William the Fourth, Leyton, E10

I decided to give this place a long overdue look prior to watching a game at Leyton Orient and found my high expectations met, if not exceeded by this excellent pub. It's not the easiest place to get to - I found my plan to get a bus from Leyton tube station scuppered by gridlocked traffic and ended up making the 20 minute walk instead. The traditional interior comprises of two large rooms, the first of which is dominated by an unusual, curved bar counter. The pub was showing Arsenal vs. Spurs on two plasma TVs and a large screen, so all of the seating was set up to face the screens and the pub was packed as a result. Unfortunately the staffing didn't reflect this, as one lone barman struggled to serve everyone, causing long delays at the bar. This was the only real downside, but even then, the barman remained cheerful and helpful, offering tasters and enjoying banter with his customers. A wide range of Brodies beers were available, including English Best, Mild, Special, Red, Citra, IPA and Kiwi, with Porter and Kosher Rye clips turned. A fridge clearly displayed the breweries entire range in bottled form as well and I also spotted at least one guest ale on the pumps. All of the Brodies beers are priced at just £1.99 which, judging by my pint of Red, is great value. I also had a well kept pint of the Citra, which wasn't quite to my taste. There are plenty of things in the pub to keep punters entertained including a dartboard, bar billiards table, beer patio, book swap and lots of interesting items such as a petrol pump, various stuffed animals, some large brewery mirrors and plenty of old paintings. The fireplace in the rear room was lit, which only helped to enhance the warm and comfortable environment and made it more of a wrench to leave. I found the place to be very welcoming and the sort of pub I could imagine spending the best part of the day in. One local advised me to come back in the week so that they could give me a tour of the brewery, which is in a building out the back. Were the pub somewhat easier for me to get to, I would certainly take this offer up and I hope to make it back here sooner rather than later.