Exmouth Pub Excursions

Sampling the Good Beer Guide 2020 entries in Exmouth, which we visited on a drizzly, dull Saturday afternoon in January.
This was also a rare Prop Up the Bar appearance by my mum, who I dragged along to rate the cider.

Persistent drizzle dictated our decision to get straight inside the pub, so we didn't wander along the esplanade.  Apologies to Exmouth for not including any charming shots looking across the Exe to Dawlish or showing the nice sandy beach.
However, here's a dinosaur, signifying that we're at the gateway to the Jurassic Coast...

First stop, just a stone's throw from the main square, was a spectacular red-bricked Victorian corner pub.

Grapevine (2 Victoria Road, EX8 1DL - web)
Inside, the pub has had a modern make-over, with dark blue walls, local artworks for sale, shelves of old beer bottles and vases of flowers.
The Telegraph pub reviewer has been here, declaring it a "devilishly handsome prince of a pub".  Y'see, that's the kind of thing that I just can't come up with, which is why I'm an amateur league pub blogger.

Beer-wise, there were three Bristol Beer Factory cask ales, alongside two from Crossed Anchor, the on-site brewery.
For me, a delicious Crossed Anchors red ale, 'Red Right Hand'.
For my mum, I picked the most obscure looking of the three boxed ciders.  Pretty undrinkable and I noticed she didn't leave me to pick on her behalf for the rest of the afternoon.

The Grapevine has a residency by Ruby Diner Burger Specialists - 2017 Taste of the West gold medal winners - and the kitchen was doing a fine trade with a varied clientele tucking into their food.  Hefty prices though, for a skinflint like me, so we moved on looking elsewhere for a bite to eat.

We called into the Wetherspoon's Powder Monkey, but it was busy with all tables occupied, so we moved straight on.  This is a small, standard 'Spoon's that I've been to before, with a couple of beers by Bay's looking the most appealing of the current choice.
Interesting ceiling repairs though...

Perhaps best not stand under this bit of ceiling for too long...

After a cup of coffee and bite to eat in a cafe, we ventured around the back of the shops with our next GBG pub in sight.

First & Last Inn (10 Church Street, EX8 1PE)
I've gotta admit that I was sceptical about how good the First & Last was going to be as we approached.
Great old pub sign - less convincing 'F&L' lettering...

But once inside, this was a cracking, spacious bar, on three split levels, climbing towards the pool tables at the rear.
Sport dominated, with a number of local folk claiming prime spots in front of the big screen to watch Exeter Chiefs, whilst further TV's allowed you to keep track of the afternoon's football scores.

This was the second pub with a brewery tucked away at the back somewhere - Checkstone Brewery in this instance.  They usually have one of their own beers available, and I was chuffed to see the current offering was a 7.5% ABV Imperial Stout.

We got hooked on the Exeter Chiefs game, although sitting beneath a speaker booming out the commentary meant we couldn't really ignore it.
Business as usual, cursing the rugby, will recommence when the Six Nations starts next month.

The Imperial Stout was enjoyable, but I opted to revert to sensible strength when I went back to the bar, picking a gentle Teighworthy 'Neap Tide'.
Mum rated The First & Last for the cider - a fridge full of boxes and a friendly barman offering samples and leading her to the Sandford Orchards 'Devon Red'.

Table football and plenty of space in the First and Last Inn

A few minutes walk up Rolle Road, then a left-hand turn into Bicton Street and our third pub was a lovely back-street corner local.

Bicton Inn (5 Bicton Street, EX8 2RU - web)

"A Devonishly Friendly Pub" according to their website.  Nice word-play.  There was a lovely traditional feel to the Bicton Inn - the most pubby of pubs that we'd been in today.  Two rooms are served by one central bar, with more subtle sport on TV than in the First & Last.

