I Was Right Then

Did you know that Cask Marque has an area on their website where you can report beer quality problems directly to them? Well, it has. To the point, it is called "Bad Beer Reporting Tool". That's what you need - something that tells it as it is.

I once used it a while ago and can't exactly remember when, where or why, but I was moved to do so again after a recent experience in London, which, as part of a piece about a recent Belgian Trip, I mentioned here.  To recap, I paid £7 for an extremely lacklustre pint of Landlord in the Cask Marque listed Hoop and Grapes in Aldgate, which is a Nicolson's pub.

Now I have had many a pint in Nicolson's pubs and while they aren't always brilliant, they are usually dependable, though often a bit unadventurous. In fact, I praised them here, for great pints in the Lord Aberconwy adjacent to Liverpool Street Station and I don't think that is untypical.  Of course, it is a truism that the pub is only as good as the boss that runs it and sets the standards, a fact that is rather unwisely overlooked.  Check out the person in charge if you can, and watch how they operate to get a feel for the pub. If the boss is slovenly, it is likely that the pubs will be the same. The best managers are always keeping a darting sideways eye on things, even when doing something else.

But I digress. What of my complaint about the Hoop and Grapes? In a reply to me, Cask Marque advised me that they failed their recent Cask Marque inspection visit  - hopefully after my complaint - and they will be inspected again, after which they will let me know the outcome. 

Well, I at least am not at all surprised to learn that, but it is good to know. It clearly wasn't just a duff pint on the night, but a general failure which presumably resulted in countless substandard pints.

So, it is worth a complaint to Cask Marque, particularly if you feel the problem is likely systemic rather than a one-off?   You can easily look up a pub's inclusion or otherwise on the internet. They sign up to all this, so you aren't grassing them up, rather, you are holding them to their side of the bargain. 

And what can be fairer than that? After all, it is your money and experience that is immediately at stake, and in the wider sense, the reputation of cask ale.

Incidentally, Nicolson's were included in my original and subsequent complaints on X. Either they chose to ignore it - surely they have meedja persons employed for such things? - or they didn't notice it, which is poor

Next, they should actually put prices on their beer, so you can decide or not whether to pay the ransom for a pint in the quality lottery.  Given price inflation, that is something all pubs need to do. Where else do you buy something without knowing the price first?

Karmeliet on the Kust

You know how, when you venture into foreign parts, sometimes you just get stuck on a particular beer? Well - that. 

This little adventure was a short three-day hop over to Belgium. Ostend, specifically. The plan? Ride the legendary Kusttram—basically a scenic tram that glides up and down the Belgian coast from De Panne near France to Knokke-Heist near the Dutch border. It's supposedly one of the longest tram routes in the world, and it sounded like just the kind of gentle, beer-accompanied exploring we needed.

Our journey began in different ways. The other two lads came to London on Tuesday for our Eurostar 13.01 departure, while I came down the night before to check our flat was still in one piece. This allowed me to have a lie in and have the chance to be fleeced of seven of your British pounds for a substandard pint of Landlord - but that's another story.  It also allowed me to have a full English breakfast and a couple of leisurely pints in the Betjeman Arms in St Pancras Station. As an aside, it might be pricey, but what a grand place that is inside and a good spot for people watching outside. Worth it as a treat, for sure.  

Eurostar is fab, but the check in area is far too small, but we had decent seats on the train and soon were belting through France at an agreeable number of kilometres per hour. On time and comfortable. Excellent. On arrival in Brussels, we did the only sensible thing: found a bar, ordered beers, and toasted our escape. Sunshine, Hoegaarden in a comically large glass, and that undefinable hum and buzz of a city not our own. We just enjoyed it and watched the goings on, going on. Eventually, we grabbed our (very senior-discounted) train tickets—just €8.50 to any station in Belgium!—and made our way to Ostend. Our accommodation was on the 7th floor, with views of the casino and, somewhere beyond, the North Sea. But before we even found the place, there were the inevitable wrong turns and a pit stop for more beers

It was there, in the friendly and very pubby De Klokke - just round the corner from our abode as it turned out - we encountered what proved to be a bit of a nemesis - for two of the company at least - Tripel Karmeliet. Now, this Abbey beer is rather easy to drink. Brewed with three grains - wheat, barley and oats, it is as smooth, presumably from the oats, as the smoothest of smooth things, but hides its 8.3% brilliantly.  But it has a deadly kick for those that choose to sup it with a degree of recklessness. Fortunately, it wasn't entirely to my taste and I settled when in De Klokke - yes we went more than once - for a boys beer - Leffe Blonde at a mere 6.6%.  Full of common sense, me.  

