The Cronx, Croydon

This Boxpark development is a strange thing, it appears to be a two storey pile of shipping containers surrounding an open area with wooden tables and chairs. I'm happy with this place being described as a micropub especially after visiting several of the Teesside ones. What Pub describes the interior as "stylish". I thought this was a bit over the top as the bare hanging light bulbs reminded me of the introduction to the old TV series Callan from the late 1960s and early 1970s. On my visit the six hand pumps had Cronx Kotchen, Standard, Nektar & Oreo Cookie Stout with ELB Jamboree and Twickenham Naked Ladies as guests. The keg options, as always, were all silly money. I went for the Stout which at £4.00 for a 4.6% ABV beer in a minimalistic place like this seemed expensive. Of much greater concern was the fact that it was too warm. If the area behind the bar is a properly chilled room then they are wasting their time and money as the door into it was kept open for the entire time I was there. If it's not a chilled room then they will have big problems when the weather gets really hot. The other reason it may have been warm is lack of cooling systems on the lines between the cellar and the bar. Things got worse as a table next to where I was sitting started gaining an ever increasing number of guffawing hipsters. I have my doubts about this place as warm expensive beer is a poor advertisement for any microbrewery.

On returning to East Croydon following my foray into New Addington I reckoned I deserved a decent pint before getting my train, and luckily the Cronx bar was ideally located for that. I would regard this as a micropub, although as there was some music playing perhaps it shouldn't really qualify as one. There were six real ales on - from Cronx we had their Standard Bitter; Nektar; Kotchin and Entire, and from Kent Brewery there was Cascade, and Prohibition. There were also numerous keg offerings, and certainly too many to bothering noting them down. I was asked if I was drinking in or out; apparently you can take your drink elsewhere in the Boxpark, in which case you would be served in a plastic "glass". I had the Standard Bitter, which was an excellent pint at £3.50. Furnishings here are four tables with scaffold style metal frames, a bench against one wall, some small stools, and some tall stools at a ledge against the other wall. Like all micropubs I've been in, luxury has been sacrificed on the alter of functionality. But for me the beer quality at a reasonable price sells it. Possibly not the sort of place to take a lady on a date - but perhaps it would be a winner with some of the ladies I've encountered on pub crawls. It really is handily placed near East Croydon Station so I'll probably find myself in here again.

As so often the case,PSM nails all the main points.This new bar had the feel of a micropub,while the unplaned wood facing both the servery ,tables and walls gives the interior a distressed,hipster vibe.All 6 handpumps were functional on my visit offering Cronx Scarf Ritual,Entire Porter and Anglo American Pale (in decent condition ,but rather too sweet for my palate) with guests Mallinson Waimea,Downlands Papa Jr and Brixton Effra Ale. Worth including on any ale tour of the town centre, the enthusiasm and ceativity shown here bodes well , a positive sign that Croydon can recover from a very bad image.Also close to East Croydon station it's handy if you miss a train,assuming they are not on strike.

Official site of The Cronx - www.boxpark.co.uk

Official site of The Cronx - www.boxpark.co.uk

Having been consigned to an industrial estate at the far end of New Addington since their inception, The Cronx Brewery have decided to up their profile by taking on a unit in the fancy new Boxpark development next to East Croydon station. One of two bars in the complex, this is the only one serving real ale, although to find it, you don't actually need to enter the main arena, as the bar fronts onto Dingwall Road. The bar has the feel of a micro pub, occupying one of the old shipping containers that make up the park, with simple decor, limited seating and a basic servery along the rear wall. The seating comprises a fixed bench down the left hand wall under a large image of the brewing process, some low stools made from old kegs and a few high stools around a pillars fitted with shelves and a drinking ledge down the right hand side. The bar is a simple affair with a straight counter broken in the middle by a small pillar, whilst the bar back has around half a dozen keg taps as the centrepiece. The central pillar has a couple of plug sockets for phone charging, with USB slots above, which will no doubt be handy for the occasional passing commuter. My favourite feature is the wall lamps on the right hand side which are made from old keg fonts and look far better performing this function than they do dispensing Carling! Two Cronx beers and two guests seems to be par for the course across the six handpulls, but on my first visit the choice was Cronx Standard, Kent Mandarina and Porter and Brixton Effra Ale. The Porter was in excellent shape, as were various Cronx beers sampled here since and the Arbor Motueka I tried last week. The keg beers tend to be from London based micros, including more Cronx offerings. From my few visits here, I have found all of the bar staff to be extremely friendly and helpful and there has always been a nice atmosphere from comfortable sized crowds. The bar no doubt fills up quickly during the post-work hours, but if you're okay with having a plastic glass, they will let you take your beer out into the main Boxpark area, which has loads of long bench seating and allows you to combine your pint with some of the excellent food on offer around the complex. The Boxpark development marks a serious change in direction for Croydon and I feel that the borough's first brewery for over 50 years is an appropriate venture to be represented here. The bar works well as a micro pub, with some well kept beer and friendly service, whilst the opportunity to take your pint into the main arena opens up the possibility of enjoying good beer in larger groups and with your food. I think this is a good addition to the town's pub scene and an ideal spot for a first or last drink when visiting Croydon via the station.