Plenty of local ale choice from Hanlons and the Dartmoor Brewery, whose'Winter Warmer' I opted for.
The evening's entertainment, Graham Butterfield, began setting up in the corner, before his legions of fans (well, six of them) arrived and bagged the prime spots.  I'm sure Graham is great, but we had to drink up and catch our bus home, so we'll never know for sure.

The Epic Špindlerův Mlýn Brew Pub Hike

On Boxing Day we travelled away from Prague by bus to Krkonoše National Park and the resort town of Špindlerův Mlýn.
I accepted the fact that the impressive craft beer movement in the capital hadn't reached here. 
What I mostly drank was Pilsner Urquell...

Good Head.

The holidaymakers here didn't seem to be on the hunt for Matuska DIPA's, quite happy with their Kozel, Budweiser Budvar and Staropramen.
Or perhaps they'd all shunned beer to quaff cannabis energy drinks instead...

I'd purposely not held my hopes out for snow in the mountains, so as not to be disappointed.  But we'd arrived in Špindlerův with the white stuff falling and the main lifts and slopes open. We hired equipment, brought a 2-day lift pass and enjoyed some time on snowboards on the tree-lined runs.

Slopes.

On the bus journey from Prague, I'd spied a brew pub from the window, just outside the town centre of Vrchlabí.  And I couldn't let it go.

"You got fed up of brew pubs in Prague", Mrs PropUptheBar accurately pointed out.
"But that was four days ago - I'm definitely ready to do more brew pubs now".
Mrs PropUpthe Bar consulted Google maps - "It's not exactly close, it's 13km away".
"Okay, too far.  Doesn't really matter, I'm happy with my Pilsner Urquell."

But setting off in walking boots and woolly hat on a Sunday morning, we came across a trail map and realised that it was quite feasible to follow a route down the valley and come out quite close the the brew pub.  So off we went.

Early stages of our walk.

I wasn't wholly convinced we'd be able to find the right paths and make it all the way to our destination.  And we may just possibly have walked through a bit of the national park that wasn't technically open.  But 5km in, we reached the well walked and skied blue trail which we could follow the rest of the way.

The trail stayed high up on the hillside above the valley road, opening up from the trees to provide some grand views...

Walking in a winter wonderland.

Hitting a bit more civlisation in the form of small mountain villages the final stretch took us quickly downhill to the main road and - five minutes further along the road - there it is ....

Pivovarska Bašta  (Horská 198, Vrchlabi, 543 02 - fb)
Yep, I reckon a 13km walk to the pub showed dogged determination to reach this brewpub.
I wanted a friendly staff member to cheerily welcome me and ask me if I'd come far, but I don't think Czech brewpubs do friendly staff or cheery welcomes.

Turned out not to be an accurate depiction of brewpub clientele.

Beers brewed at Hotel Pivovarska Bašta are badged as Krkonošský Medvĕd.
There were five on the menu, of which we tried three (yes, I know, lame - all this way and we didn't even try all the beers, but we had to drink up to catch a bus back).
All were priced at between 42 and 48czk - £1.45 to £1.55 for a half litre.
'Hopbit 13', a 5.5% ABV India Pale Lager was easily drinkable and tasty, whilst the 'BrutWit IPA' was the most interesting style on this visit.

I'm a sucker for some shiny coppers.

I was feeling pretty proud of myself for getting to this pub.

BUT... snowboarding, mulled wine and Pilsner Urquell send me to sleep straight after dinner each day and I hadn't spent my time doing adequate research.
Later that evening, I found out that we'd been just a short walk away from two more micro-breweries on this trail.  Bah. 

Find a designated driver.

The choice of bars in Špindlerův Mlýn was limited, with the ubiquitous lively igloo bars at the bottom of the slopes, then a lot of places that doubled up as pizzeria's or restaurants rather than drinking spots.

Česká Hospoda - from whence came the Pilsner Urqual picture at the top of the post.