We only had a couple, then found where we were staying, dumped the bags and went straight out. It turned out there was a decent seam of pubs nearby, so we tried a few, drinking various Tripels, until somewhat predictably, we ended up in a kebab house at midnight, necking Duvel from the bottle.  We, also predictably, slept like babies and were up in decent shape for the main event: the Kusttram.

It would be pretty boring to relate all our activities, but we did try a variety of beers and places. If your Belgian drinking has been mainly in big cities such as Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent, I observed it was rather different on the North Sea coast. We were disappointed with Blankerberge, both as a town and as a place to drink. Graham and I had been there before, and we had fond memories of it. But we found ourselves in a town which bore no comparison to our recollection. At all. Everything seemed to have been modernised beyond recognition - shiny and sterile, not charming and cosy. We were armed with pub recommendations from our good friend Mr Protz, but couldn't find the first at all - we think it had closed - and the second, the Terminus, by the main tram stop, was just generic and nondescript. So modern it looked, that we asked if it was new, but were advised it had been there for over a hundred years. Oh. Really? Like the UK, it seemed things had changed in the many years since our last visit, but not for the better.

We liked De Haan though. A charming and traditional looking small town, where we watched some pretty fast cycling - something the Belgians take very seriously, with closed roads, marshalls, police, and crowds. We slaked our thirst in interesting Bar Roger, which sported plenty of breweriana, and a decent beer list. Gueuze Boon for me and Tripels for the lads. A couple more in a modern place where more Karmeliet was consumed, and back to Ostend, and our local area, with lots of Karmeliet for my companions, and a variety, mostly Leffe Blond, for me. The night was topped off by another kebab at a different place at silly o'clock, of which only one of us had any recollection at all. As I'm writing about it -  me  - of course. Mr Sensible.

On the next day, we fared rather better heading south towards France, where the tramline ends.  Interesting views of miles of sandy beaches, and a plethora of what seemed to be holiday lets, as one small town rolled into another. At least on this coast, architectural merit didn't seem to be even on the planner's distant thoughts. On the way, we chatted to an old Belgian man, wondering if, as we neared the French border, would the language change from Dutch to French. He assured us, proudly, it would not.  Alighting in De Panne, in our first pub, oddly named as Itz a Pub, we were greeted with a cheery "Bonjour" from the owner and all we heard everywhere after that was French, which helped us communicate. So much for Flemish pride.

The town itself was nothing great to speak of, but we could imagine how busy it would be in the summer, as indeed we could see elsewhere. At the time of our visit, not much was open, but you could see preparations being made everywhere. However, as in Ostend, pubs/bars were all busy considering it was midweek and we had great conversations in both La Grand Place where we went by mistake and in the one right next door, Café des Bains, where we had intended to go. Table service was the norm in most places with beers, generally priced around €4.50 - €5 or a fair bit more for exotics.  Not bad at all, really.  Each order was accompanied by a small snack such as nuts or crisps.

We approached the last evening with more caution, as we had to be up and out early to get back to Brussels. The Eurostar Terminal there is more comfortable than St Pancras, and we had an uneventful journey back, with my two jaded companions eschewing a last drink in Euston Station. Maybe they would have been tempted by Karmeliet? Or maybe not! 

Would I recommend Ostend and the Belgian Coast? Well, yes - the tram is fun - but I'd likely say go in summer when things are in full swing and a lot more lively. What about Tripel Karmeliet?  It is certainly a well-made beer, but a bit hefty for swigging, though I should probably ask my friends about that.

My £7 pint was in the Hoop and Grapes in Aldgate, a Nicolsons house. Really poor it was too. If you are going to serve £7 pints, make sure they are in the toppest of condition, or at least display the price clearly.

It was also good to see Hoegaarden widely available in the North Sea Coast area. It may be big brewery beer, but it is still a classic of the Belgian Witbier style, and too rare a beast in the UK these days.

