BrewDog Clapham + The Fox

Craft beer in SW11 and E8

My cycle ride from Southampton to London wasn't entirely for my health. In fact, it was a part of an increasingly frequent pilgrimage to the capital as the Mecca of craft beer. Southampton offers some exceedingly fine drinking establishments - among them the Platform Tavern, the Guide Dog, the Rockstone - and an excellent bottle shop in Bitter Virtue. However, it has been slow to expand into the burgeoning and rapidly shifting industry of 'craft' beer; much slower than its neighbour Portsmouth, which boasts a number of pubs with forward-looking landlords (hello to the Hole in the Wall and the Leopold Tavern). 

In Southampton, the Butcher's Hook is a small but brave foray into the world of craft beer. Despite its diminutive size,  it serves up an impressive and constantly rotating selection of beers from the likes of Beavertown, Siren, Dark Star, Burning Sky, Partizan, and Vibrant Forest. I shall leave this digression for a more fulsome review on the coming weekend. Back to London...

BrewDog heads for London saturation

Arriving from the South, my entry point to London was Clapham Junction. It being Friday 15th August 2014, a bleedingly new offshoot of the Scottish craft pioneers BrewDog had just opened its doors in the area. With its grey frontage, I could almost have passed by the bar entirely. The punks have grown up, while the decor whispers, rather than shouts about the presence of the excellent beer available inside.

The new look eschews the bruised black and blue colour scheme familiar to loyal patrons of the bars Dog for a more mature marine/turquoise/orange wood+ceramic feel. Gone are the booths and large desk-style tables, in favour of small round bistro tables and chairs. At the bar, the pumps are still the giant black cylinder featuring the blue 'shield' logo, which I find occupy the space between bartender and customer. This nod to the old style jars somewhat with the new surroundings. I would prefer to see a more bijou style of taps, such as those adorning the bartops of Craft Beer Co., or to keep the bar entirely clear with the taps on the back wall (à la Euston Tap). 

The design choices work for me and invite a more comfortable, convivial atmosphere. I hope to see them rolled out to the other bars. From my experience at Clapham Junction, I am glad to see that the priority on staff that are eager and knowledgeable has not changed. 

Duke's! Saved by a (craft) fox

We had attempted to book a table at the home of Beavertown - Duke's Brew & Que, alas with no luck. The bar is a victim of its own success, as eager beer enthusiasts flock in their dozens to chow on the craft staple of pulled pork, stacked burgers and coleslaw. Given my meat-dodging tendencies, much of the food does not hold great appeal, but beer seems to bring out one's penchant for dirty food, which Duke's serves in unapologetic quantities.

Disappointed, we were saved by The Fox, just round the corner from Haggerston tube and Duke's. The bar-restaurant is a welcoming cacophony of people sat at an assortment of beaten up tables and chairs, or stretched out on distressed sofas. Of a Friday night, the environment was loud ("what's that, Grandad?") but it remained possible to sit and eat well after 9pm without disturbance. The food was good, with a decent selection for vegetarians, including a halloumi burger, spicy bean nachos, and a lentil shepherd's pie. Portions were good, arrived quickly despite a busy kitchen and were an excellent foil to the grand selection of beer.

And what a selection. If the dozen or so pumps and taps or the well-stocked fridge fail to satisfy your cravings, there is a genuine bottle vending machine. This was replete with bottles from the pedestrian but good (Vedett) to the ridiculous (Mikkeller). The only niggle with this machine was that it did not take notes at the time, which, with prices from £6 a bottle, taxed our jangling trouser pockets.