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Elephant & Castle (Urban Pubs & Bars)

Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Howling Hops (Brewed at Hackney Wick) - Pale XXExceptional1
Adnams - Oyster StoutExcellent1
Dark Star - Not Into YogaExcellent1
Howling Hops (Brewed at Hackney Wick) - Tropical DeluxeExcellent1
Big Smoke - Pineapple SaisonGood1
Crate - Brewers Tap Amber AleGood1
Howling Hops (Brewed at Hackney Wick) - Dinner AleGood1
Sambrook's - SessionGood1
Butcombe - Bitter (or Original Beer)Not Tried0
Dark Star - FestivalNot Tried0
Reunion - Trial Brew No. 14 Midnight RunnerNot Tried0
Saltaire - Triple Choc (was Triple Chocoholic)Not Tried0
Siren Craft - Under CurrentNot Tried0
Volden - AutumnNot Tried0
Volden - JuniperNot Tried0
Volden - Pale (formerly Pale Ale) was 4.6%Not Tried0
Volden - PorterNot Tried0
Volden - Session (or Session Ale)Not Tried0
Volden - WinterNot Tried0
Picture 1. Elephant & Castle, Elephant & Castle, Central London
Picture 2. Elephant & Castle, Elephant & Castle, Central London

Visits Details

16 Sep 2019 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until midnight close. Very effective locked front door and door security vetting and bag searches in operation. Dark and dingy inside.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Sambrook's - Session3.40GoodSurprisingly good condition but as only beer on (yet with 5 handpumps) presume moving quite well
22 Apr 2019 (Philip Pirrip)
Another bank holiday failure. Sign on door said midnight close but the bouncer inside the locked door could only point to it and say "Closed" despite drinkers being inside before such a bewitching hour.
BeerABVScoreNotes
13 Apr 2019 (Stephen Harris)
Early evening with friends after watching football in Sutton. I failed to make a list of available beers.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Adnams - Oyster Stout4.30ExcellentIn fine fettle. Several downed.
13 Feb 2019 (Stephen Harris)
Late-afternoon and already busy.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Howling Hops (Brewed at Hackney Wick) - Dinner Ale5.20GoodA well-hopped Red Ale.
Volden - Porter5.20Not Tried
Reunion - Trial Brew No. 14 Midnight Runner4.80Not Tried
Volden - Winter5.20Not Tried
24 Sep 2018 (Magnus Greel)
Busy mid afternoon with many arriving and leaving during our stay, I would have happily walked past this pub had it not been a GBG entry so we decided to check it out and wasn't disappointed with the beer range. Friendly welcome from the enthusiastic barman who insisted we sampled before buying.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Howling Hops (Brewed at Hackney Wick) - Pale XX5.10ExceptionalRefreshing sharp citrus flavours combined with a floral aroma served in faultless condition.
Howling Hops (Brewed at Hackney Wick) - Tropical Deluxe3.80ExcellentA taster found this to be a blander version of the Pale XX
Siren Craft - Under Current4.50Not Tried
Volden - Session (or Session Ale)3.80Not Tried
Volden - Autumn4.80Not Tried
12 Oct 2017 (Stephen Harris)
Beer is nearly twice the price in here compared to the Wetherspoon pub a few doors away. This pub is however considerably busier and much the more welcoming of the two.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Crate - Brewers Tap Amber Ale4.20GoodSweet malt balanced by a little hop presence.
Dark Star - Festival5.00Not Tried
Saltaire - Triple Choc (was Triple Chocoholic)4.80Not Tried
Volden - Session (or Session Ale)3.80Not Tried
Volden - Juniper4.80Not Tried
07 Aug 2017 (Stephen Harris)
Even I have noticed that the Elephant is a changing area, and I finally took my friend Colin G’s advice to visit this pub. Antic are certainly working their magic here, having made a formerly very unappealing pub feel welcoming.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Dark Star - Not Into Yoga4.50ExcellentA cloudy beer that is very fruity.
Big Smoke - Pineapple Saison4.00GoodFrom a keg of some kind and over-fizzy. Cloudy yellow in colour. Tart. Plenty of pineapple tastes.
Butcombe - Bitter (or Original Beer)4.00Not Tried
Volden - Pale (formerly Pale Ale) was 4.6%4.20Not Tried
Volden - Session (or Session Ale)3.80Not Tried

About the Elephant & Castle

The pub sign. Elephant & Castle, Elephant & Castle, Central London

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional1
Excellent3
Good4
Acceptable-
Poor-

Website.

The pub is found in Elephant & Castle, Central London, SE1 6BN.

A landmark and historic pub in Newington Causeway that lends its name not just to a roundabout and shopping centre but to a whole district. Unfortunately, today we have to make do with a 1960s rebuild – part of a development that is not noted for its architecture. There is a spacious main bar area, a downstairs bar open at weekends and an outside drinking area for fans of street scenes and traffic fumes. After closure in 2015 a campaign to retain the pub took place and eventually Antic took the pub over in summer 2016 and equipped it in its usual shabby chic décor. 5 handpumps. Transferred from Antic to Urban Pubs & Bars in later summer 2024.

We have visited this pub 7 times, seen 19 different beers and tried 8 of them.

Map location

Postcode: SE1 6BN