 

 

Northern Restaurant and Bar

On Wednesday I attended what is described as "The North's leading hospitality trade event. Bringing together over 9,600 visitors and 300+ exhibitors".  This is an annual event and I have been going, off and on, for quite a few years. The venue is Manchester Central, the huge exhibition centre formerly known as GMex and renamed after the railway station it used to be.  It was fitting that my companion for the day was my friend Graham, with whom I co-organised the Manchester Beer and Cider Festival  for several years when it was held there. It felt like a sentimental return for both of us.

We went on the second day of this two-day event, mainly to see who we knew - usually many - from both publicans and local breweries - and as always to have a chat with the various other exhibitors -  and certainly to sample a few beers. Firstly we had a look round to get the lie of the land, and, knowing the place as we do, we both felt that the exhibition was using more of the space than previously. This is a good thing, because the event is popular and can be very crowded. It is broadly split along the lines of food on one side and drinks on the other, with trade suppliers of everything from cutlery to glasses and electronic tills all dotted around and a central "theatre" where presentations and discussions take place. 

This being the second day, it wasn't too manic, but apparently, on the previous day, it had been rammed and there were a few slightly pissed people. Even small samples of spirits, will, I suppose, do this if you have enough of them - and there were plenty of these to go at -  but everyone I knew was very well-behaved and indeed I saw nothing untoward at all. In fact, the event was very civilised and well organised too.

Our first port of call, by accident as much as anything, was the bar of La Chouffe, owned now by Duvel Moortgat brewery group. A quick taster of  Cherry Chouffe  warmed us up in more ways than one with its 8% alcohol and as a bonus, we were both given a souvenir glass. We tucked that in our coats and set off for pastures new, being stopped on the way by a rep offering a free can of beer. Ah. No bag, so a detour to the Lipton's Ice Tea bus, saw us sorted out with a tote bag for any subsequent offerings.

I decided that my tastings should have a purpose. I'm fond of nitro stouts and there seemed to be a few on offer, so I'd try and taste them all. A benchmark need to be set, so I plumped for a beer I know. So, off to JW Lees stand for their excellent stout - which is not, strictly speaking, in the Irish style - followed by two from Theakstons.  They offered Brennan's Irish Stout, which was rather sweet and chocolate forward, but with a little late bitterness. The other, Barista Stout was as expected, big on coffee and vanilla, but overall, a bit too sweet for me.

Next up was another local one. Joseph Holt's Trailblazer Stout, a beer, again I am familiar with. This is more Guinness like, and I enjoyed its tasty roast malt and its chocolate and slight smokiness. A very well-made beer.  I also gained a bit of intel about a licensee change in my area, so a bit of CAMRA business too, though I was badged up as a "Beer Writer".  A new one for me though was Coal Drop from Tiny Rebel. A joint venture between distributor LWC and the Newport based Tiny Rebel, this was an absolute beauty.  The lads behind the bar couldn't have been nicer and the beer was excellent, with a silky body, a touch of roast malt and a smooth finish. Excellent stuff.  

Final two were Brock from Thornbridge which was a little disappointing, being a tad thinner than the others and finally, BrewDog Black Heart, which was decent, but seemed to lack flavour.

So, there you have it. I must point out that all stouts were served in sample sizes of a few ounces, in various plastic "glasses", so you have to bear that in mind, though some were sampled more than once. To me the Coal Drop just edged it from Lees Stout, but I do wonder if they were tasted blind, in pint glasses, how it would all have turned out.

I wasn't alone in my stout interest, as you could observe many people asking for samples. One thing seems certain, the stout revival continues apace and I reckon we'll see a lot more brewers putting efforts into promoting it. 

Other highlights were, as usual, seeing people I know and meeting brewery staff. A special mention to Iain from Greene King who was a smashing lad, and to everyone else who represented their companies with charm and good humour, despite their sore feet.  It was also very gratifying to hear that many had done great business there, including some of the smaller breweries exhibiting.

I did also sample various other beers as we went round. Top of the bunch for me was Swiss brewed 1936,  Birra Alpetti, a proper Italian lager and Budvar Dark. There may have been others, but it was still nice to go to the pub afterwards and drink cask from a pint glass.

