Sunday, December 2, 2012
Beer consumption trends
Food for thought...and beer IS food!; http://visual.ly/global-beer-consumption-statistics-and-trends
Sunday, October 21, 2012
The Flask Tavern - Hampstead, London
This Old New England Beer Examiner, Examines the New Old London Pubs - Part XI – The Hole in the Wall, Waterloo
This is series
of visits and reviews of the very highest rated London Pubs according to CAMRA
(Campaign to Save Real Ale), Cask Marque, Time Out London and ViewLondon.com (along
with some very pleasant surprises along the way).
In brief, the
better London pubs of today capture most of interesting architecture, style,
charm, character, comfort and feel of the pubs of yore, but they are so much
more. Oh, so much more!
See part one
for the criteria for a New Old Pub; http://www.examiner.com/article/this-old-new-england-beer-examiner-examines-the-new-old-london-pubs
The Hole in the Wall, Waterloo,
London
We had spent the day with an avid (nearly rabid) group of ‘Spooks’
fans. ‘Spooks’ aka ‘MI-5’ was a
thrilling BBC television series which ran for 10 seasons. The group I’m with
wants to visit and photograph as many favorite scene locations as humanly
possible in one day. This turns into a very intense 9 hour force march across
London. This is perhaps the best way to see parts of London you might otherwise
not even consider during an extended vacation,
unless you happen to be a superhuman triathlete. If, however you are a normal
person, like me, you will find yourself bedraggled, hungry and extremely ready
for some simple pub activities such as eating heartily and drinking lustfully.
I NEED a pile of food! Something with rich gravy! And Ale! Lots of ale!
Conveniently, our entire group will journey on separately from Waterloo
Station. We bid our fond farewells. Four of us, my wife and 2 friends, head out
in search of the nearest pub listed in my “CAMRA’s London Pub Walk” guide book.
And there, shining like a beacon of hope lays The Hole in the Wall.
Ok, I exaggerate a bit. There, nestled snuggly in the pit of a busy
intersection, underneath a rail line lies the dimly lit, hardly noticeable, Hole in the Wall.
There are 2 entrances to the Hole.
The Waterloo side is rather close to the road. Be careful not have one too many
and stumble out that way at the end on the night! The other entrance provides a
safer exit for sure, but it leads into a very noisy bar. Aside from the nice lineup
of handpumps, it’s not very pubby at all.
As you enter from the Waterloo side, take an immediate left and you find
yourself transported into a pub from time past. The walls are adorned with
Rugby uniforms and banners. The patrons on this evening are large, burly
fellows who look as though they had just finished a hard match. Hope they won.
The rustic old pub is buzzing but we manage to find a small corner table
for 4. Perfect! The bar keep appears to be under siege by the volume of folks
shouting their pint, drink, and food orders, but the man is efficient like a
magician and appears in front of me ready for my order before I was ready to
give it. May as well blurt our whole drink and food order out at once, lest I
lose the opportunity. He put my racing mind to rest and calmly discussed the
ale selections with me, offering a sampling. There are 5 pump taps of real ale
in this side of the pub, plus 3 of the usual suspects on tap. But notice the
small chalk board on the wall to the left and you’ll see their full range. They
actually don’t mind fetching ale from the other bar.
Another bartender appears at his side and continues to fill glasses and
menu requests with amazing efficiency. Looks like they’ve done this once or
twice before. Nice!
We grab our drinks and head back to the table. Our food arrives, piping
hot in 15 minutes. Just in time to order another round. A leathery old chap
sits down in a spare seat next our table and laments about the noise and
clatter of the adjacent bar he just escaped from. “It’s certainly not my idea
of pub. You can’t carry on a civil conversation”, he says. I agree so we strike
up a conversation. His name is Dennis. He was one of the original founders of
CAMRA (see above). He opts for the Young’s Bitter. Battersea Bitter for me. He
hands me his glass. “Taste any off flavors?” Me: “Tastes Spot on to me”.
