Opinions, please!
Cask
Euston Tap
Craft Beer Co
The Rake
Holburn Whippet
As well as the following brewery taps/outlets
Dukes Brew and Que
Camden brewery
Kernel
London Fields
Redchurch Brewery
What's your suggestion for the big smoke? visibly this list is a bit crafty, but I'd be eager to hear any old school recommendations as well!
the Southampton arms http://www.thesouthamptonarms.co.uk/
I hate reccomending it it although as its already too busy to get a seat nearly all times i've been in
When you're round Holborn, try to find the Dolphin. It's a little corner place, just on Red Lion St. Beer choice isn't great, but there's a couple decents on tap. But it's good for history, was hit during the blitz. Check out the stuff on the walls for some cool history.
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHFX_enGB510GB510&q=red+lion+road&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46471029,d.d2k&ion=1&biw=1536&bih=764&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHFX_enGB510GB510&q=red+lion+road&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46471029,d.d2k&ion=1&biw=1536&bih=764&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl
Time to make amends!
Not necessarily my favourites, however, judging by your choice above, you may also like to check out the following:
- Earl of Essex, Islington
- Bree Louise, Euston (whilst it yet stands! Serves ale on gravity)
- Crate Brewery, Hackney
- Craft Beer Co, Clerkenwell
- Craft Beer Co, Brixton
- The Old Fountain, Old Street (cannot suggest this one enough)
- King William the Fourth, Walthamstow (home of Brodie's Brewery)
- The Bull, Highgate (home of London Brewing Co)
- The Botanist, Kew (home of Florence Brewery)
- Partizan Brewery, Bermondsey
- Zerodegrees, Blackheath
- Grape & Grain, Crystal Palace
- Some of the Nicholson's pubs do offer a rather good collection as well
- The Bohemia, North Finchley
- I may be stoned for this, but I do genuinely deem that Wetherspoons, Victoria, are faultless when it comes to their ale
- Well & Bucket, Bethnal Green
- BrewDog, Camden
- BrewDog, Shoreditch
- Sebright Arms, Hackney (best burger in town to boot)
- The Harp, Covent Garden
- The Old Red Cow, Barbican
... I just realised I could go on for quite a while, so I'll stop at this point and edit only if I think of some genuinely exceptional pub. The ones in bold are, in my opinion, utter must-sees. Plus either of the BrewDog bars, just for the experience. Southampton Arms is one more one, however, it has already been mentioned in another comment.
In terms of 'old school' pubs, I'm going to keep it simple and list my personal favourites:
- The Pride of Spitalfields, Spitalfields (does not get more 'east end boozer' than this - an absolute gem of a pub with legendary Sunday roasts)
- The Duke of Hamilton, Hampstead (a lovely Hampstead pub with perhaps some of the most convivial clientèle in London)
- The Churchill Arms, Kensington (a.k.a. 'The Hanging Gardens of Kensington')
- Ye Olde Mitre, Holborn (supposedly London's oldest pub)
- The Pineapple, Kentish Town
If you are interested in Belgian ales, there's quite a few specialist places for that, so do let me know if that's something to your liking.
For stocking up for home, there's either Utobeer in Borough Market or Noble Fine Liquor near London Fields (the latter has some good rarities, although the staff are pretty misanthropic).
Enjoy the trip!
EDIT: Also, I don't know how much of a admirer you are of Camden Town Brewery. Personally, I find them a bit... uninspired. If you have had sufficient at the tap, do head down the road to the Tapping the Admiral, where one is certain to find something enjoyable to drink.
