The BeerCast

‘Gastro’ is often the dirty prefix when it comes to lovers of traditional pubs – signifying the changing of the guard, unpronounceable bar snacks and cold, insipid beer. The reality, of course, is that there are plenty of outstanding gastropubs out there – just as there are many run of the mill examples, and a few shockers. Stripping back the floors to bare boards and throwing in mismatched furniture is no guarantee of success – but neither does it mean the pub will have become uncomfortable and unwelcoming.

Pub goers in Islington may well be more familiar with the concept than drinkers elsewhere in the country, but for the Gastro-curious I would recommend without hesitation the Drapers Arms in Barnsbury. The large blue/grey frontage sits flush with the extremely dapper three-story townhouses that line the roads of this part of London (I’d also suggest a wander around the nearby Lonsdale Square to get an idea of the neighbourhood). Where the three doors used to lead to different parts of the pub, they now all open directly onto the open-plan dining area.

If just reading that paragraph causes you to tut and shake your head wistfully, then fair enough – I can sympathise with the very many pubs ruined by having original features removed. But in the case of the Drapers – any changes they have made fit with the building, and really work. The large green wooden bar looks great, as does the upstairs dining room and the beer garden out the back. The toilets even have Belfast sinks and quilted toilet paper*, with the walls adorned with old painting and sketches of the exterior.

Gastro obviously pertains to food – but many of these pubs have great beers on as well – such as the Drapers three handpulls. During our visit Dark Star’s original Dark Star was flying out, and with good reason. I knocked back three pints before I really knew what was happening. As the pub began to fill up, we ordered some food and ended up with a superb steak and kidney pie, which took over half an hour as it was cooked from scratch in the oven.

So if your much-loved spit n’ sawdust local was swallowed up by the late 90′s Gastropub revolution, I feel your pain. But – like footballers who play for the ‘big four’ – they can’t all be bad. Take that chip off your shoulder and replace it with a bowl of chunky ones, cooked in goose fat. Take a punt on a haggis scotch egg (as seen on the bar snack menu). At the end of the day, we’re all the same – as long as good beer’s involved, we can be gastro. Go to the Drapers Arms – you won’t regret it.

Drapers Arms website

* Yes, quilted toilet paper. In a pub.

It’s exactly twelve months to the day since BrewDog Edinburgh opened its doors, signalling the start of the southward charge of the Fraserburgh concern’s bar empire. The second BrewDog tied house to open (behind the original in Aberdeen), the Edinburgh branch has since been followed by another in Glasgow, and then a whole host – either open or in the planning – in England. Edinburgh being our hometown, we were there at the ‘soft’ launch a year ago, powering through eleven high-gravity beers on a school night.

Fast forward those twelve months, and this is as good a time as any to reflect on what their arrival has meant to the Edinburgh beer scene. Following the Cowgate fire* that area of the city became even more run down than it already was, with a steady stream of stag and hen groups wandering up and down from the Grassmarket. I said at the time the location would always see a steady stream of customers – and even now BrewDog Edinburgh fills up very quickly at weekends (also; it’s pretty small).

Prior to converting the dilapidated Chasers cocktail bar, BrewDog had no permanent presence in the city, instead hosting launch events in places like Cloisters and Holyrood 9A whilst supplying plenty of other pubs. Since then, quite obviously, the events have transferred to their own bar – but also (and this is only a personal observation) their number of outlets across the city have reduced. This makes sense, to get BrewDog fans – of which there are many – spending their money in BrewDog bars rather than those of the competition. (BrewDog even print their own money these days).

Actually, other than the excellent Holyrood 9A, there really wasn’t anything like the BrewDog bar here before it opened. Brauhaus served a range of imported bottles, 9A had a good mix of kegged lagers – but that was about it. Surely it’s no co-incidence that over the past year both of those bars have raised their game significantly when it comes to beer choice – last week Brauhaus had a De Molen import on keg, for example. Holyrood had the ultra-rare Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12 on cask.

This could all be down to the increased availability of these interesting beers, of course, but BrewDog Edinburgh started to give people a focus for a different type of drinking. As we discovered on the opening night, instead of buying four pints in a round we ended up buying a bottle and four glasses. To be honest, other than trying each new beer they release, I can’t remember the last time I drank a BrewDog beer in their Edinburgh bar – the imports are usually too good to pass up. You pay a premium for this method, of course – an eye-watering £12 for a 330ml bottle of Kernel Imperial Brown Stout springs to mind.

