Volley, Old Street, EC1

The Draft House chain have undergone some significant expansion in the last couple of years, building on a successful brand that is now challenging some of the more prominent craft beer bar chains out there. This is one of their latest enterprises – a well positioned split-level bar just a short walk from Old Street station. The bar has a very strong industrial feel to it, contrasting with some of their other branches which have more of a pubby atmosphere, although in this case, it certainly helps give the place a clear sense of identity. You enter past a lot of pavement seating into the lower level of the room. Here you’ll find a bare concrete floor and two rows of seating – one under the large front windows decorated with long neon tubes, the other along the back of the raised platform that runs behind. There are a couple of sections of wood panelled wall at either end of the room and black and white wall tiles elsewhere, decorated with a neon sign that flashes between the words ‘Bop’ and ‘Hops’ endlessly. Seating is a mix of high stools, padded benches and some hard low stools, all sat under the usual exposed vents, pipes and wiring trays we come to expect from this sort of venue. More unusually, there are also three large Pilsner Urquell tanks stored in cradles just below the ceiling. Steps lead up to the higher rear section where you can find the bar on the back wall. A drinking ledge runs along the front of this section, looking down to the lower level below, whilst standard tables and chairs fill much of the rest of the room between several polished concrete pillars. The servery has a quirky graffiti style counter front, white tile bar back and a neon sign on the canopy which reads ‘British Cask Discover’. Two huge TV screens at either end of the room list the full beer range and there was music playing in the background that was almost entirely lost under the noise generated by a full house. The chain’s main appeal has to still be their extensive craft keg and bottle/can range, with copious options across several fonts and in numerous fridges, but they still provide decent cask options, which on this visit were Sambrooks Pump House Pale and Wild Beer Pogo, with one just gone off and a real cider on the final pump. The Wild Beer Pogo was the ‘Manager’s Special’, so a pint set me back a mere £2.90. I’ve taken advantage of this offer many times in various branches of this chain, but this is the first time where the pint wasn’t in great condition and I got the impression it was discounted because it was on its way out. Service was slow and somewhat chaotic but friendly enough. I quite liked this place, despite the sub-standard quality of my pint. It felt like a Brewdog bar with a more rounded selection of beer options and given the chain’s usually high quality ale offerings, I’m prepared to suggest I just got unlucky on that front. This chain is in the ascendancy and after many years of writing them off, I now find myself actively looking out for them. Well worth a look in, especially as it’s an easy double header with the Old Fountain just around the corner.

Modern, industrial-look bar in the lower part of The Bower complex. The bar and main seating area are located up a half-flight of stairs, but there are also some annoying high tables and low window seats at entrance level (plus a few small tables out on the pedestrianised pavement). Plenty of interesting brews on the craft keg taps, but I also found Sambrook's Pale, Charnwood Charlie Brewn brown ale (£4.05) and 1824 from the Mobberley Brewhouse on three of the four handpumps. Oh, and Pilsner Urquell 'tank beer'... and electronic beer boards.

A modern and rather Spartan place with a distinct industrial feel. Split level, you enter to a long and narrow seating area of mostly high tables but the bar and other facilities are up half a flight of stairs, there is however a lift for disabled access on the far left. There is an open exposed concrete ceiling with all the various services on show, columns are exposed concrete too and the stair and floor guarding are in a steel mesh. Drinking ledges look down over the lower area with nominal upstands intended to prevent accidents. Once upstairs the bar is to the far right on a back wall, a sign declares the pub to be "Home of the Third". Indeed it is, beers are served in thirds, halves, two-thirds and pints. Lots of keg options, three were on cask, Siren Soundbase (£4.50), Sambrook's Pumphouse Pale and Dark Star Partridge Best. A large sign advertises unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell from a tank. The place doesn't feel particularly comfortable and is far from traditional but there's a good chance you will find something interesting to drink. The acclaimed Old Fountain is a short walk away too.