Categories
london pubs

The beer geek God is listening

What we’ve been after for a long time is a pub near work with a good range of cask ale, interesting beer in bottles and has enough room to move without bumping into a sweaty bloke in a suit.

Enter “Cask“, which we spotted from afar this evening, and detoured to investigate. It’s a cosy but modern refurbishment of a grotty estate pub in Pimlico (a bit of London which hasn’t really posh since the early 19th century, despite appearances).

It only opened recently, but is already busy. The big draw: Dark Star Hophead, in perfect condition, with the promise of the full range of Dark Star beers to follow as guests. A secondary draw: more than 20 bottled regional German beers, some of which we’ve never seen before.

And the enthusiastic, friendly landlord and landlady buzzing around looking after their customers aren’t harming business either.

All in all, it’s a bit of a find. This is one Credit Crunch business venture that ought to do well, if there’s any justice in the world. We’ll certainly be back.

The Cask is on the corner of Charlwood Street and Tachbrook Street, about three minutes walk from Pimlico underground station. It’s open at weekends and serves decent looking food.

9 replies on “The beer geek God is listening”

Thanks for the tip, I shall have to drop in soon. I’ve been following your excellent blog for sometime now, not least because I suspect I work in the same area in London as many of your reports of after-work drinks reflect my own haunts like the excellent Speaker and the Jugged Hare and its always good to get some good local intelligence – and intellgence doesn’t come much better than news of a local source of Hophead !

Keep up the good work
Tom

Thanks for the tip! That’s off my current “beaten track” but I do know the area having worked near there a few years ago. On your recommendation I popped over there this lunchtime and could hardly have been more impressed. Nice, clean and modern without being in any way poncey, a very friendly landlord, and some great beers. I had a pint of Dark Star Hophead that was as good a drop of beer as I’ve had for ages; right up there with the Harvey’s I had recently at Jeff Bell’s gaff. This place really does deserve to do well if they carry on as they’ve started.

Tom — thanks for the kind words!

Dave — really good to have our feelings on this place seconded — “could hardly have been more impressed” sums up our view nicely. I can’t quite put my finger on how they’ve achieved the balance of modernity and old-fashioned cosiness. Cushions? Low lighting? Anyway, it works.

Low lighting’s really important. It’s one of those things that old CAMRA weirdos have a bizarre objection to, however.

“It’s one of those things that old CAMRA weirdos have a bizarre objection to”

I rather like low lighting and agree for a pub to work well it can be a great feature if done well. Guess that’s me out of the CAMRA weirdo bracket then? Oh well. Maybe not.

Wow, thank you for the tips. Spent a lovely Saturday afternoon last week with the girls and a fine tasting bottle of chilled rose. Atmosphere was relaxing and chilled. Landlord could do no more to please us. Looking forward to going back and next time will eat and bring some real ale drinkers to sample the assortment on offer. I am also rather partial to a Belgian fruit beer so may ask the landlord if this is maybe a possibility for the future. I love the world map on display and the fascination it attracts with the customers as they enter. I also have what can only be described as an eclectic taste in music which was more than satisfied! A much needed addition to a dull and less than exciting urban area on a Saturday evening.

Comments are closed.