Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood

LONDON PUB OF THE YEAR 2012: ROGER’S BLOG

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

DAY 5

DAY 6

Wednesday, 17th August

It’s that time of year again – we’ve drawn up a list of nominated pubs and worked out a judging itinerary. Now all we have to do is actually drag ourselves around the 14 lucky pubs, scattered around most parts of Greater London. The usual old suspects have gamely volunteered and it’s time to get the show on the road.

It’s a grey early evening as I walk up though the City on my way to Grays Inn Road and the first pub, the Calthorpe Arms. I arrive just behind Mike who thus beats me to the bar but is strangely reluctant to buy me a pint. This pub is a regular LPotY nomination and is one of very few on the list to be tied to a brewery. Well, sort of, the Calthorpe is owned by Youngs, which no longer owns a brewery and is reported to be pulling out of its brewing operations at Wells.

Calthorpe Arms

No idea what this will mean for the existing Youngs beers but it seems that Winter Warmer will be a thing of the past. The Calthorpe offers the usual Ordinary and Special alongside St Austell Tribute and Bath Summer Hare. The Ordinary is fine but not a lot like the classic Youngs beer of old (“now in my day……….”) Mike and I are soon joined by John who consumes a large shepherd’s pie, accompanied by a healthy salad and a less healthy pint. By now it’s tipping down with rain outside and the pub begins to fill with punters eager to get wet inside rather than out.

The Calthorpe Arms

I try the Bath beer which is a tasty 3.9% brew; it didn’t bring the sun back out but at least the rain eased off by the time we left. The Calthorpe Arms is a cosy and friendly community pub and Adrian, the guvnor, is a fine chap. Beers are well kept and the food is good value. What more could you want from a pub?
Calthorpe Arms, 252 Grays Inn Road, WC1X 8JR

Off we set to pub number two which is barely half a mile away. Despite this, John and Mike jump on a bus for part of a journey. I still beat them to the pub though! The pub in question is the Craft Beer Co in Leather Lane. The pub has only been open in its current incarnation since the beginning of July – it was previously known as the Clock House and was formerly a Charrington house.
You can hardly miss the huge brewery mirror on one wall or the unusual mirrored ceiling up above. The CBC is under the same ownership as the Cask Bar & Kitchen in Pimlico, which was nominated last year. It’s a fairly small pub (but there is another room upstairs) but it offers no less than 16 handpumped ales and some 21 ‘craft’ beers from around the world on tap, not to mention a wide selection of bottled ales. I failed to make a note of the entire beer range but breweries such as Dark Star, Thornbridge and Magic Rock (a new outfit from Huddersfield, I believe) were well represented. There is a house beer, Craft Pale, brewed by the fairly new Kent brewery.
	The Craft Beer Co.
However, it was hardly an evening for al fresco supping so we moved back inside when the The pub was very busy when we arrived so we took our beers outside and used a disused market stall as our table for a while. pub quietened down.We were then joined by Aidan, who was catching up with the pubs. I’d only visited the CBC during the afternoon previously when it was fairly quiet, and enjoyed the place. What the pub needs is a board showing details of all the beers on tap, as it’s not easy to look over people’s shoulders at a long row of pump clips. I should mention that the beer is not cheap here, starting at £3.40 a pint for the lower gravity beers. Should you happen to fancy a ‘craft’ beer prepare for a shock as these are priced at £4 and upwards – a half! Food is limited to basic snacks such as pork pies, also not cheap. But the pub seems to have taken off well and has to be a valuable addition to the capital’s beer scene. Craft Beer Co, 82 Leather Lane, EC1N 7TR; www.thecraftbeerco.com Leaving Aidan behind to try a further beer or two, the three of us walk down Hatton wall, right down Hatton Garden then left into the tiny passage way leading to the Ye Olde Mitre (look out for the Fuller’s sign). We make our way to the back bar and sort our beer choices. YOM has been owned by Fullers for a few years now but apart from Chiswick brews, there is usually one or two from Adnams and regular guests from small breweries. Tonight there is Wobbly Bob (6.6%) from Phoenix brewery and I did toy with a half to round off the session (purely for research, you understand).
	After we sat down with our beers we were joined by Scotty, the redoubtable mine host of this historic establishment, a fine character and friendly bloke. Eventually Aidan caught up with us as well, although there was no sign of Alasdair, Bill or Hugh, who make up the judging team. The Mitre is a genuine Olde pub, dating from 1546 and is inevitably on the tourist trail. Don’t let this put you off, since this is a pub of rare character. There are two separate bars plus a small ‘side room’ and a function room up some rather steep stairs. Food is limited to snacks such as toasted sandwiches and, hardly surprisingly, the prices reflect the location. YOM is also closed at weekends, except during the Great British Beer Festival (and I found it open one Saturday afternoon when there was a street fair in Hatton Garden). Ye Olde Mitre, 1 Ely Court, Ely Place, Holborn, EC1N 6SJ
Ye Olde Mitre
So we’re on our way: three highly contrasting pubs offering some 26 beers under our belts. We’re back on the road in a week’s time.

Wednesday, 24th August
The second judging session takes over to the west of London, starting in Fulham. For me it’s a lengthy trek across the capital to Parsons Green tube station, from which it’s a five minute walk to our first pub, the Durell Arms. As I approach I note a modern looking frontage with a canopy sheltering those customers who prefer some fresh air – laced with fumes from the traffic on Fulham Road – or to fill their lungs with tar. Inside the pub is done out in the modern café-style, although I note the elegant mouldings on the ceilings, of obviously older vintage. At the bar counter I spy Mike who has just discovered – to his utter incredulity – that the beer is free….yes, gratis, no charge, no strings attach. Naturally I have to order to confirm this happy state of affairs. Why the freebies, you ask? Well, it seems that the pub has the occasional ‘tasting session’ with a happy hour (2 hours in fact) to draw in the freeloaders. The beers on ‘sale’ are Sambrook Wandle, Hogs Back Hop and Adnams Explorer – sorry I’ve no idea if this is a typical selection, let alone the usual price!.

