Brewhouse & Kitchen, Highbury Corner, N5

This is the second London based venture from this small chain of brewpubs, following in the footsteps of their other bar a little further down the A1 in Angel. Located in a former tram shed close to Highbury and Islington tube station, this is a large venue with semi-industrial décor of a similar nature to that seen in its sister pub. A long rectangular room with the bar down the left hand wall forms the bulk of the pub, with the bar counter built out of wooden planks whilst the bar back has windows which look down over the adjacent railway line. There are dark floorboards throughout and an eclectic mix of seating options including standard tables and chairs to the right, some of which are behind a low partitioning wall with a stack of board games on top. To the front I spotted a table with an unused fire pit built into it and there was also an upright piano nearby and some display cases full of local produce which was for sale. To the rear there is a high table with a perspex surface underneath which a variety of beer making ingredients can be viewed, although the stools at this table were too high to allow you to get your legs under the table, so I gave up trying to sit here. Various window shutters have been suspended from the ceiling and there are a lot of pipes, valves and gauges running around the room. To the rear is an open kitchen and to the right of that is the brewery, with brew days and beer masterclasses advertised around the room. Blackboards also detailed the brewing process, presumably so you can figure out what the brewers are up to whilst you sample their handiwork. There is a nice paved seating area out at the front of the pub and steps lead up to a balcony area, although it was unclear whether this was open to the public or not. A good soul music soundtrack was playing throughout my midweek evening visit, but I was surprised to find the place pretty quiet, with more customers on the patio than inside. Six house beers were on handpull - Tramshed, Romford Pele No 19, Brown Porter, Goalscorer, Illustrator and Colonia Estivo. Keg offerings were poured from taps on the bar back and included the likes of Beavertown and Camden. As with their sister pub, the beer quality was excellent and my pint of Brown Porter barely touched the sides. This is another good pub from this promising chain and a good addition to an area with a mixed bag of drinking options. Whilst not quite winning me over as much as the Angel venue, this is still well worth looking out for and I will doubtless be making a return sooner rather than later.