 

And Now for the Good

Now, you'll likely be aware that London can be a minefield for the cask drinker, but it isn't always so.  In this short post, I'll tell you about three places where in all probability you'll get a decent pint of the real stuff.

The King's Arms in Bethnall Green has been taken over by Jack Duignan of Sutton Arms fame.  Trust me, this is good news.  I've known Jack and his dad for some time now, and the Sutton Arms is another place where you can depend on the beer, both in choice and quality.  They run a good pub, and they know what they are doing. On our last visit to the King's Arms, we were suffering from a substandard pint when Jack walked in. He'd only take over a matter of days before, and immediately came over for a chat. "How's the beer?" he asked. "Not great" I replied. He immediately went behind the bar, tested the beer and turned the clip around with a grimace.  Work to do.

Fast-forward a couple of months and on a busy Friday night, the beer was immaculate, cool, and well conditioned. Jack was there in a social capacity, but came over and explained that he'd sorted it. Of course he had. Go there with confidence. You won't be disappointed.

On Saturday, E needed a makeup item from Boots. No luck in our nearest one, so we wandered over to Liverpool Street, where she was similarly disappointed. So - a consolation pint? Why not? We noted the Lord Aberconway on Old Broad Street and nipped in. Surprisingly, I don't recall ever being in this Nicolsons pub before, but what a good one it is. Unspoilt inside, lots of dark wood and like a real railway station pub, plenty of transient customers enjoying a swift one, augmented by various soaks, illicit looking couples and a rather good atmosphere. Staff were friendly and efficient. Among others, there was Thornbridge Jaipur on offer and boy, was it good. More than one pint good,  and E was drinking it - another good sign. I noted that cask beer was flying out, which as any fool knows is rather reassuring. On this one visit, I'll recommend it, but I'll be back to be sure.

A more frequent haunt near our flat is the Culpepper on Commercial Street, a rather posh and upmarket sort of place in some ways, but we've always found it friendly enough and delight in raising the average age by at least 25 years. It is, oddly, reasonably priced by London standards and sells two cask beers, Five Point Pale and one from Mad Goose. We chose the Five Points, and it was in great condition. We perched on stools by the window watching the Sunday lunch crowd and looking forward to our own lunch in Dishoom, Shoreditch. Top tip? The window stools are great watching the Commercial Road scene.

So, there is good cask beer in London. You just have to seek it out. I'll keep you informed. 

Another favourite pub is also on Commercial Road. The Commercial, a huge ex Courage roadside pub which has been re-opened after years of closure, with minimal urban chic applied. The prices are absolutely outrageous - no wonder most were drinking halves - and there is (no longer) cask beer, but if you want to see the Shoreditch mob in their native habitat, it is a good place to go.  £54 for a bottle of Albarino in a grotty pub that doesn't do food? I thought not.

Dishoom is great. I've been to the King's Cross one, but the Shoreditch one is just brilliant. Great staff and food.

More About London

Let's make one thing clear. London has a fabulously diverse selection of pubs and, yes, it has to be said, some ropey cask beer.  Now that's out of the way, let's concentrate on the praise - with the odd, minor criticism to liven things up.

On a cold Wednesday evening, we started as always in the Aldgate Tap. I've a bit of a soft spot for the various Taps in the Bloomsbury Leisure empire and even though this one is completely devoid of any real character, it being an architect designed lump of steel and glass, sort of plonked in a London square. Its nearness to Aldgate Tube station though, makes it a handy pit stop for those Londoners that still roll up at offices and who tend, thankfully, to spend most of their visit outside in the square, leaving the pub to wusses like me who prefer to see the bar from where I'm drinking and to avoid both smoke and cold. The pub - or is it a bar? - is adjacent to a very old church, St Botolph's, a survivor of the Great Fire of London, so it goes back a fair bit and provides a bit of contrast, as Aldgate Square is a recent invention.

There are two cask beer lines here, and they are served free flow through a wall of steel behind the bar. I always think that the beer suffers a tad when served this way, but here, while not the peak of cask conditioning, it is usually in decent nick and rewardingly in London, under a fiver a pint.  The manager, John, is a great lad and always happy to chat. The staff are efficient and friendly, so we like it and enjoy it too for people watching. The London office crew in the wild is always worth a look and an earwig. They really are a genre apart and a throwback to teatime drinking, which happens less often elsewhere. 

