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The Crosse Keys (Wetherspoon)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Saltaire - Triple Choc (was Triple Chocoholic) |  | 1 |
| Brentwood - Weald Porter |  | 1 |
| Skinner's - Riggin' Ale | | 1 |
| Wold Top - Headland Red |  | 2 |
| Weltons - Blarney | | 1 |
| Salopian - Blackwater - Red Herring | | 2 |
| Frome (formerly Milk Street) - Folklore | | 2 |
| Leatherbritches - Shafted | | 1 |
| Oakleaf (now see Fallen Acorn entries) - 10 Little Acorns | | 1 |
| Butcombe - Adam Henson's Rare Breed (superseded by 3.8% version - see separate entry) | | 1 |
| Black Iris - Peregrine Pale |  | 1 |
| Burton Bridge - Fly By Night | | 1 |
| Leeds - Eager Owl | | 1 |
| Weltons - Tartan Terror | | 1 |
| Belhaven - Howell's Frosty Bells | | 1 |
| Wolf - Whistle | | 1 |
| Rudgate - IPA | | 1 |
| Otter - Pilgrim | | 1 |
| Belhaven - St. Andrews Amber Ale | | 1 |
| Holt's (see also Joseph Holt) - Two Hoots | | 1 |
| Backyard - Silly Rucker | | 1 |
| Hereford - Wyvern Warrior |  | 1 |
| Coach House - Whiplash | | 1 |
| Wooden Hand - Elves Bells | | 1 |
| Hanlons (formerly O'Hanlon's) - Flagship IPA | | 1 |
| Titanic - Nine Tenths Below | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Libertine | Not Tried | 0 |
| Olde Swan - Bumblehole | Not Tried | 0 |
| Batemans - Smokey Joe | Not Tried | 0 |
| Enville - Cherry Blonde | Not Tried | 0 |
| Nelson - Shiver M' Timbers | Not Tried | 0 |
| Millstone - Tiger Rut | Not Tried | 0 |
| Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Silver Top | Not Tried | 0 |
| Tap House - Malteaser | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bristol Beer Factory - Acer | Not Tried | 0 |
| East London (ELB) - Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| East London (ELB) - Foundation Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Highgate - Beezone | Not Tried | 0 |
| Cairngorm - Wildcat | Not Tried | 0 |
| Orkney (Sinclair) - Wayfarer IPA (Atlas range) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Abbeydale - Dark Matter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hydes - Owd Oak | Not Tried | 0 |
| Wadworth - Swordfish | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
03 Apr 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rudgate - IPA | 5.20 | | Amber coloured with a sharp piney hop character giving a bitter beer with little malt balance. Dry, sharp finish. My score 13/20. |
19 Mar 2012 (Stephen Harris)
Relatively quiet by the standards of this pub and, for once, getting served is not a trauma. Wetherspoon festival fatigue is beginning to set in and I find I am not particularly enjoying the beer.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leatherbritches - Shafted | 5.10 | | A golden, dry beer with a lemony hop character and a bitter finish. |
| Leeds - Eager Owl | 4.00 | | Gold in colour. Sweet malt and a bit syrupy – perhaps not in the best condition though. |
| Otter - Pilgrim | 4.80 | | Hazy in the glass. Overly malty (but I fear my palate is a little jaded tonight). |
| Hanlons (formerly O'Hanlon's) - Flagship IPA | 4.20 | | I don’t like to mark a beer as intrinsically poor, particularly when it comes from a brewer I admire such as John O’Hanlon. But I couldn’t find any redeeming feature in this beer. We wondered if it was a deliberate attempt to taste like Greene King IPA? |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Highgate - Beezone | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Olde Swan - Bumblehole | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Cairngorm - Wildcat | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Orkney (Sinclair) - Wayfarer IPA (Atlas range) | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Abbeydale - Dark Matter | 3.60 | Not Tried | |
| Wolf - Whistle | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Hydes - Owd Oak | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Wadworth - Swordfish | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Titanic - Nine Tenths Below | 5.90 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Libertine | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Batemans - Smokey Joe | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Enville - Cherry Blonde | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Millstone - Tiger Rut | 4.00 | Not Tried |
15 Mar 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Busy but able to get a table.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skinner's - Riggin' Ale | 4.50 | | Smooth and well rounded Amber bitter with good hop and malt character. Lingering malty finish. My score 16/20. |
| Wolf - Whistle | 4.70 | | Dryish Amber premium bitter with a bitter finish. My score 14/20. |
| Holt's (see also Joseph Holt) - Two Hoots | 4.20 | | Dark gold with faint hop bitterness but little malt character. My score 14/20. |
| Black Iris - Peregrine Pale | 4.60 | | Strong pale bitter with a dry hop character and a dry finish. My score 13/20. |
