The London Traveler

It’s nearly Christmas, and what could be nicer than to celebrate with a pint of Brodies’ Hoppy Ho Ho Ho?
That’s just one of over a hundred beers available at the Pig’s Ear Beer Festival, which opens tomorrow at Ocean in Hackney.
It’s the twenty-fifth Pig’s Ear – organised by the East London and City branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), and devoted to showcasing the best of real ale.
Winter ales always make a strong showing here with a good selection of porters, stouts, and old ales – a rare but lovely English beer style. There’ll be a few spiced …read more

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London’s a great place to drink but it has fewer breweries than it used to. If you’re into real ale, that can mean you get bored drinking Young’s and Fullers, the most commonly available beers.
However, the Market Porter  in Borough Market will help stave off beer boredom. It has an adventurous menu of real ales with ten usually on the pump. I’ve seen Dark Star, O’Hanlon’s,  Phoenix, Titanic, Everards and Kelham Island – some pretty good names (and excellent beers) in that list.  You can even see what beer’s on from the website!
Borough Market, of course, is a wonderful …read more

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Leadenhall Market, the finest complete Victorian market building in London, is worth a visit anyway. It’s a superb space, though not what it was. I remember when it had a faded little supermarket in the middle – a shop that seemed to have come through from the 1950s without ever changing – with a confectionery section where you could get yoghurt cashews and chocolate brazils. And there used to be many more fishmongers and gamedealers; pheasants and grouse hanging up, or rabbits, and the stink of fish. Nowadays, the boutiques have moved in, and the chain stores, and the …read more

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It’s not just visitors from other countries who find real ale confusing. Some Brits, too, confess themselves confused by the variety of beer on offer – and wonder what real ale is all about. So I thought I’d ofer ‘Real Ale 101′ – a quick course in ale culture for the confused.
First of all; ale, beer, lager. What’s the difference?
Ale and beer – they’re the same for most purposes. Back in the old days, beer had hops in it, and ale didn’t, but nowadays they’re pretty much the same thing. And they come in pints and half pints – no …read more

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