But I was intrigued that none of the Ripley pubs have ever graced the pages of the Good Beer Guide in the editions I’ve got from the last ten years. Some of the pubs must be doing something right as they can be obviously busy at times when I’ve driven through the village.

So given a fine summer Thursday evening and a friend and two bikes we went exploring.

Seven Stars

The first stop was the Seven Stars which is not in the centre of Ripley but about half a mile along the road towards Pyrford. It’s a large pub for such a remote location but a welcoming one. From the small real ale selection we chose the Hogs Back TEA. This favourite from the local-ish Hogs Back brewery was a recurring feature of pubs in Ripley as we were to discover.

Anyway the beer was in good condition and was enjoyed in the attractive garden behind the pub. I didn’t eat but my friend had a superb ham, eggs and chips. Overall a good experience and a pub to return to. I’d like to explore the food menu a bit more.

Talbot Inn

Once into the centre of Ripley we parked up the bikes and started at the Talbot Inn. The Talbot is right at the northern end of Ripley and is an old coaching inn. Apparently Nelson used to stay here too on his way to Portsmouth. The older parts of the inn have been extended with more modern dining areas and accommodation blocks.

As non-diners we weren’t really supposed to crash the patio immediately behind the pub but they lacked the will to shift us so we stayed. The Talbot may have a reputation for food (if you can afford it) but the Hogs Back TEA chosen from a conservative selection of beers was disappointing. Good job we were only drinking halves. We didn’t stay long.

Half Moon

Over the road to the Half Moon. We were practically the only customers on this Thursday evening – does it ever get busier? Full of interesting bric-a-brac felt welcoming – but empty. Bypassing the Courage Best we opted for Shere Drop from the local Surrey Hills brewery and it was not bad, but not the best pint of the night.

Anchor

After the Half Moon we strolled tp the southernmost pub in the centre of Ripley – The Anchor. But we quickly beat a hasty retreat when we realised all the handpumps were turned round. The pub looked interesting and I’ll explore another time when hopefully they’ll have some real ale on.

Ship

Last pub of the topur was the Ship – right in the centre of Ripley. Compared to the rather empty pubs we’d visited up to now the Ship seemed buzzing. Despite being strangers we were made to feel welcome by the barman and the Hog Back TEA (again) was actually very nice. Unfortunately evenings don’t last for ever so we couldn’t stay long but the Ship is definitely a pub I’d want to visit again.

Our Ripley cycle tour was a good evening and yielded a couple of good pubs – the Seven Stars for food and the Ship for best beer and atmosphere. Maybe we should have been in Ripley on a Friday night – perhaps the pubs would have been much busier. And it was good to see local beers (Hogs Back, Surrey Hills) present in amongst the more national brands.

Full reviews of these pubs will appear soon.

Ones We Missed

On the night we didn’t have time to visit the Jovial Sailor – a Chef and Brewer pub just south of Ripley. I’ve read lots of negative reviews about this place but they must be doing something right as the car park always seems to be full when I drive past. There is also the Saddlers Arms close by on Send Marsh.

The Wenlock Arms

The sign on the wall outside the Wenlock Arms, Hoxton

Given the developing uncertainty of the situation surrounding the Wenlock Arms in Hoxton (see earlier post ‘Save the Wenlock Arms, Please‘) we decided to start our evening there.

We arrived just before 6 and there was a good crowd of people – perhaps more than normal but it was difficult to say. It was obvious that some in the pub were aware of the situation and when taking some photos (see Wenlock Arms photos here) I was asked if I was from British Heritage. When told that I wasn’t they were disappointed.

Jon and I stayed for about an hour soaking up the atmosphere (and the beer in Jon’s case) hoping this would not be our last trip to the Wenlock.

The Barnsbury

The Barnsbury, Liverpool Road, London N1

After leaving the Wenlock we headed north over the Grand Union canal and up into Islington. Our next stop was the Barnsbury pub on Liverpool Road, N1. I’d been alerted to this pub via Twitter (follow @thebarnsburypub) and it was good to finally get there and meet Steve, the new owner. Steve’s been in charge for about 10 weeks and has already transformed the place apparently. Sales of real ale are through the roof as Ian the cellarman takes great care of the beer, and he was proud to show us the clean and tidy cellar.

Jon and I ate here and both had the pork cheeks for £13.50. They came served with a sauce on some mashed potato and they were delicious. I’m off the beer for medication reasons at the moment but Jon tells me that the Castle Rock Harvest Pale was superb and the O’Hanlons Stormstay deserves a mention too.

The Drapers Arms

We said our goodbyes and headed round the corner to the Drapers Arms in Barnsbury Street (also on Twitter at @DrapersArms). Jon tells me that this pub was boarded up for a substantial period of time when he lived in the area so it was good to see it reopened and with an attractive decor.

