Dean Swift, Bermondsey, SE1

Located two minutes from the hustle and bustle of the Thames riverside in the old Butler’s Wharf but feels like a million miles away. This is a small upmarket alehouse that had a radical overhaul a couple of years back and is aimed at the emerging craft beer market. The exterior is relatively unassuming and the interior is decorated in a fairly minimalist and functional manner, a small room with a bare boarded floor, whitewashed walls with a sprinkling of brewerania and a compact bar tucked away in the corner. Craft keg pumps dominate with an interesting mix of eight local and imported beers which complement the range of bottles in the fridge. Helpfully, a beer menu is provided. Sited to the right behind a column are four handpumps which on my visit were dispensing from an impressive brewery line-up, although the beer style was uniformly light and hoppy. The W&E Knot and Liverpool Organic were both in excellent condition if a little pricey, served by staff who smiled and actually seemed happy to be there. Busy on my visit, we nabbed a pillar perch and were impressed by the brewery labels that had been varnished into the woodwork even if the W&E one hadn’t really survived the experience as well as the others. Food is pushed and described like quite upmarket pub grub however the portion sizes looked generous. This definitely a good place for a beer drinker to seek out and I’ll definitely return on that basis. It isn’t necessarily a huge draw as a pub unit though, it seems to be missing some character.

This place looks a bit austere and forbidding from the outside with black painted tiles, a lack of floral displays and so forth but once inside things brighten somewhat. A single L-shaped bare boarded room with the small bar tucked in the back corner, white walls and ceilings contrast with the exterior and with the large clear glass windows give a bright airy feel even on a gloomy afternoon. There is a run of banquettes along the front under the window with empty bottles along the shelf, then a fireplace with a mirror and TV over, other seating is at benches and stools. Decor is a bit minimalist and is basically a few framed beer and brewery related things plus a good number of chalkboards listing the beer ranges and food options together with opinions. Some of the food specials were priced quite high but a separate board listed more regular options at more affordable prices. The first thing you see on approaching the bar is a row of keg pumps offering a mix of craft and more standard products, I spotted a couple from Camden and one from Kernel. The shelves behind the bar plus a fridge tucked in a corner held a quite unusual selection too with Kernel again well represented, the fridge containing a good selection of Belgian stuff. Four handpumps are semi concealed behind a column but once spotted offered a good choice of lesser seen brews, Windsor and Eton Windsor Knot, Arbor Ales Sonnet, Redwillow Endless and Magic Rock Curious NZ (£4....I expected this). Some guy with a vaguely American accent came over to chat to me about the beer having seen me inspecting the pumps, I reckon he's the guvnor, he seemed friendly enough and interested in what he does, can't argue with that. It's certainly not your traditional street corner boozer any more but I did like it and enjoyed the beer.

Originally a Trumans pub called the Bricklayers Arms, this small Victorian corner pub set in the heart of Butlers Wharf was reinvented as the Dean Swift in 2010 and centres itself around craft beers and microbrewery ales. The bare floored main bar is a small, single room with modern, quite plain and bright décor with a few touches of elegance. The walls contain artworks, a few quirky quotes and a collection of pump clips. There were a couple of TVs showing football during our visit but this isn’t really a sport dominated pub as such. There is also an upstairs bar for functions. The big draw here is the beers.with 4 rotating ales on handpump, the selection for my visit being Buxton Kinder Stout (£4), Buxton Moor Tap (£3.80), Windsor & Eton Windsor Knot (£3.80) and Redemption Trinity (£3.60). There is a good choice of craft keg beers and global bottled beers with a menu available at the bar to steer you through what’s available. A set of chalkboards will also alert you to any updates as well as upcoming entertainment. Main meals were around £10-£15 and there were a fair number of people eating so I would assume it has a good reputation. Service was friendly and efficient and the general atmosphere was quite vibrant and busy for what was essentially a fairly mundane Sunday evening. They certainly appear to have found a market for themselves and the pub is well worth a visit if in the area but you’ll need a fatter than normal wallet.

Small pub on a street corner site, the Dean Swift was pretty busy on an early Saturday evening. Service was efficient, however, and I soon had a pint of Moor 'Nor-hop' in my hand. Very good it was too. 3 other pumps were working hard as well: 2 offering ale from Windsor & Eton. Prices were on the high side, it has to be said, but, all the same, it's worth visiting if you find yourself in the side streets beyond Tower Bridge.

This pub had four handpumps, all in working order apparently, dispensing a couple of Grain Brewery ales called 3.1.6 (no idea of the significance of calling an ale this number) and Harvest Moon, plus Dark Star Sunburst and Arbor Malagold. All are golden summer ales, and although you might think that this was an appropriate ale style for the middle of July, a more full bodied brown ale would have been welcome on the miserable and wet day when I visited. Nonetheless, the Arbor Malagold was a very enjoyable drop, but not cheap at £2 for a half. There were a further nine keg fonts dispensing none of the usual keg fizz – although I did spot Guinness and Thatcher’s cider clips. I was in too late to see any lunch menus on the tables, but I did see a sign in the window advertising a lunch menu for £7, and on one wall there was a chalkboard with four specials listed – typically “saddle of lamb stuffed with mervez sausage on spring onion mash potato, asparagus and jus de caisson” for £14.50. Sounds interesting, but pub grub it aint. The pub itself is a small one room affair, with black upholstered benches along the front, with the remaining furnishings being a mix of small stools, and normal tables and chairs. All quite functional really. Music was being played – Jimi Hendrix and Marvin Gaye being a couple that I recognised, making a change from the stuff one usually hears. There were three TV screens, but only one was on (but muted), showing the Tour de France. The unusual ales on offer make this one definitely worth a visit, and I guess if you want a gastropub meal that would be a bonus. The girl behind the bar was happy enough to tell me about the ales, which is always nice when someone shows some enthusiasm for their work. I’d be very happy to visit this one again sometime.

Great little pub, superb range of ales and craft lagers, not to mention bottled beers. Friendly knowledgeable staff make this a welcome addition to the South Bank scene. I would highly recommend a visit.