A Tale of Two Railway Pubs

The area of New Barnet is one of many commuter towns built in London during the rapid expansion of the railway network in the mid-19^th century. The area was originally part of the Lyonsdown Estate, when the GNR (Great Northern Railway) approached them with intention of buying some fields to lay their railway line through the area, they were forced to buy up the whole estate. They subsequently sold it to the British Land Company shortly after the opening of Barnet Station in 1850. The station was meant to serve the town of Chipping Barnet, however it was over 1½ miles. The developers were buoyed in constructing roads (initially Lyonsdown Road and Station Road) and subsequently residential side streets and housing. This became an attractive investment from homeowners hoping to escape from the city, and by the late 19^th century, the area became one of the most densely populated parts of East Barnet. In order to cash in on this new population boom, a number of pubs were constructed to serve the local population, a number survive to this day, including The Railway Tavern, The Railway Bell, The Builders Arms, and The Lord Kitchener. When the station was built, a goods yard was also constructed. In order to cater for the railway workers, two pubs were built either-side of the rail bridge. Unusually both pubs have Railway in the title which in unique in itself, they embody the rapid development of ‘railway’ pubs during this period, where across the country breweries with sizeable estates sought to capitalise on the railway boom by building their pubs near stations. While most towns generally have one pub near a station, New Barnet has two. This is a result of the intense competition of large breweries Charrington’s and Thomas Clutterbuck & Co. who acquired lucrative plots of land located near the station, establishing within the space of a decade following the opening of the station. Rather surprisingly both pubs continue to operate till this day, so I decided to visit both pubs and check out this curious phenomenon.

 

THE RAILWAY TAVERN

Located on the eastern side of the railway bridge on 3 East Barnet Road, it was constructed in 1862. It was formerly a Charrington pub, at one time the brewers were one of the largest in London with a sizeable estate across London and the home counties. The pub has since passed through a series of owners and is currently a Wells & Co pub. A compact-corner pub, it was built after the side roads were constructed, the exterior is a simple two-storey asymmetrical arrangement with a row of identical sash windows on the top floor separated by pilasters, and two bay windows on the ground floor with lattice adornments and some stained-glass features. The hanging sign has a picture of steam locomotive, in keeping with its railway links. The exterior is largely unchanged since Victorian times, though the entrances into the former public bar area have since been bricked over. The interior retains many of its original Victorian features, centred around a bar replete in dark oak with fielding panelling and distinct sloping corners, surrounded by stools. Some of the original stone tiling is present near the bar, interspersed with more contemporary slatted wooden flooring. The long bar counter is a throwback to its days when the pub was divided into multiple serving areas, the north face of the bar still has its original gantry that looms over the pump clips. The fireplace adjacent to the bar is also an original feature. The abundance of seating in this section of the pub, implies it would have served the saloon bar, while towards the public bar was located towards the rear, the lack of seating and tables in this area is a throwback to this. The walls are combination of fielded panelling below window height and plain walls painted in Salmon and Cream. Going towards the rear of the bar, the walls are replete in fielded panelling which suggests a later 20^th century addition. While there is table seating towards the entrance, most of the seating around bar consists of stalls and high back chair set against oak beer barrels repurposed as tables. This is broken up by charming looking snug adjacent to the bar, yet most of the dining seat is located at the rear of the building. A room at the back is a more recent addition, built to accommodate extra dining seating and functions. There is also an extensive beer garden, though part of it has sheltered seating near the rear entrance. The pub is in very essence a sport bar, with sports themed paraphernalia covering nearly every inch of the vicinity from football team flags on the ceiling to walls replete with signed shirts, framed photos of various rugby, football, horse racing and golf clubs, with some fascinating curious in between including a Guinness sign featuring a Toucan balancing two pints on its beak while holding a football, an illustrated tribute to the iconic managers and players of Tottenham Hotspur and a photo of the pub’s sponsored golf team based in west Ireland. The Irish theme is predominant in this pub from its heavy use of Guinness merchandise, flags and its collection of Irish sporting memorabilia. While the menu boasts a selection of traditional pub fare from a wide range of sandwiches, jacket potatoes, roasts, salads and contemporary flourishes like serving platters. The are two bars at adjacent sides of the counter, with north featuring three handpumps for cask ale, though only two were available on my visit. In essence despite it being a traditional sports bar, the pub exudes a cosy and homely, community atmosphere and on a quiet afternoon it is a great place to hide away from the bustling streets.

