BV London Pub of the Year 2021-22 - part one

It might not feel like it, but it was fully ten years ago that I launched my London Pub of the Year award. 

And now, at last, it's back!

Yep, after a long wait it's time to once again pick my favourite pub in the Greater London area from the past 12 months. God I've missed doing this.

Counting down to the end of lockdown!

The last couple of years have been a bit, well, disrupted, and you'll probably know that for the 2019-21 period I decided upon a 'special award' for the Kentish Belle in Bexleyheath who went above and beyond the call of duty during the first lockdown as well as being a damn good pub the rest of the time. (Well, it was originally only going to be for 2019-20, but further lockdowns meant that this effectively held true for an additional year!)

Anyway, because I wasn't able to run the contest and do full pub surveys for the past two years, we're going to have a completely fresh start, and then - fingers crossed, no more fucking lockdowns please! - return to normal this time next year.

So, this year's competition will consist of eight pubs, including previous winners, returning old favourites and a couple of new entries, and the top five will automatically come back next year, alongside five new ones to keep things fresh.

I've also tweaked the scoring system every so slightly as it was pointed out that having a point specifically for food would prevent wet-led (well, wetxclusive) pubs from ever achieving a maximum score.

So the new scoring system will be: 

• 0 to 3 points available for the range of draught beers.
• -3 to 3 points available for the quality of the cask. Yes, cask is that important. And that variable.
  
• -3 to 3 'bonus' points for anything else, good or bad, about the place. Which can include food, obviously.
  

And with that, let's crack on with our first four 2021-22 contenders!

 

Kentish Belle, Bexleyheath

The Belle was one of the later additions to the glut of micropubs in South-East London, having opened less than five years ago, but it didn't take long to put itself on the map and, let's be honest, make the other micropubs in the local area appear decidedly ordinary.

Range of draught beers: For its first couple of years, the Kentish Belle was cask-only, which isn't something I had a problem with, given the wide availability of good keg beer all over London these days. Cask still predominates here, but is now typically supplemented by 3-4 keg offerings, with Lagers, Sours, Impy Stouts and other styles not commonly found in cask making the overall range even more impressive.

The number of cask beers fluctuates according to customer numbers, which is eminently sensible; On a good day you might find a choice of eight or more, all generally from the better, craftier micros. There's also a high chance of finding rare, one-off or otherwise highly desirable beers, particularly when a tap takeover is taking place. (You don't want to miss those - they typically highlight the top breweries in the land such as Thornbridge, Siren and Tiny Rebel.) I recently enjoyed Tiny Rebel's ThaIPA at a takeover here and I think it might just be my favourite beer of all time.

Look carefully; you might see evidence of tap takeovers!

A balanced, interesting selection is pretty much guaranteed - and while that is true of a lot of keg-centric pubs these days - it is achieved while maintaining the focus on cask. For that reason, it scores a maximum 3 points.

Quality of real ale: Really, really good. The thing is, even when I have a beer here that isn't to my taste, such as a malty brown bitter, I cannot fault the condition. It's always, consistently superb. Cask as it should be (as opposed to how it all too frequently is in London, sadly).

It never ceases to amaze how many pubs fail to get basic cellaring right. Putting beers on that aren't ready, trying to sell the dregs of a cask that has gone off, not wanting the hassle of sending a cask back that doesn't look or taste right... A lot of publicans could learn a whole lot just by talking to Nick from the Belle for a few minutes.

Nothing else to be said. It's been consistently outstanding over the past year and merits full marks. 3 points.

Bonus points:  In the unlikely even that you can't find any beer you want on cask or keg, check the fridge for a rocking selection of craft cans which is definitely worth a bonus point. And if you prefer cider, there's a wide choice of the real stuff - strong ones, fruited ones, whiskey cask - and that's clearly another bonus point in the bag. 

Whatever you're drinking here you might want a snack at some point, and the range at the Kentish Belle happily includes Tavern Snacks dry roasted peanuts. These are, I believe, the best currently available, and I've tried a hell of a lot of different brands. And there's a loyalty card scheme - buy nine pints and get the next one free. Oh, and there's board games if you want to play.

Even if I deducted a point for all the spats with local CAMRA groups, or for the guvnor standing as a Labour party candidate - which I'm not going to; that would be petty even by my standards - there's still enough positives to counterbalance this and ensure the Belle picks up all three bonus points.

 (If planning a trip you'll need to watch out for the opening hours - usually closed Monday and Tuesday and with limited hours on Wednesday and Sunday - so check their social media or website.)

I know that not everybody agrees with me about the all-round greatness of the Kentish Belle.  The omission from the 2022 Good Beer Guide was highly controversial. But I'm a big, big fan and it's an incredibly strong contender to kick things off!

Pineapple, Kentish Town

So, from the Kentish Belle we head up to Kentish Town - and an attempt to prove that not all the pubs in this contest are South of the River. The Pineapple has a marvellously 'proper old London Boozer' interior but a pretty contemporary attitude towards beer that has drawn admirers in recent years. Let's take a closer look.

A proper pub interior

Range of draught beers: While it might not compare to some of the other pubs to grace the competition it's certainly not bad. Typically you'll find between three and five cask beers on, plus a further eight on keg.

Unlike many of the pubs in the contest, the Pineapple does have some 'macro' products, so you might encounter people drinking Doom Bar or Guinness or Camden Hells (a guilty pleasure of mine, it has to be said). But there's more to it than that. On a recent visit I found a 6% Milkshake IPA from the Hophurst brewery on cask - there's nothing mainstream about that!

