Classic Pints – Fuller’s London Pride. Your taste is personal and subjective. As well as the complex physical and chemical interactions with what you are consuming, it is also very much about the moment, the mood you are in, and the environment around you. This applies to drink just as much as to food, from eating fish and chips at the seaside to a pint at the bar in a friendly pub. Where we are, who we are with and how we feel will all affect our perception of what we consume.

Many moons ago * I worked in a couple of pubs in south London as well as being the landlord of a wonderful little place near Pinewood Studios, the Swan at Iver. Now I always took pride ( sorry! ) in my cellar and beer service and in offering as wide a range of cask ales as possible. There may have been some bias in the selection, Batemans XXXB and Adnams Broadside to name a couple of my favourite brews. However, in every one of these pubs, London Pride was the best-selling bitter. We sold other local brews like Brakespears, but Pride was always the number one.

Now, the last time I drank a pint of Pride in London itself was a few years ago. There are just so many beers to try and enjoy. I was sitting in a very pleasant pub by the Thames, the Blue Boat which is a favourite watering hole for many to watch the world famous boat race. The two almost go hand in hand. Then a couple of days ago I saw Fuller’s London Pride on draught here in Jersey and remembered what a great seller it was. Jersey has a wide selection of good beers on offer but nothing like the capital and the UK mainland.

* I’m quite proud of this very nerdy pub pun you have to check it out.

Soon memories flooded back of pubs filled with happy, contented drinkers with a nice pint of freshly brewed ale in hand. So, a couple later I had my next classic pint to profile. Some things have changed, Fullers Brewery is now part of the giant Japanese brewery Asahi and that upsets a lot of purists. Some drinkers think that since the sale there has been a marked drop in the quality of the beer. I couldn’t tell you if that is the case, but I enjoyed the couple of pints I had. How much of that was due to my memory and personal taste is difficult to tell.

A little Fuller’s London Pride History

Fuller’s London Pride has been brewed by the river Thames at Chiswick since 1958. It is named after a flower found growing in the bombed ruins of the London Blitz which was immortalised in a song by Noel Coward. It is brewed at the famous Griffin Brewery established in 1816. If you get chance you can take a guided tour and enjoy a tasting in the brewery tap.

London Pride was named Champion Beer of Britain in the Best Bitter Class at the CAMRA awards in 1979 and 1995, and went on to be the overall winner in 1979. In 2000 it was named Supreme Champion at the International Beer and Cider Competition. It is one of the few real-world beers served in the Hog’s Head Inn, created by the author J. K. Rowling, in the Harry Potter books.

Tasting Fuller’s London Pride

London Pride is a bright, amber-coloured English ale. It’s great by a roaring fire on a chilly winter’s day with a good book or boardgame. Better still a refreshing drink by the river Thames on a lazy summer afternoon after a good walk and a Sunday lunch. This is a great example of buttery biscuity malt flavours balanced by gentle bitterness and herbaceous notes from the hopping. The head is a clean white and quite creamy when poured correctly and the beer has a gentle carbonation. If you don’t already know I’m not really a fan of gassy ales.

When you first smell London Pride you get attractive sweet golden caramel and toffee notes, freshly baked shortbread biscuits, and a touch of freshly picked meadow herbs. Really smooth to drink, with nicely balanced sweet and bitter flavours and a clean, crisp finish this is a quaffable pint. It is not my favourite beer, but I would always happily enjoy a few more pints. London Pride is wonderful with roast chicken for Sunday Lunch and makes an absolutely great batter for fish and chips.

Draft Fuller’s London Pride