My favourite of the lot was Spindlerovska Hospoda (web), where there were four high tables with stools at them to one side of the room - you could almost pretend you were in Wetherspoons, except you don't generally get the ski-jumping on TV in Wetherspoons.
Here they served up the fine, lesser-seen Budweiser Budvar 'Dunkel' and a reasonable winter lager from Krakonoš - 'Vánočni Speciál 14°'.

Špindlerův Mlýn had been a great base for a few days and leaves me with fond winter memories.

🍻 Na zdraví!

All I Want For Christmas is a Dukla Prague Ground Pic

Christmas Day in Prague - with brewpubs, mulled wine, local beers and football ground geekery on the agenda.

Christmas market in the Old Town Square.

So, what sort of a fool would spend Christmas morning catching a metro and tram to the suburbs, then walking up a hill, just to look at a football ground?
Oh, that'll be me.
Dukla Prague are immortalised for indie music fans of a certain era, thanks to the Half Man Half Biscuit b-side "All I Want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit".
Just a picture at their Stadion Juliska would do me.

The sort of idiot that would drag you away from the delights of a historic
city centre to look at a second division football ground.

Okay, so it would have been good to make it here to actually see a match, but at least the security man was kind enough to wave a geeky football ground fan past and we could actually see the stadium. 
There have been past 'incidents' of walking a couple of miles to look at the dull brick wall of a stand and a glimpse of a floodlight over some rooftops.

What we needed next was a non-Christmassy Christmas dinner...
For this we travelled back to the historic centre and made our way to a street-corner brewery and restaurant in the Old Town, U Tři Růži.

Waited a painful amount of time to get this shot with no-one standing right in front of U Tři Růži.

U Tři Růži (Husova 232/10 - web)

Located in a house dating back to the 15th century, the ground floor houses a 10-hectolitre brewery in the corner.

The walls are characterfully painted by artists Jiří Bernard and Pavel Jakl with pictures depicting Czech brewing and the history of the house.

I guess you don't get to drink with the locals in a spot like this - we bagged the last available table between a cheery Japanese group and some Spanish girls who spent a good ten minutes counting out an enormous stack of coinage to pay their bill.

Alongside our food, we had a Christmas Weiss beer - nice enough but with nothing to justify adding 'Christmas' to the name. 
Much better was the tasty 'Monastic Special of St Giles No.4' a 7.2% ABV Belgian dubbel style ale which went down a treat.

Leaving the brewery we took a leisurely route (ie. I got a bit lost) through picturesque streets until we reached another brew pub that we knew would be open today. 

Pivovarský Dům (Lípová 511/15 12 - web)
This was, quite frankly, a dull disappointment.
The front room of the pub, with seating next to the brewing equipment, looked nice, but with no space there we were directed through to a soulless rear room, where the tables were too close together and service came with a scowl.
150czk (roughly £5) brought us a sample tray of 8 different beers. 

Wheel of Beer.

But over half of these beers could be instantly dismissed, with the small measure being more than enough.  Thumbs down for the Green Nettle Ale.  And I'm guessing the fruit beers were made by adding flavourings to a pale lager base, which gave them a novelty feel.  The only one that I would have been inclined to order more of was 'Štěpan' - the traditional Czech pilsner.

By this point, we were beginning to realise that the craft bars were much more reliable that brew pubs, but we had another brewpub on our itinerary.  Never divert from the itinerary.

To get to this we caught the Metro southwards to Vyšehrad, then walked around 10 minutes.

Pivovar Bašta (Táborská 389/49)
Somewhat away from the tourist masses, Bašta was a small neighbourhood brewery, nicely decorated with wood panelling with an upper ledge displaying steins, beer bottles and other assorted bits and bobs.
Late afternoon, they were only using the tables closest to the bar, but to the side were two characterful rooms in traditional Czech hostelry style.

Nice window.

When we first sat down we figured someone had brought a child making the most terrible noises, only to discover a mynah bird on the staircase to the basement, making it's presence known.
There were just a couple of beers on the menu, with their seasonal offering sold out, so I opted for the 'Svĕtly Kroužkův Ležák 12°', a 5% ABV pilsner - quite drinkable, without being overly exciting.

