All about the Beer 77
Otter spotted in West London
Harwood Arms, Fulham Broadway (Rating 8.8) SW6 1QP
This is principally a fine dining restaurant. My wife offered to take me for my birthday last year but she was admitted to hospital before we could go. It serves Landlord and one can sit at the bar. I went there in December 2022 with my son and some of his friends to complete 2022’s tour of London Pubs. It was the 50th of 50. Not at all one’s typical boozer but it is quality. The Landlord was served well, though not by the landlord. Other quality pubs nearby include the Fox and Pheasant and The Atlas.
Carpenter’s Arms, Ravenscourt Park (Rating 9.5) W6 9BG
This is a pleasant street corner pub in a side street, safely away from the A4. In the summer they serve Otter Bitter and in the Winter add Otter Ale. I am a huge fan of everything Otter (at least their beers). It is beautifully tranquil despite the proximity to one of Britain's busiest urban roads. The interior is simple but not unattractive. The side terrace is a sun trap and very leafy. The Otter Bitter is outstanding. All in all, this is one of Hammersmith's finest watering holes. It is owned by the same company that owns the Surprise in Chelsea and the Walmer Castle in Notting Hill. It now features in my Top Ten for the whole of London, as I wrote last week. The Dove and Latymers are the other excellent pubs in W6.
Trafalgar Tavern, Greenwich (Rating 8.4) SE10 9NW
I think this may be the busiest pub I have ever visited. It is right on the banks of the Thames next to the Naval College and looks across the river to Canary Wharf. It sells eight ales and enough lunches to feed the proverbial 5,000. I'm sure the pub sold lots of fishes but possibly less loaves. I enjoyed my second ever pint of Brockley Harcourt Red which is still exceedingly good. The temperature is a little disappointing at 12.5c but I'm coping better with the beer than with the madding crowd. If I come again, it will not be in prime tourist season. Nothing at all wrong with the pub or the beer. I just don’t like lots of people. The best pubs in SE10 are the River Ale House, The Pelton Arms and the Plume of Feathers.
The Orange Tree, Winchmore Hill (Rating 8.1) N21 3HA
This pub is about half a mile from where I lived 40 years ago and until now I never knew it existed. It is a smallish building but I'm sitting in its generous and sunny rear garden. It is an independent with two ales. Greene King IPA and Yardbird. I don't much care for GK IPA but Yardbird is OK. I first had it in East Dulwich and also at the Swan in Kensington. Today is the first occasion I have had it in a branded Yardbird glass. Added to that, it is served at an excellent temperature whereas it was frighteningly cold in East Dulwich. All in all I am in a happier place than I was ten minutes ago. This is the 900th pub I have visited.
Craft Beer Co, Farringdon (Rating 9.3) EC1N 7TR
This is a small street corner pub in the back Streets of Hatton Garden. It has an amazing array of handpumps dating back to a hey day as a Charrington's house. On a good day there are seven ales on. Today five are in operation. Two years ago I discovered Siren Broken Dreams breakfast stout in a Craft Brew pub in Aldgate. It was the birth of a growing interest in Stouts and Porter. I have a beer mat that shows me there are seven Craft Brew pubs. This is my third. I will visit the other four soon. I like the laid back vibe and the choice of ales. The breakfast stout is silky and creamy with a mix of coffee and chocolate and a slightly bitter aftertaste. This is a top three pub in EC1 along with Artillery Arms and The Two Brewers.
Pints of the week – Otter Bitter at The Carpenters Arms in Hammersmith. As I write above, it is a very tasty bitter. As they always sell either this or the premium Otter Ale, these are very good reasons to go to W6. Last week saw me celebrate my birthday at The Blue Stoops. I had an Allsopp’s IPA kindly bought for me by Jamie Allsopp – brewer and pub owner extraordinaire
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