Liverpool Street Station

So, it's been some time my old friend, constant reader. I'm sure you'll excuse me though after the delays caused by my near death experience and public holiday to celebrate the Great King Rabbit, but it's time to get things back on track and where better to do it than a place full of tracks, Liverpool Street Station.

Actually thinking about it, I can think of 101 much better places to do it as I've done a little bit of drinking around this area already and to be perfectly frank, it's a bit of a dump. I know mainline train stations have their work cut out to be attractive places to go to for any other  purpose that catching a train but compared some of the others on the board (the new Kings Cross is lovely and Marylebone has much in the way of charm) Liverpool Street is definitely on the dumpier side of nice.

 

Liverpool Street Station and a rare picture of Spikey Haired Ed

But the one thing it does have going for it is that it's another square just a 10 minute stroll away from our office location. I did then foolishly suppose that we would have a good turn out for this square, especially as it's the last one anywhere near where we all work. But alas concrete promises of attendance petered away as the week went on and by the night of the tour I couldn't get a volunteer to buy me a Jägermeister for love nor money. So it was a rather depleted crowd of five regulars, Spikey Haired Ed, Charlie, Buddy Rob and Sybil who made up the numbers but on the plus side we were joined by Niresh (who we hadn’t seen since Vine Street) and the lovely Chrissie whose only previous appearance had been to crank the handle of the random pub generator when we did Chance Number 2. Buddy Rob had also managed to get in touch with an old work colleague, Stretch Arm-Max who was hoping to make an appearing sometime during the night. So actually, on reflection perhaps a tour of 8 wasn’t such a bad turn out after all. 

So anyway, the stroll to Liverpool Street was easy enough, especially as it was quite a balmy evening compared to much of the awful weather we've been having and the first pub was easily located as it's right by the main entrance, a huge Wetherspoons emporium called The Hamilton Hall. And for those who can’t get enough of the boring pub facts this place was named after Lord Claud Hamilton, chairman of the Great Eastern Railway Company (1893-1923). The building itself it actually quite decorative with an impressive ornamental ceiling adorned with cherubs and the like, unfortunately Wetherspoons seem to have done all they can to make the place as unattractive as possible by fitting a horrible wooden bar and inviting as many horrible Wetherspoons clientele as possible. Ok, I know they can't be blamed for the latter point but the cheaper beer does seem to attract a less salubrious crowd. The other distraction was a set of scaffolding in the pub which didn't seem to be serving any other purpose than holding up the bunting for the Wetherspoons beer festival. 

 

A crowded Hamilton Hall - Note pathetic awning

Anyway, architectural criticisms apart, Ed was forced into being kitty monitor for the night and bravely forced his way to the crowded bar to get the first round in. Only Charlie was joining me on the ales (lots of pints of lager and a cranberry juice for Chrissie) and I spotted a very interesting looking beer called Ionian Coffee Porter by the Corfu Beer brewery - unfortunately though when it came to pour it the barmaid only managed to squeeze one pint out of the barrel meaning either Charlie or I would have to make do with the next pump along. (Sorry can't remember what this was.) But seeing as Charlie hadn’t expressed a preference he got the alternative! We then retired outside just in time to witness the end of the balmy evening as the heavens opened and we had to crouch for shelter under the world's most pathetic awning.  

The Coffee Porter seemed ok at first, but I don't know whether it was the "last in the barrel" syndrome or just the fact I seem to have lost my beer appetite but the pint soon became heavy and claggy and became a real struggle to get down. I had a sip of Charlie's beer which was much sharper and more refreshing so perhaps the joke was on me for insisting I had the porter as I gamely forged onwards. 

The scan for the Hamilton Hall was one I had already got on a previous visit but it was good to see the certificate hanging available for Ed and Charlie, who in the absence of Aussie Pete were the only two scanners out tonight. 

