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Enfield & Barnet Branch celebrate National Pubs Week
by John Cryne
We decided on a couple of all day pub crawls, to include some
pubs in our area that we have not visited for a while. This is
always a useful exercise, for we were are able to do CAMRA price surveys,
beer quality reports and a final reconnaissance of entries for the 2007
edition of the Good Beer Guide. We could also introduce ourselves to
some of the landlords and talk to interested customers.
On Saturday 18 February we started at noon in the New Crown,
Southgate, a Wetherspoons pub (right). There were six real ales
available, including two guests: Titanic White Star and Red Squirrel
Conservation. Nearby we visited the Waggon where some had lunch
along with Adnams Bitter and Badger Tanglefoot. Our next pub, the
White Hart no longer sells real ale so we moved to the Fishmongers
Arms for a very good sample of Caledonian Deuchars IPA.
We then took the 121 bus to Enfield Town, where the Old Bell
was unfortunately 'between barrels' of Ringwood Bitter.
After a small backtrack we sampled M&B Mild and
Sergeant Bitter, the house ale of the Old Sergeant
(believed to be from Mighty Oak). Around the corner was
the Six Bells with Greene King IPA, then an about turn
took us to the Moon under Water, another Wetherspoons.
We had an evening meal here with guest ales Hook Norton
Old Hooky, Ridleys Rumpus (now brewed by Greene King)
and Fullers Discovery.
At the final pub of the day was the Crown and Horseshoes,
the guest ale was Cains bitter. This pub has a vast garden
to the rear with more than thirty picnic benches. At the
front a section of the New River flows by; the draymen
have to roll the barrels over a footbridge to the pub's cellar.
During the day 'swans a swimming' can often be seen
from the bar windows.
Our most expensive pint was £2.80, our cheapest (other
than Wetherspoons guest ales) £1.60.
The following Saturday, after a noon start at the White
Lion in High Barnet, a Fuller's pub selling Discovery, Jack
Frost, London Pride and ESB, it was on to the grade II
listed Olde Mitre (below), which dates from the 17th century.
Here the guest was Atlas
Nimbus, a 5% golden beer at a
reasonable £2.30. From there we
caught the 263 bus to North
Finchley. Sadly the Malt & Hops
did not, in our opinion, live up to
its name, the beers were somewhat
tired and the pub had little character
and few customers at the
time of our visit. After a short
walk we arrived at our second
Fuller's pub, the Elephant Inn
(renamed some years back from the Moss Hall Tavern).
We all looked forward to a pint of the seasonal IPA, but it
ran out after the first pint. The landlady diplomatically
shared it out into sample glasses and made no charge. The
other beers were also in good form as was the Thai food
from an independent restaurant.
After this the group split, with a purpose! The first party
went on to the Clissold Arms N2, for the presentation of the
'Pubs in Time' plaque.
The second party went first to the Catcher in the Rye,
Finchley Central, where Courage Best, Abbot, Young's bitter
and Fuller's London Pride were available. The others
moved on to the Dick Turpin, a tastefully modernised back
street local, before we all regrouped in the nearby Windsor
Castle, a McMullens house with AK, Country and the then
seasonal Sweet Chariot.
We had not yet finished by a long way: on to the Five Bells
that, to our surprise, had four real ales ranging from Courage
Best at £1.98 to Greene King Old Speckled Hen at
£2.26. Next to the Bald Faced Stag, a recently upgraded
pub with the OSH at £2.52 and London Pride a little
cheaper. We then visited Maddens with Cottage beers and
the Old White Lion beside East Finchley underground station,
which had Adnams and Young’s bitters amongst an
array of unusual lagers. That day our most expensive pint
was £2.60, our cheapest £1.75.
Ron Andrews,
Enfield and Barnet Branch
Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 35.
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