since they don’t ship their casks to the US, I was excited to see what I could try here.  I was able to try their IPA, Best Bitter, Mild, and Old-Style Porter (busy night) on cask.  It was a great pub, with people inviting you to sit down at their table when it got crowded, and young professionals hanging out on the sidewalk socializing before their holiday weekend.  I next headed over to the Fox and Anchor, trying their asparagus soup (it’s in season) and a pickled egg, along with a Nethergate Fox and Anchor on cask.  I bumped into a young couple from the Jerusalem Tavern who were heading to a show (sounded a bit off-Broadway), and they were interested in my plans for the next day. 

I took the tube back to my hotel, conveniently located near St. Pancreas train station and Mabel’s Tavern, a Shepherd Neame pub.  This is another brewery that I’d never found in the US, so I closed out my evening with an Early Bird and reviewed my plans for the next day.  It has been a long trip and I was anxious to get home, but since I planned to stay the extra day I wanted to be sure that I made the most of it. – 5782/10772

"No soldier can fight unless he is properly fed on beef and beer." - John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough