Boak and Bailey

Even though we no longer live in London, we’ve got a special reason to be excited by the news that the Red Lion in Leytonstone has reopened. It was Boak’s teenage haunt, and we’re very much enjoying reports of its Phoenix-like re-emergence from the friends she used to go there with.

These aren’t beer geeks, you understand — they are thirtysomethings, most of them now parents, who fondly recall that the last time they drank there they were “kitted out in an outfit sourced entirely from the shit heaps of Camden market, drinking things that should only be used for the cleaning of toilets, and smoking cigs… ponced off someone else”.

The pub, we are told, now features such amenities as toilet paper, windows and lighting. It also offers what, for that neck of the woods, is an exciting sounding range of beers. Let’s hope it lives up to its promise and can cope with what promises to be enormous demand.

One of the things we’re really going to miss about London is how new places to drink decent beer seem to pop up every five minutes, often with very little fanfare.

Mason & Taylor has very recently opened on Bethnal Green Road, selling ‘craft beer’ to the trendies of East London. It features beers from the Camden Town Brewery (including a Helles  which is better than Meantime’s); some very interesting Belgian and American choices on tap (Brooklyn, Westmalle Dubbel); three cask ales (from Dark Star and Pictish this time) and loads and loads of bottles.

Boak had Molenbier — gorgeous, dense, sweet and sour — while Bailey went for Otley 08, also a barley wine. Unfortunately, although quite likeable, this tasted a bit too much of raw alcohol and grass and could possibly have done to mature a bit longer. Full credit to the waitresses though, with expert commentary on the beer and good pouring technique (“it’s bottle conditioned so I’ll leave the sediment in the bottom”).

The food is tapas-style, but not at all Spanish. We had a little plate of sausage and mash and breast of woodpigeon with chutney. The style of cooking reminded us of some of the more upmarket bars in San Sebastian.

Overall, M&T is definitely going for a cool crowd, but isn’t shy about its beer geekery either: they were proudly advertising a single hop ale festival at the end of April, for example. We hope it succeeds, though, for now, it seems a little quiet for this buzzing part of town.

Tandleman liked it too although he questioned the quality of the cask ale — hopefully, that’s something they’ll sort quickly.

Last year, a friend sighed and rolled his eyes when we suggested Cask for an after-work pint: “Is this another one of your bizarre real ale pubs?” The pubs listed below all have good beer but are also (a) conveniently located for most London-based salarymen and (b) won’t freak out a Foster’s drinker.

After all, usually the point of a mid-week pint is to spend time with friends or colleagues. Good beer is just a bonus.

The Jugged Hare, Vauxhall Bridge Road
It’s an identikit Fuller’s pub in an old bank; it’s a bit corporate and plasticky. And yet, it’s got a certain charm. Very friendly, European bar staff compensate for the chain pub feel, and the beer is impeccably kept. In fact, the Jugged Hare has won Fuller’s in-house pub of the year competition more than once. The pies aren’t bad, either, not just pots of goop with pastry lids.

The Edgar Wallace, Essex Street, Aldwych
Very handy for buses, tubes and trains to all corners of London, this pub is also a CAMRA favourite, with between six and eight real ales on offer at any one time. Usually crawling with lawyers but we always seem to get a seat, too.

Ye Old Mitre, Hatton Garden
A Fuller’s pub these days, but with guest ales, usually including more than one from Adnams. It’s also cosy and extremely charming. The only downside to this as an after work venue is how hard it is to find. Expect to spend some time on your mobile phone giving directions. With thanks to Ten Inch Wheeler for the tip a couple of years back.

The Black Friar at, erm, Blackfriars
Part of the Nicholson’s chain which, as Steve has pointed out, is trying very hard to get its beer right. Handily located for chums who work in the City of London, it also happens to be one of the most unusual and impressive pub buildings in London, bedecked with mosaics and with the atmosphere of Baskerville Hall. There are usually one or two genuinely exciting beers on offer (i.e. Thornbridge specials).

Occasionally, none of those hit the spot, and that’s when we rely on Sam Smith’s. There are millions of their pubs in London and they are all reliably good, if you buy into the SS schtick and like their beer, which we do. Coming away from buying a round with change from a tenner is a bonus, too.

Holy shit! Sam Smith’s have a website? What will Christian Horton do with the time he no longer has to waste answering our letters?

A couple of weekends back, feeling the need to explore, and craving quaintness, we set out for Mayfair and had a small crawl around Shepherd Market.

First up, Ye Grapes. Yes, it sounds like an exclamation of pain from Nobby’s Piles, but this is a place that aims to lure in guests from nearby hotels, offering the Olde English Pub experience in a neat package. There are even moth-eaten stuffed animals on the walls. There are several solid brown bitters on offer  (London Pride, Doom Bar) plus a couple of seasonal specials.  They have their own house bitter, too, which wasn’t bad, reminding is of Harvey’s Sussex Bitter. If anyone knows any more about this beer, and wishes to embarrass us by revealing it to be rebadged Tesco Value Bitter or something, now’s your chance.

The King’s Head next door was wonderfully cosy — very dark, and with the heating on full blast. It is also one of the ‘new’ Taylor Walker branded punch pubs. Most of the beer was fine (Doombar, Tribute) but only Young’s London Gold really hit the spot.

Finally, the Market Tavern, which is a really peculiar pub. The upstairs bar looked and smelled like an authentic 1960s Soho clip joint. The ale was like flat cola, but it can’t have been helped by the fact it was topped up with some dregs from a glass sitting behind the bar, bold as brass. Classy. No number of “yummy puddings” and fancy cushions can make up for that.

All in all, this crawl was more interesting for eavesdropping on the conversations of rich young people than for the quality of beer.