THE RAILWAY BELL

Located the other side of the rail bridge at No. 13 East Barnet Road, the pub was built shortly after the construction of the nearby station as was originally commissioned by Thomas Clutterbuck & Co, a Stanmore based brewery that owned a vast number of pubs around Middlesex and Hertfordshire around this time. In 1990 it was acquired by JD Wetherspoons, which at the time was a rather unusual acquisition by the pub chain who normally used to buying out former commercial shop premisses. In the summer of 2013, over a two-month period the pub was extensively renovated, at the cost of £1million with a large conservatory added at the rear to cater for dining, an open plan kitchen, an expanded garden with decking and new furniture, split into smoking and non-smoking areas respectively. This led to the removal of the car-park to facilitate the extension of a larger garden area. The exterior maintains much of its original Victorian features, featuring an asymmetrical set of lattice bay windows, interspersed with a double pair of doors which would have led into the saloon and public bars originally, with a pair of brass Victorian lanterns hanging above each door. The upper floors continue the asymmetrical setup with rows of sash windows, while the hanging sign features a cut out of locomotive bell. There is an extension to the left side, while on the right side there is a covered gated entrance leading to the pub garden, which in times gone by once housed a barn. The interior is split into three identifiable sections, the former public bar is now devoted to rows of dining tables arranged to resemble an airport bar. On the adjacent side, the saloon area has over a dozen sets of high chairs and tables, interspersed with the odd slot machine or two. This section of the pub is clearly devoted to drinkers, though dining options are available across all tables. Tartan floor designs give this section a homely appearance, whilst the modern light fittings feel rather out of place. In keeping with its railway links there are numerous paintings and photos of steam locomotives on the wall, while a more recent addition features a picture of a locomotive that displays a detailed step by step guide to the brewing process represented by different platforms. There is little trace of the pub’s original features at any point in the interior, even the bar has been covered up with modern matchboard panelling that wouldn’t look out of place in a sauna. A brass rail surrounds a polished countertop, while pillars are interspersed along various points along the counter, supporting a gantry that features sets of circles that evoke the wheel lineup of a steam locomotive, which I found to be a neat touch to its railway links. Towards the rear of the bar is the expansive conservatory with scores of dining tables devoted to restaurant service, although the addition of this added seating area doubled the pub’s turnovers, it somewhat takes away from the traditional pub like feel that the place once had. Unlike the pub down the road, this pub was heaving with customers, with virtually every table and stool taken up, most of the tables were occupied by families who were out for lunch, which is understandable given that Wetherspoons is generally a family orientated enterprise. The pub’s devotion to real ale makes up for its shortcomings, featuring an impressive number of cask ales, up to 10 at the time of counting which surely must be a record for the Barnet area. Indeed, a few years ago back in 2022 the pub appeared in the CAMRA beer guide. While three of the ales were Spoons regulars, the other 7 were from various London microbreweries as on the day of my visit the pub was hosting a London themed beer festival. Since it was only a flying visit, I only had time to sample two halves, I sampled some Biscuit Town Porter (5%) – Southwark Brewing, and Wit’s End (4.7%) – Sambrook’s, both equally scrummy beers bursting with flavour and quality, highlighting the very best qualities of their respective beer styles.

Beer Review: Rebellion Winter Royal

Name: Winter Royal

ABV: 5.4%

Brewery: Rebellion

Location: Marlow, Bucks

Style: Winter Ale

Aromas: Cherries, plums, treacle and some sherry notes dominates, along with a whisp of roasted malt.

Colour: Deep reddish brown with a one finger cream coloured head,

Taste: A rush of hedgerow fruits are immedietely apparent, followed by a gentle toffee like sweetness. Then comes the roasted malt that give its robust bitter undertones that remind you of its strength. This is rounded off with a pleasing warmth that brings things together. The mouthfeel is creamy and cloying.

