Back from England! (Quick guide to visiting pubs)

Dude, I'm really sorry you had to experience Greene King pubs, their beer is pretty bad at the best of times.
Yep, we like full pints and we don't go in for the formalities of wiping down glasses when they overflow, just pay up and get it down your neck.
Glad you liked the beer and also the contactless payments. It was a huge bind for me when I visited the States that they didn't have contactless payment.

 

Are there any breweries or Freehouse sites you'd recommend when going to London and Cornwall? We go there in July for two weeks.

 

Whereabouts in Cornwall are you going? It's a fairly big place.

Breweries I'd visit if you're nearby would be:

Verdant - Falmouth
Black Flag - Perranporth
Padstow Brewing Co - Padstow
Pipeline Brewing Co - St Agnes
Driftwood Spars Brewery - St Agnes - Brew pub that's worth a visit, not far from Pipeline
Goodh Brewing Co Taproom - Truro

That's all I can remember off the top of my head at the moment, mostly swaying towards craft on that list apart from Driftwood. But even the craft places do good cask. Verdant has 4 cask lines I think it is. Also, check the days and opening times of these places, most are only open a few days of the week.

As for Pubs, there's too many for me to remember but a few that stick out from my last visit were:

Beerwolf Books - Falmouth - Great choice of traditional and craft beer. It's also a bookshop!
Chain Locker - Falmouth - Right on the quay, so you get a good view and decent beer selection.
Seven Stars - Falmouth - Lovely freehouse dating back to the 1600's
The Boathouse - Falmouth - The best views in the town and a very good beer selection.

Not going to touch on London as it's just silly the amount of pubs and breweries there are. All I will say is to visit Bermondsey and do the "beer mile" if you can. 20 bars/taprooms, 13 of which brew on site, all within a fairly short distance of each other, in some cases next to each other. https://www.bermondsey-beer-mile.co.uk

 

Thank you for your response. In Cornwall we're staying at the Beacon Country House. I'm still trying to get a lay of the land, but we're doing a Poldark sites tour since we're big fans of the show. Also doing Highclere castle since were Downton Abbey nerds

 

You're staying very close to Pipeline Brewing and The Driftwood Spars in that case. So I'd definitely recommend giving those 2 a visit. You'll also be close to Healeys cider farm.

I live about 30 minutes from Highclere and have still yet to visit. The Mrs said about going one weekend but the tickets were sold out for about 9 months in advance. It's probably quieted down now though as the shows not been on for a while.

Hope you have a great stay when you're here.

 

Thanks man...The next thing I'm working on is having her (my wife) meet a local celebrity. If I can pull that off it will be a very memorable anniversary trip.

We were able to get tickets to Highclere...That'll be fun

 

@Appearanceswc - As you can see from the quote above, you might get different information if you specify if you are more interested in the newer wave of craft breweries or the older brewers specializing in cask ale. Those two categories are definitely not black and white, but in some ways they are in contrast. Where in London will you be? Is this your first trip to the area?

 

I feel like I would like to depart from the normal beers I drink here in the states and try some of those older brewers that feature the cask ales. My sister and her husband are there now and he keeps posting how the cask ales are amazing.

Im mainly interested in the old stuff, but am excited to try what the best and newer breweries are offering too.

Some of our stops include:
Claremont Hotel London
Beacon Country House - Cornwall
Mercure Hotel - Oxford
The Open Championship - Liverpool

It's our first trip there.

 

When you're in Oxford definitely check out:

The Turn Tavern
The Lamb and Flag
The Bear
The Chequers

All of these are pretty close to your hotel and do a good range of cask ales as well as having loads of character.

 

Do you mean The Clermont London, at Charing Cross? In the vicinity, I can recommend The Harp at 47 Chandos Place, The Admiralty (Fuller's) at 66 Trafalgar Square, The Princess of Wales at 27 Villiers Street, and The Chandos (Samuel Smith's) at 29 St. Martin's Lane.

 

I misspelled it..You're right, its the Clermont, but we're the Victoria location.

 

Well, it is not hard to get from Victoria to Charing Cross (or to other areas of Central London), but there are a few decent pubs in the Victoria area too (including a JDW inside Victoria Station itself, and The Shakespeare just across the street)) and in or near Buckingham Palace Road. Besides the two mentioned, I've been to The Phoenix, The Bag O' Nails and The Cask and Glass (Shepherd Neame).

 

Oh nice. I can't give useful advice on Cornwall but know London quite well (20 years there). Your rated beers list seems like a pretty eclectic blend of NEIPAs + Imperial Stouts and similar. Your top rated seem to be thumpers of either* Is it fare to consider that's your sweet-spot? Decent NEIPA... IDK, but I'm not sure you'll find that over here (vs US sourced). Heavier trad ales/Imps are far more my thing and are certainly available.
I also think you have an opportunity of visiting some truly oustanding yet under-stated historic pubs. Sometimes (IMO/E) the venue matters just as much as the beer. Do you know where you're staying in London ie and where your time and focus might be? East vs west-side, north/south?

* Just a thought, perhaps another time, consider flying via Iceland. Good grief, if you want SERIOUSLY mighty Imp Stouts then that's the best place, of anywhere, I have found them - just wow!

 

The Grenadier, Wilton Row, SW1. Just off Belgrave Square is very good. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attra...348-Reviews-The_Grenadier-London_England.html
OT: Perhaps the only pub that has had a car branded with it's name, Ineos Grenadier, the Ineos founder Jim Ratcliffe was a regular patron.

Others nearby: Horse & Groom, also just off Belgrave Square: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...views-The_Horse_and_Groom-London_England.html

Also the Wilton Arms nearby https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Resta...8-Reviews-The_Wilton_Arms-London_England.html

All the above (as you'll see from the listings) rate highly.

There is another very eclectic old school and ancient tiny pub nearby (Kinnerton Street area?) where if you take out a mobile phone they throw you out hahaha.... probably the quietest and perhaps the smallest pub I've ever been to. Maybe someone else recalls which it is....

 

That sounds great...I'll look into those. We're doing all the touristy stuff...Buckingham palace, etc..

 

Answering my own question It's the Nag's Head on Kinnerton Street. I've been a couple of times years ago and remember it for the 'No mobiles' rule and grumpy landlord. Reading recent reviews however it seems the landlord has now become plain rude. Shame, as the interior is highly eclectic, but there are far better pub experiences to had in the locale.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attra...784-Reviews-The_Nags_Head-London_England.html

 

We visited the Shakespeare yesterday before they closed. The IPA on cask was pretty nice. Low abv, but full of body and character. Good suggestion!