Be active and take a long walk: that was our plan for the last Saturday in January. Jim and I managed to get off to a good start. We woke up, showered, and walked approximately 2 miles before we threw this plan out the window and replaced it with a non-active trip on the London overground to a beer pub that we had yet to explore – Southampton Arms, “the only dedicated ale and cider house in London to sell ONLY beer and ciders from small independent UK breweries”.
Where: North London very close to the Gospel Oak station on the London overground. See map.
Why you should visit: If you want to understand the independent beer and cider scene in the UK, this is the place to do your research and taste the products from the key brewers who are currently successful. There are 18 hand pumps. If you’re a cider fan then you have to check out this pub as I’ve never seen this large a selection or variety of ciders on the hand pumps. In 2011, Southampton Arms was voted CAMRA’s pub of the year in North London.
Overall Comments:
When we entered it was very early Saturday afternoon and there were only a few other customers in the pub. There are no TVs, no phones, and no credit cards accepted. My first impression was a little negative, mainly due to the beer smell that seems to be rooted in the walls of the place.
Thirty minutes later, I didn’t want to leave…You can tell this building has been a pub forever, but that also makes you feel like you’ve stepped back into the authentic old London pub. The great scent of a wood fire burning in the tiny fireplace at the center of the pub replaced the stale beer smell, music from the record player behind the bar filled the entire room, and customers continued entering until all the tables were filled – by 3pm in the afternoon. What completed the scene was an old endearing black mutt dog (who we guessed belonged to the pub owners). He often took laps around the length of the pub’s interior to inspect all the customers – we were probably sitting in his home, after all.
It was a cosy and comfortable hangout atmosphere with a mixture of old and young people. Jim and I played cards (I’m teaching him to play 500 Rummy to prepare for my grandparents’ upcoming visit in April!) and we sampled almost all of the ales and ciders from the hand pulls. Wonderful afternoon at the Southampton Arms!!
January 29, 2013
Beer and Breweries, Beer By Country, London, England, UK