Not a real man

It was less than a five-minute walk from Pivovar Bašta to a highly-rated beer bar which was due to open at 5pm.

Zlý časy (Čestmírova 390/5 - web)
This proved to be a wonderful basic bar.  No blackboard or modern screen, just a solitary leather bound beer menu which was passed around the tables.
Apparently you can get some unusual Czech beers here, although with just a few days in the city I was none the wiser to what was an unusual find and what wasn't. 
I picked the Beskydský Pivovárek 'Winter IPA', because I wanted to see what a winter IPA was.  And I'm still not sure.

Beers at the pleasant Zlý časy bar, Prague.

From Zlý časy we elected to make the 30-minute walk back to the centre of town, making it to Wenceslas Square which was busy with throngs of people around the Christmas market stalls. Our Christmas Day ended with hands cupped around beakers of mulled wine, the national museum spectacularly lit up at the end of the avenue on a mild Prague evening.
Beats sitting at home on the sofa watching Ice Age 3 and the Eastenders special, I reckon!

Prague Pivo Explorations

The tail end of 2019 saw us heading to Czech capital Prague.
This is a city that has had a craft beer explosion in recent years.  When I last visited in 2010 I picked up a countrywide brewery map, which showed just 6 breweries located in the capital.
Ratebeer now lists something in the region of 45, and I wouldn't bet on that being up-to-date.  In addition there's also multi-tap bars galore.  We weren't going to be short on choice.

Obligatory bit of Prague sightseeing, before beer explorations commence.

I've elected not to waffle on about every bar and brewpub we visited, instead focusing on a number below that we enjoyed and which I'd recommend.
So without further ado...

The One at the Monastery
Klášterni Pivovar Strahov (Strahovské nádvoří 301 - web)
We started slap-bang in the midst of the tourist masses, climbing the narrow streets up to the castle.  Heading passed the main tourist hotspots and along Loretanska, we reached the Strahov Monastery, which handily has a brewery at the side of it.
A little after midday, I figured we may beat the crowds, but all we could get was the outdoor seating, with all tables in the room with the brew-kit occupied by early-birds.

The Strahov Monastery itself was founded by King Vladislav II in 1142, whilst a brewery started in the early 1300's.  Closed for most of the 20th century, the current set-up dates back to the year 2000 when the whole complex was reconstructed.
As well as the two regular brews here, they also have seasonal specials and on this occasion it was a magnificent 'Sv. Norbert Christmas Dopplebock' - a great first beer of our trip.  

The One on a Boat
Lod' Pivovar (Dvořákovo nábřeží, Kotviště číslo 19 - web)
From the monastery we headed back down to the river, then followed this to Štefánikův Bridge, next to which is a very photogenic brewery...

Lod' Brewpub

Three whole pictures of this one.
Because I was super-enthusiastic about a brewery on a boat.

We grabbed a table on the upper deck, next to the window watching the various vessels sail by.  One deck down, is another bar with tables nestled amongst the fermentation tanks. 
Five of their own beers on offer, from which I picked the fine 'Monarchie 13', but it's the wonderful setting that really make this place special and well worth visiting.

Boat based brewing.

The One with a Brewery in the Basement
Vinohradsky Pivovar ( Korunní 2506/106 - web)
This could also be subtitled the 'One that I Got us Lost on the Way To'...
Yep, the streets west of the historic centre all looked a bit the same and we needed to be rescued by Google maps to find our way to this brewpub.

Vinohradsky Pivovar has been in operation since 2013, although the same building once housed an older brewery dating back to 1894.

With it's curved, cellar-like ceiling and spartan decor, it's a pretty minimalist space.
The brewery is visible through port-hole windows.