Durrell Arms After a pleasant ‘conversation’ with Mike I’m just about to open my mouth when we are joined by Nick, the nominator of this establishment, who proceeds to witter on at great length. The combined stereo effect has me looking longingly at the exit, free beer or not. Nevertheless, we repair to the back room (Mike thinks this may once have been a billiards room, given the high, windowed ceiling) where the tasting is going on. A couple of breweries (Ascot and Wandle) plus a Belgian beer supplier, a couple of cider makers and others have stalls where customers can try a small sample of the wares along with a chat.

The Durrell Arms

The guy from Ascot told me that he has brewed an Imperial Stout which is currently maturing in rum casks to be on sale in the winter. Sounds interesting. Eventually Mike and I were joined by John and Alasdair, then by Hugh who timed his arrival to coincide with the end of happy hour!
I have to say that I was not at all inspired by this pub. The beers were ok but nothing special and the clientele is mostly the young trendy Fulham set. It’s a shame that the Bricklayers Arms, not so far away in Putney, a far better pub, wasn’t nominated.
Durell Arms, 704 Fulham Road; www.durellarmsfulham.com

Four of us left Hugh behind and headed back to the tube station for the train to Paddington. On arrival we managed to turn the wrong way out of the station, thus rather extending our walk to the next pub, the Cleveland Arms. Along the way we managed to lose Alasdair who, like most of us, was in serious need of bladder relief. Having dashed downstairs in the pub for said relief, I pushed my way to the bar.

Here I discovered Harvey’s Best, Taylor’s Landlord, a session bitter from a major brewer from Suffolk, plus California from the West Coast brewery. This was a new name for us all and I’ve since discovered that the brewery is actually based in Conwy, North Wales. California is the first brew, a 4.4% blonde citrus ale, and quite pleasant too. Shame the same couldn’t be said about the bar staff, who mostly gave the impression they would have preferred to be somewhere else and who were none too skilled at filling a pint glass. The pub itself is a Grade II listed building dating from 1852, somewhat eccentrically decorated, with dart board and pool table in the back room. Cleveland Arms

The Cleveland Arms

A tv was showing Arsenal’s progress in European country and the ‘background’ music was too loud. There is a quiz night on Tuesdays and John and Mike took advantage of the Wednesday curry club – food and a pint for £5.25, which seemed like good value.

Just before 10 o’clock a somewhat harassed Alasdair swept in, moaning at us for leaving him behind, he’d managed to get lost and was given a bum steer when asking directions in another pub. He was cheered up by meeting an old acquaintance, a charming lady who runs the Shaston Arms, a badger pub in Soho. The Cleveland Arms is basically a friendly community pub, just a quarter of a mile from Paddington (if you go the right way!), recommended if you’re in the area. Shame about the bar staff and the obtrusive music, but it was far and away the best pub of the night!
Cleveland Arms, 28 Chilworth Street, Paddington, W2 6PT.

We now have a few weeks break, returning to the fray at the end of September.

Wednesday, 28th September

After a 4 week break we return to the fray. In the meantime I’ve spent 3 weeks in California – had a great time, thanks, including much sampling of local craft beers. Back to reality, I’m on a commuter train from London Bridge to Carshalton which, thanks to points problems “in the Mitcham area”, has to go via Wimbledon, giving me a grand tour of parts of south west London I hope I never have to visit again.

I arrive at Carshalton 30 minutes late, so it’s just as well I set out early. From the station it’s just 5 minutes’ walk (right and then left) to the Hope. Having got served straight away I was all set to enjoy a well-earned pint when I was accosted by the character we know as RMR. This heavily-bearded individual is now involved with the management of the Hope, quite appropriate since many of us regard him as an absolute bar steward. We engage in sociable banter for a few minutes before I can make an excuse and sit down somewhere quiet.

The Hope

The Hope is a community-owned pub, named after a ship – hence the proliferation of nautical pictures and memorabilia about the place, alongside the beery equivalent. This is very much what a good ‘local’ should be and in early evening it was very much bustling with much conversation, undisturbed by TV or music. The hot weather had brought out customers in great numbers and RMR confessed to having his knuckles rapped for not having enough staff working during the afternoon. Although open-plan the Hope is effectively divided into a number of drinking areas, with a games room to the rear as well as a large garden.

The Hope usually offers 5 or 6 beers on tap, mostly from fairly local breweries; this evening they were Ascot Oktoberfest and Anastasia Russian Stout, W J King Horsham Best, Windsor & Eton Guardsman and the rather less Saltaire Summer Ale. I tried the Oktoberfest (a bit thin for a 4.8% brew) and the Horsham (pleasant session beer) and both were in fine condition at £3.20 and £3.00 respectively. Food appears to available lunchtime only, though I may be wrong.

On my way out I bumped into Clive Poge at the bar; Clive nominated this pub and he was keen to get my approval. Yes, I do approve! If you’re in this corner of south west suburbia, a visit to the Hope is much recommended.
The Hope, 48 West Street, Carshalton, SM5 2PR; www.hopecarshalton.co.uk

The main action is in the larger bar with its scrubbed wooden tables; there is a spacious patio outside, popular with lung-wreckers. Like the Hope, this pub encourages conversation; there was background music but at a sensibly low volume. Service was friendly and efficient and the beers I tried (the full range in fact, for research purposes) were all in fine condition. Just don’t come here expecting to eat, as food is off the menu. Do come here for the beer though.
The Sultan, 78 Norman Road, South Wimbledon, SW19 1BT.