- Earl of Essex, Islington
- Bree Louise, Euston (whilst it yet stands! Serves ale on gravity)
- Crate Brewery, Hackney
- Craft Beer Co, Clerkenwell
- Craft Beer Co, Brixton
- The Old Fountain, Old Street (cannot suggest this one enough)
- King William the Fourth, Walthamstow (home of Brodie's Brewery)
- The Bull, Highgate (home of London Brewing Co)
- The Botanist, Kew (home of Florence Brewery)
- Partizan Brewery, Bermondsey
- Zerodegrees, Blackheath
- Grape & Grain, Crystal Palace
- Some of the Nicholson's pubs do offer a rather good collection as well
- The Bohemia, North Finchley
- I may be stoned for this, but I do genuinely deem that Wetherspoons, Victoria, are faultless when it comes to their ale
- Well & Bucket, Bethnal Green
- BrewDog, Camden
- BrewDog, Shoreditch
- Sebright Arms, Hackney (best burger in town to boot)
- The Harp, Covent Garden
- The Old Red Cow, Barbican
... I just realised I could go on for quite a while, so I'll stop at this point and edit only if I think of some genuinely exceptional pub. The ones in bold are, in my opinion, utter must-sees. Plus either of the BrewDog bars, just for the experience. Southampton Arms is one more one, however, it has already been mentioned in another comment.
In terms of 'old school' pubs, I'm going to keep it simple and list my personal favourites:
- The Pride of Spitalfields, Spitalfields (does not get more 'east end boozer' than this - an absolute gem of a pub with legendary Sunday roasts)
- The Duke of Hamilton, Hampstead (a lovely Hampstead pub with perhaps some of the most convivial clientèle in London)
- The Churchill Arms, Kensington (a.k.a. 'The Hanging Gardens of Kensington')
- Ye Olde Mitre, Holborn (supposedly London's oldest pub)
- The Pineapple, Kentish Town
If you are interested in Belgian ales, there's quite a few specialist places for that, so do let me know if that's something to your liking.
For stocking up for home, there's either Utobeer in Borough Market or Noble Fine Liquor near London Fields (the latter has some good rarities, although the staff are pretty misanthropic).
Enjoy the trip!
EDIT: Also, I don't know how much of a admirer you are of Camden Town Brewery. Personally, I find them a bit... uninspired. If you have had sufficient at the tap, do head down the road to the Tapping the Admiral, where one is certain to find something enjoyable to drink.
- Earl of Essex, Islington
- Bree Louise, Euston (whilst it yet stands! Serves ale on gravity)
- Crate Brewery, Hackney
- Craft Beer Co, Clerkenwell
- Craft Beer Co, Brixton
- The Old Fountain, Old Street (cannot suggest this one enough)
- King William the Fourth, Walthamstow (home of Brodie's Brewery)
- The Bull, Highgate (home of London Brewing Co)
- The Botanist, Kew (home of Florence Brewery)
- Partizan Brewery, Bermondsey
- Zerodegrees, Blackheath
- Grape & Grain, Crystal Palace
- Some of the Nicholson's pubs do offer a rather good collection as well
- The Bohemia, North Finchley
- I may be stoned for this, but I do genuinely deem that Wetherspoons, Victoria, are faultless when it comes to their ale
- Well & Bucket, Bethnal Green
- BrewDog, Camden
- BrewDog, Shoreditch
- Sebright Arms, Hackney (best burger in town to boot)
- The Harp, Covent Garden
- The Old Red Cow, Barbican
... I just realised I could go on for quite a while, so I'll stop at this point and edit only if I think of some genuinely exceptional pub. The ones in bold are, in my opinion, utter must-sees. Plus either of the BrewDog bars, just for the experience. Southampton Arms is one more one, however, it has already been mentioned in another comment.
In terms of 'old school' pubs, I'm going to keep it simple and list my personal favourites:
- The Pride of Spitalfields, Spitalfields (does not get more 'east end boozer' than this - an absolute gem of a pub with legendary Sunday roasts)
- The Duke of Hamilton, Hampstead (a lovely Hampstead pub with perhaps some of the most convivial clientèle in London)
- The Churchill Arms, Kensington (a.k.a. 'The Hanging Gardens of Kensington')
- Ye Olde Mitre, Holborn (supposedly London's oldest pub)
- The Pineapple, Kentish Town
If you are interested in Belgian ales, there's quite a few specialist places for that, so do let me know if that's something to your liking.