I'd come across their 12° pils in a restaurant near the castle, so for a change at the brewpub I decided to pick the bottled 6.7% 'Stout 17', which was a thoroughly enjoyable tipple.

Minimalist.  Picture borrowed from the Vinohradsky Pivovar website - cos it's better than mine.

The One with the Brilliant Dog
Malý/Velký (Mikovcova 605/4 - web)

Malý/Velký Beer Choice.

Visiting on Christmas Eve, this had the feeling of somewhere that was just winding down for the holidays, quiet with just a couple of punters in besides us.
It's tucked away along a hallway from the street, then down some steps into the basement.

This is a superb craft beer bar, run by brewer Jakub Veselý, who has previously worked for Továrna and Bernard.  He is now in charge of Falkon Brewery, with two of their beers on the tap list.
I veered away from Czechia into Estonia to try the 'Jõuluöö' - an 8% ABV oak aged porter from Põhjala.  Malý/Velký also try to always feature a couple of sour beers, so I opted next for Falkon's  'Sourberry: Rosehip and Spruce Tips', a lovely palate cleanser having had a couple of strong dark beers beforehand.

"C'mon, it's Christmas Eve - the sooner you go, the sooner I can go home and curl up in front of the fire."

The One that we Liked the Best

Lots of Choice.

Craft House Prague (Navrátilova 1421/11 - web)
"Do you want to open a tab?" asked the barman.
"Oh yes!  We'll be here a while," declared Mrs PropUptheBar, having perused the beer list on the screens above the bar and worked out the half dozen or more that she wanted to try.
And indeed it was a cracking selection. 

I began with the very drinkable '10$ Milkshake' - a mellow 7.5% ABV Double IPA brewed by Chroust.
But I rarely miss a chilli beer... The 'Don Habanero Chilli IPA' by Pivovar Permon was delicious with flavoursome fruity chilli's followed by a satisfying heat.  Great stuff!  And to round off our visit, an 11.5% Imperial Stout , 'Albrecht Morion 25' from Zámecký Pivovar Frýdlant.
The Craft House is comfortable, relaxed and will almost certainly have several things on the beer list that take your fancy - highly recommended.

The One with the Best Beer Mats
Beer Geek Bar (Vinohradská 62 - web)
Jointly top-rated on Ratebeer, with a score of 97/100.
Down in the basement, with a modern decor and hipster vibe, Beer Geek Bar promises a "30 tap beer adventure".  Which would probably mean settling in the for whole evening to do it justice, rather than my usual hectic bar-crawl schedule.
Half of the beer list is dedicated to some top notch international breweries, although I tend to veer away from these when there is the option to stick to the locals.
Hence I picked a Rodinný Pivovar Zichovec 'Nadilka 20' to go with the tasty quesadilla's (they're also chicken wing specialists, if chicken wings are your thing).

The One in Prohibition Style

Illegal Beer (Ve Smečkách 16 - web)
Okay, I'm not completely sold on the prohibition theme, but Illegal Beer was an enjoyable, relaxed bar with several fine beers on offer.
It's a tiny two-roomed bar, with the bar counter and a couple of stools in the first room and a handful of tables in the second.  Sparsely decorated, with bare bulbs lighting the tables, simplicity rules here.

There were six beers on tap, plus bottles in the fridge.
But those six taps covered a wide range of styles from Czech micro's, giving me the chance to have a sour: the Chroust 'Plum & Sour Cherry Smoothie Sour', followed by a Russian Imperial Stout: the 8.5% ABV Pivovar Clock - 'Sarah'.

Alongside this there are some very simple snacks, from which we sampled some locally produced vegan pate.

Beer and snack - prohibition style.

Erm... I've run out of subtitles... 

Nubeerbar (Balbínova 1 - web)

Nu Beer Bar was remarkably similar to the Craft Beer Bar, to the point where I did a double-take and questioned if we'd been here before.
As you head in the door there is a bar with 22 taps to pick from, with a further two rooms of tables to the right.  Unlike a couple of the other multi-tap bars we visited, the selection here focuses on Czech breweries.
This was another bar with plenty to choose from at reasonable prices, with a cracking alt-rock soundtrack.

