Dean Swift, Bermondsey, SE1

This is a small corner pub a short walk from Tower Bridge, focusing on providing high quality ales and keg beers. Disappointingly, there was only one ale on the four handpulls, due to extremely high demand for the Magic Rock beers they had been showcasing the night before. Only Magic Rock Curious remained available, so I gave it a try and found it a bit too warm but still enjoyable. Keg wise, there were 8 taps offering the likes of Magic Rock Highwire, Harviestoun Bitter and Twisted and a mix of various popular Belgian and American beers. The Highwire was very good and I also sampled a bottle of Kernel Saison which is brewed just down the road. The bottle menu is pretty extensive, but there wasn't a great deal under £4.50. Staff were very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful and one of them, who I took to be the manager, was apologetic about the lack of cask ale. The pub has a small, single room interior with a dark wood floor, white walls and some large chandeliers. Smart leather banquettes line the front wall, with tables and low stools elsewhere. A TV was on but it was showing a muted and rather obscure programme which no-one seemed to be watching and music played quietly in the background until the evening's quiz started up. Quite a few people were eating, including the chap I ended up sharing a table with after the quizmaster pinched my seat whilst I was at the bar, who was enjoying a hefty looking burger. I didn't spot a menu though, so I'm not sure how pricey the meals are. I really liked it in here and stayed far longer than I'd planned to. With all of the handpulls in action I think this would be a very good addition to a rapidly expanding range of high quality ale/craft-keg led pubs in the city (Euston Tap, Cask, Rake, Craft Beer Co etc...). One to put on the 'revisit' list.