 

Merchant of Bishopsgate

The next pub was also in the station itself, the recently refurbished Merchant of Bishopsgate, a very smart looking place on the lower concourse which markets itself as a Free House. This also had an easily spotted certificate hanging just inside the door and apart from having to ask the young lady guarding her wheelie suitcase to move so I could scan, it was another capture safely in the bag.  

 

The most boring pumps in the world.

You can't fault the decor in the Merchant of Bishopsgate but it's very much a question of style over substance. A more detailed investigation of the ales of offer showed the most ubiquitous brews available in the UK at the moment, London Pride, Greene King IPA, Doombar, Wadworth 6X and Old Speckled Hen, hardly ones you spot and say "oooo haven't had that in ages!" Luckily there was a more interesting alternative in Bohemian Dark by the Meantime Brewing Company, Charlie also went with the Meantime option choosing a pint of London Pale Ale whilst I think the others all had pints of Heineken mixed with a Carlsberg tops, apart from Chrissie who was making sure her prostrate was getting a good workout with the Cranberry juice. Still not trusting my beer mojo had returned I opted for a half pint of the Bohemian Dark and in the end was very glad I did. I don't know whether it's still a hangover from my recent illness or perhaps I've undergone one of those life changing experiences like RichardHammond where after his accident he now has to eat Spinach with every meal (or something like that......) but the beer just wasn't tasting at all tonight and to my shame I couldn't even complete the half pint.

 

The view of the Railway Tavern from the station. No pigeons cos it's raining.

The aptly named Railway Tavern was the next stop, just a quick sprint up the escalator and out the station by the world's scruffiest McDonalds where you're positively encouraged to kick a pigeon on the way. Again this was another pub which I'd already scanned so with Charlie having made an exit after the second pub, it was only Ed who needed to avail himself of the certificate hanging on the wall. The Railway is a Greene King pub but I singularly failed to notice the beers on offer as I capitulated entirely and ordered a diet coke.  

Apart from the crowds and the big screens showing the Masters Golf the Railway Tavern actually isn't that bad a place. For the spotters amongst you, you might like to visit to see the various ex-train company coats of arms adorning the bar and reminisce about the golden age of the railways. Whether the golden age was actually that golden I have no idea, but I'll say this, the coats of arms of the Belfast andCounty Down Railway Company for example beats First Great Westerns shitty logo any day of the week - and I bet they paid a considerable amount less than FGW did! 

Crests of the former railway companies

It was well and truly exit time then as Chrissie, Sybil and Niresh all made tracks for home, leaving just Rob, Ed, Max and I to cross the road to the Lord Aberconway, a Nicholson's pub which had not one but two Cask Marque certificates on offer. What a shame I wasn't drinking still as this was the choice pub of the evening, a lovely multi-level place; it had a spiral staircase and lots of little booths and cubby holes dotted all over. Again I can't comment on the beer selection as it was the demon diet coke that was my tipple once again but at least I got what I wanted as Ed's none specific ordering of a bottle of Budweiser had resulted in Rob being presented with a bottle of Budvar, something as we know from Bow Street doesn't tickle his fancy. 

 

The Lord Aberconway - Buddy Rob leads the way.

At least I wasn't having any trouble drinking the coke, a check of the watch showed that I should easily be able to make my 22:00 train from Reading station so I left the guys to it, made my excuses and left thinking in my present frame of mind, an early night might be best for all concerned.  

The best laid plans of mice and men though are of course scuppered by broken down trains. I made it to Reading in plenty of time for the 22:00 service but the wonderful company that is First Great Western decided to cancel it when it became stuck behind a broken down train. To cut a very long, very cold and very boring hour and a bit wait on the platform, we were eventually shipped home by bus, with me getting in at 1/4 past midnight - not quite the early night I had envisaged! 

