Breakwater Taproom, Dover

Breakwater Brewery tap and pizzeria, housed in a modern single-storey building and now with a patio beer garden at the front featuring a large wooden trellis structure installed at the front recently. The ongoing coronavirus restrictions meant that I could only glimpse the interior through the tinted front windows, but fortunately you get given a beer menu for reference because the listing is quite extensive even in these difficult times. Five real ales - including Red Ensign (£3.60) - and six craft keg beers in a range of styles. Friendly service too.

Quite a fair way out into the Northern suburbs of Dover, on the banks of the River Dour, stands this rather smart little brewpub operation. The venture is housed in a most unlikely looking single storey, weatherboard building with a small grassy space out the front offering a few picnic bench seating options. You enter into a smart, bare boarded room with plain painted walls and large front windows that let in plenty of light. Long benches formed into booth-like formations run along the left-hand wall beneath a large mural depicting Dover’s breakwater, whilst smaller tables and chairs run through the centre of the room and a few tub chairs with wacky upholstery fill the space to the rear. The bar is over on the right-hand wall and has an unusual counter comprised of rocks stacked inside a wire-mesh frame, almost like a breakwater/groyne. The bar back is one of those craft beer bar standard white tile affairs with large, informative beer board above. The rear part of the room has been set aside for the brewery, which can be seen through large glass screens with some interesting breweriana on the wall behind including a nice old enamel sign for Lenny’s Ale and Stout. There’s a small rear garden accessed by a door in the rear left corner of the room, whilst inside customers were regaled with 70’s rock tunes playing quietly over the sound system. The cask ales were all home brews, with options on this visit comprising Breakwater Best, Dover Pale Ale, Kicks, Golden Blend, Samphire Gold and Black Ensign. Alongside this, five keg beers and six ciders rounded out a good draught selection. I tried the Black Ensign, at a well-priced £3.25 a pint, and thought it was a tasty brew. The extremely friendly barmaid encouraged my other half to try a few different cider options before settling on the one she wanted. I really liked this place and thought it was a very nicely put-together brew pub that deserves to do well. I liked the unusual building, the helpful staff and the interesting beer selection and would happily have stayed for longer, were it not for the long walk that faced us back to our accommodation. Well worth seeking out, this is a good addition to Dover’s pub scene.