Verdict: A rather quaffable strong ale that is full of flavour, rich fruity elements mingle with roasted malt to create a glorious concoction. This is a classic example of moreish Winter Ale that leaves a smile on your face. 

Rating: 9/10

Starstruck Pubs

Hollywood is well known for its slew of mansions once owned by stars of the silver screen, could the same be insinuated with London’s flock of pubs once regularly populated by notable luminaries. Although most of these pubs tend to be concentrated around central London, particularly near the West End theatres, there are some instances of pubs in the outskirts that have hosted various notables from different walks of life over the years. Some individuals like Dylan Thomas, Samuel Peyps, George Orwell, Peter O’Toole and Charles Dickens even have connections with a number of pubs in London; these pubs must surely be as noteworthy as any Hollywood mansion?

 

The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street has often been dubbed the literary pub, attracting the likes of Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, Mark Twain, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Alfred Tennyson, George Orwell, P.G. Woodhouse, Ezra Pound, G.K. Chesterton and Dr. Samuel Johnson. Dickens praised the place as having “a good plain meal with good wine,” while Wodehouse preferred it over private members clubs since it had a better clientele. The pub was also location for the Rhymers Club, a group of London-based poets, founded in 1890 by W. B. Yeats and Ernest Rhys. Other noteworthy customers included Princess Margaret, Voltaire and Winston Churchill.Over 40 years later, the Lamb in Bloomsbury was a popular haunt for the Bloomsbury Group, while in earlier times Dickens was said to frequent the place when he lived in nearby Doughty Street. Ted Hughes was also a regular, and during the early stages of their relationship, he met with Sylvia Plath on several occasions. Another pub with literary connections is The Fitzroy Tavern in Fitzrovia, which was a regular haunt for including Dylan Thomas, Augustus John, Michael Bentine, Virginia Woolf, George Bernard Shaw and Jacob Epstein. Thomas would often write poems on the back of beermats and hand them to lady customers, a prominent alcoholic this place was among a vast number of pubs he regularly visited in London, that included The George where he mingled with his BBC colleagues, The Wheatsheaf which also was a haunt for his contemporary George Orwell and The French House in Soho where he once left the manuscript for Under Milk Wood, it was also frequented by the likes of Francis Bacon, David Bowie and Lucien Freud. During WW2 it was the unofficial headquarters of the Free French; Charles de Gaulle regularly drank here and within this building wrote his iconic speech rallying the French to action. Another Soho pub of note is The Coach & Horses, it was popular with artists like Bacon and Freud, while Frank Auerbach often accompanied writer Bruce Bernard to discuss about painting. On the entertainment front, Peter Cooke and Willie Rushton regularly ‘lunched’ here, Private Eye held their fortnightly meetings in the Chill Room upstairs and Peter O’ Toole was often seen in his later years. Their most notable customer was his friend and Spectator columnist Jeffrey Bernard who often resided here most of the day, so much so the place was dubbed ‘Jeff’s Office’. And, whenever the office needed his copy, they would directly ring the pub, since he was often there between visits to the Spectator’s offices.

 

Likewise, Richard Harris had a regular pub, The Coal Hole in the Strand during the years when he resided at the Savoy, he often sat in a chair behind the slot machines to avoid attention from the public and once remarked “I turned Hamlet down because it was going to take up too much of my drinking time.” A century earlier, this place was also a refuge for W.S. Gilbert (of Gilbert & Sullivan fame) who would often come here during opening nights to seek some Dutch courage after building himself up into a state of nervousness. Around the West End, there are a number of pubs that were popular with thespians, the most notable was The Salisbury, among it illustrious cast list included Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Peter O’Toole, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed, Terrance Stamp, Albert Finney, Robert Shaw, Kenneth Griffith, Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Marianne Faithfull to name a few. Its back alleyway linked onto a number of theatres, useful for quite a number of actors who had to rush off quicky for their curtain calls. Johnny Briggs (Mike Baldwin in Coronation Street) noted in his autobiography that he used to visit the pub with his actor friends Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Peter O’Toole and Richard Harris. He mentions several notable instances, such as when O’ Toole turned up in his costume after returning from filming for ‘Lawrance of Arabia’ (1962) where he yelled “I’m home for the desert dears!”, Briggs retorted “never mind the desert, have you got your bloody handbag so you can buy the beers?” On another occasion he recalled Burton berating Elizabeth Taylor for trying to order a Martini, when the pub had a strict policy on only serving beer, booming “look, woman, you’ll have a bloody pint or a bloody half-pint, so whaddya want?” Whenever the pub opened Harris was always first at the door, and often visited between curtain calls at nearby theatres. Such was his admiration for the place, following a successful run in ‘Henry IV’ at the Wyndham Theatre in 1990, Harris organised a celebratory party at the pub.