And One Final Brewpub for Good Measure
Pivovar Victor ( Husitská 72 - web)
We started out visit to the Czech capital with a brewpub, so I figured we'd end it in the same way.
This is in the Žižkov district, just east of the main train station.  We visited a fair number of brewpubs in Prague that I felt were pretty mediocre, but this proved a bit of winner on our final night.  It had tall ceilings with elaborate lights and grand drapes over the windows.  Quirky decorations and the brewing coppers at the end of the room made for an eclectic design.
We had a bite to eat here and sampled the decent beers, served up in dimpled mugs.

Brew kit at Pivovar Victor.

As I said at the top of this post, Prague has a lot of choice. 
The nine bars and brewpubs above are just scratching the surface and are in no way intended to be a 'best of' list.
I'll just be happy if someone comes across this on their web search and gets a couple of ideas, before discovering a wealth of other places that I missed this time round.

Cheers!  Na Zdravi!

London Bridge Pub Explorations

Nottingham Forest were scheduled for a Friday evening fixture at Millwall, which seemed to me the perfect opportunity to get to London Bridge early and explore the pubs in the Borough area.
Armed with my old battered mini A-Z map and a list of possible pubs to visit, I made a pre-lunchtime start in an historical classic.

The George Inn (75-77 Borough High Street, SE1 1NH - web)
Owned by the National Trust, The George Inn is a justifiably famous Grade I listed building, dating back to the 16th century.
I've recently read Pete Brown's wonderfully informative book about this pub, 'Shakespeare's Local', whetting my own appetite for a revisit.

Stepping from the High Street into the yard that houses the pub, the first sight of the George's galleried frontage is absolutely fantastic.  

But you need to use your imagination a little to get a feel for what this would have been like in it's heyday.  The George would have occupied all sides of the yard - but now only the right-hand side buildings remain, with unflattering modern neighbours.

Making my way into the main bar, I can't help but feel this doesn't have much olde worlde character - even taking into account the excessive number of raucous drinkers in Christmas jumpers on this visit.  From the Greene King dominated beer selection, I picked the local Southwark Brewing Co. India Pale Ale. Priced at an eye-watering £5.10 a pint!
On the whole most of the rooms have a refurbished, modern feel to them, but there is an exception to this...

Peace, away from the rest of the busy pub in the Parliament Bar

The Parliament Bar is a wonderful, atmospheric, unspoiled pub room, with slightly ramshackle seating, warming fireplace and a rare, historical clock.
Several groups of folks poke their heads in, see there's no bar, and move on.  The effort of bringing your drinks back through the courtyard from the main bar seems to be too much for most, so I share this charming space with just one other table occupied by a Spanish family.

    

Finishing my pint at the George, I made the longest walk of the day, from the High Street southwards to the Libertine.

The Libertine (125 Great Suffolk Street, SE1 1PQ - web)
There was a wide mix of lunchtime customers in this Good Beer Guide listed street corner pub.  A couple of hi-vis jacketed workmen at the bar complementing the pizza, a Christmas party occupying several tables, a few old chaps reading the paper with a pint, and office folk doing lunch.
Not much space left for me, except on a stool at the end of the bar, where I sat and drank an okayish pint of Brockley Brewery's 'Winter Gold'.

The Libertine.

Lord Clyde (27 Clennam Street, SE1 1ER - web)

There's been a pub on this site for several hundred years, with the current building dating back to 1913 and little changed since.
Great traditional interior and some lovely Truman's brickwork on the outside see's the Lord Clyde listed in Britain's Best Heritage Pubs.

The Lord Clyde, lamppost invading photo.

There were four real ales on the bar, although an unremarkable line-up including Doom Bar and regular national big brewery offerings.  I opted for Otter Brewery's seasonal beer, 'Elf'.

