London Beer Dispensary, Honor Oak, SE4

Deceptively sized micro, that stretches far back to a pub patio on better days. Its home of the Southey Brewery but has various other offerings, including a fridge of cans for takeaways. I had a Southey Best Bitter on cask - memorable for being the coldest cask I have ever consumed. Quiet on a miserable Saturday (Weather wise) with one other customer. And their dog.

Official site of London Beer Dispensary - www.lateknightsbrewery.co.uk

Official site of London Beer Dispensary - www.lateknightsbrewery.co.uk

Opened in May 2014, this is the second pub from the local Late Knights Brewery, set inside the former bar of the neighbouring Mr Lawrence Wine Merchants. The pub has a shop conversion feel to it, with a long, narrow interior broken into two rooms connected by a short passageway. The front room has dark wood flooring, two-third high wall panelling (with handled beer glasses running along a ledge at the top of the panels) and a nice textured pattern ceiling, all of which helps to give it much more of a traditional feel than your average modern, craft-beer shop conversion. Standard seating runs down both sides of the room and there are a couple of large barrels which you can stand around if all the tables are taken. A fireplace stands to the rear right before the room narrows into a passageway with a drinking ledge down the right hand wall, supplemented by a few high stools. The corridor leads to a small rear lounge with four or five tables arranged around a second fireplace. Doors to the right lead out to a compact paved garden area with lots of heavy iron tables and chairs. Music played at a sensible level throughout my visit and many customers were enjoying food from the burger menu or specials board, with most meals costing around £6-8, which seemed like pretty good value. The pub has no servery, but instead uses another large barrel in the rear left corner as somewhere to conduct transactions. The barrel actually houses three keg taps, dispensing obscure craft brews on this visit, whilst the cask ales are on gravity dispense from a rack on the rear wall. Five more handpulls on a notional bar back were also dispensing ales and ciders. A lack of pump clips means you have to consult a board which lists the ale and bar snack options. The selection on this visit comprised Late Knights Old Red Eye and Hop o' the Morning, Southwark LPA, Shiny Brew Ratchet and Gipsy Hill Beatnik. A shelf displays some of the bottled delights that are also available. I tried a pint of the Beatnik, having been offered a taster by one of the friendly barmaids (barrelmaids?) and really loved it- one of the best pints I tried in 2014. I was suitably impressed with this place, enjoying the cosy ambiance created by the dark wood fittings and muted lighting, warm friendly service and very encouraging beer quality and choice. It may lack a few creature comforts, but I thought it was a good addition to the local area and look forward to the inevitable return visit.

There is a beer list on the wall at the back, and as I didn’t know any of the beers the barman helpfully ran through the beer styles for me. Unusually, there’s no bar counter here separating bar staff from customers – just an old barrel where the barman placed your drinks having got them either from the casks on stillage, or from one of the five handpumps under the beer list. I didn’t note all the beers, but I noticed offerings from Five Points, Hopdaemon, and obviously several from Late Knights. I had the Late Knights Old Red Eye (sounded like my kind of drink) which was in great nick even though it came up a little hazy. There were single sheet menus on the tables, featuring burgers (£6 - £8 or so), and I also noted the pulled pork sandwich at £6. The main room is very basic, being bare-boarded and furnished with normal chairs and re-cycled dining room tables. There’s nothing on the walls in the way of decor other than bottled beer and food lists. Storage space must be at a premium here as there were a dozen or so casks piled up against one of the walls. At the back on the right is a sign pointing to the patio, but I didn’t explore it. This is a beer (and possibly cider) drinker’s pub. You don’t come here for the elegant ambience. But the ale selection looked very promising when I was in, although I only sampled the one.

Rather disappointing visit.Small front area then a narrow corridor leading to another small room and through to the beer garden.Minimal decoration to the interior and the beer garden is tiny and cluttered with tables and chair leaving little room for the customers.There is no bar but the staff serve you at a wooden barrel that has 3 keg pumps attached.8 beers on stillage advertised but only 4 beers on inc Crate -stout,Dominion -Canada and Adnams -Ghostship.Rather than try the 2 Mystery keg beer at £5 a pint I got a bottle of Weird Beard beer for £5.50. How Much? Yes very nice but hey get real with those prices.The helpful barmaid informed me they had loads of new beers coming on next day.That really hurt.Oh and did you notice no beers on from Late knights.Lets open a pub lets get loads of beers and tables and chairs.Oh sh*t we forgot to make sure our beer was ready.Luckily enough the Jam Circus just across the road had a LK beer on.

This is due to open on Thursday the 22nd of May. It is Late Knights brewery's second London pub. It looks and sounds as though it will be a shop conversion / micropub.