For stocking up for home, there's either Utobeer in Borough Market or Noble Fine Liquor near London Fields (the latter has some good rarities, although the staff are pretty misanthropic).
Enjoy the trip!
EDIT: Also, I don't know how much of a admirer you are of Camden Town Brewery. Personally, I find them a bit... uninspired. If you have had sufficient at the tap, do head down the road to the Tapping the Admiral, where one is certain to find something enjoyable to drink.
As for the pubs on my list, they're all pretty good (8+ lines of quality beer), however, the list is more of a guide - if you find yourself near one of those pubs, they're worth going to, but I would say that only the bold ones are 'destination' pubs as such.
Another brewery that's sprung up in recent times (amongst the dozens of others) that I've visited is Crate, which is Hackney Wick locale (so not too far from London Fields on the overground). Good beer and sizeable pizzas to boot.
/u/SurrealistSwimmer has done a sterling job at listing pubs, a lot of which I've been to and have to concur are great. I've also heard good things concerning The White Horse AKA Sloaney Pony but haven't been there myself.
PS - we've got a pretty lively group of ors when it comes to socialising over at /r/LondonSocialClub - so feel free to post a little up or come along to another event while you're in town. There's a lot of us there that like good beer.
- Earl of Essex, Islington
- Bree Louise, Euston (whilst it yet stands! Serves ale on gravity)
- Crate Brewery, Hackney
- Craft Beer Co, Clerkenwell
- Craft Beer Co, Brixton
- The Old Fountain, Old Street (cannot suggest this one enough)
- King William the Fourth, Walthamstow (home of Brodie's Brewery)
- The Bull, Highgate (home of London Brewing Co)
- The Botanist, Kew (home of Florence Brewery)
- Partizan Brewery, Bermondsey
- Zerodegrees, Blackheath
- Grape & Grain, Crystal Palace
- Some of the Nicholson's pubs do offer a rather good collection as well
- The Bohemia, North Finchley
- I may be stoned for this, but I do genuinely deem that Wetherspoons, Victoria, are faultless when it comes to their ale
- Well & Bucket, Bethnal Green
- BrewDog, Camden
- BrewDog, Shoreditch
- Sebright Arms, Hackney (best burger in town to boot)
- The Harp, Covent Garden
- The Old Red Cow, Barbican
... I just realised I could go on for quite a while, so I'll stop at this point and edit only if I think of some genuinely exceptional pub. The ones in bold are, in my opinion, utter must-sees. Plus either of the BrewDog bars, just for the experience. Southampton Arms is one more one, however, it has already been mentioned in another comment.
In terms of 'old school' pubs, I'm going to keep it simple and list my personal favourites:
- The Pride of Spitalfields, Spitalfields (does not get more 'east end boozer' than this - an absolute gem of a pub with legendary Sunday roasts)
- The Duke of Hamilton, Hampstead (a lovely Hampstead pub with perhaps some of the most convivial clientèle in London)
- The Churchill Arms, Kensington (a.k.a. 'The Hanging Gardens of Kensington')
- Ye Olde Mitre, Holborn (supposedly London's oldest pub)
- The Pineapple, Kentish Town
If you are interested in Belgian ales, there's quite a few specialist places for that, so do let me know if that's something to your liking.
For stocking up for home, there's either Utobeer in Borough Market or Noble Fine Liquor near London Fields (the latter has some good rarities, although the staff are pretty misanthropic).
Enjoy the trip!
EDIT: Also, I don't know how much of a admirer you are of Camden Town Brewery. Personally, I find them a bit... uninspired. If you have had sufficient at the tap, do head down the road to the Tapping the Admiral, where one is certain to find something enjoyable to drink.
another i would suggest is the mean time brewery, although being right next to the cutty sark it is not cheap and often busy, but its a great spot to sit down in the summer