Belgian Beer in Bishop's Stortford

In which I find myself with a couple of hours to spare in the Herts town of Bishop's Stortford, late on an Autumnal Saturday afternoon.
I figured that should be ample time to get around the 2025 Beer Guide entries.

Going against convention, my first pub picture is of somewhere that I didn't actually set foot in.
But just look at the Nags Head...a stunning art deco design to match Nottingham's finest...

As visually appealing as the place looked, I didn't want to deviate from my plan and miss the town centre beer guide ticks.  Plus, a quick glance at Untappd suggested this wasn't a secret real ale destination.

Barry F has checked in Fosters lager 781 times to date.
Four stars every time and I bet he's never had to return a dodgy pint of it, like us suckers on the cask.

Just up the road from the Nags, around a mile out of town, was my first destination - a brewery in an industrial estate next door to the Gui pudding factory.

Belgian Brewer (Links Industrial Estate, Bishop's Stortford, CM23 5NZ)
The eponymous Belgian Brewer grew up in Belgium before moving to the UK aged 21.  Presumably unimpressed with Fosters in the Nags and the continental bottles available in the supermarket, they set about brewing trad Belgian styles in the home counties, establishing the brewery in 2018.
It's your typical industrial estate brewery tap from outside - big rectangular building, red shutters, gazebo, planters, portable bar in a trailer.  Inside, it has a fair bit of character and I rather liked it.  A friendly welcome.  Great selection of beers.  And a fine collection of Lowlands breweriana attached to the chipboard walls.

 

There were a fair few people in, most of whom seemed to know one another; a couple of chaps in their purple Bishop's Stortford FC shirts (I trust the Blues are doing better than last year).

Unusually, I stayed sensible with such a choice of high ABV beers on offer, ordering the mildly hopped, floral pale ale.  The brewer's lowest strength beer at 5.6%.
A couple of stronger ones went into the backpack for later.

It was time to move on and explore the town centre.
Bishop's Stortford is home to around 41,000 folk and - if I'm counting correctly - a pretty hefty 16 pubs.

The one I was heading to was through dimly lit side streets, the multi-coloured lights of The Castle luring me toward it.

The Castle (38 Castle Street, Bishop's Stortford, CM23 3TG)
Wow - this was a buzz of activity when I opened the front door - a contrast to the quiet street I was coming in from.  All the tables were occupied in the main room, conversations in full flow, lots of laughter, nobody paying any attention to the football on the TV screens.  The pub dog came to check me out, found me thoroughly uninteresting, and wandered back to his spot in the corner.

The two cask ales on offer came from Wharfe Brewery (formerly Red Fox) and Royston's Buntingford Brewery.
I felt a bit guilty ordering the Wharfe 'Leading Light' when it took forever to pour ("it's a lively one"). 

Then took this through to the snug to one side, the only place with a table free.  It's a nice little room with a bit of bench seating and a hatch to the bar to save you making the ten steps around the corner.  A room spoiled by the group of blokes who insisted on shouting to each other at full volume and were very, very rude about Angela Rayner.

Next up, a stroll along residential Portland Street, down to Market Street, then 'round the corner to The Star.

The Star (7 Bridge Street, Bishop's Stortford, CM23 2JU)
Now we're into proper ancient pub territory, with this inn dating back to 1636.  Not that you'd necessarily know once inside, as this has had a refurb or two to turn it into a town centre all-rounder.
There was an impressive beer line-up...Pride, Proper Job, Hobgoblin, Oscar Wilde mild, and two Brentwood brews.  Neat little luggage tags; no jam jars.

I picked the Brentwood 'Beer Outta Hell' - of course I did, it's a chilli and ginger porter.  Nice enough, but I would have heaped a bunch more ginger and chilli into the mix.
The Star is laid out in a U-shape with a courtyard out back.  The right side was a bit more pubby yet, after doing the rounds, I perched on a stool in the brightly lit bit with sofas, wooden beams, Everton on the telly, and excessive Halloween decorations. 

All in all, The Star is a pub I could have happily spent longer in.  There was a ridiculously cute puppy to detract from the Premier League, a Vampire Weekend soundtrack, a relaxed Saturday evening vibe, and the beer was in good nick.

