Visiting London Guide

[falc0n26001]

I just got plane tickets for six days in London this March. Right now I’m looking to stay around Shoreditch. I found a Premier Lodge for about $80/night which is relatively cheap and has great reviews right by the City and Shoreditch. Now I’m researching pubs. I’m curious as to what cask ales are well-regarded nowadays. I think we’ll also take a day trip to York. I wonder if Sage has a bunch of spreadsheets?!

 

[Sage1]

I just got plane tickets for six days in London this March. Right now I’m looking to stay around Shoreditch. I found a Premier Lodge for about $80/night which is relatively cheap and has great reviews right by the City and Shoreditch. Now I’m researching pubs. I’m curious as to what cask ales are well-regarded nowadays. I think we’ll also take a day trip to York. I wonder if Sage has a bunch of spreadsheets?!

Heh, I’ve been really busy the past few weeks (launching a new website for my company) and so I’m massively behind on planning my trip – haven’t even booked any hotels yet. After my trip I’ll be sure to send you my spreadsheet though and thoughts!

 

[andrewdrinks]

For well-regarded cask ale, go for the venue first and foremost - you can't go wrong with The Harp, for example, and it helps that their selection is usually second-to-none. Alongside the usual suspects like Fullers, Thornbridge, Dark Star etc, Burning Sky's cask is typically very good, although very different from their bottles - Plateau and Aurora are both excellent.

 

[zieglemt]

Heh, I’ve been really busy the past few weeks (launching a new website for my company) and so I’m massively behind on planning my trip – haven’t even booked any hotels yet. After my trip I’ll be sure to send you my spreadsheet though and thoughts!

Also interested. Heading there early December and have done almost zero research. Kinda trying to go in blind, but I know I'm gonna want resources/recs once I'm there.

 

[Sage1]

Also interested. Heading there early December and have done almost zero research. Kinda trying to go in blind, but I know I'm gonna want resources/recs once I'm there.

Unfortunately I had to cancel my trip at the eleventh hour due to a serious infection (I’m fine now, but I would’ve been out-of-my-mind miserable if I had gone). FWIW, here are the items that were on my list, but un-ranked and obviously I have no constructive feedback about any of them at the moment:

• Grant Museum of Zoology
• Natural History Museum
• Greenwich Foot Tunnel
• Museum of Brands
• Stonehenge/Windsor/Bath
• London Transport Museum
• London Eye
• Museum of Water & Steam
• Gloucester Tube Station
• The Craft Beer Co. Clerkenwell
• The Harp
• Holborn Whippet
• Dishoom King’s Cross
• Dishoom Shoreditch
• Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
• Euston Tap
• The Rake
• Beer Merchants Tap
• Cask Pub & Kitchen
• The Mall Tavern
• Anspach & Hobday
• Brew by Numbers

 

[Padraig]

Unfortunately I had to cancel my trip at the eleventh hour due to a serious infection (I’m fine now, but I would’ve been out-of-my-mind miserable if I had gone). FWIW, here are the items that were on my list, but un-ranked and obviously I have no constructive feedback about any of them at the moment:

• Grant Museum of Zoology
• Natural History Museum
• Greenwich Foot Tunnel
• Museum of Brands
• Stonehenge/Windsor/Bath
• London Transport Museum
• London Eye
• Museum of Water & Steam
• Gloucester Tube Station
• The Craft Beer Co. Clerkenwell
• The Harp
• Holborn Whippet
• Dishoom King’s Cross
• Dishoom Shoreditch
• Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese
• Euston Tap
• The Rake
• Beer Merchants Tap
• Cask Pub & Kitchen
• The Mall Tavern
• Anspach & Hobday
• Brew by Numbers

Cloudwater just opened a London outpost in Bermondsey so near to BBNo and A&H. Moor is also near there and should be good for crask (The Harp is a must visit for this as Andrew said above). Taprooms are mostly a bit crap in the UK (and ******* freezing in winter) versus what we get in the US so I'd maybe focus more on the pubs.

Brewdog in Tower Hill looks like it might be worth checking out if you're in the area.
Harvey's (great old skool real ale brewery) have a pub called The Royal Oak in Borough which if highly regarded.

