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Cambridge PuG Crawl, Friday 5th April 2024 with Mobyduck on the Pub Forum

The Bricklayers Arms, Putney, SW15

32 Waterman Street
SW15
SW15 1DD
Phone: 02087890222

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


The Chairman left this review about The Bricklayers Arms

I had a couple of visits here last autumn. It's slighty difficult to find, which is no bad thing, but is an excellent pub and well worth the effort. A good range of beers was on offer to suit all tastes. Not cheap with prices are in the £5 plus range, but this is London and that's the level you have to expect. I would definitely return.

On 3rd March 2024 - rating: 8
[User has posted 29 recommendations about 29 pubs]


Delboy 20 left this review about The Bricklayers Arms

Nice little back street boozer - the pick of the pubs in the area. It was pretty full when I called so I couldn't see the full range of beers on. It was a case of picking one that looked interesting from the pump clip! Whatever I had was a great pint. Glad to have called in and would do again.

On 25th February 2024 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 1651 recommendations about 1553 pubs]


Bucking Fastard left this review about The Bricklayers Arms

ORIGINAL REVIEW May 2014 score 6.

It's a small pub but the outside is adorned with signs showing off the various CAMRA awards that have been collected over the years,so my expectations were high on a visit before a Fulham v Palace match over the river.Few Fulham fans inside,but the modest interior was rammed with Palace fans,no doubt attracted by the 2014 GBG entry.The interior is unchanged from previous reviews and the beer garden is quite large and can accomodate a lot of overflow if the weather is good.The owners had decided to show case Cotleigh ales with Tawny Owl,25,Commando Hoofing,Barn Owl.Honey Buzzard,Old Buzzard and Long Eared Owl as the only real ale options.I found this policy somewhat strange,I have never rated Cotleigh beers and on sampling three of the choices my drinking companions and I came to the same decision that their beers are predominately malty,with little difference apart from strength.The very definition of booring brown beer.Maybe the owners are Fulham fans none too keen on away supporters,but their ale policy on my trip had the desired affect,we pushed off in search of better options.
It is quite possible we were unlucky,but I would be wary of a return if the team here feel that Cotleigh is a decent brewer.Now if they had been showcasing Marble..................................

October 2022 score 9

A new team have taken over here,the dark days are over and it's now a very fine ale house again.Nothing much changed with the interior,it's quite small with some large,heavy wooden tables in the front windows with smaller circular tables at the rear and a courtyard.The loos are all single traps,no urinals in the gents.There is a table skittles and live solo music on my Friday evening session.
The star of the show is the ale range from 11 pumps.A wide selection of Timothy Taylor ales may well be regulars with Landlord,Dark Mild (NBSS 3),Knowle Spring (NBSS 3) and Boltmaker (NBSS 3.5).The guest ales generally had more poke ,on my trip Kent Brewers Reserve (NBSS 4),Siren Cold Stepped Porter (NBSS 4) ,Five Points XPA,Howling Hops We Buy Teeth,Burning Sky Plateau,Downton German Pale Ale and something I missed.There is a single pump for a real cider.
An outstanding and interesting ale line up with lots of different styles and strengths.Whether 11 real ales is too much to achieve peak conditioning for all pints may be a question,but I enjoyed a long and sustained session.A big upgrade,I will most certainly be back.

UPDATE

This small pub is still atmospheric and charming but a recent visit by a large crew resulted in many sub standard pints where conditioning was lacking.Another sad feature was the lack of higher ABV's,with most of the pumps offering ale below 4.5%.Timothy Taylor,Wimbledon,Five Points and Dorking breweries output still in evidence and there were a range of styles but a lack of care drops the score down to 7.Not sure the 2024 GBG entry is justified based on my trip.

On 4th November 2023 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2709 recommendations about 2709 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Bricklayers Arms

I was here the evening after Bucking Fastard. Being a matchday, the pub was as busy as usual with punters spilling onto the pavement in front. However, I'm not sure if the ownership has changed. The landlady I remember and who is pictured on the walls alongside the various awards, was still behind the bar.

I believe the Timothy Taylor link may have been suspended for a while, but whilst the full range has not returned, Boltmaker & Landlord appear to be regular beers once again. In addition, Timothy Taylor Dark Mild was available alongside Wimbledon Copper Leaf & Common, Five Points XPA, Howling Hops We Buy Teeth, Siren Cold-Steeped Porter & Kent Brewer's Reserve. There was no real cider. It had apparently run out on the previous evening.

Another positive change that has been made is the return of proper glasses on matchdays, instead of the plastic that used to ruin the drinking experience.

On a matchday, get here early to grab one of the few tables. Alternatively, come when Fulham aren't playing for an altogether much quieter experience. The lack of a real cider on my visit was a bit of a minus, but this is still the best pub in the area.