Dennis: “That’s the point. Their pints are always in prime condition.”
Turns out he’s enjoying his retirement years touring the US and Europe
at a leisurely pace, spending days in faraway places soaking up the local
culture and drinking up the local beers. The man is living out my dream! Nice
fellow! Cheers to him!
The evening flies by. My wife, who doesn’t even drink joins our beer-fueled
conversation. I think she understands my near obsession with pub culture. I
hope so. There’s a lot more to a good pub than just the beer. A good pub seems
to bring people together.
The Hole in the Wall 5 Mepham
Street, London 020 7928 6196 is a
good pub.
Next stop; Top 5 MUST visit London Pubs
Cheers!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Blatant Brewery At Not Your Average Joe's
Join Ben Fuller and Don Roine, NE Beer Examiners as they catch up with Matthew Steinberg of Blatant Brewery at Not Your Average Joe's in Norwell, MA. 12/20/2011
This old New England Beer Examiner examines the new Old London Pubs VII
This is series of visits and
reviews of the very highest rated London Pubs according to CAMRA (Campaign to Save Real Ale),
Cask Marque, Time Out London and ViewLondon.com (along
with some very pleasant surprises along the way).
In brief, the better London
pubs of today capture most of interesting architecture, style, charm,
character, comfort and feel of the pubs of yore, but they are so much more. Oh,
so much more!
See part one for the criteria
for a New Old Pub;
Market Porter - 9 Stoney
Street | Southwark, London SE1, England
Man, that busy Borough Market can be a challenging place to muddle your
way through! This is especially true if you happen to suffer from any sensory
overload issues, or dyslexia…or dementia. It’s a wonderful place to sample
England’s finest all-natural, and/or organic foods, or select some
one-of-a-kind artsy trinkets, or, drum roll please: pick up some rare British
(and beyond) Ales. YA! But it is a bit confusing and one must be vigilant to
guard his wallet from the local pickpockets and/or from some
of the pricier merchants.
Before completing your ordeal in the Borough Market, try a tasty meat
pie from Pieminister. Focusing on the pie (add gravy) certainly helps ease the
drone of the swarming mob. Next, head door to the laid back Market Porter for a
pint or two of some Real Ale.
The din of the crowd fades to a hushed level the instant you step
inside. Ahhh!
Rich dark woods, etched mirrors, leaded glass and muted colors help
create a warm and inviting appeal. The
furniture is a mix of old and old and worn (in a good way, of course). At a
casual first glance you will spy the “Usual Suspects” taps. It sort of lends
the impression that the Market Porter is a touristy kind of boozer. But, a
closer looksee reveals a proud array of Real Ale pulls that quicken the pulse. If
you’re a bit uncomfortable craning your neck and ogling the tap handles behind
the regular’s backs at the bar, a board to right provides an impressive list to
contemplate.
Andwell Ruddy Darter, Daleside, Half Nelson, Heritage Copper, Sunner
Republic, King John Amber, Kiliman Yard and Beach Blonde were the offerings of
the day. I can attest to the Darter and Kiliman Yard’s quality and tastiness!
Delightful!
The stairs to the left of the bar leads to an additional, slightly more
formal-looking dining room, but it’s the famous floor-level pub that stars
here. Speaking of star, the pub was made over for the role of ‘Third Hand Book
Emporium' in the film 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'.
Quite content to stay awhile longer, my wife coaxed me on. She knows
the best way to lure me out of a comfy pub is by steering me towards another,
and we still had ‘The Cittie of York’ on the pub agenda before doing some
shopping and attending a play that evening. London’s a swell town!
Market Porter - 9 Stoney
Street | Southwark, London SE1, England
020 7407 2495
Monday - Friday: 6am – 8:30am & 11am – 11pm
Saturday: 12noon – 11pm
Sunday: 12noon – 10:30pm
Cheers!
Next week: ‘The Cittie of York’
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