By
Rob
Between
The Sheaf View and Red Lion, we’d sank a few pints already. After vanquishing all
before me on the snooker table, we headed over to The White Lion.
This
is, without question, up there with the best pubs in the city.
Trading as a public house since 1781, The White Lion has been serving
excellent ales in great surroundings for almost two and a half
centuries. From the exterior – with its green tiles, stained glass,
and hanging plants – you’re impressed even before you enter.
Inside,
the age of the pub is evident in the dark wooden walls and floors.
There are a couple of smaller rooms at the front and a small snug
that, if you’re lucky enough to secure, is like having your own
private room. At the back of the pub, there’s a spacious area where
the live music and bar billiards can be found.
The
pub is locally renowned for the provision of (free) live music, while
its 8 cask pumps ensure there’s always a great choice of beer on
offer. On this occasion, we each ordered a pint of Rhubarb & Custard, from UnBarred Brewery. As you might have guessed, it was a
rhubarb and custard flavoured pale ale (and pretty strong, at 5.7%
abv). I was suspicious at first, but we were both pleasantly
surprised by the flavour, which was entirely detectable without being
overpowering.
As
much as we loved the pub, the plan was to have one drink and leave
quickly. We’d lingered too long at the previous stops and still
needed to visit the nearby Crown before departing Heeley altogether.
However, this meticulously constructed strategy soon fell to pieces
when the bar staff announced the imminent commencement of a quiz.
What could we do? It was hardly fair to Ashley, who was experiencing her first ever Pubquest, to pass up the opportunity of winning a
quiz.
An
hour later and alas, we had failed to win the quiz. It was now also
too late to visit The Crown. In normal circumstances, this would have
been a disaster. But spending time in The White Lion is always a joy,
and we’d just guaranteed another Pubquest visit to Heeley.
Pub:
The White Lion
(615 London Road, S2 4HT)
Rating:
10/10
Pint:
Rhubarb & Custard
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