There is no hack (S.Hrg.109-539)

Pretty much whenever TJ turns up in town, I nearly immediately drag him to a brewery -- ok, ok, it doesn't take much convincing, actually -- because beer tasting is not nearly as fun all by oneself. During his last trip into town, I took TJ on the Hackney Brewery Trail, which I highly recommend over the Bermondsey Beer Mile, as what it lacks in proximity it makes up for in quality.

It didn't look promising from the start, as our first stop was Tap East, which happens to be in Stratford City Mall (left). But my negativity toward a mall bar turned around when I had a pint of Life's a Beach, a pineapple and coconut wheat beer from Brass Castle Brewery, one of quite a few unique offerings on tap. From Stratford, we headed toward Hackney proper, passing by the Olympic Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on the way to the River Lea (right).

The inviting interior of The Plough is a bit of a contrast from the industrial Swan Wharf surroundings (top left). The pub comprises the ground floor and loading area of former manufacturing buildings, which over the years have been home to twine and stair-tread producers; the area is now being redeveloped as an innovation center (top right). I wasn't very innovative in ordering a Pale Ale, a flagship beer from Truman's Brewery, with which the pub is associated. As we proceeded to our next stop, we passed a distribution center for the brewery (bottom).

 

As we strolled along Hertford Union Canal, which funneled us back to the main River Lee Navigation, we saw lingering signs of the the area's derelict reputation (top). But as soon as we entered Crate Brewery, the evidence of hipster-led gentrification was overwhelming (bottom left). It wasn't busy at first, but soon enough, those in the know were filling the place for post-work drinks. Luckily, we got our pizza order in before the wait time got too long; I enjoyed a Wheatermelon witbier with our Middle Eastern Lamb pizza (bottom right). 

A few short strides through a parking lot, and we were in the Howling Hops Tank Bar, the United Kingdom's first dedicated tank bar (top left). The atmosphere was so nice that we stayed for a couple of drinks, including a Hopfenweisse dry-hopped wheat beer for me, and soon enough, even though our pizza was filling, we couldn't resist ordering a smoked-beef sandwich from Billy Smokes (top right). We walked off at least a few calories as we crossed Victoria Park on the way to our next stop (bottom).

The People's Park Tavern sits right on the edge of the park, so its garden attracts a lot of post-league player gatherings (top). On such a sunny day, the upstairs tap room was empty (bottom left), meaning there was no line as I ordered a Cherry Tart Belgian blonde ale from Fourpure Brewing Co. The tavern is a base for Laine Brewing Company (bottom right), but I skipped out trying their beers because, a few days earlier, we had visited the brewery's other outlet in Acton: The Aeronaut, where I had an Aeronaut Ales porter. We had such a good time at The Aeronaut and at Dragonfly Brewery -- by far, the most atmospheric pub brewery I've been to in London -- that I forgot to take any pictures.

Running short on time, we skipped The Cock Tavern, where Howling Hops was first brewed in the basement, so we could get to London Fields Brewery before lights out (left). The surprisingly perky bartender talked me into a 3 Weiss Monkeys white IPA. We appreciated the friendly vibe, so we vowed to come back another time and rushed off to Duke's Brew & Cue, the birthplace of Beavertown Brewery (right). The staff was nice enough to let us enjoy our final drinks of the night, a Quelle saison for me, as they performed their closing-time ritual, which involved cleaning vigorously while dancing wildly and singing loudly to '80s R&B.

Having already exhausted most of the brewery hotspots in town, I had to opt for the Wapping Pub Crawl when TJ came for another holiday. We started at the Town of Ramsgate, which likely was the original site of a Execution Dock for pirates, before we proceeded to The Captain Kidd (top left), named after the famous Brit who switched from a battler of buccaneers to a raider himself -- and who was later executed near Wapping Old Stairs. Further down the high street, The Prospect of Whitby (top right) has re-created the former Thameside gallows (bottom left). We ended the night with some great conversation and an even better meal -- of a pint of whitebait and fishcakes -- at The Grapes (bottom right).

 

Sometimes, I manage to talk someone else into coming with me on an ale adventure. Another weekend, I asked a colleague who also had an out-of-town spouse to accompany me to the Cuddington Beer Festival. We turned it into a true outing by hiking to the festival. On the way, we strolled through the wildflower-flush grounds of Kingston Cemetery (top left) and along greenery-overgrown Hogsmill River, where Sir John Everett Millais is said to have envisioned his famous Ophelia painting (top right). The festival was a true community event, held at a Scout Group headquarters (bottom left) with members exchanging tastes for tokens and grilling up burgers for a good cause (bottom right). 

On another occasion, I went with a group of friends to the Great British Beer Festival, the near-exact opposite of the Cuddington festival, as it is held in the humongous Olympia exhibition center (left). My most deliberately chosen item was a "Trouble" pork and beef burger, with Lutenica sauce, from Bulgarian Grill. Otherwise, I just bounced from stand to stand, plopping down pounds as if I were slipping them blindly into pokie machines. I remember that I tried Wibblers Brewery's Crafty Stoat stout, Dartmoor Brewery's Three Hares honey ale, and Palmers Brewery's Colmers pale ale, but the only taste that left a lasting impression was Saltaire Brewery's Triple Chocoholic stout (right).