Now I hope you, my faithful constant reader (yep, not optimistic enough to suppose I have constant readers) have felt through my writings that I'm a nice and fair minded chap. If you haven't felt this then you must be reading it wrong, but let me assure you that I am. First Great Western however are slowly but surely, with each delay and cancellation turning me into the sort of person I would avoid in a broken down lift situation, making me a curmudgeon vying for the undisputed world moaning cruiser weight crown. This latest highlight in my commuting relationship with them called for a strongly worded letter much in the style of "Annoyed from Tunbridge Wells" so here it is. 

Petty, point scoring and all rather pathetic, I'll accept all those criticisms as they are no doubt very true but all I can say in mitigation is that they were asking for it and no doubt next week I'll be doing it again! 

Never happens when I'm drunk though..........interesting.......

 

Number of Cask Marque Pubs visited  = 186

 

So BGC, is it the wagon for you? = I don't think so. I may have had a dodgy week but can break the habit of a lifetime just on that.

 

And did Ed drink lager all night? = Oh I don't know, probably not and he'll probably have another go at me for suggesting that he did.

 

Next Stop = Chance #3

Intermission

Perhaps we were all a bit too jaded from last week. Perhaps it was the fact that we weren’t getting paid until the middle of this week. Perhaps the boys are just getting sick of me, but whatever the reason I just couldn’t raise a single man-jack of them to go out this week. Aussie Pete quoted a poorly tummy (Awwwwe poor Petey. Mummy rub his little tummy better? Take some nasty medicine for the poorly tum-tum. Where’s the smile for Mummy’s brave Petey? Where’s the smile? There it is! There it is!) and Spikey haired Ed had gone on holiday without a by your leave or an invitation.

But, the boys had also expressed a wish that the next street, Bow Street was one they really wanted to do as its proximity to Covent Garden dangled the carrot of enticement of some superb pubs, so to do this square single-handed would be as welcome as the proverbial fart in a crash helmet (or something like that).

So what was a lonely boy to do? And then it hit me, inspiration of the highest order, I’d use this week to re-tread some steps and re-visit a couple of places I needed to go back to. First on the list was the Masons Arms which I’d previously covered in Electric Company. As regular readers will know I’d sent an email off to Fuller’s about my visit and to cut a long story short it had culminated in a very nice phone call from the Masons manager, Matt, and a £20 voucher to come and visit again. So I did!

Firstly I took Matt’s advice that he’d given on the phone and to take the over-ground train from Victoria to Battersea Park rather than do what I did last time and walk the ½ mile or so along the Thames from Vauxhall to Battersea. He did say the pub was directly outside the train station and he couldn’t have been more right as a quick jog across the road and I was back in the Masons again.

I slipped in not quite knowing whether I’d get a welcome or not only to be greeted by a friendly, bearded and handsome face. Would it be possible to nip to the look before I order I asked, “yeah, no probs” came the reply in a strikingly familiar antipodean accent. This must be Matt, I though as I had a wee to the soundtrack of one of Billy Connolly’s concerts (it’s true, go there and visit the loos, it’s true I tell you!) Re-emerging to the bar I asked the friendly face if he was indeed Matt? No, he wasn’t, he was Sam and Matt was out on business but Sam knew who I was! “Oh yeah, Matt said you might be in, how’s the Monopoly Tour going?” he asked. This was like being famous but without the paparazzi and the constant fear of violence, but almost just as thrilling.

I ordered a steak (no chips – paleo is still king at the moment) and a pint of Fuller’s Wild River. Now I’d had this beer before in the Doric Arch and had only scored it a 3 on untappd, but Sam not only served it splendidly but he also filled me in the history of how Fuller’s came to brew an American IPA. It was perfect. I had no choice. I had to score it a 5, my first ever.

The steak was similarly splendid and the service was as brilliant as it had been the first time round. I suppose I better get the scan whilst I’m here I asked Sam as he brought the steak over. “Yeppers (he didn’t really say yeppers, but in my mind he did) certificate is over by the door.” And there it was. Scan in the bag and nothing more for me to do than to quickly swill down a pint of London Pride (top notch condition) profusely thank Sam and nip across the road again for the next train back to Victoria.

