PubsandBeer
The Swan (Greene King)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Bespoke - Going off half-cocked |  | 1 |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Tail Feather |  | 1 |
| Clarkshaws - Hellhound IPA | | 1 |
| Hackney - Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Hackney - Golden Ale | | 1 |
| Hammerton - N1 | | 1 |
| Hammerton - Penton (or Pentonville Oyster Stout) | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 1 |
| London Fields - American Black Ale | | 1 |
| London Fields - Black Path Porter |  | 1 |
| London Fields - Rye Pale Ale | | 1 |
| Portobello - APA | | 1 |
| Wimbledon - Phoenix | | 1 |
| Wimbledon - Quartermaine IPA | | 1 |
| Windsor & Eton - Mandarin | | 1 |
| Adnams - Broadside | Not Tried | 0 |
| Adnams - Topaz Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Attaboy | Not Tried | 0 |
| Clarence & Fredericks - Cascadian Black | Not Tried | 0 |
| Clarence & Fredericks - Oat Milk Stout | Not Tried | 0 |
| Five Points - Railway Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | Not Tried | 0 |
| G2 - Orion | Not Tried | 0 |
| G2 - Sail | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Hardys & Hansons Rocking Rudolph | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - London Glory | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hackney - American Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hackney - Winter Warmer | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hogs Back - HBB | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hogs Back - Hop Garden Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hop Stuff - Fusilier | Not Tried | 0 |
| London Fields - Black Frost | Not Tried | 0 |
| London Fields - Hackney Hopster | Not Tried | 0 |
| London Fields - Love Not War | Not Tried | 0 |
| London Fields - Shoreditch Triangle IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Loose Cannon - Gunners Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| McMullen (sometimes latterly brand badged as Rivertown or Whole Hop) - AK Original Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Plain Ales - Stocking Filler | Not Tried | 0 |
| Purity - Mad Goose | Not Tried | 0 |
| Purity - Pure Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Robinsons - Trooper Red 'n' Black | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Battersea Rye | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Pumphouse Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | Not Tried | 0 |
| St Austell - Tribute | Not Tried | 0 |
| St Austell - Tribute Extra | Not Tried | 0 |
| Timothy Taylor - Landlord | Not Tried | 0 |
| Westerham - 1730 | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windsor & Eton - Conqueror | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windsor & Eton - Guardsman | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
08 May 2018 (ChrisE)
Fairly quiet at the time of my visit. A good range of ales was on offer but I have not listed them all, the main reason for this being that I took photographs instead of noting the beers down on paper, now I am not entirely sure which rows of beer pumps belong to which pub. I thought the prices here were very reasonable for the area.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Very good Harvey's. |
29 Dec 2017 (Stephen Harris)
Space is at a premium in here tonight and people are turning away when they find there are no tables available for evening meals. There are even people sitting outside. Good to see that the rebranding from Taylor Walker to Greene King has not led to a reduction here in the variety of guest beers.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammerton - N1 | 4.10 | | Fresh and light and hoppy |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Hardys & Hansons Rocking Rudolph | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Hammerton - Penton (or Pentonville Oyster Stout) | 5.30 | Not Tried | |
| G2 - Orion | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| G2 - Sail | 4.20 | Not Tried |
05 Mar 2017 (Stephen Harris)
Mid-afternoon on a rainy Sunday and it is pretty quiet in here.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammerton - Penton (or Pentonville Oyster Stout) | 5.30 | | My first pint of cask beer back in England after ten days away on the Euro Fizz, and it’s a cracker. |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Timothy Taylor - Landlord | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Purity - Mad Goose | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Pumphouse Pale Ale | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - London Glory | 4.10 | Not Tried |
08 Nov 2016 (Stephen Harris)
Mid-evening. To my horror, they already had Christmas decorations up in this pub. Some Americans at the next table were loudly celebrating that fact that within 24 hours we would finally have heard the last of Donald Trump.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wimbledon - Quartermaine IPA | 5.80 | | British-style IPA, with a somewhat ‘perfumed’ hop flavour. |
| Wimbledon - Phoenix | 4.80 | | Smooth, dark and smoky. |
