Visiting England & Ireland; need suggestions for some good pubs

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NateLTB

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Hello from across the pond. I am going to be traveling to England and Ireland in about a month for a little vacation and I'm looking for some good suggestions on pubs and/or breweries to visit while I'm there. I'll be spending my time in Ireland in Dublin and traveling around England spending time in London, near Nottingham and Exeter. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Cheers!
 
These are a couple pubs that were recommended to me a little while back. I went to a couple but not all:

The Brazen Head (apparently the oldest bar in Ireland)
Oliver St. John Gogarty's Pub
Quay Pub (in Galway) - used to be an Abbey

But honestly, I just wandered in and out of pubs there - they're all pretty cool.

Word of advice - when you go to the Guinness Brewery, you'll get a drink ticket. Don't use it until you finish the tour at the top of the brewery - it's called the Gravity Bar and is awesome! Pretty much 360 view of the city.

Have fun over there!
 
When you're in Dublin, check out the porterhouse brewery for Irish craft beer and while you'll probably be drinking a lot of Guinness, drink some Beamish and Murphy's. Guinness just doesn't compare.

In London, there are a lot of good places, above all else I recommend the Harp near Covent Garden. Has a superb selection of proper cask beer and some excellent ciders and perry which you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

Enjoy your trip.
 
These are a couple pubs that were recommended to me a little while back. I went to a couple but not all:

The Brazen Head (apparently the oldest bar in Ireland)
Oliver St. John Gogarty's Pub
Quay Pub (in Galway) - used to be an Abbey

But honestly, I just wandered in and out of pubs there - they're all pretty cool.

Word of advice - when you go to the Guinness Brewery, you'll get a drink ticket. Don't use it until you finish the tour at the top of the brewery - it's called the Gravity Bar and is awesome! Pretty much 360 view of the city.

Have fun over there!

Thanks for the tip! I've seen the Gravity Bar on TV, can't wait to see it in person.
 
When you're in Dublin, check out the porterhouse brewery for Irish craft beer and while you'll probably be drinking a lot of Guinness, drink some Beamish and Murphy's. Guinness just doesn't compare.

In London, there are a lot of good places, above all else I recommend the Harp near Covent Garden. Has a superb selection of proper cask beer and some excellent ciders and perry which you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

Enjoy your trip.

I've found another place in London that sounds like they have a good selection of cask beer. The Craft Beer Company but I'll be sure to check out the Harp also. Thanks!
 
I don't know your travel routes, but if you can swing by Oxford they have a few within walking distance and there are several other sites to see along the way. Eagle and Child is a great little pub where J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis would hold their writer's group to discuss their work. They have a good selection...get a real ale and the bacon burger; it's excellent. Worcester College has a cool underground bar. The White Horse is a few blocks away and it's right next door to Blackwell's bookstore. Museum, theater, libraries, several colleges on the walk in-between...very cool way to spend a day.
 
I don't know your travel routes, but if you can swing by Oxford they have a few within walking distance and there are several other sites to see along the way. Eagle and Child is a great little pub where J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis would hold their writer's group to discuss their work. They have a good selection...get a real ale and the bacon burger; it's excellent. Worcester College has a cool underground bar. The White Horse is a few blocks away and it's right next door to Blackwell's bookstore. Museum, theater, libraries, several colleges on the walk in-between...very cool way to spend a day.

I may have to make this part of the trip. Sounds great!
 
Brewers love flavor and depth of taste. You should not miss the Jameson distillery tour and tasting Jameson the right way.
 
Gotta hit the Brazen Head because of how old and neat the pub is. When I was studying abroad there I use to spend a lot of time at the Portabello Pub because it was a short walk from my house. It's nothing special, but it's still pretty cool. The Cobblestone is a cool pub as well. If you like Heavy Metal music there is a pub called Fibber McGee's that played Heavy Metal in the basement on weekends. I would suggest avoiding Temple Bar, as it's mostly an over crowded tourist trap.

Edit: should have mentioned these are all in Dublin!
 
When you're in Dublin, check out the porterhouse brewery for Irish craft beer

I agree. I spent a couple of nights there last year. They have a great oyster stout and several other good brews. The problem with Ireland is that most of the pubs all have the same stuff. Distribution is tightly controlled. You will actually see a lot of Bud and Coors on tap in a lot of the pubs..

If you can find it Kilkenny on tap is great. A great Irish Red on Nitro.

Enjoy your trip.
 
I don't know your travel routes, but if you can swing by Oxford they have a few within walking distance and there are several other sites to see along the way. Eagle and Child is a great little pub where J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis would hold their writer's group to discuss their work. They have a good selection...get a real ale and the bacon burger; it's excellent. Worcester College has a cool underground bar. The White Horse is a few blocks away and it's right next door to Blackwell's bookstore. Museum, theater, libraries, several colleges on the walk in-between...very cool way to spend a day.

yep. i used to live there and spent a good few afternoons in both of those. but the turf tavern remains my favorite in oxford. it's kind of hidden, dangerous if you are tall (low beams painted black), and has a little beer garden heated with braziers nestled in a corner of the original, older than yo grandma's wooden teeth, city wall. always has a good and changing selection of cask ales, and generally crappy service from bored students
 
I just booked my tickets to Ireland today (traveling last week of May first two weeks of June). I will be watching the suggestions closely and anticipating the trip report. Do we have any Irish members on here? I would love to spend an afternoon sampling homebrew in Ireland if anyone would have me. I'll even send some of mine before I leave!
 
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