 

Going towards the outskirts of London, there are a slew of pubs popular with luminaries. Hampstead boasts a few worthy examples. The Holly Bush for instance was once popular with the likes of Dr. Samuel Johnson, who was often accompanied by his biographer and drinking buddy James Boswell. In more recent times actor Jude Law is reported to be a regular, as well as brother Noel and Liam Gallager (of Oasis) have drank here. The latter was thrown out of the pub one evening after arguing with the landlord over whether or not he paid his drinks. On the outskirts of the Heath, the Magdala Tavern has welcomed a host of luminaries over the years, thanks to info uncovered by Neil Titley in his book ‘Under Ken Wood’. During the early years of his career, Bob Hoskins regularly drank here while renting a room in nearby Parliament Hill, during the period when he worked at the Unity Theatre in Camden. Likewise, Peter Barkworth who lived in Flask Walk, regularly visited the pub. Richard Wymark was also a regular, his wife Olwyn always felt odd accompanying him, since she knew that he slept with every woman in the pub. His contemporary Peter Witsun-Jones also frequented the establishment, even after his death in 1974 his widow Sylvia continued to regularly visit the pub. Ronald Fraser, another local resident was a frequent visitor to Hampstead’s many watering holes, could be seen at The Mags (as it was nicknamed) during his regular pub crawls. Such was it connection to the acting industry, during pre-production on ‘Where Eagles Dare’ (1968) the casting director walked into the pub one evening and managed to recruit several actors for the production, Richard Burton, Patrick Wymark, William Squire, Peter Barkworth, and Derren Nesbit, who all happened to be in the pub that very evening, the film has been erroneously dubbed the Magdala film.[1] On the other side of the Heath, the Spaniards Inn has boasted a number of notable regulars, including highwayman Dick Turpin, the poet John Keats who lived at nearby Wentworth Place wrote his poem ‘An Ode to a Nightingale’ in the pub garden, his friend and fellow poet Lord Byron also frequented this establishment when journeying to and from London, often accompanied by his friends including Mary Shelley. Robert Louis Stephenson frequently visited and sometimes lodged here, as well as the artists William Hogarth, Joshua Reynolds and John Constable, whom subsequently featured the pub in his painting ‘Road to the Spaniards, Hampstead’ (1822) which shows view across Hampstead Heath along Spaniard Road. It was also visited by Bram Stoker, who mentions it in his seminal novel ‘Dracula’. The Flask in neighbouring Highgate was also popular with Keats and Byron, who often dropped by whilst visiting their friend Samuel Colleridge Taylor who resided in the house opposite. Hogarth often visited here, and once sketched a fight between two other customers as they fought with tankards. In more recent times, it was popular with the likes of local residents Karl Marx, Sid Vicious and George Michael.

 

