Whilst I am aware some international beer enthusiasts do in fact visit the UK’s traditional and modern breweries, and are often in search of cask ale. This has always seemed at odds with the mass of tourists who cram into the capitol’s endless sprawl of bang-average pubs. Look around and, more often than not, this sea of fish and chips will be washed down with lager, fruit cider, wine, basically anything but traditional ale. I would take no umbrage with this choice, but it seems sad that the cultural draw of our pubs is out of sync with that of our rich brewing heritage.
Imagine sitting down for a moules frite in Antwerp only to be steered towards ordering a pint of Asahi? What I think that cask ale has lacked is a way to explain itself to international tourists, at least in such a way where it stands a chance against the array of continental lagers and faux-craft pale ales. Despite the apparent shrinkage in cask ale, it has not yet vanished from the bars of the capital entirely.
I am no expert, and if you are ‘cask curious’ CAMRA has some great resources to find the quality real ales across the UK. I’d love to say each tourist could leave knowing the warm, rich touch of a pint of Old Peculier, but the reality is this is not so easy to stumble across in the capital. Instead, here is my pragmatic, brief and perhaps cynical guide to the cask ales in London.
From where I stand, these five ales are the most widely available on cask in the city:
There is some reasoning and history behind these usual suspects, but here is my over simplification. Both Greene King IPA and Doom Bar have frequent availability in most large pub chains, such as Weatherspoon’s. Green King and Fuller’s both have their own large pub estates. St Austell and Timothy Taylor who are based further afield and are without London sites have ensured strong distribution. Fuller’s are London based so they perhaps over index in availability in London compared to the rest of the country.
But like with many things in this world, availability and quality are not convergent. I don’t like to yuck anyone’s yum, but you won’t catch me drinking GK IPA or Doom Bar. Fortunately there are still a number of breweries regularly producing quality cask ale available in London to bolster up the quality of our handpulls. These can often be seasonal or produced at small volumes becoming harder to find outside of more specialist venues. To make things easier, here are ten decent but non-seasonal ales supplied at a frequency so that they should be rather easy to find.
Residential:
Deep reddish amber, smooth, with sticky caramel notes, paired with a ton of marmalade.
There is a lot to say about Fuller’s impressive history, particularly their apparent origination of the ESB style. Nowadays you’ll find the perfectly serviceable London Pride, an amber bitter, at the forefront of their offering. However, as Fuller’s has a rather large pub estate across the city, you can easily locate quality ales without much trouble.
Five Points – Best Bitter – Hackney:
Medium amber, medium body, with lots of biscuit and subtle toast, paired with a floral aroma.
Five Points is perhaps now one of the original ‘craft breweries’ to come-up in London, being founded in 2013. But like their contemporaries The Kernel they have never felt the pressure to pursue mere trends, instead they’ve stayed focused on quality. Any beer from Five Points will be worth trying but their Best Bitter has become a staple in many fine establishments that know good beer.
Dark Star – Hophead – Chiswick:
Pale gold, light in body with touch of grain sweetness, packed with citrus and grassy aroma.
Originally from Sussex, Dark Star is now part of Fuller’s portfolio of breweries. Hophead has long been their flagship beer, and being local to where I grew up, I have many fond memories enjoying what was a very revolutionary approach to cask ale. I don’t often have positive feelings towards buyouts and mergers, but in this instance at least I can hold my tongue knowing this will be available at many Fuller’s pubs.
Southwark Brewing Company – London Pale Ale – Bermondsey:
Medium gold, light in body with honey sweetness and a lot of lemon zest on the nose.
Located on the famous Bermondsey beer mile, Southwark Brewing Company has a primary focus on producing cask ales. Much like with Hop Head, this ale carefully balances a modern approach to hops with traditional drinkability. The result is a reliably crisp, pintable beer, with a bitterness and aroma that for me excels many generic draft pale ales.
Medium amber, medium-light body, full of nutty and dried fruit flavours and a little earthy too.
