london
Saturdays at The Kernel Brewery in London
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 | Beer | No Comments
The Kernel Brewery is a very good brewery in London. I first tasted their beer at the Euston Tap, where I had their delightful Centennial/Citra Pale Ale. It’s hard to find particularly inventive brewers in London, but Kernel makes fantastic strong IPAs and dark beers. I like them a lot.
Recently, The Kernel started having open houses on Saturday at their Maltby Street location in Bermondsey, London. Their brewery is conveniently located along the Maltby Street market. Be warned, it’s incredibly hipstery at this market, so much so there’s a shop selling only vintage fixie bikes. If that bothers you, steer clear. If you can look past the ironically dressed clientele, visiting The Kernel on a Saturday is very nice.
Kernel Brewery at Maltby Street market
They have a table setup where you can order a pint or buy some of their beer in bottles. We had the basic stout and one of their IPAs at the market and I took home bottles of the Centennial/Citra pale ale, 2010 Centennial IPA, Export India Porter, and Imperial Brown Stout. I haven’t had them yet, but, from what I’ve tasted so far, I can’t imagine they’ll disappoint.
The beer menu, some good stuff on there
Me buying some Kernel beers
The Kernel bottles I took home
Vancouver, take note. The Kernel served and sold beer out of the back of their brewery right onto the street! There were no fights, car accidents, underage drinkers, or even drunk people! Why can’t we do this in Vancouver?
Cheers,
Chris
Brewdog has a pub in London now
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 | Beer | No Comments
In Camden to be exact, and it’s been there for about a month. I was really excited when I found out Brewdog opened their first non-Scottish pub in London (4th pub overall) in December. There are few epic beer bars in London, especially when you consider the scale of London and how much time people spend down the pub. Brewdog Camden joins Craft and The Euston Tap as beer nerd destinations in Londontown.
Erik was around over the holidays, so naturally we hit up Brewdog Camden. I was very impressed by the look of the place, which is very clean, modern, and on brand. I was even more impressed by the beer on offer, there were twenty odd taps and hundreds of bottles. The bottle selection was almost solely constituted of hardcore craft beer, mostly American (mostly Californian), some Danish (mostly Mikkeller), and Hitachino Nest of Japan. The majority of the taps were of Brewdog’s own beer, but there were also a few guest kegs from the likes of Stone and Mikkeller. Much of the Brewdog beer on tap I’d never seen in bottles before and I believe some were experimental. I really enjoyed the Winter Porter and the Hops Kill Nazis (a hoppy imperial red). I didn’t love the Wasabi Stout or the Dogma, but that’s just me.
Us guys at Brewdog Camden
What I really liked was that both Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32% ABV) and Sink the Bismarck (41% ABV) were on offer, £6 for a 25ml taste. I’d only ever come across these beers in bottles in the UK and didn’t buy because they carry a hefty price tag, so this was my first taste. We tried Tactical Nuclear Penguin (they were out of Bismarck) and it was a delight. It’s very syrupy in the glass and it tastes very sweet, more like madeira than beer. It also warms the throat in a good way, like a fine brandy or cognac might. A bottle would be dangerous in my hands.
Tactical Nuclear Penguin in the glass (Hops kill Nazis in the background)
Erik tasting TNP with an aristocratic air
London beer tourists, in this order, visit Craft, Brewdog Camden, and the Euston Tap. My one criticism of Brewdog Camden is that there aren’t many session beers to be had, which might turn off the casual beer fan. I don’t think Brewdog cares though, beer for punks after all.
Cheers,
Chris
London Pub Guide
Thursday, November 10th, 2011 | Beer | No Comments
The Euston Tap is a really good pub
When I moved to London I expected to arrive in a beer nirvana, where cask ale rains from the sky and everyone is happily just a little bit drunk all the time. While my expectations may have been lofty, I was generally surprised at how few good pubs, from a beer perspective, I could find in London. Sure, there are pubs everywhere and the majority of the English population is drunk a lot of the time (though not exactly happily), but where are all the good pubs? Over time I managed to find a few here and there, no thanks to terrible pub finding websites like Fancyapint and Beer in the Evening.
It’s not like I wasn’t trying to find good pubs in London, I’m ever diligent. I even downloaded the CAMRA Good Beer Guide iPhone app, which is great for finding pubs serving cask ale. CAMRA, however, fails to distinguish between a pub serving nicely conditioned cask ale and a nice place to hang out. CAMRA highly recommends the Wenlock Arms in Islington, which I decided to check out. When I walked in, I found the place full of dishevelled looking regulars staring at me like I didn’t belong there. Though the beer was some of the best I’d drank in London to that point, I found the atmosphere to be very disconcerting. Lucky for them, their beer gets them on the list.
