Simmons Old Street, EC1

All change from its former incarnation as the uninspiring Nelson's retreat: now painted in a penetrating red and completely stripped out and remodelled inside. Limited amount of seating, and any decor is pretty much academic since the eyes are inevitably drawn to the bar counter with an impressive run of 25 keg taps offering craft beers in a very diverse range of styles. Of course, real ale is available too, with five of eight handpumps in operation during this pre-Christmas visit (so I guess it's usually more), and I opted for the BBF Milk Stout. Outside, there is a small 'L'-shaped paved 'garden' at one end. Overall, much better.

The latest venture from this popular craft beer chain, this is well positioned to capture punters in the trendy Old Street/Shoreditch area. As others have mentioned, the pub is very easy to spot on approach thanks to a horribly misguided bright red exterior which makes it look like a football pub painted in the local team's colours. Inside, it's a remarkably simple layout, with a shallow, but very wide room centred around a long servery on the back wall. The room is bare boarded whilst the servery itself is pretty much entirely nondescript, with the exception perhaps, of the huge keg dispense line that characterises these pubs. High tables and padded stools line the front wall under some fairly large windows, whilst standard tables and chairs can be found at either end of the room, including a few in small recesses at either end which offer a modicum of privacy. The walls have been painted in a quite pleasant dual-colour scheme which goes some way to making up for the atrocity outside and there is a nice patterned ceiling too, but the room is notable for it's total lack of decorative features - no pictures or paintings on the walls, no decorative furniture, no TV screens, nothing. There is a door in the rear left corner which leads out to a small smoking patio which I shall refrain from calling a garden. It has a few seats, but it really is a pretty unpleasant spot and despite having the only free seats in the entire pub, I opted to stand at the bar rather than sit out there. The keg line supports a selection of 25 craft beers and ciders from UK micros and small batch overseas producers. There was also a decent cask range comprising their own Craft Pale and Bitter, Dark Star Revelation, Pig & Porter Strong Pale, Redemption Hopspur, Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout, First Chop Pod and Siren Broken Dream. A surly barman poured me a very average pint of the Revelation which was well below the standard I've come to expect from this chain. I have to say that I feel this chain has lost its way recently and that this is another disappointing opening following on from their underwhelming Limehouse branch. Whilst it's still a good place to find a wide selection of obscure cask and keg beers, it seems that issues with quality are now starting to rear their head. That, combined with the bland, uninspired interior, marks this place out as the chain's worst effort yet and I was surprised to find I enjoyed the nearby Draft House branch much more.

The former Nelson's Retreat has been completely remodelled by Craft Beer Co. and it now has the look and feel of a modern real ale and craft keg bar.There is a wooden floor throughout,open plan apart from two small alcoves at either end,with a series of round tables and chairs in front of new metal framed windows.The only decoration is a series of Bass mirrors and the absence of soft furnishings means that sound bounces around the interior with the muzak adding to the cacophony at busy times. There are 25 craft keg taps on a very long serving gantry and to the side 8 handpumps offering on my trip house Kent Brewery Pale and Bitter,Siren Craft Hit the Ice,Redemption Pale,Trades Union Pale,Revolutions Chocolate Milk Stout,Ansbach & Hobday ESB and Pig & Porter Fatal Flaw (jerked out of the end of barrel by an inexperienced barman ). It's functional without being memorable,I just popped in for a quick one and would be tempted to return mainly to see what was on the 8 handpumps.Close to Old Street tube.

As mentioned hard a to miss pub given its Strawberry Red exterior, also I found the interior a little bland and uninteresting. However there were eight cask beers available on handpump, I had a rather decent pint of Pig and Porter Fatal Flaw, for those keg minded and cash to burn there is a choice of twenty five Craft taps. An ok place to grab a good beer but not the nicest of surroundings.

The garish bright red exterior makes this a very easy pub to find, thankfully for me as I was slightly disoriented on leaving Old St underground which sits under the middle of a huge roundabout with numerous subway exits. The pub is calmer inside with pastel blue walls and with various brewery mirrors on show. It is all very new and smells like a new car, in fact workmen were in still fitting out the ladies toilet. High tables with unblemished brightly coloured stools in the front windows, more regular seating at each end of the rectangular room. The tables all had small clipboards containing the drinks menu for the day, the bar has a long piece of red tubular piping containing I reckoned 25 keg taps which includes a few ciders, on cask there were eight, Craft Pale and also Bitter, Gun Brewery S.M.A.S.H., Bristol Beer Factory 12 Apostles (£4.50), Redemption Fellowship, Pig and Porter Secrets We Share, Siren Liquid Mistress and First Chop Hop. I note that this establishment has a bit of a chequered past, it has taken a completely new direction now so that has to be good. I enjoyed my early lunchtime drink in here but had to move on thanks to an unbearably loud group of four hipster types a few tables along who felt the need to conduct their business at full volume accompanied by false pretentious laughter. Not the fault of the pub obviously.

You can't miss the bright red exterior but inside it has quite a plain retro feel with brewery mirrors on the walls. 8 real ales,21 keg and 3 cider taps on during my visit.