I failed on my original mission for Beer Guide completion of the town.
Necessitating a return visit for the Sports Trust club bar and an opportunity to investigate what the Nags Head looks like inside.
Instead, I took the easy option of finishing the evening in Spoons.

The Port Jackson (Riverside Wharf, Bishop's Stortford, CM23 3GN)
This is a purpose-built JDW in the complex of Italian chain restaurants and apartments constructed next to the swans on the River Stort.  The Port Jackson first opened the doors in April 2014, although - once inside - this didn't feel like somewhere which was a building site ten years ago.
WhatPub suggested it was hit and miss in regards to cask ale excitement, so I guess I struck lucky with a couple of dark Halloween-themed guest ales at £1.99 a pint.  The Nethergate 'Complete Howler' was a wonderful warming dark ruby porter on top form.

The main bar features a grand old staircase with a balcony level.  Very peaceful and quiet upstairs when I wandered up there, although there must have been some wrong-uns a little earlier when half a dozen HP Brown Sauce packets rained down on my neighbour.
Saturday night in Bishops Stortford - it's a jungle out there.

With four pub visits, that was the end of my explorations for the time being.
With Belgian beers, back-street locals, and a couple of decent dark beers drunk, I'd passed a pleasant couple of hours in the town.
Unfortunately, not finding lots to complain about scuppers the planned 'Bashing the Bishop' post title.

Halloween Post - The Hatchet inn

It's that time of year again where there's a crate of pumpkins in the supermarket, Film 4 are showing Scream, and I'm struggling to find a haunted pub worthy of a Halloween post.

My travels took me to Bristol, to a pub that once had pirates and ne'ever-do-wells as customers, plus ghostly occurrences on the upper floors and things that go bump in the night.
Unfortunately, it didn't feel at all creepy when I visited on a sunny October afternoon.

The Hatchet Inn (27 Frogmore Street, Bristol, BS1 5NA)
One of the oldest pubs in Bristol, this dates back to 1606 and has seen four decades of colourful characters propping up the bar, from pirates to bare-knuckle boxers, to hairy 80's rockers.

Let's start with the front door - as good a place as any to start when you arrive at a pub.
The gruesome claim to fame is that the 300-year old thick wooden door is covered with the human skin of executed criminals.

Quite why anyone would want to add a layer of skin to the front door, I'm not sure.  And no-one has ever actually scraped away the black paint to scientifically prove or disprove the story.

But Bristol has form with this kind of thing...in 1821 a young chap called John Horwood threw a rock at a girl he was infatuated with, causing her to die several days later from her injuries.  Horwood was hanged, then his skin was removed, tanned, and used the bind the notes from his trial.  The book now sits in a display in the M Shed museum.

The Hatchet Inn was also supposedly the chosen local of Edward Teach, better known as pirate Blackbeard, who'd knock back a few ales before heading off to plunder ships in the Caribbean.

There were all sorts of nefarious activities in the Inn in days gone by...
🐀 Rat Pit
🐔 Cock Fighting
✊ Bare knuckle boxing
A handful of symbols that have been phased out of the Good Beer Guide over the years.

So, what of the haunting?  Objects move of their own accord, hands brush by staff in dark corners, footsteps can be heard treading the boards in empty rooms.
Paranormal investigators have visited in the hope of seeing the bare knuckle boxer who is said to pace the upper rooms, or catch a glimpse of a ghostly woman mournfully crying as she wanders the building.

Thanks to an expensive makeover a few years back, the pub is fairly shiny inside, not offering the cobwebs and uneven floorboards and cracks in the wall that I like in my ancient inns.

The old boys in the corner were sinking pints of Doom Bar when I visited.  Robinsons 'Trooper', St Austell 'Tribute', and the local Wiper and True 'Kaleidoscope' were the alternatives, my pick of the Kaleidoscope being a well-kept and tasty pale ale.  The Hatchet is a decent city centre pub with an interesting past that is well worth a visit.

Whilst in Bristol thinking about haunted pubs, I may as well trek the short distance to King Street where you'll find another ancient inn with a ghost or fifteen...

The Llandoger Trow (5 King Street, Bristol, BS1 4ER)
Built in 1664, this is another ale house boasting some famous customers - Robert Louis Stevenson is said to have based The Admiral Benbow from Treasure Island on the 'Trow.  Daniel Defoe met Alexander Selkirk whilst drinking in the pub, a shipwrecked sailor who spent four years on a desert island and would be an inspiration for Robinson Crusoe.

