Saint Monday Taproom, E8

A large arch taproom that seems to have a strong Goth/metal theme running through it with clientele to match,a bit quirky with chain curtains through to the loos, skull doorknobs and tap handles as well as being suitably dark inside the music playing was of an expected nature.Six of their own beers on with eight guests, I went with the Saint Monday West Coast IPA, food is in the form of various Hotdogs of which I partook. All in all quite a decent experience.

This railway arch used to be thje base for London Fields Brewery but after their demise it is now the brewery tap for Saint Monday.The internal space is impressive,very high arch,bench seating running down one side with small circular tables,a large island bar and a sizeable wall mounted beer list.Expect 8 house brews across several styles and 5 guests from respected craft keg brewers.The taps each have very intersting handles crafted from a variety of medical and industrial tools,a real feature. The barmen were very chatty and informastive about the beers on offer and my choice of their West Coast IPA 6.5% wasn't cheap at £6.80 but worth every penny,not too cold or over carbonated and a quality beer to boot with lots of rich hop action. I would say this is a must visit if in the area and also if craft keg is your game.I will most certainly return.

This is a deceptively large brewery tap located in a long arch beneath the railway line. On approach, the place doesn’t feel like it will be so big, as you enter from the side, with the servery directly opposite as you step inside, but the room opens out into a large room over to your right. The place is done out in the same manner as many other London railway arch taprooms, with a concrete floor, sheets of corrugated metal over the vaulted ceiling and a large space at the end of the room set aside for the brewing equipment. The unusual position of the entrance means that very little natural light penetrates the room, making it feel pretty gloomy even when visiting on a bright day. The bar has quite a long counter with a row of fridges full of cans and bottles in front of it. Brewdog-style cinema beer boards tower over the bar back, although these ones have white letters on a black background, so they can’t be accused of directly ripping off Brewdog’s aesthetic. Some of the keg taps are mounted on the bar back beneath these boards whilst others are on fonts along the counter, with no obvious distinction between the two sets. Displays of beer can packs and various bits of brewing literature were strewn around the bar area too, creating quite a muddled, chaotic initial impression of the place. The rest of the room doesn’t really follow the same pattern though, with a series of long tables and benches running along the front wall into the large open space to the right of the bar, where you can find some high tables made from some sort of old vat, and a long banquette on the rear wall. The walls have been decorated with a vivid street art mural to the front and some pretty out-there art prints to the rear, whilst a large neon piece of art hangs next to the bar alongside various bits of brewery merchandise. I noticed an open kitchen area tucked away around the corner from the bar, but this wasn’t in operation, whilst loud music played throughout the course of my stay. There were eleven beers available on keg from the twelve taps listed on the beer boards, all of which appeared to be home brews. I tried a pint of the Corporate Jargon, which cost me £5.00 and appeared to be a very flavoursome and enjoyable session IPA, although the flavour seemed to vanish the further down the glass I went. I thought this was a pretty decent taproom that was perhaps a little too big and came across like a craft beer drinking barn as a result – perhaps with a decent crowd in here, I would’ve felt differently. Unfortunately, since visiting, the brewery and taproom have been closed by owners Carlsberg, who are looking for a new buyer – the price you pay for dancing with the devil I suppose. I’d like to think that someone could make a go of this, as with the Five Points and Forest Road taprooms both a short distance away, there’s a good little craft beer crawl to be had in this part of town.

Being a teenage lad back in the 70’s born at the Enfield Town end of the Enfield to Liverpool St. rail link, Hackney Downs and London Fields were two stations where you used to hold your breath and hope that no weirdo’s or nut cases got on your carriage before the relative safety of Liverpool Street. And “why don’t we go for a beer in London Fields or Hackney?” was not an expression I would have paid money using in my lifetime. So to have this former wasteland now attracting hip and trendy breweries and bars of the type of the London Fields brewery Tap Room is fantastic to see and full marks for them to open up under the former disused Railway arches. Typical minimalist design of these type of new craft bars with a bare wooden floor, plenty of wooden panels and some hanging hops for decoration. And a glass window through which you can see the brewery equipment But the KSP is not the décor, more the London Fields beers available on 6 handpumps and 12 craft pumps. Fortunately I didn’t experience the same issue as John below and the two dark ales I tried in the form of the Black Path Porter and Texan Tea IPA (6% and £2.30 for a ½) were both in good nick. And the couple of craft offerings other members of the crawl had went down without fuss as well. I do like the London Fields products and it’s great to have brewing back in this part of town.

For me this pub was a disappointment. Although there is a good selection of real ale on the Shoreditch Triangle was not up to scratch and could have been a lot better. The pub itself is ok but nothing special. Perhaps I caught it on a bad day. I don't think I will return.