But, as ever, people will pay a premium for quality products served well. I’d challenge any ‘hater’ to visit BrewDog Edinburgh and chat to the staff, and not be surprised. Extremely well-trained, they are surely the friendliest bar staff in the city. Flying in the face of all the PR twaddle about being uncompromising and punk, the people that work there are fantastic. Boy, are they ever patient too – as I overheard first hand when the bloke next to me asked for a pint of Guinness. He got something better, in the end, of course.

Anyway, the bottom line is that it’s different enough to fit in well, and it’s great to have the choice of going to somewhere like it. Cask ale may not be on the menu – the writing was on the wall for Trashy Blonde long ago – but the bar has become a must-visit on Edinburgh’s beer tourist trail. There may be significant competition on the horizon, but I think BrewDog Edinburgh has a long future ahead of it, and long may it stay open.

*Which we were a part of – on a night out with London-based BeerCaster Andy, he suggested going to a Jazz club (it was a majority decision). On arrival, there were flames billowing out of the door, leading Andy to utter one of his classic all-time understatements – “Oh, it’s on fire.” We ended up in the City Café before being evacuated by the police, and leaving to a wall of heat from the bottom of the hill. Despite all the damage though, thankfully nobody was hurt.

Following on from our two previous guides to Edinburgh pubs – here and here, we felt it was long overdue to post a third. There really are so many great places to drink in the city, that another selection was definitely required. If you’re in town for a short break, you need to be visiting a few of these pubs for refreshment…

Some young-looking cats in this photo

Cloisters 26 Brougham St Map
Open: 12pm-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.30pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Beer in the Evening
Twitter Feed: @Cloisters_Bar
Cloisters Bar doesn’t look like your average pub, being shoehorned into an old church at Tollcross. Located near the Meadows, it is one of Edinburgh’s best real ale pubs. With four regular cask beers and five guest (which are rotated pretty much constantly), there’s always something interesting on. Their keg range has recently become just as interesting – Guinness was booted off to be replaced by Black Isle Porter, for example. If rare beers are your thing, locals Stewart Brewing do a beer just for Cloisters, called Holy Grale.

The Stockbridge Tap 2 Raeburn Place Map
Open: 12pm-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.30pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Beer in the Evening
Twitter Feed: @StockbridgeTap
The sister bar of Cloisters and the Bow Bar, the Stockbridge Tap is a freehouse in the affluent northern suburb of the same name, well worth a visit after a stroll along the Water of Leith footpath (which at the time of writing is closed, so more time in the pub). It used to be Bert’s Bar, and when I lived nearby was pretty much my local. If you like people watching, sit on one of the window seats and watch the Stockbridgers go about their business. Has a great range of whisky, too – and keep an eye out for brewery events, the Magic Rock takeover has already become Edinburgh legend.

The Caley Sample Room 42-58 Angle Park Terrace Map
Open: 12pm-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.30pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Official Website
Twitter Feed: @TheCaley
Owned by the same people as the Cambridge Bar, the Caley Sample Room may be located a brisk stroll from the city centre, but it’s well worth it. From the outside not much is given away, but the refurbished interior and range of beers are fantastic – two permanent taps for Black Isle and Tempest Brewing, plus four guests (as well as two for the Caledonian). The food is outstanding, having come second in the pub food category at the 2010 Scottish Restaurant Awards. There’s a regular supper club for people eating during the week, and live music. Having recently expanded their bottled beer lineup, the drinking choices are superb.

The Cask & Barrel (Southside) 26 West Preston St Map
Open: 12pm-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.00pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Facebook page
Twitter Feed: @CaskandBarrelSS
Open for the best part of a year, what had previously been the student-friendly Junction Bar in Newington is now the Cask & Barrel (Southside). Having the same imposing looped bar as the original C&B (see our first Edinburgh Pub Guide), it looks similar both inside and out. Plenty of room to stand if it gets busy, there are barrels and shelves aplenty to lean on until a table becomes free. As with it’s precursor, has a good selection of eight changing real ales, with plenty of Scottish beers amongst them. They also booted Strongbow out for real cider, if apples are your thing.

The Holyrood 9A 9A Holyrood Road Map
Open: 10am-12am (1am Fri-Sat)
Link: Facebook page
Twitter Feed: @Holyrood9A
Twenty beers. Handmade burgers. What’s not to like? Fuller Thomson have since opened a few more bars along the same lines – such as Lothian Road’s Red Squirrel – but Holyrood 9A has a bigger area at the bar, and seems to fit the space slightly better. And what a bar it is, too – until BrewDog opened it had the best keg lineup in the city. Even now they source some fantastic rare beer – a recent visit found Magic Rock’s session golden ale Curious next to Harviestoun’s barrel aged monster Ola Dubh. It gets busy here on Friday nights, but elbow your way in and make a stand.

