Speak up that person at the back!

I was up in that there London place on Tuesday evening, for an after-work event held at a rather unusual, but quite stunning pub that I've never been to before. The occasion was the British Guild of Beer Writers Annual General Meeting, held this year at the Samuel Pepys, an impressive and stylish Shepherd Neame house, tucked away at the end of a narrow alley leading down to the River Thames.

If my memory serves me right, this was the 3rd Guild AGM I've attended, but held in a room tucked away at the far end the Samuel Pepys, and not sufficiently far enough away from the rest of the pub, meant much of the proceedings were drowned out by the sound of customers who seemed especially noisy that evening. A faulty PA system didn’t help either, which meant I didn’t really hear much of what was going on.

Some might say that was a good thing, but I couldn’t possibly comment on that, although if you ask me in private, I might tell you why. Fortunately, acting chairman, Jonny Garrett mentioned that his theatrical training might assist, and many of us were grateful that he was able to project his voice to the back of the room. Jonny of course, is the author of a "Year in Beer", one of
the best books I’ve read about beer, its seasonality, along with guidelines of how to experience the very best of what the UK has to offer, beer-wise, throughout the year.

The book was a present, the Christmas before last, and I was thinking, should I perhaps have brought my copy along to the meeting and asked Jonny to sign it? Possibly, or does that smack rather too much of unashamed fandom? But Jonny’s address, and the way he manged to keep the meeting going, in spite of the noise issue, helped save what was otherwise a rather un-edifying experience, with little of interest to report. So, let’s concentrate on the pub, instead.

As mentioned previously, the Samuel Pepys is tucked away down a narrow turning off busy Upper Thames Street. Known as Stew Lane, which once afforded direct access to the Thames. “Stew” was a medieval term for a brothel, and from the nearby landing watermen would have ferried passengers across the river to Bankside opposite, an area largely free of the rules and regulations of the City itself. On Bankside there were theatres, bear-baiting pits, and a large number of the aforementioned stews. As a man who frequently went in pursuit of pleasure Pepys, no doubt, often made the short journey across the river.

The pub which carries his name, is housed in a 19th Century former Thameside tea warehouse, and originally opened as a pub in the early 1970s. Today’s pub appears much more recent in its construction, and after stepping inside from Stew Lane, a flight of steps takes the visitor up to a bright and airy, loft-style bar and restaurant, boasting many character features, such as wooden floorboards, full height windows and exposed brickwork. From a small balcony that overhangs the Thames, the Samuel Pepys offers spectacular views across the river to Bankside, the re-constructed Globe Theatre, and the former Bankside Power Station, home of the Tate Modern Gallery for many years. Looking to the left, the visitor will see Southwark Bridge and dominating the skyline, adjacent to London Bridge station, is the Shard. Completed in 2012, this is the tallest building in Britain.

My journey up from Kent took me by train to London Bridge, where I changed platforms for a one stop  ride, across the Thames, to Cannon Street station. It was then a five-minute walk to the Samuel Pepys. As already mentioned, the pub is owned by Shepherd Neame, but before ordering a drink, I headed to the section reserved for the Guild AGM, introduced myself and signed in. As far as beers were concerned the organisers were running a tab, behind the bar, but slightly disappointed at discovering the Whitstable Bay Pale had run out, and not fancying Spitfire (the other cask offering), I opted instead for a pint of Beavertown Neck Oil.

Keg, of course, but quite quaffable and I followed it with a pint of East Coast IPA, from Bear Island – the latter being Sheps’s “craft ale” brand. Again, drinkable and refreshing, although I’m not sure about the East Coast tag. A little later on I bumped into BryanB who writes under the name of Beer Viking. I noticed he was pouring a bottle of Shepherd Neame Double Stout, into a glass, this full-bodied 5.2% abv stout, being one of Shep’s Heritage brews. Keen-eyed Bryan had spotted the bottles behind the bar and said the brewery’s bottled India Pale Ale was also available.

At 6.1%, and with a busy day at work ahead of me, the following morning, I gave that one a miss, and called it a day after the three pints, but where was the food? As someone who's always up for a free scoff, I was a little disappointed there was no buffet as I'm pretty sure previous AGMs have featured food of some description. I would have to wait until I got back to Cannon Street, but that moment came much sooner than I was expecting. Shortly after 9pm, the bar staff came around and informed us that the pub would soon be closing, so could we all please drink up and vacate the premises. This seemed rather strange, but I suppose it was Tuesday, and in the heart of the City of London, most drinking is associated with people meeting up with colleagues and friends for a couple of beers after finishing work, before catching their trains home to rural suburbia.

Any thoughts too, of a final drink went out the window, but as it was a school night, and I needed a clear head the following morning, it would not have been a good idea, anyway. Some of the attendees talked about going onto the Pelt Trader, a modern looking dive bar below Cannon Street station, that I passed on my way to the meeting. I've heard of this pub before, and apparently it is a well-known craft beer bar. It sells cask as well as craft keg and takes its name from the Skinner's Company Hall opposite.

It looked much busier at 6:30pm than it did when I made my way back to the station, some three hours later, but it was food I was after, much more than beer, and whilst salvation came in the form of a steak-bake slice from Greggs, at London Bridge, it was the portion of chips from Kebab Express, almost opposite Tonbridge station, that sustained me on my walk home. An interesting evening out, with a new pub visited and another potential port of call bookmarked for next time. In addition, there were some interesting and friendly people to chat with after the meeting, but I shall probably give the AGM itself a miss, next year.