As I took a photo of the power station from the train (someone was flying an angry birds pig balloon in front of it) I was just left wondering whether the pub was actually worth complaining about first time round or am I just a miserable git who’s never happy?

Can you see the green pig floating in front of the power station?

 

But that feeling didn’t last for long, especially on the tube to Kings Cross as I had that lovely feeling of being just that little bit squiffy whilst all around me were still hustling home from work. Quick as a flash I was back in front of Platform 9 ¾ (yes, still just adults taking the photos) and up the stairs to Fuller’s newly opened Parcel Yard. Again regular reader will remember I visited this pub during the Pentonville Road visit but the Cask Marque certificate wasn’t available.

First thing that struck me was that the pub was extremely busy but also it was hosting the Cask Report 2012, the annual report into how Cask Beer is faring in the wider world of the drinks markets. Unfortunately although I could peer into the private room where they were holding the report I couldn’t see anyone famous in the world of beer, although a lady with a name badge did hold the door to the toilets open for me…………….

Service was still lightening quick at the bar and one lovely pint of Fuller’s Autumn Ale, Red Fox later I had the scan in the bag (certificate at the end of the bar) and could scurry my way back to Paddington.

There was one more story to tell; as I was on the Circle Line a chap got on at Euston Square and was taking photos of himself with his mobile phone. Thinking he was a tourist trying to capture a picture of “here’s me on the underground”. I tapped him on the shoulder to ask if he’d like me to take his picture. He was more than happy to pose but then turned the camera around and took a photo of both me and him. He then took various shots around the carriage, especially of sleeping people.

Turns out he was a Brazilian artist called Helio Teles (you can find his website here) and I introduced myself in return only for another chap in the carriage to comment “ho ho, I wish I was rich too” and before you knew it there were about 6 of us exchanging smiles and comments. “Shhhh everyone” I said, “don’t you know you’re not allowed to speak on the Tube!”

It was a fitting end to possibly the friendliest night out on the Monopoly Tour – I must leave the boys behind more often!

Pentonville Road and Go To Jail!

Returning after 10 days enforced chilled lager drinking I was keen to take up the reins of the Monopoly Challenge once more, especially as I was also hanging on at 49 Cask Marque certificate scans and desperate to reach the half century.

I actually thought I might make the magical 50 on my departure from the UK, but although Weatherspoons’s Windmill at Stansted Airport is Cask Marque accredited it only has the old style certificate without the QR code. So it wasn’t until my return and a meeting with fellow West Berks CAMRA member @timofnewbury that I claimed my 50^th scan at The Hatchet in Newbury town centre. I’d previously attempted to scan this pub but the certificate has been hung so high on the wall I needed to stand on a chair in order to get it! The barmaid made a feeble attempt to warn me off by quoting Health and Safety but luckily Tim was on hand to record the event and make sure I didn’t fall. So Alastair -@caskmarque it’s over to you now to get me my T-Shirt – I’m still waiting for the bottle opener BTW!! J

50 not out! Here's to the next 50!

After leaving Tim, it was off to London to continue the Monopoly Odyssey, picking up the trail at Pentonville Road, and those familiar with the Monopoly Board will know it’s the last of the light blue properties. Whilst watching the excellent BBC series of programs about London Streets (The Secret History of our Streets) I’d noticed that Pentonville Road is relatively near to Pentonville Jail (it’s all the name) being joined by the focus of program 3,the Caledonian Road. This meant that I should be able to do a double-square visit and hence complete the first side of the board.

The junction of Pentonville Road and Caledonian Road

Pentonville Road itself runs between Kings Cross Station and The Angel Islington and look to have no Cask Marque accredited pubs along it, but I then noticed via the Cask Marque mobile phone app that there was a new pub actually in Kings Cross station itself. But surely you would have done this one when doing the Kings Cross square I hear you ask? Well actually no, because Fuller’s The Parcel Yard has literally just opened!

