PubsandBeer
History: Home > The Market Porter
The Market Porter (Market Taverns)
[Back to most recent] [Previous Visits] [More Visits]
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - McConnel's |  | 1 |
| Arkell's - 3B | | 1 |
| Oakham - Asylum | | 1 |
| BrewDog - The Physics | | 1 |
| Hop Back - Wilt Alternative |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Westerham - Holy Smoke | | 1 |
| Tower - Sundowner | | 1 |
| Rhymney - Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Fenland - Raspberry Stout | | 1 |
| Itchen Valley - Alfred the Great | | 1 |
| Hambleton - Independence | | 1 |
| Hambleton - Whiplash | | 1 |
| Kelburn - Dark Moor |  | 1 |
| Hambleton - Heartracer | | 1 |
| North Yorkshire - Cosmic Glow | | 1 |
| Buffy's - Garnet | | 1 |
| Rooster's - Outlaw Autumn Gold | | 1 |
| Houston - Killellan | | 1 |
| Bridge of Allan - Winter Warmer | | 1 |
| Itchen Valley - Greenjackets | | 1 |
| Pictish - Siren | | 1 |
| Corvedale - Dark And Delicious | | 1 |
| Newmans - Mendip Mammouth | | 1 |
| Itchen Valley - Engine Driver | | 1 |
| Kelham Island (probably brewed by Thornbridge now) - Best Bitter | | 1 |
| B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Romeo's Ruin |  | 1 |
| Hampshire - Pink Elephant | | 1 |
| Church End - Fallen Angel | | 1 |
| Coach House - Bootleg Valentine's Ale | | 1 |
| Anglo-Dutch - Giddy Kipper | | 1 |
| Maypole - Mayfair | | 1 |
| Church End - Altar Ale | | 1 |
| Bridge of Allan - Stirling Bitter | | 1 |
| Wyre Piddle - Piddle in the Sun | | 1 |
| Wickwar - Rite Flanker | | 1 |
| Everards (see entries against Joule's & Robinsons whilst its new brewery was being built) - Tiger | Not Tried | 0 |
| Newmans - Wolvers Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Mallard Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Archers - January Blues | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
09 Nov 2007 (Ian)
Heaving as it was 6pm on a Friday. Sat outside and admired the crowds.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrewDog - The Physics | 5.00 | | Even though I got just about the last of the barrel, this was excellent. Great American hops on the end. |
30 Sep 2007 (Ian)
Fairly empty mid Sunday afternoon, I even got a table. All of the beers I had, had very little or no condition and all tasted watery. Apparently according to everyone else at the bar the best beer there was the Harvey's Old Ale, their first batch of it this winter.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itchen Valley - Alfred the Great | 4.60 | | Chestnut colour with thin beige head. Decent ESB. Good rich fruits up front. Still a little watery, but black cherry/damson flavours kick in. One of the better beers here. Good vanilla and strawberry/raspberry jam flavour. Lovely. |
| Corvedale - Dark And Delicious | 4.60 | | Mahogany colour with disappearing head. Dry malty beer. A little thin in the mouth, some raspberry fruit, could be good if in better condition, a little watery. |
| Kelham Island (probably brewed by Thornbridge now) - Best Bitter | 3.80 | | Gold/copper with thin beige head. Watery bitter. Sometimes I despair of this pub and the condition of some of the beer. Some rose petal fruit, some stingy hop on end. Rose petal fruit is good. Perfumey. |
| North Yorkshire - Cosmic Glow | 4.80 | | Chestnut with lasting thin beige head. Quite a malty ESB aroma. Decent malt in mouth, a little earthy. Decent ESB. Earthy hops. |
| Maypole - Mayfair | 4.10 | | Pale gold with lasting off white head. Slightly ascetic and not a very nice gold/blond ale. Poor to be honest, with no condition. Some perfumed hop on finish. |
| Hampshire - Pink Elephant | 5.40 | | Very clear copper with thin beige head. Bit of an odd rubber thing going on. Bit of fruit, then bland bitterness and then rubber. Not off, but not good either. |
| Anglo-Dutch - Giddy Kipper | 3.80 | | Chestnut colour. Perfumed bitter. Again not in great condition, watery in outh, poor. Some dark malts. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | Wish I had this. |
11 Jul 2007 (Ian)
I was up in London to meet a friend, and as I had an hour or so to wait, I thought that I would try out the new smoke free Market Porter. It wasn't too full at 16.15 and I got a stool at the bar. The usual good range of UK micros and beer spotters.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hambleton - Independence | 4.00 | | Gold, lasting off white head. Cracking golden beer with plenty of aggressive bitter hop on finish. Pear drop fruit throughout. Very impressive. |
