cask 1845 and other london questions

[studentofbeer]

first off, i just noticed that fuller's 1845 will be available on cask at 8 pubs in london during march, which is when im going to be there!

according to fuller's this is the list of pubs--

Barrow Boy and Banker SE1

Butcher's Hook and Cleaver EC1A

Counting House EC3

Hung Drawn and Quartered EC3

Old Bank of England EC4

Red Herring EC2

Shooting Star E1

Melton Mowbray EC1

anyone know these pubs? which would be the best to check out to get some cask 1845?

also, please recommend other pubs as well as restaurants in london. My girlfriend and I are staying in Bayswater near Hyde Park and will be traveling about the city seeing touristy/historical things and visiting museums. We will be in London for 6 days. She is a student and I'm poor and the exchange rate sucks, so no 5 star places, but I'd love to know some spots for good food, good beer, and hopefully even both at the same time.

Also, any recommendations of things to do? Special cool things foreigners dont usually know about? Any help would be appreciated.

[MeridianFC]

There's some good info in this thread:

http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1366&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

[Richard English]

All of the pubs cited are in or near the City of London. This means they will probably not be open in the evening. The list is certainly not complete!

The best Fuller's pub near to where you're staying is probably the Victoria at Lancaster Gate - where exactly are you staying and when will you be here?

On the evening of 25 March Fuller's head brewer will be at the Victoria giving a talk on the brewery and the beer; if the last Fuller's visit is anything to go by there will be some free London Pride. (I prefer the Pride to the 1845 on draught)

Baywater is a good place to stay and there are plenty of places to eat very reasonably. There's a number of cheap eateries in London Street, which runs south from Paddington Station. The Victoria is at the bottom of that road. You should be able to walk to the Victoria from wherever you're staying. If you go to EC3 or SW1 you'll have to catch the tube back once you've finished the evening.

London is a wonderful city to visit and your best bet is to buy a Travecard (valid after 0930 weekdays) which will allow you unlimited travel on the Tube and the buses within the region you select for the whole day. A Zone 1 card will probably do you as it covers all of central London. Of course, if you want to visit Fuller's or Young's breweries then you'll need a zone 1 - 3? card as they are both away from the centre.

Get a London A-Z map book (accept nothing else, no matter what anyone tells you) and just choose the venues you want to go to. Many (most museums and galleries) are free. The only trouble is - in no way will you be able to see all of London in just 6 days.

Feel free to ask any Londoner; we are all very used to visitors since London is probably the world's most visited city.

Feel free to ask for more information if you need it.

[stronk]

If you can be bothered to make quite a long journey, visit the shop and pub I mentioned in this thread: http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2607

The Wenlock Arms looks fantastic, although I have never been there (give me time!).

[studentofbeer]

thanks for the suggestions--

i will be in london from march 17-24, so unfortunately richard, it looks like i will be missing the talk by the fuller's brewer, which is too bad.

anyway if i have more questions i will post. the biggest struggle will be getting the gf to tag along to the pubs i think.

[chris_o]

I can't pretend to have visited all 8 of those pubs, but at least two - the Counting House and the Old Bank of England - are open all evening. Both are converted old banking halls (which Fullers tends to specialise in) and the latter, right next to the Royal Courts of Justice, is particularly spectacular architecturally. It was, at one time, the Law Courts branch of the Bank of England, but more recently, was the head office of one of the Building Societies (I forget which). The nearby Inns of Court, where all the barristers have their chambers - Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple - are interesting places to nosey around, with lots of little courtyards and alleyways. Of course, Richard's suggestion, with the prospect of free beer, is also tempting - I might even go myself.

[Richard English]

Quote "...biggest struggle will be getting the gf to tag along to the pubs i think..."

Once she's been into a decent boozer and tried a pint of draught beer she might change her mind.

If I were you I'd visit the pubs in the City during the day and stick around Bayswater in the evening. Although the Tube is fine, it's always better to have a gentle saunter back home than it is to have to take public transport and still have to walk from the station or bus-stop.

By the way, you didn't say exactly where you're staying.

[studentofbeer]

ooops, the hotel is called henry VIII. glad to hear there are some decent pubs that might be nearby.

[Richard English]

Ah yes. I know it. It's in Leinster Gardens - I've run training courses there. It's about seven minute's walk from Bayswater or Queensway tubes and about ten from Paddington or Lancaster Gate. There's a map here http://uke.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&db=pc&addr1=&client=public&addr2=&advanced=&addr3=&pc=W23AN&quicksearch=W2+3AN+&cidr_client=none

The area to the east of Leinster Gardens isn't very good for pubs or restaurants until you get towards Paddington; to the west you will find all the life in Queensway. The Victoria pub is at the junction of Strathern Place and Sussex Place - just to the east of Lancaster Gate tube.

If you're coming into Heathrow, take the Heathrow Express train into Paddington (15 minutes journey time) and either walk or take a taxi to your hotel. Don't take a taxi from Heathrow - it'll cost you a fortune. If you want to save money, take the tube (Piccadilly Line) from Heathrow and change at Earl's Court for Baywater. That is cheaper than the train but takes over an hour.

Enjoy your stay.

[Herb Ninja]

Originally posted by stronk

The Wenlock Arms looks fantastic, although I have never been there (give me time!).

Indeed! Next time I go to London it will be the first pub I visit, again.

Also the pitfield shop is nice, and close. Peace, HN-