Taking station boozers to new hights

Located above Platform 9 (just by the queue of idiots lining up to take photos of Platform 9 ¾ - yes seriously, there was a queue, and all of them adults!) The Parcel Yard is a truly wonderful pub. Leaving aside that there’s the full range of Fuller’s beers on draught they also stock other well regarded brews from Meantime Brewery, Veltins Lager and lots of other bottled goodies. The design is excellent with a mix of railway memorabilia, classic Fuller’s advertisements and an almost school science laboratory look with white tiles and lab stools. The only downside was that the management couldn’t find the Cask Marque certificate as it was seemingly lost during the opening panic. This of course gives me the excellent excuse to revisit at some point and just to say that Fuller’s really have raised the bar in terms of station pubs. I thought the Doric Arch was great (and it still is) but this place is superb and I’d recommend any thirsty traveller to try it.

From there it was a nice stroll up the Caledonian Road in the warm summer’s sunshine to the back of Pentonville Jail where I took a quick photo and then scurried away down Wheelwright Street just case someone thought I was planning a break out.

I turned right!

The thing that stuck me as I made my way to the HemingfordArms was that not more than a couple of hundred metres away from the jail you enter the sort of residential area where a basement flat probably costs nearly a million quid. If the genteel people where I live knew they were living anywhere near a jail, they’d flee into the hills but yet in this part of Islington there are some seriously nice houses!

Hemingford Arms - The windows don't need cleaning!

The Hemingford Arms itself is an impressive ivy frontaged building located on the corner of a mini roundabout. As I say the front of the pub looks staggering with the ivy interspersed with colourful hanging baskets and the inside is no less impressive with an arrangement of oddities and articles that really does have to be seen to be believed. Please check out some of the pictures on the pub’s website to see the sort of things they have there, it’s quite possibly the best location for a game of i-spy ever! Talking of i-spy, what’s this I see, the Cask Marque certificate proudly displayed behind the bar but oh no, it’s another old one without the QR code! The landlady assured me that she has got accreditation for next year, but they “just haven’t sent me the certificate yet” – but this put me a bit of a quandary as I’d now visited the two locations I wanted to, but hadn’t achieved a single scan.

I-Spy an accordian and a miner's lamp

So it was then detour time as I wandered past some more seriously nice houses in trendy Islington feeling more out of place than a pensioner with a mobile phone (one bloke out walking his dogs gave me such a dirty look as I walked down Barnsbury Street I almost felt I was burgling his house already) until I reached The Barnsbury on Liverpool Road. The first thing I couldn’t work out is why the place was so empty when all the other pubs I’d either been in or walked past were heaving with Friday night drinkers, in most cases spilling out onto the pavements to enjoy the nice weather.

The Barnsbury

It couldn’t be the beer as the pint of RCH Old Slug Porter was superb and looking around at the range of other beers, both on draught and in bottles this was a rear beer drinkers’ paradise. The only thing I couldn’t spot whilst looking around was the Cask Marque certificate and even the new bar manager Peter couldn’t seem to find it. “I know it’s here somewhere” he said whilst rummaging through a drawer full of old pump clips. Even though I was dreading “striking out” for the third time that evening, I couldn’t fault his enthusiasm to try to help me, and joy upon joy, it was eventually rewarded when he found the certificate hiding on a pin-board behind another poster. I also have to report on one of the most erotic scenes I’ve ever experienced in a pub when the pretty punky barmaid with pink and blue hair and Doc Martins explained to the new pretty perky barmaid with gold trainers which beer glasses to use with which beer. She then topped this advice when warning her colleague as she poured a pint of Brew Dog’s Punk IPA to “make sure you brim it, and don’t spill a spot – it’s expensive stuff!” – I reckon a better motto to live you life by would be hard to find and I think I’ll adopt it as my motto!

So with the first scan of the evening under my belt I was on a roll and decided to cut through Cloudesley Square past some more seriously nice houses and past the seriously nice Celestial Church of Christ to the seriously nice Crown, another pub from that seriously nice brewer, Fuller’s.