On 31st October 2022 - rating: 7
[User has posted 2442 recommendations about 2441 pubs]


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Will Larter left this review about The Bricklayers Arms

Please see the review by Tris below for a detailed description.

I approached the pub, my last of a day going around Putney, at 3:30pm, having failed to check the opening time and being surprised to find the door closed despite lights being on and a group of people visible through the windows. The licensee, as it turned out, came to the door and told me it was a staff training session and they would be open in half an hour. (Opening time is 4pm Mon-Thu.) This rocked my schedule slightly, and my initial thought was to slink off elsewhere, which I soon amended to a plan to have a pizza at Franco Manca around the corner and come back after 4. This turned out to be a winner (try it, if you're into pizza), and I returned for a half each of Sly Beast Putney Porter (brewed, in collaboration with pub staff, at the former Youngs Brewery site) and Timothy Taylor Landlord, both in excellent condition and averaging £5.20 a pint.

I believe the pub had recently reopened after refurbishment, and were having trouble with the wifi; for future reference the code is "bestpubinlondon". No argument from me.

Date of visit: 3rd November 2021

On 24th March 2022 - rating: 8
[User has posted 3699 recommendations about 3440 pubs]


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Tris C left this review about The Bricklayers Arms

Dating from the 1820s, the Bricklaysers features on CAMRA’s inventory of pubs of historical importance, being of Some Regional Importance.
I’m not sure if I’d been here before as I used to drink at the Duke’s Head across the road in the ‘80s, but was prepared to give myself the benefit of the doubt. The interior is best appreciated on CAMRA’s site, but it’s small and cosy, with a low ceiling and much wood panelling. The interior is roughly a reversed ‘J’-shape, with the bar in the crook, the stem stretching off to single cubicle lavs, which open directly into drinkers’ faces; a patio is to the right. There was one modest TV showing the football, with the sound off, good sounds playing on the stereo. Décor comprises much in the way of knickknacks and framed prints. There’s bar skittles, shove ha’penny and bored games; hundreds of pump clip faces adorn the ceiling. What wasn’t so attractive was the small side of the bar, crammed with boxes of loo paper marked ‘Who Gives a Crap?’, along with a large kitchen fridge; space isn’t exactly this pub’s strongpoint. Standing room only on my Thursday evening visit, customers covered a broad spectrum, as did the number of hounds, passed around amongst a large group, like babies at a mass christening; overall, there was a very good vibe on my Thursday evening visit.
Served by a very enthusiastic barman who reminded me of Rufus Hound, where the pub really comes into its own is the range of ales, with 12 pumps, 11 in operation dispensing: Fresh Hop Red IPA, Mallinsons Rakau, Five Points XPA, Five Points Best (£5.10 a pint and excellent), Burning Sky Plateau, Siren Memento, SlyBeast Putney Porter, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Timothy Taylor Knowle Spring, Timothy Taylor Dark Mild and Timothy Taylor Boltmaker (the pub is a Timothy Taylor’s Champions’ Club member). A board promised the imminent arrival of ales from the likes of Burning Sky, Arbor, Siren, Fyne Ales, Northern Monk, Mallinsons, Weird Beard and Bone Machine.
This is a cracking little boozer, with one of the best ale selections in London, certainly providing a better pub experience than the White Horse at Parson’s Green a mile to the north-east. Clearing up the ugly clutter, the abandonment of televised sport and pack of hounds, would get the score up, but it’s a must-visit pub, making for a great double with the Duke’s Head over the road.

On 13th March 2022 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1955 recommendations about 1922 pubs]


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Rex Rattus left this review about The Bricklayers Arms

This one has returned to being a destination pub following a period when it appeared that its glory days might be behind it. Some work has been done on the place - the area to right where they used to hold beer festivals has now had residential accommodation built on it; and the toilets have been moved to the back left of the pub allowing a small outside drinking/smoking area to be created. Otherwise it's largely unchanged with a table skittles game (free to use) still in place on the lefr hand side of the pub.

But where it scores highly is on the beer front, with 11 (eleven) real ales available on my visit. They have some sort of link-up with Sly Beast Brewery which is based at the Ram Inn at Wandsworth, with a couple of their ales on including an excellent porter and 4ft 2 (a reference to the gauge of the old steam railway at Wandsworth). There were four Timothy Taylor ales on including the regulars of Landlord and Boltmaker, but also a dark mild. There were also a couple of hoppy ales from Five Points Brewery; Stiff Upper Lip from By the Horns; Siren Brewery's Yu Lu which is tea flavoured (pretty awful in my opinion); but the star of the show was Wimbledon Brewery's XXX.K - t's not often you see a 10% ABV beer on handpump! This is a pretty mixed selection, providing something for most tastes.

The Brickies has now returned to being a destination pub.