| Windsor & Eton - Guardsman | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Pumphouse Pale Ale | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Battersea Rye | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Hop Stuff - Fusilier | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Hammerton - N1 | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Robinsons - Trooper Red 'n' Black | 5.80 | Not Tried |
12 Mar 2015 (Stephen Harris)
I’m not quite sure why I feel so comfortable in this pub when every other customer tends to be a fish & chip consuming, Guinness drinking tourist, but I do. Perhaps it’s because the beer always seems to be in excellent condition.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portobello - APA | 5.00 | | A very nice, pale gold, hoppy American pale Ale that is not over the top. |
| Bespoke - Going off half-cocked | 4.60 | | A good, balanced, golden Pale Ale. |
| Windsor & Eton - Conqueror | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Hackney - American Pale Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Loose Cannon - Gunners Gold | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Attaboy | 4.60 | Not Tried |
15 Oct 2014 (Andrew)
Excellent pub tucked away down a side street. Pleased to see 2 Hackney beers on.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hackney - Best Bitter | 4.40 | | Mid brown. Fruity - bit of lychee, bit of tart plum. Nice malt-nut bite. Nice |
| Hackney - Golden Ale | 4.00 | | Pale gold. Citrus notes. Mellowish. Very drinkable |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Purity - Pure Gold | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Adnams - Topaz Gold | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| St Austell - Tribute Extra | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Westerham - 1730 | 4.00 | Not Tried |
06 Aug 2014 (Stephen Harris)
I came here after finally giving up on the Craft Beer Co. pub – it needs to be ten times the size to cope with its popularity. Relatively peaceful here, and as before the clientele was mainly an overseas tourist one.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Tail Feather | 3.50 | | Lemony, sharp, Pale Ale with a bitter finish. I like it. |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| St Austell - Tribute | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| London Fields - Hackney Hopster | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| London Fields - Shoreditch Triangle IPA | 6.00 | Not Tried | |
| Westerham - 1730 | 4.00 | Not Tried |
26 Jan 2014 (Stephen Harris)
Late afternoon/early evening, with a few in to watch the Chelsea game on TV and a few eating. Impressive beer range, for which this pub is starting to forge a reputation. 10% CAMRA discount claimed.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Fields - American Black Ale | 7.00 | | Black, with a brown head. Heavy-duty beer with liquorice, and aniseed flavours, alcohol and hops. |
| London Fields - Rye Pale Ale | 4.60 | | Pleased to find this Redwell collaboration on cask. Amber/gold and tasty. |
| Clarkshaws - Hellhound IPA | 5.50 | | A full-bodied, amber IPA. |
| Adnams - Broadside | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| McMullen (sometimes latterly brand badged as Rivertown or Whole Hop) - AK Original Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Hogs Back - Hop Garden Gold | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Hogs Back - HBB | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| London Fields - Love Not War | 4.20 | Not Tried |
27 Dec 2013 (Stephen Harris)
I had heard that this pub was specialising in London-brewed beers and was not disappointed by the excellent range. Many, many years ago I used to use this pub at a time when my friends and I thought we might prove attractive to the student nurses who used to drink here – needless to say, none of them ever gave us a second look. It could be 20 years though since I last visited.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Fields - Black Path Porter | 4.20 | | Always a pleasure to encounter a London Fields beer. . This was fabulous today. A gorgeous, smooth, rich, black porter. |
| Windsor & Eton - Mandarin | 4.50 | | I asked for a taster of this one first as I feared it might be sweet. Not at all, and very tasty. Citrusy orangey; I think there may be added fruit juice as well as hop flavours. |
| London Fields - Black Frost | 6.00 | Not Tried | |
| Five Points - Railway Porter | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Clarence & Fredericks - Cascadian Black | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Clarence & Fredericks - Oat Milk Stout | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Hackney - Winter Warmer | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Plain Ales - Stocking Filler | 4.00 | Not Tried |
About The Swan
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 1 |
| 10 |
| 4 |
 | - |
 | - |
The pub is found in Bloomsbury, Central London, WC1N 3AP.
A small, traditional pub, one of two tucked just off Southampton Row in Cosmo Place. Branded for a while as a ‘Taylor Walker’ pub and now as Greene King. 10% discount offered to CAMRA members. The many hotels and attractions in the area ensure a good tourist trade.
We have visited this pub 9 times, seen 51 different beers and tried 15 of them.
Postcode: WC1N 3AP