The first thing you notice is the high ceiling and the spacious layout compared with the cosy feel of the Barnsbury. There were many people in and the atmosphere was lively. Food is available here too but obviously we couldn’t comment on that. Jon had a pint of Harveys Sussex Best which wasn’t bad at all apparently.

We didn’t have much time left so we then headed off back down towards Angel. But we did visit one more pub before heading home – the Harlequin.

The Harlequin

The Harlequin is a tiny little pub in Arlington Way, EC1 – just behind Saddlers Wells theatre. I’d been here briefly before but it was new to Jon and we both like the relaxed friendly feel to the pub. I can imagine it gets busy at times with the theatre crowd but we managed to get a table without too much trouble. There are usually two real ales available and I’m told the Timothy Taylor Landlord was pretty good. There’s a piano at the back but we weren’t tempted, but if we’d stayed longer one of the many board games available might have been pressed into use.

Another great night without a disappointing pub experience.

See a map of our route here.

Winchester (like St Albans) has so many good pubs that it’s not possible to include all of them in one itinerary, but we had a go at getting to some of the best ones. I don’t propose to go into a lot of detail since I wrote up a broadly similar pub crawl of Winchester last year, but I just want to mention the ones I got to in case you wish to visit the yourself. I’ve also included links to my own reviews for each of the pubs.

King Alfred Statue, Winchester

I arrived in Winchester slightly earlier than my friends and so started with a brief return (after 20 years) visit to the Westgate Inn near to the station, closely followed by the Exchange in Southgate Street which was new to me. On the way to the meeting place I also popped into a much improved St James Tavern on Romsey Road.

The first pub on the actual itinerary was the Fulflood Arms just west of the station – a great community pub in a residential area. After this we strolled into the centre of Winchester for a slightly disappointing experience at the Eclipse by the cathedral. A better experience and some delicious Bowman’s Swift One was given to us by the Old Vine close by. This got our beer of the evening award.

Past the cathedral next to the Wykeham Arms – an ex Gales, now Fullers institution. We were there on the last night before the refurb started so beer selection limited – should be reopening soon.

It was getting dark now but we found our way across the Itchen to the Black Boy up Wharf Hill, on the east of the city for some Flowerpots Bitter and Bowman’s Wallops Wood.

Getting late and some were off to the station, but others returned to the Old Vine for a second opinion on that Swift One. Mmmm!

A night like that always leaves me wanting more of good places, and thinking about the pubs we didn’t get to – like the Hyde Tavern and the Roebuck which are both worth a visit.

Here’s to the next time!

Other Winchester Related Posts

• An Evening in Winchester (Before) Jul 21st, 2009
• An Evening in Winchester (Part 1) Jul 23rd, 2009
• An Evening in Winchester (Part 2) Aug 10th, 2009
• An Evening in Winchester (Part 3) Aug 11th, 2009
• An Evening in Winchester (Part 4) Aug 12th, 2009
• Other Winchester Gems Sep 4th, 2009

St Albans is a very old city and apparently once had the highest density of pubs per head of population of any location in the UK. I’ve no idea whether that’s still the case but there are are certainly plenty of pubs still around and many of them seem to be thriving.

Our pub agenda was set using some local inside knowledge (friends who live in St Albans), the Good Beer Guide and of course the Beer in the Evening website.

Here’s a brief round up of the ones we got to. Fuller reviews of each of the pubs will be added to the reviews section soon.

The Goat, Sopwell Lane

Large very old pub with traditional feel inside. Extensive patio garden out the back and to the side. Food very good and reasonable priced. 3 beers on. St Austell Tribute – not the best pint but OK.

White Lion, Sopwell Lane

Two-bar pub with traditional feel again. Attractive garden out the back with petanque pitch(?). Excellent selection of real ale – Saltaire Amarillo Gold was superb, Harviestoun Schiehallion also good. Possibly best pub of the day.

Hare & Hounds, Sopwell Lane

Very popular pub almost opposite White Lion. Family orientated garden – ie lots of children. TV inside for sport. Germany stuffing Argentina while we were there. Excellent, friendly pub except for the average pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord.

White Hart Tap, Keyfield Street

Another popular pub with an extensive garden – shady respite from the sun. Delicious pints of WharfeBank Tether Blonde – a golden real ale. Another candidate for best pub of the day.

Garibaldi, Albert Street

Back round the corner to this Fuller’s pub that is enjoying a resurgence I believe. It was certainly busy inside – with loads more people in the garden at the side so they must be doing something right. Been refurbished since my last visit a few years ago – was the first pub I ever visited in St Albans. Reasonable pint of Gales HSB but not the best I’ve had.

Farmers Boy, London Road

Running out of time so decided to skip the Beehive, and plump for the Farmers Boy on the way back to the station. Had heard mixed reports about this one too, but it was light and airy inside with a friendly atmosphere. No sign of any own-brewed beers but the St Austell Proper Job was very tasty.

