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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 - Parklife |  | 1 |
| Hackney - American IPA | | 1 |
| Five Points - Hook Island Red |  | 1 |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Bold as Brass | | 1 |
| Signature Brew - Professor Green’s Remedy |  | 1 |
| Signature Brew - Dark Heart | | 1 |
| East London (ELB) - East India Spice | | 1 |
| Windsor & Eton - Knight of the Garter | Not Tried | 0 |
| By The Horns - Lambeth Walk | Not Tried | 0 |
| Adnams - Ghost Ship | Not Tried | 0 |
| East London (ELB) - Jamboree | Not Tried | 0 |
| Redemption - Hopspur | Not Tried | 0 |
| Portobello - Pale | Not Tried | 0 |
| East London (ELB) - Foundation Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Spitalfields Brew | Not Tried | 0 |
| London Fields - Hackney Hopster | Not Tried | 0 |
| Adnams - Tally-Ho | Not Tried | 0 |
| London Fields - Black Frost | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hackney - Best Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Adnams - Broadside | Not Tried | 0 |
| Portobello - Market Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windsor & Eton - Kohinoor Jubilee Commonwealth Indies Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Swift | Not Tried | 0 |
| Ha'Penny - London Particular | Not Tried | 0 |
| Redemption - Urban Dusk | Not Tried | 0 |
| London Fields - Love Not War | Not Tried | 0 |
| East London (ELB) - Nightwatchman | Not Tried | 0 |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Strange Brew | Not Tried | 0 |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Vanguard | Not Tried | 0 |
| Five Points - Railway Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Wadworth - Swordfish | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Junction | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windsor & Eton - Windsor Knot | Not Tried | 0 |
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.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Points - Hook Island Red | 6.00 | | A very fresh pint, which seemed to emphasise the fruity flavours and the bitter finish of this beer. |
| Adnams - Broadside | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Windsor & Eton - Kohinoor Jubilee Commonwealth Indies Pale Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Ha'Penny - London Particular | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Swift | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Spitalfields Brew | 3.90 | Not 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.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| East London (ELB) - East India Spice | 5.50 | | I knew what to expect from this and was not surprised that I found it both too sweet and too spicy. |
| Adnams - Tally-Ho | 7.00 | Not Tried | |
| London Fields - Black Frost | 6.00 | Not Tried |
02 Dec 2013 (Stephen Harris)
Early Monday evening visit and the pub is relatively quiet.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hackney - American IPA | 6.00 | | Amber-coloured. Strong, with intense fruity hop flavours. |
| Signature Brew - Dark Heart | 5.00 | | Signature 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 - Swordfish | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Windsor & Eton - Windsor Knot | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| London Fields - Love Not War | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| By The Horns - Lambeth Walk | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| East London (ELB) - Jamboree | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Portobello - Pale | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Spitalfields Brew | 3.90 | Not Tried | Greene 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.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor & Eton - Parklife | 3.20 | | Tasty, hoppy, amber-coloured, low-strength beer. |
| Redemption - Urban Dusk | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| London Fields - Love Not War | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| East London (ELB) - Nightwatchman | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Strange Brew | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Vanguard | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Five Points - Railway Porter | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Swift | 3.90 | Not 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.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Bold as Brass | 4.20 | | A shade darker than the Swift I think and more mellow and more malty. |
| Signature Brew - Professor Green’s Remedy | 4.50 | | A 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 - Junction | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Windsor & Eton - Knight of the Garter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Adnams - Ghost Ship | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Redemption - Hopspur | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| East London (ELB) - Foundation Bitter | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| London Fields - Hackney Hopster | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Hackney - Best Bitter | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Portobello - Market Porter | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Swift | 3.90 | Not Tried |
About the Williams Ale & Cider House
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | - |
| 5 |
| 6 |
| 8 |
 | - |
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.
Postcode: E1 7LS