There are a whopping 15 ghosts associated with the pub, as identified when the crew from TV show Most Haunted came to investigate.
The upper floor is said to be the the most haunted - including a young boy with a metal leg support clanking across the floorboards
Angry ghosts have pulled pictures off the wall and tossed utensils around the kitchen.  The Jacobean room and the cellar are both said to have haunted cold spots ('drafts' to the paranormal non-believers).

  

The Trow is a pub that I do like: photogenic timber-framed frontage, flagstone floor, grand fireplaces, nooks and crannies...and some fine beer and cider.
Cask ales on this visit were from Theakston, Adnams, and Bristol Beer Factory.  Apart from the hand pumps, there is a hefty draft menu on a blackboard, offering a fair few German brews, plus sours and nitro stouts, and crafty pales.

I opted to brave a still dry cider called 'Brain Twister', hoping it wouldn't live up to the name later in the day.

Another year, and more haunted pubs that prove not to be at all spooky when I visit.
But for those who enjoy this time of year...happy Halloween 👻

Look out...the ghostly decorations will come down in the pubs and the Christmas ones will pop up before we know it.  And that is scary.

Edmonton Green, you'll always live on in my dream

The previous post found me wandering the streets of Marylebone and visiting four pubs with wildlife-themed names - Eagles, Jackolopes, Stags, and Horses (do horses count as wildlife?)
My plan for the rest of the day was to travel into the northern suburbs.  But before descending into the tube at Euston, I wanted to poke my head into a recent addition to the Wetherspoon portfolio - the Captain Flinders having first opened the doors to the public in January 2024.

Captain Flinders (34-38 Eversholt Street, London, NW1 1DA)
The pub is named after explorer Captain Matthew Flinders who was the first person to circumnavigate Australia in 1801-03.  The link to Euston is that his grave ended up lost under the expansion of the railway station until being uncovered during the recent redevelopment works.  So, we may never get a fast train direct into Euston station on HS2, but at least our extortionately expensive rail project means Captain Flinders gets a more respectful burial place and a Wetherspoon's named after him.

I'm a big fan of the tiling at the entrance..

But I wasn't so keen on the central London Spoons prices.  
Strangely enough, my Portobello 'Market Porter' was less than the advertised rate, which I'm not complaining about.

By Spoon's standards, this is a pretty small place.  It's a single room, divided into three by the chunky wood panelled pillars that stretch the length of the pub.  It was certainly busy on my visit - blokes sitting doing the crossword; the rowdy lads by the front looking like they were on the start of a big afternoon out; and - unsurprisingly - lots of folk with luggage at their side.
I sat next to some very cultured art work and enjoyed my fine London porter.

 

From Euston, I made an eight mile trip northeast.  Firstly on the underground to Tottenham Hale, continuing on the overground to Edmonton.  This part of the capital is home to some 615,000 folk, yet I've never had cause to visit before and know nothing about it.

The northern part of is known as Lower Edmonton or Edmonton Green, the southern part as Upper Edmonton - which is surely the wrong way around?! 
Chas and Dave released a 1983 song called Edmonton Green, from which I really hoped to score a better blog post title.

Here's my walking route...crikey 2-miles - it's healthy this pub crawling lark.

The route took me past the initial scruffiness of the shops by the railway bridge on Church Street, then past the splendid green tiled frontage of the Old Hammam and Spa,

Onto the long suburban streets of semi-detached houses.

Fifteen minutes after leaving the station (timing includes crossing the traffic lights twice after departing from the station in the wrong direction towards the shopping centre) I reached the Rising Sun.
With some magnificent old Taylor Walker lights...

The Rising Sun (243 Winchester Road, Lower Edmonton, N9 9EF)
The doorway takes you through to a porch with a conundrum of turning left or right, the pub being divided into two sections by a wooden partition.  I went right into the livelier half with pool table and locals sat at the bar singing along to Catatonia's 'Road Rage'.
Somewhere, hidden by the bar blockers, were hand pumps for Old Speckled Hen, Hophead, and something from Buckinghamshire brewery Vale.
I had the Vale.  I never did see the pump clip so I'm not sure what it was.
This one...