So that’s half of the 14 nominated pubs visited so far. Competition is definitely getting hot. We’re back in action on Sunday.

Sunday, 2nd. October

October feels more like flaming July this morning as I slap on the sunblock in preparing for my walk to the mean streets of Hackney. I walk past the football pitches in Victoria Park thinking it would be a much better day for cricket. Moving into Homerton I pass by the Kenton Arms, which is listed in the new GBG. I’m tempted to call in for a quickie but at 12.10 it’s not open yet….. maybe some other time.

Eventually, hot and weary, I reach the cool and shady confines of the Pembury Tavern, where I find Mike already ensconced. He proceeds to give me a fascinating and full blown account of his previous day’s activities in the Medway area. He is briefly interrupted when his lunch arrives – he ordered rabbit but even that doesn’t stop him rabbiting on. Before my eyes glaze over I study the beer selection on the bar: 6 from Milton brewery (Minotaur, Dionysus, Pegasus, Sparta, Icarus and Nero), plus 2 guests: Brentwood IPA and Crouch Vale Essex Boys bitter. There is also a Brandy Cask cider, which I chance a half of before leaving. There is a good selection of bottled Belgian and German beers if you’re that way inclined.

The Pembury Tavern

As I tuck into my roast pork lunch, John arrives, full of light and joy as ever. The pub is fairly quiet for a Sunday lunchtime although the tropical weather may have tempted locals to somewhere more scenic. Incidentally, although the August riots rampaged in this area, the Pembury came through totally unscathed. The pub is indeed something of an oasis in a rather insalubrious area, attracting a mostly younger, trendier crowd as well as the more mature beer lovers such as us. It’s easy to get to with two rail stations (Hackney Downs and Hackney Central) within a few minutes, not to mention numerous bus routes passing by.
Pembury Tavern, 90 Amhurst Road, E8 1JH; www.individualpubs.co.uk/pembury.

Despite this our bus routes to the next destination involved a walk down Amhurst Road to Mare Street and a five minute wait opposite the Hackney Empire. It’s more than 20 years since I was last inside the Empire, to see Billy Bragg and others perform. We pile on the 277 with much chuntering from Mike as he tries to find a seat. Otherwise it’s an uneventful journey through the ever-trendified bits of Hackney. Alighting (and it’s hot enough for that) by Victoria Park we make our way down Old Ford Road to the Eleanor Arms (as featured in the new GBG!).

We get the usual friendly welcome from Frankie and Lesley, plus daughter Kieley, and we choose from Canterbury Jack, Kent’s Best and Late Gold. This is obviously a Shepherd Neame pub and, although the Faversham beers are by no means my favourite these days, the beers here are always kept in prime condition. Later this week (as I write) a Ginger Porter from Shep’s micro plant will appear. Frankie is an SPBW member who kindly displays our publicity leaflets, so he definitely deserves your custom! As well as beer, he’s also a music lover and live acts regularly appear here; in fact a jazz jam session was planned for that evening.

The Eleanor Arms

The three of us had no sooner sat down with our beer than Bill arrived, making his first appearance on a judging session this year. A little later we were also graced with the presence of Alasdair, wild and windswept as ever. A pleasant little session indeed, in a pub which has the distinction of being the nearest to the Olympic stadium. I’ve no doubt that the likes of Usain Bolt will pop in for a quick pint between races next year.
Eleanor Arms, 460 Old Ford Road, E3 5JP; www.eleanorarms.co.uk

I wind up the evening by visiting the Bow Bells on Bow Road, which happens to be on my way home. My friend Graham is working part time here (the pub manager is just 20!) and we have a pleasant chat while I sample Young’s Gold and Black Sheep bitter. Not an LPotY contender as yet but a decent east end boozer if you happen to be in the area. But then it’s goodnight from me, back in action on the 16th!

Wednesday, 5th October

This is not an official pub visit, but as most of us thought that 3 pubs were too much in one evening, the outlying pub has been cast adrift, so to speak. So I venture, via London Overground, to Hampstead Heath station and work my way through a labyrinth of winding back streets to the Duke of Hamilton. This pub, just off the main drag in Hampstead, has been nominated a few times previously. However, it changed hands earlier this year, having been under the threat of closure, and this is my visit since then.

Duke of Hamilton Happy to say that the pub hardly seems to have changed in the meantime. It stands several yards above the street with an outdoor drinking area on the way up. On entry, a long bar counter greets you with drinking areas on three sides. Take a careful look at the bar counter for the leaded lights above and the subtle tiling beneath. In between you’ll see 6 handpumps: on my visit they offered 3 Sharp’s beers: Cornish Coaster, Own and Red (yes, no Doom Bar! Result!), Elgood Cambridge, Adnams Lighthouse and London Pride from Chiswick. The two Cornish offerings I tried were both in good condition and carefully poured by the young Parisienne bar person.

The Duke of Hamilton

I think that a draught cider is also available; food is taken more seriously than before, so the web site suggests. There was very quiet background music and a silent TV, which I guess is a bit noisier when major sports event occur. There has always been a sporty element here although a lot of the old cricketana seems to have gone.

Hampstead is a very attractive part of London and is worth a visit. Pub-wise, the Holly Bush is deservedly popular, but the Duke of Hamilton gets less of the tourists and more of the ‘local’ types and should definitely be on the pub agenda.
Duke of Hamilton, 23 New End, Hampstead, NW3 1JD; http://www.thedukeofhamilton.com/.

