Oh my. I don’t even know where to start with this one. Shall I praise one of the most storied and excellent brewers in England? Or this magical seasonal IPA in the classic style? Or perhaps I ought to speak to the magnificent Monk’s Table, or the amazing hospitality of it’s landlord, Adam Grant. As I’m quickly running out of adjectives, though, I think I’ll start out with a little history, and get to the gooey love-in towards the end of the post.
Fuller's Bengal Lancer IPA
So if you’re not familiar with Fuller’s, it’s time to give yourself a quick lesson. Go to your local LCBO, look in the refrigerated section for beer in tallboys, and grab a tin of Fuller’s London Pride, ESB, and London Porter. Drink them. You won’t be sorry. So now you know three of their main products, if you get to the Monk’s Table, or many many bars in London (proper), you’ll be able to enjoy Chiswick Bitter, which is a wonderful session ale. Despite being a fairly large brewery, Fuller’s has remained a producer of excellent English ales, many available on cask in their native England, and a few locations here in Ontario (Volo’s definitely had it, The King Edward in Ilderton gets it too). On draught their beers are still awesome, and are much more widely available (often on taps that look like hand-pumps. In case you haven’t already heard my opinion on this, let me sum it up now: I really don’t care. I even kind of like them. Dishonest publicans will find any number of ways to be dishonest, a tap that looks like a pump is hardly a drop in their buckets. I avoid those pubs and recommend you do, too).
Bengal Lancer IPA is a classic English IPA. It has generous hops, but definitely tends more towards the bittering hops, with less focus on the aroma ones. In a culture of American-style big aroma hops, this is both a noticeable difference, and a welcome change. Still with some nice light citrusy hops, with even a hint of apricots, and a great sweet malt balance, this beer is a tad big to be called properly sessionable. Still, that didn’t stop me from trying. The name comes from a regiment of the British-Indian army, but I’ll let you decide if you want to read that bit of history. Yes? It’s right here. Fuller’s only makes Bengal Lancer for November/December, which makes it even more desirable when you can lay hands on it.
The Monk’s Table: Well, I do have a bit of a tendency of late to go on and on about this wonderful bar. A short walk from the Summerhill subway station, it’s totally worth the trip. Adam has built up a reputation on a foundation of boutique European beers and what he calls “High-end pub food”. I can attest to the food, it’s a rare time I stop in and don’t get a beer and cheese crock (something like a cross between fondue and Welsh Rarebit), and I’ve recently fallen hard for their Buffalo Shrimp (lightly breaded shrimp tossed in hot sauce with the usual celery and carrot sticks with blue cheese dressing). As far as the beer goes, I hardly need to attest to anything. A glance at the draught menu tells you these guys aren’t fooling around. Hacker-Pschorr dunkleweisen, Fuller’s Chiswick Bitter, Bellhaven Cream Ale, Urthel Hop-it, Koningshoeven Quad, and the list goes on.
So whenever Adam sends me invites to events at the Monk’s Table, I do my best to attend. When the invite is for a launch party for a Fuller’s product, I’ll go to almost any length to make it.
This event was no exception. The beer was stellar, the company excellent, and the hospitality unmatched. We were invited upstairs, provided with plenty of IPA, lots of munchies, from the beer and cheese crock and shrimp I’m so partial to, to their excellent baked wings and lovely mussels. And as ever, kind and friendly service, even when a random beer blogger makes a meal out of trying to leave a tip, after leaving the table forgetting to leave it there (including an attempt to be discrete using a beer mat to “hide” it).
If you’ve got some time this festive season, get on over to The Monk’s Table, and get some of this beer. It’s just amazing. If you don’t get there till the new year, and the Lancer is all gone, don’t worry, there are plenty of other lovely brews to choose from.
Cheers to Adam, the crew at the Monk’s Table, and Fuller’s. Great night guys, here’s to many more.