It turned out the other half of the pub was a comfier option, allowing me to settle on a cushioned bench at the far end.
The Rising Sun is a splendid pub - just the right amount of clutter to make it interesting, a well-worn carpet, and beamed ceiling.  Despite being quiet when I sat down and took the picture it quickly filled up whilst I was there, doing a good trade with prams, dogs, and locals livening things up.

Making my way to the next Good Beer Guide pub in Edmonton, I crossed the busy A10, strolled through Bury Lodge wetlands, then followed a footpath along Salmons Brook.  It all sounds much nicer than it really was - not a classic urban walk.  But the route took me to the  Beehive with its Madri umbrellas and grey-painted frontage.

The Beehive (24 Little Bury Street, Lower Edmonton, N9 9JZ)
This was much quieter than the Rising Sun.  Alongside me, there was just one table of folk, plus a couple of dog walkers who arrived to take their regular spots at the bar.
There was a Rev James or Greene King IPA on offer for the traditionalists.  Plus three unusual beers from home counties micros.  A Brentwood 'Falcon Punch IPA' for me - another super beer from a brewery that rarely lets me down.

I've filled the blog with a variety of pictures from the gents, usually featuring mild smut.
Plus the occasional photo of a beer barrel urinal or some ambitiously scented handwash.
But this is a first...there's an iguana in the gents!

Initially I felt very sorry for Blue (for that is her name), destined to sit and watch blokes in the toilet.  But the sign tells us that this is just a hide out which she has access to from a vivarium outside.  I still utilised the urinal furthest away, out of respect.

Leaving the Beehive, it was a straightforward early evening saunter through the streets to Winchmore Hill.  No disrespect to the Rising Sun and Beehive, but it was the next micropub, shortlisted for the CAMRA Pub of the Year award, that had brought me this part of London.

Little Green Dragon (928 Green Lanes, Winchmore Hill, N21 2AD)
In a show of dedication to the micro pub cause, Little Green Dragon owner Richard made a charity cycle ride around 100 micros before opening his own in August 2017.
Which is probably a good bit research on how to do it right - the Little Green Dragon was crowned Greater London Pub of the Year in 2018 and has won that title 5 more times since then.

The drinks choice offered four cask ales (pale, red, dark), key kegs, cider and perry, Old Bakery gin, and prosecco.  Something to suit all tastes.   

My taste was for a Hammerton 'Piece of Cake'.
Fudge cake stout..mmmm!

The pub has a range of typical micro high tables with a home-made look, plus regular tables, sofas, beer barrels acting as stools...

I sunk into the sofa and made myself comfortable enough to decide to stick around for a half of the Bluestone 'Red of Heaven'.
Next to the bar is something a little bit different to perch on, with some repurposed bus seating.  You;ll find an electronic display board above this table which shows the next departures from the local bus stops.
Which was handy, as I had no idea how to get home from here.

I ambled down the road in the dusk.
Contemplating visiting the one-time Wetherspoons, but instead found my way to a cracking looking pub in the side streets...

The Orange Tree (18 Highfield Road, Winchmore Hill, N21 3HA)
This used to be a regular Beer Guide entry, but has dropped out since 2022.  I suspect a real ale choice of Greene King IPA and 'Yardbird' weren't going to be attractive to the local CAMRA folk (two more handpumps turned around this evening, so perhaps the range is sometimes more enticing).
BUT - the Yardbird tasted great.  And I never thought I'd be praising a Greene King Yardbird.

A nice pub: large, full of character, a fair few customers around the corner.  Lots of interesting decorations, such as the run of Toby jugs above the bar.
Just a pity it was too dark for me to manage any decent pictures.

To be honest, I was more focused on how I was going to get home than on getting good pics for the blog.  It was a fairly long bus ride down Green Lanes, then onto the tube to Victoria, before I even started contemplating getting back to Oxford.  Via a doze on the Oxford Tube, I suspect. 

Four Pubs in Marylebone and Fitzrovia

An excursion to London, where I planned to take in a handful of central Good Beer Guide pubs before making my way out north to visit a micro short-listed for CAMRAs next national pub of the year award.
I made the familiar Oxford Tube journey...although it always seems to have gone up £1. And I always think we must be about there, only to look up from my book and discover we're stuck in a traffic jam at Hangar Lane.  And I always manage to bang my head when negotiating the stairs.
Alighting at Marble Arch, I wandered into the streets of Marylebone, where my first lunchtime destination awaited. 