| Hop Back - Wilt Alternative | 4.00 | | Gold, lasting off white head. Slight yeasty aroma, standard golden ale in mouth, pretty good tingling hop on finish. Decent soft lime/grapefruit. Fine. A Summer Lightning lite? Nice hoppy bite and flavour on finish. |
| Westerham - Holy Smoke | 4.00 | | Gold with lasting white head. Certainly has got smokey malt. Comes through on the aroma like a rauchbier. Weirdly it’s a classic golden ale beneath it. The hop is more muted, some tingle, but good dryness. I would expect the smoke to overpower the rest, but curiously it works. |
| Rhymney - Best Bitter | 3.70 | | I love free beer, this came on whilst I was sat there and the landlord pulled it through and gave me the first clear glass of beer. Copper, lasting beige head. Farty yeast aroma. Good toffeeish malt in mouth. In fact it’s a bit choccy too. The hop is extremely moderate on the finish, but that’s fine too. |
| Pictish - Siren | 4.10 | | Very pale gold with slight haze, lasting white head. I keep trying Pictish beers as Gazza says they’re great. Faint hop aroma, ok in mouth. Finish is sherberty hoppy with a little of the yeast from teh aroma coming through. It’s not wonderful. |
03 Jul 2007 (Steve)
Second pub lotsa people standing outside many smoking until thunder, lightning and hailstones people not so smokey as it used to be
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkell's - 3B | 4.00 | | A Contrast to Harveys more maltier and smoother but still a nice pint |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Not as nice as Royal Oak |
| Tower - Sundowner | 4.00 | | Very light and refreshing but with a strange after taste other people commented on this as well |
14 Mar 2007 (Ian)
Busy as always, but I found a stool at the bar and had a couple before going home. I had cycled back from Hackney to London Bridge so figured I deserved a drink.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakham - Asylum | 4.50 | | One of Oakham's seasonal beers. Brilliant. Gold colour with lasting off white head. Trademark hoppiness, citric, very good malt in mouth and then sherberty hoppy finish. Utterly drinkable, bit of cat pee at worst. Clean, smooth, fullish in mouth. |
| Wyre Piddle - Piddle in the Sun | 5.20 | | After having Oakham's everything else was going to be a disappointment. Gold with thin white head. Slight yeast aroma. Little bit flat/flabby in mouth. Some butter. Goodish hop on finish, drying, but the first 2/3rds of the beer are not that great. |
17 Feb 2007 (Ian)
Pretty busy, but I got a space at the front bar. There were some of the tickers from the Wenlock who had migrated down to the Market Porter. The barmaids were excellent and helped me get beers from around the corner, letting me know the name, brewer and ABV. However, the overall beer quality was poor and it is on visits like this that make me query the point of coming here. Then again, next time, it might be fabulous.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itchen Valley - Engine Driver | 5.20 | | Chestnut colour with lasting beige head. It’s an ok ESB, some nice rich malt, with hops to balance, full and rich in the mouth. |
| Hambleton - Heartracer | 4.00 | | Deep copper colour, with lasting beige head. Some toffee, butter and creamy in the mouth. Decent tingly hop on finish. A little bit too buttery for my taste. |
| Wickwar - Rite Flanker | 4.30 | | Chestnut colour, with thick off white head. Some toffee and hop on aroma. Unbalanced ingredients and flavours. Sickly malt in mouth. Bit caramelly and not great. |
| B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Romeo's Ruin | 4.50 | | Bit of a dull bitter. Odd yeasty aroma. Eggy yeast throughout. Not great and the last of a poor bunch of beers I had at the Market Porter this evening. |
| Coach House - Bootleg Valentine's Ale | 5.00 | | Gold beer with thin white head. Bit of bleach/acid on this soft blond beer. Some citrus hop, but overall not good. Bit chemically. |
26 Jan 2007 (Ian)
I called in here because Chris from Ratebeer.com had said that there was a Thornbridge Hall beer on, and I love that brewery so I had to come. As per usual, there were as many people outside of the pub on the pavement and roads as inside the pub. I still got a place at the bar though and the service was still good even though they were so busy. Ended up chatting to a guy from Surrey.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - McConnel's | 5.00 | | Black beer with brown edges. Tan head. Wonderful burnt malt, charcoal aroma. More wonderful vanilla creamyness in mouth. Great sweet/vanilla stout. Lovely. |
