PubsandBeer
Horse & Guardsman (formerly Spoons under the water; The Lord Moon of the Mall) (McMullen)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Batemans - QED |  | 1 |
| Cairngorm - Black Gold | | 1 |
| Cotleigh - Uncle Sam Hop Burst |  | 1 |
| Highgate - Fox's Nob Premium |  | 1 |
| Hydes - Racey Rudolph |  | 1 |
| Kelham Island (probably brewed by Thornbridge now) - Wild Rider IPA | | 1 |
| Lancaster - Kingmaker | | 1 |
| Nelson - Vengeance | | 1 |
| Orkney (Sinclair) - Corncrake Ale | | 1 |
| Rooster's - Union Gap | | 1 |
| Saltaire - Liquorice Stout | | 1 |
| Shepherd Neame - Rudolph's Reward | | 1 |
| Vale - Beam Me Up Scotty | | 1 |
| Wadworth - Young Master Summer of 1842 Session India Pale Ale | | 1 |
| Adnams - Explorer | Not Tried | 0 |
| B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Hitchin Old Dark | Not Tried | 0 |
| Banks's - Two Birds Golden Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Banks's - Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Batemans - Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Batemans - Wicked Weed Freak of Nature | Not Tried | 0 |
| Beartown (latterly part of Manning Brewers) - Bearskinful (aka Premium or SB) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Zephyr | Not Tried | 0 |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Bombardier (was Bombardier Glorious English) (use Eagle entry now please) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Exmoor - Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Abbot | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hook Norton - Brew Moon Real Antipodean Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Inveralmond - Lia Fail | Not Tried | 0 |
| Lancaster - Black | Not Tried | 0 |
| Marston's - Pedigree New World Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Moorhouse's - Pendle Witches Brew | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mordue - IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Okell's - IPA (or Dr Okell's IPA) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Quantock - Wills Neck | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Junction | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sharp's - Doom Bar | Not Tried | 0 |
| Shepherd Neame - Abbaye Du Val-Dieu Abbaye Blonde | Not Tried | 0 |
| Shepherd Neame - Spitfire (or Spitfire Amber Ale) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Vale - Black Swan Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Vale - Metamorphosis | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windsor & Eton - Eton Boatman | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windsor & Eton - Koh-i-noor | Not Tried | 0 |
| Wychwood (now brewed at Banks's) - Piledriver | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
22 Apr 2019 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit. At least JDW does keep to normal published hours at bank holiday time.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vale - Beam Me Up Scotty | 4.00 | | Nicely bittered copper coloured ale |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Sharp's - Doom Bar | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Inveralmond - Lia Fail | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Junction | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Windsor & Eton - Eton Boatman | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Windsor & Eton - Koh-i-noor | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Zephyr | 4.40 | Not Tried |
06 Nov 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Apparently up for sale and one wonders if Tim's mugshot on the outside sign will survive such a sale.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batemans - QED | 4.00 | | However branded, so many Batemans pale ales taste of the same identikit sweetness |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Shepherd Neame - Spitfire (or Spitfire Amber Ale) | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Exmoor - Gold | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Moorhouse's - Pendle Witches Brew | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Bombardier (was Bombardier Glorious English) (use Eagle entry now please) | 4.10 | Not Tried |
20 Jul 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Bit of an end of day jaded feel here I felt.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wadworth - Young Master Summer of 1842 Session India Pale Ale | 5.00 | | Tangy heavily hopped and full bodied |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Mordue - IPA | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Pedigree New World Pale Ale | 3.80 | Not Tried | Came on |
| Banks's - Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Batemans - Gold | 3.90 | Not Tried |
29 Oct 2014 (Stephen Harris)