Wednesday, 12th. October

It’s a dull autumn evening as we go for our penultimate judging session. We start off on what is very familiar territory for me – the Old Fountain, just off City Road. Very handy for Moorfields Eye Hospital and a short walk from Old Street tube station, I have been a fairly regular visitor to the OF for the last few years. Although a fairly plain pub in some ways, it offers a friendly welcome and a good range of well-kept beer. Tonight the options include Salopian Hop Twister, Downton Elderquad, Kent Pale, Hopback Entire Stout, Crouch Vale Cluster and my first choice, Hewitt Urban Gorilla. I’d not heard of Hewitt’s brewery before and it’s not listed in the latest GBG; the brewery’s website is not very informative but gives the impression that it’s a very new enterprise based somewhere in Essex. I didn’t find the beer especially inspiring as it happens.

EThe Old Fountain is a pub of two halves, split level as the original pub was expanded into the neighbouring building a number of years ago, so that there are two separate bar counters and a door at each end. The pub has been owned by the Durrant family since 1964; these days Jim (father) and David (son) are in charge, and a very good job they do too. There is a dart board (very rare in central London these days) and a tv which is kept quiet except for major sporting events. The pub is in a bit of upheaval at present as building work is going on – a roof terrace will be open and a staircase is being built in one corner – but, apart from ladies and gents having to share the toilet – business goes on as normal.

The Old Fountain

The Old Fountain is very much an ‘after work’ pub (possible why it’s closed at weekends) and it’s still quite busy when I arrive at about 7.45. I find an empty table, sit down with my pint and attempt the Guardian crossword, not too successfully I have to admit. Looking up I see a familiar couple at the bar – it’s Geraldine and Peter who have ventured over the river to join the judges. They join me and soon Bill arrives. Our friendly conversation is interrupted when Mike makes his late and sweeping entrance. He washes his beer down with a doorstep salt beef sandwich which fails to interrupt his flow. (I should add here that Mike belatedly caught up with these ramblings of mine and was somewhat put out by my suggestions that he is somewhat verbose. In fact he prattled on about this at some length.) After a quick half, Bill left for the next pub and was replaced at the table by Aidan, making a rare appearance.
Old Fountain, 3 Baldwin Street, off City Road, EC1V 9NU; www.oldfountain.co.uk

It was getting time to move on; there was some debate about the best route to the next pub and we decided to use the Northern Line to Bank, then District Line to Embankment (apart from Aidan who went by bus). This proved very efficient and in short order we were strolling up Villiers Street, across the Strand and up to Chandos Place to the Harp.

This excellent pub should need no introduction to beer lovers in London. It won the LPotY for 2008 and is the current CAMRA national pub of the year. It’s renowned for its range of beers and ciders and some of the most efficient (and friendly) bar service you’ll find anywhere. Bridget Walsh (known to all as Binnie) is the delightful landlady here; she bought the pub from Punch Taverns a year or so back so that it’s a genuine free house. Beers from Dark Star often feature (Hophead and the wonderful American Pale Ale are on this evening) as does Harveys Best. There are also a couple of beers from Waen brewery, another new one on me but it turns out to be from Powys in Wales.
We arrive to find John and Bill in situ and we all gather around a table to chat. For a while we are joined by a well-refreshed Simon Hoskins, a pioneer of microbrewing in London more than 30 years ago.

The Harp

If there’s one thing that puts people off the Harp it’s that space is often at a premium. It’s a fairly small, long and narrow pub and it doesn’t take a lot to fill it up. Given that it’s very close to Charing Cross station, Trafalgar Square and the theatre district, there is no lack of punters. There is a small room upstairs where you may find refuge, but otherwise try pre-lunchtime or mid-afternoon if you want to appreciate the pub in relative peace. Anyway, despite the bustle there is a very friendly atmosphere with no distractions of any kind. I did hear suggestions that Binny may be trying to buy the lease of the café next door with a view to expanding the Harp. If this can be done appropriately it may relieve the pressure. Whatever, I like this pub very much and it’s getting near midnight (the bar is open until 11.30) when I finally take my leave and head back to the tube station and home.
The Harp, 47 Chandos Street, WC2N 4HS; www.harpcoventgarden.com

So that’s two excellent pubs tonight and only two left to be visited. Very stiff competition as usual and I don’t see a clear winner emerging when it comes to voting

Sunday, 16th October

A bright Sunday morning heralds the final judging session. All looks well in the capital as I stroll over London Bridge and down Borough High Street. Destination is the Royal Oak in Borough, a very familiar place to me having frequented it fairly regularly ever since Harvey’s took it over in 1997.

I arrive at about 12.20 to find Mike and John already there, scanning the Sunday papers and totting up the takings from the SPBW stall at the Wallington beer festival over the previous few days. Like my colleagues, I start with a pint of mild which is as delicious as ever. It would be all too easy at this stage to remark again on Mike habit of rambling on at length and boring the arse off everyone, so I won’t. But he did – oops! We were later joined by Alasdair, looking slightly the worse for wear, and Bill, who had visited the Durrell Arms to begin with. We all partook of lunch here – between us we enjoyed road lamb, beef, pork, grouse and partridge – which met the expected high standards.

The Royal Oak

The Royal Oak provides good honest quality food, nothing particularly fancy, but well-cooked and in good portions. To wash down our lunch there was the usual range from Lewes – mild, pale, best, Old and Armada (the latter my favourite) plus the latest seasonal, Southdown Harvest Ale (5.0%); also available was Fullers’ Front Row, a Rugby World Cup special which in fact is nothing special at all. The Royal Oak is renowned for the quality of its ale and none of our party had any complaints whatever.

I can’t imagine that there is any serious beer drinker living in London who has not been to the Royal Oak so I hardly need to spell out its virtues. Suffice to say it’s a characterful two bar pub, unblemished by tv or unwanted background music. I’ve told you about the beer and food and the people who serve it are usually friendly and efficient even when the pub is busy, which is quite often. Not to be missed.

