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Horse & Guardsman (formerly Spoons under the water; The Lord Moon of the Mall) (McMullen)

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Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Saltaire - Liquorice StoutExcellent1
Lancaster - KingmakerExcellent1
Cotleigh - Uncle Sam Hop BurstExcellent1
Rooster's - Union GapGood1
Wadworth - Young Master Summer of 1842 Session India Pale AleGood1
Orkney (Sinclair) - Corncrake AleGood1
Batemans - QEDGood1
Cairngorm - Black GoldGood1
Vale - Beam Me Up ScottyGood1
Shepherd Neame - Rudolph's RewardAcceptable1
Hydes - Racey RudolphAcceptable1
Kelham Island (probably brewed by Thornbridge now) - Wild Rider IPAAcceptable1
Nelson - VengeancePoor1
Highgate - Fox's Nob PremiumPoor1
Banks's - Two Birds Golden AleNot Tried0
Windsor & Eton - Koh-i-noorNot Tried0
Shepherd Neame - Abbaye Du Val-Dieu Abbaye BlondeNot Tried0
Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - ZephyrNot Tried0
Greene King - Morland Old Speckled HenNot Tried0
Batemans - Wicked Weed Freak of NatureNot Tried0
Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London PrideNot Tried0
Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%)Not Tried0
Sharp's - Doom BarNot Tried0
Mordue - IPANot Tried0
Adnams - ExplorerNot Tried0
Marston's - Pedigree New World Pale AleNot Tried0
Beartown (latterly part of Manning Brewers) - Bearskinful (aka Premium or SB)Not Tried0
Banks's - Wychwood Hobgoblin GoldNot Tried0
Quantock - Wills NeckNot Tried0
Batemans - GoldNot Tried0
Lancaster - BlackNot Tried0
Shepherd Neame - Spitfire (or Spitfire Amber Ale)Not Tried0
Greene King - AbbotNot Tried0
Exmoor - GoldNot Tried0
Wychwood - PiledriverNot Tried0
Moorhouse's - Pendle Witches BrewNot Tried0
Okell's - IPA (or Dr Okell's IPA)Not Tried0
Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Bombardier (was Bombardier Glorious English) (use Eagle entry now please)Not Tried0
Vale - Black Swan MildNot Tried0
Inveralmond - Lia FailNot Tried0
Vale - MetamorphosisNot Tried0
Sambrook's - WandleNot Tried0
B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Hitchin Old DarkNot Tried0
Sambrook's - JunctionNot Tried0
Hook Norton - Brew Moon Real Antipodean AleNot Tried0
Windsor & Eton - Eton BoatmanNot Tried0
Picture 1. Horse & Guardsman (formerly Spoons under the water; The Lord Moon of the Mall), Whitehall, Central London

