London Pubs, 2007

Two friends went off to London a few weeks ago.

When they asked, "Where should we go for good beer?", I gave them a list of recommendations that another acquaintance had given to me.

When they returned, here's what they had to say:

We had a great, but 'sticker shock', time!

We got to some of the places your friends recommended. In particular we went to 'The Market Porter', The Jerusalem Tavern', and 'The Wenlock Arms'. The 'Jerusalem Tavern' had six (6!!!) cask conditioned ales behind the bar.

The list you gave to us attracted attention - we showed it to nice people we met in the pubs and they offered insight into the list. One guy in particular at the Wenlock Arms thought it fabulous and gave us info on the list.

The pubs were the best value for money on the trip.

UK blogger Stonch has since posted a mashup listing his 20+ choices for London's best pubs, bars, shops, and breweries. It's a Google Map on which you click a location to find out more.

I don't know if Stonch placed them in order of preference, but the Jerusalem Tavern is the first on the list. Turns out it's his local. I wonder if my friends and he had pints together.

He does also list the Market Porter and the Wenlock Arms, of which he writes:

When you walk in to the Wenlock, people will look at you. They might even stare. That's not because you aren't welcome - such a famous pub is used to outsiders, indeed it thrives because of them. You'll be given the once over because drinkers at the Wenlock aren't just interested in the beer. They're interested in the people that make the pub what it is. When you walk in, say hello, and order a pint, you become one of those people.

As of this morning, one US dollar is worth 0.4827 UK pounds. That's sticker shock, indeed.

A similar beer-mashup for the US is called the Beer Mapping Project. As with Stonch's blog, it uses Google Maps to exactly pinpoint US breweries, brewpubs, beer bars, and beer stores. Reviews are provided by on-line participants.

[UPDATE: 2007.11.18]