Big Belly Bar, Southbank, SE1

More of a bar than the bottle-shop than I anticipated, but the single small room (which is about as tall as it is wide or long) has just the sort of modern furniture and decor that you would expect. Also has a small patio area out front. Pretty good selection of craft beers from the 12 taps on the bar-back, from which I went for the 4.9% Dark Revolution Sonic Small IPA (£5.40). NB - Cashless.

This is a smart new craft beer bar and bottle shop from the Beer Hawk mail order company, operating out of a unit in a very expensive new development just a stone’s throw from the Southbank. The bar has a very simple single room set up with exposed floorboards, walls painted in contrasting light and dark shades and the servery along the rear wall. The bar has a stone topped counter and white tile bar back with all the taps lined up along its length and a large beer board above detailing the full draught range available, plus a no frills toasted sandwich menu. There are drinking ledges with high stools under the windows along the front and left hand sides of the room, with upturned barrels and high stools through the centre and two padded banquette booths to the right, one of which was occupied by the staff who were busy doing important looking stuff on their laptops. Large beer fridges to the left of the bar are well stocked with bottles and cans which can either be drunk on the premises or else taken out. The decor is very minimalist but a large blue neon sign on the right hand wall reading ‘Out Of Office’ was a notable exception to this rule. There are no TV screens or other such visual distractions, but a decent hard rock soundtrack at least helped to liven up a rather staid and awkward atmosphere. I think I counted a total of twelve keg taps, one of which was out of action with one more given over to a real cider, leaving ten craft keg beers to choose from. I tried the Siren Coldblooded – a delicious porter that drank very well despite being extremely cold and therefore tricky to drink on a freezing winter’s day. Other brews came from the likes of Buxton, Goose Island, Big Drop and Wildcard, so quite a well curated selection, presumably informed by what sells well on their website. The staff were quite friendly and advised that they operate a cashless bar. The vast majority of the effort that has gone into this place has clearly been directed towards the sourcing of top quality beers, be they draught or bottled, with the furnishing and decor of the bar left as a bit of a secondary consideration. I managed to bag the second booth, which was a comfortable spot from which to enjoy a really good pint of craft beer, making up to a degree, for the bar’s lack of character and charm. I’d definitely recommend this place to fans of modern beer bars and top quality craft beers and will probably pop in again sometime soon myself.