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Hoop & Grapes (Nicholson's (Mitchells & Butlers))
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Windsor Castle (see also Sadler's entry) - Sadler's JPA |  | 1 |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Runner |  | 1 |
| Harviestoun - Sleigh Driver | | 1 |
| Moles - Mole Catcher | | 1 |
| Wold Top - Against the Grain | | 1 |
| Adnams - Broadside | Not Tried | 0 |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Tom Ditto IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Daleside - Old Legover (a.k.a. Country Stile) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Orkney (Sinclair) - Dark Island | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sharp's - Doom Bar | Not Tried | 0 |
| St Austell - Nicholson's Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Stewart - Dakota Brown | Not Tried | 0 |
| York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - Centurion's Ghost Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Runner | 4.00 | | |
| Orkney (Sinclair) - Dark Island | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Daleside - Old Legover (a.k.a. Country Stile) | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| St Austell - Nicholson's Pale Ale | 4.00 | Not Tried |
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor Castle (see also Sadler's entry) - Sadler's JPA | 3.80 | | JPA standing for Jack's Pale Ale. Very pale. As it says on the clip, ‘Crisp and Zesty’. |
| Wold Top - Against the Grain | 4.50 | | Golden and slightly hazy. Soft mouthfeel. Gluten-free and based on a maize mash. |
| Adnams - Broadside | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Sharp's - Doom Bar | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - Centurion's Ghost Ale | 5.40 | Not Tried | |
| St Austell - Nicholson's Pale Ale | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Stewart - Dakota Brown | 4.40 | Not Tried |
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moles - Mole Catcher | 5.00 | | |
| Sharp's - Doom Bar | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| St Austell - Nicholson's Pale Ale | 4.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Runner | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Tom Ditto IPA | 5.00 | Not Tried |
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harviestoun - Sleigh Driver | 4.10 | | Darkish beer with chocolate and orangy tastes and some roasted barley flavours. |
About the Hoop & Grapes
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | - |
| 1 |
| 4 |
 | - |
 | - |
The pub is found in Aldgate, Central London, EC3N 1AL.
An intriguing Nicholson’s pub, housed in a building of great antiquity. A leaflet on the history of the pub traces it to 1598, when it is said to have been established as the Castle. The building just about survived the Great Fire of 1666, although was extensively rebuilt a few years later. Histories of the pub go on to tell us that the name changed to the Angel & Crown and later to Christopher Hill’s. the pub claims associations with Dick Turpin and Charles Dickens, and is now one of the pubs that claims to be the oldest in London. The only problem with all this is that I cannot find any trace of the pub in historical records until 1887, and I wonder sometimes whether the long pub history is all an elaborate hoax – I suspect the truth is that the premises was actually more of a wine merchants than strictly-speaking a public house. The first mention of the name Hoop & Grapes I can find comes in 1920, when it became a Trust House. The pub was acquired by Charrington’s Brewery in 1946 and they held the licence into the 1970s. By the 1980s it was in a very poor state of repair, but is now extensively restored, retains much of the ancient structure and is very popular with City types. 8 handpumps on the bar counter.
We have visited this pub 4 times, seen 13 different beers and tried 5 of them.
Postcode: EC3N 1AL