The Crutched Friar in Tower Hill has been voted one of the best beer pubs in the country for its spectacular range of craft, cask and premium beers. The pub, which is owned by Stonegate Pub Company, is one of only six finalists in the national Great British Pub Awards.
With the most hand-pulled beers in the city, The Crutched Friar often involves customers in its choice of product, acting on requests for types and styles of beer, as well as sourcing from knowledgeable brewers. With all cask products customers are encouraged to ‘try before you buy’ and the team is provided with detailed tasting notes and details on flavour profiles to help customers make their choice.
Once a month the pub hosts Meet the Brewer events, when a guest brewer is invited to take over three lines, offering customers plenty of opportunity to sample different styles and find out more about the beer.
The Crutched Friar is also one of only two Stonegate pubs to stock Meantime Brewery Fresh lager in a tank – the pub has two tanks, each holding 500 litres of beer. The beer carries on maturing in the tank, so when one is in use, the second continues to mature.
When it comes to beer quality, rigorous standards ensure that staff maintain an immaculate, well-cared-for cellar, ensuring glassware is in tip-top condition for every serve and regularly tasting product to ensure it is in peak condition. From the temperature of the cellar, which is 5* Cask Marque rated, to the pour, attention to detail is second to none.
General Manager of the pub, Helen Blakeman, said: “It’s a huge honour to be recognised by the judges of these prestigious awards. We have established afirst-class reputation for serving a wide range of good quality, interesting and well-kept beers. We change our offer regularly to keep customers interested and we ensure that the whole team is fully briefed when we do, so they are in a position and able to make recommendations based on customer preferences.
“I am particularly proud of the fact that the Crutched Friar, which is run by myself and my deputy manager, Aleksandra Stolarova, two enthusiastic, beer loving, young women, in the City of London, a predominantly male-dominated area, has been recognised for this national award.”
Ed Bedington, organiser of the Great British Pub Awards, said: “These awards are the most rigorous of their kind for the pub sector and it’s a real achievement to make it this far into the competition.”
The Crutched Friar is one of just six finalists in the Great British Pub Awards 2019’s ‘Best for Beer’ category. The winners will be announced at a glittering awards ceremony held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on September 5.
Crutched Friar
39-41 Crutched Friars, City of London, EC3N 2AE
http://www.bestcitypubs.co.uk/thecrutchedfriarfenchurchstreet