The Epic Pub Crawl - Part Two

Pub #6 on our afternoon adventure was The Seven Stars. Not originally part of the plan, when my co-conspirator realized where we were he insisted that we stop in due ot the novelty of the establishment. Small and quirky, legend (and signage) has it dating from 1602, which would make it the oldest pub in continuous operation in the City of London. The location barely missed the Great Fire and further luck prevented demolition for new projects built to the south and to the west. An interesting establishment by any measure, take care on the Elizabethan stairs up to the restrooms, they can be quite tricky. Mid-afternoon is a good time to stop in here to avoid the rather thick crowds that develop as the surrounding offices close up later in the day. Adnam's Broadside (4.7% ABV) is another London favorite. It's a dark ruby red beer rich in fruitcake aromas, almonds and conserved fruit, brewed with pale ale and chocolate malts and first gold hops, Broadside is short on bitterness and long on flavor without being excessively heavy.

Stop #7, The Old Bank of England, is a storied location, as at one point it was the original location of Stop #8. In the 16th and 17th centuries, two taverns stood on the site; ‘The Cock’ and ‘The Haunch of Venison’ - both were demolished in 1888 to make way for the construction of the Law Courts’ branch of The Bank of England. The Bank operated for 87 years and in 1994 London brewers Fuller, Smith and Turner took over the lease and began a major refurbishment with the aim of restoring the splendid building to its former glory, which we enjoy today. The Old Bank of England has a more grisly connection with the past, for it lies between the site of the barber shop owned by Sweeney Todd, ‘The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’, and the pie shop owned by Mrs. Lovett, his mistress. It was in the tunnels and vaults below the building that his victims were butchered before being cooked and sold in the pies to Mrs. Lovett’s unsuspecting customers. The basement still contains the original vaults used to store bullion, and indeed stored some of the Crown Jewels during the First World War. Two safes have been changed to hold cellars and kitchens, but the main vault remains intact. Our only real mistake of our adventure was opting to take on a pint of Fuller's London Porter (5.4% ABV.) I suspect the rich flavors and maltiness of the Broadside triggered a craving for something darker, and while the porter was smooth and creamy with delicious chocolate and coffee flavors it was a bit heavier than optimal and packed quite the punch. Lesson learned, stick to ales and bitters when taking on a pub crawl!

Just across the street from its former location you'll find Pub #8, Ye Olde Cock Tavern. The pub was first known as The Cock Alehouse when it was on the north side of Fleet Street and has played host to many historic people including Alfred Lord Tennyson, Charles Dickens and Doctor Johnson. It originally dates to 1549 and has been in constant operation except for a period from 1665-1668 when it was closed due to The Great Plague. In 1887 it was meticulously moved to its present location. It was lovingly reconstructed and original features include the fireplace, its over-mantle and the decorative cockerel, which is believed to have been made by the master carver Grinling Gibbons.  The beer of choice this time was Twickenham Redhead (4.1% ABV) another one in my category of proper session ales, this is a versatile beer made with roasted barley, along with a blend of pale/dark crystal malts and caramalt that give it a soft maltiness with roasted notes, whilst the English/German hop mix gives it just enough spicy hop character to be interesting. Perhaps a bit late in the game, we opted for a plate of what passes for nachos in a London pub. I had my mind (and appetite) set on the American version, so I was a bit underwhelmed. 

While we were enjoying our nachos in Ye Olde Cock the day began to fade into night, so when we emerged we were treated to an amazing twilight and a strikingly backlit Temple Bar Memorial in front of the Royal Courts of Justice. As we made our way a few blocks to stop #9 we discovered several potential watering holes for future adventures. Photographic evidence suggests that we stopped in spontaneously at The George for a half-pint of Atoll (4.6% ABV) - so some degree of sanity remained at that point, at least enough to order a half instead of a whole, if not enough to keep us from making impulsive modifications to our meticulous plans.

The Cheshire Cheese, not to be confused with Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, from earlier in the day, is not affiliated with a brewery and holds a Cask Marque certification.  This quaint 17th century pub is located in an alley connecting two side streets near the transition between Strand and Fleet Street. They offer a nice selection of beers on-tap and a cozy atmosphere with plenty of pub games in the basement. While the location might preclude it from being a destination, it’s well worth inclusion in your pub crawl plans. By this stage my photographic documentation was beginning to wane and I completely forgot to record our beverage choice. I do know it was another half-pint and I'm confident that it was something light and of a moderate ABV. Looking over their list of ales after the fact I'm reasonably sure that we ended up with Tribute - a slightly hoppy pale ale in the Cornish style with citrus notes.  As a friend of mine characterized it, a nice but not particularly stunning beer. I would describe it as "useful" - not my first choice, but a solid fallback. By the time we left stop #10 (which was supposed to be stop #9) the only goal was to finish our quest.

The final planned stop is practically still in the grand-opening phase compared to all our other (planned) destinations. The Wellington dates from 1903 and is well known for featuring an attractive neo-gothic exterior. It retains many lovely original features such as the long wooden bar and is of course, named after Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, whose historic victory over Napoleon in 1815 ended the Napoleonic Wars.  We closed out the night with a pint of the iconic London Pride Ale. Known for its balance of malt and hops, it is available in kegs and bottles all over the world. at 4.1% ABV it was a reasonable choice to close out the festivities.

As we were enjoying a beautiful evening, sitting outside The Wellington, sipping our pints, we were approached by a shady character who appeared to have a cohort lurking across the way. He got much too friendly much too quickly and appeared to be making designs over my backpack. In a preemptive move we departed quickly, abandoning the bottom of our pints, and sure enough the man in the shadows followed us for well over a block, until we indicated we were on to him. So, a word of caution - keep your wits about you and maintain control of your belongings, even when you're pub-crawling. London is, in general, quite safe, but there are petty thieves looking for soft targets.

Now, for reasons unknown (even to my cohort, who was the chief instigator at this point) it was determined that the only proper ending to the evening required a stop at Gordon's Wine Bar for a glass of port. Gordon's is an outrageously popular destination and draws large crowds seemingly at all hours of the day and night. We have yet to visit as we'd like, which is to say an afternoon on the patio enjoying a bottle of wine and plates of tapas. While the selection of fermented-grape products is extensive, I must say that the port from the large cask behind the bar is not recommended. It comes out of the cask quite warm, and at £5 or so for a generous glass you get what you pay for. The place was packed and the staff had obviously been going after it at a frantic pace for quite some time. We grabbed our glasses and went outside to find a corner to stand and sip. Eventually, glasses emptied, we made it to the Underground and made our respective ways back home.

Given the benefit of hindsight this was a monumental undertaking and I wouldn't recommend it to the weak of heart. I do suggest that any pub crawl of more than five stops or so include written directions, interspersed with strong admonishments against spontaneous modification! That said, it was a great time spent in the company of an amazing friend.