It's said at the stations and on the trains just before they come to a stop. "Mind the gap," the voice very cultured urging people to not trip or get caught up in the space between train and platform. Mind the gap. It's put on t-shirts, keychains and more. The phrase has become almost as iconic as Big Ben.

The Gloucester Road tube stop, here, was right around the corner from my hotel. It's on the Piccadilly Line with Heathrow at one end and Cockfosters at the other. Cockfosters, I decided, should be the brand name for an ale.

"If I have another Cockfosters, I won't be able to mind the gap."