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The Kings Arms (Windmill Taverns Group)

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Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Hammerton - Baron H Black IPAExceptional1
Florence - D-Day GoldExcellent1
Florence - D-Day JunoExcellent1
Wild Weather - FireballExcellent1
Florence - D-Day SwordExcellent1
XT Brewing - Squid InkExcellent1
G2 - Otava IPAExcellent1
Beerd (experimental side of Bath) - Dark HearthsExcellent1
Vale of Glamorgan (VOG) - DarkExcellent1
Wadworth - HorizonGood1
Cottage - Sentimental JourneyGood1
Kent - SaisonGood1
XT Brewing - Animal Brewing SealionGood1
Reunion - Opening GambitGood1
Wild Weather - Rip TideAcceptable1
Dorset Brewing Company - Citrus MaximusAcceptable1
Bexley - Crook Log Winter AleAcceptable1
Adnams - Southwold BitterNot Tried0
Florence - Tommy IPA (branded as A Head In A Hat Brewing)Not Tried0
Hammerton - N1Not Tried0
Redemption - TrinityNot Tried0
Dark Star - Partridge Best BitterNot Tried0
Hobsons - Champion MildNot Tried0
Bexley - Golden AcreNot Tried0
Butcombe - OriginalNot Tried0
Big Hug (cuckoo at various others) - Juicy PaleNot Tried0
Sambrook's - Lavender Hill (originally exclusively for Nicholson's)Not Tried0
Dorset Brewing Company - 8 Ball IPANot Tried0
Wadworth - Cooper's ViceNot Tried0
Portobello - Home Turf PaleNot Tried0
Moncada - Notting Hill AmberNot Tried0
Sharp's - SpecialNot Tried0
Manchester - Pick Me UpNot Tried0
Sharp's - The Kings AleNot Tried0
East London (ELB) - Orchid Vanilla MildNot Tried0
Windsor & Eton - GuardsmanNot Tried0
Redemption - Urban DuskNot Tried0
Sharp's - The Ale of KingsNot Tried0
St Austell - Big JobNot Tried0
Dorset Brewing Company - Tom Brown's BitterNot Tried0
Brains - BoilermakerNot Tried0
Southwark - Bermondsey BestNot Tried0
East London (ELB) - Quadrant Oatmeal Stout (now please use 5.5% entryNot Tried0
Dark Star - FestivalNot Tried0
Siren Craft - Love of WorkNot Tried0
Stod Fold - GoldNot Tried0
Dorset Brewing Company - Durdle DoorNot Tried0
Dark Star - RedheadNot Tried0
Hackney - Red AleNot Tried0
Brains - Dark (aka Red Dragon Dark)Not Tried0
Brains - PunchNot Tried0
Stod Fold - Uncle SamNot Tried0
G2 - Vela BlondeNot Tried0
Windsor & Eton - CorkerNot Tried0
Wild Weather - BetrayalNot Tried0
Windsor & Eton - Magna CartaNot Tried0
Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Naked LadiesNot Tried0
Dorset Brewing Company - Flashmans CloutNot Tried0
Arkell's - Tinge of GingeNot Tried0
XT Brewing - No. 8 Dark RoastNot Tried0
Nottingham - Ruby Ruby RubyNot Tried0
Adnams - BroadsideNot Tried0
Kent - Beyond the PaleNot Tried0
Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - RedheadNot Tried0
Goddards - Fuggle (or Fuggle Dee-Dum)Not Tried0
Milestone - OktoberfestNot Tried0
Gun - Scaramanga Extra Pale AleNot Tried0
Brains - The Rev James OriginalNot Tried0
Dark Star - Espresso StoutNot Tried0
Triple fff - Pressed Rat & WarthogNot Tried0
Sharp's - Sea FuryNot Tried0
Picture 1. The Kings Arms, Waterloo, Central London
Michael Croxford