We had another pub to visit and were preparing to move on when Frank – co-mine host and beer guru – appeared at our table with a jug of Southdown Ale and 5 half pint glasses. We’re far too polite to refuse free beer so we delayed our departure accordingly. Thanks Frank! Of course this flagrant bribe will have no influence on our judging!
Royal Oak, 44 Tabard Street, SE1 4JU.

We hurried through the back streets of Southwark to London Bridge station in time to catch our train with a couple of minutes to spare. Alighting at Catford Bridge we turned right out of the station and followed the road right into Stanstead Road; another quarter of a mile and we were at the Blythe Hill Tavern. Here we met up with John O’Connor, who nominated the pub, and son Ewan who had been making sure the beer was in the best condition.

The BHT is quite a gem – an old fashioned no nonsense ‘local’ with three bars. The friendly and efficient staff are neatly attired in shirt and tie and you can even get table service! Despite the various tvs showing sport the cosy nature of the pub encourages conversation, which makes for a truly traditional pub atmosphere. This Victorian street corner pub also has a large upstairs function room and a spacious garden at the back with a playing area for kids. There is a lot of golfing memorabilia on the walls and the BHT runs a golf society. There’s no food at all so you can concentrate on the beer.

Blythe Hill Tavern

Ale of choice for most of us was Dark Star Hophead (£2.95 a pint) but the likes of Adnams Broadside, London Pride and Courage ‘Best’ we also available. All in all, the BHT was a very fine place to end this year’s round of judging. Although the GBG lists it under SE23 Forest Hill, it’s really more in Catford. Wherever it might be it’s a fine place and deserves a visit from all discerning beer and pub lovers.
Blythe Hill Tavern, 319 Stanstead Road, SE23 1JB

I left the pub along with John and Alasdair at about 8 after a decent day’s drinking, caught the 185 bus to Lewisham and the DLR to Devons Road, 8 minutes’ walk from home. And so endeth the pub judging. All that remains is the final reckoning, to take place at the Dog & Bell on Wednesday week. The tension mounts! In fact I’ve sorted out my list of preferences, but my lips are sealed!

WEDNESDAY 26 OCTOBER

So here we are in the Dog & Bell for the final reckoning. We have a choice of Dark Star Hophead, Triple fff Alton Pride and Gadd’s Green Hop (as well as the usual Fullers’ stuff) to refresh us during the fraught voting process. Mike, John and I are present and we have proxy votes from Alasdair, Bill and Hugh. We all put forward our ‘best’ pub from the 14 nominations, and guess what? we’ve all chosen a different pub: Calthorpe Arms, Hope, Old Fountain, Olde Mitre, Royal Oak, Sultan. So we look at second choice votes from those 6 and the Royal Oak emerges as the winner. We start texting round the result when Aidan turns up, defying the doubters who thought he wouldn’t have visited all the pubs. Indeed he had, and he possibly had the casting vote – but he went for yet another pub, the Harp! This meant we had to work out the second round of voting again, after which we ended up with three pubs to vote on: Harp, Olde Mitre, Royal Oak.

The unbearable tension was finally broken when the Royal Oak emerged as the winner.

The judges then crawled to the bar for further pints to cool our fevered brows. So ended more than two months of judging, 14 pubs, many miles and who knows how many pints. And who cares? The pubs and beer were good and it was great fun as usual. See you next year!

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Wednesday, 24th August The second judging session takes over to the west of London, starting in Fulham. For me it’s a lengthy trek across the capital to Parsons Green tube station, from which it’s a five minute walk to our first pub, the Durell Arms. As I approach I note a modern looking frontage with a canopy sheltering those customers who prefer some fresh air – laced with fumes from the traffic on Fulham Road – or to fill their lungs with tar. Inside the pub is done out in the modern café-style, although I note the elegant mouldings on the ceilings, of obviously older vintage. At the bar counter I spy Mike who has just discovered – to his utter incredulity – that the beer is free….yes, gratis, no charge, no strings attach. Naturally I have to order to confirm this happy state of affairs. Why the freebies, you ask? Well, it seems that the pub has the occasional ‘tasting session’ with a happy hour (2 hours in fact) to draw in the freeloaders. The beers on ‘sale’ are Sambrook Wandle, Hogs Back Hop and Adnams Explorer – sorry I’ve no idea if this is a typical selection, let alone the usual price!.
	After a pleasant ‘conversation’ with Mike I’m just about to open my mouth when we are joined by Nick, the nominator of this establishment, who proceeds to witter on at great length. The combined stereo effect has me looking longingly at the exit, free beer or not. Nevertheless, we repair to the back room (Mike thinks this may once have been a billiards room, given the high, windowed ceiling) where the tasting is going on. A couple of breweries (Ascot and Wandle) plus a Belgian beer supplier, a couple of cider makers and others have stalls where customers can try a small sample of the wares along with a chat.
The Durrell Arms
The guy from Ascot told me that he has brewed an Imperial Stout which is currently maturing in rum casks to be on sale in the winter. Sounds interesting. Eventually Mike and I were joined by John and Alasdair, then by Hugh who timed his arrival to coincide with the end of happy hour! I have to say that I was not at all inspired by this pub. The beers were ok but nothing special and the clientele is mostly the young trendy Fulham set. It’s a shame that the Bricklayers Arms, not so far away in Putney, a far better pub, wasn’t nominated. Durell Arms, 704 Fulham Road; www.durellarmsfulham.com Four of us left Hugh behind and headed back to the tube station for the train to Paddington. On arrival we managed to turn the wrong way out of the station, thus rather extending our walk to the next pub, the Cleveland Arms. Along the way we managed to lose Alasdair who, like most of us, was in serious need of bladder relief. Having dashed downstairs in the pub for said relief, I pushed my way to the bar.
Here I discovered Harvey’s Best, Taylor’s Landlord, a session bitter from a major brewer from Suffolk, plus California from the West Coast brewery. This was a new name for us all and I’ve since discovered that the brewery is actually based in Conwy, North Wales. California is the first brew, a 4.4% blonde citrus ale, and quite pleasant too. Shame the same couldn’t be said about the bar staff, who mostly gave the impression they would have preferred to be somewhere else and who were none too skilled at filling a pint glass. The pub itself is a Grade II listed building dating from 1852, somewhat eccentrically decorated, with dart board and pool table in the back room.
	The Cleveland Arms
A tv was showing Arsenal’s progress in European country and the ‘background’ music was too loud. There is a quiz night on Tuesdays and John and Mike took advantage of the Wednesday curry club – food and a pint for £5.25, which seemed like good value. Just before 10 o’clock a somewhat harassed Alasdair swept in, moaning at us for leaving him behind, he’d managed to get lost and was given a bum steer when asking directions in another pub. He was cheered up by meeting an old acquaintance, a charming lady who runs the Shaston Arms, a badger pub in Soho. The Cleveland Arms is basically a friendly community pub, just a quarter of a mile from Paddington (if you go the right way!), recommended if you’re in the area. Shame about the bar staff and the obtrusive music, but it was far and away the best pub of the night! Cleveland Arms, 28 Chilworth Street, Paddington, W2 6PT. We now have a few weeks break, returning to the fray at the end of September.

