Last Friday we popped over to The Gun in Canary Wharf after work. We wouldn’t usually make such a big effort for a pub’s beer festival (it’s in completely the opposite direction to where we live), but I’d already read the beer list and was determined.
The Gun is a really lovely pub with its open log fire, view over the river and friendly staff (the most important part of any business). When we got there it was pretty rammed, but we managed to grab a couple of stools next to the bar.
It had been a pretty hectic week at work and I made a crucial schoolboy error: I bought bottles. High percentage bottles. Any other time I’d be working my way through half pints like a pro, but….I have no regrets.
So…on to (some of) the beers!
1. Partizan Black IPA Chinook Centennial Cascade 6.8%
The Gun is a really lovely pub with its open log fire, view over the river and friendly staff (the most important part of any business). When we got there it was pretty rammed, but we managed to grab a couple of stools next to the bar.
It had been a pretty hectic week at work and I made a crucial schoolboy error: I bought bottles. High percentage bottles. Any other time I’d be working my way through half pints like a pro, but….I have no regrets.
So…on to (some of) the beers!
1. Partizan Black IPA Chinook Centennial Cascade 6.8%
Bit of a cheat because I’ve had this before, but my god it’s good. A very dark colour with a thick, frothy beige head. Aroma is of lightly toasted dark berries, but with that subtle tang in the background. The slightly burnt aroma you get doesn’t come through in the tasting, but the fruit certainly does with a smooth bitterness to finish. Completely drinkable (and how I did).
2. Beavertown Gamma Ray, American Pale Ale 5.4%
So hoppy. So wonderfully hoppy! I had never tried any of Beavertown’s brews before, but after this I will be making an effort to try them all. A golden amber colour with a fairly thick white head, it is absolutely jam packed full of fruity flavours; lemons, grapefruit and sweet oranges. I will be buying enough of this to take a bath in.
3. Pressure Drop Bosko IPA 6.5%
Seduced by the funky packaging and another London brewery I hadn’t tried, I decided to continue my IPA quest and try this. This is a good, solid IPA with a dark cloudy amber colour and a large (but thin) white head. Aroma was very fruity and hoppy, perhaps with some rosewater or tea thrown in there. Taste wise that pink grapefruit really comes through, with a sweet bitterness. Very fresh and easy to drink.
Another thing I love about these three breweries is that they’re putting the fun back into beer. While I do love a traditional beer label with all the crests and implied heritage, I feel as though some of the newer breweries are really investing the effort into creating little works of art and, with that, a full drinking experience.
The Crafty Beeress 