Visits Details

01 Mar 2024 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid evening visit. Bit of a noise box. Not easy to relax here.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Vale of Glamorgan (VOG) - Dark3.50ExcellentA superb South Wales dark mild but it should be at £5.90 pp, which hurt
Adnams - Southwold Bitter3.70Not Tried
Redemption - Urban Dusk4.60Not Tried
Redemption - Trinity3.00Not Tried
Butcombe - Original4.00Not Tried
Big Hug (cuckoo at various others) - Juicy Pale4.00Not TriedGarish pumpclip
Portobello - Home Turf Pale4.00Not Tried
Sharp's - The Kings Ale4.20Not TriedI don't touch house beers unless full descriptions and what they really are is known
11 Jun 2018 (Stephen Harris)
Early evening crowds are beginning to dissipate and I find a table in the smallest of the three rooms.
BeerABVScoreNotes
XT Brewing - Squid Ink5.50ExcellentAn intense Black IPA. Very good indeed I thought.
XT Brewing - Animal Brewing Sealion4.60GoodVery pale. In a farmhouse Saison style. Quite dry and quite tart.
Adnams - Southwold Bitter3.70Not Tried
Dorset Brewing Company - Flashmans Clout4.50Not Tried
Sharp's - The Ale of Kings4.40Not Tried
Nottingham - Ruby Ruby Ruby4.00Not Tried
Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Redhead4.10Not Tried
Gun - Scaramanga Extra Pale Ale3.90Not Tried
Sharp's - Sea Fury5.00Not Tried
04 Apr 2017 (Stephen Harris)
Jam-packed full to the rafters in here.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Bexley - Crook Log Winter Ale5.20AcceptableA brown-coloured, strong Bitter. Heavy malt taste.
Adnams - Southwold Bitter3.70Not Tried
Redemption - Urban Dusk4.60Not Tried
Dorset Brewing Company - Tom Brown's Bitter4.00Not Tried
East London (ELB) - Quadrant Oatmeal Stout (now please use 5.5% entry5.80Not Tried
Sharp's - The Ale of Kings4.40Not Tried
Stod Fold - Gold3.80Not Tried
Hackney - Red Ale4.10Not Tried
Stod Fold - Uncle Sam5.20Not Tried
Wild Weather - Betrayal4.00Not Tried
03 Dec 2016 (Magnus Greel)
Late afternoon not as busy as I was expecting. We found a table by the fire in the saloon bar.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Wadworth - Horizon4.00GoodWatery and bland with a bitter finish.
Cottage - Sentimental Journey4.50GoodFruity with a bitter finish
Triple fff - Pressed Rat & Warthog3.80Not Tried
Adnams - Southwold Bitter3.70Not Tried
Sharp's - The Ale of Kings4.40Not Tried
Hammerton - N14.10Not Tried
Bexley - Golden Acre4.00Not Tried
Wadworth - Cooper's Vice5.00Not Tried
Manchester - Pick Me Up4.70Not Tried
11 Oct 2016 (Stephen Harris)
This is a fine old pub – not many around with three separate bars to choose between. Unfortunately, loads of people know what a good pub it is and even on a Tuesday evening it was uncomfortable crowded.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Kent - Saison5.10GoodA hazy golden beer. Mellow with a subtle sourness.
Reunion - Opening Gambit3.80GoodA good quality, traditional, brown Bitter.
Adnams - Southwold Bitter3.70Not Tried
Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Naked Ladies4.40Not Tried
XT Brewing - No. 8 Dark Roast4.50Not Tried
Kent - Beyond the Pale5.40Not Tried
Milestone - Oktoberfest4.20Not Tried
27 Jul 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. First visit for years to a place which used to be a regular haunt when it was just a street corner local. Now much affected by gentrification which is reflected in the £4.50 pint.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Wild Weather - Fireball5.50ExcellentTummy warming chilli infusion
Sharp's - Special5.00Not Tried
Windsor & Eton - Guardsman4.20Not Tried
St Austell - Big Job7.20Not TriedRan out
Southwark - Bermondsey Best4.40Not Tried
Siren Craft - Love of Work3.60Not Tried
Dark Star - Redhead3.70Not Tried
Brains - Punch4.00Not Tried
Windsor & Eton - Corker4.00Not Tried
06 Jul 2015 (Stephen Harris)
I was feeling quite flush tonight so came in here – it’s still £4:70 a pint for the stronger beers. Very nice place though, and busy too on a Monday evening.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Hammerton - Baron H Black IPA5.80ExceptionalWhoopee. Not only is this a very tasty Black IPA, but it is further enhanced by the addition of Earl Grey tea. Fab.
