Thursday 25 April 2013
Wednesday 10 April 2013
March pub ratings – Oxford, Brixton, Copenhagen…
Apologies for the delay in sending this out, especially to those ten people in the Ukraine who all visited the blog on the 1st of April (or the one particularly pub ratings obsessed Ukrainian who checked ten times on that day), expecting to see March ratings and were duly disappointed.
In March the majority of pubs I drank in were located in Brixton, Oxford and Copenhagen. Brixton was a bit of a disappointment, I was expecting a kind of South of the river Hackney, with more jerk chicken. What I got was some 4.2% ales and a lot of pink-shirted Clapham types watching the rugga. The only exception was the excellent Windmill which was a great venue for listening to some good to average indy bands and partaking in a Saint Patrick’s day Guinness.
After enjoying the cream of Oxford’s pubs in February, March was a chance to sample some of the dregs. However, some gems were uncovered amongst the swill particularly the Folly Bridge with its epic Friday folk night and bunting still up from the Jubes.
And so it falls to Copenhagen to provide the majority of pubs in the top ten. To anyone who is heading out there it’s worth just taking a deep breath and accepting that the average cost of a pint is going to be around £5.50 (hey they do pay 25% VAT) and doing some hotel boozing before going out. Although my only prior knowledge of Danish beer was weak, larger piss Carlsberg, since 2000 there’s apparently been a bit of a microbrewery explosion in Copenhagen. We sampled a couple of these, as well as the distinctly unhip English and Scottish pub. However, one pub stood out above all others and nearly won every single category for the month, the first time that’s ever happened.
Best décor, best atmosphere, Clientele, Courtesy of Bar Staff, Best Pub: Vinstue 90
When I visited Arthurstown, near Waterford for New Years, I was won over by Irish tales of how locals in country pubs would fill their pints three quarters full of room temperature Guinness and then top it up with some chilled. It was these and other such Celtic stouty tales that led me to put my scepticism aside and began to believe that Guinness did taste better in Ireland, even when it came out of a can. Attempts to return back to England with cans of genuine Irish Guinness were foiled by the 100 ML hand luggage policy, so I’m still not able to conclusively prove this.
After this revelation imagine my delight then when I found out that Carlsberg (which now I recall did get to the finals of the average-priced Lager tournament at last year’s Gwrdu) actually tastes better in Denmark. And if you thought mixing your room temperature and chilled Guinness has an old world folksy charm well my beer whims-o-metre was blown out of the water when I found a pub that took fifteen minutes to pour a pint…of Carlsberg of all things.
This pub was Vinstue 90, in the Vesterbro region of Copenhagen. After ordering my Carlsberg the friendly but grizzled barmen advised me to buy a bottle of beer (we selected the Pask Brygg or Easter beer), while he spends the next 15 minutes pouring out layers of head and ‘chopping’ it off, presumably wasting three or pints worth in the process. As well as this Slow Beer, Vinstue 90 is one of the few bars in Copenhagen that actually resembles a pub and not a café, or some kind of pub-themed experience in the British zone of Disney’s Epcot Centre. It’s also one of the few pubs in Copenhagen where people can still smoke. When we were there the air was thick with the fug of cigars as boozy Danes celebrated Maunday Thursday. It made Tone reminisce back to the old days in England before the smoking ban came in, and remember what a horrible time it was. Finally, the clientele – the majority of bars we went to were full of Scando hipsters (it probably didn’t help that we spent our time hanging around microbreweries in Norrebro, or the meat packing district). Not this place though, practically everyone in here resembled Theis from the Killings, when he was rowdily drinking with his mates to forget about the death of his daughter Nanna – little suspecting that one of said mates was actually the killer. For all these reasons Vinstue 90 is the best pub of March and the best pub reviewed this year. Go there now and make it your local.
Best booze: The brew-pub Norrebro Brygghus just edges out that Slow Carlsberg in Vinstue 90 thanks to a 12% Barley Wine known as Little Korkny (manna from heaven to the Tone) and the seasonal Paske Bok at a much lighter, yet still Tone approved, 7.5.
Next month: Walka’s stag including the Leeds Ottley Run, Cambridge and the reopening of the refurbed (shudder) t’House at Top.
#
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Pub/bar
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Description
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D
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A
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B
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C
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COB
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M
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1
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Vinstue 90, Copenhagen
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Cigar pea-souper, boozy rowdy Danes and the legendary slow 15 minute Carlsberg.
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5.0
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4.8
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4.5
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4.8
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4.5
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4.7
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2
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Mikeller, Copenhagen
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Hipster cellar bar, run by Gypsy craft brewer with 20 plus brews at £8.00 a pint
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4.5
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4.3
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4.5
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4.1
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4.3
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4.3
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3
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The Folly Bridge, Oxford
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Rough and ready Oxford folk pub somewhat south of the Folly Bridge
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4.1
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4.5
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4.0
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4.5
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4.0
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4.2
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4
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Norrebro Brygghus, Copenhagen
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Barley wine but a bit open for agoraphobe Tone
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3.4
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4.0
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4.8
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3.9
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4.4
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4.1
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5
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The Grapes, Oxford
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Titanic beer, beard banter, friendly locals, bit bright
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3.7
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3.7
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4.1
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4.4
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4.4
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4.0
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6
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Loppen, Copenhagen
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Scuzzy Copenhagen rockbar full of Raggare-inspired Hipsters
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3.8
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4.1
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3.9
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3.8
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4.3
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4.0
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7
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The Windmill, Brixton, London
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Tone: "Outlaw folk, they're fucking inlaw folk!" Best bar in Brixton though.