The Seriously Nice Crown

The pint of London Porter was seriously nic……….yeah ok you get the picture, but perhaps not as seriously nice as the lovely bar manager lady who had to fetch the Cask Marque certificate from the upstairs office. One thing I’ve noticed with the Cask Marque app, is that it needs a good 3G connection to register any scans and this can mean once you’ve scanned a certificate you then need to wander out of the pub before the scan registers. This happen at the Crown and I almost needed to wander back down Liverpool Road to The Angelic before I managed to secure the visit.

The Angelic

The Angelic is definitely a young person’s pub. The evening was wearing on now and I was starting to feel my age, surrounded by the young beautiful and trendy just beginning their Friday night’s fun, it was lucky that the Cask Marque certificate was freely available on the wall where it’s meant to be and I didn’t have to ask anyone else to jump through any hoops.

From there I found I’d come full circle as I was back at The Angel tube station just by the place Spiky haired Ed nearly met his demise at the hands of the Red London Bus. And with 53 scans and still going strong, it’s onto the next “side” of the Monopoly board. Cheers!

Number of Cask Marque Pubs visited  = 53

Remember! = Brim it! And don’t spill a drop!

Want to record your beer drinking exploits? = http://untappd.com (and add me as a friend!)

Next Stop = Pall Mall

Euston Road

A combination of last minute planning and the very poor incentive of a trip to Euston was enough to put off all the regulars from the office, so it was only me and Jack Jones who made the trip round the Circle Line to Euston Square on a sunny Thursday evening.

I also had mixed feeling about doing this square as on the pub front there is a heavy concentration of Cask Marque pubs round Euston Station but as previously alluded to, it’s not an area one immediately associates with beauty or sights worth seeing.

The first pub was The Britannia which is located within the concrete monstrosity that is Euston Station itself. It’s been noticeable that’s there’s been a bit of a resurgence of these station pubs recently with many of them having well needed facelifts and much needed refurbishments. It also seems to be a sector that the big brewing pub groups want to get into to. I’d already visited Fuller’s Mad Bishop and Bear at Paddington, The Isambard (also at Paddington) and The Wellesley at Waterloo – the latter two I’m not sure who runs them but going from the signage and styling it seems to be the same company which runs The Britannia. They are a bit of a conundrum these “new” station pubs; on the one hand I have to applaud a better class of boozer for thirsty travellers which have a commitment to Real Ale, and they certainly try to present something more than a swilling hole tacked on to a station. But on the other hand why do they go down the traditional pub styling route? You can’t just sling a few wing back chairs, a mock fireplace and wall lamps into what is a plasterboard box and expect to create an attractive atmosphere. Why try to recreate someone’s local when the one thing you’re definitely not going to have are locals?

The Britannia, coming to a station near you...

Anyway before I get too deep, The Britannia was clean and tidy and most importantly had the Cask Marque certificate displayed at the end of the bar. I’d only recently found out via Nate Dawg that it was in fact IPA-Day so it seemed only right to try to drink IPA. The only one on offer was Greene King’s version (which is discussed further in Kings Cross) and the ½ pint I ordered was fine and fresh but it was something approaching relief that I could escape the suitcases and other assorted luggage of the other customers and go and find a proper pub.

I’ve also previously mentioned in the Kings Cross episode my aborted attempt to find Fuller’s The Doric Arch (Head of Steam) – This time finding it was easier but it’s still tucked away on a corner of Euston Square and although there is a good flow of passing pedestrians, for drinkers searching for the place it can easily be missed. Which is a real shame because it’s a gem! Pleasantly decorated with a railway theme it’s quiet and personable and is probably everything The Britannia wishes it could be. There was a great range of Fuller’s beers on but I blindly plumped for a guest ale, a pint of Mauldons Pickwick which although was extremely well conditioned and very tasty I’d missed the fact they had a seasonal Fuller’s ale on, Wild River, which from the description seems to be very much an IPA to my untrained eye. If you’re wondering about the name of the pub, apparently Euston Station used to have a huge Doric Arch as the entry way to the station. Of course it’s since been pulled down to make way for the modern station but apparently there is a stone of it kept behind the bar.