On 18th October 2021 - rating: 9
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]


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John Bonser left this review about The Bricklayers Arms

Update - July 2014

Called in yesterday lunchtime ( Monday ) - only 5 beers on, of which 4 were from West Berks Brewery ( with the 5th being Bruce's Dogbolter ). This is not the first time in recent weeks that the beer range has been poor, by earlier standards

Quality was good, but, yes, I agree with Moby - this pub seems to have lost its way. It's still worth calling in when in Putney, but it's not the destination pub it used to be and it no longer warrants a specific journey from further afield.

Marked down from 9 to 8.

Update – July 2011

As Roger has already told us, this pub no longer offers Timothy Taylor beers On two recent visits , a good range of microbrewery beers were on offer, all in good form ( eg – Dark Star Hophead, RCH Pitchfork, Triple FFF Altons Pride, Gravesend Shrimpers).

This is one of the few pubs where the “regulars” appear to be the staff – Pattie, Sara and Andy – but I’ve never seen any customer in the pub that I recognise from an earlier visit.

The pub has recently won the CAMRA South West London Pub of the Year Award.

In my earlier review below, I expressed the view that “it’s well worth making the effort to visit”. This pub goes from strength to strength and this comment is even truer now than it was then.

December 2009 review

Multi award-winning pub situated down a side street close to the River Thames and Putney Bridge.

In terms of awards, the pub won the Greater London CAMRA Pub of the Year Award in 2007 and also made the last 16 of the CAMRA National Pub of the Year Competition in the current year - but didn't progress to the last four which were announced recently.

The pub is larger than it looks from the outside - a single horseshoe - shaped bar with bare brick and wood panelled walls decorated with evocative black and white street scene photographs of Putney in days long gone. Note in particular a splendid 1902 large photo over a fireplace showing a works outing leaving from outside the pub. Furniture consists of scrubbed wooden tables and seats and bar stools. Unusually, pub games are available such as shove halfpenny and devil amongst the tailors, although I can't ever recollect seeing anyone playing. There's no TV's or fruit machines, but there is background music played.

The Bricklayers Arms is the oldest pub in Putney, dating back to 1826, although the original fixtures and fittings were sadly lost during a period of closure. The pub last re-opened in mid 2005 and, although a free house, acts as a Southern showcase for Timmy Taylors beers. Read more about the pub and its history in the June/July 2006 issue of London Drinker - a framed copy of which can be found on an inside wall. Regular beer festivals are held, including an Annual Yorkshire Beer Festival.

The full range of 5 Timmy Taylors beers - Landlord, Golden Best, Best Bitter, Ram Tam and Dark Mild - are usually served along with several guests which, on my visit last Sunday, included 2 Downton beers plus Sambrooks Junction from the local Wandle Brewery. The Sambrooks Junction - named after a certain railway station - is a spicy, darkish hoppy bitter and is well worth sampling if you get the chance.

The pub sometimes feels a bit cold and stark to me, but it's virtually unique in Putney in being principally a drinkers pub and it's well worth making the effort to visit

On 22nd July 2014 - rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]


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Moby Duck left this review about The Bricklayers Arms

Update
Disappointed to find this pub empty apart from myself and a lone barman at lunchtime, last Friday afternoon,even more disappointed to find only three of the 12 pumps clipped and in use, all were from Windsor & Eton and the Eton Boatman was very good indeed,I have always liked this pub and continue to do so, but it seems to have lost its way somewhat,given many of its local competitors were bustling at the same time of day, a little tucked away maybe but I would have thought its reputation would overcome this.

previous review 18/6/13
Very quiet on my latest brief visit but it was a Tuesday lunchtime, of the 12 pumps seven were in use ,six beer and one cider ,can't remember what the cider was but from memory the beers were Red Squirrel -Red Dawn Mild,Titanic- Nautical Mild, Downton -Forest Dark, XT -4 and XT - 8 also Triple fff - Ramble Tamble. It seemed a bit heavy on dark beers to me ,but a decent selection and I found both the Titanic and Downton offerings in good form.I still like this pub very much but I feel its not quite the destination pub it used to be , but always worth calling in if in the Putney area.

On 29th June 2014 - rating: 7
[User has posted 1868 recommendations about 1841 pubs]


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Aqualung . left this review about The Bricklayers Arms

Not having been to Putney for well over twenty years it is unsurprising that I hadn't visited this famous pub as it was originally a Watney's house. According to an old SW London beer guide there is a rumour that the Great Train Robbery was planned here. There's not much to say about the building that hasn't already been said. It's a typical small wooden floored ale house with twelve handpumps. On my Thursday lunchtime visit nine were in use with three Dark Star, two Hobson's, Downton Chocolate Orange Delight, Mayfield Priory, Milton Tiki and Mulberry Duck Gold Sparkle. I went for the Downton beer (£3.80) which despite sounding like an item of confectionery was not at all sweet for the strength.
Places like this are always worth a visit and I would definitely return.

On 15th November 2013 - rating: 9
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]

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