The Pineapple has also embraced the art of the tap takeover and is looking to do more of these in the future. They also try to vary the range with dark beers and a mix of strengths. It's not the broadest range of beer you'll find anywhere, but it is decent. 1.5 points.

Quality of real ale: I have to be honest and score a 1 here. That's not actually terrible, on the scale from -3 to 3 it means its slightly above average. I just haven't been properly wowed by pints here. My preference would be for a little bit cooler and a tad more condition. Just saying.

Bonus points: Something you wouldn't expect to find on an old street corner - the kitchen here is authentically Thai, and while that wouldn't be my first point of call when thinking about what to snack on while drinking craft beers, it works fairly well and is worth a point. Especially if you like Lemongrass. And the tasteful preservation of the interior is worth another - the combination of wood, wallpaper and classic brewery mirrors is something to behold. I'm told there is a pub cat here, which is a great feature, only I've never actually seen it in person (and it hasn't seen me in feline) so I can only give half a point for that.

There's nothing I'd actually deduct points for here, so it's a perfectly respectable showing for a quirky little 150-year-old backstreet boozer.

 

Cask, Pimlico

The Cask Pub & Kitchen has never won the BV Pub of the Year, though one of its stablemates in the Craft Beer Company is a four-time winner. However, none of the CBCs make the cut this time, but the Cask does. Let's look a little closer at why I've done this, shall we?

Range of draught beers: I think it's fair to say that the Cask/Craft chain has suffered a bit in recent years and probably hasn't recovered from a bout of long COVID. In particular the cask ranges have been heavily rationalised with none at all in some of the pubs and the flagship Clerkenwell branch that once boasted 16 or more real ales reduced to just a couple.

Parmesan and Truffle Oil chips. And beer, obviously.

The range at the Cask has been reduced too, but nowhere near as drastically.  You'll still find between five and seven cask offerings here most of the time, plus a further ten or more on keg, including a high proportion of rare imported stuff that is generally hard to find.

They don't shy away from stronger or more unusual beers (albeit sometimes at eye-watering prices) and whether you want a quaffable Saison, a barrel-aged Sour or a strong Dessert Stout, there's literally something for everyone. Full marks. 

Quality of real ale: The cask here is consistently good (given the name of the place it would be a bit of an own goal if it wasn't!) and it only scores a 2 because there are other places where the condition is truly outstanding and it's not quite as sublime in comparison.

Bonus points: I'm not going to give a point for the hot food here because it's a mixed bag. I love the big plates of fries with the Stokes sauces to mop up the beer, but some of the full meals - burgers and Sunday roasts - have been a bit disappointing. It'll get a point for the extensive range of bottles and cans in the fridge (which can be purchased to take home at a discounted price) though they aren't really necessary given the consistently varied range of options on draught. 

I don't have a problem with an unashamed focus on beer, though I probably ought to remark that some of the areas which would've given the Cask bonus points in the past have suffered a little - the ranges of bar snacks and spirits appear to been rationalised somewhat and are now no longer exceptional.

All of this appears to add up to a 'mixed' review, and if you're not a beer person, it might very well not be the pub for you. But I can't stress enough just how exciting the range is here.

Rake, Southwark

The Rake is also no stranger to this competition, having appeared in the inaugural contest and several times since. It's very small footprint means that it could arguably be considered 'the original micropub', though the outside decking area and cuboid layout gives it quite a different vibe. The Borough Market area has had its ups and downs as a drinking destination, but the Rake has arguably gone from strength to strength and been the most consistent drinking hole in the area over the past decade or so.

...but perfectly formed

Range of draught beers: When the Rake first opened, converted from a market traders greasy spoon, the beer range was fairly modest - after all, it was a tiny pub which couldn't hold many customers and wouldn't be able to turn over much beer. Well, that might be what we thought at the time, but following the latest refurb the range is more extensive than ever. Up to four cask and around 15 keg beers are available, changing constantly and featuring the best craft and micro brews from the UK and further afield.

Sometimes you'll see the same beers doing the rounds in different craft beer places and possibly even get a bit fed up of it, but the Rake manages to be just a little bit different, whether that's a mild from a really small micro on cask, or an imported low-alcohol Raddler on keg. I'll give it 2 points, and that's probably only because it's more keg-oriented and I have an admitted pro-cask bias.

Quality of real ale: There are pubs in this area that would score 0 or -1, and possibly even lower. It is to the Rake's credit that it maintains a high bar for the cask quality with fresh, elegantly conditioned pints. 2 points.

Bonus points: Having started life as the sister of a bottle shop in the market, the range of Continental bottles is hugely impressive, particularly given the small size of the venue, and this is worth a point. And indeed a punt. And quite possibly a pint. An eccentric selection of bar snacks is worth another point - I really need to conduct an experiment in beer and Monster Munch pairing at some juncture!

In the age of the micropub the Rake is still diminutively unique and does it's own thing in a very special way. Good luck ever getting a table, mind - but that's testimony to the achievements of the place. 

 

And there we go - but don't forget that this is just half the story. In a few days time we shall have part two where another four pubs enter the fray. I can't wait, and neither can you. And neither can I.

Where to find it...

Kentish Belle
8 Pickford Lane
Bexleyheath
DA7 4QW (map)
website / whatpub
********* 

Pineapple
51 Leverton Street
Kentish Town 

NW5 2NX(map)
website / whatpub
*********

Cask Pub & Kitchen
6 Charlwood Street
Pimlico
SW1V 2EE (map)
website / whatpub
*********

Rake
14A Winchester Walk

Southwark 

SE1 9AG (map)
website / whatpub
*********