Today's Doric Arch

Yesterday's Doric Arch

It was then just a short hop over the Eversholt Road to the Royal George, a large traditional corner pub from the Taylor Walker pub group. The barman was more than happy to lift the certificate from where it was displayed behind the bar so I could scan it, and with the pub merrily decked out in Olympic flags it seemed only appropriate to have a pint of Young’s London Gold.

The Royal George gets in the Olympic spirit

In terms of the Olympics I was in good company as on the next table to me were three official timekeepers from Omega but even their watches would have been put to the test by the amazing antics of the British Cycling Team who were performing world record brilliance on the big screen TV. When the world asks “where were you when Chris Hoy won his 5^th Gold Medal?” my answer will be the Royal George, Euston.

The official timekeepers measure the awesomeness of the GB cycling team.

So finally after visiting three pubs I hit the Euston Road proper and crossed it to head up Mabeldon Place to the aptly named Mabel’sTavern. Mabel’s is a Shepherd Neame pub and is a regular entry in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide (although isn’t in the latest edition – The Doric Arch and Euston Flyer however are) and proudly displays a CAMRA Pub of the Year certificate alongside the Cask Marque one.

Mabel's Tavern

I asked the barmaid if I could scan it which slightly threw her and she needed to ask permission from the manager to do so (?)  - mind you this was the same barmaid who when asking me what I wanted, I indicated that another lady was in front of me, she then went and served the chap behind me! I know queuing is a national sport here but equally interpretation of the queue is a necessary skill that all barstaff should be able to do. Anyway, I digress; I choose a pint of Whitstable Bay and had a nice chat with the lady who had been in front of me in the queue. When the world asks “where were you when Chris Hoy got presented with his 5^th Gold Medal?” my answer will be the Mabel’s Tavern, Euston.

So finally it was on to the 5^th pub (yeah, talk about 5 gold medals – what about 5 pubs!) and the only one actually on the Euston Road. The Euston Flyer is another Fuller’s pub and is a world away from the Doric Arch. It’s a huge place where big screen TV takes priority and there was a large international crowd watching the Olympic swimming. Although the place was rammed with people, service was very quick and my pint of Seafarers was served up almost as quickly as the certificate was given to me from behind the bar, which seeing as the place was so busy was quite understanding by the barstaff. It was only when I was sat down that I saw that the pub actually has two Cask Marque certificates behind the bar, which perhaps reflects the hurly-burly nature of the pub.

The hurly-burly of the Euston Flyer

So with Jack reminding me it was time to go home I made my way back up Euston Road to the tube, it was then I reflected back on my attitude to this area of London. It’s still not the most attractive area but there are some glimpses of magic as well. Just check out the fantastic steeple of St Pancras parish church……………….seriously, check it out. I could also reflect back on a 5 Cask Marque certificate haul which is by far my PB!

Number of Cask Marque Pubs visited = 49

How did Jack enjoy the visit? = Much better than last time!

When’s the next visit then? = Not for two weeks. Unless there’s a Pentonville Road in Malta!

Next Stop = Pentonville Road

Kings Cross

So far I’ve tackled the stops on the journey by calling in after work, which perhaps as Judy might have told Mr Punch, is not necessarily the “way to do it”. Deciding that a change to this routine was required I thought that to mess things up I would venture into the big smoke after a day “working from home” – just to give the visit a new frisson of adventure…………..well ok, it’s still not hiking across the Andies, but at least I’m trying!

I’d been looking forward to completing Kings Cross as it’s very accessible, was somewhere I knew I could easily get to, and I knew that there were several good pubs along the Euston Road. Also eminent Beer Writer Roger Protz had just wrote an interesting piece for his own website which only served to whet the appetite even more.