Wednesday, 28th September After a 4 week break we return to the fray. In the meantime I’ve spent 3 weeks in California – had a great time, thanks, including much sampling of local craft beers. Back to reality, I’m on a commuter train from London Bridge to Carshalton which, thanks to points problems “in the Mitcham area”, has to go via Wimbledon, giving me a grand tour of parts of south west London I hope I never have to visit again.
	I arrive at Carshalton 30 minutes late, so it’s just as well I set out early. From the station it’s just 5 minutes’ walk (right and then left) to the Hope. Having got served straight away I was all set to enjoy a well-earned pint when I was accosted by the character we know as RMR. This heavily-bearded individual is now involved with the management of the Hope, quite appropriate since many of us regard him as an absolute bar steward. We engage in sociable banter for a few minutes before I can make an excuse and sit down somewhere quiet.
The Hope
The Hope is a community-owned pub, named after a ship – hence the proliferation of nautical pictures and memorabilia about the place, alongside the beery equivalent. This is very much what a good ‘local’ should be and in early evening it was very much bustling with much conversation, undisturbed by TV or music. The hot weather had brought out customers in great numbers and RMR confessed to having his knuckles rapped for not having enough staff working during the afternoon. Although open-plan the Hope is effectively divided into a number of drinking areas, with a games room to the rear as well as a large garden. The Hope usually offers 5 or 6 beers on tap, mostly from fairly local breweries; this evening they were Ascot Oktoberfest and Anastasia Russian Stout, W J King Horsham Best, Windsor & Eton Guardsman and the rather less Saltaire Summer Ale. I tried the Oktoberfest (a bit thin for a 4.8% brew) and the Horsham (pleasant session beer) and both were in fine condition at £3.20 and £3.00 respectively. Food appears to available lunchtime only, though I may be wrong. On my way out I bumped into Clive Poge at the bar; Clive nominated this pub and he was keen to get my approval. Yes, I do approve! If you’re in this corner of south west suburbia, a visit to the Hope is much recommended. The Hope, 48 West Street, Carshalton, SM5 2PR; www.hopecarshalton.co.uk

Sunday, 2nd. October October feels more like flaming July this morning as I slap on the sunblock in preparing for my walk to the mean streets of Hackney. I walk past the football pitches in Victoria Park thinking it would be a much better day for cricket. Moving into Homerton I pass by the Kenton Arms, which is listed in the new GBG. I’m tempted to call in for a quickie but at 12.10 it’s not open yet….. maybe some other time.
Eventually, hot and weary, I reach the cool and shady confines of the Pembury Tavern, where I find Mike already ensconced. He proceeds to give me a fascinating and full blown account of his previous day’s activities in the Medway area. He is briefly interrupted when his lunch arrives – he ordered rabbit but even that doesn’t stop him rabbiting on. Before my eyes glaze over I study the beer selection on the bar: 6 from Milton brewery (Minotaur, Dionysus, Pegasus, Sparta, Icarus and Nero), plus 2 guests: Brentwood IPA and Crouch Vale Essex Boys bitter. There is also a Brandy Cask cider, which I chance a half of before leaving. There is a good selection of bottled Belgian and German beers if you’re that way inclined.
	The Pembury Tavern
As I tuck into my roast pork lunch, John arrives, full of light and joy as ever. The pub is fairly quiet for a Sunday lunchtime although the tropical weather may have tempted locals to somewhere more scenic. Incidentally, although the August riots rampaged in this area, the Pembury came through totally unscathed. The pub is indeed something of an oasis in a rather insalubrious area, attracting a mostly younger, trendier crowd as well as the more mature beer lovers such as us. It’s easy to get to with two rail stations (Hackney Downs and Hackney Central) within a few minutes, not to mention numerous bus routes passing by. Pembury Tavern, 90 Amhurst Road, E8 1JH; www.individualpubs.co.uk/pembury.

