The Beer Tapestry, Bloomsbury, WC1

Visited 23/09/26. Visited previously as Museum Tavern on 04/02/19 but visited absent review a few times since then. Seven hand pumps and all dispensing - the St Edmunds Golden Beer, IPA, Abbot, the Old Dandy Hen citrus pale ale, the Beer Tapestry dark copper ale, their own branded Museum Tavern ale presumably another GK brewed liquid, and what was the only guest the King of the Castle pale ale from St Austell. Keg offering of Peroni, Guinness, Estrella Galicia, the three GK offerings of Flint Eye, Level Head & Hazy Day, Amstel, Aspall, Jubel peach lager. Furiously busy GK corner venue opposite the British Museum. Renamed (presumably only during the tenancy of the ancient rag in the building opposite) and having a bit of the rag (looked too pristine to be original) hung from the ceiling above the bar counter. Can't be original in any case as displayed vertically rather than horizontally and it would really deteriorate with GK slush splashed all over it from the erratic pumps on the bar counter below. Bare boarded venue with the bar counter along the left-hand wall in the front of the long rectangle from the corner entrance. Generally leather banquettes down the right-hand wall serving regular tables with regular chairs the other side thereof and some regular tables and chairs to the left of the front corner entrance and at the rear on the left-hand side beyond the end of the bar counter. Plenty of etched glass and an ornate dark wood and glass bar back with nice globe-based ceiling lighting. Ceiling fans were whirring away on a warm late afternoon. No screens and a discrete music soundtrack. Popular outside standing and seated via small tables on the pavements under hanging baskets at the front and longer side street side that also has an entrance into the venue middle thereof. Not the worst tourist trap in the kingdom.

The Museum Tavern has been renamed to coincide with the opening of the exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum opposite. Greene King have created a pastiche of the famous piece of embroidery, which they are calling the Beer Tapestry. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/greene-king-creates-beer-tapestry-112642129.html

I popped into the Museum Tavern on a recent Friday afternoon after a hiatus of over nine years. The layout is the same as back in 2017 and the seven hand pumps were drawing TT Landlord, Dorking Brewery’s Sunbeam Golden Ale and Old Peculiar alongside GK’s Abbot Ale and IPA, while the Tribute was coming soon. Being opposite the British Museum there are obviously lots of tourists, but it wasn’t heaving, which was mostly down to the bar staff. During our 30-minute stay not a single table was cleared of dirty plates, let alone given a wipe down, in fact the staff were stood behind an empty counter watching people walk in and then back out again after seeing no clear tables. Terrible service, if I was the manager of this pub and I walked in to witness this they both would have been sacked on the spot. This is a pub that is relying on its location to bring in the dollars, poor show.