My problem with the Lord Clyde was that I just never really felt comfortable here.  Can't quite put my finger on why, but another time I may have come away praising the pub.
Lovely mirror, though...

Rose & Crown (65 Union Street, Borough, SE1 1SG - web)
This was a pub that I hadn't planned on visiting, but went into on a whim when passing. 
It's an old corner boozer which has been resurrected by a company called 'Pub Love'. According to their website, they have a 'desire to save the great British pub', which they do by giving them a modern makeover and installing a hostel on the upper floors.

Pub Love.

Almost all the tables were reserved here, leaving just one poseur table with high stools - a little too close for comfort to the office Christmas party taking place.  (To be honest, anywhere in the same room was a little too close...)

But, beer-wise - great!  Three cask ales, including a Titanic 'Plum Porter' and 14 taps with big London breweries and some lesser seen.  I picked the Verdant Brewing Co 'Maybe One More PSI', an 8% ABV DIPA.  Single-hopped with lots of Mosaic, this was my favourite beer of the day.

Craft ales at the Rose & Crown.

The King's Arms (65 Newcomen Street, SE1 1YT - web)

I thought I may have to give the Kings Arms a miss when there was barely room to squeeze through the door.  Ordering over someone's shoulder I picked the only beer I could see, which turned out to be 'Handlebar', a tasty porter from Box Steam Brewery. 
It seemed standing around the door was most popular here, and once I got a little further in space was revealed and I managed to grab a spare stool at a table. This even came with a Forest supporter on the neighbouring stool to chat away to.

The King's Arms - grand coat of arms above the door.

The Old King's Head (King's Head Yard, 45-49 Borough High Street, SE1 1NA - web)

Friday evening, innit?
The local office workers were celebrating reaching the weekend and The Old King's Head was heaving.  I got served quickly and grabbed myself a nice wintry, Harvey's 'Old Ale'.
The first picture below was taken in the midday daylight, before I decided to make the George my starting point instead.
The second picture is from my vantage point, propped at the side of the room, surrounded by office minions laughing uproariously at the bosses jokes whilst quaffing lager, whilst I simply got hooked on the snooker.

  

Sadly, after the King's Arms and Head - no other royal body parts referenced in local pub names, so I headed back to the familiar territory of Borough Market.  

Market Porter (9 Stoney Street, Borough Market, SE1 9AA - web)
When I lived in London, The Market Porter used to be quite a regular haunt - I remember it without the rear extension, with a stupendous collection of ales, and often with the chance of getting a seat.
This evening it's frankly stupidly busy.  And it had looked equally stupidly busy when I passed earlier at lunchtime...

Photo from earlier in the day - "I'll come back later, I'm sure it'll quieten down"...ho hum

I've gotta admire the bar staff here, who must barely get a moment to take a breath.  To be fair, I got served quickly despite the crowds, picking an oatmeal porter brewed by Reunion Brewery.  The beer choice, I notice, is not as eclectic as it once was.

I was going to say that MrsPropUptheBar - the voice of sensibility - would have told me I didn't need any more beer.  But then I discovered on Untappd that she was in Brewdog, raving about a 13% Imperial Stout.
I didn't need any more beer, but force of habit took me to the Rake.

The Rake (14 Winchester Walk, Borough Market, SE1 9AG - web)
This is a fantastically small bar - more micropub than many micropubs, now I think about it.  But since it opened, it's had a steady stream of quality beers on cask and keg and is somewhere you're never likely to go wrong with the ale, provided you can squeeze in.  All the casks were featuring Bone Machine Brewery, so I had a half of their tasty mild, 'Malt Tooth Grin', to finish the evenings drinking.

And here's a picture from the away end of The New Den as a footer to this long post.
A 2-2 draw, and a return to the head-in-hands frustrations of watching Forest that I've come to expect over the years...  

No-one likes us - we don't care.