Despite this our bus routes to the next destination involved a walk down Amhurst Road to Mare Street and a five minute wait opposite the Hackney Empire. It’s more than 20 years since I was last inside the Empire, to see Billy Bragg and others perform. We pile on the 277 with much chuntering from Mike as he tries to find a seat. Otherwise it’s an uneventful journey through the ever-trendified bits of Hackney. Alighting (and it’s hot enough for that) by Victoria Park we make our way down Old Ford Road to the Eleanor Arms (as featured in the new GBG!).
	We get the usual friendly welcome from Frankie and Lesley, plus daughter Kieley, and we choose from Canterbury Jack, Kent’s Best and Late Gold. This is obviously a Shepherd Neame pub and, although the Faversham beers are by no means my favourite these days, the beers here are always kept in prime condition. Later this week (as I write) a Ginger Porter from Shep’s micro plant will appear. Frankie is an SPBW member who kindly displays our publicity leaflets, so he definitely deserves your custom! As well as beer, he’s also a music lover and live acts regularly appear here; in fact a jazz jam session was planned for that evening.
The Eleanor Arms
The three of us had no sooner sat down with our beer than Bill arrived, making his first appearance on a judging session this year. A little later we were also graced with the presence of Alasdair, wild and windswept as ever. A pleasant little session indeed, in a pub which has the distinction of being the nearest to the Olympic stadium. I’ve no doubt that the likes of Usain Bolt will pop in for a quick pint between races next year. Eleanor Arms, 460 Old Ford Road, E3 5JP; www.eleanorarms.co.uk I wind up the evening by visiting the Bow Bells on Bow Road, which happens to be on my way home. My friend Graham is working part time here (the pub manager is just 20!) and we have a pleasant chat while I sample Young’s Gold and Black Sheep bitter. Not an LPotY contender as yet but a decent east end boozer if you happen to be in the area. But then it’s goodnight from me, back in action on the 16th!

Wednesday, 5th October This is not an official pub visit, but as most of us thought that 3 pubs were too much in one evening, the outlying pub has been cast adrift, so to speak. So I venture, via London Overground, to Hampstead Heath station and work my way through a labyrinth of winding back streets to the Duke of Hamilton. This pub, just off the main drag in Hampstead, has been nominated a few times previously. However, it changed hands earlier this year, having been under the threat of closure, and this is my visit since then.
	Happy to say that the pub hardly seems to have changed in the meantime. It stands several yards above the street with an outdoor drinking area on the way up. On entry, a long bar counter greets you with drinking areas on three sides. Take a careful look at the bar counter for the leaded lights above and the subtle tiling beneath. In between you’ll see 6 handpumps: on my visit they offered 3 Sharp’s beers: Cornish Coaster, Own and Red (yes, no Doom Bar! Result!), Elgood Cambridge, Adnams Lighthouse and London Pride from Chiswick. The two Cornish offerings I tried were both in good condition and carefully poured by the young Parisienne bar person.
The Duke of Hamilton
I think that a draught cider is also available; food is taken more seriously than before, so the web site suggests. There was very quiet background music and a silent TV, which I guess is a bit noisier when major sports event occur. There has always been a sporty element here although a lot of the old cricketana seems to have gone. Hampstead is a very attractive part of London and is worth a visit. Pub-wise, the Holly Bush is deservedly popular, but the Duke of Hamilton gets less of the tourists and more of the ‘local’ types and should definitely be on the pub agenda. Duke of Hamilton, 23 New End, Hampstead, NW3 1JD; http://www.thedukeofhamilton.com/.

Wednesday, 12th. October It’s a dull autumn evening as we go for our penultimate judging session. We start off on what is very familiar territory for me – the Old Fountain, just off City Road. Very handy for Moorfields Eye Hospital and a short walk from Old Street tube station, I have been a fairly regular visitor to the OF for the last few years. Although a fairly plain pub in some ways, it offers a friendly welcome and a good range of well-kept beer. Tonight the options include Salopian Hop Twister, Downton Elderquad, Kent Pale, Hopback Entire Stout, Crouch Vale Cluster and my first choice, Hewitt Urban Gorilla. I’d not heard of Hewitt’s brewery before and it’s not listed in the latest GBG; the brewery’s website is not very informative but gives the impression that it’s a very new enterprise based somewhere in Essex. I didn’t find the beer especially inspiring as it happens.
EThe Old Fountain is a pub of two halves, split level as the original pub was expanded into the neighbouring building a number of years ago, so that there are two separate bar counters and a door at each end. The pub has been owned by the Durrant family since 1964; these days Jim (father) and David (son) are in charge, and a very good job they do too. There is a dart board (very rare in central London these days) and a tv which is kept quiet except for major sporting events. The pub is in a bit of upheaval at present as building work is going on – a roof terrace will be open and a staircase is being built in one corner – but, apart from ladies and gents having to share the toilet – business goes on as normal.
	The Old Fountain
The Old Fountain is very much an ‘after work’ pub (possible why it’s closed at weekends) and it’s still quite busy when I arrive at about 7.45. I find an empty table, sit down with my pint and attempt the Guardian crossword, not too successfully I have to admit. Looking up I see a familiar couple at the bar – it’s Geraldine and Peter who have ventured over the river to join the judges. They join me and soon Bill arrives. Our friendly conversation is interrupted when Mike makes his late and sweeping entrance. He washes his beer down with a doorstep salt beef sandwich which fails to interrupt his flow. (I should add here that Mike belatedly caught up with these ramblings of mine and was somewhat put out by my suggestions that he is somewhat verbose. In fact he prattled on about this at some length.) After a quick half, Bill left for the next pub and was replaced at the table by Aidan, making a rare appearance. Old Fountain, 3 Baldwin Street, off City Road, EC1V 9NU; www.oldfountain.co.uk

