DARKSTAR! Nope, I haven’t been down the Intrepid Fox for a few cider and blacks but instead have found a SUPER new ALE called Darkstar Hophead. From Darkstar Brewery (strike ONE!), located somewhere in ANSTY (sounds like angsty => strike TWO) it can supply a superb nights pleasant drinking. We’d started in Brixton and had a horrific pint of BASS in every Street Drinkers favourite pub, The Goose on Brixton High Street, and then moved across to the next cheapest pub. O no Wetherspoons O no I hear you cry but FEAR NOT!!! The Darkstar guest beer on tap was almost ridiculously fruity, imagine a pint of Pride crossed with a packet of Opal FruitsStarbursts (keep the faith).
I do have a soft spot for street drinker pubs. You can generally keep yourself to yourself, the drinks are cheap and the lack of atmosphere leads less to the horrible uncomfortable feeling of sitting around like a nonce, rather a quite nice neutrality which can only improve. Which is more than I can say for a recent trip to The York on Islington High Street before a trip to go and see PIRATES in the Warner Village. After striding into the pub and ordering a pre-emptive RHUM I found myself sitting in the hem hem WASTELAND (tseliot ref there). But not to worry, it could improve when I was joined by companions… and then at 5.45 my ears were graced with the precense of Reel 2 Reel feat. Mad Stuntman. HUrrah! I thought, Rave On Feel the… hold on this is a bit bluddy loud… OW MY EARS MY EARS!
And then they started playing it again!
We soon put in a hasty retreat to the Red Lion Theatre Bar on the opposite side of Angel station, but more to come on that later…