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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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The Hop & Vine, Ruislip
Ruislip
HA4 7AN
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Pub SignMan left this review about The Hop & Vine
This is a decent micropub on the main stretch through the centre of Ruislip. It's your usual shop converted permesis, although relatively wide, so that three rows of seating can be accommodated rather than the usual two. Fixed benches run down the left-hand wall, serving several small tables with chairs in support. More tables and chairs appear down the right-hand side, with one more in the centre plus an upturned barrel for folk to stand around near the entrance. The walls have been clad with tongue and groove panelling in two colours and decorated with a large tree ornament on one side and a disused TV screen on the other. The servery is to the rear and has a timber fronted counter, plain bar back decorated with a huge beer board and a "Coming Soon" pump clip display, as well as a door to the taproom, where most of the beers appear to be poured from. The ceiling has multiple lights, each with its own quirky patterned lamp shade. Fridges in the rear left corner hold a few more craft options and a corridor seems to lead to a beer garden, but this wasn't properly explored. Music was playing quietly in the background and there was a good atmosphere from a pre-match crowd, presumably about to head to a Wealdstone game.
Cask options amounted to Cloudwater Mosaic In your Heart (£5.00 a pint), Cloak and Dagger Snazzy Jazzy Barry, Bristol Beer Factory Satisfaction and something from London Beer Lab that I failed to note properly. Six craft keg beers fleshed out the range and there were two real ciders available too. The Cloudwater was a nice pint, if not quite hitting the highs of some of their earlier brews, and the landlord was friendly enough to a strange face.
This felt like a very pleasant place to spend a bit of time, and with such a glaring lack of alternatives, feels like a must do if you're out this way. In the grand scheme of micropubs crossed with craft beer bars, it's prerty solid and I'd say there is little in this part of town to challenge it as the stand out pub.
Date of visit - 23rd October 2024
On 6th January 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Hop & Vine
Micropub on Ruislip's main street. I last visited here in what must have been Covid times, as I remember table service. I used to live in Ruislip and would have loved to have had a pub like this to visit. Whilst it's not the best example of its kind, you can be assured of a constantly changing beer and cider range.
The pub is typical micropub style with a single square-shaped room with a corridor off to the rear left leading to an outdoor seating area. The bar is to the rear right, with the cold room containing the ales and ciders just behind it. All are listed on a blackboard behind the bar.
4 cask ales were on - Grey Trees Drummer Boy, Tiny Rebel Cosmic Pale, Iron Pier Long Ferry & Fauna Meadow Maker. Ciders were Abrahall's AD & Lilley's Sunset, whilst craft beers were London Beer Lab Black Lab, Cloudwater Sangria Breeze & Two By Two Azacca Mosaic. In addition, they have various spirits and a fridge containing a varied bottled and canned selection, including some non-alcoholic options.
The young bar staff were friendly and I didn't notice any particularly overpriced drinks. A good addition to the High Street.
On 20th May 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3040 recommendations about 3038 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Hop & Vine
I agree with Aqualung, that this is the most expensive micropub that I have ever been in. Ruislip is a beer desert, so maybe the owners know people are just going to pay their prices. Then again, the customers on our Saturday afternoon visit didn't look hard up. A couple of women, all glammed up, popped in from the next door beauty saloon and were ordering bottles of expensive Prosecco. Six ales to choose from on our visit, all served from stillage from the cold room directly behind the bar. I went for the Park Amelia, which was a staggering £4.40 a pint. The other beers were Red Willow Faithless, Gun Chummy Bluster, Two by Two Simcoe Amarillo and Thornbridge/Brewster's Collaboration Mora Mora. We took our beers to the patio garden at the rear, which was pleasant and had a conversation with a down to earth couple, who were from Newcastle originally.
On 27th June 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3645 recommendations about 3645 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Hop & Vine
For me this is a proper micropub although it does sell some selected spirits but I'd never heard of any of them. It also has a couple of craft keg options and wines but the cold room behind the small bar counter predominately has racks of casks and a couple of non mainstream ciders. There is also a fridge to the left with a range of bottles and cans.
It's a reasonable size for a micropub and on my Wednesday early afternoon visit was not busy. It's an almost square room with a low bench down the left and right walls and low tables and chairs along them. There are a couple of upturned wine or sherry barrels in the middle of the room. There are no TVs or music.
There were four cask ales available on my visit XT 18, Box Steam Brolly, Wild Beer Bibble and One Mile End Great Tom Mild. I went for the XT 18 and the mild both of which were in good nick and both priced at £4.10. This makes it the most expensive micropub I've been to. With low overheads and no beer tie these places should be and usually are cheaper than other pubs. If Ruislip overheads are so high why does the JDW have normal prices?
On 6th May 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]