Wandering Around London Drinking Beer, Friday Edition

First stop was the Porterhouse in Covent Garden. I realized I had drunk more Fuller's ESB than Oyster Stout and that was a condition that could not last. The Oyster was great as aways, but not quite up to what it is in Dublin.

Porterhouse Oyster Stout

 After soon lunch and another Oyster, we caught a bus towards the financial district. In an old convert bank is Crosse Keys, what has been the my favorite Wetherspoon's pub in London.

Crosse Keys

In times past, it was often difficult to choose a beer. But their selection is much more mainstream than in the past (and that is not just because I've become more choosy). I ended up with a Seven Stone Weakling (translation: "98 lb weakling") from Lymestone Brewery in Staffordshire. A very nice pint of Ale.

Lymestone Seven Stone Weakling

The next beer I had I won't mention.  I am giving the brewer the benefit of the doubt that the cask had just been on too long. The bartender graciously took it back and asked if I had another choice. I went with Bateman's Yella Belly Gold.

Batemen's Yella Belly Gold

It was a very clean and refreshing beer, and the website says it is 42 IBU but I would have like a bit more bitterness in the finish. But I say that about lots of beers.

We caught a bus going north to the Shoreditch area, home of a number of new pubs. The first was the Well and Bucket.

The Well and Bucket

 It is a great example of a "modern" pub -- not it it's decor but in it's mix of cask beer and craft beers on draft (i.e. keg beers). Lagunitas IPA seems to be the American beer of choice for these pubs -- at least this week. I went with the Camden Ink -- the stout from the nearby Camden brewery.

Camden Ink

Ink is a good name for this beer. Intensely roasty it had an almost ink-like note -- in a good way.

The Well and Bucket

The pub itself was very relaxed and friendly feeling. If I lived in the area it could easily be my "local."

We walked back towards the main street (passing the London area's second Brewdog pub -- no desire to pay £10 for pint of ordinary IPA) and headed for the Crown and Shuttle.

Crown and Shuttle

 They had a few more hand pumps than the Well and Bucket but the mix of beers was similar in nature (Not that many overlaps, so worth visiting both)

Cask at Crown and Shuttle

Blurry picture of the keg beers

 I went with the Redemption Brewery's Big Chief. I expected something big and overhopped but it was a pleasant 5.5% beer. Well hopped, but not overhopped.

Redemption Big Chief 

The Crown and Shuttle

We hopped a bus headed west and walked down St John's Street to another new-ish place, the Longroom.

Longroom Pub

As you might guess from the name, the pub is one big, long room.  Again a nice selection of cask and keg beers and a nice comfortable feel.

The Longroom Pub

They had Oakham Ales JHB, a beer I hadn't had in many, many years. It is only about 3.9% so I really should have had it earlier in the day, but it still went nicely with my Salt Beef (translation: "corned beef") sandwich.

Oakham JHB

 I don't know if this is in the order of priority, but I can't disagree too much.

Sign on the way into the Longroom

 We headed over towards another place with good food and beer, but by now it was well into Friday evening and the place was packed. So we left for another day and went back to our rooms.