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The Holy Tavern (formerly The Jerusalem Tavern) (Free House)

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Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
St Peter's - Old Style PorterExcellent1
St Peter's - Honey PorterExcellent1
St Peter's - India Pale AleExcellent1
St Peter's - Cream StoutExcellent5
St Peter's - Suffolk SmokeyExcellent1
St Peter's - Organic Best BitterGood2
St Peter's - Ruby Red AleGood1
St Peter's - MildGood2
St Peter's - Golden AleGood1
St Peter's - Development BeerAcceptable1
St Peter's - Best BitterNot Tried0
St Peter's - Organic AleNot Tried0
St Peter's - Grapefruit BeerNot Tried0
St Peter's - Fruit BeerNot Tried0
St Peter's - Fruit Beer GrapefruitNot Tried0
St Peter's - Suffolk GoldNot Tried0
St Peter's - Honey PorterNot Tried0
St Peter's - Summer AleNot Tried0
Picture 1. The Holy Tavern (formerly The Jerusalem Tavern), Clerkenwell, Central London
Picture 2. The Holy Tavern (formerly The Jerusalem Tavern), Clerkenwell, Central London

Visits Details

10 Jun 2014 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close. Good honest boozer with a comprehensive prominent price list showing pint and half pint and 500ml bottle prices and abv. Several half pint prices are less than half the price of a pint. Quail scotch eggs "the size of a golf ball" an unusual feature.
BeerABVScoreNotes
St Peter's - Organic Best Bitter4.10Good
St Peter's - Cream Stout6.50GoodGreat bittersweet balance but needed a tad more carbonation to excel
St Peter's - Ruby Red Ale4.30Not Tried
St Peter's - Summer Ale6.50Not Tried
St Peter's - Honey Porter4.50Not Tried
St Peter's - Suffolk Gold4.90Not Tried
24 Sep 2013 (Judy G Garland)
Lunch Time Session
BeerABVScoreNotes
St Peter's - Cream Stout6.50Excellent
St Peter's - Best Bitter3.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Organic Ale4.50Not Tried
St Peter's - Suffolk Gold4.90Not Tried
St Peter's - Honey Porter4.40Not Tried
27 Feb 2013 (Stephen Harris)
The pub put out word that it was seeking comments on a St Peter’s beer so new that it does not even have a proper name yet – I showed willing, but was surprised on arrival to find it only available on old-style fizzy keg. The little pub was uncomfortably over-crowded in the early evening.
BeerABVScoreNotes
St Peter's - Mild3.70GoodNice, chocolaty, black mild with some roastiness and hop in the finish.
St Peter's - Development Beer2.80AcceptableExperimental, low-strength beer, served on keg dispense. Amber/brown in colour, cold and fizzy. Clearly has a good hop flavour. But I suspect the high carbonation was disguising a lack of body – would like to try a cask-conditioned version to get a fuller picture of the taste.
St Peter's - Organic Best Bitter4.10Not Tried
St Peter's - Golden Ale4.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Ruby Red Ale4.30Not Tried
St Peter's - Fruit Beer Grapefruit4.70Not Tried
16 Jan 2013 (Stephen Harris)
I’ve been roped in to a Clerkenwell pubcrawl with a couple of mates – the object being to submit a few beer scores to the local CAMRA Branch for pubs which are under-represented in the Good Beer Guide selection process. We begin here.
BeerABVScoreNotes
St Peter's - Cream Stout6.50ExcellentSmooth, dry, strong and lush. Probably should not have started with a pint of this, given the long evening ahead.
St Peter's - Golden Ale4.70GoodFragrantly hoppy, thick mouthfeel, slightly buttery.
St Peter's - Best Bitter3.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Ruby Red Ale4.30Not Tried
St Peter's - India Pale Ale5.50Not Tried
06 Nov 2012 (Stephen Harris)
Absolute gridlock in this little pub between 7 and 8 on a Tuesday evening. Sometimes I wish it was ten times the size – but that would take away the unique character.
BeerABVScoreNotes
St Peter's - Cream Stout6.50ExcellentI’m quite a fan of his first class, strong, smooth, chocolaty, slightly smoky, stout.
St Peter's - India Pale Ale5.50ExcellentCopper-coloured. Full-bodied and hoppy in an English IPA style.
St Peter's - Golden Ale4.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Best Bitter3.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Fruit Beer Grapefruit4.70Not Tried
04 Sep 2012 (Stephen Harris)
Quite busy here and it is a shame to discover that the pub is now obliged to serve beer for drinking outside in plastic cups. Luckily we found a perch inside and were allowed good old-fashioned glass.
