I've been here before and it was just on the cusp of offering good beer, but a recent visit sparks this new thread.

Went tonight on "quiz night" with a full front of house of which I assume were regulars. Service was good if a little reticent of new customers. I have a feeling they are used to the same old folks.

Beer line was solid.....not may bottles(but have included mcauslan) but taps were:

Creemore Lager
Railway City Dead Elephant (tasting great, Cratez can attest!!)
Railway City Amber
Railway City Copper
Stratford Common
Stratford Pilsner
Steamwhistle


A nice little pub on Talbot. Check it out!

Lenny's right. It's a decent spot that offers some interesting stuff every now and then. These are the other taps and bottles I've seen there before:

Caledonian 80 (tap)
Cameron's Lager (bottle)
Mill Street Original Organic Lager (tap)
Big Rock Traditional Ale (tap)
Cameron's Cream Ale (bottle)
St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale (bottle)
Hop City Barking Squirrel Lager (tap)
Mill Street Tankhouse Ale (tap)
Fuller's London Pride (tap)
Fuller's Vintage Ale (bottle)
Innis & Gunn Triple Matured Oak Aged Beer (bottle)
St. Ambroise Pale Ale (bottle)
Unibroue Blanche De Chambly (bottle)
Railway City Light Ale (tap)
Nickel Brook Green Apple Pilsner (tap)
Nickel Brook Strawberry White (tap)

Nice to see a quality gastropub in London now that the APK is closed.

Why eat at the Shire when you can dine on Piero's!?

Fuck yeah!

what ever happened to their house beer? no longer being served?

edit: i just read your RB review len and it answered the questions i had

Oh man... the house beer.

I'm not sure about the Shire's, but prior to them, the establishment was called the Last Drop. They served a house beer called Hangman's Ale.

It tasted like ale with a shot of vodka in it . Not decent ale either.

Took a gamble on the food here Canada Day and it's actually quite good. Typical North American pub grub like nacho fries and hot wings, but everything is tasty, well presented, and not too greasy. Thankfully they're living up to the 'gastro pub' theme.

Just got word that The Shire is drastically improving its craft beer selection. The owner says they're getting four new taps - Black Oak Chocolate Cherry Stout, Nickel Brook Maple Porter, Wellington Silver Wheat Ale, and Grand River Highballer Pumpkin - to coincide with their renovations, menu overhaul, and grand re-opening this month. Black Oak Nutcracker Porter, Nut Brown Ale, and Pale Ale, Grand River Galt Knife Lager and Plowman's Ale, and Wellington Arkell will be joining the bottle list. Also, the bar has switched to a beer-themed food menu that includes mussels steamed in St. Ambroise Apricot Ale.

Well, me Court and Mike checked out this place tonight. How was that Piero's?

Mike ordered the lamb and ale burger, I ordered fire and ice wings, and court ordered a cheese fondue platter.
All were well prepared with a focus on local ingredients and most are made with beer. In fact, most of the food here is made with beer in some way or another, and the food is locally sourced.

Taps included Steamwhistle, Grand River Pumpkin Ale, Black Oak Double Chocolate Cherry, Nickel Brook Maple Porter, Wellington Silver WHeat, Dead Elephant, Railway City Amber, and many more.

They have a true gastro pub feel and menu here and the beer matches. This will likely be a sure fire drinking spot for me now.

And as a bonus, we needed a little more bread for our fondue, and they brought out an extra plate free of charge. This is what I call service. Not nickel and diming their customers for an extra squeeze of mayo or mustard just to insult their customers for the sake of a few pennies.

These guys have a good thing going here, and now that they have evolved, they'll be one of my regulars along side chanceys, and it seems like all I need is all in London, and within a block!


Cheers!

You guys have great options in London, you should be glad. I always stop at the Morrisey House whenever I am up in London. With that and a few of these other places I have read about here, you guys are never far from a good pint.

We are pretty lucky indeed.
Again, it was the little things that made my visit memorable. That with good service, food, and beer, keeps me coming back week in and week out.

You're right. Problem is, most Londoners aren't even aware of the options available to them. Each bar has a loyal local contingent but on the whole most people are ignorant of the fact that we're one of the better places in the province to grab a beer.

Great to hear that you support The Mo, it's a favourite of mine. Len and I had really bad service there once but I've also had dozens of good experiences and it's always a place that I recommend to people who are visiting London.

Next time you're in town, check out Chancey Smith's - it's the best beer bar south of Toronto (and perhaps outside of the GTA). They just added a bunch of BrewDog, Central City, and De Struise bottles and cans to the menu and a large Souther Tier order is on the way. I have yet to meet a beer geek who doesn't like the place, so odds are you won't be disappointed if you go. Cheers!

Have definetly been meaning to check out Chancy Smith's next time I'm in London. That is the one downtown by the Market right?