A short wander away, right under the Gherkin, you’ll find Craft - a pub that, on paper, should be an absolute gem. Soft lighting, exposed brick, big windows, loads of breweriana - ticks all the right boxes. Except… the cask beer, which, more often than not, is over-vented and flat as a pancake. My usual tactic here? Try the cask, pick the least bad one, then immediately wash it away with a pint of London Black. Works every time. That said, it’s a lovely spot - just proceed with caution when ordering the real stuff.

So two pubs in one small area of EC3. Somewhat surprisingly, I feel, as mentioned above, you can trust the cask more in the one that isn't called Craft, than the one that is, though that certainly wins as a pub. 

(I'll draw a veil over the appalling beer in Fullers Trinity Bell next door to Cask. You could have poached an egg in the beer and it was flat as a pancake. Just the sort of stuff that puts people off cask forever, and not at all what you expect from Fullers managed house.)

The next day - Nunhead - Why?  Honestly, because we kept seeing the 78 bus going there and thought , why not? And you know what? Great decision. The ride itself was a treat, with top-deck views as we rolled over Tower Bridge, down the Old Kent Road, through the madness of Peckham Rye’s high street, and then… Nunhead. Which, it turns out, isn’t exactly buzzing. We checked out the local bakery (nice), butcher (also nice), fishmonger (smelly), and spotted two pubs. The Shepherd Neame boozer didn't appeal - well - its Shep's innit so - not this time for the Man of Kent. So we headed into The Old Nun’s Head, more or less across the road.

It was pretty deserted  mid-afternoon, but we were greeted warmly by the young barman (who confirmed no cask at the Shep's pub, so a good call) and after a taste of a local beer - awful - we settled for a Northern beer, Vocation Bread and Butter, which was fine, but needed a few more drinkers to liven it up. The pub itself was a mix of old and quirky new, and as the barman started laying out reserved signs on almost every table, it was clear this place gets packed in the evening - probably when the beer is at its best too.  All in all we liked it, so it is recommended.

A short stroll through fairly villagey backstreets, and we popped out just by the Angel Oak, a fine old roadside boozer which promised - according to WhatPub - four cask beers and delivered absolutely none.  Yes, I've advised the local CAMRA branch.  Big windows again - they really work, I'd say.  Other than us and a few local young women, a couple with babies, the pub was empty but somehow the warmth, the low chat and the lack of any music, made this a strangely enjoyable visit. We sipped our tasteless keg craft (Kona Big Wave I think) and simply enjoyed this large, but cosy bar, with attractive tables, low seats and fine views of the common and busy road outside.  Despite the beer, we left with a degree of reluctance.

Last up on this jaunt, the White Horse on Peckham Rye.  This is a fine old ex Charrington house, which is pretty well unspoilt inside, with much original wood panelling, a public bar in front and a well appointed (in 1970 style) lounge at the rear. A very warm welcome from the barmaid, who advised me it was happy hour, and provided me with a decent quality pint of Five Points Pale. Locals nodded and one even spoke to us. It was a journey into the past and an enjoyable one at that as we watched people, just enjoying the pub, some hardy souls even sitting outside.It would have been rude not to have a second, so we did, before nipping round the corner and the 78 back to SE1.

Summing up the trip to Nunhead, we really enjoyed the three fairly random pubs we visited. OK, the beer didn't really reach top standards, though I reckon both with real ale would have done so with a little more turnover and quality control. The Angel Oak struck me as the type of pub that would have greatly benefitted from a couple - no more - of decent cask ales. But then again, it is a Greene King House. 

So, no disasters in Nunhead, Disappointment in EC3 and going back to Nunhead/Peckham, a fab afternoon out and three very different pubs, which all appealed in their own way. 

Top tip if you is very old like me. Jump on a bus and see where it takes you. It is free after all. Even if it isn't, it is a great way to see London.

 Shortly after, I watched a Tweedy Pubs report on the 37 lost pubs of the Old Kent Road. Only two remain. Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road!  Tweedy Pubs is well recommended.

Blogger wouldn't let me place my photo of the White Horse without distorting everything else, so there is a link instead.