Whilst this is no longer brewed in London, I think you’d struggle to find this beer elsewhere. Now I believe it is brewed for them by Marston’s in Burton-on-Trent, but it is easily found in many of Young’s pubs. Personally I find the ‘special’ quality a little misleading, to me this lands more as a fairly decent best bitter. There is also Young’s London Original, which is rather ordinary, perhaps bland, but with better availability in many Young’s pubs. If given the choice between the two go straight for London Special and don’t look back.
Regional:
St Austell’s – Tribute – Cornwall:
Pale amber, smooth body and mouthfeel, biscuit, caramel, orange hop profile.
A long standing favourite of mine. I particularly like the use of Willamette hops over more obvious options like Citra and Cascade, this gives it a somewhat timeless quality feeling neither new nor old. St Austell’s IPA, Proper Job, is perhaps equally popular and shouldn’t be too hard to find either. I used to not care for it, but I’ve had some bottles recently at home that have really shone.
Medium amber, medium-light body with a biscuit malt character and a lime citrus hop profile.
Amongst these regional beers, this is the one I know the least but it has its cheerleaders out there. In my opinion it holds a similar place in modern British brewing alongside Tribute, servicing the space between the traditional and modern pale ales but utilising what are now classic American hops.
Timothy Taylor’s – Landlord – Yorkshire:
Medium amber, fluffy, subtle caramel sweetness and earthy hops with lemon and pepper.
Perhaps the nation’s favourite cask ale, I often see this as a safe choice, where options are scarce. I have been able to call up the reliable landlord. I mean this to their credit, as Landlord’s strength is that it is so widely kept to a high and consistent standard that I can’t recall ever having a questionable drop. It may sound reserved for a pale ale, but without needing anything particularly exotic or flash a pint of Landlord can be a harmonious experience. Sadly you’ll struggle to find it pulled through a sparkler in London.
Samuel Smith’s – Old Brewery Bitter – Yorkshire:
Dark amber, full bodied, malt toffee sweetness, dried fruit and an earthy hop quality.
Samuel Smith’s of Tadcaster, Yorkshire, renowned country wide for their quality beers. But perhaps overlooked in London for their beautiful and historic pub estate. I became aware of Samuel Smith’s thanks to my Czech co-workers many years back swearing their organic lager was the only decent British beer they could find. I’ve found their London sites are perhaps now more lager oriented, with their lower ABV Alpine Lager having something just short of cult status. For cask, you’ll almost always find their Old Brewery Bitter which is my go to and is often paired correctly with a sparkler.
Harvey’s – Sussex Best Bitter – Sussex:
Dark amber, medium bodied, fresh bread, jammy fruits, earthy and hedgerow hops.
I cringe sometimes when I catch myself calling beers complex, as if it’s a way to dodge saying that I like something but don’t or want to or can’t explain why. But this beer has what I really think complexity might truly be. On paper it is a pretty quintessential regional best bitter, but it somehow incorporates these rich and unique flavour combinations in such a way that is distinct to Harvey’s alone. It might be named best bitter but to me it is the best beer, period.
Disclaimer: You’ll have noticed all these ales are pale and amber in colour and are rightly questioning why there are no dark ales? Wasn’t London the city of porter? I wish I could give a straight answer as to why we don’t see more and regular hand pulls dedicated to darker beers. I fear that simply beer has long been expected to be a pale drink, regardless of our brewing traditions. The increasing popularity of Guinness could change the tide, but I feel the expectation now for dark beers to be nitro-poured rather than cask conditioned.
So where do you find such beers? Well, now you obsess over your new favourite cask ales, you make lists of great pubs and bars to visit (but don’t), and inevitably spend your time elsewhere as fate has put you in an entirely different spot. But fear not, I’ve put together a list of suggested pubs based on their proximity to key tourist sites and major train stations in central London. This list isn’t necessarily reflective quality or range, although you’ll find some to be absolutely cracking. Rather, these are all neat places where, as a tourist, you’ll likely already be, so that you can find decent cask ale in a pinch.