Lucky for me, I eventually started working in the same office as a fellow beer enthusiast. The list below comes courtesy of Lee Bacon aka Baconator, who I kindly thank for his good advice. The best two places I’ve visited on hist list are The Euston Tap and Craft, which are both fantastic beer bars that, in my humble opinion, stack up with the best in the world.
North London:
London Bridge:
Old Street:
Chancery Lane / Holborn:
Covent Garden:
West London:
If you have any other suggestions for me, I’d love to hear them.
Cheers,
Chris
I miss hops and hockey
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 | Beer | 4 Comments
Obviously I know that almost all beer has hops in it, but not necessarily the high levels you find in the pacific northwest. When I moved to London I thought I’d be moving to a beer mecca, cask beer everywhere! I actually feel like I’ve taken a step down beer-wise. While there is a thriving pub culture here that I very much enjoy, I can’t say as much about the quality of the average beer. The majority of cask ales have been open a bit too long and taste a bit stale. Even the freshest cask of English ale can only be described as a mild pale ale by west coast standards. We’re blessed in Vancouver to have been influenced by the hopheads of Oregon, Seattle, and Northern California and it tastes good.
Sweet, sweet Central City IPA
I didn’t realize quite how much I missed a 60 IBU West Coast IPA until I had a slew of visitors gift me fantastic bottles from the motherland. Amongst my blessings I counted Central City IPA, Granville Island Imperial IPA, and Deschutes Hop Trip. They were delicious, thanks for asking. Of course there are British exceptions, such as the brilliantly hoppy offerings from Brewdog in Scotland, but I can definitely say that UK brewing lacks the adventurous extremes of the North American west coast and Belgium. Lucky for me, I’m making a quick return to Vancouver next week. Canucks woooo!
I knew that I missed hockey, but (again) I didn’t realize how much until I was reminded of it’s absolute awesomeness. Game 4 of the Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks series was at noon pacific time, meaning it was on in London at 8PM. I seized my big chance to watch live hockey for the first time in over a year at the Maple Leaf pub in Covent Garden, as did every other hockey starved Vancouverite in London. I can honestly say it was one of the best atmospheres in which I’ve ever watched a hockey game. The place was packed out with fervent Canucks fans decked in blue and teal, complete with UK levels of alcohol consumption, which resulted in really good times. What choice do I have but to come home for the parade?
At the Maple Leaf for game 4
Hank didn't touch it, we're good
Cheers,
Chris
After work drinks
Sunday, November 7th, 2010 | Beer | 2 Comments
In BC I would rarely ever meet somebody, coworkers or friends, after work for just drinks. If I was meeting people after work it would be for an occasion and there would be food involved. I don’t think I am an atypical person in this regard and I have two explanations. First, I (and most people) would almost always be driving somewhere, which makes meeting up for drinks downright irresponsible. Second, Vancouver, and especially its suburbs, does not have the same after work pub culture that London and the rest of the UK has.
Ever since we’ve been here I’ve noticed that any pub worth visting is jammed from 5pm on weekdays and overflowing onto the streets on Fridays. It’s fairly typical for Londoners to meet with coworkers or friends after work more evenings than not, like three out of five weekdays, every week, forever. I was impressed at this because I really enjoy after work drinks. With us moving to a new city and starting new jobs, it’s been good for our social integration. I have also been surprised at how after work drinks are frequently carried out. While it’s common to just have a pint and then be on your way, it’s almost equally common to have one, then two, then three, then a lot of pints, completely lose track of time, realize you haven’t eaten, and get carried away late into the evening. Seriously, some people just won’t eat. As a hungry person, this offends me. Weekday benders are common enough that showing up for work extremely late is easily forgiven and when I was recently actually sick most people just assumed I’d had a rough night.
I’m not passing judgement here, just remarking on an interesting cultural difference, one which I mostly enjoy (hangovers…). When I joined my colleagues had already selected their favorite pubs and I must say I quite enjoy their choices. The Bricklayer’s Arms is a Sam Smith’s pub that charges just over £2 for a pint. You can’t find any beer in London that cheap, much less tasty Sam Smith’s beer. The Toucan is a Guinness pub in Soho that my Irish boss loves. They do serve a proper Guinness, and you can’t argue with the people watching. Fun fact, Jimi Hendrix played his first London gig at The Toucan.