Mostly a tourist crowd, mid-evening on a Wednesday. And they are primarily here to eat, not drink beer. It is very hot and I fear there may be some form of heating on, despite the warm weather.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotleigh - Uncle Sam Hop Burst | 4.30 | | Golden and US-hoppy. Better balance and more mellow than the Roosters beer I drank alongside (to my taste today anyway). |
| Rooster's - Union Gap | 4.30 | | Pale golden colour. Dry and hoppy, with nice orange flavours. Would be better still with more body. |
| Okell's - IPA (or Dr Okell's IPA) | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Vale - Black Swan Mild | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Vale - Metamorphosis | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Hitchin Old Dark | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Hook Norton - Brew Moon Real Antipodean Ale | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Banks's - Two Birds Golden Ale | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Shepherd Neame - Abbaye Du Val-Dieu Abbaye Blonde | 6.00 | Not Tried | |
| Batemans - Wicked Weed Freak of Nature | 7.50 | Not Tried |
31 Jul 2014 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Touristy atmosphere. 6 of the 12 handpumps still in use for dog ends of cider festival.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson - Vengeance | 4.80 | | Metallic smell and back-taste. Most offputting. Not very nice |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Abbot | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Sharp's - Doom Bar | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Wychwood (now brewed at Banks's) - Piledriver | 4.30 | Not Tried |
13 Feb 2014 (HSB)
15:30 Late lunch stop. Reasonably busy.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairngorm - Black Gold | 4.40 | | |
| Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Sharp's - Doom Bar | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Adnams - Explorer | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Beartown (latterly part of Manning Brewers) - Bearskinful (aka Premium or SB) | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Quantock - Wills Neck | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Lancaster - Black | 4.50 | Not Tried |
17 Dec 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Busy with tourists and after work drinkers.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd Neame - Rudolph's Reward | 3.70 | | Dark amber bitter with a sharp bitterness and a slightly metallic finish. My score 14/20. |
| Hydes - Racey Rudolph | 4.00 | | Very malty and biscuity giving a rather unbalanced flavour and a dry, astringent finish. My score 14/20. |
01 Apr 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Fairly quiet for breakfast on a Sunday morning.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelham Island (probably brewed by Thornbridge now) - Wild Rider IPA | 5.50 | | Strong pale ale with a bitter hop character and little maltiness. Dry, bitter finish. My score 14/20. |
10 Apr 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
First port of call for my final festival beers and one on here. Had breakfast as the pub was very quiet at 11am on a Sunday morning.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highgate - Fox's Nob Premium | 5.00 | | Unfortunately the break from brewing doesn't appear to have improved the beer. Still that dry malty flavour and little hoppiness for balance. Still not to my taste. My score 11/20. |
02 Apr 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
Very quiet before 11am on a Saturday morning with just a few taking breakfast.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saltaire - Liquorice Stout | 5.00 | | A bittersweet stout with some liqourice flavour balanced with dark malt character. Not quite as distinctive as I had hoped. My score 16/20. |
| Lancaster - Kingmaker | 5.00 | | A very pleasant well rounded strong golden bitter. A good balance of sweetish malt and fruity hop gives a full bodied flavour. The finish is fairly dry. My score 16/20. |
| Orkney (Sinclair) - Corncrake Ale | 4.10 | | Pale gold and fairly bitter with moderate hoppiness and some malt balance. My score 15/20. |
About the Horse & Guardsman (formerly Spoons under the water; The Lord Moon of the Mall)
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | - |
| 6 |
| 10 |
| 11 |
| 4 |
The pub is found in Whitehall, Central London, SW1A 2DY.
Once a goodish Wetherspoon's in Whitehall with 12 hand pumps in 2 banks each of 6. Exterior is very nice and it is located next to the Whitehall Theatre. The rear overlooks St James's Park. Large plate glass windows allow you to enjoy the view of Whitehall whilst you have a pint. The hanging external pub sign showed an image of Tim Martin, Wetherspoon's chairman. Closed then McMullen the freeholder re-opened it as a non real ale pop up pub whilst building works take place - a cheeky renaming. Expects to reopen in November 2021 as Horse & Guardsman with food emphasis alas. Opened as expected in 2021.
We have visited this pub 20 times, seen 71 different beers and tried 31 of them.
Postcode: SW1A 2DY