J is for the Jolly Butchers

A Monday evening saw us arrive at the Jolly Butchers in Stoke Newington with a couple of guests in tow, and full of enthusiasm as the pub was highly recommended. Pub J also saw us move back towards the North, following a few more southern jaunts.

The Pub

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Two words: TOP TRENDY. Not that being trendy is any sort of problem here. A great beer selection meant we were immediately very happy with the Jolly Butchers. The staff were knowledgeable and friendly, without being pushy, and the prices at the bar were reasonable. The pub itself is a very open space, which is definitely a positive, but if we were really picky it maybe lacks the intimate corners of a more traditional pub. Despite this, it felt atmospheric, and a bit bohemian. I was personally not convinced by the illuminated Brooklyn Lager signage on the wall behind the bar, and the whole group were a bit disturbed by the moon-faced woman adorning one of the walls, but we are being picky here. One of our group commented that a bit of music would be a good thing, although we agreed that it probably wasn't the right sort of room for it, as the noise level was fine to have a conversation. The toilets added a certain something in terms of the fixtures and fittings, and were clean and tidy. On the Monday evening of our visit there was an eclectic clientèle making the place feel busy, but not rammed, which was helped by the reasonable amount of seating available, with a range of table sizes. We commented that a couple of sought-after sofas were almost expected in this sort of establishment, but the lack of them didn't lessen our experience at all. On this occasion we also partook of some food from the open plan kitchen in the corner of the room. This was an excellent decision, and we were impressed by the standard and value of the couple of platters we shared.

The Beer (and Wine)

• Kent Brewery Beyond the Pale - 'Top of the Hops!' A light and fresh beer, although taste-wise it's clear that it's on the strong side. Very much enjoyed, but certainly not for Lager Boy.
• Hacker-Pschorr - 600 years of brewing excellence have been put in to produce this classic example of Teutonic efficiency. Lager Boy referred to this as Franz Beckenbauer.

A side point here: if Lager Boy and I were to go on a double date, the Beyond the Pale and Hacker-Pschorr would be our ideal partners.

• Bavo Pils - A crisp and clear Belgian Pilsner, which regular readers will be aware meant it was right up Lager Boy's street. At 4.2%, he suggested it wouldn't be a bad choice to stick with for a session.
• Arbor Ales New Zealand Pale Ale (not listed on the link) - A little bit limey and extremely floral, with a dry, almost chemical, aftertaste. It was served clear and cool, but is not my favourite offering from Arbor.
• Glass of House Red - a good choice of house wine,approved by both of our guests.
• The Kernel IPA Scanners - Served very cold, which was a surprise that I never became completely convinced by, the Scanners is a strong (6.9%) IPA that has a hint of fruitiness, but remains dry and crisp. A big tick for this one from me, although I wouldn't want too many at this strength.
• Hopf Helle Weisse - very wheaty, and almost a bit sweet. Certainly a good one for Lager Boy, who enjoyed this cloudy German offering very much, but equally not for me. David Hasselhopf?
• Glass of Chilean Red - Not as good as the house red!

The Verdict

We were very happy with the Jolly Butchers as our choice for Pub J, and left disappointed that we had chosen a weeknight for our visit, as there were several more beers that we would have liked to sample, and it was an ideal place to do just that.