13 Mar 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Not too busy mid eve on a Tuesday. Lots of supafest beers on.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saltaire - Triple Choc (was Triple Chocoholic) | 4.80 | | Not quite as chocolatey as it used to be and with more bitter roast malt flavours but still a classic. My score 18/20. |
| Salopian - Blackwater - Red Herring | 4.70 | | Dark amber/red in colour and quite hoppy with a citrus twist. Little malt flavour. Citrus hop finish. My score 15/20. |
| Wold Top - Headland Red | 4.30 | | Red and malty but slightly oversweet with a hint of diacetyl. Fruity finish. My score 14/20. |
| Burton Bridge - Fly By Night | 4.50 | | Dry, bitter and malty. My score 13/20. |
| Weltons - Tartan Terror | 4.30 | | Amber beer with a bitter character from moderate citrus hops. Little malt character. My score 14/20. |
12 Mar 2012 (Stephen Harris)
I really only popped in to pick up a beer list for the forthcoming Wetherspoon’s Beerfest (they claimed to have none), but ran into a friend and stayed for a succession of halves. Beer range can be limited here on a Monday evening, but nobody was complaining today with a choice of 23 real ales on the pumps. I only list the more interesting ones.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wold Top - Headland Red | 4.30 | | I’m not usually a lover of Red Ales, but this was pretty good. Not overly-sweet, as some in the style can be. |
| Salopian - Blackwater - Red Herring | 4.70 | | Having enjoyed one Red Ale, I went for another. Perhaps not really in the style, as this one contains some hops and is not really sweet at all. |
| Frome (formerly Milk Street) - Folklore | 3.90 | | Pale and malty, with a dry finish. |
| Backyard - Silly Rucker | 4.60 | | Malt-led bitter. |
| Olde Swan - Bumblehole | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Saltaire - Triple Choc (was Triple Chocoholic) | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Nelson - Shiver M' Timbers | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Silver Top | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Tap House - Malteaser | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Bristol Beer Factory - Acer | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| East London (ELB) - Pale Ale | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| East London (ELB) - Foundation Bitter | 4.20 | Not Tried |
06 Mar 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Supafest in progress ahead of the main festival.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frome (formerly Milk Street) - Folklore | 3.90 | | Amber bitter with a dry malty bitterness but poor showing from hops. My score 13/20. |
29 Nov 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belhaven - Howell's Frosty Bells | 4.00 | | A ruby colured bitter with rather a lot of crystal malt giving a bittersweet rather cloying taste to the beer. The finish is rather dry. My score 14/20. |
| Wooden Hand - Elves Bells | 5.00 | | Strong ruby bitter with very little flavour of anything, just a faint bitter maltiness and virtually no hop character. My score 9/20. |
08 Nov 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brentwood - Weald Porter | 4.90 | | Dark brown porter with a sweetish malty character with hints of toffee and chocolate. Some hop and fruit in the finish. My score 16/20. |
| Weltons - Blarney | 4.60 | | Amber premium bitter with a good balance of hop and malt. Dryish finish. My score 15/20. |
01 Nov 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butcombe - Adam Henson's Rare Breed (superseded by 3.8% version - see separate entry) | 4.20 | | Well balanced golden ale with good hop and malt character. My score 15/20. |
| Belhaven - St. Andrews Amber Ale | 4.90 | | A long time since I last tried this, seems to have been become less distinctive with just a sweetish and malty flavour. My score 14/20. |
18 Oct 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
Starting to empty out after the early evening rush.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakleaf (now see Fallen Acorn entries) - 10 Little Acorns | 4.40 | | Light ruby mild with a nutty malt flavour and fairly low hopping. My score 15/20. |
| Hereford - Wyvern Warrior | 4.60 | | Ruby in colour, slightly hazy. Faint maltiness, little hop character and a sharp, musty bitterness. Not well balanced or to my taste. My score 9/20. |
| Coach House - Whiplash | 4.10 | | Strong sweet toffee aroma. Amber in colour, oversweet with cloying caramel and toffee flavours giving a diacetyl taint. Very dry astringent finish. My score 11/20. |
About The Crosse Keys
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 3 |
| 35 |
| 64 |
| 62 |
| 18 |
The pub is found in City, Central London, EC3V 0DR.
Big and busy JDW pub in the heart of the City in Gracechurch Street. Huge sports screen on one wall. Wonderful building with lots of high ceilings and marble. The lights in particular are worth noting. Oval bar towards the rear serves numerous handpumps (I saw 18) including guest beers not on the JDW usual guest list. This is definitely worth going to if you are in the City during the week.
We have visited this pub 89 times, seen 401 different beers and tried 181 of them.
Postcode: EC3V 0DR