The Brookmill, SE8

Visited 05/03/26. Visited previously 09/06/21. Cask here was the Iron Pier Comet & Chinook joined at the Hop plus Harvey's Sussex Best. Keg offering of Guinness, Jubel Peach lager, a Deya & Two Flints pale ale collab called Subliminal Messaging, the Gameplay NEIPA from Pressure Drop, Burrow from Villages, Hepcat, Rafiki session IPA also from Villages, Heineken, Cruz and Neck Oil. The keg array also announces upcoming beers. This is a long narrow corner venue, bare boarded with the bar counter on the left-hand wall mid-venue, providing some tall stool seating at the bar counter. Regular tables and chairs plus some tall tables and high stools in the front part of the venue with regular tables and chairs on the rear part of the venue beyond the end of the bar counter. Several TVs were showing the Spurs v Palace game absent commentary, surprisingly with no background music, the sound provided by a raucous seemingly very locally based attendance. There was an upstairs seating area served by its own bar, but it appeared it was turned over to a private function on my visit. Felt very much like a local's venue, but very decent and I would have no problem returning here. It is conveniently placed by St John’s station and a digital display above the bar counter advises on upcoming trains.

Unusual lozenge-shaped pub on a road junction, with an impressive narrow curved frontage (with the main entrance) separating the two main facades. The elongated interior has been largely stripped bare and replaced with slightly rustic cafe-style furniture, but there is plenty of natural light due to all the windows. Two cask ales on handpump - Harvey's and Juice Grobbelaar from Northdown (£5.60) - and a few interesting craft keg beers from smaller breweries on the two hooped founts. Handily, the bar back features a live departure board for the nearby St John's station.