So after that all that was left was the stroll back to the station. During the day we drank real ales in six good pubs and stuck our heads round the door of a seventh and still hadn’t really walked more than about 400 yards start to finish. I wish there was such a concentration of good pubs near where I live.

Here’s a map that shows the St Albans pub locations.

Fuller reviews of all the pubs we visited will appear in the reviews section soon.

Harveys Brewery, Lewes

This is the third post in a series featuring a pub crawl that Jon and I undertook recently around Lewes in East Sussex. It features the last couple of pubs we visited – the Lewes Arms and the Brewers Arms. You can visit the previous two posts:

• Arrival in Lewes, and the Harvey’s brewery
• The Dorset Arms, the Gardners Arms and the John Harvey Tavern

The Volunteer and the Elephant & Castle

Back across the river bridge and then to the right we came to the Volunteer on Eastgate Street.

It’s an attractive welcoming pub, but was selling just Sharp’s Doom Bar and St Austell Tribute. These are both fine beers but we decided we hadn’t come to Lewes to drink cornish beers so we decided to press on.

Next potential stop was the Elephant & Castle up the hill on White Hill. We decided that this pub didn’t look that inviting and as time we short we passed on that one too.

Retracing our steps slightly and then up a side street we came to the Lewes Arms.

The Lewes Arms (Backstory)

The Lewes Arms in Mount Place has some notoriety in that it was the setting for an extraordinary boycott some years ago by the regulars. At the time the pub was a Greene King pub and like every pub in Lewes it stocked Harvey’s Best. GK went through a stage a while ago of purging their pubs of all but their own beers and the Lewes Arms was no exception.

The Lewes Arms, Lewes

Only here the locals didn’t take too kindly to it and organised a campaign to get GK to change their minds. When Greene King wouldn’t, the boycott was born. All the regulars stayed away and the pub was apparently deserted most nights. I believe Greene King tried all kinds of tricks to convince people that the boycott wasn’t really working – including bussing staff in for quizzes etc from towns nearby.

Eventually though GK threw in the towel and began stocking Harvey’s Best again. After a while GK sold the pub to Fuller’s and now the Harvey’s Best rubs shoulders with London Pride and the other Chiswick-brewed regulars.

In retrospect Greene King argument that Harvey’s pubs tended to stock only Harvey’s beers and that they were only doing the same was a fair one. It is interesting now that the Royal Oak in Borough which is Harvey’s only London pub always carries one beer from the Fuller’s range – usually (but not always) the seasonal guest. It is rumoured that this is a reciprocal arragement for the Lewes Arms carrying Harvey’s Best but that was denied recently by the landlord of the Royal Oak. Incidentally the Fuller’s pints in the Royal Oak are always on top form.

In another recent move many GK pubs now regularly carry guest beers from other breweries – most notably in my experience the Fulflood Arms and the Green Man in Winchester which seem to stock hardly any GK beers. Perhaps GK learned from the Lewes Arms experience – perhaps the two occurences are unrelated.

Anyway I hear you cry, what is the Lewes Arms really like?

The Lewes Arms (Review)

This was my first trip to the Lewes Arms and I really had no idea what to expect. It’s located on a small backstreet and is quite a tiny pub inside. It reminded Jon and I of the Charles Lamb near Angel tube station in London – a larger room with small areas off.

The pub seems friendly and we weren’t treated like outsiders at all. The barstaff were chatty and the atmosphere overall was very good.

Inside the Lewes Arms, Lewes

Beer-wise the selection reflects the Fuller’s ownership plus of course the Harvey’s Best’ Disappointingly the Gales HSB (one of my favourites) was lack-lustre and I thought the Red Fox to be not much good either. Ironically the best pint here was the Harvey’s Best but that wasn’t superb either.

It was a shame that such a nice pub should be let down by the beer quality.

After some hasty but tasty chips in the street from the chippy opposite the Lewes Arms, Jon and I headed off for our last pub of the evening – the Brewers Arms.

The Brewers Arms

The Brewers Arms in High Street, close to Lewes Castle, is quite large when you get inside and has two distinct halves – a subdued dimly lit front bar and a lively bright back bar.

We had no stranger-phobia that you get in some places and the barstaff were very friendly and efficient. They even let me take away a Harvey’s glass for a contribution to their charity box so I’ll always be well disposed to the pub.

The Brewers Arms is advertised as a true free-house and the selection was quite eclectic. I tried a Hammerpot brewery beer (forget which one – oops) which was OK but the Harvey’s Best was very, very good. And so that beer bookended our trip to Lewes. All that was left was our synchronised dash to the station to pick up the train back to London.

A Summary

Our evening in Lewes was great fun despite the rather gloomy October weather. The pubs on a map don’t seem very concentrated but Lewes is quite a small town and it doesn’t take long to get between them. Lewes itself looks interesting and is worth a visit for more than just the beer.

There’s a map of our Lewes Pub Crawl here.