The Golden Eagle (59 Marylebone Lane, London, W1U 2NY)
This is a marvelous 19th century corner pub, first licensed in 1842, then rebuilt in 1890.  It has been run by the same family for over 30 years.
And it's a proper classic central London boozer...  No food.  Cordoned-off area for be-suited outdoor vertical drinking.  Piano singalongs three evenings a week.

Cask ales on offer came from Fullers and St Austell, plus the Mauldons 'Pale Ale' from Essex, which was my light, easy-going pick.

I settled on the wall-hugging cushioned bench seating in the corner, next to a couple in Ajax shirts who'd already amassed a hefty collection of shopping bags by midday.
Shame that I wasn't here in the evening for the piano sing-a-longs.  I had to make do with Whitney Houston, Little Mix, and John Lennon's 'Imagine', which seemed a bit out of place amongst the pop.

Here's the carpet for BRAPA...

And the mild smut for me...

A great pub and a tasty first pint of the day.  The Golden Eagle was filling up as I departed, with a few hi-vis jackets and office folk taking pints to the pavement drinking area.
I had an 8-minute stroll to a pub in the mews...

The Jackolope (43 Weymouth Mews, London, W1G 7EQ)
This was built in 1777 and was called the Dover Castle in a previous incarnation, the name still visible in the etched glass of the windows.   For many years it was a Sam Smiths pub, but now it is run by the same company who look after the Euston Tap.

So, plenty of tempting options beer-wise, as you'd expect if you've been to the 'Tap.
Cask from Five Points, Moberley Brew House, Marble and Iron Pier.
The likes of Köstritzer Schwarzbier and Budvar on keg; Stone or 40ft Brewing Co, if you were feeling especially wealthy.

I ordered a superb pint of Iron Pier 'Joined at the Hop', brewed with First Gold and Ekuanot.
And settled on the stools and ledge by the front window, jazz sound-tracking my visit.

The Jackolope features a Thai restaurant in the basement - cue a few folk wandering in and looking lost, before being pointed down the stairs by the barman.

The aromas drifting up from the kitchen smelt delicious, but I was determined to make do with a Tesco meal deal and push-on with the pub excursions.
It wasn't far to the next destination and - wow! - what a building...

Stag's Head (102 New Cavandish Street, London, W1W 6XW)
The pub sits on the ground floor of a grand late-30's Deco building.  The Stag's Head was designed for William Younger & Co of Edinburgh, filling the single rectangular room with wooden panels and pillars.  The effect of which was slightly diminished by the dominant Pimms flags on this occasion.

Two cask ales were on offer, both from Tring:  'Side Pocket for a Toad' or 'Squadron Scramble'.  I took a Squadron Scramble to the perches opposite the bar.  Decent enough beer, but the only one of the the day that veered north of the £6 a pint price point (I'd been pleasantly surprised that the previous two pubs were no more expensive than Oxford).

There was a good retro soundtrack of Toto, Frankie goes to Hollywood, and Joe Jackson, in a pub that seemed to attract a crowd of proper punters, despite the hefty bar tariffs.

My departure coincided with an unexpected downpour of rain.
Being as I'm made of sugar and will melt in the rain, I veered into the Sam Smith's pub around the corner for some shelter.

Horse and Groom (128 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 6PS)
This is a pub that dates back to the late 18th century, with an impressive curved front window, recessed doorways either side, and murals of said horse and groom on the first floor frontage.
Located close to the BBC, it is said to have been a haunt of media types waiting to meet editors and producers, or rehearse before broadcasts.  There are also some scandalous tales of all-night 'board meetings' hosted here by a one-time owner of Sports Direct, featuring much boozy behavior and vomiting into the fireplace.

No such excitement on my visit.

Long gone are the days when Sam Smith's provided a bargain option in London.  £3 for a half of the keg Old Brewery Bitter here.  And I can't say I enjoyed it very much.

That's  not to say I didn't appreciate the impressive surroundings of the Horse and Groom, which was well worth making a short stop in.  

The rain had stopped, so it was time to move on. 
More from London in the next post where there will be Spoons, traditional boozers, a micro, and an iguana in the toilet.
But, sadly, no Bass...

I followed the pointing finger and peered into the saloon bar, but Bass there was none.