 

[Padraig]

For well-regarded cask ale, go for the venue first and foremost - you can't go wrong with The Harp, for example, and it helps that their selection is usually second-to-none. Alongside the usual suspects like Fullers, Thornbridge, Dark Star etc, Burning Sky's cask is typically very good, although very different from their bottles - Plateau and Aurora are both excellent.

See also Crouch Vale which is often on in The Harp.

 

[Steve2]

I just got plane tickets for six days in London this March. Right now I’m looking to stay around Shoreditch. I found a Premier Lodge for about $80/night which is relatively cheap and has great reviews right by the City and Shoreditch. Now I’m researching pubs. I’m curious as to what cask ales are well-regarded nowadays. I think we’ll also take a day trip to York. I wonder if Sage has a bunch of spreadsheets?!

Ha! Funny enough the girlfriend and I'll be in London in late March as well. Came here to stalk for some ideas/recommendations.

 

[BathtubJenn]

Brewdog in Tower Hill looks like it might be worth checking out if you're in the area.

I was there a couple of weeks ago and had a good time. It's big and the food was good. Good variety of beers on tap and a lot of cans and bottles.

 

[MKtheGeneral]

Has anyone been to the Cloudwater taproom on Enid St? If so, thoughts?

 

[andrewdrinks]

It’s fine on a Saturday morning, it’s a bar under a railway arch, but if you’re visiting at this time of year then go somewhere comfortable.

 

[oelayan]

If you could go to one pub/craft bar in London and one pub/craft bar in Liverpool, what would they be? Making a quick trip for the Chelsea v Liverpool match in a couple weeks.

 

[Padraig]

CBC Clerkenwell in London.

No idea re: Liverpool. Not been for years. tosh might have some suggestions.

 

[tosh1]

If you could go to one pub/craft bar in London and one pub/craft bar in Liverpool, what would they be? Making a quick trip for the Chelsea v Liverpool match in a couple weeks.

Tough one as I have not really drank in Liverpool in 15 years, a lot has changed.

The Baltic used to be the place, these days I will try and do some reseach and ask a few people and get back to tou.

 

[tosh1]

I did not actually mean The Baltic
(but that area is still worth a visit) - I meant tto actually say The Ship and Mitre.

It was the place back in the day, and it is still on this list of pubs to visit.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2014/dec/12/top-10-craft-beer-pubs-liverpool

 

[tosh1]

Final update.

Ship and Mitre or this place

For the record, mate who sent that is ISO a ticket for that game

 

[oelayan]

Thanks for recs, gents.

 

[ggfunk]

Heading over in March, anyone know if the first post is up-to-date-ish?

 

[drgarage1]

Heading over in March, anyone know if the first post is up-to-date-ish?

Biggest thing it looks like it's missing is that Cloudwater, who kick all kinds of ass, now have a taproom in London:
https://cloudwaterbrew.co/location-enid-st

 

[MKtheGeneral]

Biggest thing it looks like it's missing is that Cloudwater, who kick all kinds of ass, now have a taproom in London:
https://cloudwaterbrew.co/location-enid-st

Have done the walk from Tower Bridge to the taproom a handful of times, always on a weeknight, and Bermondsey is relatively dead which could be great or not - depending on your preferences. Have stopped into Hawkes cider for some cider and pizza there coming home from Cloudwater as well. Not bad if you don’t have anything else going on!

 

[Padraig]

The Kernel recently opened a taproom in Bermo.

http://thekernelbrewery.com/arch7taproom.php

 

[rcubed1]

The Kernel recently opened a taproom in Bermo.

http://thekernelbrewery.com/arch7taproom.php

How is The Kernel these days? Seemed like it was the hype brewery when I visited in 2014.

 

[Padraig]

How is The Kernel these days? Seemed like it was the hype brewery when I visited in 2014.

Still really good. It's fallen out of favor with the hype monkeys and is like 15th highest rated brewery in England now on Untappd behind a load of haze factories that couldn't produce a consistent run of beers if their lives depended on it.

 

[falc0n26001]

How is The Kernel these days? Seemed like it was the hype brewery when I visited in 2014.

The Kernel was definitely my favorite English brewery I tried while I was in London last March.