London Bridge – The Rake: Nestled in Borough marker, this is a more specialist beer spot. A dozen or so quality draft lines, a killer international bottle selection and a few well curated handpulls. During my last visit I indulged in a fantastic Porter from Burning Sky and I believe one of the Burton Union ales from Thornbridge.
HM – The Royal Oak: Borough has tons of great pubs such as The Roebuck, The Blue Maid, and The Gladstone Arms. But I have a real sweet spot for The Royal Oak, a Harvey’s pub (one of only 3 in London), where you’ll get a cracking pint of Sussex Best but also classics like their dark mild and old ale.
Waterloo – Waterloo Tap: I’ve been coming here for years for its large range of modern beers and imported lagers. But more recently I have delved into their fantastic cask offering, usually around 4 rotating lines of independent and quality ale. Whilst space inside might be in short supply, there are now plenty of benches outside for when the weather is warmer.
HM – Hole in the Wall: I was late to the game with this pub, but don’t be deterred as they stock some great cask ales of small and large breweries from all over the UK. You’ll find it just around the corner from the Waterloo Tap, so you might as well check out both.
Victoria – Duke of York: As I said earlier, Samuel Smith’s are well known for having beautiful historic pubs across the UK. They’ll often have a similar charm that rejects a generic or corporate feeling that has become hard to escape. Pretty much all the drinks are their own so you won’t see familiar brand names. The Duke of York might not be their prettiest site in the city, but is spacious and located just outside Victoria station which is very ideal.
HM – Cask: With a dedication specifically to cask ale, it would be impossible not to mention this great venue. However, you’ll find it is a bit of a walk away from Victoria station, but well worth it if you have the time.
Euston/Kings Cross – The Doric Arch: Tied and brewery operated station pubs are a breed of their own. Perhaps more akin to touristy joints by lacking the touch of regular clientele, they are often short on tables and vibes. Less fun, more functional. The Doric Arch, a Fuller’s pub, may fall victim to such a stereotype but the utilitarian nature is matched with an often tasteful line-up of Fuller’s brewed classics such as Gale’s HSB, a treat for any occasion.
HM – Euston Tap: This is the equally great sister site to the aforementioned Waterloo Tap.
South Bank – Founders Arms: Despite being situated on a Thames you might find London lacks riverside drinking spots, you can blame it on the weather. This is largely true for the northern side of central London but pop over to the south bank and you can find some noteworthy pubs to take in the views. The Founders Arms, with an exterior more like a public library than public house, is one of them. Midweek come 5pm, the surrounding walkway is packed with post work drinkers. It is a Young’s pub with perhaps a slim choice for cask, but the location and availability of natural light can make up for this on the right day.
Soho/Covent Garden/Tottenham Court Road – The Jack Horner: Soho and Covent Garden are a wash with pubs and bars and there are certainly a decent few spots, but these are amongst a sea of less than recommendable spots for cask. Pubs like The Harp, The Coach & Horses, and The Craft Beer Co., safe havens for fantastic beer in central London, are always easy to recommend. However, I am fond of The Jack Horner on Tottenham Court Road. On the surface this is a pretty straightforward Fuller’s pub, but with a large number of handpulls and being situated north of Oxford street, I find it a relatively easy spot to grab a quality pint even at the busiest hours.
Whitehall/Westminster – The Old Shades: I’d feel uncomfortable recommending a pub that I haven’t been to before. However, this isn’t a part of London I’d likely find myself drinking in, but as a tourist you very well might. Whitehall is littered with pretty standard looking pubs but The Old Shades is a standout with a gothic façade. It catches my eye every time I pass on the bus. I’ve used CAMRA’s guidance to verify it does in fact have a decent cask offering. If I am nearby and thirsty it will certainly be where I stop.
Hopefully I have given you something of an accessible idea of what you’ll find to drink and where in London. But obviously this is intentionally very surface level and there are many incredible pubs and beers to find in the city. If you wish for more information then feel free to reach out to me on Instagram.
Babette’s Yeast 
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