| Fenland - Raspberry Stout | 4.50 | | Deep ruby colour with thin beige head. Nice stout. Bit thin in mouth, but the raspberry fruit is nice, bit like raspberry ripple chocolate ice cream. Dark choc on aroma, choccy ice cream in mouth. Raspberry tingle on finish. Icy. Lacks a bit of fullness, but I like the choccy/raspberry flavours. |
| Buffy's - Garnet | 4.80 | | Amber, thin white head. Some minerality, some hop on aroma. Some stoney flavour's, bit of tangerine. It's fine, some interesting, citrusy minearal touches. |
| Bridge of Allan - Winter Warmer | 4.80 | | Deep chestnut with thin beige head. Eggy yeast aroma but some sweet malt too. Good fullness in mouth, some very tasty candy sugar, quite sweet and then tingly hop finish. Nice. |
21 Jan 2007 (Ian)
I didn't stay here for very long as the trains back to Ashford weren't running from London Bridge. Not very busy and I got a seat at the bar.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newmans - Mendip Mammouth | 4.30 | | Amber colour with lasting beige head. Good malty/fruity beer. Light and agile. Nutty malt aroma. |
| Church End - Fallen Angel | 5.00 | | Gold colour with thin whte head. Slightly acidic aroma. Citrus fruits. Maybe a bit sulphuric, bit tired. Unattractive slgihtly citrus fruit bitter. Bit of diacetyl maybe. |
| Church End - Altar Ale | 3.60 | | Gold colour with thin white head. Slightly caramel, citrus session bitter. Not impressed with either this or the Fallen Angel. Unpleasant yeast chemical aroma, ok in mouth, some dry citrus hop on end. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Everards (see entries against Joule's & Robinsons whilst its new brewery was being built) - Tiger | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Newmans - Wolvers Ale | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Mallard Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Archers - January Blues | 3.60 | Not Tried |
29 Nov 2006 (Ian)
Second visit of the night and we finally got a table. Two new beers had come on since we were in just a couple of hours earlier.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelburn - Dark Moor | 4.50 | | Ruby colour, thin beige head. Some dark fruit, bit ashey on finish. Some damson fruit flavour, some choc. It’s ok, lacks some depth and mouthfeel, but the fruit is fine. |
| Rooster's - Outlaw Autumn Gold | 3.70 | | Nice American hop aroma, bit thin in mouth, sherberty hop. Drying muddy hop finish. Aroma is good. Could be better in mouth. Very arid finish. Takes a bit of getting used to. Quite nice grapefruit. Bit of spice. Improves as the pint goes down. |
29 Nov 2006 (Ian)
In the second pub of the Ratebeer.com KnutAlbert meet up. Very full and standing room only. So we stood by the glass collection part of the bar and had some pints. The beers were ok, but not in the best of condition in my opinion
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hambleton - Whiplash | 4.00 | | Copper colour with thin white head. Standard bitter. Nice malt/hop balance, with a great hop finish. Maybe a bit of stilton in there somewhere. Certainly the best bitter on show that evening. |
| Houston - Killellan | 3.70 | | Gold colour. Bit of orange fruit. Yeast on aroma too. It’s an ok orange fruit light bitter. |
| Itchen Valley - Greenjackets | 4.50 | | Disappointing standard bitter. Some noticeable hop on finish. |
| Bridge of Allan - Stirling Bitter | 3.70 | | Chestnut colour. Terrible aroma. Farty. Some fruit in mouth. It’s not that good to be honest. |
About The Market Porter
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 4 |
| 130 |
| 268 |
| 240 |
| 41 |
The pub is found in Southwark, Central London, SE1 9AA.
Famous pub opposite Borough Market in Stoney Street. Central bar has many beers which change on a regular basis and are mostly from UK micros. Can be extremely busy. Refurbishment some time ago and now there is one main room with a side area with seating as well. Many customers use the pavement outside to stand and enjoy their drinks. Really a must for anyone taking in London pubs. Sports 12 handpumps with 6 in each of the 2 distinct bar serving areas plus a further 4 for cider dispense at the far rear. Upstairs restaurant bar area too, mainly for lunchtime use. In 2019 the real ale choice was drastically reduced to 4 and the cider was withdrawn. Downstairs toilets. Card payment only, cash not accepted here.
We have visited this pub 282 times, seen 813 different beers and tried 647 of them.
Postcode: SE1 9AA