The Jolly Butchers, Stoke Newington, N16

This is a fairly large, single room pub on Stoke Newington High Street with an emphasis on providing interesting cask and keg beers and pairing them with good food. The pub's interior is a bit odd, with the large open plan room having what I assume is a 'shabby-chic' look to it, thanks to peeling paint on exposed brickwork and exposed tiles in various parts of the room contrasting with an unusual piece of modern art which takes up almost all of the back wall. There are some nice features, especially the large arched windows, some of which have stained glass semi-circular designs on top of them. The empty space is filled with an orderly arrangement of tables, chairs and the odd pew. Behind the bar there are a few signs advertising foreign beer brands as well as the obligatory collection of pump clips. In the rear corner, the kitchen area is visible and a quick look at the menu suggests that it's not exactly traditional pub fayre on offer. Almost all of the dishes list a suitable beer to try with the meal, which I think is a nice touch and potentially a good way to introduce people to beers they wouldn't normally try. It was very quiet when I arrived on a Saturday lunchtime, so I was unable to see if it really does get as noisy as some of the previous reviews suggest, although trade did pick up a bit just before I left. The beer is the star here as far as I'm concerned though. On handpull there was Hardknott Katalyst and Dark Energy, Dark Star Hophead and APA, Hewitt’s Gorilla and Black Isle Organic Ale. Three handpulled ciders included Broadoak and Fanny Bramble whilst the keg range offered the likes of Brewdog 5am Saint, Meantime Helles, Camden Wheat Beer and Hell's Lager and various other Belgian, German and American imports. Menus on the tables listed an extensive bottled range and there was a decent wine list too. I tried the Hardknott Katalyst, a brewery I'd not managed to come across in the capital until then, and thought it was an excellent pint. All ales were served in dimpled mugs by the two very friendly barmaids who were more than happy to offer samples and chat to their customers about the beers. This pub was apparently modelled on the Southampton Arms in Gospel Oak but, with the exception of their pub sign which is closer to plagiarism than homage, there aren't too many similarities once you get past the excellent beers on offer. I found this pub to be very welcoming and I would have happily stayed here for a decent session if I hadn't made other plans. It's not very easy for me to get to this place, but I'd certainly consider a return, perhaps during a busier time so I can see just how noisy it gets.

The pub is a large open plan noisy barn of a place with a high ceiling supported by six circular cast iron columns. The bar runs along two thirds of one side with the remaining corner being infilled by an open kitchen/food servery. The back wall is peppered with strange and rather unsettling circular plate size face portraits, walls are purple, the ceiling black. Thankfully being a corner site, the windows all round let in plenty of light otherwise this would be a dark and dismal interior. The windows themselves have attractive semi-circular leaded and occasionally stained glass toplights. Seating generally is at wooden tables in a variety of sizes but at the normal level, with wooden chairs without cushions. The lack of any soft furnishings at all together with the high ceiling make for a resonant echoey area. The main draw here though is the first rate selection of drinks. Ale and Cider House it proclaims outside. There are nine handpumps on the bar with small local breweries well represented. Saturday afternoon had Brentwood Gold, Windsor and Eton Conqueror, Boggart Rum Porter, Brodies Kiwi, Redemption Hopspur, Otley Hedbo and Otley Thai-Bo (a limited edition the clip said). The two ciders were Sandford Orchard and Fanny's Bramble. In addition there are a wide range of bottled Belgian and American beers plus a good range of craft beers from the like of BrewDog, Meantime, Sierra Nevada and Brooklyn. It's fair to say that that is some line up. I asked about beer styles and was given tasters before choosing. Pints (and halves) do come by default in dimpled jugs. I found the staff to be helpful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable as well as downright friendly. Most ales were in the £3.50-60 band with the ciders being £4. The food servery was busy dishing up burgers, ribs and fish and chips as well as a few mainly fish related specials generally around a tenner. I don't usually like stripped out noisy barns full of affluent 30somethings but the beer selection in here is certainly eclectic and makes this place a destination pub in my view.