My first stop was to head over to Westminster, taking the obligatory pictures of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey before popping into St. Stephens. This Badger pub is right on Bridge street, and was a great centralized location for the area. I had their Firkin’ Fox, a smooth ale that I hadn’t seen in the states. The bartender was impressed with my beer book and let me have one of their bar towels as a gift. But the day was young and I had Salmon fever, so I needed to get walking.
I headed up road towards Trafalgar square, and was entertained with the Barcelona fans sitting and chanting on the back of the English Lion. And although it was a good photo opportunity, the local law enforcement was not very amused. I strolled over to Craven Passage (what a name) and stopped at the Ship & Shovell. Another Badger pub, I decided to try their Tanglefoot. This pub was notable in that it had too locations across the street from each other. It turns out if you want a beer from the other half, they’ll call across and have it delivered to you. And being on the edge of a shopping center, it would be a great place to hang out if Jenn went to do some window shopping.Still anxious to get moving, I headed up to Covent Gardens (past Jenn’s favorite eggs and chips joint) and stopped by The Harp.
This traditional Irish pub continually receives high praise from the website Beer in the Evening and from CAMRA. I am always intrigued by British small brewers trying other countries styles, so I had to get the Dark Star Saison. It was fantastic. I got to search for souvenirs at Covent Gardens, but didn’t stay long enough to wait for either the Porterhouse brewpub or the Freemason Arms (reportedly the birthplace of the English Football league) to open. I was on a mission, so I headed east on High Holburn until I found the Cittie of York, a Samuel Smith pub. Sam Smith is a bit of an oddity, not having too many of its beers on cask. And since I was tired (and thirsty), I hung out and tried their Yorkshire ale and their Taddy Lager. It was strange for me not to have cask on this trip, but the change of pace was welcome and both aren’t available in any form in the US.
Off to the Blackfriars, down by the new tube station, where I got a chance to admire the wood carved interior while enjoying St. Austell Tribute. I like the place since they advertise take a sip before ordering, and since I had previously decided that sips count (deep sips so you can properly ascertain the mouthfeel of the beer) on my list, I was also able to try the Butcombe Old Vic Porter. I was getting tired now, but I pressed on across the Thames across Blackfriars bridge, past Doggett’s Pie Shop (where Jenn had her first dinner in England), downstream past Tate Modern Art Gallery, scenic views of St. Paul’s cathedral, and past the Globe theatre. All wonderful places where I could have spent the day at, but I was on a mission, so I headed further on to the Borough Market.
The market was alive with people and shops, so I popped into the Rake, a bar known for their selection of local beer. I tried the Redemption Pale Ale, a new local brewer, which was top notch. Their bottle selection was impressive, but I was holding out (as I found out in York, there are only so many beers that you can carry) for the Rake’s bottle shop in the market, Utobeer. So I got directions and went on my way, passing by the Market Porter (seen in Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban as a shop) and diving directly into the crowd. Utobeer was awesome, a must stop for 
beer enthusiasts (it is also notable for being on the Three Sheets London pub tour). The owner watched me closely, examining each of the shelves with my backpack and beer book opened, but once he discovered that I was truly a geek he was very helpful. Since I was limiting myself to 3 bottles (which forced me to pass on the Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout, bottle was too big for me to pack in the suitcase), he had fun helping me to make the following selections: Sharp’s Monsieur Rock - brewed in conjunction with Orval, Hardknott Aether Blaec ‘10 – a whiskey aged stout from a Cumbrian extreme brewer, and Brew Dog Abstrakt AB:06 – the latest in a series of extreme beers with limited availability.
I was getting really tired now, and although I could see the Tower Bridge, I choose to walk across London Bridge to see the Monument of the Great London Fire and hop on the tube to St. James Park station. I found the Buckingham Arms, a Young’s pub, and was able to try their sweetish Waggledance Honey brew. Maybe that was it, a tube ride and a bit of sugar for my tired legs, but I seemed to get a second wind, so I was off again and headed to the Cask & Glass where I was able to sit back and enjoy a Shepherd Neame Master brew. Now I was one the march, and went through London’s embassy row to find the Michael Jackson recommended Star Tavern. It was located on a private street, but I went in anyways, and enjoyed a Fuller’s Organic Honey-Dew.
My day was wrapping up, so I headed down to my farthest tube station, Sloane Square, and decided to have an early dinner at the Antelope. The pickled egg was excellent, and the chili nachos (yes, I did order nachos on my last night in England) were satisfactory. I had the Fuller’s Chiswick Bitter and the Ascot (celebrating 300 years of brewing) ale to wash it down. The people were nice and loved the listing of my day but I was off to the Orange for my final beer before getting back on the tube. I chose the Meantime Famous Belgian on draft, a local brewery that made a 7.4% ABV beer that was easily the strongest beer of the day. 
At this point I was done, and then started my journey back to the hotel. I ran into lots of folks from the Chelsea flower show (sweetest smelling tube ride of my fortnight). Got stuck on a train and had to change due to line congestion. I got off early and tried the Brew Dog 5AM Saint on draft at the Albany. Then I walked back to the hotel to check in with the family via Skype.All in all I estimated that it was an eight mile walk, even though it seemed longer (and tougher). That night I tried to get something to eat, but the places were too packed with folks watching the Champions League game between Barcelona and Man U (Barcelona was clearly the dominant team and won 3-1). It was a great day, but I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to share it with Jenn. If I’m fortunate enough to go back, I’ll look forward to playing tour guide rather than pub finder. Then again, if I’m lucky, we’ll be able to do both. – 5782/10790
"A quart of ale is a dish for a king." - William Shakespeare
No comments:
Post a Comment