While the Magdala has close links with the acting industry, the same could be said for The Hawley Arms in Camden with its links to the music industry. Formerly a bikers pub, in 2002 it was taken over by Ruth Mottram and Doug Charles-Ridler, who transformed the pub’s fortunes by installing a jukebox, organising their shows and establishing an upstairs bar and roof terrace. Word soon spread and it gradually became popular with the luminaries of the music industry at the time, among its regulars included members of the bands Razorlight, the Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs. Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt from the Mighty Boosh also frequently visited, often taking part in after hours pub quizzes. Its most noteworthy regular was Amy Winehouse who lived in nearby Prowse Place, on some occasions she even helped out behind the bar, in order to soak in the atmosphere. Tim Burgess from the Charlatans described the place as being a cross between Camberwick Green and Stella Street. The Pineapple in Kentish Town also has an impressive roll call of customers over the years including Rufus Sewell, Jon Snow, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Ken Stott, Andrew Motion and former London mayor Ken Livingstone, when the pub was threatened with redevelopment in 2001, they supported the Save the Magdala campaign to reopen it as pub. In more recent times, our current PM Keir Starmer once quoted this place was his favourite place to drink since they do a very good pint, proving that pubs continue to be poplar even with our heads of government. Moreover, the Prospect of Whitby is another iconic local pub with a long list of famous customers, including Charles Dickens, Samuel Peyps, the artists JMW Turner and James McNeil Whistler who both painted views of the pub, and the explorer Sir Hugh Willoughby, who sailed from here in 1553 to seek the North-East Passage which ended in failure and death. A century later, Judge Jeffries often came here to watch executions over on nearby Execution Dock. More recently the likes of Judy Garland, Paul Newman, Princess Margaret, Richard Burton, Prince Rainier of Monaco and Frank Sinatra have been served here. Further along the Thames, the Dove in Hammersmith is noted for having the record for the smallest bar in the country (at 7 feet long), it also boasts a list of notables, including Grahame Greene, Alec Guinness, Ernest Hemmingway and William Morris who happened to live next door. Charles II reportedly wined and dined his mistress Nell Gwynne here, and James Thompson is said to have written the words for his poem ‘Rule Britannia’ here in 1740, later adapted to music by Thomas Arne. A later regular was Dylan Thomas, during the period when he lived in a flat in Manresa Road in nearby Chelsea. A nearer pub that Thomas frequented was The Phene, it was also popular with the likes of Michael Angelis, Nicholas Ball, Bill Rouke and ex-footballer George Best, whom would frequently order a white wine (his favourite tipple), such was his attachment to the place he even proposed to his 2^nd wife here in 1995, and during a theatre tour, his close-friend and former Fulham associate Rodney Marsh who was often pick up Best from the pub before driving off to do a show.

 

There are some pubs in London that only have one famous customer of note, when Dylan Thomas lived on Milkwood Road, Herne Hill, he would often visit his local The Half Moon, especially on match days when he visited the London Velodrome to watch his rugby team London Welsh play. After each game, he could be seen joining the team’s players at the bar, engaging in conversation. Eight miles west in Wimbledon, the Dog & Fox situated by the common was often visited by local resident Oliver Reed. On one notable occasion he travelled to the pub on his horse Dougal. After seeing him looking forlorn in the stables, he went to the estate agents next door and offered to by a field for his horse, he subsequently brought Broom Hall where he lived for much of the 70’s. Moreover, he would often choose this place as the first stop on his infamous pub crawl known as ‘The Wimbledon 8’ which involved visiting all of the common’s eight existing pubs at the time.[2] The idea was to have a pint in each pub, which each site being within 15 minutes’ walk from one to another, although the most he ever managed was three. Meanwhile, when George Orwell was living in Canonbury between 1944-7, he often visited the Compton Arms, a cosy backstreet local. It’s charm and atmosphere clearly influenced Orwell to write his iconic 1946 essay ‘The Moon Under Water’ where he describes his ideal pub. Another writer of note who had his own ‘ideal pub’ was Barry Cryer. A comedian and prolific comedy writer working with the likes of Kenny Everett, The Two Ronnies, Bob Hope, Spike Milligan, Richard Pryor, Tommy Cooper, Jasper Carrott, George Burns, Stanley Baxter etc. When he lived in Hatch End, his favourite watering hole was The Moon & Sixpence, a branch of Wetherspoons which he visited since 2009. Cryer would often visit every weekend with his friends, he frequently signed photos and autographs for other customers, told jokes and stories from his illustrious career and in time got to know every regular in the pub, including the staff.[3] Despite having visited exclusive clubs like the Garrick over the years, he once quoted “I’ve been in to all these clubs because everyone assumes I’m a member. I much prefer my local Wetherspoons, The Moon and Sixpence in Hatch End. I’m the thinking woman’s lager lout.” Cryer passed away in January 2022, and later that year his widow Theresa unveiled a memorial mural at an event held at the pub, a permanent tribute highlighting Cryer’s life in words and photographs.

