Where to drink in... London
Two Floors
Two Floors bar in the heart of Soho offers plenty for the beer and cocktail lovers amongst us; beautifully crafted cocktails and an extensive range of American beers, including two of our favourites for this time of year - Saugatuck Neapolitan Milk Stout and the Hop Mountain APA from Dominion.
Reds True BBQ
Each year the BBQ lovers behind Reds True BBQ in Shoreditch jump in a RV and take a road trip Pilgrimage across the southern states of America. They explore and discover. Meet and learn from the world’s best. Eat ‘cue five times a day, and return to the UK with bellies full and a stack-load of new ideas and dishes. And they're just as dedicated to great drinks... we like a Tailgate BlackTop Blonde for an authentic BBQ accompaniment.
Reds True BBQ also has restaurants in Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham and Liverpool. It's not just for Londoners.
Where to drink in... Brighton
The Windmill
Just up the hill from the city centre stands this independent pub thriving with local charm, a delightful food menu, a fridge full of craft beers and an in-house gin club to boot. Join the gin club simply by drinking gin based drinks in the pub! Members of The Windmill gin club gain access to small batch gins including the brilliant Burleighs Gin. Which we love, obviously.
Hope & Ruin
An alternative live music venue is ever there was one, split over two floors with with the live band room upstairs and the main pub on the ground floor. The Hope & Ruin consists of shabby chic furnishings with old TV's decorating the walls and picture frames lining the ceiling. This bar is a must visit for drinkers that enjoy the weird and the wonderful. Enjoy a nice Gypsy lager while you're there.
Plateau
We stepped out of the pubs and American style diners this week and into the French dining surrounds of Plateau in Brighton. Chosen as our lunch spot for the day but it's definitely a must visit for dinner too, the relaxed atmosphere and stripped back decor add to the charm and charisma of the venue. We were encouraged to peruse the locally sourced specials board but instead chose to share the cooked meat platter, the ideal accompaniment to the Fordham Copperhead Ales we were happily sipping down.
Where to drink in... Leamington Spa
Bourbon Smokehouse
Opening just last month, Bourbon Smokehouse is a restaurant & prohibition themed lounge bar. A classic Bourbon rub and spiced smokehouse, complimented by a premium Bourbon and Whiskey range. And not to mention a fantastic pint of Copperhead.
Where to drink in... Oxford
Chequers Smokehouse
The Smoke House began with a few friends who have a passion of American food, in particular American BBQ. They got together and made their dream a reality. Exposed brickwork, anecdotal artwork, smoked meat, classic American dishes and Gypsy Lager, Chequers Smokehouse of Oxfordshire; you had us at "Hello".
Where to drink in...Leicester
45 West Bottle Shop
Leicester's first premium retail outlet, 45 West Bottle Shop, specialises in quality wine, spirits and cigars with in-house bar. It's a brand new venture from 45 West Distillers which opened at the end of November. Stocked to it's classy rafters with all expressions of Burleighs Gin and the best range of American craft beer we've seen in a long while, this place should be checked out during your Christmas shopping in Leicester.
Where to drink in... Leeds
Head of Steam
One of our all time favourite bars, Head of Steam in Leeds, has an amazing range of world craft and cask beers and a great atmosphere. It's one of the few places in the UK where you can drink Neapolitan Milk Stout on draft!
We love this review from the Yorkshire evening post,
Behind the bar, fridges hold 180 different bottled beers, primarily from Belgium and the US. Drinks menus on each table detail the whole range. “We’ve got some of the familiar ones like Vedett and Duvel, but there are lots of others which will be familiar to people who have tried the Abbey beers on holiday in Belgium.
“Quite a lot of them are unique to us. The company has built up a good relationship with some of these breweries and we can access beers which other places can’t.”
The barman edges into the side of our conversation, proferring a shot glass of something dark and fragrant: “You really must try this. It’s life-changing.”
This rich, jet black beer is from the Saugatuck brewery in Michigan; its distinctive, sweet but not cloying combination of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours, perfectly combined in the name Neapolitan Milk Stout.
You can read the whole article here. And if you haven't tried that stout yet, you really must experience it.
This rich, jet black beer is from the Saugatuck brewery in Michigan; its distinctive,
sweet but not cloying combination of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours perfectly combined in the name Neapolitan Milk Stout.
This rich, jet black beer is from the Saugatuck brewery in Michigan; its distinctive,
sweet but not cloying combination of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours perfectly combined in the name Neapolitan Milk Stout.
Enjoy your December drinking everyone and let us know your favourite bars on Twitter @HeathwickUK
Follow #wheretodrinkin for more updates on some great bars in the UK.