A is for the Albany

So, after an evening spent at the London Zoo lates (Kozel, served a bit warm, and overpriced; Sambrook Wandle, much better kept and more sensibly priced), we walked around the edge of Regent's Park and found ourselves at The Albany, which was clearly an ideal starting point for an A to Z of London pubs. Having some guests with us meant that a number of beers were sampled, both ale and lager.

The Pub

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The consensus amongst the group was that the Albany was a pretty decent boozer. We managed to find a table for 7 of us to sit at, but it certainly wasn't quiet, and there was some sort of event going on in the basement. The range of beers was pretty good, and generally seemed to be well kept. The prices were reasonable, for this part of town at least, and service was good throughout the time we were there.

The Beer
Several beers sampled here, the responses to which were varied:

• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - An increasingly well-recognised tipple from across the pond, almost acting as a bridge between lager and ale. Described as hearty and robust by our guest taster, who was happy with his choice.
• Meantime Pale Ale - As a fan of this Greenwich brewery, I thought I'd give this a go. I was happy with it, and found it very refreshing, although one of the guests didn't enjoy it at all, citing the 'over-flowery' aftertaste.
• Vedett Extra White - So similar that it was referred to as a gentleman's Hoegaarden, and appreciated by those who like that sort of thing. Not served with a slice of fruit in it, but enjoyed regardless of the lack of novelty St. Clements touch.
• Elbow's build a rocket boys, brewed by Robinsons - it's difficult to say how much the Mercury-winning mancunians really had to do with 'designing' this beer, rather than choosing the one they liked the most, and in any case it seems that they have plumped for something delightfully standard, as our guest taster had very little to say about this one.
• Adnams Diamond Ale - A fan of the Adnams brewery generally, I couldn't resist having a pint of this special celebratory ale, and I wasn't disappointed. While much sweeter than I would normally care for, due to the Suffolk honey used, I still enjoyed this one, although I couldn't have gone back for a second pint.
• Camden Hells Lager - Lager Boy enjoyed this one, in a fairly standard lager sort of way.
• Adnams Broadside - Another Adnams choice, and much more of a 'real beer'. Well kept and enjoyed as expected, which led to ponderings regarding whether blind tasting would have produced a more realistic (less favourable) review.
• Grolsch Blond - Lager Boy suggested that this one wasn't much different to a normal Grolsch, and was fairly standard.

The Verdict

Beer well kept, wide selection, service good, prices reasonable, punters happy.