 

All over London there are a slew of pubs that were once popular with the great and the good, from literary pubs like Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and Fitzroy Tavern to theatre-land hangouts like The Salisbury or icons of the music industry like The Hawley Arms. On the outskirts of town, there’s a number of pubs with roll-call of famous customers, Hampstead tops the list with pubs like The Spaniards Inn, The Holly Bush, The Duke of Hamilton and The Magdala, while the likes of The Prospect of Whitby, The Flask and The Phene are good challengers to its throne. There are some pubs that boast one famous customer as one of their biggest claims to fame, The Dog & Duck, The Half Moon and The Compton Arms are all noteworthy historic examples. In more recent times, The Moon & Sixpence has been added to this roster, even going to point of producing a tribute plaque to its most famous regular.[4] There a vast number of London Bus tours all over the centre town giving tourists the opportunity to get guided view of London’s landmarks, perhaps there should be one for London’s landmark pubs as well, that were formerly frequented by a number of famous luminaries, time will tell.

References

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[1] Burton also frequented another Hampstead pub, The Duke of Hamilton, along with actor friends Peter O’ Toole and Oliver Reed.

[2] The pubs that featured in the Wimbledon 8, include the Dog & Fox, the Hand in Hand, Crooked Billet, Fox and Grapes, Rose and Crown, Firestables, Brewery Tap and Finch's. Only five are still in business today.

[3] Such was his iconic status at this pub, he once opened a beer festival that took place there. On another occasion, he turned on the town’s Christmas lights outside the pub.

[4] At the Wheatsheaf in Soho, there plaques near the entrance dedicated to both George Orwell and Dylan Thomas who frequently drank here.

Beer Review: Nethergate Suffolk County

Name: Suffolk County

ABV: 4%

Brewery: Nethergate

Style: Bitter

Location: Long Melford, Sudbury

Aroma: Roasted malt with a bed of berry fruits and caramel rich toffees.

Colour: Deep chestnut brown with a one finger ivory coloured head.

Taste: You're immedietely hit with a rush of roasted malt that brings about elements of buttered toast and a discernable nuttiness, this is followed by a hoppy background with a herby, grassy bitterness that gives off a warming effect on the throat. The creamy mouthfeel adds to the experience of this medium bodied bitter.

Verdict: A quaffable bitter with bags of flavour, showing more strength than its low ABV would suggest. Its rich malt and hop flavours hit all the right notes, and are turned up to 11 on the flavour scale. It has a wide and varied palate of flavours and aromas that show off the very best of the brewers craft, it is easy to see why this beer has won many awards. Although it is promoted as a bitter, it is closer to winter warmer in its temperament making it the perfect fireside ale.

Rating: 10/10

Searching For the Elusive Dark Mild

Back at GBBF last August, Mild (3.6%) from Penzance Brewing Co. won the lofty accolade of Supreme Champion Beer of Britain. You’d thought by now that the popularity of Dark Mild was increasing, yet unlike other beer styles it remains hard to find in pubs. Although in the past decade it has made a resurgence, in London alone only a dozen or so pubs sell dark mild regularly on tap, these include several Samuel Smiths houses, a couple of Fuller’s pubs (The Harp – Covent Garden, Ye Old Mitre – Holborn); The Wenlock Arms, Hoxton; The Bohemia, Finchley and two Harvey’s Pubs (The Royal Oak – Borough, The Cat’s Back – Wandsworth) for instance. During my extensive travels to pubs around London over the last year I only encountered a Dark Mild on tap only a handful of times. Back in January, during a visit to the Dog & Bell, Deptford; at the far end of its impressive cask line-up was a rather dejected looking Marble Mild (4.1%) – Marble Beer Co., which was missing its pump clip, so the staff had to make do with a makeshift one scrawled in chalk instead; this hardly would attract punters into buying pints of this beer. A few months later during the Mild May month, a scheme set up by CAMRA to encourage more pubs to sell Dark Mild, I encountered Black Swan Mild (3.9%) – Vale at The Mossy Well, Muswell Hill; a sprawling two-storey branch of the Wetherspoon’s empire that is often packed to the rafters. Despite it being a busy Friday evening, I was determined to order a pint of mild. Despite its relative low strength, it had rich roasted flavours with a nutty chocolatey quality seeping through on the backend. Having often been sceptical of this beer style, I was quite surprised by the quality of this brew.