Wild Weather - Rip Tide5.00AcceptableBilled as a ‘Single Hop Wheat Beer’ – no clue given as to which hop had been singled out. Started really well, but fell a little flat and there was a slight chemical taint.
Dorset Brewing Company - Citrus Maximus4.00AcceptableDespite its name, and the warning that it is a ‘lemony shock to the system’, I found the dominant taste to be buiscuity malt. Perhaps my taste buds are having an off day. OK, it does have a lemony finish.
Adnams - Broadside4.70Not Tried
Goddards - Fuggle (or Fuggle Dee-Dum)4.80Not Tried
Dark Star - Espresso Stout4.20Not Tried
Florence - Tommy IPA (branded as A Head In A Hat Brewing)4.20Not Tried
Hobsons - Champion Mild3.20Not Tried
Dorset Brewing Company - 8 Ball IPA8.80Not Tried
21 May 2015 (HSB)
11:30 First stop on a South London pub crawl. We were the first customers and having the pick of the pub chose to sit in the left hand bar. My first visit here for many years, changed a bit, but still has a good traditional back street local feel.
BeerABVScoreNotes
G2 - Otava IPA4.40ExcellentFirst time I have drunk a beer from this brewery. Very impressed.
Dark Star - Festival5.00Not Tried
Dorset Brewing Company - Durdle Door5.00Not Tried
Brains - Dark (aka Red Dragon Dark)3.50Not Tried
Adnams - Southwold Bitter3.70Not Tried
G2 - Vela Blonde4.20Not Tried
Windsor & Eton - Magna Carta4.00Not Tried
Arkell's - Tinge of Ginge3.60Not Tried
06 Jun 2014 (thebrewingman)
Friday evening, loads of drinkers on the pavement and road but room inside. We found a table and had some Thai nibbles to keep us going. It was D-Day celebrations and they had three D-Day beer recipes. It would be silly to have drunk anything else.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Florence - D-Day Gold3.20ExcellentI have seen comments elsewhere that this is a pretty average beer - of course it is. It is brewed to a 1944 recipe at the end of a war. I had no problem drinking this.
Florence - D-Day Juno3.20ExcellentA mild from 1944.
Florence - D-Day Sword3.70ExcellentA best bitter from 1944. Brewed to the original recipe from Messrs Whitbread in the City.
10 Jun 2013 (Stephen Harris)
I’ve been hearing lot of good things about this pub lately, including thebrewingman’s report below. Great beer line up tonight and quite busy. But... No price was mentioned for my pint, so I handed over a £5 note and was surprised to see just 30p given as change – short measure too. The barman had gone to serve in the other bar and it took ages to attract his attention back to say I thought he had made a mistake with my change. No, he confirmed, it’s £4:70 a pint. I think that pubs have a moral obligation, if not a legal one, to make that sort of pricing clearer to customers. Despite other tempting beers on the bar, I decided in the circumstances that one was enough.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Beerd (experimental side of Bath) - Dark Hearths5.20ExcellentBlack, smooth and creamy. Slightly smoked/peated porter.
Brains - The Rev James Original4.50Not Tried
Adnams - Southwold Bitter3.70Not Tried
Dark Star - Partridge Best Bitter4.00Not Tried
Sambrook's - Lavender Hill (originally exclusively for Nicholson's)4.50Not Tried
Moncada - Notting Hill Amber4.90Not Tried
East London (ELB) - Orchid Vanilla Mild3.60Not Tried
Sharp's - The Ale of Kings4.40Not Tried
Brains - Boilermaker6.50Not Tried

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About The Kings Arms

The pub sign. The Kings Arms, Waterloo, Central London

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional1
Excellent13
Good5
Acceptable3
Poor-

Website.

The pub is found in Waterloo, Central London, SE1 8TB.

A former Ind Coope "back street boozer" just behind Waterloo East railway station in Roupell Street. Two distinct bars connected around an "island bar". Eight handpumps in two banks of four in separate bars with a cider occasionally on one of them in summer. There is a large rustically furnished rear annex which has been brought into use in the pub's later life. 2 function rooms upstairs.

We have visited this pub 11 times, seen 77 different beers and tried 22 of them.

Map location

Postcode: SE1 8TB