The Coal Hole, Strand

I do believe this is the worst in the london "ale house" chains, bringing purportedly good beer to a new low. CH is part of the "Dick Whittington Ale Trail," a network of so-called cask ale pubs that boast all the same (bad) beers, all the same "classic british" food (for ths same "low, low price!"), the same manufactured "ale house" environs--all just more of the same ole same ole bs. Readers from the U.S. will know what I mean when I describe this chain as the Denny's of cask ale houses. If you're a non-beer-enthusiast tourist who just wants to boast that you drank a pint of "cask ale" while visiting london, then this is the place for you. Cheap tasting beer, cheaply served. If you care at all about the quality and craft of the beer you drink and the authenticity of where you drink it, steer clear of Coal Hole and the "Dick Whittington Ale Trail(s)" altogether. Of the pubs in this chain, I'll say that CH is especially bad, as all the fake ale house facade is accompanied by unusally bad service. I would recommend this place only as a joke.

3 Apr 2009 17:45