Thomson’s Bar 182-184 Morrison St Map
Open: 12pm-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.00pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Beer in the Evening
Twitter Feed: @ThomsonsBar
Thomson’s is a classic one-room drinking house, sitting halfway along Morrison Street near the Conference Centre. Frequented by an older crowd during the day, and then office workers later on, the beer is always in great condition. Usually at least a couple of guest blonde ales are on in summer, alongside a Fyne Ales beer and one from Harviestoun (usually Bitter & Twisted). The old brewery mirrors and memorabilia on the walls give it a similar feel to the mighty Bow Bar. Can get busy, but feel free to spill out onto the pavement and watch the commuters bustle down to Haymarket station.

The Abbotsford 3-5 Rose St Map
Open: 11am-11pm (11:30pm Fri-Sat)
Link: Official Website
Twitter Feed: No
The Abbotsford sits between Hanover Street and St Andrew Square, and is head and shoulders above the other Rose Street boozers. The historic island bar dates from 1902, and was carved from Spanish mahogany. The sister bar to the Guildford Arms, there are usually some interesting beers on, as a result – served from five traditional tall founts. If the traffic lights work in your favour, you can walk between the two in a handful of minutes, making an easy east-end crawl. Also a great place for a Princes Street pitstop, the Abbotsford has a restaurant above, called…Above.

BrewDog Edinburgh 143 Cowgate Map
Open: 12pm-1am; 12:30pm-1am (Sun); opens 4pm Mon
Link: Website
Twitter Feed: @BrewDogEdin
Converting an abandoned karaoke bar (Chasers) into a ultra-cool urban hangout is very much the BrewDog way of thinking. Slap bang in the middle of the Cowgate (aka Rankin’s ‘Little Saigon’) – what was the second of their bars still comes up with the goods. If your definition of ‘goods’ is extremely hoppy, kegged, imported beer served to a background of eclectic music, that is. Several of BrewDog’s own beers are on as well, but the highlights are the guest beers from around the globe, they can be really something. If the choices are just too baffling, listen to the recommendations of the staff – the friendliest and most helpful in the city.

Other Edinburgh pubs…

The BeerCast’s Pub Guide to Edinburgh, Part 1
The Baillie
The Blue Blazer
The Bow Bar
Cask and Barrel
The Cumberland
Kays Bar

The BeerCast’s Pub Guide to Edinburgh, Part 2
The Halfway House
Bert’s Bar
The Cambridge
Guildford Arms
Bennet’s Bar
The Malt&Hops
The Dalriada

Why would you not drink beer? I mean, seriously, it’s pretty much the best thing there is. Fair enough, if religious or health reasons preclude you from taking alcohol, but if not – why don’t you drink beer? How can you be satisfied with cheap lager or wine? What does Smirnoff have that decent beer doesn’t? Other than alcohol content, obviously. But if that’s your thing – there are so many ways of fulfilling that urge through beer. British ale might traditionally be lower in strength, but not anymore. Get your buzz from beer. Numb those fingertips with something other than spirits. I’m not being a hypocrite here – I love gin, wine etc etc but I also drink a shedload of Britain’s most revered non tea-based drink – the bitter, malty stuff you get in pints. Or half pints. Or three/eighths of a pint. Drink it from a test tube if you like – but just drink it. Try it. Even if you don’t really like what you’re tasting, there are plenty of other styles of beer to try. And here’s a little truth – nobody really likes their first taste of beer. Bitter, astringent – it takes some getting used to. But then, so does every food or drink that is ultimately rewarding. It’s not a chocolate milkshake – you’ve got to put the work in. I’ve put in plenty of work over the years, trust me – in pubs all over the country. Take last night in Edinburgh’s Bow Bar. Sat in the best seat in the best pub in the best city in Britain – does it get any better? Yes – when the bar sports about a dozen beers on cask and keg from the UK’s best new breweries. Sitting there, in that window seat looking in at the pub (not out at the canyonlike Victoria Street), you realise why pub seats have their backs to the windows. In coffee shops you sit down and look out at the view – in public houses, everything worth watching happens inside. At that moment there was literally nowhere else I would rather have been. Not a rooftop bar in Sydney. Not a hip dive bar in New York. Even typing that sounds faintly daft, but at that time I truly believed it. And that is what makes Britain’s pubs, and British beer, the very best thing about this country. The sense that the outside doesn’t exist when you’re there. Nothing else matters. People passing by the Bow on the way to somewhere else are making a huge mistake – this has everything you will ever need. Take the beer – it’s as good tonight as it’s ever been. From Hardknott Katalyst – a zingy grapefruit bitter – to the sweet, pineapple flavours of Tempest Citra. If you’re not a fan of fruit, then drink the stunning Cresta Black – also by Tempest. Rich, smooth, with a nutty chocolate aftertaste – I defy anyone not to like it. Put down your pints of Fosters and just bloody try it. These guys are the best brewery in Scotland at the moment. They really are. Hardknott are also doing astonishing things. As for Dark Star – it’s hard for me to express in words what it’s like (to non beer drinkers) to appreciate their Imperial Stout. A 10% cask ale that slides down as easy as anything. Sweet, oaky marzipan. Anybody who enjoys sherry or port should be made to drink this. People who like the fortified stuff but don’t like beer. You do like beer – you just don’t know it. Or rather, you don’t like the wrong kind of beer. Try the right kind. Try it in somewhere like the Bow Bar. Believe in what British breweries are producing, and how British pubs are serving. Now, more than ever, both need your support. They already have mine. Give them yours – I promise they won’t let you down.

