The Cock Tavern, Hackney Central, E8

A large, well reviewed street corner local from the Southampton Arms stable. I'll stick to the salient: The Maregade brewery now brews here, Howling Hops having shifted to a large and impressive industrial unit on the Hackney Riviera. Beers on were: Maregade Rye IPA, Pale and Chilli Milk Stout, Hammerton Pentonville, Otley 10 Oxymoron, Howling Hops Pale XX Pale No2 and Roosters Ragged Point with an Oakham Citra pump clip reversed due to a sub-standard barrel having been delivered. The Pale was opaque but tasted ok, the chilli milk stout was a drinkable all chilli affair and the Howling Hops Pale No2 was very good. Not quite the quality or selection that I'd anticipated given the pubs connections and history. Service was knowledgable and friendly and there was lots of beer chat and tastings amongst the regulars at the bar. Not quite as good as I'd hoped but well worth the visit.

The Truman's signage has been preserved on the flat squint end exterior although inside there is a bit of Wenlock brewery memorabilia, whether this is just decoration or suggestive of an earlier past I don't know. Nowadays we have an excellent free house, sister to the Southampton Arms in Kentish Town/Gospel Oak but with a brewery downstairs serving up Howling Hops beers. Of the mere 16 retro type handpumps, there were eight ales and eight ciders, only the one on this occasion from Howling Hop, Pale XX, plus Liverpool Organic Brewery Imperial Russian Stout and their Shipwreck IPA, Big Smoke Medicine Man (sublime), East something Ancho Cocoa Stout, Maregade Blonde Pale....might be a Howling brew....Siren Caribbean Chocolate Cake, Caveman Clovis Point Brown plus ciders from Newton's, Harry's, Olivers, something Rhubarb, Orchard, Burrow Hill. Lots going on here. Pork pies, sausage rolls and a range of differently flavoured pickled eggs being the snacks available. The pub itself is rather basic, boarded floor, simple small tables at stools and benches, some wood panelling, ceiling fans, Hackney Empire flyers on the walls. A piano sits against a side wall. Three extant doorways indicate the once multi room layout, the lobbied corner door has a pair of cockerels on top. A grand place for a decent pint, I found the staff and customers to be friendly genuine people, I'd say this is a must do should you have a need to be in Hackney and worth a journey too.

Fine old ex-Truman's pub, reinvigorated as a no-frills alehouse with only limited seating around the 'L'-shaped bar. Little in the way of decor, but there appear to be some of the original glazing, tiling and fittings intact. Claims to have Hackney's smallest beer garden. Dimly lit, though, as the sun goes down. Fine array of 16 handpumps, of which seven were drawing cider and six real ale (including a fine Siren Undercurrent Oatmeal Pale Ale at £3.60) on this visit. Also has a row of eight craft keg taps. Top notch!

Back in on a Sunday lunchtime and it was a much more pleasant experience than the first time I visited on a Saturday evening when it was rammed to a level to be uncomfortable. As others have reported the Cock Tavern follows the now usual formula for this new breed of Craft and Cask pubs with its minimalist internal décor, bare wood floor and bare plain painted walls and a large chalk board on a far wall. The difference here is that the large array of pumps and taps around the bar are clipped so you can tell the beers from the bar, whereas the chalk board gives you more information to what’s actually in the fermentation tanks and conditioning in the microbrewery below your feet. Tried a couple of the Howling Hops brews in the shape of the Rye Wit IPA and the Milk Stout and the latter was particularly good.. Definitely highly recommended for anyone with a liking for Ale, but this type of place will not be everyone’s cup of tea, as proved by the three high viz jacket clad builders that wandered in from an adjacent building site and walked out again when they couldn’t see anything dispensing Stella or Strongbow.

The new(ish) - 2012 - sister pub to the Southampton in Kentish Town and in here they brew (Howling Hops). Like the Southampton, it’s a traditional aged building. Classic London flat-iron shaped exterior with some traditional tiling and signage (ex-Trumans). Like the Southampton, it’s alehouse-spartan-chic inside the opened-out interior, a no-frills wood floor and seating place. A bit on the gloomy side, maybe. Upright piano spotted. Huge amount of pumps at the bar (was it 16?) with a large selection of ales and ciders, with a few from Howling Hops alongside guests. My Howling Hops Oatmeal Stout was in fair form. Also an impressive range of ciders and some craft keg and bottles. Like the Soton, no hot food - just pork pies and scotch eggs. Well-worth seeking out, although for me it didn’t quite hit the high of its sister pub on first viewing, though I’d had a few hefty ales by this point. Handily located close to the station so you don’t need to venture too far into the badlands.