The Toucan in Soho
Cheers,
Chris
The Duke of Cambridge Organic Pub
Monday, August 30th, 2010 | Beer, Pubs | No Comments
The Duke of Cambridge is quickly becoming my favorite pub in our new neighbourhood of Angel Islington. It’s a bit off the beaten path, but it came highly recommended by both Yelp and Lonely Planet, so we had to check it out. I’m glad we did because I really enjoy it’s cozy atmosphere and tasty treats. It’s a completely organic pub, as in every ingredient in all the food and every drink they serve is 100% organic. I don’t particularly care about the organicness, but I do appreciate the care and attention that goes into their menu. You can taste the love and it is delicious. I’ve noticed that the majority of London pubs will have five generic European Lagers on tap and then three casks of similar not terribly exciting British ales. The Duke of Cambridge breaks the mold by serving interesting beers on tap, cask, and in bottles, with no generic macro brews to speak of. It’s rare to find stout, porter, and even English lager available in pubs here, and so I especially enjoy the Freedom Dark Lager and both the stout and porter from Pitfields. While I respect the organic stance the pub takes, what I really like is the overall quality of the food and drink. Combined with the quieter, relatively hipster free locale and the comfortable and inviting interior, the Duke is my new favorite.
Pitfields Porter at the Duke of Cambridge
Cheers,
Chris
Experiencing the Great British Beer Festival
Sunday, August 15th, 2010 | Beer, Events | 1 Comment
When I let my intentions to attend the 2010 Great British Beer Festival (henceforth to be referred to as GBBF) be known, numerous people let me know not to go on Saturday. Sadly, having already bought the tickets and being a Monday to Friday working man, Saturday was my only option. It turns out that most of the good beer is gone by Saturday and the crowds tend to be rather raucous. I had no problem with the latter, but the lack of quality beer was disappointing. That being said, if you enjoy people watching, Saturday is the day for you. I will not elaborate; attend next year to see for yourself.
The Great British Beer Festival at Earls Court
To give you a bit of back-story, the GBBF is held every year at Earls Court (an enormous convention center in London) the first Tuesday to Saturday of August. CAMRA UK organize GGBF, which is well attended by hundreds of brewers from around the UK who provide casks of beer. It costs £8 to get in, another refundable £3 for a tasting pint glass (yes, pint), and then beer can be purchased from various bars in 1/3, 1/2, and full pints at rather affordable prices. I was used to having my testing vessel at a beer festival come in the form of four ounce taster sized cup and was quite surprised at the full pint glasses on offer. Luckily, most British beers are lower in alcohol content than typical North American festival beers, so the full pint did not do me in.
I was quite pleased with our pints
In searching for quality beer, we did indeed find that almost half of the beer listed was sold out. We didn’t particularly enjoy what we tried of the other half. It might be that the beer was starting to spoil after five days sitting in an open cask or that only the poorer quality beer was left, but I was not particularly impressed with the overall beer quality of what I tasted. I admit that this might have been to do with me lacking in knowledge of the vast number of British brewers and I’ve vowed to do my research in the future. Next year I’m going to go earlier in the week and come prepared with a list of fine beers to try. What I am quite sure of is that the beer available at GBBF was nowhere near as adventurous or varied as what you might find at a festival in the Pacific Northwest. I’m sure the various ales on offer were chock full of subtlety, but subtlety detection seems to disappear after a couple pints.
All the good stuff sold out...
After a few disappointing pints, I stumbled upon the international bar where I found a few of my west coast favorites. I took comfort in a bottle of one of my favorite beers, Deschutes Black Butte Porter. I then went back to challenge myself with a 500ml bottle of Green Flash Double Stout. You might say this did me in. I’m once again going to complain about the propensity for festival organizers to hold events such as these during the day. I wasn’t particularly inebriated at 7PM on Saturday, but what’s a slightly inebriated person going to do post GBBF at 7PM on a Saturday? Carry on, that’s what. Needless to say, the following Sunday was one of those “I’m never drinking again” days, which usually last me a week. However, I’m in England now, so I only managed to take one day off.
Festival goers at GBBF
All and all, it was a very interesting experience and a fun time, I’ll be back. Next year, I’m going on a Wednesday night and I’m going to go prepared. This strategy will hopefully help me come up with some non useless commentary in 2011.
