Zerodegrees, Reading

This is a large, modern bar and restaurant, similar in style and layout to the other venues in this small chain of brewpubs. You can enter from two opposite ends as I entered I found myself in the restaurant section, with no obvious sign of a bar. This seems like quite a nice spot to eat with plenty of seating options in a large, well lit space, but I didn’t linger, heading towards the open kitchen at the rear where a dog-leg turn soon reveals the lower level bar area. This has a fairly utilitarian look to it, with a concrete floor, exposed metalwork, bare blockwork walls and lots of visible piping, air ducts and the like running beneath a corrugated iron ceiling, all of which makes the place fairly cold and uninviting. Even the sight of the brewing vessels behind the servery failed to lift the spirits. A few comfy sofas and pouffes have been arranged on a slightly raised platform opposite the bar in a failed attempt to off-set the brutal décor, whilst some standard tables and chairs can be found to the right, near the other entrance. A drinking shelf separates the bar area from the raised seating section and would be a handy spot to grab on busy evenings. Large floor to ceiling windows displaying the brewery logo, run down the right hand side, allowing plenty of light into the room. I noticed a TV set opposite the bar which was switched off in favour of a jazz and swing soundtrack. I managed a quick glimpse at the menu, which seems to focus around pizza and pasta dishes, with most mains costing around a tenner. There were plenty of Zerodegrees beers available at the bar, all dispensed from the tall keg-style fonts, and a quick walk down the length of the counter whilst waiting for the barmaid to return allowed me to note the following options – Pale Ale, Mango, Pilsner, Wheat Ale, Elderflower Lager, Black Lager and Christmas Bock. I opted for the Wheat Ale, which was fairly average and not really enhanced by having a chunk of fruit dropped in it, and the Black Lager, which was much better, but still served at a temperature close to zero degrees. For reasons that I suspect I’ll never understand, these beers are classed as real ale by CAMRA. I didn’t particularly dislike this place, but I did feel that you have to ignore quite a few negative points before you can really enjoy a visit. For me, the prospect of some interesting beers that are hard to come by elsewhere means that I would consider a return, but I can see why others might be less inclined to give it a second chance.

I thought Quinno was taking us to a Metro Station on first approach. After walking down from the Hopback, on such a hot day I found it quite refreshing to get a cool pint of their Wheat Ale. I didn't receive a slice of orange on the side of the glass, which was good as that wouldn't have been to my taste or street cred. I thought this pub to be fun and maybe these craft pubs are a good way of starting the kids on beer and then they can find their own way in life to a pint of real ale.

Zerodegrees is an open plan minimalistic modern bar with fake pipework to give the feel of a boiler room. I’m not sure why. I went for a Pilsner which didn’t go down very well after an afternoon on the ale. I’m not a fan as I prefer a proper pub with some real character.

A modern, futuristic bar with patio area. The building is effectively metal and glass and looks like something that i cobbled together with my Meccano set in 1972 - in a nice way! The open plan irregular shaped interior has red and white walls, with red flooring. Copious comfy chairs and pouffes are around so you can relax as you look at the metal ducting, brew tanks and ostentatious taps - which to be honest would really only excite the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. There is a TV, which was silent and the music was general and at a decent level. The service was fine and the clientele mixed. Beer; consisted of Pilsner, Pale Ale, Wheat Ale, Black Lager and Mango. I tried the Black stuff and the Mango, which was very refreshing. In all seriousness, it was a different experience. Not my kind of place, but happy i went. It prompted a lot of discussion amongst the PG'ers, more so about about the row of 'ladies' in the gents to be fair - where clipboard girl came out on-top (not literally), mainly as tapemeasure girl made me feel inadequate and I postively couldn't go in front of cleaver girl.

Not the kind of place I would normally seek out, however as part of a beer crawl it was worth a look ,open plan and modernistic as described below.My choice of the pale was very cold and hazy but drinkable and welcome given the high temperatures of the day ,that said there are much better places to spend time in Reading and as such are not likely to return on a regular basis.

Always likely to divide opinion,this modernistic bar has an open plan kitchen and brewing equipment on full view.At the rear there is a large restaurant while the drinking goes on around the stylish front area which opens out in hot weather.The taps offer a range of styles with Pilsner,Pale Ale,Black Lager,Wheat Ale and Mango available on my trip.The beers are served cold but also poured quite hazy .It can be described as home brew and it certainly tasted like home brew.To maintain the modern vibe, there is a lot of exposed ducting attached to the ceiling but if you follow this around the interior you quickly see that the ends dont connect to anything ,it's all for show and quite offensive for those seeking an engineering rationale for so much pipework. Worth a visit just for the novelty value,having done so I would give this one a miss next time I'm looking for a decent pint in Reading.