Hillbilly Social 101, N22

Official site of Hillbilly Social 101 - www.muswellhillbillybrewers.co.uk

Official site of Hillbilly Social 101 - www.muswellhillbillybrewers.co.uk

This new opening is on the site of the original Step pub (and before that Henley’s Bar), which sadly closed for good in March 2020 and was purchased by a property developer who subsequently gutted the interior and submitted multiple planning permissions to turn it into flats. These were vigorously contested by the local resident’s association who raised more than 500 objections and managed to achieve community benefit society (CBS) status in 2021 as part of a campaign to raise the cash and buy the building from the developers, and return it to the local community use as a pub. The resident’s association successfully purchase the building at the beginning of this year and have entrusted its running to the Muswell Hillbilly Brewery (who are long term supporters of the monthly Middleton Road Sunday market), and after a period of refitting and a couple of trial events, it opened its doors to the public earlier this month. Largely a single space that stretches back from the front door past the serving bar on the right to a small garden outback. There is no cellar here, so its keg products only and as you would expect the Hillbilly beers are prominent on the keg taps, with three available alongside a couple of guests for my visit. All beers from the taps are priced at £6.50 and their Bowes Park Pale was a decent craft brew. Then there is a fair collection of bottles and cans behind the bar. It currently does not open on a Monday or Tuesday and opens at 3.30PM every other day of the week. With the Bohem Brewery Tap room on the opposite side, Myddleton Road is becoming a bit of a destination for the craft beer crowd and for those who cannot live without a cask ale then The Prince is a 13 minute walk away.