Cheers,
Chris
Canada Day in Trafalgar Square
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010 | Events | 2 Comments
Turns out there is a giant Canada Day celebration in Trafalgar Square every year. It’s an all day event featuring a road hockey tournament during the day and a raucous concert in the evening. They even had Canadian beer! What beer did they choose to represent all of Canada to London? Sleeman‘s honey brown and genuine draft. Not what I would have chosen, but probably the most popular beer available nation wide in Canada. It was all gone by the time I showed up anyway and I had to drink Carlsberg, gross. Also on hand was Tim Horton‘s coffee and doughnuts, Mission Hill wine, and Bison burgers. This was no slouch of a party either, the concert featured Jully Black and the Hawksley Workman, among others. It was one of the better Canada Day celebrations I’ve ever been to, which is a bit sad. As a nation, we’re more interested in the day off than truly celebrating our nation. We’re just too polite to make a scene…
Canada Day in Trafalgar Square
The most amazing part of the evening for me involved one of the Canadians we were meeting turning up in a circa 1994 Gino Odjick Canuck jersey. There were thousands of drunk Canadians in Trafalgar Square that night and a good portion of them, most of the ones from BC at least, all stopped by to hug, pose with, or otherwise worship the Gino jersey. The first incident I saw involved an extremely attractive woman practically throwing herself at the Gino jersey. If you are a young single Canadian, I recommend showing up next year in a Gino (or suitable 1994 Canuck hero, Linden, Ronning, Mclean, Momesso, Adams, Babych and others not including Bure might do the trick) because you’ll be the toast of the town. I always knew the 1994 Canuck run was a big deal, but it pretty much defines my generation. If nothing else, we have that in common. It’s a bit embarassing though, what with us not even winning. Ginooo!
The Power of Gino is immense
After the celebration we decided to go to the Maple Leaf, the one Canadian bar in London. Guess what? So did everyone else and we didn’t get in. I’ve yet to check out the Maple Leaf, but I’ll get there and let you know how it goes.
Cheers,
Chris
Pubs that used to be banks
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 | Pubs | 1 Comment
Having lived in London for a few months now I’m getting pretty used to hearing that this or that pub is hundreds of years old and Charles Dickens just happened to go on a bender with William Wallace here. Okay, that’s a bit of stretch, but I have been to pubs that Dickens frequented when he was writing his horribly depressing books (I’m looking you right in the eye Hard Times). Anyway, we had some friends visit recently who wanted to check out some pubs that used to be banks. Rick Steves tipped them off and it’s true, more than a few old bank buildings have turned into pubs. Turns out ATMs and some crisis that recently happened have negated the need for fancy old buildings in the banking industry, but the depressed bankers that remain still need to drink.
We ended up heading to the Counting House, which was built in 1893 as Prescott’s Bank, but is now a Fuller’s pub. They carry the whole Fuller’s line on tap or in bottles and I was pleased to enjoy a delicious Fuller’s London Porter (or five), which is surprisingly not readily available in London. The building itself was quite ornate for a pub, typical of the over the top opulence on display near the Bank tube station. If you’ve never been to London’s financial district, it is impressive. We’re talking fancy cars, everyone in suits, and people running around making deals that actually affect fluctuations in currency and the price of petrol (British for gas). As such, I really enjoy heading to the area in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops. If you enjoy drinking tasty beer in a pub that is a product of the financial industry’s well deserved misfortune, I recommend checking out a pub that used to be a bank.
Conversation over a pint at the Counting House
Cheers,
Chris
Belgo Centraal in London
Saturday, May 29th, 2010 | Beer | 1 Comment
Belgo Centraal Monk Waiter
The wife’s sister and her husband are in town so we went to see Oliver (Food, Glorious Food!) in Covent Garden the other night. We needed some quick eats before the show so I surfed the intertubes and came across Belgo, a London chain of five Belgian style restaurants. I was particularly drawn to the beer menu (delicious Trappist beers!) and the Beat The Clock theatre menu, where you pay the time you order your food at (between 5-6:30). For example, if you order at 5:15 you pay £5.15 for your meal. We wondered what we might get, but we received full size, quality meals served by waiters dressed up as monks. To be honest, I could have lived without the last bit of humiliating kitsch. However, I can’t complain about £6 meals accompanied by delicious Belgian beers. Amongst our party we enjoyed Mussels with frites, Spit roasted chicken with frites, and pork and leak sausages with mash. Rachel and I enjoyed Westmalle 8 and Rochefort 8 with our meals, not too shabby for some fast pre show food.
Cheers,
Chris
Belgo Centraal Beat the Clock Menu
Search
Categories
Archive
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008