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4.5
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4.0
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2.5
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3.9
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4.0
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3.8
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8
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Navnløs café/bar, 6 Enghave Plads, Copenhagen
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Typical of that café/bar boundary blurring that characterises Copenhagen. Sexy Ms Pacman game.
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4.0
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4.0
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3.4
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3.5
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4.0
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3.8
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9
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Royal Blenheim, Oxford
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Trad Welsh backstreet pub with 10 Welsh ales
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3.9
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4.0
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4.3
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2.4
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4.3
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3.8
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10
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Boutique Lize, Enghave Plads, Copenhagen
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Cheap cocktails (for Copenhagen), offered Absinthe by bearded compadres
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3.4
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4.0
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4.3
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3.6
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2.9
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3.6
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11
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Mesteren & Laerlingen, Meat Packing District, Copenhagen
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Standard meat packing bodega with booze, plays Porque Ta Vas from Cria Cuervos to my delight
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4.1
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4.1
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2.5
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3.9
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3.5
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3.6
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12
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The Plough, Bloomsbury, London
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BM Lion's favourite. Craig can name all the barmaids.
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1.9
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4.0
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3.3
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4.1
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4.8
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3.6
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13
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The Port Mahone, St Clements, Oxford
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Cosy lighting and good atmos, booze a bit weak
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4.3
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4.0
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2.0
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3.8
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4.0
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3.6
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14
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The Cutty Sark, Greenwich, London
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Unexciting Adnams ales. Bit of a food pub alternative to Trafalger. Kids urgg.
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4.1
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3.8
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2.9
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3.1
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3.8
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3.5
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15
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The Essex and Wenlock, Islington, London
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Sexy neon-strip back room. Circus theme. PBH!!!
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3.8
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3.7
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3.6
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3.7
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2.8
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3.5
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16
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Vesterbro Brygett, 'Skallen', Copenhagen
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The best of the theme park pubs to the North of Tivoli. Hygge.
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3.8
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3.8
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3.5
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3.3
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3.3
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3.5
|
17
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The Old Tom, Oxford
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Fairy light and orchids. Barmen has a supergrass face. Old speckled hen, yuck!
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3.8
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3.8
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2.9
|
4.0
|
2.8
|
3.4
|
18
|
Thirst, Oxford
|
Cheap city centre cocktail bar. Is what it is.
|
3.4
|
3.9
|
4
|
1.5
|
4
|
3.4
|
19
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Pussy Galore's Flying Circus, Copenhagen
|
Quietish dinerbar in the supposedly hip Norrebronx region.
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3.4
|
3.4
|
2.9
|
3.0
|
4.1
|
3.4
|
20
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The Head of the River, Oxford
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Cavernous but lazy food pub. Could be great but in it for the diners.
|
3.6
|
2.0
|
3.5
|
3.3
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3.8
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3.2
|
21
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St Algates Tavern, Oxford
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Hipsterfied gastro opposite townhall, good deets, doesn't quite work.
|
3.0
|
3.3
|
3.4
|
2.5
|
3.5
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3.1
|
22
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The Market House, Brixton, London
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Cheap cocktails (Tone's drink of choice in March it seems). Undistinguished.
|
2.7
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3.3
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2.8
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3.1
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3.8
|
3.1
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23
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Bjorgs, Copenhagen
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Down at heal hopperesque bar-café but £6.00 for a half of Carlsberg is a Bridge too far. Talk about making a Killing!
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3.3
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3.2
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3.3
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2.6
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2.3
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2.9
|
24
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The Scottish Pub, Copenhagen
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Irish pubs yes but Scottish pubs? Turns out it means you have Deuchars on tap.
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3.4
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2.5
|
3.3
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1.0
|
3.3
|
2.7
|
25
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The Oxford Retreat, Oxford
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Generic bar with one solitary gent in a blue mac. Rancid Pedigree.
|
3.0
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3.1
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2.1
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2.5
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2.4
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2.6
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26
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The White horse, Brixton, London
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Wainwrights, Deuchars, so dull.
|
3.6
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3.1
|
1.5
|
2.5
|
2.3
|
2.6
|
27
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The Trinity Arms, Brixton, London
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Lowfi Rugby hubub and arcade drawing competition.
|
2.5
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2.5
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2.3
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2.4
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3.3
|
2.6
|
28
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The Old Black Horse, St Clements, Oxford
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One lone local reminiscing about the Grand Prix. Barmaid rings last orders at 10.30! On a Saturday!
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3.0
|
2.3
|
2.9
|
1.5
|
3.3
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2.6
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29
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The English Pub, Copenhagen
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Not as good as the Scottish pub.
|
2.4
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2.6
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3.4
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2.3
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2.0
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2.5
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