It was getting time to move on; there was some debate about the best route to the next pub and we decided to use the Northern Line to Bank, then District Line to Embankment (apart from Aidan who went by bus). This proved very efficient and in short order we were strolling up Villiers Street, across the Strand and up to Chandos Place to the Harp.
	This excellent pub should need no introduction to beer lovers in London. It won the LPotY for 2008 and is the current CAMRA national pub of the year. It’s renowned for its range of beers and ciders and some of the most efficient (and friendly) bar service you’ll find anywhere. Bridget Walsh (known to all as Binnie) is the delightful landlady here; she bought the pub from Punch Taverns a year or so back so that it’s a genuine free house. Beers from Dark Star often feature (Hophead and the wonderful American Pale Ale are on this evening) as does Harveys Best. There are also a couple of beers from Waen brewery, another new one on me but it turns out to be from Powys in Wales. We arrive to find John and Bill in situ and we all gather around a table to chat. For a while we are joined by a well-refreshed Simon Hoskins, a pioneer of microbrewing in London more than 30 years ago.
The Harp
If there’s one thing that puts people off the Harp it’s that space is often at a premium. It’s a fairly small, long and narrow pub and it doesn’t take a lot to fill it up. Given that it’s very close to Charing Cross station, Trafalgar Square and the theatre district, there is no lack of punters. There is a small room upstairs where you may find refuge, but otherwise try pre-lunchtime or mid-afternoon if you want to appreciate the pub in relative peace. Anyway, despite the bustle there is a very friendly atmosphere with no distractions of any kind. I did hear suggestions that Binny may be trying to buy the lease of the café next door with a view to expanding the Harp. If this can be done appropriately it may relieve the pressure. Whatever, I like this pub very much and it’s getting near midnight (the bar is open until 11.30) when I finally take my leave and head back to the tube station and home. The Harp, 47 Chandos Street, WC2N 4HS; www.harpcoventgarden.com So that’s two excellent pubs tonight and only two left to be visited. Very stiff competition as usual and I don’t see a clear winner emerging when it comes to voting

Sunday, 16th October A bright Sunday morning heralds the final judging session. All looks well in the capital as I stroll over London Bridge and down Borough High Street. Destination is the Royal Oak in Borough, a very familiar place to me having frequented it fairly regularly ever since Harvey’s took it over in 1997.
	I arrive at about 12.20 to find Mike and John already there, scanning the Sunday papers and totting up the takings from the SPBW stall at the Wallington beer festival over the previous few days. Like my colleagues, I start with a pint of mild which is as delicious as ever. It would be all too easy at this stage to remark again on Mike habit of rambling on at length and boring the arse off everyone, so I won’t. But he did – oops! We were later joined by Alasdair, looking slightly the worse for wear, and Bill, who had visited the Durrell Arms to begin with. We all partook of lunch here – between us we enjoyed road lamb, beef, pork, grouse and partridge – which met the expected high standards.
The Royal Oak
The Royal Oak provides good honest quality food, nothing particularly fancy, but well-cooked and in good portions. To wash down our lunch there was the usual range from Lewes – mild, pale, best, Old and Armada (the latter my favourite) plus the latest seasonal, Southdown Harvest Ale (5.0%); also available was Fullers’ Front Row, a Rugby World Cup special which in fact is nothing special at all. The Royal Oak is renowned for the quality of its ale and none of our party had any complaints whatever. I can’t imagine that there is any serious beer drinker living in London who has not been to the Royal Oak so I hardly need to spell out its virtues. Suffice to say it’s a characterful two bar pub, unblemished by tv or unwanted background music. I’ve told you about the beer and food and the people who serve it are usually friendly and efficient even when the pub is busy, which is quite often. Not to be missed. We had another pub to visit and were preparing to move on when Frank – co-mine host and beer guru – appeared at our table with a jug of Southdown Ale and 5 half pint glasses. We’re far too polite to refuse free beer so we delayed our departure accordingly. Thanks Frank! Of course this flagrant bribe will have no influence on our judging! Royal Oak, 44 Tabard Street, SE1 4JU.
We hurried through the back streets of Southwark to London Bridge station in time to catch our train with a couple of minutes to spare. Alighting at Catford Bridge we turned right out of the station and followed the road right into Stanstead Road; another quarter of a mile and we were at the Blythe Hill Tavern. Here we met up with John O’Connor, who nominated the pub, and son Ewan who had been making sure the beer was in the best condition.
	The BHT is quite a gem – an old fashioned no nonsense ‘local’ with three bars. The friendly and efficient staff are neatly attired in shirt and tie and you can even get table service! Despite the various tvs showing sport the cosy nature of the pub encourages conversation, which makes for a truly traditional pub atmosphere. This Victorian street corner pub also has a large upstairs function room and a spacious garden at the back with a playing area for kids. There is a lot of golfing memorabilia on the walls and the BHT runs a golf society. There’s no food at all so you can concentrate on the beer.
Blythe Hill Tavern
Ale of choice for most of us was Dark Star Hophead (£2.95 a pint) but the likes of Adnams Broadside, London Pride and Courage ‘Best’ we also available. All in all, the BHT was a very fine place to end this year’s round of judging. Although the GBG lists it under SE23 Forest Hill, it’s really more in Catford. Wherever it might be it’s a fine place and deserves a visit from all discerning beer and pub lovers. Blythe Hill Tavern, 319 Stanstead Road, SE23 1JB I left the pub along with John and Alasdair at about 8 after a decent day’s drinking, caught the 185 bus to Lewisham and the DLR to Devons Road, 8 minutes’ walk from home. And so endeth the pub judging. All that remains is the final reckoning, to take place at the Dog & Bell on Wednesday week. The tension mounts! In fact I’ve sorted out my list of preferences, but my lips are sealed!