 Later that same month, I tried Flying the Mags (3.4%) – London Brewing Co. following a tour of their brewery based within their headquarters at the Bohemia, Finchley. Originally sold as a May special, it has recently gone onto become a regular along the permanent cask selection. Although it was on the weak side, it made up for this shortfall with its rich and flavoursome roasted malt notes with a whisp of caramel in the background, it is easy to see why this beer has become a popular draw with customers. Towards the end of Summer, during a flying visit to the Plume of Feather’s, Greenwich; I saw by chance some Black Prince (3.9%) – Wantsum; named after Prince Edward of Woodstock (the eldest son of King Edward III) who was supposedly known for his black shield and brutal manner in battle, whichever theory stands. Conversely, this beer was not as fearsome as it’s namesake, it was relatively mild in flavour with only a dash of malt holding up the rear, making hardly anything to rave about. This beer was sold a guest ale, indeed quite a number of free houses, micropubs and craft tap-rooms around London occasionally sell a Dark Mild on guest, though the instances of finding one is relatively scarce. For some time now, I’ve been aware that The Royal Oak in Borough sells Dark Mild (3%) – Harvey’s regularly on cask, though I have seldom tried it during my many visits to this place. On this occasion, feeling a little worse for wear following a hefty luncheon at M. Manze, I sought to placate my jaded appetite with a half of something light. This beer was reassuringly light in body, though oddly creamy in mouthfeel, I could sense some nutty malt flavours coming through, despite its low-strength. It was a worthy brew that could easily hold it own against its stronger contemporaries along Harvey’s eclectic range of beers.

It dawned on me that day why some people are attracted to this beer style; while it may be low in the ABV department, it more than makes up for it with its distinctly malty flavours, which is reflective of the brewer’s craft. It is the ultimate easy drinking beer, yet in a city dominated by session bitters, roasty dark and mysterious stouts and hop-forward citrussy IPA’s, the whereabouts of the Dark Mild remain elusive. It was once described by one commentator as the forgotten beer style, and that label has sadly since stuck. It seems its resurgence among brewers in the past decade has become futile in the sea of intense competition from other beer styles. People may lark on about the likes of Mild May month all they like, yet this initiative has hardly led to revival of popularity for this style. Like the shy and elusive Bittern that occasionally stalks the Norfolk broads, for much of the year the humble Dark Mild only sporadically appears on a tap in any given pub that does cask, and until there is an unexpected uptick it will remain that way.

Beer Review: East London Brewing Co. Quadrant Stout

Name: Quadrant

ABV: 5.8%

Style: Stout

Brewery: East London Brewing Co.

Location: Lea Bridge, London

Aroma: Roasted malt, toffee, charcoal, berry fruits, smokiness, hints of sherry.

Colour: Deep midnight black with lively tan coloured two fingered head.  

Taste: A strong roasted toasty malt is immedietely apparent, followed by a treacle like caramel sweetness. Hints of coffee, milkchocolate and a grassy hoppiness with a generous lingering bitterness that gives it a dry edge. A silky smooth mouthfeel evident from the use of oatmeal, medium bodied, a touch on the fizzy side that leaves an uncomfortobale effect on the palate.

Verdict: A lively bottled conditioned beer, so much some of it nearly went all over me as it gushed out of the bottle, I was able to recover a sufficient amount though, this is probably a fault in the secondary fermentation stage. Flavour wise it is a clash between bitter and sweet, its a rollercoaster ride starting with roasted malt, then lashing of sweetness followed by a finale of charcoal like bitterness. Its a curious beast of a beer that take a bit of getting used to.

Rating: 7/10