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Williams Ale & Cider House (Metropolitan Pub Co. (Greene King))

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Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Windsor & Eton - ParklifeExcellent1
Hackney - American IPAExcellent1
Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Bold as BrassGood1
Five Points - Hook Island RedGood1
East London (ELB) - East India SpiceAcceptable1
Signature Brew - Professor Green’s RemedyAcceptable1
Signature Brew - Dark HeartAcceptable1
Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Strange BrewNot Tried0
Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - VanguardNot Tried0
Five Points - Railway PorterNot Tried0
Wadworth - SwordfishNot Tried0
Sambrook's - JunctionNot Tried0
Windsor & Eton - Windsor KnotNot Tried0
Windsor & Eton - Knight of the GarterNot Tried0
By The Horns - Lambeth WalkNot Tried0
Adnams - Ghost ShipNot Tried0
East London (ELB) - JamboreeNot Tried0
Redemption - HopspurNot Tried0
Portobello - PaleNot Tried0
East London (ELB) - Foundation BitterNot Tried0
Greene King - Spitalfields BrewNot Tried0
London Fields - Hackney HopsterNot Tried0
Adnams - Tally-HoNot Tried0
Hackney - Best BitterNot Tried0
London Fields - Black FrostNot Tried0
Portobello - Market PorterNot Tried0
Adnams - BroadsideNot Tried0
Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - SwiftNot Tried0
Windsor & Eton - Kohinoor Jubilee Commonwealth Indies Pale AleNot Tried0
Redemption - Urban DuskNot Tried0
Ha'Penny - London ParticularNot Tried0
London Fields - Love Not WarNot Tried0
East London (ELB) - NightwatchmanNot Tried0
Picture 1. Williams Ale & Cider House, Spitalfields, Central London
Stephen Harris

Visits Details

06 May 2014 (Stephen Harris)
Quiet in the early evening. Nice to be able to sit in comfort in the rear area. This pub is displaying some very nice old black and white photos of London pubs – mostly in Truman’s livery.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Five Points - Hook Island Red6.00GoodA very fresh pint, which seemed to emphasise the fruity flavours and the bitter finish of this beer.
Adnams - Broadside4.70Not Tried
Windsor & Eton - Kohinoor Jubilee Commonwealth Indies Pale Ale4.50Not Tried
Ha'Penny - London Particular4.00Not Tried
Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Swift3.90Not Tried
Greene King - Spitalfields Brew3.90Not Tried
30 Dec 2013 (Stephen Harris)
Quiet in the late afternoon and serving a much reduced beer range to reflect the low level customer expectations at this time of year.
BeerABVScoreNotes
East London (ELB) - East India Spice5.50AcceptableI knew what to expect from this and was not surprised that I found it both too sweet and too spicy.
Adnams - Tally-Ho7.00Not Tried
London Fields - Black Frost6.00Not Tried
02 Dec 2013 (Stephen Harris)
Early Monday evening visit and the pub is relatively quiet.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Hackney - American IPA6.00ExcellentAmber-coloured. Strong, with intense fruity hop flavours.
Signature Brew - Dark Heart5.00AcceptableSignature now have their own brewery set up in Hackney. This beer is very dark and quite malty. Some decent US hop character. But does not drink to its strength.
Wadworth - Swordfish5.00Not Tried
Windsor & Eton - Windsor Knot4.00Not Tried
London Fields - Love Not War4.20Not Tried
By The Horns - Lambeth Walk5.10Not Tried
East London (ELB) - Jamboree4.80Not Tried
Portobello - Pale4.00Not Tried
Greene King - Spitalfields Brew3.90Not TriedGreene King house beer.
01 Nov 2013 (Stephen Harris)
Uncomfortably crowded in the early evening on a Friday and I only stayed for one despite the excellent choice.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Windsor & Eton - Parklife3.20ExcellentTasty, hoppy, amber-coloured, low-strength beer.
Redemption - Urban Dusk4.60Not Tried
London Fields - Love Not War4.20Not Tried
East London (ELB) - Nightwatchman4.50Not Tried
Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Strange Brew4.10Not Tried
Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Vanguard4.10Not Tried
Five Points - Railway Porter4.80Not Tried
Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Swift3.90Not Tried
21 Oct 2013 (Stephen Harris)
My first visit here for a while and the pleasing sight of a long line of London pump clips awaits me. A house beer was also available, although I do not know where it is brewed.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Bold as Brass4.20GoodA shade darker than the Swift I think and more mellow and more malty.
Signature Brew - Professor Green’s Remedy4.50AcceptableA pale ale with a somewhat dry character and hops late in the taste. I am not sure where Signature Brew are currently brewing their beers.
Sambrook's - Junction4.50Not Tried
Windsor & Eton - Knight of the Garter3.80Not Tried
Adnams - Ghost Ship4.50Not Tried
Redemption - Hopspur4.50Not Tried
East London (ELB) - Foundation Bitter4.20Not Tried
London Fields - Hackney Hopster4.20Not Tried
Hackney - Best Bitter4.40Not Tried
Portobello - Market Porter4.60Not Tried
Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Swift3.90Not Tried

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About the Williams Ale & Cider House

The pub sign. Williams Ale & Cider House, Spitalfields, Central London

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional-
Excellent5
Good6
Acceptable8
Poor-

Website.

The pub is found in Spitalfields, Central London, E1 7LS.

This long-standing pub was formerly called the Ship and was probably established in 1682. By the 1930s it had become more commonly known as ‘Williams’ in deference to the Williams family which had run the pub for many years – although formal renaming did not come until, I think, the 1970s. The pub was known in the early part of the twentieth century for its house rules, designed to avoid drunkenness on the premises. These included ‘No Smoking’ and ‘Only One Pint per Customer per Visit’. The former is now thankfully the law of the land, the latter has equally thankfully been relaxed. Whilst long attracting a City crowd, it remained a little more pool table than pinstripe into the mid-2000s, before moving more upmarket when acquired by Greene King from Whitbread’s. A further revamp in 2013 has seen an increase in the number of handpumps to 14, with a focus on London-brewed beers and real cider. Metropolitan Pub Co. is a Greene King pub brand.

We have visited this pub 15 times, seen 73 different beers and tried 19 of them.

Map location

Postcode: E1 7LS