I was in a really good mood arriving back into London in the early evening, firstly because it was a very rare pleasant summer evening, something that’s been in incredible short supply this year but also because I managed to snaffle a leberwurst and gherkin sandwich with me for the train. Til my dying day I’ll claim that one of the best beers I ever drank was a can of Co-Op Pale Ale which I’d “stolen” from a party and secretly drank in bed. I was about 14 and the illicit nature of the consumption made the flavour that much more enjoyable. It must have been a similar effect that made the sandwich so tasty, that and the fact at that time of night you’re guaranteed a double seat to yourself and complete control of the arm rest!

Ooo, look! Shiny Shiny!

 The last time I’d had to go to Kings Cross for any length of time was well over 10 years ago and to be honest the ½ hour or so I had to wait there for someone was pretty grim. The place was a veritable dump, dark, dank and grey and full of dodgy characters, some of whom kept asking me for “business”? Now though, the place is a gleaming, futuristic terminal looking more like an airport than a regional train station.

This can't be London. Where's all the litter?

The other good thing about going to Kings Cross is that you can also see neighbouring St Pancras from the outside. Honestly, the building is amazing and almost worth visiting this non-touristy area of London for that alone. It’s a real shame that probably 99% of people who go there  are only there to catch the Eurostar and I would seriously suggest to any passengers that they try to take 5 minutes to view the place – I’m still wondering what they keep in the turrets.

I was trying to get the dramatic skyline over St Pancras - Honest!

Anyway, according to the trusty Cask Marque app the nearest pubs to Kings Cross would be along the Euston Road, but thinking ahead I might need them for a later visit (check the board, check the board) I instead headed to Grey’s Inn Road and the Lucas Arms, a corner pub from the Greene King stable. The place has a very nice cosy back-street boozer feel to it, especially as the hustle and bustle of Kings Cross and Euston Road are just around the corner.

The Lucas Arms - Note lovely old style lamp on the corner.

The ales on offer were disappointing common and disappointing few, only GK’s IPA and former Moreland’s Old Speckled Hen but the good news was the IPA was served in a very nice handled mug which I’d never seen before. I’m not a huge fan of mugs to drink beer out of (tea is fine, but not beer) but I do have to say that this version had quite a nice feel to it. The beer was actually very good as well (if a little chilly). GK’s IPA usually comes in for some stick from the so called beer experts as it’s not (apparently) a true representation of the IPA style, but when served well it can be a very pleasant pint. This one was full of grassy freshness and there is a serious amount of hop punch for a beer that is after all only 3.6% vol. And anyway, as someone reminded me this week, “When will people learn that there's no such thing as good music or crap music? It's just a matter of whether you like it or don't like it!” – Quite right!

A Mug Shot! (God, I'm on fire!)

I then made my mistake of the evening by trying to quickly fit in another pub before catching my train home. The Cask Marque app suggested that the Doric Arch (Head of Steam) pub was just behind St Pancras when if fact it’s much further up Euston Road, nearer to Euston Station. So after 10 minutes of wandering around Brill Place (which wasn’t that Brill – Geddit! See what I did there!) I gave up and returned home.

There's an app for that........but not for this!

So only one more scan for the Cask Finder but at least my evening didn’t end as badly as the guy trying desperately to get off the train at Reading, only to find the door was now locked. “Sorry mate, you’re too late” shrugged First Great Western’s sympathetic platform staff as they watched him vainly try to escape. They must put them on special training courses for this level of service!

Number of Cask Marque Pubs visited  = 40

Worth repeating the “evening excursion exercise” = Only with the right sandwich

Any offers of “business” = Zero

Next Stop =The Angel Islington

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Two quick updates after posting this episode:

1. The excellent Alastair at @caskmarque has updated the co-ordinates for The Doric Arch and it now points to the right place!

2. Fellow beer blogger, @timofnewbury tweeted today about a BBC2 program which discussed the architecture of St Pancras station.

Result!