Last week, this article by Ben McFarland in the Guardian raised a thunderous outpouring of torrentious bile. Ben, the current BGBW Beer Writer of the Year, suggested – in an article I’m guessing was more than slightly tongue in cheek – that it was time to maybe, possibly, get rid of the nonic pint glass from British pubs. As of today, 553 comments later, presumably Ben’s face is up behind every pub counter in the land (or on the dartboard). As much as the shining lights of the blogeratti like to push the ‘snifter of DIPA, and keep the change from the fiver’ attitude, it seems comments like these show the ‘craft’ message is still very much in the minority. Just think if this article had appeared in the Daily Mail…

“Stick to your little bottles and leave the men to it, son”

Unsurprisingly, the spector of manliness pervaded much of the commentary. This person clearly has never chewed his way through a 22floz bottle of Stone Arrogant Bastard. In fact, they would probably never even consider drinking something served in fluid ounces.

“I’m sick to death of identikit pubs with a ‘wide range’ of over-hopped, yellow, ‘craft ales’ made by micro-breweries run by ex-bankers”

Ahh, the other c-word. Whether or not something is craft is something that will run and run, as long as we have no rigid definition on this side of the Atlantic. Also, the longer the financial crisis lasts, the more unemployed bankers will be out there – so this scenario could be eerily prophetic.

“Now everybody including men has to drink from what used to be called “a lady’s glass”? Another sign of the progressive feminization of British society led by London NW1 trendies and health fascists”

Where to begin with this one? Under what circumstances was a “lady’s glass” used? By the wives in their unheated side room, away from the men in the snug? Clearly, someone here fears for their masculinity. They probably also live in London.

“I can’t stand these new Beer Connoisseurs. They are such a collection of bores. They tried to do the same to tea back in the 1990s. It worked for a while before everyone realised a tea bag in a cup is all they wanted. Give me a pint of cheap beer in a pub in an old fashioned pint glass, end of story. Why are people ashamed of it?”

It’s not really the beer Ben was questioning, more the serving vessel. True story – a friend of mine once tried to make a cup of tea in a pint glass (and a nonic pint glass at that), only to have the whole thing crack in half when he poured the boiling water in. Lessons were learned that day.

“I have to say I hate those fancy wine glasses you get with lagers these days and routinely ask for the plain nonik style tankard. Some of them are over a foot long and prone to falling over. Its like drinking beer from a vase”

I actually agree with this – having once seen three Erdinger bulbed pint glasses topple from a bar. The mess was horrendous. Much better for putting flowers in (if you live in London NW1).

“Your assertion that pints are unappealing is ridiculous, clearly many people (including myself) find them extrememely appealing. A pint is too much? Man up! You’re an adult right? Act like one”

Man up! Great phrase. Particularly when slapping the face of a comatose drinker outside the Dog and Duck at midnight.

“While we are at it why don’t we call WWII a draw and ask the 1966 World Cup squad to hand back their winners medals?”

Ah. Maybe it was the Daily Mail after all…