BeerABVScoreNotes
St Peter's - Old Style Porter5.10ExcellentDark ruby red in colour, almost black. Smooth, a bit smoky, fruity and creamy. Dry finish.
St Peter's - Honey Porter4.50ExcellentVery deep ruby red in colour. Smooth and rich and very strongly honey-flavoured. Not sweet, the honey and the dark malt gives an almost treacle-like taste. Long honey aftertaste.
St Peter's - Golden Ale4.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Best Bitter3.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Mild3.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Ruby Red Ale4.30Not Tried
14 May 2012 (Stephen Harris)
Relatively un-crowded on a Monday evening, and I even got a seat after a while. Pleased to see they are now selling ‘Soffles’, my absolute favourite pub snack – this will bring me back more often.
BeerABVScoreNotes
St Peter's - Cream Stout6.50ExcellentOne of St Peter’s less frequently encountered beers on cask. Black, smooth, creamy stout. Dry and roasty.
St Peter's - Suffolk Smokey4.80ExcellentAvailable only in bottle. A copper-coloured beer with an outrageously peaty and smoky flavour. Nevertheless, strangely moorish.
St Peter's - Golden Ale4.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Best Bitter3.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Organic Ale4.50Not Tried
St Peter's - Fruit Beer3.60Not Tried
24 Jan 2012 (Stephen Harris)
I well-remember the excitement when this little pub opened in 1996 (it’s not as old as it looks) and for a while I was a very regular customer. Somehow I have got out of the habit and last night’s visit was my first for 18 months . It’s not got any bigger and as I only had time for a quick pint on the way to somewhere else, I stood outside on the pavement.
BeerABVScoreNotes
St Peter's - Mild3.70GoodA tasty, bitter chocolatey, dark mild with some hops in the finish.
St Peter's - Organic Best Bitter4.10Not Tried
St Peter's - Best Bitter3.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Old Style Porter5.10Not Tried
St Peter's - Fruit Beer3.60Not Tried
24 Apr 2009 (Blair)
After my disapointment in finding out it was closed on saturdays on my last visit I was glad to finally get here. A really interesting building with a really great mix of people. Only time for a pint before I had to head off again.
BeerABVScoreNotes
St Peter's - Ruby Red Ale4.30GoodNice fruity ale with a bit of toffee and malt.
St Peter's - Organic Best Bitter4.10Not Tried
St Peter's - Best Bitter3.70Not Tried
19 Feb 2009 (Ian)
I love this pub. Especially when I can get a table and settle down with a couple of beers and a good book (the last Rebus novel). Still not sure what the two 20 something women were doing with the 3 middle aged guys at the table by the window, an odd menage a cinq. Good barman. I had a bottle of the Amarillo and tried out the Taddington lager from Buxton in Derbyshire as well (which was excellent).
BeerABVScoreNotes
St Peter's - Organic Best Bitter4.10GoodA decent bitter, with brown malts and a drying hop finish, which has a touch of spicy hop and decent grapefruit fruit.
St Peter's - Best Bitter3.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Mild3.70Not Tried
St Peter's - Organic Ale4.50Not Tried
St Peter's - Grapefruit Beer4.70Not Tried

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About The Holy Tavern (formerly The Jerusalem Tavern)

The pub sign. The Holy Tavern (formerly The Jerusalem Tavern), Clerkenwell, Central London

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional-
Excellent16
Good21
Acceptable8
Poor-

Website.

The pub is found in Clerkenwell, Central London, EC1M 5UQ.

Tucked away on Britton Street off Clerkenwell, this is a fantastic pub. Opened in 1996 as a re-creation of an 18th century tavern so it is nowhere as old as it looks. If you like odd real ale and the feel of a small, all wooden pub with little drinking areas, then this is the place for you. Served St. Peter's beers on draught, by air pressure, from 6 taps (on fake cask ends) behind the bar, or by the bottle or continental lager from the taps on the bar when under St Peter's Brewery ownership until early 2022. Great place to have something different. Reopened early March 2022 after a short period of closure and with a change of name.

We have visited this pub 28 times, seen 26 different beers and tried 21 of them.

Map location

Postcode: EC1M 5UQ