Temple, London.

Fun in London (Fundon).

 Being a country boy, I don't think I could live in London. I do however, enjoy some of the capitals excellent pubs and breweries, so it's nice to head up to the smoke, meet up some with chums and kin and get on the beers. On this occasion Mrs BB came, so there is gin too.

First stop, the Temple Brew House. Or so we thought. First Great Western and Transport for London had conspired to provide an excellent service on this particular Saturday, so we arrived before opening. Even hopping off the tube at Embankment for a stroll along the Thames and a look at a statue or two hadn't delayed us sufficiently. Hey ho, better 25 minutes early than 5 late. Not that that we'd have been late for anything. Anyway, we went and had a look at the Royal Courts of Justice around the corner, had a coffee, looked in a Twinings tea shop and headed back to the pub. Still closed. No messing about with coffee this time, there's pubs nearby and its midday-ish.

The George is bang opposite the Royal Courts of Justuce and I imagine it does most of its trade weekday evenings rather weekends. The general area was pretty quiet on a Saturday lunchtime, but there were a few folk in for a drink or a spot of food. The pub has a good range of beers, including local breweries and stuff from further afield. I had a swift half of Broadway Blonde by London Fields Brewery, an easy drinking 5% eye opener. The George is a very decent place for a pint, but not worth a special trip to my mind. It was open though, which was something. We didn't eat, but the fish and chips I saw coming out certainly turned my head. It also had some cool drawings of ships, which I like.

  

After supping the half, we decided to head back round the corner to see if the Temple Brew House was open. It was, hooray! Down the stairs, past the brewing equipment and into a fashionably decorated underground bar area. And what a bar. A cheerful Australian shook my hand having realised we shared the same first name and showed me a bit of what was on offer. And what is on offer is a fantastic selection of craft beer, real ale and cider. I know if I see the sublime Gamma Ray by Beavertown on the bar I'm on to a good thing, and there it was. Add that to beers from other noted London breweries like Kernel, Meantime, Sambrook's and London Fields and I'm sure you can tell I quite liked this place. 

On the hand pulls were three beers brewed in house under the banner of Essex Street Brewery. There was also a Redemption Brewery beer and Old Rosie cider. The cask stuff was in good condition and well served. The ever popular three thirds paddle was available and at £4, not bad value if you ask me. There's also a craft keg paddle available for a fiver, not bad at all.

I tried a good few of these beers, from the kegs and the casks. The Kernel Mosaic and Zeus Pale Ale and the Redwell Indian Pale Lager, a new style to me, stood out from the craft range. From the real ale on offer the Essex Street Antipodes Pacific Pale Ale was one I'd certainly come back to.

A good London beer establishment has to do burgers. It's probably in some council planning bylaws. The Temple Brew House doesn't disappoint in this respect, and dealt out a fine burger. They even had a house salt.  

I alluded earlier that Mrs BB is into her gin, quite possibly as a result of being engaged to me. Anyway, she was well happy with the range and the staff knew what they dealing with, which is always good.

I can definitely see a return trip to the Temple Brew House. Beer, food and staff were all spot on. Even the toilets were nicely decorated!

Bye!