Visits Details

22 Apr 2019 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit. At least JDW does keep to normal published hours at bank holiday time.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Vale - Beam Me Up Scotty4.00GoodNicely bittered copper coloured ale
Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%)3.40Not Tried
Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride4.10Not Tried
Greene King - Abbot5.00Not Tried
Sharp's - Doom Bar4.00Not Tried
Inveralmond - Lia Fail4.70Not Tried
Sambrook's - Wandle3.80Not Tried
Sambrook's - Junction4.50Not Tried
Windsor & Eton - Eton Boatman4.30Not Tried
Windsor & Eton - Koh-i-noor4.50Not Tried
Big Penny (formerly Truman's) as of late 2022 contract brewed - Zephyr4.40Not Tried
06 Nov 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Apparently up for sale and one wonders if Tim's mugshot on the outside sign will survive such a sale.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Batemans - QED4.00GoodHowever branded, so many Batemans pale ales taste of the same identikit sweetness
Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%)3.40Not Tried
Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen4.50Not Tried
Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride4.10Not Tried
Shepherd Neame - Spitfire (or Spitfire Amber Ale)4.20Not Tried
Greene King - Abbot5.00Not Tried
Exmoor - Gold4.50Not Tried
Moorhouse's - Pendle Witches Brew5.10Not Tried
Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Bombardier (was Bombardier Glorious English) (use Eagle entry now please)4.10Not Tried
20 Jul 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Bit of an end of day jaded feel here I felt.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Wadworth - Young Master Summer of 1842 Session India Pale Ale5.00GoodTangy heavily hopped and full bodied
Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%)3.40Not Tried
Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride4.10Not Tried
Mordue - IPA5.10Not Tried
Marston's - Pedigree New World Pale Ale3.80Not TriedCame on
Banks's - Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold4.20Not Tried
Batemans - Gold3.90Not Tried
29 Oct 2014 (Stephen Harris)
Mostly a tourist crowd, mid-evening on a Wednesday. And they are primarily here to eat, not drink beer. It is very hot and I fear there may be some form of heating on, despite the warm weather.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Cotleigh - Uncle Sam Hop Burst4.30ExcellentGolden and US-hoppy. Better balance and more mellow than the Roosters beer I drank alongside (to my taste today anyway).
Rooster's - Union Gap4.30GoodPale golden colour. Dry and hoppy, with nice orange flavours. Would be better still with more body.
Okell's - IPA (or Dr Okell's IPA)4.50Not Tried
Vale - Black Swan Mild3.90Not Tried
Vale - Metamorphosis4.50Not Tried
B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Hitchin Old Dark4.80Not Tried
Hook Norton - Brew Moon Real Antipodean Ale4.00Not Tried
Banks's - Two Birds Golden Ale4.40Not Tried
Shepherd Neame - Abbaye Du Val-Dieu Abbaye Blonde6.00Not Tried
Batemans - Wicked Weed Freak of Nature7.50Not Tried
31 Jul 2014 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Touristy atmosphere. 6 of the 12 handpumps still in use for dog ends of cider festival.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Nelson - Vengeance4.80PoorMetallic smell and back-taste. Most offputting. Not very nice
Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride4.10Not Tried
Greene King - Abbot5.00Not Tried
Sharp's - Doom Bar4.00Not Tried
Wychwood - Piledriver4.30Not Tried
13 Feb 2014 (HSB)
15:30 Late lunch stop. Reasonably busy.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Cairngorm - Black Gold4.40Good
Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen4.50Not Tried
Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride4.10Not Tried
Sharp's - Doom Bar4.00Not Tried
Adnams - Explorer4.30Not Tried
Beartown (latterly part of Manning Brewers) - Bearskinful (aka Premium or SB)4.20Not Tried
Quantock - Wills Neck4.30Not Tried
Lancaster - Black4.50Not Tried
17 Dec 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Busy with tourists and after work drinkers.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Shepherd Neame - Rudolph's Reward3.70AcceptableDark amber bitter with a sharp bitterness and a slightly metallic finish. My score 14/20.
Hydes - Racey Rudolph4.00AcceptableVery malty and biscuity giving a rather unbalanced flavour and a dry, astringent finish. My score 14/20.
01 Apr 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Fairly quiet for breakfast on a Sunday morning.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Kelham Island (probably brewed by Thornbridge now) - Wild Rider IPA5.50AcceptableStrong pale ale with a bitter hop character and little maltiness. Dry, bitter finish. My score 14/20.
10 Apr 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
First port of call for my final festival beers and one on here. Had breakfast as the pub was very quiet at 11am on a Sunday morning.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Highgate - Fox's Nob Premium5.00PoorUnfortunately the break from brewing doesn't appear to have improved the beer. Still that dry malty flavour and little hoppiness for balance. Still not to my taste. My score 11/20.
02 Apr 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
Very quiet before 11am on a Saturday morning with just a few taking breakfast.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Saltaire - Liquorice Stout5.00ExcellentA bittersweet stout with some liqourice flavour balanced with dark malt character. Not quite as distinctive as I had hoped. My score 16/20.
Lancaster - Kingmaker5.00ExcellentA very pleasant well rounded strong golden bitter. A good balance of sweetish malt and fruity hop gives a full bodied flavour. The finish is fairly dry. My score 16/20.
Orkney (Sinclair) - Corncrake Ale4.10GoodPale gold and fairly bitter with moderate hoppiness and some malt balance. My score 15/20.

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About the Horse & Guardsman (formerly Spoons under the water; The Lord Moon of the Mall)

The pub sign. Horse & Guardsman (formerly Spoons under the water; The Lord Moon of the Mall), Whitehall, Central London

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional-
Excellent6
Good10
Acceptable11
Poor4

Website.

The pub is found in Whitehall, Central London, SW1A 2DY.

Once a goodish Wetherspoon's in Whitehall with 12 hand pumps in 2 banks each of 6. Exterior is very nice and it is located next to the Whitehall Theatre. The rear overlooks St James's Park. Large plate glass windows allow you to enjoy the view of Whitehall whilst you have a pint. The hanging external pub sign showed an image of Tim Martin, Wetherspoon's chairman. Closed then McMullen the freeholder re-opened it as a non real ale pop up pub whilst building works take place - a cheeky renaming. Expects to reopen in November 2021 as Horse & Guardsman with food emphasis alas. Opened as expected in 2021.

We have visited this pub 20 times, seen 71 different beers and tried 31 of them.

Map location

Postcode: SW1A 2DY