PubsandBeer
The Harp (Fuller Smith & Turner)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Saltaire - New World Red |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 7 |
| Dark Star - Hophead Galaxy | | 1 |
| Atomic - Planet |  | 1 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Legally Blonde | | 1 |
| Portobello - Star | | 1 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Jaipur | | 1 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Red Dawn Mild | | 1 |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | | 1 |
| Clarence & Fredericks - Redcurrant Stout |  | 1 |
| Fyne - Vital Spark | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sunny Republic - St Wite's Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Old Ale (aka Old Chestnut) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Vanguard | Not Tried | 0 |
| Palmers - Copper Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Winter Meltdown | Not Tried | 0 |
| Arbor Ales - Oyster Stout | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sunny Republic - Beach Blonde | Not Tried | 0 |
| B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Dragons Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hardknott - Coolfusion | Not Tried | 0 |
| Tring - Mansion Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Vale - Black Swan Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Black Harry | Not Tried | 0 |
| Blue Monkey - 99 Red Baboons | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windsor & Eton - Canberra | Not Tried | 0 |
| Oakham - Vagabond | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Jack Black | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Dark Star The Original | Not Tried | 0 |
| First In Last Out (FILO) - Cardinal Sussex Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Crouch Vale - Blackwater Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Potbelly - Ground Hog | Not Tried | 0 |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Old Growler | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mighty Oak - Oscar Wilde Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Vale - Grumpling Old Premium Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Atomic - Bomb | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windsor & Eton - Conqueror | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Junction | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Winter's Tail | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mighty Oak - Captain Bob | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Yardbird | Not Tried | 0 |
| Crouch Vale - Brewers Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Titanic - Stout | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
20 Feb 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. This place is invariably packed. Good chat with the proprietor of one of London's first micro-breweries in the late 1970s.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Much cleaner mouthfeel and less fruity than other recent examples. |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Hardknott - Coolfusion | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Vale - Black Swan Mild | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Black Harry | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Windsor & Eton - Canberra | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Jack Black | 4.80 | Not Tried | A black IPA - latest Red Squirrel brew |
| First In Last Out (FILO) - Cardinal Sussex Porter | 4.60 | Not Tried |
19 Jan 2013 (Martin the Mildman)
Early doors on a snowy Saturday morning and the pub is filling up fast.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saltaire - New World Red | 5.20 | | Hoppy red ale with maltiness balanced by fruity new world hop flavours. Score 16/20. |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Red Dawn Mild | 3.70 | | Probably about as good as this will get, benefitting from good cellaring here. Dry maltiness to start with a little toffee coming through leading to dried fruit in the finish. My score 15/20. |
| Clarence & Fredericks - Redcurrant Stout | 5.40 | | The tartness of the fruit unfortunately dominates over the roast malt flavours making this taste a bit "off style" for my taste. My score 14/20. |
18 Jan 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close - people still arriving at one minute to midnight such is popularity here.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Dark Star - Dark Star The Original | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Winter Meltdown | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Junction | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Red Dawn Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Sunny Republic - Beach Blonde | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Clarence & Fredericks - Redcurrant Stout | 5.40 | Not Tried | |
| Saltaire - New World Red | 5.20 | Not Tried |
17 Jan 2013 (Stephen Harris)
Exceptionally busy in the early evening – I eventually managed to squeeze past the bar to the back, where there was a little more room.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Hophead Galaxy | 3.80 | | With the hop levels in the regular Hophead having been even further reduced lately, it was good to find this supercharged version, full of Galaxy hops. |
| Portobello - Star | 4.30 | | Decent, amber-coloured, straightforward, quite nutty bitter. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Titanic - Stout | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Junction | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Red Dawn Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Sunny Republic - St Wite's Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Vanguard | 4.10 | Not Tried |
09 Jan 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Second pub where I saw closing time.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Oscar Wilde Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Atomic - Bomb | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Junction | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Windsor & Eton - Conqueror | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Winter's Tail | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Yardbird | 4.00 | Not Tried | Not seen this one before. The pump clip describes it as "Crafted Ale". A Suffolk pub website describes it as "Full of hops and with a lasting fruity flavour, this beer is inspired by bold American IPAs" |
04 Jan 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening - late 'til close. No early closing here!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | OK but the superb nose and flavours from the head died as the pint went down the glass. |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 4.70 | | As always very good but I am thinking that Dark Star is being overtaken by some of the more hop extreme tasting American Pale Ales. This resembled sweetish cream soda. |
| Atomic - Planet | 4.40 | | Dark and rather malty Scots tasting |
| Dark Star - Dark Star The Original | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Junction | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Potbelly - Ground Hog | 5.00 | Not Tried |
01 Dec 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Early doors on a Saturday and the pub is filling up fast.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Legally Blonde | 4.00 | | Pale and slightly hazy with dry citrus hop balanced by biscuity malt. My score 15/20. |
19 Oct 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
Last knockings until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Dragons Gold | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Tring - Mansion Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Junction | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Blue Monkey - 99 Red Baboons | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - Vagabond | 5.00 | Not Tried |
06 Oct 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
Last visit of a long day. Crowded as it always is.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 |  | Purely for the purposes of investigative journalism I tried some Sussex Best that had travelled! Superb with creamy texture but right bitterness |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Crouch Vale - Brewers Gold | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Fyne - Vital Spark | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Old Ale (aka Old Chestnut) | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Palmers - Copper Ale | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Arbor Ales - Oyster Stout | 4.60 | Not Tried |
25 Aug 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
2325 hours visit and still packed. Warm welcome as always.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Last one out but I always find end of cask Sussex Best as full bodied and tasty being strained nicely through the hop bed at the bottom |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Jaipur | 5.90 | | Hazy - OK |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Crouch Vale - Blackwater Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Old Growler | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Vale - Grumpling Old Premium Ale | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Wandle | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Junction | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Captain Bob | 3.80 | Not Tried |
About The Harp
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 24 |
| 575 |
| 290 |
| 75 |
 | 7 |
The pub is found in Charing Cross, Central London, WC2N 4HS.
Formerly the Welsh Harp, a small narrow long pub on Chandos Place, just a stone's throw from Charing Cross railway station, so very handy for commuters. Hanging baskets at the front are attractive. A steep flight of stairs leads to the toilets and an upstairs room. There is an alley at the rear for smokers. Won the ultimate accolade as CAMRA National Pub of the Year in 2010. In 2011 CAMRA London Cider Pub of the Year, in 2012 CAMRA West London branch Pub of the Year, and again in 2014 as joint branch Pub of the Year and in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021 as branch Pub of the Year once more. Previously privately owned it was sold to Fuller's in mid July 2014 for a reported £7 million so changes expected. Closed for some days in February 2015 for an upgrade to plumbing and electrics, in particular to swap over the Gents and Ladies toilets. Good range of regional and micro breweries beer available through 10 handpumps and a superb range of ciders and perries sold from boxes in the chilled cabinets behind the bar. 10% price discount for card carrying CAMRA members on cask ales.
We have visited this pub 545 times, seen 1117 different beers and tried 433 of them.
Postcode: WC2N 4HS